Hertz is the first car rental company to launch a worldwide Online Check-in service for all of its customers. The service will speed up time at the counter for customers because their rental forms are completed in advance online. With Online Check-in, all Hertz customers can submit their profile details on the company’s secure website at their own convenience before they travel. This provides a faster and simpler counter service as all their check-in information will be on file before they arrive.

At the counter, customers simply need to present their confirmation, hand in their credit card and driving licence, and sign the pre-filled forms. Once completed, customers are free to enjoy the rest of their travels.

Michel Taride, President, Hertz Europe, and Executive Vice President, Hertz Corporation says: “Hertz Online Check-in has been developed so that our customers can start their journey as quickly as possible. We want to make the car rental experience simple and enjoyable, and have responded to customer feedback by introducing online check-in that will save time at the counter and get them swiftly in to the driving seat. We have rolled the service out across the world, so it’s available to everyone, everywhere, anytime. “

Changes to renewal period and sponsorship regulations

The United Arab Emirates introduced new visa regulations in early August.

Citizens from the 33 countries which currently receive entry permits on arrival (see below) will largely be unaffected by the new rules. No matter what the purpose of their visit they will be granted an entry visa free of charge which is valid for one month.

The only difference is that these entry permits can only be renewed for an additional 30 days rather than 60 days at a cost of 620 dirhams.

Those wishing to stay more than two months can apply for a long-term visit visa which is valid for three months.
Nationals from exempt countries are not required to pay deposits or have health insurance.

The following nations are exempt: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, UK, US and Vatican City.

Nationals of all countries that are not exempt are eligible to apply for a tourist visa.

New laptop cases may speed passage

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is moving closer to easing one of the biggest post-9/11 security hassles: making airline travelers take laptops out of cases at airport checkpoints.

A policy likely to take effect in a few months would allow passengers to put certain types of cases through airport X-ray machines with laptops inside.

Manufacturers such as Targus and Skooba Design are designing new “checkpoint-friendly” cases, which passengers would have to buy if they want to take advantage of the new TSA policy. Travelers could still use old cases but would have to continue removing laptops at checkpoints.

The TSA received 52 written proposals after announcing in March that it was looking for “checkpoint-friendly” cases. Many ideas feature “clamshell designs” with two sides that fold together like a book. One side holds papers, cables and other accessories; the other side holds only the laptop.

At a checkpoint, the case would unfold and be placed flat on the X-ray belt so screeners would see the laptop in its otherwise-empty sleeve as clearly as if it were in a security bin with nothing else.

The TSA will not approve or certify laptop cases. The agency has published guidelines for cases and will add more guidelines in early June after prototype tests.

The TSA acknowledges that some passengers will put cases through X-ray machines that do not provide clear images. The agency plans a publicity campaign to inform fliers about the features required to make a case checkpoint-friendly.

Source: usatoday.com

Airline disruptions, rail strikes, airport closures. Bird flu and the London Tube bombings.

Ongoing significant travel events have triggered the ever increasing need for rigorous destination and security intelligence. From pandemics and fires to impending natural disasters and union strikes, automation and centralized information build business resilience while reducing risks to travel plans.

Today, companies recognize the need to prepare and protect employees, evaluate risks and respond to events around the world.

Mitigating risk is an essential responsibility of companies charged with providing a duty of care. And that responsibility is increasingly cutting across organizational boundaries, says Leslie West, senior vice president of Client Data Solutions (CDS) for BCD Travel:

“Customers are increasingly asking groups like travel management, human resources and health and security departments within their companies to work together to protect their employees. In this cross-functional environment, it is vital to have a solution that couples the categorization of travel disruptions, risk exposure and crisis situations with relevant information and business processes to safeguard travelers, before and during their trip.  As a result, we have seen a 55 percent increase in customers adopting DecisionSourceTM: Security Manager in 2007 over its previous year – evidence of the trend, need, and value BCD Travel offers customers.”

Companies should be able to answer tough questions such as:

* What is the political, cultural and economic climate in countries around the world?
* Where are my travelers right now?
* Has an event occurred that puts my travelers at risk?
* How can I reach travelers in time of need?

Pull and push information to travelers

Accurate and timely information is the cornerstone of effective risk mitigation. Having the right information at the right time – and on the appropriate device – benefits travelers and the travel program prior to booking, at booking, and while en-route.

Relevant information takes a wide variety of forms, ranging from security and risk briefings on countries and major cities worldwide to weather alerts, cultural etiquette and consular requirements.

An abundance of data requires a blend of automation and process to prevent information overload, says West. As part of its DecisionSource: Security Manager risk mitigation solution, BCD Travel provides travelers and travel managers with destination information and security intelligence from over 400 different sources, based on specific filters set at the company and employee level. Subscribers may filter delivery of security and travel news alerts by destination, urgency level  and category; such as health, weather and transportation type.

The categories currently in use by DecisionSource: Security Manager customers include:

• Any major airline or airport disruption
• Travel warnings from official Government sources
• Any weather condition that has a significant effect on major transportation systems
• Any event that causes widespread cancellations, delays of more than two hours or a total shutdown of a major airline, airport or railway
• Flights canceled for other reasons
• Any violent attack that causes damage or injuries at a major hotel
• Direct impact on travel from an outbreak of disease

Although destination and risk information is available through DecisionSource: Security Manager, realistically, travelers with access to valuable information may not always seek it out. For that reason, clients can enable the solution to proactively send relevant e-mails, based on event severity categories they’ve set as well as PNRs booked, to potentially impacted travelers.

Monitor, protect and respond with traveler tracking

Today, says West, over 185 BCD Travel customers are using DecisionSource: Security Manager to collect data from over 50 countries to track and monitor travelers and provide risk intelligence for their travel programs.

Coupled with specific traveler reservations, detailed situational views are updated every 60 minutes, giving companies the ability to locate travelers across the globe, while incorporating en route changes, same plane travel and flight tracking, and hotel bookings

With this overview, West says, action is a click away: “It’s crucial to have both a pictorial global view and traveler-level detail. In the event the company has the need to deploy an incident response team, they can easily share the details by printing, exporting, or e-mailing the details to the appropriate individuals within the company.�

Understand and act with relevant, viable data

Different companies and travel programs have different needs when it comes to pulling data from risk mitigation technology. At BCD Travel, DecisionSource: Security Manager incorporates a full library of reports. Among the most commonly used:

• Hot Spot:  Quick snapshot around the globe of U.S. Department of State or Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s cities and locations of risk, combined with travelers in those locations
• Flight Arrival / Departure Grid:  Quickly identify numbers of travelers arriving or departing certain cities by date or date range
• Flight Arrival / Departure Detail:  Getting more specific to identify the travelers and airports
• Flight, Hotel or City Incident Reports:  Across flights, hotels, or a city itself, companies can quickly find travelers
• Same Plane Travelers:  Due to possible insurance or overall risk mitigation policies, companies can report on employees traveling on the same plane.  Reporting on dimensions like number of travelers, business unit, flight number or carrier, companies can provide the appropriate level of care for their employees

In addition to analyzing travel plans prior to travel for risk management, there are many opportunities to further support travel programs and reveal both cost and safety when looking at pre-travel reservation data. Tracking policy compliance issues, shifting market share to preferred vendors, identifying meeting opportunities or even preventing unnecessary trips – all aid in aligning spend before it occurs.