Travel Update-Weekly Edition
September 14th, 2006
Airline
News
AirTran Airways - Beginning Feb. 7, 2007, AirTran
Airways will begin non-stop service between Chicago Midway and Miami and West
Palm Beach, Fla. The carrier will operate one daily round-trip flight on both
routes using Boeing 717 and 737
aircraft.
American Airlines - American Airlines is advising that
many
passengers are arriving at airports in the UK, France, and Belgium
unprepared for the new carry-on restrictions imposed locally. These
restrictions also apply to passengers who are making connections abroad,
especially in London. Please see the
information listed below for current travel requirements to/through the
U.K., France, or Belgium on American
Airlines.
Travel with a Connection in the U.K. or Departing the
U.K.
Passengers making a connection in the U.K.
are only allowed one small carry-on item no larger than a briefcase (maximum
size of 17.7 x 13.7 x 6.2 inches). All other carry-on items must be
checked at the point of origin. Passengers arriving in the U.K.
with oversize or excess carry-on bags must clear customs and immigration, check
their baggage at the connecting carrier’s ticket counter and then go through
security.
Travel from Paris Charles de
Gaulle
In order
to reduce delays, American Airlines encourages customers to take as little hand
luggage as possible (no more than one piece) through the security checkpoints.
Items must be in small, clear plastic bags, and may not contain prohibited items.
Travel from
Belgium
Passengers traveling to the United
States from Belgium are advised to check-in 4
hours before departure. Additionally, only the following items are acceptable as
carry-on luggage in the passenger cabin of the aircraft:One single plastic
carrier bag containing...
*Pocket size wallets and pocket size purses plus
contents (i.e. money, credit cards, identity cards, etc. (not
handbags)
*Travel documents essential for the journey (i.e.
passports and travel tickets)
*Prescription medicines and medical items sufficient
and essential for the flight (i.e. diabetic kit), except in liquid form unless
verified as authentic
*Eyeglasses and sunglasses (without
cases)
*Contact lens holders (without bottles of
solution)
*For those traveling with an infant: baby
food, mil and sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight (i.e.
nappies, wipes, creams and nappy disposal bags)
*Female sanitary items sufficient and essential for the
flight if unboxed
*Tissues (unboxed) and/or
hankerchiefs
*Keys
*1 book
*1 Newspaper
*1 laptop (inclusive of adapter) in a
case
*PDA/Blackberry
*All duty free goods except liquids, cameras and
non-authorized electronic articles (i.e. iPods, Gameboys,
etc.)
American Eagle is boosting its flight schedule to Caribbean destinations
from its San Juan hub, beginning in December. The new flight plans include three
additional daily flights to St. Thomas; one more daily flight to St. Croix; one
additional daily flight to Antigua; and one additional flight to Anguilla, four
days per week. All the above flights will begin Dec. 14. American Eagle will
also begin one more flight to Dominica, three days a week, from Nov. 16 to Dec.
1, and from Dec. 14 to Jan.
31.
Continental Airlines - Continental Airlines has banned travelers from checking heavyweight bags. Under a new policy,
the carrier will no longer allow flyers to check any bag weighing more than 70
pounds. Previously, Continental allowed a passenger willing to pay extra to
check a bag weighing as much as 100 pounds. Continental said lowering the weight
limit brings the carrier in line with its overseas
partners.
Delta Air Lines - Delta Air Lines is unveiling an
in-flight entertainment system that gives every passenger on long domestic
flights access to on-demand movies, TV, music and games. When installation of
the seatback system is complete, every passenger in first class and coach on
U.S. flights of four hours or more will be able to choose from 20 movies, 24
channels of live TV, 1,600 songs and 10 video games. Flights from New York will
get the new programming first, starting in the next few weeks. By Nov. 22, every
transcontinental Delta flight serving New York John F. Kennedy will be equipped
to provide the entertainment. By March 2008, all of Delta's domestic flights of
four hours or more serving Atlanta, Salt Lake City and New York will have it.
Entertainment will be free in first class. Movies will cost $5 each in coach.
Games, songs and TV will be
free.
Dragonair - Hong Kong-based airline Dragonair said on
Thursday it would cancel its services between Hong Kong and Bangkok, effective
September 27. "Hong Kong-Bangkok is a very busy, competitive route, and it has
not been performing to expectations for some time," CEO Kenny Tang said in a
statement. "That is why we have taken the decision to cancel the service."
Dragonair launched the services to Bangkok in November 2003. An airline
spokesman said Dragonair had no plans to change its other services in the Asia
Pacific region.
Frontier Airlines - The U.S. Department of
Transportation has given Frontier Airlines the final go-ahead to provide daily
service between Los Angeles? LAX and Cabo San Lucas. The new flight will begin
Dec. 9 with introductory fares as low as $198 per
roundtrip.
JetStar - JetStar, which is the discount unit of
Australian carrier Qantas, will begin flying to Hawaii this fall. The airline
will offer three weekly flights between Honolulu and Sydney (beginning Dec. 27),
and two weekly flights between Honolulu and Melbourne (Dec. 29). Jetstar
will initially operate a fleet of Airbus A330-200s to Honolulu and change to
Boeing 787 aircraft around late
2008.
Northwest Airlines - Northwest Airlines announced that it will
expand its Indianapolis flight schedule for the
second time this year with additional flights to New
York’s LaGuardia
Airport, Fort
Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa, FL. Northwest will offer a fourth nonstop
flight between Indianapolis and New York starting Nov. 1.
The addition of a fourth flight provides travelers between New York and Indianapolis with a broad array of schedule
choices during the day. The fourth Indianapolis-New York
flight will be operated by Northwest Airlink
partner Pinnacle Airlines, with a 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet
(CRJ). Northwest will offer two flights per day between Indianapolis and all four cities it serves in Florida when the last of its new Florida service begins on
Jan. 3, 2007. Between Indianapolis and Fort Lauderdale, Northwest
will increase its schedule to two daily frequencies for the winter season
beginning Nov. 1, with the addition of a new afternoon flight that complements
its existing morning nonstop. Between Indianapolis and Tampa, Northwest will increase its schedule to
two daily frequencies for the winter season beginning Nov. 1, with the addition
of a new morning flight that complements its existing afternoon nonstop.
The
additional Fort Lauderdale and Tampa frequencies will be
offered during the peak demand season from Nov. 1 to April 30,
2007. Northwest will add a second daily flight between Indianapolis and Fort Myers from Jan. 3 to April 30, 2007, with
the addition of a new afternoon flight that complements its existing morning
nonstop. On Oct.
1, Northwest will restore the second flight it has previously offered between
Indianapolis and Orlando, resuming an afternoon nonstop that
complements its current morning flight. The additional Florida flights will be
operated with 100-seat DC9-30 aircraft, which offer more opportunities to
upgrade to a large first class cabin with 16 seats, as well as 84 seats in coach
class.
Northwest Airlines announced that it will begin offering its first
nonstop service between Grand Rapids’
Gerald R. Ford
International Airport and New
York’s LaGuardia Airport, beginning Nov. 1,
2006.
United Airlines - United has made the decision to
maintain Economy Plus as part of the portfolio of products that help
differentiate us from other U.S. carriers. In order to provide this
benefit to our customers, they have one less row in coach to supplement the
additional legroom. In light of the current high load factor environment
an extensive analysis was conducted. Based
on these findings, effective September 12th,
United Airlines' Economy Plus eligibility rules will be changing for the
following groups:
Full-fare
eligibility:
The provision which allows customers purchasing Y, B, M, E and U classes to be
eligible for Economy Plus seating will cease.
Star Alliance Gold/Silver and US
Airways elite: Star Alliance Gold/Silver and
US Airways elite customers will no longer have access to Economy Plus
seating.
United is the only U.S. carrier to
continue to offer its customers a premium economy product. All passengers are still eligible to
enjoy Economy Plus seating for a nominal fee. These
changes improve the value proposition for our elite Milage Plus
members, because now they are the only ones receiving Economy Plus seating
without a charge.
Boston Logan International Airport - Starting September
12th Massport will officially launch its Gold Passport Parking in the
Terminal B garage! This premium parking program ensures that your
travelers will always have a parking space reserved for them, even in the
heaviest travel periods. The Gold lot is located on the lower level of the
Terminal B garage and contains reserved spaces for Gold members. This
program is perfect for frequent travelers, enabling them to make the most of
their valuable time; a Gold Passport Parking card waves you in and out and
billing is automatic. One card is issued per traveler account and liked to
the credit card on file while the receipts are emailed directly to the email
address on file. Please go to the following link for more information
on this exciting new
development: http://www.massport.com/logan/parki_passgold_new.html
Los
Angeles International Airport - Starting September 22, all 16 of the
airline lounges in the TBIT (Tom Bradley International Terminal) at LAX will be
closed for renovations. Four new Alliance lounges are expected to open in May or
June of 2007 – one belonging to Star Alliance, one for One World, one for Sky
team, and a remaining “shared use” lounge. Lufthansa, along with its other Star
Alliance carriers, is building a new 15,000 square foot lounge space with
separate First and Business Class lounges. In order to provide refuge for
Lufthansa’s premium customers, a temporary facility will be provided for First
Class passengers and HON Circle Members on the mezzanine level, right outside of
the food court. Because this facility is pre-security, remind your clients to
leave themselves enough time to properly clear security to make their flights on
time. Business Class passengers will be accommodated with a temporary facility
located past security, and will need to take a bus from one of the holding
rooms. These buses will pick up and drop passengers off on a continuous loop.
Make sure to let your clients know that passengers arriving shortly before cut
off time (60 minutes) will not be permitted to use this facility due to time
restrictions. All passengers will be required to leave the lounge 45 minutes
prior to the departure of their
aircraft.
Instead of
hauling bags, strollers, skis and other items through long
lines at ticket counters to check them on airplanes, Los Angeles International
Airport passengers will be able to drop off luggage and obtain boarding passes
at locations throughout the city, under a program announced Friday. Officials
hope that the program will revolutionize how passengers use LAX and will
eliminate an inconvenience for travelers and decrease the security risk
presented by long lines at ticket counters and at skycap stands. Under the new
program, passengers can check up to two bags and obtain a boarding pass for a $5
per-person fee. They then board a bus for LAX, where they go straight to the
security checkpoint. The service will be launched this month at the Los Angeles
Convention Center, the Union Station FlyAway and the Port of Los Angeles cruise
ship terminal.
Singapore - Government officials began redirecting traffic
near the Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Center (Suntec) on
11 September 2006, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank
annual meeting began. Street closures include areas of Nicoll Highway, Raffles
Boulevard and Temasek Boulevard. Although there were some traffic delays as a
result of the street closures and increased security measures near the Suntec,
there were no reports of massive bottlenecks. The meeting will continue through
20 September and security has been increased throughout the city-state for the
duration of the meeting.
Tonga (Country threat
level - 2): Tonga's King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV died on 10 September 2006 after
being hospitalized for approximately one year in New Zealand. An official
mourning period will be held for at least one month and a public funeral is
being planned. Business disruptions are expected to occur as several government
offices and businesses will be closed or will have reduced hours during the
period of mourning. Travel delays are also expected to occur, particularly at
Fua Amotu International Airport (NFTF/TBU) in Tongatapu, as Tongan expatriates
are expected to travel back to the country for the funeral. Crown Prince
Tupouto'a has been named the king's successor; however, no date has yet been set
for the coronation ceremony. Pro-democracy movements and protests may gain
momentum once the period of mourning is over, as many Tongans believe that the
monarchy prohibits full democracy in the
country.
Hotel
News
Westin Hotel Times Square, New York - The Westin New
York at Times Square has enhanced its in-room offerings, with flat-screen LCD
TVs, wireless Internet access (available in rooms by the end of the year) and
iPod docking stations. The hotel's 124 Executive Club rooms also feature Apple
iMac G5 computers with wireless mouse and keyboard.
Miscellaneous
State
Dept Travel Warnings and Public announcements - For the full
announcements or further detail on Travel Warnings and Public Announcements,
please see http://travel.state.gov/travel
Belarus - On September 14, the U.S. Embassy in Minsk issued the
following Warden Message: "The U.S. Embassy would like to share with you the
following information obtained from local authorities concerning the security
situation in Belarus: "A large demonstration is planned for Saturday,
September 16 at 4:00 p.m. on
Bangalore Square to mark the one-year anniversary of the Day of Solidarity.
"The demonstrators may try to march from the Academy of Sciences to the
square, but they have not received permission for that route. Exercise caution
in this area of the city due to potential traffic disruptions and law
enforcement presence. "We remind American citizens that even demonstrations
intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into
violence. American citizens are therefore urged to avoid the areas of
demonstrations if possible, and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of
any demonstrations. Please keep informed of developments by monitoring local
media and embassy messages, and obey law enforcement
authorities."
Ecuador - On September 13, the U.S. Embassy in Quito issued the
following Warden Message: "The United States Embassy in Quito wishes to inform
American citizens resident or traveling in Ecuador that foreigners
participating in political demonstrations or protests of any kind may be
subject to arrest and deportation under Ecuadorian law. Ecuador will hold
general elections on October 15,
2006 and presidential run-off elections on November 26; and public
political activity will increase as the elections approach. American citizens
are reminded to avoid demonstrations, protests and related public gatherings."
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