Accor May Divest Carlson Wagonlit HoldingsFrench lodging and services group Accor announced at press time that it is considering selling part or all of its 50 percent stake in Carlson Wagonlit Travel. "Accor confirms studying the total or partial divestment of its interest in Carlson Wagonlit Travel," the group said in a statement on its Web site last Friday. "No decision has been taken at this point." There had been speculation for several months that Accor's new president Gilles Pélisson would look to sell the stake when he took the helm in January if he determined Carlson Wagonlit to be a non-core activity for the group. However, in a video broadcast to Accor staff worldwide during his first week, he hinted at continuing investment in CWT's expansion. CWT president and CEO Hubert Joly declined to comment on shareholder activity.
NBTA, ACTE Critique Proposed Disease RulesBefore the period of public comment drew to a close last week on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proposed rule to control communicable diseases, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives and the National Business Travel Association both voiced concerns on different points in the ruling. Should CDC's rule pass, it would require "certain interstate flights as well as ships and airline flights arriving from foreign countries maintain passenger and crew information for 60 days and submit the information electronically to CDC upon request for public health activities." It also would grant the CDC "explicit authority" to offer vaccination and other medical services to people in quarantine. ACTE president Greeley Koch took issue with the latter proposal, stating, "There must still be provisions made for second opinions and for medical data to be examined by a personal physician, if possible," Koch said. NBTA executive director Bill Connors opposed the CDC's intention to place the burden on airlines, global distribution systems or travel agencies of collecting passenger information and retaining that information for 60 days, stating that several federal systems collect similar data. "These agencies should or must work to combine these underlying passenger information requirements," Connors said, "avoiding a significant cost burden potentially borne by the industry."
Visa: No New Interchange FeesVisa's interchange rates, the main source of revenue for corporate bankcard issuers and the major source of income fueling corporate card rebates, will mostly remain steady in April. The month is usually a time when it introduces new pricing, according to credit card industry publication CardLine. Interchange fees have come under scrutiny in the form of lawsuits filed by small merchants and retail giants, both of which must pay interchange fees with each credit card transaction they process in order to accept the cards in their stores
(BTN, Aug. 15).TSA To Automate No-Fly List RedressTransportation Security Administration director Kip Hawley last month during a Senate hearing said the agency is setting plans to automate the redress process for travelers wrongly placed on no-fly lists. Hawley disclosed that at the time of the hearing about 30,000 travelers had gone through the redress process to amend false positives, yet through further automating the process problems and lags in clearing names should become fewer and farther between. "That part of the program, the so-called redress, has improved and needs further improvement," Hawley said. As Ted Kennedy's name listed on a government no-fly list gained headlines in the past, several senators noted that it had become too common a problem. "My wife Catherine Stevens is being questioned if she's Cat Stevens," said Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).