Much Ado about Air Tran Airways. 
Recently announced is that they will be adding new service to Nassau, Bahamas, and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
AirTran Airways will begin flights to Nassau on Dec. 17 and to Montego Bay, Jamaica, on Feb. 11, 2010. Both destinations will feature nonstop flights from Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, and Orlando, and connecting service from over 40 other AirTran cities.
The airline currently offers service to Cancun, Mexico; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Phoenix, AZ; Las Vegas, NV; New Orleans, LA; and nine cities in Florida, as well as service to 22 cities from Baltimore/Washington.
“We are extremely excited to be connecting not only Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington and Orlando to these popular tourist destinations, but in fact, almost our entire network,” says Kevin Healy, senior v.p., marketing and planning. Another addition in the works is adding new service for Key West Florida. This may be added in 2010.
Remember that Message in a Bottle?
9/9/09
The Baltimore Sun today has the fascinating tale of a “message in a bottle” from a cruise ship that apparently survived more than five years at sea as it traveled thousands of miles across the globe.
The news outlet says the barnacle-encrusted but still sealed wine bottle, thrown off a Royal Caribbean ship sailing in the Bahamas in June, 2004, washed up on a beach in England in July. It was discovered by a retired electrician walking his dog.
A note inside the bottle said it was from Daniel Knopp, a Baltimore area resident who was 14 in 2004 when he lobbed it off a balcony on the Grandeur of the Seas during a Caribbean cruise.
“Hello, my name is Daniel Knopp. I am on a cruise ship. I hope whoever reads this finds great joy. God bless. I live in the Baltimore/DC area,” the note reads.
“I never thought of it again,” Knopp, now 19, tells the Sun. “I completely forgot about that day. I thought it would be unreal if it were ever to be found, but I figured it would be destroyed by the ocean environment.”
Tony Hoskings, the man who found the bottle, spent weeks tracking Knopp down, the Sun says.
It isn’t the first time a message in a bottle has weathered an improbable journey. In October 2008, a bottle from a Holland America ship was found on a Caribbean island beach after surviving 35 years at sea.
The Clock is Ticking on Cheap Cruising
Cruise lines began dropping prices drastically late last year in reaction to a sharp slowdown in bookings brought on by the economic crisis, and fares for many itineraries remained unusually low through the winter and into the spring. But bookings have been bouncing back, allowing lines to begin slowly raising prices.
Carnival says that since June booking volumes for the remainder of 2009 and the first half of 2010 have run 19% ahead of a year ago – helping to close the deficit in forward bookings caused by the economic slowdown.
“While the environment for travel remains challenging . . . consumers are responding to the attractive pricing and product offerings our brands have in the marketplace,” Arison says. “We have begun to experience an extension in the booking window as consumers realize the best value by booking early.” Hinting that the rock bottom rates still available on many itineraries won’t be around for long, Arison added that “prospective vacationers looking for the best price should act quickly.
Excerpts taken from USA Cruise Log & Recommend Magazine
