New members to Sky Team Alliance

Three overseas airlines on Friday joined the international airline alliance, adding 25 destinations to SkyTeam's route network. The airlines are Spanish operator Air Europe, Panama's Copa Airlines and Kenya Airways, Reuters reports. Existing SkyTeam members include Air France-KLM, Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

IRELAND TRAVEL OFF-SEASON

Everyone wants to go to Ireland, and it seems that everyone wants to go in the summer. Now don't get me wrong. There is much good to be said about the warm days of summer on the greenest of islands. However, fall, winter, and spring offer their own special charms, as well as being amazingly affordable times to travel. The scenery is still stunning, the people are still friendly (and maybe more so, relieved of the pressure of so many tourists) and the pub life is especially warm and friendly.
Most destinations have a prime season for travel that coincides with excellent weather. Throughout this "peak season", the crowds tend to be heavy and the prices high. Ireland's peak season is the summer months: mid-June through mid-September. When the weather is typically less than balmy, destinations experience a "shoulder season" and a "low season". Shoulder season in Ireland is April, May, early June and early October. Shoulder season has the distinct advantage of retaining many summer travel perks: longer days, good weather and extended shopping hours. Low season is November through March - the winter-weather months in Ireland.
Rates and crowds lessen proportionally as you travel farther from the warmer months. Airfares are often hundreds of dollars below peak season rates, and hotels offer bargain discounts. But for many, one of the best advantages of traveling in the so-called "off season" is that it's much easier to enjoy and absorb Ireland's renowned culture and avoid getting lost in crowds of tourists. Off-season visitors often find that their hosts, hoteliers and shop keepers engage easily in conversation and provide individual attention, increasing the odds for a fascinating and flawless vacation.
Off-peak Ireland is one of the best travel bargains worldwide... short daylight hours and cool weather provide a new, moody perspective on the country. Celtic architecture and cool seascapes fill mornings of exploration, and crisp afternoons call for cozy Irish sweaters and refuge in a warm pub, where visitors mix with the locals.
One of the great attractions of Ireland is that many of its amazing sites are in the wide-open: the cliffs and shores, castles, cathedrals and great stone circles are accessible throughout the year. The countryside, too, holds its famous green, even in the winter when visitors can trace the landscape of long stone walls against a leafless sky and emerald-colored hillsides.
To ensure your comfort while you wander through Ireland, bring heavy sweaters and outdoor clothing and hats. Warm, comfortable (and preferably waterproof) shoes are a must, and pack turtlenecks and windbreakers for good measure. The good news is that because Ireland is situated on the eastern Atlantic side of the Gulf Stream, temperatures are typically more moderate than in continental Europe. Ireland's average winter temperature is a relatively mild 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
A good travel agent familiar with Ireland is the best resource for planning your off-season itinerary to ensure that you experience the best aspects of traveling during this time. Travel agents can connect you to highly regarded tour operators who are financially sound and have a reliable history of taking care of the agent's clients; Ireland can be equally enjoyed through a fully escorted or independent tour, and often at additional savings over already low rates. In addition, an agent is an invaluable source of insider tips and research materials that take the worry and hassle out of planning an enjoyable, quiet, and affordable trip to Ireland.
So pack a sweater and have the Emerald Isle to yourself!

Bermuda Love Fest

The Premier and Minister of Tourism & Transport, Dr. the Hon. Ewart F. Brown, along with his wife, Wanda Henton Brown, extend a special invitation to you and your loved one to spend four magical days and three enchanted nights together on our island paradise.
You'll enjoy luxurious accommodations at the Fairmont Southampton Hotel, exclusive Bermuda International Love Festival concerts featuring Harold Melvin's Blue Notes and Eddie Howard, Jr. plus world-class restaurants and so much more.
Please join us for this perfectly romantic festival, February 16-19, 2007, at the Fairmont Southampton Hotel, Bermuda.


$300 Resort Credit*The $300 Resort Credit is based on the purchase of a qualifying travel package for a minimum 3 night hotel stay per room at participating hotels. Travel is valid February 16 - February 19, 2007. A $300 resort credit will be issued to guests who have purchased a qualifying travel package and will be applied to the hotel bill upon checkout. Resort credit may only be used at booked hotel. Participating hotels reserve the right to restrict the use of the credit. No cash refunds of the unspent balance will be issued. Rates may vary according to date of departure, number of persons, room type, meal plans, taxes, gratuities and surcharges. Rates and promotion may change without notice and are subject to availability. Seasonal surcharges, blackout dates, and other restrictions may apply. Cannot be combined with other offers and is for new bookings only. This offer is not available for groups and is non-commissionable. Cancellation policies apply.

Love Festival PackagePrice listed includes 3 nights accommodation, double occupancy (EP) at the Fairmont Southampton Hotel. Love Festival package includes taxes, gratuities, resort levies, transfers to and from airport in Bermuda, and all Love Festival events during the period February 16 - 19, 2007. Price does not include airfare, local transportation, incidental expenses, optional activities, and meals outside of festival events. Promotion is subject to availability and may change without notice. Restrictions may apply, please check with Bermuda Specialty Travel for more details.

IMPORTANT TRAVEL NOTICEAll travelers, including U.S. citizens, to and from Bermuda will be required starting January 8th, 2007, to have a valid PASSPORT or other accepted document that establishes the bearer's identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States. Please visit the U.S. State Department's website: www.travel.state.gov for more information. For downloadable passport application forms, passport fees, and other information, go to: www.usps.com/passport.



CALL US IF YOU ARE INTRESTED 813-969-4114

Airlines Consolidation

According to several published reports on Tuesday, United Airlines Corp and Continental Airlines are considering consolidation and meanwhile AirTran Holdings announced a $290 million stock and cash bid for Midwest Air Group, all while merger talks continue between Delta Air Lines and US Airways. Both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported discussions between UAL and Continental, though specifics were not given and both papers cautioned about the uncertainty of the deal. The potential paring could be blocked by Northwest Airlines, the AP reports, citing a 2000 pact between the two carriers where Northwest received a "golden share" of Continental in exchange for allowing Continental to buy back some of its stock Northwest held. Northwest's stake in Continental gives the carrier the power to block any potential acquisition. Meanwhile on Wednesday, AirTran offered to buy rival Midwest for $290 million, stating that such an acquisition would create a low-cost airline with pro forma revenue of about $3 billion in 2007, reported Reuters. This is the second bid in the last three months AirTran has made for the carrier-the first proposal on October 20 was rejected by Midwest.

American Airlines

American Airlines recently launched an enhancement to its Business ExtrAA loyalty program, which allows small- to medium-sized companies to redeem flight-award travel online and immediately receive flight-award confirmations via e-mail. Participating employees will be able to travel on the same day an award is redeemed, even as soon as two hours after ticketing. Employees of participating companies can also earn individual AAdvantage miles when they travel on American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection. Companies pay no annual fee, and American does not require them to meet monthly revenue thresholds before points are earned.

HOT DESTINATIONS FOR 2007

Hot Destinations for 2007

While destinations such as Paris and Italy will always be popular, Travel Agent polled sources to find out what trends they?re seeing for 2007 and a handful came up again and again. In Europe, Croatia is the destination where most agents are seeing an upsurge in bookings. Marla Schaffer, president of Leaders in Travel, Ltd. in Great Neck, NY, says that interest is growing in Croatia, but the hotels there aren?t up to the level that most clients expect. Instead, Croatia may be preferable for cruise vacations. Agents should also note the new hotel products coming online: Le M?ridien just last month opened a hotel in the coastal town of Podstrana, about five miles from downtown Split; and Regent Hotels & Resorts is currently at work on a 120-room luxury hotel in Dubrovnik, expected to open early 2009. In Asia, China is holding steady. ?I wouldn?t call China an emerging destination,? says Owen Imaizumi, director of Asia product development for Pleasant Holidays, ?but with the 2008 Summer Olympics, interest and travel to China?and all of Asia?will surely increase.? In addition, work on the Yangtze River dam project looks to wrap up ahead of schedule, Imaizumi says, ?and thus may also create a sense of urgency to cruise the Yangtze River.? Pacific Delight Tours is among the operators noticing the up tick of travel to Vietnam, says Rosalyn Gershell, senior vice president. He also points to Siem Reap in Cambodia as another locale beginning to show up on travelers? radar. Jim Hamilton, travel consultant for Kirkland WA-based ETI Travel, a Virtuoso agency, also is finding that Southeast Asia is popular, especially Thailand ? where the company is seeing a lot of honeymoon interest. As for India, demand by upscale travel has been pressing against finite supply, observe several tour operators. However, infrastructure is poised to more than double in the next several years as the country prepares for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, says Max Ali, director of sales for SITA World Tours. Eric Ardolino, president of Wallingford, CT-based A&SA&S Travel Center Ardolino of A&SA&S Travel Center is seeing strong bookings to Australia, and a survey of recent bookings made by American Express Travel representatives unveiled New Zealand as another top destination for 2007, specifically the towns of Christchurch and Wellington. Costa Rica is a strong performer for Sudeikis? All About Travel, but Panama is picking up heat. ?Cruises to the Panama Canal are in demand, given the combination of high desire with low availability,? says Ardolino.

JFK TERMINAL 1 GETS CLEAR

Security lines should clear up a bit at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport next month, when Terminal 1 begins operating the Clear Registered Traveler program. For an annual fee of $99.95, frequent fliers provide background information to the Transportation Security Administration and, if approved, will receive a biometric identity card that is said to give faster access through airport security. Terminal 1 carrier Air France will sponsor Clear at that location at JFK.

St. Maarten - Maho Beach

Voted #1 Spa on St. Maarten
A luxurious Beauty Spa & Fitness Center
Welcome to the Good Life Spa where we believe in two basic principles:
Live to Relax…and Relax to Live
Think a day of relaxation is simply a way to “spoil” yourself? Think again… When the body is in a state of relaxation or sleep its functions actually increase, enabling it to absorb trace elements, vitamins and enzymes more efficiently.
Relaxing spa treatments such as Body Wraps, Hydrotherapy baths, Specialized Facials and Steam Dome Treatments are packed with active ingredients that restore, rebalance and rejuvenate. Rewarding yourself with a spa treatment is more than just spoiling yourself…it is literally giving something vital back to your body, mind and soul.

$300 companion in Bermuda

Romantic, alluring, and unbelievably beautiful, Bermuda easily won Best Island in the Caribbean/Atlantic region as voted by Conde Nast Traveler readers. And now it's more affordable than ever to visit our famous pink shores with a special $300 savings on a getaway for two.
Our island boasts more golf courses per square mile than any other country in the world – including four championship layouts and a world-class par-3. Since we are less than two hours away from most East Coast cities, you can jet off in the morning and hit the links that same afternoon.
To book your Compliments of Bermuda vacation package – saving $300 -- call Travel Concepts 813-969-4114

Participating properties:
Ariel Sands
Cambridge Beaches
CoCo Reef Bermuda
Elbow Beach Bermuda
Fairmont Hamilton Princess
Fairmont Southampton
Grotto Bay Beach Resort
Pompano Beach Club (November 1, 2006 to February 28, 2007 only)
Surf Side Beach Club

Royal Caribbean Promotes Healthy Eating

Beginning Mar. 1, Royal Caribbean International will become the first cruise line to remove trans fat from its menus, culminating in a fleet-wide trans fat-free menu by the end of the year. Food preparation using trans fat-free oil was tested onboard Navigator of the Seas last November. RCL says the choice to switch was made due to healthier lifestyle choices by RCL guests.