Travel Update-Weekly Edition

February 21th, 2008

Airline News

Air Jamaica - Air Jamaica will suspend its service to St. Lucia as of April 1. The service, which was three-times a week will be suspended because restructuring plans

AirTran Airways - Beginning May 21, AirTran Airways will add nonstop service between Baltimore/Washington and Burlington, Vt. The carrier will fly three daily round-trip flights using Boeing 717 jets with 12 business-class seats and 105 in coach.

Alaska Airlines - Alaska Airlines opened a second cluster of self-service kiosks and bag drop-off pods at Seattle-Tacoma. It's another step toward Alaska's goal of overhauling its check-in procedures. The Seattle-based carrier is spending $18 million to renovate its ticketing lobby at Sea-Tac in three phases. Each phase consists of a cluster of 11 kiosks and 16 bag-drop pods. The last will open in the summer. The new check-in setup directs customers of Alaska and Horizon Air, an Alaska subsidiary, to use the kiosks to print boarding passes and tags for checked luggage. Passengers then carry the luggage to nearby drop-off pods for ID checks and bag-tagging by agents. The new lobby design has cut average check-in time by half, the airline says.

Allegiant - Beginning April 4, leisure carrier Allegiant Airlines will add nonstop service from Wilmington NC., to Orlando's Sanford International Airport. The carrier will operate one daily round-trip flight each Monday and Friday on 150-seat MD-80 jets.

American Airlines - Just three months after they started, American Eagle Airlines is grounding its underperforming flights from Flint to New York. A spokeswoman for the airline confirmed the move and said the last flights on the route will be April 7.

British Airways - British Airways is raising its fuel surcharge on medium and long-haul flights for tickets issued from February 25. The surcharge for one-way flights of less than nine hours will increase by Ł5 each way, bringing the surcharge to Ł106 for a return flight. On flights of more than nine hours, the surcharge will go up by Ł6 each way, bringing the charge to Ł128 for a return fare. Short-haul fuel surcharges will remain at Ł10 and Ł20. The airline blamed the rising price of fuel.

Delta Air Lines - Beginning July 2, Delta will add nonstop service between New York JFK and Georgetown, Guyana. Delta will fly four weekly flights on the route, with one round-trip flight each Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The Georgetown-bound flight will leave JFK at 12:30 a.m. and land at 6:40 a.m., all times local. The return flight leaves the Guyanese capital at 10:05 a.m. and lands at JFK at 4:20 p.m.

Frontier Airlines - Frontier Airlines announced Thursday it will expand service to include eight new destinations in the region. Officials say the airline will serve Colorado Springs, Aspen, Durango and Grand Junction in Colorado along with Missoula and Bozeman in Montana; Fargo, North Dakota and Jackson, Wyoming. Frontier says the new destinations will be served by its regional jet and turboprop operations. The new routes will be phazed in between April 15 and May 22. Frontier's newly formed Lynx subsidiary will fly its new Bombardier Q400 turboprops to all of the new Colorado destinations. A mix of the Q400s and regional jets will be used to the other new cities. But there were changes elsewhere in Frontier's route network, including plans to eliminate service from Denver to Baton Rouge, La., and West Palm Beach. Year-round service will be reduced to seasonal between Denver and both Jacksonville and Fort Myers, Fla.

JetBlue Airways - JetBlue has announced plans to grow in Austin with new routes to San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. JetBlue will fly one daily round-trip flight on all four of the new routes. Each will start May 1 on the carrier's 100-seat Embraer E190 jets.

Lufthansa Airlines - All gates at Lufthansa's Frankfurt hub are now equipped for self-boarding. A scanner reads the bar code on the pass and lets passengers walk through a turnstile to board the aircraft. An agent is usually present to deal with only non-routine matters, such as torn or damaged passes. Flights to the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom still board passengers the old-fashioned way, with agents checking identification.

Midwest Airlines - Midwest Connect will end service between Milwaukee and Charlotte, N.C., on April 6. Also in April and May, Midwest Connect will stop flying between Kansas City and Columbus, Ohio; Colorado Springs; Fort Meyers and Fort Lauderdale, and decrease service between Kansas City and San Antonio and Pittsburgh.

Northwest Airlines - Northwest Airlines announced today it will begin daily nonstop round-trip service between Chattanooga and Detroit, starting June 5. Northwest will offer the flights on 50-seat regional jet aircraft. The service will have a flight leaving Chattanooga at 7:10 a.m. and arriving in Detroit at 9:20 a.m. The flights will leave Detroit at 7:10 p.m. and arrive in Chattanooga at 8:45 p.m.

On February 14, WorldPerks launched a new consumer product called PerkChoice.

· PerkChoice lets you use your WorldPerks miles for one half of your roundtrip and cash for the other.

· PerkChoice works with one half of any published fare.

· PerkChoice provides options for WorldPerks members to book travel if they don't have enough miles for a roundtrip award ticket, or if a PerkSaver award seat is available on only one way of the trip.

· WorldPerks members can use as few as 12,500 miles and there are no time or date restrictions on any Northwest flights.

With the implementation of this product, customers with lower mileage balances have a new redemption opportunity and all WorldPerks members now have greater flexibility in selecting award travel. Northwest is the first frequent flyer program in the industry to have this capability. PerkChoice is a departure from our popular "cash and miles" fares as it is completely flexible and dynamic, and is available in all NWA markets all the time. For more information on this new product visit www.nwa.com/features/perkchoice/.

Thai Airways - Starting Feb. 15, Thai Airways will provide two daily non-stop flights from Bangkok (BKK) to Samui (USM). This will be the first time Thai Airways has offered flights of this route.

United Airlines - United is adding two new routes to Canada. Beginning June 5, United Express partner Shuttle America will add one daily round-trip flight between Chicago O'Hare and Quebec on Embraer E170 jets. Also on June 5, United Express affiliate SkyWest will add one daily round-trip flight between San Francisco and Victoria, British Columbia, using Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jets.

When US Airways announced last week that it would no longer give its customers at least 500 frequent-flier miles per flight, many wondered if –- or how –- that would affect United frequent fliers who earn United miles when the fly on US Airways. United and US Airways are each members of the Star Alliance frequent-flier group and the two carriers offer reciprocal frequent-flier benefits. United spokesman Robin Urbanski tells Today in the Sky that "when flying as a United Mileage Plus member on a US Airways flight that is less than 500 miles, our members will continue to receive 500 miles.

Westin Hotels and Resorts Heavenly Bed products will now become a fixture in United Airlines' first- and business-class sections of its New York to California flights, as well as select United Red Carpet Clubs in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco beginning this summer. The amenities are available for United's first- and business-class p.s. service between the two coasts and include a signature oversized Heavenly blanket and pillow. Red Carpet Club guests will be able to enjoy the comforts of the Westin Renewal Lounge areas, which will provide "a soothing environment with many spa-like amenities."

Airport/Destination News

Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport - The Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that it has begun collecting additional fingerprints from international visitors arriving at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. The change is part of a DHS upgrade from two- to 10-fingerprint collection to enhance security and facilitate legitimate travel by more accurately and efficiently establishing and verifying visitors' identities. Detroit is the eighth U.S. airport to begin collecting 10 fingerprints. New York's Kennedy Airport is expected to begin the process soon. Remaining air, sea and land border ports of entry will transition to collecting 10 fingerprints by the end of this year.

Salt Lake City International Airport - Salt Lake City International Airport is trying to get travelers through security checkpoints faster. Travelers are being divided into three groups, depending on the number of carry-on bags, whether they're with kids and other factors. Transportation Security Administration Administrator Kip Hawley says the idea is to separate large groups or heavy packers from those who can move through the lines quickly. The TSA calls it the "Black Diamond Project," a reference to the most challenging ski runs.

Amtrak/Train News

Amtrak - Amtrak has announced the deployment of its new specialized Amtrak Mobile Security Team to patrol stations and trains and randomly inspect passenger baggage. The Mobile Security Team supplements ongoing patrols already in place by Amtrak to enhance the safety and security of passenger rail travel. The deployment of the Mobile Security Team and the launch of random baggage inspection are further steps in Amtrak’s ongoing efforts to strengthen rail security as a means to minimize the risk of terrorist threats. The Mobile Security Teams will ultimately be deployed nationwide. The Mobile Security Team’s squads may consist of armed specialized Amtrak police, explosives-detecting K-9 units and armed counter-terrorism special agents in tactical uniforms. They will screen passengers, randomly inspect baggage and patrol stations. These squads also may sweep through trains using K-9 units. Passengers will have the right to refuse inspection. However, if they do so, they will not be permitted to board the train and will be offered a ticket refund. The Mobile Security Team’s procedures will not affect train schedules. Random passenger baggage inspection is a quick process and typically will take less than a minute. The randomly-selected boarding passengers can expect the Mobile Security Team to move swiftly and in a minimally intrusive manner to ensure passenger travel time is not affected. Information about the new procedures is available in selected stations, ticket counters and on trains.

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

Chad - On February 20, the U.S. Department of State issued a Travel Warning for Chad, which reads in part: "This Travel Warning updates U.S. citizens about serious safety and security concerns in Chad. On February 2, 2008, the Department of State ordered the departure of all family members of American employees and non-emergency American employees at the U.S. Embassy in N'Djamena. The U.S. Embassy in N'Djamena has transferred operations from a temporary site back to the Chancery as of February 13, 2008. Visa services are suspended until further notice, but American citizen services are available. Embassy personnel can be reached at (235) 251-70-09. This supersedes the Travel Warning for Chad of February 3, 2008. American citizens should defer all travel to Chad due to the unstable security situation throughout the country. On February 14, 2008, citing a need for heightened control over the country, Chadian President Idriss Deby declared a state of emergency in a speech broadcast on national radio and television. Deby stated that he signed a decree increasing governmental powers for 15 days as provided for in the Chadian constitution. The decree enables the government to control the movement of people and vehicles, ban meetings, and put restrictions on the press. The state of emergency also sets a curfew from 0000 to 0600 local time. Americans are advised to avoid all travel during those hours and exercise caution at all other times, bearing in mind the political situation remains fluid and potentially dangerous. After the first 15 days, the national assembly will decide whether to extend the state of emergency. U.S. citizens affiliated with humanitarian relief efforts in eastern Chad are strongly urged to coordinate travel plans with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) security officers in Abeche and N'Djamena, and to follow UNHCR guidance regarding safety and security. The government of Chad requires all individuals traveling to or residing in refugee-affected areas in eastern Chad to obtain permits issued by the Ministry of Territorial Administration in N'Djamena, and to register in Abeche upon arrival in eastern Chad. American citizens who intend to enter Sudan from Chad despite the Department's Travel Warnings for both countries must obtain the appropriate visas and permits in advance of entry into Sudan.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have agreed to a class action settlement for passengers in the United States and United Kingdom who paid fuel surcharges between Aug. 11, 2004, and March 23, 2006. Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, the law firm that led the lawsuit, said passengers who flew during that time "overpaid for their airline tickets because the airlines illegally agreed to increase the amount of the 'fuel surcharge' they added to the ticket price." The firm said 8 million U.S. and U.K. customers are entitled to cash settlements. Through the settlement announced today, British Airways and Virgin are making available a total of $59 million for U.S. passengers and Ł73.5 million for U.K. passengers who were subject to fuel surcharges paid during the timeframe. Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll today said it would launch a Web site (www.virginbapassengerrefund.com) through which passengers and businesses can gain their refunds. The firm said the refund amounts will "depend on the amount of the surcharge paid," but will be up to "Ł10 (about $20) for each flight segment." John Caldwell, president of consulting firm Caldwell Associates, said, "It's a lot easier said than done to get these monies back" for businesses. "It depends on how it was paid," Caldwell said. "If it was paid by central billing for the company, then they ought to get it back centrally. If it was paid by individual travelers, who were reimbursed, then they'll likely have to get it back through their employees." Though the number of flight segments on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic over a two-year period could yield significant returns for many companies, "It's going to be a question of whether the juice is worth the squeeze," Caldwell said.

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Previous Updates

February 14, 2008
February 8, 2008
February 1, 2008
January 24, 2008
January 17, 2008
January 10, 2008
January 3, 2008
December 27, 2007
December 20, 2007
December 13, 2007
December 5, 2007
November 29, 2007
November 21, 2007
November 15, 2007
November 8, 2007
November 1, 2007
October 25, 2007
October 18, 2007
October 11, 2007
October 4, 2007
September 27, 2007
September 20, 2007
September 13, 2007
September 6, 2007
August 30, 2007
August 23, 2007
August 16, 2007
August 9, 2007
August 2, 2007
July 26, 2007
July 20, 2007
July 12, 2007

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