Travel Roundup: Unemployed Travel, Silversea's Executive Turnover, Delta Expands Repair Contracts and More

(MoneyWatch)  Furlough Friday? Travel zeroes in on unemployed -- More than 810 California state employees bought discounted $30 lift tickets at Squaw Valley ski resort, aimed at furloughed state workers. A spokeswoman for the resort said that the promotion was to attract visitors who wouldn't otherwise come to ski. Travel industry analysts say travel aimed at the furloughed and laid-off worker will do little to improve the current climate, but trade groups say it's a win-win situation. "Is it the magic bullet that will turn things around for the industry?" asked Roger Dow, president and chief executive of the U.S. Travel Association. "Maybe not, but it's a very nice step." [Source: Los Angeles Times]

Silversea Cruises' executive turnover -- Silversea Cruises appointed Kenneth W. Watson as executive vice president and Fabio Agostini as vice president, after David Morris, executive vice president of worldwide sales and marketing, Marilyn Conroy, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Americas and Tim Rand, vice president, all left the company. Amerigo Perasso, president and chief executive of Silversea, said the new appointments are a step towards consolidating the corporation's organizational structure. [Source: TravelTrade]

Delta expands maintenance agreements -- Delta Air Lines Inc. said it expanded its maintenance agreements with two Georgia-based carriers, World Airways and North American Airlines. The two new pacts, priced around $200 million, were extended to five years. Delta's maintenance division, Delta TechOps, will provide repair, maintenance and inventory exchange programs for the two carriers. Delta's maintenance contracts are a growing business for the airline, generating $500 million in 2008, up from $377 in 2007. [Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle]

No more in-flight cliffhangers at Air Canada -- Air Canada passengers are now more likely catch the ending of in-flight movies because the airline will now start its seatback screens the moment passengers board and not stop them until the moment they exit the plane. The procedure was recently approved by the Canadian federal government and is now being implemented on planes. [Source: Globe and Mail]