Send your bags ahead
Dublin was host city to the Future Travel Experience conference this week, which was exploring ways of improving end to end baggage experiences. Relieving stress points in airports was high on the agenda. The Passme (Personalised Airport Systems for Seamless Mobility and Experience) project being funded by the EU is looking at ways to cut down airport travel time by 60 minutes. Other companies such as Airportr is working with British Airways to improve handling. They collect baggage from passenger's homes/offices and deliver it to the airport. Travelight is working on having baggage sent separately from door to door, a type of cargo Uber service for baggage.
48 hours to cancel
The traditional notice period for cancelling a hotel room had always been 24 hours. Now Marriott International is changing the period to midnight 48 hours before arrival. The world's largest hotel chain is applying the new cancellation policy across the US, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America. Marriott said the change will better allow them to make rooms available at last minute and avoid unsold bedrooms. Hilton and Hyatt have also changed the notice period for cancelling a reservation without penalty to 48 hours.
No more chauffeurs from Etihad
One of the advantages of travelling business or first class on Etihad was the chauffeur service at each end of your journey. It is being removed from July 3rd and no longer will you arrive at your destination to see a smartly dressed chauffeur holding up your name, except in Abu Dhabi if you are travelling on the right fare, or if you pay for it. First and business class tickets booked before July 3rd will continue to receive complimentary chauffeur service. Economy passengers can now pay for the chauffeur service and the premium lounges. They can also bid for a "neighbour-free seat" option for up to three surrounding seats. No price scale for bidding has been announced yet.
Congratulations United - Five Years
United Airlines opened the service from Dublin to Washington DC Dulles airport, five years ago with the slogan, from our capital to your capital. Over the five years 390,000 plus passengers have made the journey on 2,600 flights. United has been operating from Dublin and Shannon since 1998.
jscales@irishtimes.com