It should come as no surprise that Orbitz, Kayak and a few online travel websites complained this week that Google’s new Flight Search tool is taking traffic away from OTAs. Earlier this month, Google began placing its new search service above general results so that its own results appear above links to major OTAs. Searches also now generate an interactive chart with flight results between desired destinations, but link exclusively to airlines’ websites.

The OTAs, which, according to analytic site Compete, depend upon Google for between 10 to 20 percent of their traffic, say the mega search company is reneging on its promise to the Department of Justice—made when the DOJ was doing an antitrust review of Google’s pending purchase of ITA Software—that it would make travel data available to competitors.

Even before Google unveiled its anxiously awaited Flight Search, in July the company debuted Hotel Finder, which allows users to choose a city and draw a shape around the area where they want to stay. Concerned about increasing cost-per-click costs, Expedia President Scott Durchslag suggested the hotel industry ban together with OTAs to remain relevant. Read more: Wall Street Journal (subscription), HotelNewsNow.com, VentureBeat

Businesses that benefit from tourism in the United States owe foreigners some year-end thanks. According to new data from the U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, international tourism spending likely will surpass $152 billion for 2011, up from the record of $141 billion spent in 2008. Through the end of October, foreign visitors spent $127 billion here, while outbound U.S. travelers spent $91.9, an 8 percent increase over the same period in 2010. That makes for a balance-of-trade surplus of roughly $35 billion. Not a bad way to end the year.

But some people are concerned that the expenditures of foreign tourists could be even higher if the government overhauled its visa application process.  Read more: LA Times, Philly.com

Other travel news/roundups of note:

HotelChatter 2011 Awards: Concierge.com’s irreverent and somewhat addictive blog shares its list of the best and worst from the year for all things hotel related.—HotelChatter.com
Samoa and Tokelau Skip a Day for Dateline Change—BBC
5 Air Travel Predictions for 2012—ABC News
Most Travel-Inspiring TV Show of 2011: ‘Portlandia’—On Location Vacations
Visitors to New York’s 9/11 Memorial Top 1 Million—CNN
…meanwhile…
NYC Mayor Says Work on 9/11 Museum Has Stalled—Newsday
Road Travel is Up During Holidays as Fuel Prices Fluctuate—Colorado Springs Gazette
American to Travel Farther and Spend More in 2012—Reuters

Photo: Google Flight Search

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Times Square in New York City will draw the most New Year's Eve revelers in the United States, says Priceline.com.

When the ball drops this New Year’s Eve, Times Square won’t just be the place to which most television stations across the country are tuned. It will also be the hottest travel destination for the holiday weekend, according to data from Priceline.com.

Times Square edged out last year’s No. 1, Las Vegas’ South Strip, on Priceline’s ranking, which it compiles using hotel booking requests from customers using its Name Your Own Price service. And with five of the top seven neighborhoods and 14 of the top 50, New York City is the clear favorite place to ring in the New Year. Las Vegas boasts six of the top 50 destinations.

Other U.S. cities whose hotel business will flourish this weekend include New Orleans (French Quarter No. 8, Downtown Area No. 11), Chicago (North Michigan Avenue/River North Area No. 15, Millennium Park/Loop/Grant Park Area No. 17) and San Francisco (Union Square West/Nob Hill No. 18, Financial District/Embarcadero No. 27).

In the Asia-Pacific region, a similar tally from Agoda.com puts Bangkok in the lead, with Singapore second and Hong Kong third. Only one of Agoda’s top 10, Seoul, at No. 4, is unquestionably located in East Asia. Kuala Lumpur, Phuket, Bali, Chiang Mai, Taipei and Macau round out the list. (The latter two, along with Hong Kong, are sometimes geographically included in Southeast Asia.)

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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It's not too late to score tickets for NCAA football's national championship game in New Orleans January 9.

For sports fans, the holiday season offers a final few golden weeks of NCAA football, as college teams play in bowl games that determine the national champion and set the final standings for the season. If you’ve enjoyed the games from your couch in the past, it’s not too late to look into actually scoring tickets.

They are not all high-stakes match-ups, but bowl games offer a chance to experience the American tradition of college football in an unusual setting. Most are in warm-weather locales, and some take place in iconic stadiums, like the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

Whether you want to follow your alma mater to a Florida bowl game or find a game in your home region, here are some ways to look for tickets:

Stubhub.com is a website for buying and selling tickets to all kinds of events. It currently has tickets to every bowl game and stadium seating charts.

Search the Craigslist site for the city where the game will be held and the home cities of the two teams playing (sports tickets on Craigslist Orlando).

Scour the online fan forums for the participating teams for people looking to get rid of extra tickets. If you can’t find a forum via search engine, the school’s athletic department site or the local newspaper sports page is usually a good place to start.

If you are willing to shell out some cash for the best tickets or VIP treatment, look to sports-travel providers like Premiere Global Sports.

Between Christmas Eve and January 9, 2012, 29 bowl games will be played. Here are a few of them:

Hottest ticket: The BCS National Championship in New Orleans January 9, pits Louisiana State against Alabama. Stubhub prices start at $1,050.

Most unusual location: The Pinstripe Bowl in the Bronx, New York, Rutgers vs. Iowa State, brings college football to Yankee Stadium, December 30. Stubhub prices start at $39.

Traditional titans at a bargain: The Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando features two historically strong football programs, both having mediocre seasons. Notre Dame plays Florida State on December 29. Stubhub prices start at $50.

Sneak peek at a top draft pick: Stanford is the underdog when it plays Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Arizona) January 2, but its quarterback Andrew Luck is likely to be the top pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Photo: BCSfootball.org/ESPN

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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) launched TSA Cares yesterday, a toll-free hotline for passengers with disabilities and medical needs and their family members or traveling companions to call before they fly for information on what to expect at security checkpoints.

Security lines at Denver International Airport

The number is (855) 787-2227 and available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST time, excluding federal holidays. Travelers who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to contact TSA Cares or can email TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov.

TSA recommends that “passengers call approximately 72 hours ahead of travel so that TSA Cares has the opportunity to coordinate checkpoint support with a TSA Customer Service Manager located at the airport when necessary.”

The new service comes on the heels of a few high-profile TSA run-ins, including the 85-year-old grandmother claiming to be strip-searched and an 88-year-old woman saying she was asked to drop her pants to show her colostomy bag.

All travelers can contact TSA using Talk To TSA, a web-based tool that allows passengers to reach out to airport customer service managers directly, and the TSA Contact Center at (866) 289-9673 and TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov, where travelers can ask questions, provide suggestions and file complaints.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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