AIRLINES:

China Southern will now allow your clients to pick seats and print boarding passes online at www.cs-air.com/en.

CRUISES:

8/24/2006 -

Cruises to Alaska will be more expensive next year. With 87 percent of the precincts counted last night, voters in Alaska narrowly approved by 52.4 percent a new $50 per-passenger head tax on cruises in Alaska’s waters. The new taxes will take effect 90 days after the election results are certified (which normally takes a few weeks), so they will probably not apply to 2006 sailings. Yesterday’s measure also includes new taxes on gaming revenue and other cruise line operating rules that may affect sailings in 2007 and beyond.

Seabourn unveiled details about two “Wonders of the World Odyssey” sailings aboard the “Seabourn Spirit” next year. The first cruise runs 66 days from Hong Kong on March 14, 2007, to explore stops from China and Vietnam to Libya and Malta, while the second sailing will depart Istanbul on Oct. 20, 2007, for 61 days through the eastern Mediterranean before crossing the Suez Canal for stops from Egypt to Hong Kong. Early-booking discounts bring the fares for these trips down to $17,790 ppdo.