New Century Travel bus, Courtesy

Federal authorities on Thursday announced the shutdown of 26 bus operations along Interstate 95 between New York and Florida for safety violations, but none of the so-called “Chinatown buses” seem to have served South Florida directly, according to a search of the websites of the three companies that operated the network.

Closed were companies linked to low-fare bus operators Apex Bus and 1-95 Coach, both of New York, and New Century Travel of Philadelphia. Their websites shows neither Apex nor New Century serve Florida, and 1-95 Coach serves only northern and central Florida cities: Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa.

However, passengers could take the buses part of the way to South Florida and change to another carrier.

Phone calls to the three companies either rang busy, did not pick up or left the caller on hold.

The bus safety crackdown by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is described by officials as the largest in at least a decade. Most of the 233 bus routes served by the companies began or ended in New York City’s Chinatown.

Federal safety investigators found all of the carriers shuttered had multiple safety violations, often using drivers who didn’t have valid commercial driver’s licenses and failing to administer alcohol and drug tests to drivers. The companies also operated buses that had not been regularly inspected and repaired, The AP reported.

The safety administration began investigating the carriers after a series of deadly bus crashes last spring. That included one on March 12 when a bus returning to Chinatown from a Connecticut casino hit a barrier in the Bronx, killing 15 of the 32 people aboard. Documents released by investigators show the bus was speeding at the time of the crash and that the driver’s license had been suspended 18 times over 20 years, according to The AP.

For the complete AP story on the crackdown, click here.

Singers Maria Gadu and Tony Bennett, Photo by Ruben Martin

Maria Gadu, the rising Brazilian singer and guitarist, recently visited the Fort Lauderdale area to record with veteran songmaster Tony Bennett on Bennett’s upcoming Latin Duets album due out this fall.

We spoke with Gadu in Portuguese at the Ritz-Carlton resort overlooking Fort Lauderdale beach.

What was your favorite vacation?

Italy, in 2007.  It saved my life. I’d lost my grandmother and was sad. My good friend took me to see some new places, think about other things, enjoy, play music. We went all over. It revived me. We spent time in Valpolicella in a house from 1437 that belongs to a family that makes wine. I love Italy — everything about it: the language, food, wine, the people…

What can’t you travel without?

My passport – and the will to go.

What do you like least about traveling?

Airports, for sure. They’re boring.

What’s your favorite destination?

Ilha Grande, [an island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state]. I can’t explain why, but many people who go feel the same way. I lived there. I spent my childhood there. I learned to swim there, learned to drink there, to do everything there.

The airline’s fifth Saab 340Bplus is named Team Victory in recognition of its owner Victory Park Capital, a Chicago-based investment firm, and the sixth is called Momentum, referencing its strides to build a world-class airline, according to a company statement. 

Team Victory and Momentum are expected to begin operating scheduled passenger service  Friday. 

Saab 340B plus aircraft, Saab Aircraft Leasing/COURTESY

The Fort Lauderdale-based airline (formerly Gulfstream International Airlines) plans to integrate 12 new Saab 340Bplus aircraft into its fleet by September.  

The Saab 340Bplus offers seating for 34 passengers, large overhead bins, personalized flight attendant service, an active noise reduction system and on-board lavatories.  The new aircraft will be used on Silver’s Florida to Bahamas routes.

“By the end of the year, the 12 Saabs we’re acquiring will enable us to increase flights in Florida and Bahamas routes by 30 percent,” Silver’s CEO Darrell Richardson said in a statement. “At the same time, our seat capacity will grow by nearly 75 percent strengthening our leadership position in these markets.”
 
Silver received Federal Aviation Administration approval to operate the Saab 340Bplus aircraft type in March 2012.  

The airline operates more than 100 daily scheduled flights to and from 29 gateways in Florida, The Bahamas, Montana, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Courtesy of Holiday Inn Highland Beach

Looking to vacation in Palm Beach County this summer?

Check out MyPalmBeachSummer.com, a new micro-site with deals at area hotels.

About 50 packages are offered so far, according to site organizers at The Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

One deal: Holiday Inn Highland Beach has rates starting at $129 per night, including breakfast for two and a 25 percent discount on Loxahatchee Everglades Airboat Tours.

Aeroflot Russian Airlines

Get ready for more Russian tourism to South Florida.

Aeroflot Russian Airlines plans three flights per week from Moscow to Miami International Airport starting Oct. 28, using Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

Adding to existing service by Russian carrier Transaero, the Miami airport will offer five flights a week to Moscow’s two international airports, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo. 

Russian tourism to the United States is soaring, up 27 percent last year to roughly 222,000 visitors, according to the U.S. Commerce Department’s Office of Travel and Tourism Industries.

For more information on Aeroflot, visit aeroflot.ru/cms/en .

MIA's North Concourse D, Miami Dade Aviation Department/COURTESY

Miami International Airport continued to show strong passenger growth in April, though slower than the first quarter.

The April passenger count rose 6.4 percent from a year earlier to reach 3.16 million, roughly the population of Chicago.

That number includes 1.68 million domestic passengers, up 5.2 percent, and 1.49 million international passengers, up 7.7 percent from last year. International business — especially from South America — continues to lead growth, officials said.

International arrivals to Miami matter to Broward and Palm Beach counties, because the two nearby counties have relatively little foreign service and depend heavily on Miami for their international business. Brazilians are especially courted, because they tend to stay longer, shop more and spend more than U.S. tourists in the area.

April’s passenger growth at Miami airport is slower than its first quarter’ gains of 9.5 percent. Travel leaders have linked the smaller rise to warmer weather in the U.S. north this year and Easter falling earlier than usual.

For the first quarter, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport reported a 0.9 percent gain and Palm Beach International Airport a 3.4 percent dip in passenger traffic compared to last year, airport officials said.

Alaska Airlines is now offering self-bag tagging for customers departing Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after successful trials at the Redmond/Bend Airport in Oregon last year.

Alaska Air said the process allows customers to print and attach their own luggage tags from a self-service kiosk in the airport lobby.

Spirit of Alaska plane, Alaska Airlines/COURTESY

After that they’ll show their identification and drop off the bags with an airline representative for security screening and loading onto an aircraft.

The airline said it intends to offer self-service bag-tagging options at more airports across its route system this summer.

Alaska Air will start new service between Fort Lauderdale and Seattle in July, so South Floridians will have a chance to experience self-bag tagging on their return home.  

“Customers who have used the service are delighted to be able to help themselves by tagging their own bags, dropping them off and going on their way,” said Jeff Butler, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of customer service-airports, in a statement. “We are committed to making Alaska the easiest airline to fly on and self-bag tagging is another step toward that goal.”

Customers seated in Economy Comfort enjoy three to four inches of extra leg room and priority boarding. 

When flying on Delta in economy, customers can upgrade to Economy Comfort for an extra introductory fee of $19-$99 each way on flights within the U.S and on short-haul international markets.

Delta-Boeing-757, Courtesy of Delta Air Lines

Upgrades can be purchased online, at check-in kiosks, and through Delta reservations for flights that departing June 7 or later. 

The specialty seat product is available in the first three-to-five rows of the economy cabin on more than 550 of Delta’s mainline aircraft, including its Boeing 767, 757, 737, MD88, MD90, DC9, Airbus A320 and A319 fleet.

It’s also offered on more than 250 two-class regional jets including the CRJ900, CRJ700, E170 and E175 aircraft types, Delta said.

Voyager of the Seas, Courtesy of Royal Caribbean Cruises

Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises is sending more ships to China to meet growing demand for cruises in that giant Asian nation,  The AP reported from Beijing.

The company’s 3,114-passenger Voyager of the Seas is due to arrive in Singapore this weekend en route to Shanghai. Its sister ship Mariner of the Seas will be sent to China next year. The two ships will carry Chinese cruise passengers on routes to Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea, according to The AP.

“2012 is for our company the year of China,” said Adam Goldstein, president of Royal Caribbean International brand, at a news conference.

For the complete story, click here.

Meanwhile, South Florida hotels report more Chinese tourists coming to cruise on Royal Caribbean’s mega-ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas that sail from Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades.

Courtesy of Doral Golf Resort & Spa

Father’s Day is coming up June 17, and hotels nationwide are rolling out deals.

In the Miami area, the Doral Golf Resort & Spa, a Marriott resort offers rates starting at $119 per person per night, based on double occupancy, including a round of golf on the Red, Gold or Jim McLean Course; a daily breakfast buffet; unlimited driving range use; and one introductory golf clinic per stay. Call 800- 713-6725 or visit doralresort.com. Use rate plan GOF.

In New York City, the Wolcott Hotel offers a rates starting at $200 per night, including muffins and coffee for breakfast, plus a map for a cigar tour around midtown Manhattan. The tour includes Martinez Hand Rolled Cigars and Nat Sherman Townhouse. Visit www.wolcott.com or call 212-268-2900. 

The Sanctuary Hotel offers a “Gone Fishin’ ‘ package including a $100 gift certificate to dinner at Lure Fish Bar in Soho; a hair-wash, haircut, manicure, shoeshine and beverages at John Allan’s; plus two $30 gift cards to use the driving range at  The Golf Club at Chelsea Piers. Rates start at $479 a night on a two-night minimum stay. Taxes are not included.  Visit SanctuaryHotelNYC.com or call 212-234-7000.

In Los Angeles, Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport offers a Surfboard & Brew package. Rates start at $199 per night on a two-night minimum stay. That includes a 90-minute surf lesson for two provided by CampSurf on Manhattan Beach, plus two pints of craft beer nightly at Brewster’s Bar and Grill at the hotel. Use booking code SURFBREW. Visit fourpointslax.com  or call 866-716-8133.

Do you plan to travel for Father’s Day? Please let us know your plans.