Pay a quarter for your dues
TGA
It's not too late to join or refresh your membership with TGA! In two weeks on Oct. 1, 2011, TGA membership dues will be 75% off. The discounted dues make the perfect opportunity for former members to come back and reap the rewards of an active TGA membership. And, just a reminder, current TGA members receive 25% off exhibit fees at the biggest industry event of the year, The Travel Goods Show — member cost is $15 per square foot, non-member cost is $20. For more information on membership, please visit the TGA website or contact Cathy Trecartin by email or via phone at 877-842-1938, x-702.More

Outrageous hotel perks for pets
Travel + Leisure via CNN
Gunny, a devoted Peninsula Beverly Hills guest, often visits the posh hotel, and the staff joyously greets him as he strides along the lobby's marble floor. Retiring to his room, Gunny finds a specially monogrammed towel beside his bed and sits down to a grilled New York sirloin and scrambled eggs with aged Tillamook cheddar on bone china. And when he needs styling, the hotel's Rolls Royce shuttles him to the salon. All pretty normal for a 5-star hotel — except Gunny is a golden retriever. More

13 facts to think about while flying
The Huffington Post
For thousands of years human beings have dreamed of being able to fly. Yet in just over 100 years since the Wright brothers first took off at Kitty Hawk, taking to the sky has become an everyday occurrence. There seems nothing special any more about powered flight.More

Luxury hotels market the memories they can make
The New York Times
Since the financial crisis began, millions of wealthy consumers have decided to play down the joy of accumulating things in favor of the pleasure of accumulating experiences. As a result, purveyors of premium-priced products and services are embracing the notion that they provide customers with moments to remember rather than with more stuff that needs dusting.More

IATA: Premium travel still on rise
Air & Business Travel News
The number of premium travelers carried by airlines in July rose by 7.5% compared with the same month last year. The figures, published by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), also show a 5% increase on the numbers for the end of 2010. IATA also reported a rise in economy passengers of 5.5% compared with July last year.More

Revamp TSA, critics insist after drug arrests at Palm Beach International Airport
The Palm Beach Post
The two Transportation Security Administration officers who were recently charged with helping drug traffickers move oxycodone through Palm Beach International Airport are just the latest problem for the agency. Ever since its creation, the TSA has been slammed by its own employees, an inspector general and even the Florida congressman who helped create what he now calls a "mindless Soviet-style operation."More

Overweight bag fees hit $400 at some airlines
CBS News
It pays to travel light. A survey of airline fees shows that some carriers have hit or surpassed the $400 mark for international passengers traveling with overweight baggage. On most international flights Continental is charging $400 for a bag weighing 71-100 pounds. United Airlines similarly charges $400 for bags weighing 71-99.9 pounds on intercontinental flights.More

IMF cuts global growth estimate
Bloomberg
The International Monetary Fund cut its forecast for global growth and predicted "severe" repercussions if Europe fails to contain its debt crisis or U.S. policy makers deadlock over a fiscal plan. The world economy will expand 4% this year and next, the IMF now says, compared with June forecasts of 4.3% in 2011 and of 4.5% in 2012.More

Cool tech tools for marketing
Inc.
Marketing isn't what it used to be. Today we've got billboards that can ascertain our ages and genders, movie trailers that can change in real time depending on who the viewer is, and mobile apps that can detect what commercial is airing on TV and send viewers related coupons on their phones. And that's just a start.More

New online shopper study shows the value of Facebook, Twitter, Google
Retail Customer Experience
E-commerce provider RichRelevance has released its new Online Consumer Report derived from analysis of customer viewing and shopping behavior on major U.S. online retail sites. The new study drills into more than 200 million shopping sessions to uncover how Americans are browsing and shopping online — and how their behavior varies depending on whether they are coming to a site from a bookmark, search engine or social network.More

Good news for travelers with disabilities
Forbes
Traveling with a disability may become a little bit easier. Recently, the Department of Transportation proposed a regulation that would require airline websites and automated airport kiosks to be accessible, and a new federal rule announced last week strengthens protections at train station platforms.More