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VLA President Paul Walsh
A joint open meeting of the Virginia Limousine Association (VLA) and Maryland Limousine Association (MLA) will be held at Hampton Inn Dulles Cascades in Sterling, Va., on June 28. Previously scheduled for the headquarters of American Executive Transportation, the event has been moved due to increased interest and attendance.
MLA President Len Joseph
Co-chaired by VLA Vice President Paul Walsh of Superior Executive Transportation and MLA President Len Joseph of On the Town Limousine, the meeting’s chief purpose is to address the “Clean Hands Code” currently in effect in Washington, D.C. This legislation, put into effect in April 2020, requires operators to pay a $650 per vehicle biannual fee in order to provide point-to-point service within D.C. city limits (although it does not apply to trips that originate outside district limits). Agents of the Washington, D.C. Department of For Hire Vehicles (DHV) are reportedly cracking down at popular destinations like airports and stadiums, and impounding vehicles on site if their paperwork is not in order.
“With three major airports, there is a huge amount of opportunity for operators within the District of Columbia,” says Walsh. However, he says the Clean Hands Code makes providing service within the city very complicated and difficult, particularly for smaller operators.
At the meeting, Walsh and Joseph state that they are looking to assemble a committee of dedicated operators to approach the DHV with their “asks.”
“I realize that we aren’t going to resolve anything at this first meeting,” says Joseph. “But we hope to create a blueprint of expectations and establish a committee so we can put a plan of action in place.”
While the meeting is free for all operators to attend (membership in the VLA or MLA is not required), the associations ask that interested parties RSVP to admin@virginialimousineassociation.org.
Visit virginialimousineassociation.org or mdlimoassoc.org for more information.
[06.23.23]
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The US Travel Association (USTA) is out with its biannual forecast, which tracks and predicts travel trends through 2026 to and from the United States, including leisure and business travel. The travel sector, especially leisure, has been experiencing a post-pandemic bump as evidenced by the recent Memorial Day weekend, which saw a record level of air travel that, for the first time, surpassed pre-COVID levels.
According to data from the report:
Domestic Leisure Travel: Domestic leisure travel is expected to remain strong, but with stabilized rates of growth (around 2 percent) through 2024. Volume is expected to grow faster year-over-year than inflation-adjusted spending in 2024 and beyond.
Domestic Business Travel: Both volume and spending in domestic business travel is expected to grow—albeit more slowly—largely due to economic conditions. While business travel will continue recovering, with both volume and spending at double-digit growth in 2023, it is expected that growth in inflation-adjusted spending will be slower than volume in 2024 and beyond. Business travel volume is not expected to recover to 2019 levels until 2025, while inflation-adjusted spending is not expected to recover within the range of the forecast.
International Inbound Travel: The inbound travel forecast was upgraded due to strong demand from the Canadian market, as well as stronger expectations from key overseas markets such as Brazil. Year-over-year, inbound travel volume is projected to grow 31 percent in 2023 and 18 percent in 2024, while inflation-adjusted spending is projected to grow 34 percent in 2023 and 19 percent in 2024. Volume in this sector is projected to recover by 2025, while inflation-adjusted spending will not recover until 2026.
“Robust domestic leisure travel demand has been the driving force in the overall industry’s post-pandemic comeback,” said USTA President & CEO Geoff Freeman. “Though the surge we experienced in the last year is starting to moderate, we expect this segment to remain resilient in coming quarters.”
In order to continue with the recovery and foster growth of the sector in the future, USTA cites four key federal policy areas that would assist in those goals, including improving the overall air travel experience through the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill; lowering US visitor visa interview wait times, which currently exceed an average of 500 days in top visa-requiring inbound markets; reducing Customs wait times at domestic airports and other ports of entry experiencing excessive delays; and increasing federal prioritization and focus on travel industry growth, as other countries have done.
“Travel is essential to growing the US economy and workforce, so the federal government must enact policies to ensure our industry is able to meet demand in coming years,” said Freeman.
The full report is available here.
Visit ustravel.org for more information.
[06.20.23]
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NELA VP Tina Benson of LA Limousine (left) and Lynda Saitta of Momentum Drives
The New England Livery Association (NELA) recently held its annual Chauffeur Appreciation Day on June 15. The day is a yearly event where NELA's Board of Directors and other members volunteer to both prepare lunches for and support the driving staff that serve as the public faces of livery operations throughout New England.
The Logan International Airport Limo Pool turned into the place to be to grab some grub, win some prizes, check out some entertainment, and be recognized for all the work that chauffeurs do to keep New England’s luxury ground transportation companies running.
L to R: NELA President Brett Barenholtz of Above All Transportation/Boston Car, Mike Hadley of Logan International Airport, and Mark Kini of Boston Chauffeur
Now in its 21st year, the long-running day of gratitude serves up free meals of hotdogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, and sausages by the hundreds—and with all the fixings—to busy chauffeurs as they make airports runs to and from New England’s largest airport.
L to R: Brittni Kirk of All Points Limo, Deb Rourke of Avery Insurance, and Alicia Hayes of American Classic Limousine
Officers and members of NELA came out to work the food stations and booths. But the event would not be possible without the year-after-year dedication to chairing the event from NELA Vice President Tina Benson of LA Limousine. In addition to Tina, her brother Carl who also works at LA Limousine, is always instrumental in hauling the wooden “store-front” they had built for the event years ago, as well as the grills, picking up most of the food to be prepared, and then working the grills all day long. Supporting Tina on the Chauffeur Appreciation Day committee, and working hard all day and the weeks leading up to the event, were board members Alicia Hayes of American Classic Limousine and Brittni Kirk of All Points Limo. Also on hand were Lynda Saitta of Momentum Drives, Deb Rourke of Avery Insurance, Joe Puleo of DavEl/BostonCoach, and Steve Crispo of Research Underwriters who helped make the event a success by serving food, running the raffle tables, and ensuring that the day ran smoothly.
L to R: Brett Barenholtz of Above All Transportation/Boston Car, Steve Crispo of Research Underwriters, and Mark Kini of Boston Chauffeur
More than two dozen gold, silver, bronze, entertainment, copper pennant, and raffle sponsors helped make this year’s Chauffeur Appreciation Day possible. Gold sponsors included Above All Transportation, Boston Chauffeur, Commonwealth Worldwide, DPV, Grace Limousine, Great Bay Limousine, Pro Limo, RMA Worldwide, and United Private Car.
The next events for NELA include its June 27 annual membership meeting and August 8 annual golf tournament.
Visit nelivery.org for more information.
[06.20.23]