This message contains images. If you don't see images, click here to view. Click here to advertise in this news brief.   Mobile version   RSS   Subscribe   Unsubscribe   Archive   Media Kit Aug. 27, 2012 ABA News | Events | Find a Member | Discount of the Month | Trip Planning | Marketplace | Advocacy | Research     INDUSTRY NEWS FMCSA to focus more on high-risk truck and motorcoaches FMCSA    Share    The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced several new improvements to its Compliance Safety Accountability enforcement program that will enable it to more quickly identify and address high-risk truck and bus companies with compliance concerns. More 3-Point Seatbelt Retrofits from ABC Companies Upgrade your coach with retrofitted seating from ABC Companies. Offer your passengers added safety when you install stylish and comfortable seats complete with 3-point seatbelts. Select from National Seating or Amaya seats. Time out of service is minimal, with installation completed within 1-2 weeks of product delivery. Learn more. North Carolina: Section 5311(f) intercity bus program applications open ABA    Share    The North Carolina Department of Transportation Public Transportation Division is soliciting applications for the provision of intercity bus service within North Carolina. Routes available include Greensboro—Boone, Boone—Charlotte, and New Bern—Jacksonville feeder service. This solicitation is for an 18-month period, from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2014, and the deadline for submitting an application for one or more of the proposed services is 5 p.m. EDT Sept. 17. More 'Cell jammers' on motorcoaches unsafe and illegal FCC    Share    The proliferation of cellphone and GPS signal jamming devices in recent years is of special interest to motorcoach operators and the travel industry. Marketed to create a "quiet zone" in vehicles, schools, theaters, restaurants and other places, signal jammers have also made their way onto motorcoaches as a means to interfere with vehicle tracking devices. Such use subverts management's interest in monitoring its fleet, jams GPS navigation devices that ensure safe operation of the vehicle, interferes with emergency communications and blocks onboard Wi-Fi and cellphone signals to the detriment of customer safety, security and comfort. Moreover, use of cell jammers and similar devices is a federal crime. It is in operators' best interests to articulate a strict "no jammers" policy and to inform drivers and company personnel that violations subject them to criminal penalties, including substantial fines and imprisonment. The Bus Industry Safety Council is in the process of drafting a model policy against jamming devices, and the FCC has created an informational poster that can be placed on employee bulletin boards. More information about the law is also available on the FCC's website. Download the FCC cell jamming poster Visit the FCC website for jammer enforcement Travel industry achieves international visitor record Travel Agent Central    Share    Proof that travel is a bright spot in the economy is offered by new Commerce Department data that shows international visitors have spent an estimated $82.2 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services year to date. This is an increase of 11 percent when compared to the same period last year, reports the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration. More Corporate hotel negotiations could alter travelers' habits USA Today    Share    Will Corporate America send more of its travelers to cheaper hotels next year? There's a good chance they will, says Bjorn Hanson, dean of New York University's Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management. Each fall, U.S. companies hash it out with hotels over corporate rates and perks for the following year — and, this year, Hanson said the two sides are farther apart than normal just before negotiations get under way. More Frustrations of air travel push passengers to Amtrak The New York Times    Share    Long a punch line for harried Northeast travelers, Amtrak has come to dominate commercial travel in the corridor connecting Washington, New York and Boston, and this summer its trains are packed. A decade ago, Delta and US Airways shuttles were the preferred mode of travel between the cities. But high fares, slow airport security and frequent flight delays — along with Amtrak's high-speed Acela trains, online ticketing and workstation amenities — have eaten away at the airlines' share of passengers. More In travel, age makes a difference Chicago Tribune    Share    Gordon White is 79. Kevin Chang is 24. Both recently tried to rent cars, but ran into trouble because of their age. White's online travel agency warned him that he might be too old, and Chang had to pay more for his vehicle because of his youth. A quirk of the auto rental business? Hardly. Other parts of the travel industry, from airlines to hotels, routinely segment their customers by age. More Four Seasons executive: Incentive travel makes comeback USA Today    Share    For the Four Seasons luxury hotel chain's properties in the Americas, hotel occupancy levels are "close to our 2007 highs," says Craig Reid, president of hotel operations for the company's Americas division. But what's been driving that recovery is a mixed story. The star of the show? The segment of business that consists of group and incentive travel. More US testing 'talking' cars to avoid crashes, congestion Reuters    Share    Michael Knight in the television series "Knight Rider" had one. Pixar made a movie about them. Now the U.S. government is testing a fleet of so-called "talking" cars that may help American drivers avoid crashes and traffic jams. More TSA: Behavior detection is simply common sense USA Today    Share    There is no one silver bullet approach to overall airport security. This is why the Transportation Security Administration utilizes a risk-based, intelligence-driven layered approach to security, using everything from passenger information to technology and importantly, behavior-detection techniques. More Advertise here! To find out how to feature your company in the ABA eNewsletter and other advertising opportunities, Contact James DeBois at 469-420-2618. MORE Discover the unexpected in Jackson Your guests can satisfy their curiosities about life behind bars and discover art, culture, festivals, events, wineries, farms and the beauty of nature. MORE  ASSOCIATION NEWS New discount program with OfficeMax announced ABA    Share    The new OfficeMax Partner Advantage program offers ABA members exclusive savings up to 85 percent off their everyday prices and benefits like: Reduced pricing on more than 25,000 products and 4,000 environmentally preferable products and services Flexible purchasing options — online, via catalog, by phone or in store A Retail Connect card that allows members to obtain contract pricing at any one of nearly 1,000 OfficeMax stores Customized digital print solutions through OfficeMax ImPress, their digital print and document services In addition, all orders are taxed according to state law, and orders can be shipped to a residence. Visit www.officemaxsolutions.com and enter username "0730075w" and password "Pic0tw33t" to get started. Check out what's coming next month in MTN ABA    Share    Coming up in the September edition of Motorcoach Travel News: The votes are in. We'll announce the Top 100 Motorcoach Destinations in the U.S. in Canada in our annual September report. The ABA Foundation releases its annual census. We'll take a look at the numbers. Wi-Fi on motorcoaches means more passengers according to a DePaul University of Chicago study. We'll have a report. ABA President and CEO Peter Pantuso discusses Marketplace and a new one-day, exclusive program that ABA and the National Transportation Safety Board will be offering for motorcoach company officials when we meet in Charlotte, N.C., in January. ABA's Pre-trip Passenger Safety Video is being updated, and we are taking orders now. With your help, the Jessica Ghawi Scholarship continues to grow. The scholarship started in late July after the death of Ghawi and 11 others in the Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting. Ghawi is the daughter of longtime ABA member Sandy Phillips of San Antonio. We'll have an update. Look for the September edition of Motorcoach Travel News on Sept. 17 as part of ABA's The Insider. Watch the August edition now. ABA to be a sponsor at Rural Bus Conference, promote the National Intercity Bus Network ABA    Share    The 20th National Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Conference will be held in Salt Lake City at the Little America Hotel from Oct. 14-17. Centered on the theme "Connecting Communities, Sharing Solutions," the conference will feature training workshops, distinguished speakers, roundtable discussions and five session "routes." The conference is intended to bring together both public and private providers of intercity and local bus services that are connecting rural communities to each other as well as to urban centers. Several federal and state transportation officials will also be in attendance to discuss grant programs, recent legislation and transportation policy, possibly within your community. Register for the conference before Sept. 5 to receive the early bird discounted rate of $395. Click here to register. Hotel reservations can also be made for as low as $135 per night by calling 1-800-281-7899, using the code URSTA. For more information and to view the full schedule of events, please visit http://www.ribtc.org/. ABA seeks nominations for 2013 board of directors ABA    Share    The American Bus Association is calling for some of the next leaders in the industry to step forward. ABA is seeking nominations for leading bus operators, tour operators, associated service providers, manufacturers and travel industry members to join the ABA board of directors. The ABA board is instrumental in providing leadership and direction for the association and to the motorcoach, tour and travel industry. More ABA Classifieds ABA    Share    ABA has launched a new benefit for its members that leverages the interconnectedness and familial nature of our association, introducing the ABA Classifieds. If you are a job seeker, a company looking for new hires, have buses for sale, are looking to move parts/equipment to new customers or have services that need exposure within the motorcoach, group travel and tourism industry, then the ABA Classifieds is the place where you want to be. Take advantage of the widest reaching weekly publication in the industry. More Is your Marketplace 'face' ready? ABA    Share    We all want to put our best foot forward when it comes to marketing our companies. For those attending ABA's Marketplace show, Jan. 5-9 in Charlotte, N.C., the public "face" of your company is the information in your Marketplace and membership profiles. The profile database — containing the information that operators and travel suppliers rely on to identify whom to schedule appointments with — opens for research Sept. 7. Log in to the Marketplace Passport today to update your profiles, so your company can be discovered and you can earn more business at the show. More ABA welcomes new members ABA    Share    Aug. 27 — New members Help ABA give a warm welcome to these new members who recently joined the association. Be sure to print and add these companies to your 2012 ABA Motorcoach Marketer. More   The Insider Colby Horton, Vice President of Publishing, 469.420.2601 Download media kit Ashley Whipple, Content Editor, 469.420.2642    Contribute news Dan Ronan, ABA Editor, 202.218.7220    Provide Feedback Matthew Cahill, ABA Associate Editor, 202.218.7206    Provide Feedback This edition of The Insider was sent to ##Email##. To unsubscribe, click here. Did someone forward this edition to you? Subscribe here -- it's free! 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