Business Travel News will close the book on 2007 with a rundown of the most popular stories on
BTNonline throughout the year. Through Dec. 28, see the interviews and news articles on which
BTNonline readers have most frequently clicked, capped by a rundown of
BTNonline's overall Top 10 of 2007.
Today,
BTNonline features its most popular 2007 stories about U.S. federal government activity regarding the corporate travel industry. All rankings are based on
BTNonline visitors from Jan. 1 to Dec. 17, 2007.
1. June 8, 2007: U.S. Eases Rules In Face Of Passport Delays (Overall rank: 10)Under the terms of its Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, the U.S. government in January 2007 began to require travelers to present a passport to enter the country by air. This sparked an avalanche of U.S. passport applications, resulting in wait times that stretched for months. In the face of the logistical challenge, the State Department in June temporarily eased this aspect of WHTI for those travelers who had applied for, but hadn't received, a passport. The government plans full WHTI implementation by summer 2008.
2. October 8, 2007: U.S., China Award New Routes (Overall rank: 11)Carriers from both sides of the Pacific scrambled to fill new nonstop routes made available by the May agreement between the U.S. Department of Transportation and China's Civil Aviation Administration. DOT approved several new nonstop routes in the fall.
3. October 8, 2007: Feds Aim At Delays: Bush Directs DOT, FAA To Develop Air Congestion Solutions By Year-End (Overall rank: 13)After a brutal summer of airline delays, the Bush administration in September demanded changes to prevent a recurrence. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters
eventually would recommend flight caps at New York metropolitan area airports, among other initiatives.
4. April 2, 2007: EU Opens Skies: With U.S. Approval To Come, Way Is Clear For First Phase To Begin Next Year (Overall rank: 17)Though U.S. approval for the Open Skies agreement with the European Union hadn't officially been granted when this story was published, it was only a formality by that point. The agreement since has led to a wave of promised transatlantic service to Heathrow Airport in March, when Open Skies takes effect.
5. April 7, 2007: TSA Requests Passenger, Baggage Tracking Tech Info (Overall rank: 26)The U.S. Transportation Security Administration in April sought information on "the ability to continuously ensure positive identification of every passenger as they traverse the aviation system, from the time a reservation is made to the time they exit an airport at their destination."
6. November 29, 2007: IRS To Raise Vehicle Reimbursements To 50.5 Cents Per Mile (Overall rank: 29)The IRS's latest fuel-cost reimbursement adjustment is one of
BTNonline's 30 most popular stories, despite being on the site for only 19 days. The IRS rate, which the government updates annually, is the prevailing calculation companies use to reimburse travelers who use their personal vehicles while on business.
Visit BTNonline on Dec. 27 to see BTN's most popular 2007 features on emerging initiatives within the corporate travel industry.