New Airline, Soaring Gas Prices, and Spring Break...

Vision Airlines,
the nation's newest big jet, low-cost carrier with flights to five Florida vacation destinations from 15 southern U.S. cities and Niagara Falls, NY, starts airing 30-second commercial spots on selected television channels in its focus markets this Monday.

Americans are grappling with soaring gasoline prices; weighing the costs of driving versus flying to Florida for their spring break vacations.

Vision Airlines flights start-taking off on March 25, 2011; just in-time for the busy spring break travel season. Per the Airlines website; depending on the market, one-way fares to Florida start at $79 and $89 one-way on Vision Airlines."Faced with ever increasing gasoline prices, flying rather driving to Florida is quickly becoming more economical." says spokesman Bryan Glazer.

According to recent reports on ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and NBC; in some parts of the U.S., gasoline could cost as much as $5 per gallon by the end of the year or even as soon as this summer.

"When people start doing the drive or fly calculations they will quickly realize boarding a Vision Airlines Florida flight is a better value than packing up the car and heading down the highway," says Meers.

"In the coming weeks, Vision Airlines will unveil several vacation packages to Florida's Emerald Coast, Central Florida and Tampa Bay," says Clay Meek, the company's sales and marketing director. "When people do the math they'll see the numbers add-up – flying our airline and staying at our member resorts and hotels is the smart choice."

In concert with the debut of the TV spots, Vision Airlines will also announce several promotions, including vacation giveaways on various local morning TV newscasts and radio programs in each of the carrier's departure cities, according to Glazer.

"It is important for our passengers to know that Vision Airlines is not just taking them to Florida but we're bringing jobs and creating business opportunities in the cities where they live."


Vision Airlines Cities

Asheville, NC - Atlanta, GA - Baton Rouge, LA - Birmingham, AL - Chattanooga, TN


Columbia, SC - Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, FL - Ft. Lauderdale, FL


Greenville/Spartanburg, SC - Gulfport/Biloxi, MS - Houston, TX - Huntsville, AL


Knoxville, TN - Little Rock, AR - Louisville, KY - Macon, GA - Miami, FL


Niagara Falls/Buffalo, NY/Toronto, Canada - Punta Gorda/Ft. Myers, FL


Sanford/Orlando, FL - Savannah, GA - Shreveport, LA


St. Petersburg/Clearwater/Tampa, FL

http://www.visionairlines.com/index.html

Keeping up with the latest in Cruise News? New info released January 2011

Royal Caribbean to increase its recommended tip amounts:

Beginning July 1, 2011, Royal Caribbean passengers will have to spend a little more to show their gratitude to crew members.

RCI has increased the amount of the gratuity that it recommends passengers give staff on their ships, from $9.75 to $11.65 a day. In a statement, Royal Caribbean said that this is the first increase in 13 years and that it puts the company in line with other cruise lines increases.

The new guidelines recommend that passengers give the waiter $3.75 per day, the assistant waiter $2.15 and the head waiter 75 cents. It also suggests giving the housekeeping staff $5 daily. For guests staying in suites, the recommended tip for housekeeping staff is $7.25.

The cruise line pointed out that the gratuities are voluntary, though a 15 percent gratuity will automatically be added to bar bills and wine checks.

Information via Royal Caribbean’s gratuity guidelines and The Washington Post