Gao Official Report: Airline (blogs) Fees Are Misleading

August 28th, 2010 admin Posted in news |

By Timmy Vic

The growing number of airline fees is confusing and misleading for consumers said a new report released by the Government’s Accountability Office GAO, on Wednesday.

Congress’ financial watchdog, the GAO recommended that airlines be more upfront about the “true” prices of their tickets. Airlines have been tagging on fees for optional services such as meals, blankets, early boarding and seat selection, said the GAO.

These fees, however, were not disclosed at the time of booking, prompting the GAO to recommend that the government step in to improve the disclosure of airline fees, not only for the airlines, but also for travel booking services.

According to the report, it should be a requirement for airlines, travel agents, online travel services, and other ticket distribution channels to show all fees and services in a clear and consistent manner.

The report also points out that the airlines have becoming increasingly reliant on fee revenues. Since most of these fees are not related to the transportation a person, the fees reduce the proportion of total passenger revenue that is taxed to help fund FAA.

The IRS currently taxes the airlines a 7.5 percent excise tax on domestic air transportation. But while the actual ticket is taxed, the fee for a checked-in bag or a sandwich is not.

Therefore, the GAO report says that the IRS is getting much less in taxes from the airlines than they used to thanks to the new fees.

According to the GOA, if the 7.5 percent tax on airline tickets were applied to fees, the government could have raised $186 million last year just from checked bags fees.

Not surprisingly, the report’s findings have many in Congress and the Department of Transportation considering new rules that would change how airlines charge for baggage, blankets, drinks, luggage, and just about everything else the airlines have tagged fees on.

The new announcement could be bad news for the airlines, which have used fees to improve their bottom lines in a tough economy. Last budget year, the top 10 domestic airlines collected $7.8 billion in fees.

PeterGreenberg.com is a constantly updated source for the latest in travel news, analysis and information led by travel guru Peter Greenberg. For more information, please visit www.PeterGreenberg.com.

Volunteer Vacations: Disaster Assistance In Haiti, Chile
&
China

By Timmy Vic

The earthquake that decimated Haiti early this year was only the first of several disastrous quakes. Earthquakes have also ravaged Chile and China in the past few months.

If you want to know how you can aid the Haitian, Chilean and Chinese recovery efforts, this list is for you.

Learn about the various NGOs, charitable organizations and volunteer groups helping around the world and how you can join them.

Chile Volunteer Resources

Family Care Foundation

www.familycare.org

The Family Care Foundation has partnered with FEDES, a Chilean project that focuses on education and development in Santiago, Chile. As project partners Family Care Foundation and FEDES traveled to the region of Maule and have continued relief efforts in response to the Chile earthquake.

Heart to Heart

www.hearttoheart.org

Heart to Heart is looking for medical professionals such as licensed physicians and nurses who are interested in volunteering to be first responders in Chile. This organization offers a variety of volunteer avenues both in the United States and abroad. To get started, fill out their on-line form, and select how often you want to volunteer and your availability.

Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Aid Network

www.kinshipcircle.org

Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Aid Network is comprised of trained responders in both the U.S. and Canada. Animal Advocacy volunteers works to research disaster aid, fund-raising and publicity among other things. Animal Disaster Aid is currently working with Socorro Animal Chile to send teams and conduct animal rescue in response to the Chilean earthquake.

Operation USA is sending medical aid to Chile and asking for bulk corporate donations of health care materials, which it will ship to the region from its base in the Port of Los Angeles.

Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization

new.paho.org

The Pan American Health Organization is coordinating health care efforts in Chile. The organization is fighting against outbreaks of influenza and other acute respiratory diseases in Chile because of poor sanitation conditions.

Operation USA

www.opusa.org

Salvation Army

www.salvationarmy.org

The Salvation Army is providing vital assistance to coastal communities damaged by tsunamis. Salvation Army officers and volunteers have been working in these coastal communities to provide food, water and clothes, helping to clear and clean properties that are still standing. They are also seeking funding to replace lost boats.

The Center for International Disaster Information

www.cidi.org

With suggestions from how to get involved through fund-raising, to volunteering abroad, the CIDI provides helpful guidelines for disaster relief volunteering. Americans are asked to donate cash as an alternative to in-kind donations such as clothing and canned goods.

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How to grow your business building a list of repeat customers: The power of a good autoresponder service

By Francesco Amico

If you are a business owner and are asking yourself how to increase your sales and profits, keep reading this brief article. You are going to be surprised by what tactic you can instantly implement in order to get yourself ahead of your competition literally overnight!

Whether you have just started or have been in business for long time, I am sure you are regularly asking yourself: “How can I let people know about my fantastic products and services?” should I use the yellow pages to connect with more people? Or maybe let my friends know about what I do?

Yes, of course you can do that. But how much time and money is that going to take?

Here’s something you might be missing: the power of “back end selling”!

What is back end selling? Back end selling means to sell again to somebody who has already purchased from you. So, how do you persuade your existing customers that they should buy again from you?

Simple!

Stay in touch with them regularly and let them know about your products, special offers they can’t miss and so forth. Do you have to call them on the phone regularly? Not so!

What you want to do is email them every 3-4 days giving them valuable advice on your specific area and, gently let them know about your products and services. It doesn’t matter if you fix cars, are a dentist or own a furniture shop. You always must build a list of clients. That’s where you are going to generate profits from in the long run. Statistical data show that repeat sales are WAY easier than first time sales.

How do you build a list of customers? And what application should you use to contact them regularly in bulk?

In my experience, the finest device to run email marketing suitably is to utilize a good autoresponder. Autoresponders allow you to both capture emails from your website (I hope you have one) and also to regularly send emails to your list on complete autopilot. You schedule the time and your autoresponder does everything for you. Autoresponders also allow you to segment your market informing you even on those who open your emails and those who click on the links you supply in your messages.

That, my friend is going to quickly and easily allow you to segment your customer base, so you can start tailoring your marketing campaign according to your customers’ needs or tastes.

By now, I am sure that you understand that not building a list of clients means to leave a lot of cash on the table.

Do you need a marketing degree and a PhD to use an autoresponder? No sir!

Autoresponders are extremely simple to use. At least the one that I use

Are autoresponders expensive ? Nope!

So what are you waiting for? Start building your list now!

If you are looking for a quality, yet very affordable, autoresponder service to immediately start building your list of customers, you can get a full month trial for 1$ here:

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