Industry News

TSA Secure Flight Program

Airlines are now collecting additional passenger information as The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has implemented Secure Flight, a program developed to provide uniform watch list matching by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). By establishing one consistent watch list matching system, Secure Flight enhances aviation security and helps to make travel easier for passengers.

TSA Secure Flight Passenger Data Program (SFPD) is to become mandatory for all bookings made on/after November 1, 2010.
The mandate applies to all airlines for flights to/from/within/over the U.S. as well as 100 percent of U.S. carriers’ operations  regardless of geography.

How will Secure Flight affect passengers?

Under the Secure Flight program, passengers are required to provide the following information to airlines in order to allow TSA to conduct watch list matching before passenger check-in:

• Full name (as it appears on passenger’s government-issued identification document)
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Redress Number (if available)

Airlines will send the information you provide to TSA, who will match it against the consolidated government watch lists. Please note that boarding passes may not always display the exact information you provided when booking your travel. This will not affect you when traveling. The name you provide when booking your travel is used to perform watch list matching before a boarding pass is ever issued.

What are the benefits of Secure Flight?

Secure Flight makes travel safer by more effectively identifying individuals that may pose a known or suspected threat to aviation. It also enables officials to address security threats sooner by providing earlier insight into potential matches to the watch list prior to departure. Furthermore, by creating one watch list matching system, it helps prevent the misidentification of passengers who have names similar to individuals on the consolidated government watch lists. Lastly, Secure Flight offers an improved redress process, so that those who believe they have been misidentified as a match to the watch lists can avoid problems in the future.

Protecting passenger privacy.

The privacy of individuals’ information is a cornerstone of Secure Flight. TSA collects the minimum amount of personal information necessary to conduct effective watch list matching. Furthermore, personal data is handled in accordance with stringent guidelines and all applicable privacy laws and regulations.

Redress – for passengers who feel they have been misidentified.

Those who believe they have been misidentified as a match to the watch lists are invited to apply for redress through the Department of Homeland Security Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP). Secure Flight uses the results of the redress process in its watch list matching process, thus preventing future misidentifications for passengers who may have a name that is similar to an individual on the watch list. For more information on the redress process, visit www.dhs.gov/trip.

To learn more about Secure Flight visit www.tsa.gov/SecureFlight.

Kuwait is developing tourism plan.

Amr Abdel Ghaffar, regional director for the Middle East at the UNWTO commented this week: “While tourism has not traditionally been considered a strategic development priority by the Government of Kuwait, there have recently been positive signs of change, with the inclusion of tourism in the country’s first long-term socio-economic development plan.”

Despite recent criticism that Kuwait has failed to support its tourism industry, the Gulf state has put in place a long-term strategy to develop the sector says the Middle East head of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)

His comments come following recent criticism from prominent players within Kuwait’s tourism industry that the government was not doing enough to promote the sector or provide the necessary infrastructure for its development.

HE Sheikh Mubarak AM Al Sabah, chairman of Kuwait-based Action Hotels group added that there was “limited tourism in Kuwait” due to a lack of promotional and infrastructural support by the government.

He said: “We are a very liberal country and no different from any other GCC state but we are not promoted.” However, Ghaffar said this was underway and “includes the establishment of a General Tourism Authority, under the umbrella of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to devise, with the assistance of UNWTO, a comprehensive strategy and action plan for the sustainable development and promotion of the sector.

He said: “In this way, the socio-economic benefits of tourism – particularly in terms of economic diversification and job creation – can be fully realised.”

This refocusing on emphasis on the sector by the government is well overdue as travel and tourism contributes just 3.7 percent to Kuwait’s total GDP and research company Euromonitor International expects this to fall to around three percent by 2019.

It is also expected that tourism related employment will slump from 71,000 jobs in 2009 to 65,000 jobs in 2019. The Euromonitor data showed that in 2009 just over $400m was contributed by incoming tourists to the Kuwait economy. This is unlikely to change in the short term as in May the Dubai-based research company Proleads reported there are currently more than 470 active hotel projects in the Gulf. However, only 27, or 5.7 percent, of these were planned in Kuwait, compared to 258 in the UAE, 83 in Saudi Arabia and 35 in Bahrain.

“TMC’s Beat Online Sites for Low Fares” – It’s Official

For the second consecutive year an independent survey reveals Travel Management companies, like Alshamel Travel, offer cheaper rates for corporate travellers across flights and accommodation, than can be secured through online consumer travel websites.

The study was conducted by The Online Travel Benchmarking Group, a division of travel advisory firm Harrell Associates. The study compared domestic airfares and hotel accommodation rates of popular online consumer travel websites with search results from the online booking system offered by a leading travel management company

The study analysed 80 business travel itineraries across 20 different routes. It examined a range of cost factors such as: ticket type, length of trip, air route and date of purchase and was completed in June 2010.

“Our research continually debunks the myth that online agencies are lower-cost alternatives for business travel booked online,” says Bob Harrell, CEO of Harrell Associates, principal for the Online Travel Benchmarking Group and author of the study.

Trena Blair, spokesperson for a leading Travel Management consortium commented “There is still the perception among many corporate travellers that they are better off using an online consumer travel website for booking their corporate travel. While these types of websites can offer attractive deals for the leisure traveller, independent research continually demonstrates that a travel management company offers greater overall savings for businesses – whether that business is large or small.

“What distinguishes a travel management company… from consumer travel websites is that we apply business intelligence in an online environment. This allows us to assess and customise the best overall travel itinerary for our clients. We don’t simply assume that the first option is the best option, but rather we look at a range of factors and ensure that all travel is in-line with our client’s business objectives.”

Blair believes that the strength of travel management companies also comes from their ability to negotiate competitive rates with suppliers on behalf of their clients. Aside from monetary savings, Blair says there are many other benefits for small and large companies using a travel management company over an online consumer travel website.

“From reporting tools that allow all travel spending to be captured, to traveller tracking capabilities that allow employers to know their travellers’ whereabouts at all times when they’re on the road, a travel management company offers strategic, consultative advice and tools to optimise the effectiveness of a travel program.”

Concludes Blair, “Experience tells us that the largest uncontrollable travel expense occurs when employees make their own travel arrangements through online travel agencies. With the lasting effects of the global financial crisis placing continued emphasis on controlled spending, it’s crucial for businesses to understand where true savings lie while not losing sight of the vital role travel plays in business.”

World Travel Awards Nominee

Alshamel was nominated as the Leading Travel management company in the Middle East for the fourth straight year by the World Travel Awards, the Oscars of the Travel Industry. The nomination reflects the company’s commitment to providing industry leading services, innovation and support to its clients. “Being nominated for a World Travel Award fills us all with pride,” commented Derin Cameron, CEO, “as it confirms that we are heading in the right direction, delivering best in class service to those we work with. It is a credit to the entire Alshamel team that once again we are recognized as leaders in the Middle East travel industry.”