Business and Industry Watch

United to accept credit, debit cards for onboard purchases
After the spring-break season, United Airlines plans to stop accepting cash for onboard purchases on domestic flights as well as flights to and from Mexico, Canada, Central America and the Caribbean. The carrier said it will continue to take cash on other flights. The Seattle Times/The Associated Press (2/27)

Hotel franchising becomes more popular, prominent
Although hotel franchising has been around for half a century, it has become more prominent in recent years as the largest global hotel chains have offered their top properties for sale. Now, many hotels are run by managers and franchisers instead of owners. They receive a well-known brand name and steady bookings in exchange for fees. The Toronto Star/The Economist (3/1)

Consumer Travel News

Discover Switzerland's beauty from a bicycle
While the world today seems to be trending toward bigger and faster, taking a ride through Switzerland on a bicycle can be an eye-opening experience. While guide walking and bicycling tours have been around for year, Switzerland has pushed the concept to new heights. An alliance of public and private entities has created a network of paths, trails and rivers more than 12,000 miles long that give cyclists a greener way to see the country. Delta Sky Magazine (3/2009)

Regulatory and Legislative

Effort to impose security rules on corporate jets faces opposition
Business group, companies and private pilots have sent thousands of e-mails to the Transportation Security Administration to protest an effort to subject corporate jets to security rules. "There's a visceral type of reaction to this," said Andy Cebula of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. "Our members are saying, I'm a good American, I'm not a threat to our country. Why is there a presumption that somehow I'm a threat and I've got to prove myself innocent?" USA TODAY (3/1)

Best Practices

Key questions to ask amid an economic storm
In a tough economic climate, this article advises sales leaders to ask three key questions of themselves: How efficiently am I allocating my time and channeling my energies? Am I creating new business opportunities by making every sales call count by doing my homework and setting solid goals for the conversation beforehand? Are the questions I pose to prospects high-impact and customer-focused, or are they more about meeting my own needs and goals? Selling Power (free registration) (2/16)

SmartQuote