Travel and Transport | Travel Updates

Travel Updates - Weekly Edition

August 06, 2009

[ Click here for Archives ]

Airline News | Airport News | Car News | Hotel News | Miscellaneous

Alaska Air

Horizon Air a subsidiary of Alaska Air is increasing service to the California ski resort of Mammoth Lakes. The carrier will add daily nonstop service to Mammoth Yosemite Airport from Reno and San Jose, CA. Horizon says it's adding the flights for the 2009-10 "snow season" after a successful first winter season in 2008-09. Horizon's Mammoth winter season flight schedule begins Dec. 17 and will last through April 11.

American Airlines

American Eagle Airlines, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, has announced they will add nonstop service between Miami International Airport and Harbour Island (ELH); Treasure Cay, Abaco; and Governors Harbour in the Bahamas, beginning November 19. American Eagle will operate the service with 66-seat ATR-72 aircraft. American Eagle also announced additional service from Miami to two existing destinations in the Bahamas - adding a second daily nonstop to Marsh Harbour and resuming seasonal daily nonstop service to Exuma, Bahamas.

British Airways

British Airways has announced they will make changes to its free checked baggage allowances and baggage charges, effective October 7, 2009. Checked baggage allowance changes:

Customers travelling in the World Traveller economy cabin to and from the USA, Canada, Bermuda, Argentina, Mexico and the Caribbean will now have a one bag free allowance of 51lbs.(23kgs).

The changes will affect customers booking from October 7, 2009 for travel from this date. Customers with existing bookings or new bookings up to and including October 6, 2009, for travel anytime, will be unaffected and the current two-piece free allowance and existing charges will remain. Customers travelling in First, Club World, Club Europe, and World Traveller Plus, in addition to Gold and Silver Executive Club members travelling in World Traveller, will retain their existing cabin allowance.

Sporting equipment allowance changes: For new bookings made from July 31, 2009 for travel from October 7, 2009 British Airways will no longer accept sporting equipment free of charge in addition to the free allowance. This applies to customers in all cabins. Customers with existing bookings made and ticketed before July 31, 2009 for travel after October 7, 2009 will be able to check in one item of sporting equipment in addition to their free cabin allowance if they present their original receipt when they check in at the airport.

Continental Airlines

Continental has announced effective Oct. 25, 2009, they will discontinue their OnePass partnership with Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air and American Eagle Airlines. OnePass members can continue to earn mileage through Oct. 24, 2009, on flights operated by Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, as well as Continental code-share flights operated by American Eagle connecting to or from Los Angeles and Fresno, Monterey, San Diego and Santa Barbara. OnePass reward reservations for travel on these carriers must be confirmed and ticketed by Oct. 24, 2009, and are valid one year from the date ticketed. Details regarding continued access for Presidents Club members and BusinessFirst customers at select Alaska Airlines Board Room clubs are still being finalized.

Continental is now offering satellite TV. Since April, Continental has installed DirecTV on 18 planes. By early 2011, the airline plans to have 77 channels of live TV available to passengers flying domestically on about 220 of its jetliners.

	Delta Airlines
	Delta has announced it will drop its nonstop service between Des Moines and Salt City at the end of the August.

JetBlue Airlines

JetBlue announced it's planning a complete overhaul of its True Blue customer loyalty program. The new program is scheduled to launch Sept. 28, 2009, and makes TrueBlue more rewarding, more flexible, and more valuable for the airline's passengers. It also changes the way points are earned and redeemed. Points in the redesigned TrueBlue program will be based on dollars spent with JetBlue, instead of flight length. Customers will be rewarded with three TrueBlue points for every eligible dollar they spend with JetBlue, plus double points (six per dollar) will be awarded for purchases made through www.jetblue.com. Customers can also continue to accrue points by using the JetBlue Card from American Express: every $1 of eligible spending will equal 1 TrueBlue point. Customers will also get bonus points after reaching specific thresholds in TrueBlue. The "Go Big Bonus" offers customers more points the more they jet. Once they reach 3,000 points they get a bonus of 500 points; 6,000 points gets 1,000 bonus points; 9,000 points gests 2,000 bonus points; 12,000 points gets 4,000 bonus points; and for every 3,000 points above 12,000 points, the bonus is 4,000 points.

US Airways

US Airways has announced beginning November 1, its London Heathrow flight 728 will depart from Philadelphia earlier, at 9:15 PM. Return flight 729 will depart from London Hearthrow at 12:05 PM. Along with the new schedule US Airways will operate this flight with an Airbus A330-200 equipped with 50 more seats in Coach.

US Airways also announced it will suspend service to London Gatwick on September 7.

US Airways announced new nonstop service between its Phoenix hub and Montego Bay. This seasonal service is set to begin Dec. 17 and will run through April 12, 2010. The flights will be operated using Airbus A319 aircraft with seating for 12 in First Class and 112 in the main cabin.

	Charlotte, NC
	The longest runway at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport will be closed for resurfacing on August 11 and 12. This closure could cause some delays for airline passengers. U.S. Airways says it's already cancelled and rebooked 10 percent of its flights to avoid delays.

	Devils Lake, ND
	Devils Lake Airport, ND. is closing through the weekend because of a runway paving project. The airport has Northwest Airlink service to Minneapolis-St. Paul International.

National Car Rental

National Emerald Club members can receive a free car rental after completing two rentals between Aug. 10, 2009 and Jan. 31, 2010. There is no limit to the number of free rentals you can earn and the free rentals earned with this promotion are in addition to your Emerald Club membership benefits, including credits for free rentals or frequent flyer miles. Registration is required and if you sign up to receive emails, you will be halfway to a free rental. Plus, when you refer friends who sign up for the program you will receive one free rental day. Free rental days are valid from Sept. 17, 2009 through June 25, 2010.

Hotel Bel-Air

The iconic Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles will close in October to undergo a major refurbishment. The Bel-Air estimates that the luxury hotel will be closed for 18 to 24 months. All 91 rooms and suites, the Champagne Bar, the restaurant and private dining rooms will be renovated. Interior designers David Rockwell and Alexandra Champalimaud are heading the refurbishment. A significant part of the investment will be in technology to modernize bedrooms and public spaces, said the hotel. Also, the Bel-Air plans to add 12 villas within the hotel's 12-acre grounds. A new spa is being built, which will have seven treatment rooms and three junior spa suites.

State Dept. Travel Warnings and Public Announcements

For the full announcements or further detail on Travel Warnings and Public Announcements, please see http://http://travel.state.gov/travel

China - On August 5 the U.S. Embassy in Beijing issued the following Warden: "According to Associated Press and Xinhua news reports, there is a small outbreak of pneumonic plague in the rural town of Ziketan, in Qinghai Province's Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Xinhua and other official Chinese news media have reported that the town and its vicinity have been closed off. The media further reports that there have been three deaths and nine other individuals infected to date, most of whom are relatives of the first patient. "According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), plague recurs yearly in many parts of the world, including the United States and China. Plague is caused by a bacterium found in rodents and fleas and is usually spread from rodents to humans through flea bites, and through inhalation of coughed droplets containing the plague bacteria. Transmission requires close proximity with an ill person or animal. As the CDC website states, symptoms of pneumonic plague include high fever with shortness of breath, chest pain, cough and sometimes bloody sputum.

"Travelers to the area are advised that although pneumonic plague transmission beyond close contacts is rare, World Health Organization (WHO) guidance states it is prudent to avoid contact with people or animals suspected of being ill with pneumonic plague, and to limit exposure to flea bites, poor sanitary conditions as well as enclosed spaces with poor ventilation. According to the CDC, travelers exhibiting symptoms should seek immediate medical attention, as early treatment with antibiotics within 24 hours is essential to treatment success."

Kenya - On August 3 the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi issued the following Warden Message: "This Warden Message alerts U.S. citizens to the likelihood of increased traffic congestion in central Nairobi during the planned AGOA Forum, August 4-6. Enhanced security precautions surrounding the Kenya International Conference Centre, the primary venue of the Forum, will result in street closures and other disruptions of normal traffic flow. Significant delays are expected and American citizens are advised to avoid the central areas of Nairobi this week for all but the most pressing business. In addition, while no specific threat has been received, American Citizens in Kenya are reminded that August 7 is the 11th anniversary of the 1998 Embassy bombing. You are asked to be especially cautious and observant on August 7."

Taiwan - On August 6 The American Institute in Taiwan issued the following Warden Message: "The American Institute in Taiwan wishes to alert U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Taiwan that the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau has issued a Typhoon Warning for Typhoon MORAKOT. This storm is expected to affect Taiwan over the next 72 hours. The projected track of the storm is through north-central Taiwan. "U.S. citizens should monitor the progress of the storm on Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau website http://www.cwb.gov.tw/eng/index.htm (in English) and through local media and make appropriate provisions for food, water and shelter. International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT) also provides regular weather bulletins in English. ICRT broadcasts at 100.7 FM in the Taipei and Kaohsiung areas and at 100.1 FM in Taichung. ICRT also offers streaming audio over the internet: www.icrt.com.tw/en/D01.php"

Tanzania - On August 5 The U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam issued the following Warden Message: "The U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam updates its message of July 7, 2009 regarding reports of ATM, debit, and credit card fraud schemes. Despite recent arrests made by Tanzanian authorities in connection with these fraudulent activities, the U.S. Embassy continues to receive reports of ATM, debit, and credit card fraud cases, particularly U.S. dollar denominated accounts. The Embassy therefore urges U.S. citizens to carefully consider the risks of using ATMs anywhere in Tanzania until further notice. "The Embassy strongly recommends U.S. citizens check their accounts and determine if any unusual withdrawals have occurred. If so, the Embassy suggests you contact your financial institution immediately. U.S. citizens who are victims of such unauthorized access should work closely with their financial institutions to prevent future unauthorized transactions."