The Department of Transportation (DOT) this week issued new protections for people with disabilities in commercial air travel “that will ensure that they can fly safely and with dignity.” The Final Rule, among other initiatives, sets new standards for assistance—requiring airlines to provide safe and dignified assistance to individuals with disabilities; mandates hands-on training for airline employees and contractors who physically assist passengers with disabilities and handle their wheelchairs; and specifies actions that airlines must take to protect passengers when a wheelchair is damaged or delayed during transport.
Separately, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced its own Final Rule to prohibit bait-and-switch pricing and other tactics used to hide total prices and bury junk fees in the short-term lodging and live-event ticketing industries. According to the FTC, “these unfair and deceptive pricing practices harm consumers and undercut honest businesses.” This rule requires that businesses to “clearly and conspicuously” disclose the true total price inclusive of all mandatory fees whenever they offer, display or advertise any price of live-event tickets or short-term lodging.
The Latest Travel Tech
Sion, a commission management platform for travel agencies, has announced a partnership with business process outsourcing (BPO) provider MVC Solutions that will simplify travel agency operations, optimize revenue collection and reduce administrative burdens on finance teams. Through the partnership, Sion customers gain access to MVC Solutions’ services for handling manual tasks such as after-hours calls, accounting, payroll and the reconciliation of physical commission checks.
(Sooty)
In other news, Sooty, an app that helps users easily install, manage and switch between digital SIMs, is now available for download at Google Play and the Apple App Store. Sooty says it is simplifying travel connectivity by providing seamless access to global networks through eSIM technology. Sooty offers local, regional and global eSIM packages as well as 24/7 support and more.
New in Cruise and Private Islands
Royal Caribbean has provided a sneak peek at its Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in the Bahamas, opening December 2025. Spanning 17 acres on the western end of Paradise Island, it will be the first in the line’s Royal Beach Club Collection, combining the beaches of Paradise Island and Royal Caribbean’s signature experiences to create an all-inclusive beach day. Vacationers can purchase their day passes and cabanas starting spring 2025.
Also in the realm of Caribbean private islands for cruise lines, Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Line have jointly announced the renaming of private island destination Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas as RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay. The two cruise lines are also partnering on enhancements that include an expanded beachfront experience, lunch venues, a variety of bars and more. In addition, a newly constructed pier on the north side will allow ships to dock, including Carnival’s Excel class ships, which will be able to visit the island for the first time.
(Photo by Carnival Corp.)
Elsewhere in the cruise space, Travel Agent recently caught up with Azamara’s new CEO, Dondra Ritzenthaler to discuss the line’s four refurbished ships, the ramping-up of marketing and sales initiatives, new Destination Immersion, guest trends and more. Notably, Ritzenthaler said While there aren’t any new ships on the horizon right now, she’s intently focused on finetuning the product, cultivating trade relationships, drawing in new guests and “making money for the brand.” Then, she says, “we’ll see” what the future holds.
Celestyal, on the other hand, has introduced a new trade portal to support travel advisors. The Celestyal Compass will incorporate a new learning platform called “Celestyal Campus,” complete with training modules focusing on areas such as an overview of the brand, life onboard its two-ship fleet, key itinerary information, shore excursions and advice on how to grow sales. Good to know: The more modules that travel advisors complete, the more stars they will earn, resulting in exclusive benefits from Celestyal.
Families, Take Note
Hotel Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort—a beach resort about three hours south of Lima, Peru—has announced the launch of Koni Camp, a new experience for the resort’s youngest guests. Designed for children aged five to 10, Koni Camp will offer interactive games, cultural adventures and much more. Every activity at Koni Camp is designed to inspire curiosity, creativity and a love for the natural world, all while providing children with the opportunity to connect with the local culture and environment.
(Hotel Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort)
Good to know: BermudAir has achieved Autism Double-Checked certification in its first year of operation. By ensuring that 100 percent of its employees completed specialized autism awareness and sensitivity training, BermudAir has taken a significant step in fostering an inclusive travel environment. The airline’s certification, it says, demonstrates its dedication to creating stress-free and accessible journeys for travelers with autism and their families.
Sustainability: Trending Upward
The United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) says that nearly three-fourths (71 percent) of its tour operator members surveyed are fairly to very confident their organization is taking sufficient actions to address sustainability issues to remain competitive, an increase of 8 percent since this question was last posed in 2022. According to the 2024 study, the majority of USTOA Active Members have a formal or informal sustainability strategy, with 19 percent asserting sustainability is fully embedded across their entire corporation.
Tour operator members overwhelmingly stated that “corporate values and culture” (85 percent) are the main drivers behind the adoption of a sustainability strategy. Compliance with regulations and policies (39 percent) made a big jump to third from its sixth-place position in 2022, while “responding positively to global crises” remained in second place, mentioned by 52 percent of respondents.
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