Winter Cruise-a-thon in Ft. Lauderdale this week

[Jason]

Cruising event draws 1,300 travel agents to Fort Lauderdale

by Tom Stieghorst

Business Writer

Sun Sentinel

About 1,300 visitors are expected in Fort Lauderdale this week for the Winter Cruise-a-thon sponsored by Travel Trade Productions.

The event helps travel agents sell cruises more effectively. Included are tours of some of the cruise ships operating at Port Everglades, including Holland America Line's brand new Oosterdam, and vessels from Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International.

The program begins Wednesday at the Broward County Convention Center and continues through Sunday.

Keynote speakers include Holland America Chief Executive Officer Kirk Lanterman and Norwegian Cruise Line Senior Vice President Andy Stuart.

The Marina Marriott Fort Lauderdale and Embassy Suites 17th Street are the primary hotels that will benefit from the event.

American Airlines is limiting the number and size of bags during the holiday season on flights to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Among the flights affected are American Eagle's between Fort Lauderdale and Nassau, The Bahamas, where luggage will be limited to two checked bags and one carry-on between Nov. 22 and Jan. 9.

For many other destinations, boxes will not be accepted and bags are limited to two checked and one carry-on from Dec. 10 to Jan. 9. Those destinations include Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Caracas, Venezuela, which are served from Fort Lauderdale.

Other destinations on the list served through Miami include: Cali, Colombia; Maracaibo, Venezuela; La Paz and Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Lima, Peru; and Quito, Ecuador (all South America); Managua, Nicaragua; Guatemala City, Guatemala; Panama City, Panama; San Salvador, El Salvador; San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, Honduras (all Central America); Kingston, Jamaica; and Port of Spain, Trinidad (both Caribbean).

All American Eagle flights to and from San Juan, Puerto Rico, are also included.

Peter Dolara, senior vice president of Miami, the Caribbean and Latin America, said this year's list of affected cities has been narrowed from last year's and the embargo period has been shortened.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau will present its annual courtesy awards on Thursday to a dozen Broward County hospitality workers who have performed exemplary acts of customer service this year.

In addition to recognition, winners typically get a free weekend at a resort, trips, shopping sprees and other prizes.

The awards are scheduled for noon at the Palm Room in the Broward County Convention Center.

Airline passenger traffic surged in South Florida in October, according to reports from airports in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

Traffic at Palm Beach International Airport rose 19.7 percent over the same month a year earlier, with 438,833 total passengers. That contributed to a 10.1 percent jump in traffic for the 12 months ended Oct. 31.

Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways are neck and neck for fourth and fifth place among carriers serving the Palm Beach airport, with Southwest holding 9.56 percent of the traffic in October, and JetBlue 9.54 percent.

At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, traffic rose 12.1 percent in October to a record 688,686 passengers. It was the first double-digit monthly increase all year. For the first 10 months of 2003, traffic is up 4 percent.

[Jason]

Cruising event draws 1,300 travel agents to Fort Lauderdale

by Tom Stieghorst

Business Writer

Sun Sentinel

About 1,300 visitors are expected in Fort Lauderdale this week for the Winter Cruise-a-thon sponsored by Travel Trade Productions.

The event helps travel agents sell cruises more effectively. Included are tours of some of the cruise ships operating at Port Everglades, including Holland America Line's brand new Oosterdam, and vessels from Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International.

The program begins Wednesday at the Broward County Convention Center and continues through Sunday.

Keynote speakers include Holland America Chief Executive Officer Kirk Lanterman and Norwegian Cruise Line Senior Vice President Andy Stuart.

The Marina Marriott Fort Lauderdale and Embassy Suites 17th Street are the primary hotels that will benefit from the event.

American Airlines is limiting the number and size of bags during the holiday season on flights to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Among the flights affected are American Eagle's between Fort Lauderdale and Nassau, The Bahamas, where luggage will be limited to two checked bags and one carry-on between Nov. 22 and Jan. 9.

For many other destinations, boxes will not be accepted and bags are limited to two checked and one carry-on from Dec. 10 to Jan. 9. Those destinations include Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Caracas, Venezuela, which are served from Fort Lauderdale.

Other destinations on the list served through Miami include: Cali, Colombia; Maracaibo, Venezuela; La Paz and Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Lima, Peru; and Quito, Ecuador (all South America); Managua, Nicaragua; Guatemala City, Guatemala; Panama City, Panama; San Salvador, El Salvador; San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, Honduras (all Central America); Kingston, Jamaica; and Port of Spain, Trinidad (both Caribbean).

All American Eagle flights to and from San Juan, Puerto Rico, are also included.

Peter Dolara, senior vice president of Miami, the Caribbean and Latin America, said this year's list of affected cities has been narrowed from last year's and the embargo period has been shortened.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau will present its annual courtesy awards on Thursday to a dozen Broward County hospitality workers who have performed exemplary acts of customer service this year.

In addition to recognition, winners typically get a free weekend at a resort, trips, shopping sprees and other prizes.

The awards are scheduled for noon at the Palm Room in the Broward County Convention Center.

Airline passenger traffic surged in South Florida in October, according to reports from airports in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

Traffic at Palm Beach International Airport rose 19.7 percent over the same month a year earlier, with 438,833 total passengers. That contributed to a 10.1 percent jump in traffic for the 12 months ended Oct. 31.

Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways are neck and neck for fourth and fifth place among carriers serving the Palm Beach airport, with Southwest holding 9.56 percent of the traffic in October, and JetBlue 9.54 percent.

At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, traffic rose 12.1 percent in October to a record 688,686 passengers. It was the first double-digit monthly increase all year. For the first 10 months of 2003, traffic is up 4 percent.