Week in Review: New Government Regulations, Travel Tech and More

Technology

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 TechSion, 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 offers access to global networks through eSIM technology.
(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 IslandsRoyal 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.

Holland America and Carnival are set to update RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.
(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 NoteHotel 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.

Koni Camp will offer interactive games, cultural adventures and much more.
(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 UpwardThe 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.

Related StoriesNorwegian Cruise Line to Update Bliss and Breakaway Ships

TTC Tour Brands Announces “2025 Big Tour Sale”

Rail Europe Adds New Routes to Slovenia via Austrian Railways

Princess Cruises Introduces 24/7 “Dine Line”

Famed podcaster Kara Swisher pitching ‘long-shot’ bid to buy Washington Post from Jeff Bezos

Technology

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreTech podcaster Kara Swisher told Axios this week that she is attempting to round up a group of wealthy investors to put together a bid to purchase The Washington Post amid its ongoing turmoil under Jeff Bezos’ ownership.Even though Bezos has not expressed any willingness or interest in selling the paper, Swisher believes that the ultra-rich Amazon founder will look to unload the Post due to the compounding headaches swirling around the outlet – many of which lie at the mega-billionaire’s feet.Swisher, the host of popular podcasts Pivot and On with Kara Swisher, began her career working in the Post’s mailroom. She eventually became one of the most influential tech journalists in the industry, moving on to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. She ultimately launched the Recode website, which was acquired by Vox Media in 2015. Since then, she was named editor-at-large at New York magazine and joined CNN as an on-air contributor.Due to her deep connections in Silicon Valley and her star status at Vox Media, Swisher believes that she can drum up enough capital to convince Bezos to dump the paper. In her opinion, he’d eventually want to unload it not just because of the recent difficulties surrounding the Post but also because his financial interests conflict with owning the paper.“The Post can do better,” she told Axios. “It’s so maddening to see what’s happening. … Why not me? Why not any of us?”Jeff Bezos, founder and executive chairman of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post, speaks during the New York Times annual DealBook summit. Kara Swisher is pitching a bid to purchase the Post from Bezos.

Kara Swisher Rallies Billionaire Friends as ‘Long Shot’ Bid to Purchase Washington Post from Jeff Bezos: Report

Technology

AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke
Former Washington Post journalist Kara Swisher is quietly lining up her wealthy friends for what she admits is a long-shot effort: buying the newspaper she used to work for.
Though the paper’s current owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has shown no sign of entertaining a sale, Swisher is convinced he may one day want out — and she hopes to be ready when that moment arrives.
As Swisher sees it, the Post is at a crossroads. She told Axios: “The Post can do better. It’s so maddening to see what’s happening… Why not me? Why not any of us?”
Her plan, reportedly discussed with a former banking associate, involves assembling a consortium of well-heeled, civic-minded investors who would reinvigorate the storied newspaper while charting a fresh path toward digital sustainability.
This ambition is rooted in Swisher’s past employment with the Post. She started out in its mailroom, later became one of its earliest tech reporters, and then moved on to the Wall Street Journal, where she cemented her reputation as a pioneering Silicon Valley chronicler.
Over the years, Swisher has watched the Post struggle with internal management issues and wrestle with the broader challenges facing the media industry. She believes Bezos’s other interests — from aerospace ventures to a vast portfolio of personal and financial endeavors — leave insufficient room for the level of focus the Post deserves.
Several observers in media circles have noted Swisher’s interest in spearheading a bid that journalist Oliver Darcy first reported in his newsletter Status.
Now, conversations with potential backers have begun, though there are no guarantees. Should the paper hit the market, there would likely be an intense bidding war, attracting private equity powerhouses and rival billionaires.
“Hopefully not Elon,” Swisher said, “though he seems pretty busy these days being President (Not) Elect.”

Carbon-removal tech startups like Equatic and Climeworks look to the future of sustainability

Technology

Tech

Carbon-removal tech startups like Equatic and Climeworks look to the future of sustainability

Helen Li

2024-12-20T16:23:49Z

Share icon
An curved arrow pointing right.

Share

Facebook

Email

X

LinkedIn

Copy Link

lighning bolt icon
An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Impact Link

Save Article Icon
A bookmark

Save

Read in app

Angle down icon
An icon in the shape of an angle pointing down.

The Equatic engineering team at the company’s development plant in Los Angeles.

Stella Kalinina for Business Insider

Startups like Equatic and Climeworks develop ways to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.Carbon removal helps businesses meet ESG goals and offset emissions through a carbon credits system.This article is part of “Transforming Business,” a series on the must-know leaders and trends impacting industries.Out on a barge in Los Angeles, a team of engineers is hard at work tweaking the designs of a collection of machines with multiple tubes attached to tanks filled with air and different minerals.