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Leigh Ann Keller

Owner and manager.

Welcome to Travel Leaders/Action Travel Tours! When you travel with us you travel better. I have been dedicated to providing superior travel experiences for my leisure and corporate clients since 1992. Whether you are traveling domestically or internationally, I can assist with flights, accommodations, touring, cruising, car rental, group and specialty destination travel. I can plan an itinerary for those looking to  travel on a budget or those interested in luxury travel. I have had the opportunity to travel through the Caribbean, Mexico, Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Egypt, Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Canary Islands, Malta, Costa Rica and the United States. My personal travel experience on land tours and cruises allows me to give my clients direct knowledge. I am an Apple Vacations, GoGo Tours, Disney, River Boat, and large cruise ship specialist. My specialties include, but are not limited to, Mediterranean cruises, Luxury River Cruises, Alaska sailings, Europe land tours, and group travel. I love getting to know my customers’ travel desires, investigating all their options and delivering to them the perfectly matched and executed trip of a lifetime. You can count on me and my staff to use our vast experiences, travel resources, Travel Leaders’ exclusive deals and technology to plan your dream trip from start to finish. Call me today and let me create your perfect vacation.

Destination Expert:

• Australia & New Zealand
• South Pacific

Travel Specialist:

• Escorted Tours
• River Cruises

Top Travel Partners:

• Abercrombie & Kent
• Avalon Waterways
• Princess Cruises®
• Royal Caribbean
• Funjet Vacations

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Travel Leaders

(301) 843-0887.

Your Action Travel Concierge

Isle of Man TT 2024 June 1-10, 2024

SPD Action Travel specializes in creating unique travel tours focusing on motorsports, history, nature and culture. Our Personalized Adventures department is your Action Travel concierge and will work with you to create the ideal getaway for you, your family and friends.

We also offer preplanned Action Tours to some of the greatest racetracks and regions in the world. Whether you want to travel privately or as part of an SPD Action Tour group, we have you covered. Contact us today to join one of our Action Tours or begin planning your Personalized Adventure!

EXPLORE THE WORLD, ONE CORNER AT A TIME

UPCOMING ACTION TOURS

Musik-Stadt PCA at Barber Motorsports Park July 5-8, 2024

Ferrari Owners Club of Minnesota - Dubai - Abu Dhabi 2024 December 1-9, 2024

World Ducati Week 2024 + Italian Power Trip Extension   July 20-29, 2024

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Hello, we-are action-travel.

Drawing on Action Global Communications’ 52 years of expertise in travel, tourism and destination marketing, Action Travel’s dedicated team of travel experts deliver insight-led travel communications strategies across multiple markets.

With offices in key locations, where the travel and tourism industry remains a major contributor to social-economic growth, Action combines local know-how with global perspectives to drive value and impact.

Action Travel’s seasoned comms experts work closely with international travel agencies and tour operator associations, as well as influencers across the board, leverage direct access to both global and local data, and boasts an in-depth knowledge of current trends and industry nuances.

Middle East

Almost three decades of legacy in the MENA region with a robust and multi-skilled team that are well versed in offering integrated communication services across a wide range of industries.

Central Asia & CIS

Over 20 years of legacy in Central Asia & the CIS with an experienced and multilingual team offering all-round travel comms and marketing services for brands looking to expand in this fast-growing region. In addition to our on-the-ground expertise, the hub team are also skilled at managing multi-market campaigns across the wider region, including Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

CEE + Eastern Med

Action has been well established across this region for 50 years., with award winning agencies in Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia & Georgia.

ACTION TRAVEL IS Part of

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Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognise their ongoing connection to land, waters and communities. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past and present, and support the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices.

Our vision for reconciliation

Flight Centre Travel Group is a unique, Australian-born company dedicated to diversity and inclusion. Our Global HQ is on Yuggera Country. We take pride in being able to showcase Australia to those who want to see it. Our role, as Australia’s largest travel retailer, includes the responsibility of ensuring we do our part to respect the sacred nature of these lands, educate our people and customers, and continue to walk alongside the Traditional Owners of the Lands.

The above artwork depicts the story of Flight Centre Travel Group in commemoration of our 40th Birthday in 2022. We commissioned the painting by artist, Judy Sutton, a proud Kalkadoon woman. Indigenous Australian art is renowned for its visual storytelling capabilities. Our art piece features unique indigenous elements such as the boomerang to represent returning business and customers; stars to represent our vales of egalitarianism, ownership and irreverence; and handprints for the loyalty of our people. The finished product is a 9 panelled (60cm wide, 60cm high) hand painted, acrylic painting on canvas.The artwork was officially unveiled at our 2022 Global Gathering in Las Vegas. Each panel was gifted to countries with core retail operations to hang proudly in head offices around the world; Australia, New Zealand, UK, America, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, UAE and India. Our artist, Judi, is a celebrated First Nations artist and with our global community, it allows us an opportunity to place a spotlight on the important conversation surrounding reconciliation in Australia and for all indigenous people around the world.

Our vision for reconciliation.

Our reconciliation action plan.

Since 2006, Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) have enabled organisations to sustainably and strategically take meaningful action to advance reconciliation. RAPs are based around the core pillars of relationships, respect and opportunities to provide tangible and substantive benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The four RAP types – Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate – allow organisations to continuously develop and evolve their reconciliation commitments. Our Innovate RAP runs for two years and outlines actions for achieving our vision for reconciliation. Through the initiatives showcased in our Innovate RAP, we hope to create educated teams who understand the importance of reconciliation, to see our people develop strong relationships with all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, develop collaborative initiatives that support needs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and collectively celebrate the traditions and journey of our First Nations People. DOWNLOAD OUR RECONCILIATION PLAN BELOW

Endorsement from Reconciliation Australia

Reconciliation Australia commends The Flight Centre Travel Group on the formal endorsement of its inaugural Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Commencing an Innovate RAP is a crucial and rewarding period in an organisation’s reconciliation journey. It is a time to build strong foundations and relationships, ensuring sustainable, thoughtful, and impactful RAP outcomes into the future. Since 2006, RAPs have provided a framework for organisations to leverage their structures and diverse spheres of influence to support the national reconciliation movement. This Innovate RAP is both an opportunity and an invitation for The Flight Centre Travel Group to expand its understanding of its core strengths and deepen its relationship with its community, staff, and stakeholders. By investigating and understanding the integral role it plays across its sphere of influence, The Flight Centre Travel Group will create dynamic reconciliation outcomes, supported by and aligned with its business objectives. An Innovate RAP is the time to strengthen and develop the connections that form the lifeblood of all RAP commitments. The RAP program’s framework of relationships, respect, and opportunities emphasises not only the importance of fostering consultation and collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, but also empowering and enabling staff to contribute to this process, as well. With close to 3 million people now either working or studying in an organisation with a RAP, the program’s potential for impact is greater than ever. The Flight Centre Travel Group is part of a strong network of more than 1,100 corporate, government, and not-for-profit organisations that have taken goodwill and intention, and transformed it into action. Implementing an Innovate RAP signals your organisation’s readiness to develop and strengthen relationships, engage staff and stakeholders in reconciliation, and pilot innovative strategies to ensure effective outcomes. Getting these steps right will ensure the sustainability of future RAPs and reconciliation initiatives, and provide meaningful impact toward Australia’s reconciliation journey. Congratulations on your Innovate RAP and I look forward to following your ongoing reconciliation journey.

Karen Mundine Chief Executive Officer, Reconciliation Australia

Indigenous Creative Art Competition

In 2019 Flight Centre Travel Group launch our inaugural Indigenous Creative Art Competition to showcase artwork and stories told by young Indigenous artists. The winning artist stories are featured in Flight Centre Travel Group’s (FCTG) Reconciliation Action Plan as part of our commitment to Reconciliation and Acknowledgement of Country. Some of the winning artwork is shown below.

Alexis Boyd

Natalie Booth

Zoe Charles

Jeremiah Wylie Coolwell

Katie Wilson

Ratcliff Kaiden

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Group travel booking: all your questions answered

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2. g adventures.

• Unique and off-the-beaten-path travel experiences
• Hiking, cycling, rail, and marine tours
• Tours focused on wellness
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3. Intrepid Travel

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4. Exodus Travels

• Trips for those in their 30s-40s, families, and self-guided tours
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• Private group adventures

5. MT Sobek

• Search based on activity/fitness level
• Hiking, trekking, rafting, and kayaking activities
• Family adventures
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• Search by accommodation, including luxury hotels, safari camps and lodges, and rustic lodging
• Private and customized travel tours
• Skiing and snowboarding tours
• Short trips and festivals
• Island hopping tours, road trips, and bus tours
• Pride trips
• 24/7 customer support

7. For the Love of Travel (FTLO)

• Weekend trips
• International trips
• A commitment to being a climate-neutral brand, supporting local economies, and only working with vendors that align with their values
• Low season travel tour deals
• “Choice touring”, a selection of curated experiences in off-the-beaten-path destinations
• Faith-based travel itineraries

9. EF Go Ahead Tours

• Multi-country tours
• Food and wine, history, and family tours
• Seasonal and special event tours (including Oktoberfest, Christmas market tours, and summer tours)
• Safari and wildlife, battlefield, and national park tours
• Private and customized group tours

10. Classic Journeys

• A loyalty program offering discounts and priority room assignments
• Groups and corporate luxury tours
• Couples and friends tours
• Limited edition vacations such as visiting Japan’s cherry blossoms or viewing a solar eclipse
• A variety of walking, food and wine, multisport, and heritage and ancestry tours

What are the common challenges involved in booking trips for large groups of people?

Gathering all of the necessary group travel information, multiple moving parts are difficult to manage, what are group travel companies and what services do they typically offer, design travel itineraries according to client needs, offer locally based guides.

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Registrant Travel Action Group (RTAG) envisions a future in which individuals who are required to register on any US jurisdiction’s sex offender registry and have served their required time of incarceration and/or supervision, are allowed travel internationally, safely and with the same freedom of movement as every American citizen and resident.

Our mission.

• Be a resource for information on current US and state government policies and laws affecting registrants who wish to travel internationally;
• Organize efforts to terminate US government international travel notifications of registrants attempting to travel internationally and who have completed their court-imposed sentence;
• Work to reverse immigration policy that discriminates against registrants who wish to marry foreign nationals;
• Reverse aspects of the the Adam Walsh Act (AWA) that prevents a family member from immigrating if that US citizen or permanent resident petitioner has been convicted of a specified sexual offense against any minor child;
• Seek out and support programs which effectively prevent sex tourism.

Our Assertions

• 98% of acts of sex tourism and child exploitation is committed by non registrants;
• The U.S. Supreme Court in Crandall v. Nevada, 73 U.S. 35 (1868) declared that freedom of movement is a fundamental right
• Justice Willaim O. Douglas in held that the federal government may not restrict the right to travel without due process
• Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of which the United States is a signatory, states that everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State and everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country
• Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights incorporates states everyone lawfully within the territory of a State shall …have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence. Furthermore, everyone shall be free to leave any country… and movement shall not be subject to any restrictions except those provided by law
• The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) process under AWA of denying registrants the right to marry a foreign national violates constitutional due process.

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Action Global Communications expands Action Travel division into MENA

Launch follows action-led study which shows strong demand for inbound uae travel from russia..

Action Global Communications , an integrated international communications network spanning three continents, is expanding its dedicated Action Travel division into the MENA region.

Tapping into 50 years of global expertise in travel and tourism communications, Action Travel lands in the MENA region in time for this week’s Arabian Travel Market 2021 (ATM) in Dubai – the first major live travel and tourism industry event in 18 months – and follows the division’s successful global launch at the recent ITB Berlin.

Action Travel’s MENA expansion will see Action UAE – the agency’s regional hub – leverage the parent group’s global integrated marketing and communication experience in travel, tourism and destination promotions to pivot game-changing creative campaigns for regional clients operating in the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors.

Russia study shows enduring appetite for UAE market

The launch follows a joint study conducted by Action Travel and the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) which highlighted the growing consumer demand for travel to the UAE. The research, which polled 115 tour Russian operators, showed that the booking window in 2021 has decreased and is, on average, just three weeks from the booking date. For the UAE specifically, this booking window has decreased from 65-70 days to 60-70 days.

The duration of inbound Russian tours in 2021 remains at 9-12 nights on average, although operators who served the premium segment in the pre-pandemic period note approximately 15 per cent of regular customers are opting for 15-20 night stays this year. Simultaneously, traveller preferences when choosing accommodation have clearly changed with all tour operators noting a 35-40 per cent increase in the share of 4* and 5* hotels compared to bookings in 2019 and the first quarter of 2020.

Harnessing the region’s inbound and outbound potential

Through Action Travel, the group aim to target industry visitors from across the world at ATM and help unlock Middle East business potential for inbound and outbound tourism professionals attending the market-leading, international travel and tourism event. Featuring an exhibition, conferences, breakfast briefings, awards, product launches and networking events, ATM 2021 takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from May 16-19.

Bolstered by its rich history of overseeing integrated travel communications in regional markets, Action UAE has a MENA legacy dating back to 1994. The agency’s in-market offices in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, the GCC and Levant regions have delivered numerous award-winning, border-spanning campaigns in multiple markets.

“ With the UAE’s successful vaccination programme empowering the country’s contribution to a global travel sector bounce-back, the region’s travellers – notable for their high-end luxury experience preferences – are a key source market for global travel, tourism and hospitality industry players eyeing immediate recovery,” said Euan Megson, Managing Director, Action UAE. “In expanding Action Travel into MENA, our bespoke regional offering leverages a half-century of travel communications expertise, cutting-edge tools and next-generation channel optimisation tactics that can help industry players navigate and adapt to a constantly evolving global travel sector.”

The UAE’s expert Action Travel team currently provides 360 strategic communications, public relations, digital marketing, stakeholder engagement, travel trade relations, event management, crisis comms and strategic counsel to some of the world’s most renowned brands within travel and tourism, aviation, and hospitality industry.

Clients include the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, the German National Tourism Office – GCC, Cathay Pacific, Zabeel House The Greens by Jumeirah, Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach Residence and more. The global Action network also provides a wide range of communications services to Vietnam Airlines and Etihad Airways, The Monaco Tourist Authority, Visit Dubai, The Singapore Tourism Board and Kanika Hotels & Resorts, to name but a few. Action Global Communications also provided strategic communications services to British Airways for 48 years.

Action Travel comms experts enjoy close working relationships with international travel agencies and tour operator associations, as well as influencer access across the board, wide access to global travel data and specialist on-the-ground insights, with the team closely monitoring new trends and industry nuances in each target market.

“ As an agency that takes pride in innovation and creating new meaningful connections for our clients and their audiences, we are continually diversifying our offering and embracing change,” said Chris Christodoulou, CEO of Action Global Communications. “Although the travel and tourism industry has had to pivot in the last year, we admire the resilience of brands, as they look forward with strategic and creative thinking. The travel industry will come back in force, as most of us are life-long travellers who really miss it. Some are coining it ‘revenge travel’ and we want to help our clients prepare for this .”

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Discover action travel.

Action Travel has unveiled its new video, introducing the core services of the brand. Since its launch in 2021, Action Travel has worked with some of the biggest brands and tourism organizations, handling communications and marketing initiatives, events, influencer engagements and more. Taking travel aficionados on a unique journey, Action Travel has recently introduced its own Podcast called To the Four Winds .

Action Travel communications experts work closely with international travel agencies and tour operator associations, as well as influencers across the board, have a wide access to both global and local travel data, and local on the ground insights in each country in which the network operates, closely monitor new trends and industry nuances in each market. Start the journey and discover more about Action Travel HERE .

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The Travel Action Network is a nationwide network of grassroots advocates amplifying our industry’s voice to strengthen the U.S. travel industry.

By leveraging our industry’s collective voice and national footprint, the Travel Action Network can effectively move forward policy changes that will ensure both our industry’s long-term growth and global competitiveness and bolster our economy.

Who we are: Travel Action Network advocates represent all sectors of our industry— including transportation, lodging, retail, recreation and entertainment and foodservice—and span across all travel segments: meetings, leisure, business, incentive and trade shows.

U.S. Travel’s Travel Action Network is your go-to platform to stay updated on the latest travel policy news and take action on legislative issues impacting our industry. Follow us on Twitter and join our growing community of advocates in making your voice heard.

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Nicole Porter

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202-408-2194

Manager, Grassroots and PAC

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• 3290 Old Washington Road Waldorf MD 20602
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Mon - Fri 10a - 4:30p or by appointment

Full service travel agency since 1976 with a group motorcoach travel division. We do the work so you don't have to.

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Boosting Revenue During Cultural Events: A New Era for Travel Marketing? 

Expedia Group + Skift

April 9th, 2024 at 10:00 AM EDT

If you’re heading to the latest stop on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, you will likely need to book a flight and hotel. Expedia Group recently unveiled new data highlighting how its advertising tools enhance visibility for travel partners on their sites and can augment partner revenue during popular cultural events.

Expedia Group

This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner.

Is Taylor Swift the most important person in travel? Skift posed this question in a recent article , reporting that U.S. cities lucky enough to get a slot on Swift’s Eras Tour have seen monthly hotel room revenues up over 7 percent on average, according to analysts at Bernstein. 

Travel marketers know that popular cultural events like the Eras Tour, the Super Bowl, Wimbledon, and Formula 1 racing can significantly boost revenue — but how can they ensure they’re maximizing the potential of these events to increase visibility and capture demand?

SkiftX spoke with Jennifer Andre, vice president of business development at Expedia Group Media Solutions, to gain insight into how travel marketers can take advantage of the latest event tourism trends, also known as tour tourism. 

“Combining travel with events has returned after the pandemic,” Andre said. “ One of our recent surveys tells us 70 percent of customers are more likely to travel to a concert outside of their own town, with 40 percent saying they’d travel to a concert as an excuse to visit a place. Of course, if travelers are going to an event, they’ll likely need a way to get there and a place to stay — that’s where our partner advertising solutions come in.” 

Leveraging TravelAds and Flight Sponsored Listings

Expedia Group’s TravelAds and Flight Sponsored Listings are strategically designed for performance marketing, capturing travelers’ attention precisely when deciding to book rather than merely for brand awareness. TravelAds offer targeted advertising solutions for lodging, while Flight Sponsored Listings are tailored for airline seat bookings. 

“These tools secure premium spots in our search algorithms, ensuring partners can prominently position their offerings at the crucial decision-making moment,” Andre said. “For instance, a hotel located near a concert venue in Singapore can be featured at the top of search results and include messaging that directly appeals to potential concert-goers.” 

This targeting leverages real-time search data, enabling hotels and airlines to pinpoint and attract the right travelers based on their search behaviors. Similarly, Flight Sponsored Listings provide airlines the chance to target specific origin and destination points relevant to events. 

According to Andre, properties running a TravelAds campaign see 90 percent more visibility and 120 percent more bookings versus non-enrolled properties, on average, globally. 1

“What sets our approach apart is the comprehensive use of first-party data, allowing for highly targeted advertising that meets travelers exactly where they are in their booking journey, with the right message at the right time, leading to effective conversions,” Andre said. “This focus on first-party data is a cornerstone of our strategy, offering a unique advantage in reaching and engaging travelers effectively.” 

Impactful Event Tourism Moments From 2023

Local markets saw a significant boost in their economies from Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, including her homecoming stop in Nashville in May 2023. According to Andre, Nashville hotels that ran TravelAds campaigns in Nashville during this time saw an average boost of 5 percent in both revenue and bookings compared to hotels in the city that didn’t use TravelAds. 

During last summer’s Wimbledon tennis tournament in London, some hotels using TravelAds saw an average boost of almost 30 percent compared to other hotels in the area. 

“Wimbledon attracts a vast audience, offering a prime opportunity for local businesses,” Andre said. “For instance, Imperial London Hotels in the surrounding area of Wimbledon leveraged TravelAds to capitalize on this event, resulting in a 30 percent increase in their room bookings through Expedia.” 2

Hotels in U.S. cities with major sporting events are also benefiting. During the 2023 Super Bowl, hotels using TravelAds in Phoenix saw an average boost in revenue of just over 15 percent over the weekend. This year, hotels in Las Vegas saw an average 5 percent boost in revenue during Super Bowl 2024 when enrolled in TravelAds over that weekend. 

How Travel Marketers Can Get In On the Action

Andre says travel marketers can maximize the use of Expedia Group’s tools to capture demand during these high-profile events or whenever it makes the most sense for their business.

“The first step is to base decisions on solid data and real-time travel intent,” Andre said. “Partners can utilize our expertise to identify and bridge gaps between search interest and actual bookings,” Andre said. “This approach allows us to pinpoint when and where to intervene — whether it’s targeting remote workers for longer stays or capturing demand from last-minute bookers.” 

With the shift to a cookieless world, Expedia Group’s first-party data ensures that partners can still effectively reach their target audience at the right moment in their purchase journey without needing to revamp ad campaigns or marketing strategies.

“For instance, our TravelAds tool features an automated bidding tool powered by artificial intelligence, ideal for smaller hotels lacking extensive marketing resources,” Andre said. “By automating the bidding process, this tool ensures optimal spend for maximum market exposure without the risk of over- or under-investing. It’s a great way for hotel partners to drive incremental room nights and revenue.” 

For airline partners, Expedia Group uses its data to proactively assist them in selling seats on particular routes, making it a strategic tool for filling flights, gaining a competitive edge in the market, and boosting visibility during important seasonal moments. 

For example, Etihad Airways leveraged Flight Sponsored Listings to entice American tourists with winter getaways to Abu Dhabi and the Maldives. Using the tool, Etihad saw bookings from the U.S. to both destination airports increase by almost 5 percent, totaling just over a 30 percent boost in gross bookings. 3

“Partnering on Flight Sponsored Listings means tapping into over 300 million average monthly flight searches on Expedia,” Andre said. “Airlines can secure a premium position in search results and use custom copy to encourage travelers to book.” 

What’s Next for Event Tourism? 

Event and tour tourism is set to continue into 2024. According to recent Expedia Group data, travel searches increased by over 250 percent year-over-year when stops along the Asian and Australian legs of Taylor Swift’s 2024 Eras Tour were announced. Similarly, when the 2024 European tour dates were announced, travel searches for May to August 2024 increased by nearly 65 percent for cities with corresponding tour stops.

“We’re excited to continue working with our partners during 2024’s biggest cultural moments — from major world music tours to global sporting events  — to offer them our full suite of advertising options and to elevate their listing when they need it the most,” Andre said. 

To learn more about Expedia Group’s portfolio of advertising solutions for hotels, airlines, destination marketing organizations, car rentals, cruise, and more, click here .

This content was created collaboratively by Expedia Group and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX . 

• 1st Party Expedia Group Booking Data. POS Brand: Expedia Group Global. Dates: July 2021 – July 2022. ↩︎
• Stays at Imperial Hotels, London UK, between July 3-16 2023. ↩︎
• Flights booked from Oct 1, 2023 – Feb 23, 2024 compared to Oct 1, 2022 – Feb 23, 2023. ↩︎

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Tags: booking , cultural tourism , events , expedia group , SkiftX Creative Studio , SkiftX Showcase: OTAs , SkiftX Showcase: Technology , travel marketing

Watch CBS News

Delta is changing how it boards passengers starting May 1

By Megan Cerullo

Edited By Aimee Picchi

Updated on: April 10, 2024 / 5:16 PM EDT / CBS News

Delta Air Lines is changing its boarding process beginning May 1 in an effort to speed up loading passengers onto planes. 

If you're flying on the airline, you'll have to know what zone number you're in to board in the correct sequence. 

That's because Delta is introducing numbered boarding zones for all flights, meaning that customers will have a zone number assigned to them instead of boarding groups labelled by airline status or fare class, such as "Sky Priority." The airline stressed that boarding orders will not change, but the group names will.

Customers who need more assistance will still pre-board as usual before passengers in Zone 1, which will comprise Delta One and First Class customers. Zone 2 will include Diamond Medallion Members and Delta Premium Select ticket holders. 

Delta Comfort+ customers will board in Zone 3, followed by Sky Priority in Zone 4, according to a  chart  on the airline's website. Zone numbers will go up to 8, when basic economy passengers will board. 

Delta said the change is small, but could make the process easier for infrequent fliers and non-English speakers who only have to listen for a number to know when it's their turn to board. The change will also make the process less stressful for gate agents, Delta added. 

Still, some travel experts questioned whether the change would meaningfully speed up the boarding process. 

"They're not changing who boards when or the sequence," Clarkson University professor John Milne, an expert on airline boarding, told CBS MoneyWatch. "All they are changing is the names of what passenger group boards next." 

In a statement to CBS MoneyWatch, Delta said the "simple change" will "provide customers more clarity into the boarding sequence and make the boarding process more intuitive—especially for infrequent travelers and/or customers who might face a language barrier at the gate."

Delta added, "Numbered zones will also align more closely with our joint venture and international partners, providing international customers a more simplified, consistent experience when traveling on mixed-metal itineraries. "  

CEO Ed Bastian addressed the change on the company's first quarter earnings call Wednesday. "When you have a number and you're standing in line, we are all trained to know when it's our turn," Bastian said.

Delta introduced its branded fare boarding process in 2018, calling zone boarding "a thing of the past" for the airline. 

Superficial changes?

The change is fairly superficial, Milne said, noting there are other changes Delta and its competitors could make to boarding processes that would make them more efficient. 

The airline still prioritizes passengers with airline status or who paid for a higher class fare on a particular flight. Instead, it would be more efficient to board passengers based on where on the aircraft they are seated, Milne said. 

For example, boarding window seat customers in the back half of the plane first would speed up the process. "That way you would minimize some of the congestion," he said. 

Delta instead assigns passengers to boarding groups based on their loyalty to the airline and ticket prices. 

Travel expert Scott Keyes also emphasized that the change does little to meaningfully improve or expedite the boarding process. All Delta is doing is reverting to the traditional way of boarding passengers and scrapping its branded boarding process that began in 2018, he noted.

"The fact that they've reverted to numbered zones, like those employed by virtually all other airlines, speaks volumes," Keyes said. "Traditionally, Delta has been seen as the innovative airline and others have followed suit. In this case, Delta's innovation didn't pan out, and they've been forced to once again mimic American and United's boarding processes."

To be sure, any move that would actually speed up passenger boarding could give an airline a leg up on competitors.

"Speeding up the boarding process by even 10 minutes can prevent delays, and if sustained, allow airlines to add an additional daily flight to the schedule," Keyes said.

The airline posted a $37 million first-quarter profit on Wednesday and said demand for air travel is strong heading into the busy summer travel season. Travelers are flocking to book trips despite a string of recent air safety incidents, including a panel blowing off a Boeing 737 Max aircraft during an Alaska Airlines flight.

• Delta Air Lines

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News Streaming to discuss her reporting.

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Train strikes in April and May 2024: Full list of dates and lines affected

Overtime bans, an action short of a strike, also mean some services may not be running or may be reduced as drivers refuse to work their rest days.

Thursday 11 April 2024 08:46, UK

Drivers at 16 rail companies have started a fresh wave of strikes, plus overtime bans, causing disruption to the rail network.

Update: All rail strikes have now concluded

The strikes are part of a long-running dispute over pay and will take place across April and May.

Tube strikes planned for April and May have been called off.

In an "entirely separate dispute", ASLEF members will also strike and refuse to do overtime at LNER on specific dates in April "because of the company's failure to adhere to the agreed bargaining machinery", the union said.

LNER's alleged failure to adhere to bargaining machinery refers to it using managers to drive trains on strike days.

People are advised to check before they travel.

Here's what's happening when:

Rail strike dates

Friday 5 April

Strikes will affect Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, and CrossCountry.

Saturday 6 April

Strikes will affect Chiltern, GWR, LNER, Northern, and TransPennine Trains.

Monday 8 April

Strikes will affect Greater Anglia, c2c, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway main line and depot drivers, and SWR Island Line.

Overtime ban dates

Thursday 4 April

Tuesday 9 April

People are advised to check before they travel, as some areas may have no service.

LNER action dates

Members will strike on Saturday 20 April and refuse to work non-contractual overtime from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 April .

Why are the strikes happening?

ASLEF says the LNER strikes are because of "the company's persistent failure to comply with existing agreements".

Nigel Roebuck, an ASLEF organiser in the northeast, said the operator had been trying to get "every driver manager and driver instructor to work on strike days".

A spokesperson said: "LNER has used managers - paid £500 a shift - to drive trains on strike days and, after the expiry of the last non-contractual overtime agreement, on most days of the week now.

"There is no agreement in place for management to drive services on mainline infrastructure.

"It results in branch line services - such as Lincoln, Skipton, and Harrogate - being cancelled because of a lack of route knowledge and means virtually no driver training is being done."

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Mick Whelan, ASLEF general secretary, said of the rail strikes : "Last month, when we announced renewed mandates for industrial action, because under the Tories' draconian anti-union laws we have to ballot our members every six months, we called on the train companies, and the government, to come to the table for meaningful talks to negotiate a new pay deal for train drivers who have not had an increase in salary since 2019.

"Our members voted overwhelmingly - yet again - for strike action."

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A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: "Nobody wins when industrial action impacts people's lives and livelihoods, and we will work hard to minimise any disruption to our passengers.

"We want to resolve this dispute, but the ASLEF leadership need to recognise that hard-pressed taxpayers are continuing to contribute an extra £54m a week just to keep services running post-COVID.

"We continue to seek an agreement with the ASLEF leadership and remain open to talks to find a solution to this dispute."

When the strikes on the London Underground were announced, Finn Brennan, ASLEF's full-time organiser on the network, said in a statement: "ASLEF Tube train drivers will strike in April and May in a long-running dispute over London Underground's failure to give assurances that changes to our members' terms and conditions will not be imposed without agreement and that all existing agreements will be honoured.

"Despite a previous commitment to withdraw plans for massive changes to drivers' working conditions, London Underground management has established a full-time team of managers preparing to impose their plans.

Sadiq Khan said they had been called off after "talking and engaging with transport staff and trade unions rather than working against them".

Related Topics

• London Underground
• Rail strikes

Inside a G.O.P. Plan to Encourage Early Voting Despite Trump’s Attacks

Donald Trump’s falsehoods about mail voting have created a strategic disadvantage for Republicans, who must rely on Election Day turnout. The group Turning Point Action has a $100 million plan to change voters’ habits.

Tyler Bowyer, right, the chief operating officer of the conservative group Turning Point Action, training new staff members in Phoenix as part of a Chase the Vote program to persuade Republican-leaning voters to cast ballots early and by mail this fall. Credit...

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By Nick Corasaniti

Photographs by Caitlin O’Hara

Nick Corasaniti spent two days at the Turning Point Action headquarters in Phoenix, observing training programs and interviewing officials at the group.

• Published April 4, 2024 Updated April 7, 2024

Inside a sprawling compound in Phoenix, leaders of the influential conservative group Turning Point Action were hatching plans to fix what they see as a mortal threat to the Republican Party: its voters’ avoidance of early voting, especially by mail, since the 2020 election.

The group’s officials, and many national Republicans, worry that Democrats have built a major strategic advantage by marshaling their voters to cast ballots early while G.O.P. voters wait until Election Day. That phenomenon stems largely from former President Donald J. Trump’s persistent falsehoods about mail voting — amplified at times by Turning Point Action officials — and the deep skepticism they have created among conservative voters.

Now an urgent search for a solution is underway, with Turning Point Action at the forefront.

The group, which began as an insurgent organization for young Republicans and has become a powerful player in right-wing politics, is aiming to raise and spend more than $108 million on a Chase the Vote program with hundreds of staff members in Arizona and Wisconsin. They will follow a few simple steps: Identify Republican-leaning voters who have not turned out in the past two elections. Make a personal connection with them over the next seven months. Then, in the group’s words, “chase the ballots.”

Political diplomacy will be required.

“You’re each going to have assignments of hundreds of people,” Tyler Bowyer, the group’s chief operating officer, explained to about 20 trainees last week. “Do you think wearing a MAGA hat attracts 50 percent of those people?”

The Chase the Vote program is one of the largest and most expensive efforts on the right to persuade Republicans to vote early. Their widespread abandonment of the practice, which was popular in both parties before 2020, means that Republican candidates are now far more at the mercy of Election Day problems like bad weather, long lines or voting machine hiccups.

At the same time, Turning Point Action’s program is still bound by strongly held conservative opinions on early voting and casting ballots by mail. The group’s officials are quick to express skepticism of the security of those practices, despite a lack of evidence of widespread fraud, and to call for tightening of election laws.

Mr. Bowyer has said publicly that his group is not trying to turn current Election Day voters into early voters. Its main focus, he says, is showing low-propensity voters — those who have not turned out in recent elections — all of the ways they can cast their ballot.

Charlie Kirk, the founder of the Turning Point empire, said in an interview: “It’s better to participate, even in that way” — early voting — “than not participate at all. That’s our argument.”

Party-wide mistrust, fueled by Trump

But improving Republicans’ early-voting turnout will be a challenge. Mr. Trump and his allies continue to argue that mail voting is rife with fraud.

During a Fox News town-hall event last month, Mr. Trump told the host Laura Ingraham, “If you have mail-in voting, you automatically have fraud.” At a rally in Wisconsin this week, he promised to “secure” elections with “one-day voting.”

The damage for Republicans in the Trump era has been clear.

In the 2020 election, when many Americans voted by mail because of the pandemic, seven million more Democrats than Republicans voted early in the 20 states that track party data, according to the United States Elections Project . In the 2022 midterms, two million more Democrats than Republicans voted early in 24 states, according to the project , an advantage built almost exclusively off mail ballots. Each of those years, Republican candidates in crucial races lost narrowly.

Just 28 percent of Republicans support allowing any voter to cast a ballot by mail if they want to, compared with 84 percent of Democrats, according to a February study by the Pew Research Center .

Mindful of this trend, the Republican National Committee this year began a Bank Your Vote program encouraging early voting. In an interview with NBC News last month , Lara Trump, the new co-chair of the committee and Mr. Trump’s daughter-in-law, said, “We have to start encouraging Republican voters to do things like voting early, trust mail-in voting.”

Still, Mr. Trump has put the party in a difficult position. The new leadership at the R.N.C., handpicked by Mr. Trump and his allies, initially signaled that it would abandon Bank Your Vote before reversing course. Top officials at Turning Point continue to criticize voting by mail, even as they lead their new Chase the Vote effort.

“The threading the needle for us, the game that we have to play, that we have to figure out: How do we get a bunch of people who are deeply concerned about these processes that are being changed and manipulated to participate in those same processes?” Mr. Bowyer said in an interview, referring darkly to the unproven conservative theory that Democrats are deliberately changing election rules to benefit themselves. (Mr. Bowyer was one of Arizona’s fake electors in the 2020 election, a scheme that the state’s attorney general is now investigating, according to The Washington Post .)

‘Soul searching’ over a Republican disadvantage

Election Day in 2022 was when Mr. Kirk realized things needed to change.

Walking into a polling place at a Phoenix church to proudly vote for Kari Lake and other Republicans, Mr. Kirk said, he was greeted by a two-and-a-half-hour line caused mainly by malfunctioning machines. Other polling sites in the area had similar problems .

Ms. Lake ended up losing the race for governor to Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, by about 17,000 votes . Roughly 19,000 more Democrats than Republicans voted by mail.

“That kind of started a lot of soul searching between our team,” Mr. Kirk said in an interview. “I asked the question, I said, ‘What could we have done better?’”

He added, referring to the weekslong period of early balloting, “We could have played better in Voting Month.”

That would seem to be a significant public shift from Mr. Kirk, who wrote an essay for Fox News in July 2020 calling mail voting a Democratic power grab and who repeatedly questioned the security of mail voting in social media posts around the 2020 election.

In the interview, Mr. Kirk stood by those sentiments. “There is understandable skepticism about filling in a precious ballot, which we take very seriously, and putting it into the mail,” he said, adding that conservatives were not fans of the Postal Service.

Still, Mr. Kirk says, Republicans should be aware that they have a “buffet line of voting options.”

In a memo sent to donors last year, Turning Point Action said it hoped to hire more than 500 full-time “ballot chasers” in Arizona and 350 in Wisconsin. If the group raises its entire goal of $108 million — officials said they had raised “tens of millions” but still had a ways to go — it plans to expand into Georgia and possibly Michigan.

A mission to change Republican voting habits

Powering the Turning Point effort is a vast data operation led by Matthew Martinez, the data director for Chase the Vote and a former field director for Ms. Lake’s campaign.

Mr. Martinez has set up shop in one of Turning Point’s cavernous rooms at its Phoenix headquarters, with 4-foot-by-6-foot whiteboards with maps of states, counties and cities speckled with handwritten numbers. He methodically carved up Arizona and Wisconsin by hand into his own precincts, wards and districts, identifying 400 to 600 low-propensity Republican voters in each precinct.

The voters who could flip those states red, Mr. Martinez argues, are not in traditional battleground areas, but rather in safely red districts like that of Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona.

“The mind-set right now for the past four years, or even more, is flip, flip, flip,” Mr. Martinez said in an interview, referring to the party’s focus on highly competitive areas. “What I’m saying is, we need to turn out our base.”

The group also plans to use its Chase the Vote infrastructure for what it calls its election integrity efforts. Mr. Bowyer said on a recent Turning Point podcast, “If you have bodies on the ground that are becoming aware of the voting habits,” then “you’re going to be able to clean the voter rolls easier.”

Chase the Vote is still in its early stages, having trained only 20 of its ballot chasers so far. And while the new hires will encounter mistrustful voters, top Turning Point officials have also faced skeptical donors, who tend to be more comfortable with writing big checks and seeing immediate returns in the form of splashy ads rather than funding the grunt work of a new and untested field operation.

Even as trainees broke for a catered lunch of In-N-Out Burger, Mr. Kirk was down the hall, meeting with four major donors.

“It’s kind of challenging the muscle memory that we can keep on just trying to flood the zone on Election Day, and keep on expecting to win, and we’re losing on the margins,” he said in the interview. “And so, if you are falling short on the margins, and you want to get to victory, and there is this massive 30-to-40-day window where the opposition is dominating and you’re not even playing, it is rational to do something in that 30-to-40-day window to then try to be conclusive and successful.”

Mr. Kirk said he planned to vote early in-person this fall, and would capture it on video.

‘We need to be Ned Flanders’

Connecting with these low-propensity voters is part of what political operatives call “relational organizing,” a trendy political term that means using personal, one-on-one connections rather than mass messaging like ads.

During the training, Mr. Bowyer repeatedly showed an image of Ned Flanders, the relentlessly genial character from “The Simpsons” who greets neighbors with a “hi-diddily-ho.”

“We need to be Ned Flanders,” he said.

Mr. Bowyer has emphasized the importance of coming across as “human” — not always an easy task within a movement fueled by Trumpian grievance.

On a recent Turning Point podcast, he urged listeners not to “be mean and angry and aggressive and tell people they’re stupid.”

He added: “Look, if we walked up to people and were like: ‘Oh, you’re on the early voting list? You’re an idiot.’ Do you think they’re more motivated to vote? Do you think they’re more motivated to become an Election Day voter? And that’s effectively what’s happening right now.”

Nick Corasaniti is a Times reporter covering national politics, with a focus on voting and elections. More about Nick Corasaniti

Our Coverage of the 2024 Presidential Election

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Allies of Trump are discussing ways to elevate third-party candidates  in battleground states to divert votes away from Biden.

In the run-up to the 2020 election, more voters identified as Democrats than Republicans. But four years into Biden’s presidency, that gap has shrunk .

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EU court adviser backs UK fight against EU tax orders

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