2003

January 5, 2004 - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security puts their US-VISIT (The United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology) program into place, screening all visitors holding visas as they enter the United States.

January 3, 2004 - A Flash Airlines Boeing 737 Egyptian charter plane, plunged into the Red Sea minutes after takeoff from the popular Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheik on the southern tip of the Sinai desert en route to Paris via Cairo, 148 dead.

January 2, 2004 - BA flight 223 to Washington is cancelled again, less than two hours before take-off.

January 1, 2004 - The same AeroMexico flight (#490) is cancelled again after the US says it will not be allowed to land. British Air flight 223 to Washington is cancelled, as is a British Air flight from Heathrow to Riyadh. An Air France service from New York to Paris lands in Newfoundland because a passenger who checked in luggage did not board.

January 1, 2004 - The IRS has increased three taxes that apply to air travel purchases: US International Departure and International Arrival Tax (US is $13.70 (increased from $13.40), Alaska Hawaii International Travel Facilities Tax (US) is $6.90 (increased from $6.70), and the US Flight Segment Tax (ZP) is $3.10 per head per domestic segment (increased from $3.00).

December 31, 2003 - American F-16 fighter planes escort British Airways flight 223 into Washington. AeroMexico flight 490 from Mexico City to Los Angeles is cancelled.

December 30, 2003 - Fighter planes accompany Air France flight from Paris as it lands in Los Angeles.

December 24, 2003 - Air France cancels six flights between Paris and Los Angeles over two days because of "suspicious names" on passenger lists December 22, 2003 - The U.S. government has raised the terror threat level to orange, or "high."

December 18, 2003 - Amtrak cancels southbound trains out of Washington, D.C. today, due to a train derailment in Virginia. Delays expected through December 19.

December 16, 2003 - Northwest Airlink Pilots set strike deadline for January 10, 2004 after failed contract negotiations.

December 2, 2003 - The U.S. State Department renewed an existing worldwide caution, citing the "continuing threat" of possible terrorist activity and its concern about "the security of U.S. citizens overseas."

December 1, 2003 - The United Kingdom bans use of mobile phones while driving.

October 27, 2003 -Many aircraft begin being grounded or experiencing delays due to the growing wildfires in California which continue through early November.

October 24, 2003 - The U.S. State Department's new visa requirement goes in to effect, requiring travelers to have a machine readable passport to be able to enter the US without a visa.

October 7, 2003 - As the first anniversary of last year's deadly Bali bombings, the Australian government has issued an alert warning tourists not to visit Indonesia.

October 2, 2003 - Concorde, the world's only operating supersonic airliner will fly out of Toronto's Pearson International Airport for the last time, going from Mach 2 to a museum piece.

October 1, 2003 - The U.S. government announces changes to their annual per diem rates for lodging, meals, and incidental expenses.

September 25, 2003 - A strong earthquake rocked the northern Japan island of Hokkaido, just before dawn.

September 16, 2003 - Hurricane Isabel strikes U.S. mid-Atlantic causing airline delays in Aruba; Bahamas; Barbados; Netherlands Antilles; Puerto Rico; Turks and Caicos Islands; Charlotte, NC; Baltimore, MD; Norfolk, VA; Philadelphia, PA; Raleigh/Durham, NC; and Washington DC.

September 15, 2003 - Northwest and KLM signed a contract with Worldspan to provide Worldspan travel agencies access to all Northwest/KLM fare types, including Web fares in exchange for lower GDS distribution costs.

September 10, 2003 - Some flights to and from Okinawa (OKA), Fukuoka (FUK) and Osaka (KIX) were delayed or cancelled due to Typhoon Maemi near Japan and Korea.

September 9, 2003 - Hurricane Fabian damages the island of Bermuda.

September 2, 2003 - NTM announces the succession plan of executive management effective January 5, 2004 when Art Dahl, President & Chief Operating Office will retire.

August 26, 2003 - Gas crisis in the Phoenix area due to a shortage of gas from a variety of problems including a broken pipeline from El Paso to Phoenix, stricter oxygenating rules in the county, and economic politics.

August 14, 2003 - Power outages in the Northeastern U.S. and adjoining areas of Canada caused many travel delays including the subway systems in New York and airport delays/cancellations in cities including Detroit, Cleveland, New Jersey, and Toronto, Canada.

August 5, 2003 - Car bombing at Marriott Hotel in Jakarta leaves many injuries and fatalities.

July 29, 2003 - Delta Air Lines and United Airlines today announced a mutual agreement to end their frequent flyer and lounge marketing relationship.

July 3, 2003 - The World Health Organization has removed the city of Toronto from its SARS watch list.

June 24, 2003 - Hong Kong declared SARS-free and Beijing has been taken off the WHO's SARS list.

June 17, 2003 - The WHO has lifted the travel warning implemented for Taiwan.

June 5, 2003 - The World Health Organization says the SARS outbreak is over its peak.

June 3, 2003 - Northwest and US Airways implement new paper ticket fee. Continental and the other carriers shortly follow suit and implement the same fee.

May 30, 2003 - The U.S. Government has reduced the terrorism threat level from Orange (high) to Yellow (elevated).

April 16, 2003 - Scientists confirm that a new form of coronavirus, other types of which cause the common cold, is the cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

April 7, 2003 - Air France and British Airways announce the upcoming retirement of their Concorde fleets.

April 1, 2003 - Most major carriers begin reducing flight schedules due to the war in Iraq.

March 31, 2003 - Delta Air Lines will begin testing Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS II) established by the government to check background information of each passenger and rate each person's risk by color.

March 19, 2003 - U.S. Troops wage war on Iraq. March 10, 2003 - The World Health Organization (WHO) issues an emergency travel advisory, saying severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is spreading worldwide.

February 17, 2003 - Virtually all air traffic is expected to grind to a halt due to conditions throughout much of the Northeast.

February 4, 2003 - Delta launches a new, low-fare subsidiary, Song.

January 21, 2003 - Delta, Northwest and Continental released a statement saying they will go ahead with a marketing alliance and ignore the government restrictions which are aimed at preventing them from dominating air travel in certain markets.

January 15, 2003 - Northwest Airlines begins a 30-day test of selling food to coach passengers on flights that have no meal service.

January 7, 2003 - America West launches test program for selling meals onboard flights.

January 7, 2003 - US Airways Express/Air Midwest commuter plane (flight number 5481) crashed at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) in North Carolina. 19 passengers and 2 crew members died.

January 1, 2003 - All checked baggage will be screened at all U.S. airports.

2002

December 23, 2002 - United Airline lays off 646 mechanics.

December 19, 2002 -The Canadian Transport Minster announced that security screening at all major Canadian airports will be handled by the country's Transport Security Authority beginning January 1, 2003.

December 17, 2002 - Dollar and Thrifty begin operating as a single company, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group.

December 17, 2002 - As part of a streamlining process, British Airways is to shut down 21 regional routes and withdraw completely from Leeds-Bradford airport, Bristol, Birmingham, Newcastle, Southampton and Gatwick.

December 13, 2002 - United drops standby fee policy.

December 13, 2002 - American Airlines begins allowing Internet check-in for domestic flights.

December 9, 2002 - United Airline seeks Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

December 5, 2002 - United Airline’s request for a federal loan guarantee is denied.

December 4, 2002 - Expedia, Inc. initiates airline ticket booking fee.

December 2002 - Gate screening of passengers is phased out, as enhanced security screening procedures will now be conducted at the security checkpoints.

November 27, 2002 - US Airways furloughs additional 7% of workforce.

November 25, 2002 - The TSA begins phasing out gate check-in at US airports.

November 21, 2002 - Senate backs guns in the cockpit.

November 20, 2002 - Delta Air Lines rolled out its much-anticipated "low-fare airline product," hoping it will better compete with discount competitors.

November 19, 2002 -The TSA met its crucial deadline to hire more than 44,000 federal screeners to man almost every airport security checkpoint.

November 16, 2002 - The first case of severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS, occurs in China's southern province of Guangdong.

November 1, 2002 - Worldspan notified US Airways that on November 15 it will be removed from its global distribution system if US Airways does not agree to provide all inventory to Worldspan as it has Galileo and Sabre.

October 29, 2002 - Business Travel Coalition (BTC), a policy advocacy group, established a web page for travelers to offer advice to the airlines.

September 24, 2002 – Some car rental companies began implementing a frequent flyer surcharge on rentals.

September 14, 2002 - The FAA ordered emergency inspections on flight control modules, giving the airlines ten days to check potential problems with controls on the Boeing 737.

September 7, 2002 - US Airways reverses some policy changes.

August 27, 2002 -US Airways announces a new “use it or lose it” nonrefundable ticket policy.

August 21, 2002 - Cendant Corporation agreed to buy Budget Group Inc. out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy for $107.5 million.

August 11, 2002 - US Airways files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

August 2, 2002 - Tens of thousands of passengers have been stranded by cancellations and major delays, as a one-day strike hits Australian airline Qantas.

July 30, 2002 - Budget files for bankruptcy.

July 30, 2002 - Vanguard Airlines has suspended its operations indefinitely and plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

July 19, 2002 - Bankrupt carrier Midway Airlines suspended operations.

July 17, 2002 - Two US military jets were scrambled Tuesday night to escort an American Trans Air flight to New York's La Guardia Airport after reports of suspicious activity on board.

July 15, 2002 - American, Delta, and Northwest airlines dropped the 10 percent ticket discounts for senior citizens.

July 11, 2002 - Pilots in the United States have won overwhelming support from the House of Representatives for their right to carry guns in the cockpit of commercial passenger planes.

July 10, 2002 - The federal government gave conditional approval to US Airways' application for a $900 million federal loan guarantee the airline says it needs to avoid bankruptcy.

July 8, 2002 - The new federal agency responsible for airline security said today that it would place armed law enforcement officers (uniformed and plainclothes) at ticket counters and other public areas of airports.

July 2, 2002 - A United Airlines flight bound for Baltimore-Washington International Airport turned around midflight after the airline realized that the name of one passenger was on the FBI's "watch list."

July 2, 2002 - America West Airlines sent termination letters to two pilots police who failed Breathalyzer tests as they prepared to fly a jet full of passengers.

July 2, 2002 - Nearly 50 school children are among the victims of a mid-air collision over Southern Germany when a Tupolev 154 of Bashkirian Airlines collided with a DHL Boeing 757. The charter aircraft was carrying 69 passengers and crew, who all died.

July 1, 2002 - Checkpoint screeners at 32 of the nation's largest airports failed to detect fake weapons — guns, dynamite or bombs — in almost a quarter of undercover tests by the Transportation Security Administration last month.

June 27, 2002 - American Airline’s pilots ask federal mediators to try and settle their stalled contract negotiations.

June 26, 2002 - United Airlines applied for $900 million in federal loan guarantees.

June 20, 2002 - The White House was briefly evacuated and military jets were scrambled after an unidentified light aircraft entered restricted airspace over the nation’s capital.

June 19, 2002 - Cendant Corporation is in talks again to buy rival Budget Group Inc. in a deal that would create the No. 2 car rental company in the country,

June 19, 2002 - Hundreds of flights were cancelled and travelers were stranded as a strike led by French air traffic controllers brought chaos across Europe.

June 12, 2002 - Canada's new low-fare airline, Jetsgo took to the skies today, with its first flights out of Toronto and Montreal.

May 29, 2002 - Priceline its doors in Singapore.

April 30, 2002 - First federal screeners take over at Baltimore/Washington airport.

April 15, 2002 - Air China plane crashes in South Korea; 120 died, 38 survived.

April 8, 2002 - As part of its war against terrorism, every new US passport issued will contain a digital photograph of the holder and other in-built security measures which, are being kept secret.

April 5, 2002 - Car rental companies eliminate commission for rentals utilizing a corporate contract.

March 23, 2002 - BMI British Midland’s new no-frills subsidiary “BMIbaby” started service and will fly 737 aircraft to European leisure destinations.

March 14, 2002 - Delta became the first major U.S. airline to adopt a base commission rate of zero; American matched four days later, and other carriers immediately followed suit.

February 28, 2002 - Citing the soft economy and a reduced flight schedule, United Airlines furloughed 899 reservations employees and close five reservations centers in California: Rockford, Suisun City, Burbank, Moreno Valley and El Segundo, and one in Rockford, Ill.

February 27, 2002 - Over 100 passengers and crew escaped when an engine on a Ryanair jet caught fire at London Stansted Airport.

February 12, 2002 - Iranian jet crashed into a mountain in Iran while trying to land; 117 dead.

January 18, 2002 -FAA imposes screening of all checked-baggage; U.S. airlines change rules to accommodate the FAA’s new checked-baggage screening requirements.

January 18, 2002 - The FAA issued new guidance for how airline crews should be trained to respond to potential threats, shifting the strategy to active resistance.

January 15, 2002 - Continental and KLM began code-sharing and lounge reciprocity.

January 14, 2002 - Delta Air Lines lifted some travel restrictions on unaccompanied minors Jan. 14, reinstating its pre-September 11 policy for children ages 5 through 11.

January 11, 2002 - FAA sets deadline of April 9, 2003 for U.S. airlines to reinforced cockpit doors.

January 1, 2002 - The Euro was is the legal tender in the following twelve countries: Austria; Belgium; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Ireland; Italy; Luxembourg; Netherlands; Portugal; Spain. The former national currencies are no longer legal tender.

2001

December 21, 2001 - The government's new Transportation Security Agency (TSA) plans to hire 429 federal security directors – one for every airport with scheduled passenger flights.

December 20, 2001 - Federal agents arrested 30 employees at Portland Airport, Oregon on charges of using fake documents to get their jobs.

December 14, 2001 - Frontier implements 100% bag-passenger match.

December 12, 2001 - Dozens of airport workers were arrested and charged by federal prosecutors with using false information to get jobs at Salt Lake International Airport.

December 12, 2001 - A United Airlines passenger who insulted crew members and whose behavior was unruly on a non-stop flight from Shanghai to San Francisco has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison.

December 7, 2001 - Sun Country announces plans to suspend scheduled operations.

December 3, 2001 - Orbitz introduces service fees.

October 18, 2001 - Northwest offers online check-in and the ability to print boarding passes and change seat assignments via their Web site.

September 11, 2001 - Terrorists seize control of four commercial airliners and carry out an unprecedented attack on America. The nation’s entire fleet of commercial aircraft is grounded for two days.

August 24, 2001 - Northwest Airlines and USAirways joined American, United, and Delta in announcing a new commission structure for domestic tickets.

August 17, 2001 - American Airlines announces changes in travel agent commission caps.

June 10, 2001 - Orbitz.com is launched. (Created by United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and American Airlines.)

February 1, 2001 - Major airlines increase change fees on domestic non-refundable tickets.

2000
February 11, 2000 - JetBlue Airways took to the air with the inauguration of service between New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Fort Lauderdale, FL.

January 15, 2000 - Major U.S. airlines implemented a $10 one-way surcharge on all domestic tickets to compensate for extremely high prices of jet fuel.
-1999
November 1999 - ANC Rental Corporation (National & Alamo car rentals) filed for bankruptcy protection.

October 1999 - All major airlines reduced their ticket commissions from 8% to 5% and the commission caps remained in place.

August 23, 1999 - Expedia was incorporated in the state of Washington.

June 7, 1999 - Travelocity.ca is first to introduce online electronic ticketing in Canada.

January 5, 1999 -Travelocity.com is launched. (Created by Sabre Interactive and Worldview Systems Corporation.)

1998 - Airlines capped agency ticket revenue on international flights to $100 roundtrip, $50 each way and again raised agencies’ override performance goals.

1997 - Priceline.com is launched.

1997 - Airlines reduced the international ticket commission rate from 10% to 8%, kept the $50 domestic ticket cap, and raised agencies’ override performance goals.

1995 - Airlines capped agency ticket revenue on domestic flights to $50 roundtrip, $25 each way.

1985 - Revenue sharing began. (Agencies began sharing a portion of their airline commissions to win heavy-volume corporate customer loyalty.)

1980 - Airline commissions climbed from 5% to 7% and finally to 10% for domestic tickets and 15% international tickets.

1980 - Low-fare carrier, Spirit Airlines is founded in Eastpointe, Michigan.

1980-1990 - Agencies received override commission checks from the airlines based on productivity.

1978 - Deregulation. (The original six ticket fares became literally hundreds of thousands of fares)

1976 - American Airlines introduces a computer reservation system (CRS) automating reservations.

1971
June 18, 1971 - Low-fare carrier Southwest Airlines begins service between Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. Unencumbered by federal regulations, regional airlines like Southwest find success by being able to offer reduced air fares.

1969 - Airline commissions were 5% of the price of a domestic and international ticket.