Travel Update-Weekly Edition
May 10th, 2007
Airline
News
American Airlines - Beginning Sept. 5, American Airlines
will add non-stop service between Austin and the John Wayne Airport in Orange
County, CA. AA says "westbound service out of Austin will be flown with
American's 136-seat MD80 aircraft. Eastbound service out of Orange County will
feature American's 148-seat Boeing
737-800s."
Continental Airlines - Continental Airlines has
announced that it would push up the start date of its proposed
Newark-Mumbai (Bombay) service following "a positive market response." The
carrier now plans to begin service Oct. 1, pending government approval.
Continental initially will fly four times a week on the route, with flights
departing Newark on Sundays, Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. The airline plans
to make the service daily on Oct. 28, pending government approval. Originally,
Continental had set an Oct. 30 launch date for the
route.
Delta Air Lines - Delta says it's "accelerating" its
expansion at Los Angeles International with the July 1 addition of 21 new daily
round-trip flights to nine different cities. New routes from Los Angeles include
Boise (one daily round-trip flight); Denver (four); Phoenix (four); San Jose,
Calif. (four); Spokane (one) and Vancouver, British Columbia (one). Delta also
will add two additional flights on existing routes from L.A. to both Oakland
(for a total of four) and San Francisco (six). The flights will be operated by
Delta Connection carrier ExpressJet with 50-seat Embraer 145 regional jets.
Delta says the jets feature "upgraded in-flight entertainment with more than 100
channels of free XM Satellite Radio and redesigned, memory foam leather seating
with no middle seats."
Delta is scaling back some of its service to Mexico,
even as it continues its rapid international service expansion. The year-round
service Delta launched last December between Los Angeles and Acapulco, using 737
aircraft configured with 150 seats, will be modified. Delta asked for DOT
approval to let ExpressJet offer Delta Connection service on the route with
50-seat Embraer aircraft during off-peak periods, beginning June 1, with Delta
mainline service returning for peak season. It will not resume peak-season service for
Atlanta-Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo. Delta will not resume
seasonal Atlanta-Merida service with its own aircraft during peak periods.
Instead, Delta plans to continue to serve the route with Delta Connection
carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines. Delta had applied for and received approval
for the Merida service while ASA was getting Federal Aviation Administration
certification that would let it operate longer distances over water. Once ASA received that approval it began
Atlanta-Merida service, and Laughlin said Delta had been "pleased with the
performance" of ASA's 70-seat aircraft on the route.
Frontier Airlines - Frontier Airlines will stop flying
between Los Angeles and San Francisco effective July 10, just over a year after
starting the service. It also will stop flying its route between San Francisco
and Las Vegas at the same time.
KLM
Royal Dutch Airlines - KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is charging passengers
an extra EUR50 euros (USD$68) for seats with more leg room, such as exit row
seats, in a trial on some long-haul routes. KLM, the Dutch arm of Air France
KLM, launched the trial on flights to Singapore, Manila and Curacao on Thursday
(today). If passengers show a willingness to pay more, KLM plans to expand the
scheme on other routes -- including European flights -- as it sees an
opportunity to generate additional
revenue.
MAXjet - All business class carrier MAXjet is to fly to
the US west coast from Stansted for the first time with the start of a Los
Angeles service. The airline will initially run four flights a week to LA from
August 30 with fares starting at £349 one-way. The service will operate on
Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Frequencies to Las Vegas and
Washington from Stansted are also to be increased. Las Vegas will have a
fourth weekly flight on Sundays from September 2 while a seasonal
Washington service, which resume on May 24, will operate year-round with four
flights a week. The transatlantic services, which include six flights a week to
New York, are operated by Boeing 767s configured with deep-recline leather seats
and 60-inch seat
pitch.
Singapore Airlines - Singapore Airlines will increase
its fuel surcharge for tickets issued on or after May 9, 2007. The new levels
will be as follows: US$20, up from US$18, per segment, for flights between
Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Bandar Seri Begawan, Bangkok, Denpasar, Hanoi, Ho
Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Manila and Penang; US$89, up from US$82, per segment,
for flights between Singapore and gateways in the United States and Canada on a
single-segment basis; and US$58, up from US$54, per segment, on all other
flights.
United Airlines/Aloha Airlines - United Airlines and Aloha Airlines revealed tentative
plans to expand an existing partnership which would give United a minority stake
in Aloha Airlines and a seat on its board of directors. United said its stake
"could expand over time." Aloha spokesman Stu Glauberman said
the two carriers have signed a letter of intent to expand their existing
partnership and provide the minority stake in a non-cash
transaction. Glauberman said Aloha would benefit because the deal would
expand code sharing between the airlines and would allow the possibility of
joint marketing, joint use of facilities, joint purchasing to reduce costs,
cost-sharing on expenses and Aloha acquisition or use of United
aircraft. Aloha and United
have been marketing partners since the early 1990s and already code share on
Aloha's inter-island routes. Also, frequent flyers in the AlohaPass and United
Mileage Plus programs can earn miles in either program and redeem them for
travel on either
airline.
US
Airways - US Airways will upgrade its seasonal Philadelphia-Dublin
route to year-round service. The carrier's current seasonal service on the route
will continue through Oct. 28. After that, passengers can fly from US Airways'
hub in Philadelphia to Dublin four times a week. Flights from Philadelphia will
occur on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and flights from Dublin
will be scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. US Airways will
continue to serve Shannon, Ireland seasonally during the summer travel
season.
Airport/Destination
News
Cancun International Airport - Grupo Aeroportuario del
Sureste, S.A.B. de C.V. (ASUR), which operates Cancun International
Airport said the opening of the new Terminal 3 at Cancun Airport is
expected to take place on May 17. With a total investment of approximately $100
million, Terminal 3 constitutes ASUR's most ambitious investment project
to-date. Terminal 3 will double international passenger capacity at Cancun
Airport. It will have a covered area of 42,000 square meters, 84 check-in
counters and a platform equipped with 11 gates. The terminal will have
state-of-the-art security equipment, including the first CT scanning system in
Mexico for all checked baggage.
Detroit Metro Airport - Detroit Metro Airport is
automating parking payments. The new system will allow parking lot customers to
use their credit or debit card, and it involves no paper ticket. Travelers
insert their cards into the lot's automated entry device, which electronically
stores the entry date and time. At exit, they insert the same card for automatic
billing. The airport will phase in the new system later this spring in its Green
and Yellow lots. It will be in the Big Blue Deck by the end of the summer. The
airport will leave a few cashier's lanes open for customers who choose to use
tickets and pay by cash.
Thailand - Earlier than usual rains and an insurgency in
the south have health authorities in Thailand very concerned about an outbreak
of dengue fever. On Thursday, officials said the disease had caused four
fatalities so far, with some 6,000 cases reported nationwide. The outbreak is
worst in Trat province, near the border with Cambodia, and in Pattani and Yala
provinces, near the border with Malaysia. Health officials noted that the
insurgency in the south makes it more difficult to apply measures against
mosquitoes.
Hotel
News
Carlson
Hotels also announced that it will stop preparing food with shortening that
contains trans fats at the majority of its hotels in the Americas by year's end. The ban will
apply at nearly 625 full-service Radisson and Park Plaza hotels, and limited -service Country
Inns and Park Inns hotels with on-site
food-and-beverage service.
Intercontinental Hotels - InterContinental
Hotels Group announced that its Americas division will launch a new
environmental initiative to replace more than 250,000 incandescent light bulbs
with new energy-efficient compact fluorescent lights in guest rooms at some 200
company-managed hotels across the Americas. It is the first of several new
environmental programs, both global and regional, that the company is scheduled
to introduce this year. The program is part of the Hotel Management Group's
"Chase the Environment" road tour during which IHG executives will visit
company-owned hotels and rally employees around the new initiatives.
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
Guinea - On May 4, the U.S. Embassy in Conakry issued a Warden
Message, which reads in part: "This Warden Message is being issued to inform
American citizens that during the last 48 hours, disturbances and protests
have taken place in military barracks in Conakry and throughout Guinea. These
disputes are the result of military pay grievances. Members of the military
are expressing their discontent by shooting their weapons into the air. There
are reports that stray bullets have caused several injuries. The matter
remains unresolved, and the U.S. Embassy has no information about how long
these disturbances many continue. As is always the case with public
demonstrations and protests, the potential exists for escalated violence. "Americans are not targeted, but anyone
traveling about town or throughout Guinea should exercise additional prudence.
We will closely monitor the situation as events develop, particularly with
regard to security conditions, and will issue additional notices, as
appropriate."
Kuwait - On May 8 the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait issued the
following Warden Message: "Effective May 15, the Government of Kuwait will not longer
admit travelers into the country upon presentation of a contractor
identification card. In addition, travelers can no longer use these cards for
the purposes of transiting Kuwait to onward commercial or military flights.
This limitation applies to United States citizens and foreign nationals
holding the contractor identification card. "American citizen contractors
entering or transiting the State of Kuwait should be in possession of a valid
United States passport. Visas can be obtained upon arrival in Kuwait for a fee
of 3 Kuwaiti Dinar.
"
Nepal -
On May 7 the U.S. Department of State issued the following Travel
Warning: "This Travel Warning provides updated information on the security
situation in Nepal and notes the
U.S. designation of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) as a terrorist
organization. The Department of State remains concerned about the security
situation in Nepal and continues to urge American citizens contemplating a
visit to Nepal to obtain updated security information before they travel and
to be prepared to change their plans at short notice. This supersedes the
Travel Warning issued on December
8, 2006. "Despite the
signing of a comprehensive peace agreement by the Government and Maoist
insurgents and their entry into an interim government, Maoists continue to
engage in violence, extortion, and abductions. Maoists freely roam the
countryside and cities, sometimes openly bearing their weapons. The Young
Communist League, a subgroup of the Maoists, continues to extort and abuse
people, including threatening Kathmandu-based personnel of a U.S. Non
Governmental Organization. Maoist leader Puspa Dahal (aka "Prachanda")
publicly alleged in March 2007 that royalists were planning to assassinate
U.S. government personnel, but Dahal never offered any evidence for his claim.
Furthermore, in a May 1, 2007
speech, Dahal threatened to launch a new campaign of demonstrations and
disruptions. "Violent clashes between
Maoists and indigenous groups have taken place in recent months in the Terai
region, along the southern border with India, in one case resulting in 27
deaths. Ethnic tensions in the Terai region have spawned violent clashes with
police, strikes, demonstrations and closures of the border with India. The
U.S. Embassy strongly recommends against non-essential travel to this region.
Clashes between Maoists and groups who oppose them also recently have extended
into Kathmandu."
Pakistan -
On May 8 the U.S.
Embassy in Islamabad issued the following Warden Message: "The Embassy would
like to update Warden Notices numbers 06 and 07 (2007) regarding threats of
suicide bombers. The U.S. Mission has received non-specific information
regarding terrorist attacks, possibly suicide attacks, against U.S. persons
and interests, as well as places frequented by Westerners. The threat includes
the major cities in Pakistan, including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and
Peshawar. Americans are advised to take every precaution, avoid popular
markets and restaurants, and vary routes and times. "The embassy would like to remind the
American citizen community of the need to stay alert, to be aware of your
surroundings, to reduce travel to minimum acceptable levels, and to act
self-defensively at all times. We remind American citizens that threats,
protests and demonstrations may occur throughout Pakistan without prior notice
or warning and to avoid all demonstrations and
protests."
Paraguay - On May 4, the U.S. Embassy in Asuncion issued the
following Warden Message: "American citizens residing or traveling in Paraguay
should be aware that carjackings are on the rise. Most carjackings occur for
the sole purpose of taking the car; it is a crime without a political agenda
and does not specifically target Americans. You can protect yourself by
becoming familiar with the methods, ruses and locations commonly used by
carjackers. Learn to avoid those areas and situations if possible. If not,
take steps to prevent an attack. "Avoid
becoming a victim. In all cases keep your cell phone with you and immediately
alert someone regarding your situation. In most carjacking situations, the
attackers are interested only in the vehicle. Always carry a cell phone on
your person. If in a populated area, immediately get to a safe place after an
attack or an attempted attack. Get to a safe place before contacting someone
to report the
incident."
Uzbekistan - On May 3, the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent issued the
following Warden Message: "The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy has
learned that, during the past few weeks, two local female residents were
assaulted in the Yunusobod neighborhood near the Embassy compound. According
to police accounts, a woman was lured to a secluded area in the large field
located behind the Embassy where the assailant attempted to rape the woman.
The woman was able to escape unharmed. A second victim was raped and badly
beaten in an apartment building across the street from the Embassy. It is
unknown if the same attacker is responsible for both incidents. The police
have yet to arrest any individuals in connection with these two incidents.
"The Embassy has reminded its employees, and would like to remind all American
citizens, male and female, to practice good personal security, especially in
the Yunusobod neighborhood, by observing the following suggestions: "Always be
aware of your surroundings; Do not walk alone after dark, and if possible,
walk at all times with a partner; Attempt to stick to well lit roads,
sidewalks, and paths; Do not take shortcuts through alleys or vacant lots; Do
not engage in conversations with strangers on the
street."
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