Delta Adds In-Flight WiFi to All Shuttle Flights

You know what they say about technology on airplanes, "Don't use it because you will cause the plane to crash and burn!" Well, if that's true then Delta Air Lines didn't get the message, as the company recently revealed that it has officially installed WiFi on all of its Delta Shuttle aircraft that fly between New York LaGuardia and both Boston and Washington Reagan National. In addition to that, Delta brands its frequent service between LaGuardia and Chicago O'Hare as Delta Shuttle as well.

According to a statement released by Delta's Senior Vice President in New York Gail Grimmett, "We are thrilled that WiFi is now available to our Delta Shuttle customers as it's a perfect complement to other Shuttle amenities including free morning coffee and newspapers."

Delta is also claiming that they are the first carrier to install WiFi across its entire mainline and two-class regional fleet. Delta said that "when WiFi installations on regional jets are complete, more than 400,000 Delta customers on more than 3,000 daily flights will have the in-flight connectivity on a fleet that already makes up nearly half of the world's WiFi equipped aircraft."

WiFi will definitely be a big business generator for Delta as many traveling businessmen will relish the opportunity to check email and make business transactions and decisions mid-flight. Heck, people will just love to be able to Tweet and update Facebook with something like "30,000 feet in the air right now on my way to the Big Apple!".

Source: USA Today - Delta: All Shuttle flights now have in-flight Wi-Fi

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U.S. Urges Caution When Traveling to Mexico for Spring Break

Spring Break. It's one of the biggest highlights for college students as millions will be traveling far and wide to exotic, sunny and festive locales around the world to celebrate that highly desired week off of classes. However, weeks before students begin embarking on their trips, the United States State Department is warning about the possible dangers of traveling to Mexico this Spring Break.

The State Department is urging Americans to avoid going to all or just parts of nearly half the states in the country due to the fact that Mexico is experiencing a dramatic growth in drug-related violence. The State Department is also advising caution for students who plan on traveling to three other border states as well as many areas of Central and Western Mexico, areas where drug cartels have been warring.

A lot of Mexican elected officials have decried the warning for its potential impact on the country's tourism rates (especially during Spring Break) and on the country's economy. Mexico is one of the top destinations for millions of U.S. citizens every year, including over 100,000 who go there for Spring Break, the State Department says. Over 150,000 cross the borders every day.

According to a statement from the State Department's website, "The Mexican government makes a considerable effort to protect U.S. citizens and other visitors to major tourist destinations and there is no evidence that Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) have targeted U.S. visitors and residents based on their nationality." Regardless, United States citizens have already been casualties of the increasing violence in Mexico.

Source: Fox News - US Warns About Travel to Mexico as Spring Break Looms

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Dolly Parton Set to Open New Water-Snow Park in Nashville

The Queen of Country herself, Dolly Parton, is set to open up yet another attraction in Tennessee, though this time the park will be a little different. The new park is something called a water-snow park and is being described as the first of its kind in the country. The park is set to open in Nashville and will join Parton's many other Tennessee attractions.

Announced on Thursday, the same day as the singer's 66th birthday, the new $50 million park is 114 acres and is believed to be opening in the summer of 2014. According to a statement from Parton, "I'm not a bit afraid of competing with myself. They are far enough apart. I live in Nashville, so it's natural for me to have two working places."

The new water-snow park will be a partnership with Gaylord Entertainment, the same company that owns the vast Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center as well as the Grand Ole Opry county music show also located in Nashville. During the first full season of the park, 500,000 visitors are expected and the park will use 450 full and part-time employees.

As far as details go, there aren't many. Chairman and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment stated that there will be special winter festivities as well as "lots of music" and that an additional 35 acres have already been purchased in the event of expansion. Dollywood and Splash Country bring in around 4 million visitors each year. The park opened back in 1986 with the water park opening in 2001. In addition to those parks, Parton owns the Dixie Stampede dinner theater located in Pigeon Forge.

Being a winter park as well as a summer, there are concerns that the cold winter weather may hinder attendance. However, as far as Parton is concerned, "Unless there's a blizzard, we'll be ready for 'em." Reed also added that he believes the new park will help increase attendance at Parton's other attractions as well.

Overall, thoughts on the project are positive with Reed and Parton describing their partnership as a 50-50 with no worries about financing. "We have a strong balance sheet and an icon like Dolly with us," Reed said and Tennessee Governor Bill Hastlam added, "The idea is a big one. If you think about it, the state lives off sales tax. And this will be something that will mean new dollars for Tennessee."

Source: Detroit Free Press - Dolly Parton plans water, snow park
CBS News - Dolly Parton plans Nashville water/snow park

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Air Travel Set to Increase in 2012 Along with Airfares

According to a hypothesis by AirpotParkingReservations.com, an airport parking aggregator, the new year means new opportunities for travel, and U.S. travelers are going to take to traveling via air a lot more in 2012. Air travel in the United States increased around 6% in 2011 and that increase is likely to continue well into 2012 as U.S. citizens schedule more trips and increase their overall travel budgets.

AirportParkingReservations.com has seen an upturn in reservations in many different markets. Owners believe that the increased air travel trend will also be supported by increased enplanement figures at a lot of the major airports when they are released by the Department of Transportation later in the year. TripAdvisor's annual travel trends survey saw 79% of participants saying they will spend a minimum of $3,000 on travel in 2012 with 57% saying they will spend $5,000. These increased budgets will be essential since airfares are predicted to increase with the decrease in airlines on the market.

The second quarter of 2011 foreshadowed the higher ticket prices when the average domestic airfare increased by 8.5% over 2010 to $370 per ticket. In addition to that, American Airlines' recent bankruptcy announcement illustrates the industry's financial burdens, which will continue to take their toll on travelers in the form of increased ticket prices.

New mileage-based fees will also go into effect in 2012, which will only serve to further increase ticket prices. The good news is that the Department of Transportation's new rules on disclosing all airline fees upfront are scheduled to begin in the next few months, so passengers will no longer be unaware of all the "extras" they are paying for.

The economy is in the toilet and airfare prices are increasing, but that isn't stopping hard-working Americans from going on some well-deserved vacations this year. Maybe the economy is doing slightly better, allowing for these increased vacation allowances, or maybe people just don't care about money because they believe that the world is going to end this year? Hopefully it isn't the latter.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle - 2012 Air Travel Forecast Predicts Increases in Travel and Airfares

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