June 2010 - Page 2 of 3 - Sightseers' Delight

Bear sightings possible this time of year

June 12, 2010 Todd DeFeo

Watkinsville residents have reported seeing a bear wandering through the city, according to the Athens Banner-Herald, a fairly common occurrence in Georgia this time of year. There are an estimated 4,000 bears living in North Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. But, there are steps residents can take to mitigate the chances of a bear sighting. For starters, officials say store garbage in the garage if necessary and keep grills and bird

Should that driver in the next lane be on the road?

June 12, 2010 The Travel Trolley

ATLANTA – Here’s something to think about the next time you’re out on the road: an estimated 38 million Americans would fail a driver’s test if they took it today. That’s according to the 2010 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test, which revealed that upwards of 1 in 5 licensed drivers (18.4 percent) would fail the test. The average score of the 5,202 drivers who took the test was 76.2, down from a score of 76.6

Feds soliciting comments on peanut ban proposal

June 12, 2010 The Travel Trolley

The Travel Trolley ATLANTA – Federal authorities are mulling banning airlines from distributing peanuts as snacks on airplanes, saying the move would benefit people with severe peanut allergies. The peanut proposal was among a number of consumer protections the U.S. Department of Transportation announced earlier this month. Other proposed protections include increasing the compensation airlines pay to passengers who are involuntarily bumped from flights and a requirement that airlines prominently disclose baggage fees and offer

Airline Data: Traffic up 2.4 percent from March 2009

June 12, 2010 The Travel Trolley

The Travel Trolley The Transportation Statistics reported that U.S. airlines carried 62.4 million scheduled domestic and international passengers in March 2010. That represents a 2.4 percent increase from March 2009. However, the March 2010 passenger total was 7.8 percent below that of two years ago in March 2008. BTS also reported that U.S. airlines carried 2 percent more domestic passengers in March 2010 than in March 2009. The number of international passengers on U.S. carriers

Should that driver in the next lane be on the road?

June 12, 2010 Caboose Chronicle

Here’s something to think about you’re out on the road: an estimated 38 million Americans would fail a driver’s test if they took it today.

Reed appoints airport GM search committee

June 11, 2010 The Travel Trolley

ATLANTA — Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has appointed a committee to oversee the search for a new airport general manager. The nine-member committee — chaired by Home Depot CFO Carol Tomé — will work with a search firm, Heidrick & Struggles, to interview and recommend candidates for the post. The committee is working pro bono. “My goal is to find an individual who will continue to maintain Atlanta’s dominance as the number one passenger airport

Study: Customer satisfaction with airlines improves

June 10, 2010 The Travel Trolley

ATLANTA – Customer satisfaction with the nation’s airlines has improved, bucking a three-year downward trend, a new study suggests. According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, overall customer satisfaction with airlines increased to 673 on a 1,000-point scale. That’s up 15 points from 2009. “The fact that overall satisfaction with airlines has improved is particularly notable in light of a difficult economic year, in which add-on fees have continued

Delta: Expanding first class on domestic flights

June 10, 2010 The Travel Trolley

ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines today said it plans to make first class service available on all domestic flights longer than 750 miles — or about two and one-half hours of flight time. The service will be effective beginning this fall. “This enhanced service reflects the investment Delta is making in improving the customer experience on the ground and in the air across both our domestic and international network,” Glen Hauenstein, Delta’s executive vice president

Port Columbus Passenger Activity Continues To Stabilize

June 9, 2010 The Travel Trolley

Special to The Travel Trolley COLUMBUS, Ohio – Passenger activity at Port Columbus International Airport showed a slight increase in April, officials said. Statistics released during a recent meeting of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority Board of Directors show that in April Port Columbus had a 0.8 percent increase in passengers compared to the previous year. A total of 529,496 passengers traveled through Port Columbus in April compared to 525,223 in April 2009. Year-to-date 1,957,333

Perdue signs texting ban into law

June 5, 2010 Caboose Chronicle

Gov. Sonny Perdue has signed into law legislation that prohibits drivers from texting while behind the wheel.