Maine company offers nature and lighthouse tours along the seacoast
Sponsored by New England Chevy Dealers
With tours focusing on local lighthouses and indigenous wildlife, including puffins, lobsters, birds and seals, Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company offers different cruises highlighting the best the Maine seacoast has to offer.
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How Hampton Inn Became Hilton's Silent Moneymaker
Hampton Inn may appear unassuming, with its uniform architecture and standardized interiors. But it ranks among the most profitable hotel brands globally. Founded in 1984 to offer a middle ground between luxury hotels and aging motels, Hampton says it focused on value, consistency and guest satisfaction. After Hilton acquired the brand in 1999, it expanded to more than 3,000 locations and now outperforms major competitors in the midscale segment. Its success is driven by scale, reliability and - surprisingly - waffles. (Source: Bloomberg)
Yahoo
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When You Check in for a Flight Matters—Here's Why
Checking in for your flight as early as possible—typically 24 hours in advance—is always a good idea to prevent any potential travel hiccups. Prior to the advent of the Internet, passengers used to have to wait until they were at the airport to check in for their flights. Sounds prehistoric, right? Fortunately, these days, most airlines allow you to check in online, starting at least 24 hours before your flight departs. In fact, they'll even send you emails and texts reminding you to do so. Still, many passengers who are accustomed to checking in at the airport ignore these alerts. Why check in online so far in advance, especially if you have to visit a counter anyway to check a bag? It turns out there are several reasons you should check in early. Ideally, you can pick your seat for free when you purchase your flight, but that's usually not the case if you're flying coach. If you want to save money and are willing to risk getting a middle seat, your seat will most likely be assigned at check in. In most cases, the earlier you check in, the greater your chances of scoring a window or aisle seat. Some airlines, especially if you're flying on an international itinerary with different airlines, don't allow you to choose a seat—even if you're willing to pay for it—until check in. In that case, the sooner you check in, the sooner you can pick one. Furthermore, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, airlines are allowed to oversell flights, within reason, to compensate for no-shows. If there aren't any no-shows, and the plane is overbooked, the airline is allowed to bump passengers to a later flight. One of the criteria they sometimes use to determine who gets bumped is check-in time. If you checked in last, you may be the first to be bumped. A spokesperson for Delta tells Travel + Leisure that checking in early in person is also essential if you're checking a bag. 'For most U.S. airports, when traveling domestically, baggage must be checked in at least 45 minutes before scheduled departure time.' If you're flying domestically without checking a bag, you only have to be checked in 30 minutes prior to departure. Why the extra 15 minutes for passengers who want to check a bag? Before your bag is loaded onto the plane, it has to be sorted and go through TSA screening. If you check in after the 45-minute cutoff time, you can still board the flight, but your bag probably won't make it, and there's a good chance you'll have to leave it behind. For international flights, you have to check in even earlier—at least 60 minutes before your scheduled departure—if you're checking a bag. Check-in cutoff times vary by airline, so it's important to be familiar with your airline's policy. You should also look up the requirements for the airport you'll be flying out of. According to the Delta spokesperson, some airports require passengers to check in even earlier than the airlines do. For example, if you're flying domestically out of JFK and are checking a bag, you must be checked in at least 60 minutes prior to the departure time. At LGA, meanwhile, the minimum check-in time for flying domestically with a checked bag is 45 minutes. Even if you selected your seat when you purchased your flight and you're not checking a bag, it's wise to check in as early as possible. For starters, this ensures that as soon as you get to the airport, you can just make your way to security. It may also increase your chances of getting upgraded. Some airlines allow you to request upgrades at check in, and date and time of the upgrade request are often a consideration when it comes to determining who gets upgraded. If there's only room for one more upgrade, and you submit your upgrade request two hours before another passenger with your same status puts in theirs, you may be more likely to get it. It's important to note that just because you check in online 24 hours prior to your flight, that doesn't mean that you can rock up to the airport 30 minutes before your scheduled departure. 'Delta recommends arriving at the airport two hours prior to domestic and three hours prior to international flights,' says the Delta spokesperson. To keep lines at the counter down, the airline also prefers that you check in via the Fly Delta app or at Most airlines share this sentiment. To make the process even more seamless, see if your airline offers an automatic check-in option. For example, Southwest allows passengers to add EarlyBird Check-In, starting around $15 each way, when they purchase their flights. If you get EarlyBird Check-In, which is complimentary in Southwest's 'Anytime' class fares, you'll have peace of mind knowing that you'll be automatically checked in 36 hours before departure. Passengers without this perk can't check in until 24 hours prior to departure. The sooner you check in on Southwest, the sooner you can choose a seat and board the plane, which is helpful when it comes to getting precious overhead bin space. Singapore Airlines, meanwhile, has an auto check-in box under the 'Manage Booking' tab that you can tick after you purchase your flight and up to 48 hours before departure. It doesn't cost extra, and it ensures that you'll be automatically checked in. If you do have to check in at the airport at the last minute, don't stress too much about the long lines at the check-in counters inside. Many airports now have self-serve kiosks where you can check yourself in, so look for those. Major airlines at major airports also have curbside check-in counters where you can check in and drop off any bags you want to check. These curbside counters usually have much shorter lines. It's a convenient service that ranges from free to a few bucks, plus a recommended per-bag tip. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
Yahoo
2 hours ago
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Trump travel ban could impact Afghan cricket players traveling to Major League matches
The Brief Five Afghan players are awaiting visa approvals to enter the U.S. after President Trump's travel ban went into effect on Monday. The players are expected to compete in a series of cricket matches held at the Oakland Coliseum this week. The SF Unicorns will be playing their opening match Thursday. OAKLAND, Calif. - A travel ban barring citizens from 12 countries from coming into the United States took effect on Monday. The plan, put in place by President Donald Trump, could have a big impact on a set of Major League Cricket matches held at the Oakland Coliseum this week. The SF Unicorns' opening match will be played at the Coliseum on Thursday, the first in a series of matches hosted in Oakland this week. Organizers hope to draw thousands of fans, but President Trump's new travel ban could keep some of the world's top cricket players out of the country and off the pitch. "There are some big names who will pull crowd whose visa is in doubt at this point," Hemant Buch, head of the California Cricket Academy in Santa Clara told KTVU. Buch has been training young cricket players in the Bay Area for 20 years, and he says these players need the best coaches and competitors to thrive. "We need players who have gone through the grind for years and years, who have that persona and passion, to pass on their knowledge, and that will only come from the international community at this point," Buch said. The travel ban is aimed at 12 countries, primarily in Africa and the Middle East, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Afghanistan is on that list, and five major league cricket players from the country may not be permitted to enter the U.S. For this week's tournament. Shakaib Rahimi is an ambassador for Afghan cricket players, and has been assisting teams in getting visas processed. He says barring Afghan players will leave a mark on the sport at a critical time of growth. "Afghanistan cricket is on the rise, and not having Rashid Khan or any other Afghanistan national player participate will definitely have a negative impact," Rahimi told KTVU. Of the seven Afghan players contracted with the MLC, only two are currently in the U.S. ahead of this week's matches. The other five players are awaiting visa approval. Rahimi says those players are not currently in Afghanistan, which could have complicated their ability to travel. Dig deeper Cricket is growing in the U.S., and the international community is an important part of the game. Folks we spoke to say losing out on big names could affect the sport's future success in the states. "Now every city wants cricket. We will need international coaches," Buch said. And it's not just coaches — American cricket players also need the chance to compete with the best in their age group, including international players. "In India the boys are playing… seven days a week, here the boys are playing twice a week," said Biml Jadej, a coach with CCA. The travel ban currently allows athletes from banned countries to enter the U.S. for "major sporting events". Organizers say they are awaiting the Department of State's decision on whether this tournament will fall into that category. KTVU reached out to the Department of State for the status of those visas, but the department did not make anyone available in time for this report. Officials with the MLC say they are hopeful the Afghan players will be able to get to the U.S., but they will be ready for this week's matches, no matter what. "We're pretty fluid and there is backup… The bulk of our international players are in already, and they've come in very smoothly. It's out of our hands, to a degree, we've done what we can to mitigate it," Justin Geale, Chief Operating Officer for Major League Cricket. If you're interested in attending any of the matches at the Coliseum this week, ticket information can be found at the MLC website.
