JetBlue, Yahoo, Rim Plan Free In-Flight Wi-Fi

JetBlue, Yahoo Inc and Research in Motion plan to offer free, in-flight, Wi-Fi web connections for laptop computers and advanced cell phones, Rim said on Thursday. The service will allow passengers to access customized Yahoo mail and Yahoo instant messenger services on their laptops or to access corporate e-mails on Wi-Fi enabled versions of the popular Blackberry device from Rim. According to a spokesperson for Rim the first JetBlue flight offering the service will be on December 11.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/digitaldownload/mobile/e3ic4707ab2b337b313913b0e641966212e

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22133691/

Cellphones To Be Used As Boarding Pass in Houston Trial

Continental Airlines passengers in Houston will be able to board flights using just a cellphone or personal-digital assistant instead of a regular boarding pass in a three-month test program launched Tuesday at Bush Intercontinental Airport. The program could expand to airlines and airports nationwide.Instead of a paper pass, Continental Airlines (CAL) and the Transportation Security Administration will let passengers show a code the airline has sent to their cellphone or PDA. The two-dimensional bar code, a jumble of squares and rectangles, stores the passenger's name and flight information. A TSA screener will confirm the bar code's authenticity with a handheld scanner. Passengers still need to show photo identification. The electronic boarding pass also works at airport gates. If a passenger's cellphone or mobile device loses power, the passenger can get a paper boarding pass from a kiosk or a Continental agent. Houston-based Continental, the USA's No. 4 airline, has been working on the new feature for years to increase the efficiency, eliminate paperwork and make travel easier, says Mark Bergsrud, a Continental executive.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/gear/2007-12-04-electronic-boarding-pass_N.htm

Expedia.com Signs Sponsorship Deal With NFL

Expedia has signed a three-year deal with the NFL to become the "official travel provider of NFL fans," according to Terry Lefton in this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Expedia N.A. President Paul Brown said the deal "is a branding play. We have good brand recognition, but we need this to drive brand preference." With the deal, Expedia gets NFL Network and NFL.com ad inventory, and the company's promotional efforts will include an "NFL Mondays" deal, in which travelers "booking trip packages on Mondays to NFL cities will get a $100 gift card for NFLShop.com." NFL Senior VP/Partnership Marketing & Corporate Sales Peter Murray said, "Around [60%] of our fans do not live in the city of their favorite NFL teams, so a broad-based travel partner makes a lot of sense for both of us." Lefton adds an Expedia online sweeps will offer a trip to both the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, along with 20 trips to one of the two. Southwest Airlines ended its NFL sponsorship before this season.
http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article.main&articleId=57014

Orbitz.com, Golf.com To Launch New Golf Travel Section

Orbitz today will announce a partnership with SI’s Golf.com to launch a new golf travel section. Consumers can use the search engine to plan trips to watch some of golf’s major tournaments or to play at some of the top courses in the world. Golf.com is offering course descriptions and travel tips, access to Golf Magazine’s top 100 course list and instructional content. Since, ‘05, Orbitz has served as presenting sponsor of TNT’s coverage of the PGA’s Grand Slam of Golf.
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/761700/

http://golf.orbitz.com