Archive for December, 2009

New airline regulations issued during one of the busiest travel days of the year, immediately caused confusion, cancellations, and delays at many airports.

While TSA’s posted Guidance for Passengers gives the general information needed about the new in-flight restrictions, specific details have been posted on several airport and airline Web sites.

One airline is telling travelers heading to the U.S. that there will be “extra screening of passengers and hand baggage at the gate immediately before boarding.” Another posted notice that, under the TSA-imposed rules, “during the final hour of flight customers must remain seated, and will not be allowed to access carry-on baggage, or have personal belongings or other items on their laps.” And Canada’s West Jet notified passengers that these and other new procedures, such as the limit of one carry-one bag per passengers, are scheduled to be in effect until at least December 30. Airlines flying to the U.S. are instructed to turn off any in-flight entertainment systems with embedded maps or GPS programs showing the plane’s exact location. Pilots and crew members are also told not to make announcements identifying landmarks below.

The TSA website said it will “continuously review these measures to ensure the highest levels of security,” so travelers could very well see changes to the rules rushed out over the weekend.

Do what you can to minimize delays: go online to get a boarding pass and to pay for checked luggage, and double-check to make sure all items in your carry-on bag meet TSA requirements. This is not a good time to argue that your 6oz bottle of toothpaste or shampoo should be allowed through security!! Make sure to get to the airport as early as possible.

Bottom line…Be ready for anything! For more information please visit:

http://www.tsa.gov/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/us/27security.html

The Better Business Bureau recently published an article in the October publication of the BBB Alert on falling victim to “friendly fraud”.

Businesses are increasingly becoming victims of “friendly” fraud – fraud carried out by customers to get items free of charge. The Better Business Bureau warns small business owners to be on the lookout for “friendly” fraud and offers advice on how to protect against this growing online threat.

According to the Wall Street Journal, many companies – for example, the travel site Expedia – are currently seeing up to a 50 percent spike in “friendly” fraud since 2008. The most common types of “friendly” fraud involve cases in which a customer falsely claims they: *never received an item ordered online, *received the wrong item ordered online, or *had their credit card stolen and were charged for items they didn’t order.

The customer should then demand a refund from the business or demand the merchant to issue a chargeback on their credit card. When friendly fraudsters are unable to coax reimbursements from a business directly, many then issue chargeback’s to their credit card companies. Creditors will investigate the situation, asking for the business owner’s side of the story before deciding whether or not the business is at fault. Defending a business against “friendly” fraud is no easy task, but there are steps to take.

The Better Business Bureau offers the following advice to small business owners: *verify the buyers billing address before sending merchandise, *use a shipper that tracks delivery, *deactivate or deny access to products, *clearly state your return policy on your Website, *be prepared to make your case to the credit card company, and *analyze sales records.

For more advice on defending your small business from fraud, visit www.bbb.org

Or to read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124329230494652391.html

Sundance Vacations employees including Sundance Vacations President John Dowd recently attended the Best Places to Work awards ceremony in Hershey, PA.  Sundance Vacations was named one of the Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania for 2009. The company finished among the top 30 in the statewide employee poll for large-sized companies (251 or more employees).

“Sundance Vacations provides a stable career for hundreds of PA employees. Despite the current recession, great things are happening at Sundance Vacations – including making the Inc. 500/5000 list of Fastest Growing Companies this year, said Sundance Vacations Founder Tina Dowd. “We’re honored that our employees have also named us as one of the Best Places to Work in PA. We’ll be celebrating these achievements and many more at our annual awards gala in two weeks,” added Dowd.

Congratulations Sundance Vacations employees!!