IN THIS ISSUE: Happy Summer!

• AirTran scores PR coup in airline wi-fi war

• Delta’s got wi-fi on ALL MD-88 and MD-90 jets

• Free booze is back on Delta international flights…sorta

• Airlines still not seeing light at the end of the tunnel

• New TSA rules regarding name on airline ticket

• Where Delta is shrinking (and expanding)

• How can a third checked bag cost an extra $1100?

• Delta’s Red Coats are coming…again

• Where have hotel rates crashed hardest?

• Roundup of summer hotel bonuses

• New Delta SkyMiles/SunTrust VISA check card

• TripAdvisor reviews called into question

TICKET EDITOR NOW TWITTERING: follow my business travel commentary, newsings and musings here:  twitter.com/cjmcginnis

AIRLINE NEWS

AIRTRAN WILD FOR WI-FI. Last month AirTran pulled off a major PR coup when it announced that it, too would be adding in-flight Wi-Fi. But instead of making a “me too” announcement with some fuzzy future date set for implementation, AirTran did something different. When it made its wi-fi announcement, it said that its entire fleet would be outfitted within two months. Huh? How’d they do that? Well, AirTran had been secretly adding the hardware to its fleet since last winter. So they just activated the planes that already had it, and are now busy finishing up the job. AirTran says that its ENTIRE fleet will have Wi-Fi by the end of July. Nice work! (AirTran even sipped from the holy grail of travel PR: its wi-fi announcement and test flight made the Today Show.)

WILL I BE ABLE TO WI-FI? One of the biggest hassles with in-flight wi-fi right now is figuring out if the plane you are reserving has it or not. Currently the only carrier in the country that has it fleet-wide is Virgin America. On Delta, you know you’ll get it when booking a flight on an MD-88 or MD-90 because all of those planes now have it. It’s still a guessing game on AirTran, but spokesperson Christopher White says that nagging question will be answered when all 136 planes have the working wi-fi systems by the end of July.

DELTA WI-FI UPDATE. All of Delta’s MD88 and MD90 jets now have wi-fi and engineers are focused on getting the new service on board its 757s. (Only one 737 has it.) Delta says that as of June 4, it now has 157 wi-fi equipped aircraft flying 600+ flights per day. To use it, Delta (and other carriers) charge $9.95 for flights under three hours, $12.95 for flights longer than three hours and $7.95 to use a wi-fi capable handheld device for any flight length.

HOW BAD IS IT? The Airlines Reporting Corp (the outfit that processes nearly all airline bookings made by travel agents) says that U.S. airline revenue in May was down a shocking 29% compared to last May. The only good news is that transaction volume was down just 8% year over year, the smallest monthly decline reported so far this year. (More evidence that there are still plenty of travelers out there, but they are just paying a lot less for tickets than they did last year.)

WORSE THAN LAST TIME. It’s official: The current slump in airline revenues is WORSE than what we saw after 9/11. The International Air Transport Association now says expected airline revenue worldwide will fall 15 percent, to $448 billion this year — a much steeper decline than after 9/11. (Meaning: Despite the recent rash of warnings about increasing airfares this fall as airlines cut out even more capacity, fares will remain super low until we start seeing real economic growth.)

FULL NAMES PLEASE. The TSA is phasing in a new program that will require air travelers to include their FULL names on their airline tickets (plus birth date and gender). And to avoid any other snafus, we suggest the following: Change your charge cards and your photo ID’s to reflect your FULL NAME, too. Everything needs to match: ID, passport, credit card and name on ticket. This is all part of the TSA’s new “Secure Flight” program. Taking these steps should help you avoid being mistakenly placed on so-called “watch lists.” All this does not go into effect until next year, but its time to starting thinking about it now.

SKEPTICAL OF IMPACT OF HIGHER OIL PRICES:  Delta CFO Ed Bastian recently said in the NYT: “As you look forward into the fall, and look at the prospect of higher oil prices, that’s got to put pressure on pricing. We made the decision at Delta that we’re not going to put seats out into the marketplace if we can’t recover the cost.” We are a little bit skeptical here considering airlines said the same thing last fall, convincing travelers to book early for winter holiday trips. But when a weak winter holiday arrived, last minute fares plummeted. But who really knows what is next in the crazy mixed up environment? Stay tuned…

30 DAYS ON AIRTRAN. Remember the guy who lived in the Ikea store in New Jersey for 30 days last year? He’s pulling a similar stunt this month on AirTran to break a Guinness Book of World Records continuous flight record. He’ll fly to 12 cities each day and sleep on the AirTran jet overnight at ATL for a month. Anyone been on one of his flights? LET US KNOW! (Check out his super cool toilet paper stunt!)

DELTA SHRINKS EVEN MORE. From Delta’s CEO: “This [new] plan includes reducing our system capacity by 10 percent compared to 2008. Capacity reductions will begin in September…Customer demand for international travel has fallen significantly. Accordingly, we plan to reduce our international capacity by an additional 5 percent from what we announced in March, for a 15 percent total reduction in international capacity.” Here’s where Delta is paring:

• Suspending nonstop service from Atlanta to Seoul and Shanghai and instead routing customers over Detroit or Tokyo. (You can still fly nonstop to Seoul from ATL on Korean Air)

• Suspending nonstop flights from Cincinnati to Frankfurt and London-Gatwick.

• Suspending nonstop service between New York-JFK and Edinburgh.

• Reducing weekly frequencies connecting Atlanta and Detroit to Mexico  

On the other hand, Delta is adding some new international routes this year:  

•     Los Angeles-Sydney

•     Salt Lake City-Tokyo

•     Detroit-Shanghai

•     New York-Prague

•     Pittsburgh-Paris

•     Atlanta-Johannesburg

IT’S NOT JUST YOU. On-time performance really IS improving. (Except for those flights affected by all those east coast thunderstorms lately. Sheesh!) Anyway, the DOT reports that major carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 79.1 percent for April compared with a 78.4 percent rate last April. That also represents an improvement over March when 77 percent of flights arrived on time. Why is this happening? Because airlines have shrunk by 10-20 percent over the last year, which means fewer flights clogging airports.

USING YOUR PHONE AS YOUR BOARDING PASS. We mentioned this last month when Delta announced a beta test in which passengers can download boarding pass bar codes to PDAs at ATL, CVG, DET, and SLC. Just this month, American Airlines expanded its test to ATL, Las Vegas and Minneapolis. TIP: If using this cool new option, ALWAYS be sure to SAVE the boarding pass bar codes to your device. Sometimes the live connection may not work at security or at the gate, which will delay you.

BAGGAGE FEE BONANZA. Interesting, mind-boggling blurb from CNN/Money: “Baggage fees from the U.S. airline industry totaled $1.15 billion in 2008, according to the DOT.  American Airlines topped the industry, according to the DOT, gleaning $278 million in baggage fees during 2008, followed by US Airways, with $187 million, and Delta Air Lines with $177 million.”

THIRD CHECKED BAG COULD COST $1100? You betcha! Check out Delta’s new fees for excess baggage and you’ll be shocked. Let’s say your kid is heading off for a semester at a university in Europe. She’s got a lot of stuff that will only fit into three bags. That third bag weighs 52 lbs and is large. You’ll pay: $400 round trip for the third bag, $300 round trip for the overweight, $350 round trip for the oversize.  Plus $50 for that second bag. So that’s a total of $1100 in checked luggage fees—which is probably more than you’d pay for her airline ticket. LESSON: Learn to pack light, or ship excess bags ahead of time.

HERE’S THE BAGGAGE MATH: If you have an extra piece of baggage that goes over the weight limit and the size limit, then you'll be charged 3 times:

• once for the extra bag (third bag =$125 domestic, $200 int’l EACH WAY!)

• once for going over the size limit ($175 EACH WAY)

• once for going over the weight limit. ($90 domestic, $150 int’l EACH WAY

NEW AIRLINE FLIES INTO ATL. Alaska Airlines says it will launch a single daily B-737 nonstop each way between ATL and its Seattle hub starting Oct 23. (Alaska is a Delta SkyMiles partner, so you’ll earn miles for these trips.) Both Delta and AirTran fly nonstop between SEA and ATL and we’re not sure there’s room for all three in this market, so we’ll monitor progress…

DELTA TO BILLINGS: Delta’s ASA is now flying between ATL and Billings, MT using a 76 seat RJ for the 4 hour flight. (Cramped, yes, but probably better than connecting in Salt Lake.)

FRESCA! If you are trying to cut back on sugary calories, AirTran is now serving calorie-free Fresca on all flights. (If you’ve not tried it, consider mixing with gin or tequila, making a cocktail called a “Paloma” in Mexico…)

Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA LINKS FROM THE TICKET!

airtran.com |  delta.com  |  Hotwire  | 

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AIRPORT NEWS

A NEW PART OF THE SECURITY DRILL. We are hearing from our sources (YOU, dear readers) that there’s a new twist to the airport security kabuki. It seems that some screeners have decided that our dirty shoes should no longer go into the bins for scanning. Instead, they should be placed directly on the belt for the ride through the x-ray tunnel. (Have you noticed this? LET US KNOW.)

RED COATS COMING AGAIN? Delta’s Red Coat roving customer service agents have been coming and going a lot in recent years. Now the AJC reports that they’ll be back again this summer, this time equipped with hand held devices that can help them resolve customer service issues on the spot. Interesting: Red Coat agents earn $275 more per month than regular airport agents. Have you seen or used a Red Coat lately? LET US KNOW!

NEW AIRTRAN DIGS AT MEMPHIS. AirTran has moved from MEM’s Concourse C into Delta’s old space in Concourse A in Memphis. That means a larger ticket counter and dedicated check in line for AirTran flyers. (Delta consolidated its space with Northwest and now operates out of Concourse B only.)

ATL GETS ITS FIRST AIRPORT SPA.  Indulge in a variety of rejuvenating and stress-relieving massages and skin- and nail-care services at the new Xpress Spa at ATL’s Concourse C. (Another one should open next month on Concourse A) Manicures start at $20, and pedicures start at $35. www.xpresspa.com.

Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA LINKS FROM THE TICKET!

airtran.com |  delta.com  |  Hotwire  | 

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HOTEL NEWS

STEEP DECLINES IN HOTEL RATES: Where have hotel rates crashed hardest?

• London:          Down 33%

• Beijing:           Down 32%

• Rome:            Down 26%

• New York:       Down 26%

• Paris:             Down 22%

• Hong Kong:     Down 21%

• Buenos Aires:  Down 13%

• Los Angeles:   Down 13%

(Year over year change in April average daily rate according to Smith Travel Research)

SUMMER HOTEL BONUSES ABOUND.

>Three good Marriott deals: 1) Earn triple Delta miles for Marriott stays through Aug 31. (Registration required.) 2) Marriott Rewards members who complete three stays by August 31 will get a free night that must be used by Dec 31 (Ritz-Carlton not included.) 3) Rewards members can also redeem points for three nights and get the third night free for stays at certain Marriott resort properties through Sept 7.

>Priority Club members who stay two nights between May 4-July 3 at any InterContinental chain hotel get a free night. Starwood is offering a similar stay-two, get one free promo, but the freebie is limited to weekends only

>Best Western Rewards members earn a voucher for a free night after two separate qualifying paid stays between June 21 and August 16.  

>Stay at a Radisson on a Thursday or a Saturday, and Radisson will give you Friday night for free from now through September 15. Plus, you’ll get a buy-one-get one free coupon for use at TGI Fridays.

Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA LINKS FROM THE TICKET!

airtran.com |  delta.com  |  Hotwire  | 

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FREQUENT FLIER NEWS

DELTA TO OFFER DEBIT CARD THAT EARNS SKYMILES. Next week Delta will launch the new SunTrust SkyMiles VISA Check Card. The basic card will offer one SkyMile for every TWO dollars purchased for a $20 annual fee. Platinum and Business cards will offer one SkyMile for every ONE dollar purchased for a $55 fee, plus a single day pass to Delta’s SkyClub lounge. Miles for both cards are only earned when making purchases with a signature--- not when using the PIN. Upside: a VISA check card is much more widely accepted than American Express. Plus, it’s a good option for those travelers who are working to reduce credit card debt and hoping to simplify their lives. Downside: The program is nowhere near as robust as the longstanding Delta/Amex partnership. Plus, SunTrust ATMs don't extend much beyond the South and Mid-atlantic regions of the U.S.

DIGGING DEEPER: We asked our super-duper credit card expert why SunTrust/SkyMiles earnings are only for non-PIN transactions and we got some good inside info: “PIN based transactions hit the merchant for only a service fee - usually something under $0.50. That is because it is a secured transaction - little fraud, and you have to be "card present" which means the person has card in hand right there. This is also a huge fraud reduction. Non PIN-based transactions follow VISA interchange rates, determined on a merchant by merchant basis, but probably more like 2.5% of the transaction amount, so there is much higher interchange to pay the points - which they never reveal but are rumored to be about 75 basis points, or 0.75%.”

NEW AIRTRAN PARTNER: Points.com has partnered with AirTran giving A+ Rewards program members the opportunity to trade rewards with users in other participating programs on the Global Points Exchange (GPX). Members can also use the Points.com service to track their account balance alongside many of their other rewards programs.

TRANSFERRING HILTON POINTS TO DELTA MILES. You'll get an additional 40% mileage bonus every time you transfer your Hilton HHonors points into SkyMiles now through August 31, 2009. (That’s one SkyMile for every 10 HHonors points, plus a 40% bonus.) Here’s how to do it.

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airtran.com |  delta.com  |  Hotwire  | 

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ONLINE NEWS:

ONLINE SITES DUMP AIR BOOKING FEES. All the major online travel agencies (such as Travelocity, Orbitz, Priceline, etc) have recently dumped their $5 to $10 booking fees for airline tickets. These were fees sites charged in addition to ticket price. This resulted in savvy travelers using the sites to search for fares, but then going to airline sites to book tickets to avoid the fees. Now that it’s a level playing field, would you be more likely to book on a travel agency site than directly on at airline site like AirTran.com or Delta.com? LET US KNOW!

TRIPADVISOR REVIEWS CALLED INTO QUESTION. A controversy regarding manipulation of hotel reviews on TripAdvisor erupted this week when Arthur Frommer pointed out that the site now places a red warning sign on suspect hotel review pages. Every pundit followed with an opinion, most of which are summed up best at travel web site Elliott.org. Our take on TripAdvisor has always been to use the reviews as one of many sources for good hotel info, but never to depend on them as the sole reason to book or not.

Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA LINKS FROM THE TICKET!

airtran.com |  delta.com  |  Hotwire  | 

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BUSINESS TRAVEL ON THE TUBE:

Take a break from reading THE TICKET and take a look at these clever, humorous new TV commercials featuring business travelers.  (All are less than one minute)

GETTING READY: First up is the latest from Hilton Garden Inn with a montage of feel-good scenes that business travelers will be all too familiar with…such as raiding the hotel pantry, ironing a shirt in your room, working on your laptop in your bed, etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61lxnCzkN1U

IT’S ON: Southwest Airlines seems to be declaring the recession over and encouraging road warriors to get back out there because “it’s on!” Well done! I’m ready to go! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VV3MHHu6Qs

THIS MEETING IS A DRAG. WebEx has got a clever spot showing a bunch of business travelers around a boring board room table who get a big surprise: Ru Paul shows up! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdzgzR4Y3Vw

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INTERNATIONAL

FREE BOOZE BACK ON DELTA FLIGHTS. Sort of. Delta has re-instated free beer and wine for coach passengers on international flights. The hard stuff will run $7 a pop. Delta says it will also upgrade the breakfast offered to coach passengers on flights longer than 3800 miles.

SCHWANKY NEW DELTA LOUNGE AT LONDON HEATHROW. Delta and its SkyTeam partners have opened a new first/business class passenger lounge at London Heathrow. Here’s how the AJC describes it: “Boasting a spa, restaurant, wine bar, oxygen bar and entertainment hub complete with computer games, the premium lounge will provide a respite for all international first- and business class passengers, as well as SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers, traveling through Heathrow’s Terminal 4.” (See photo below) Sounds nice and much needed if Delta really wants to compete with LHR Lounge heavyweights British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, which sport two of the largest and most luxurious lounges in the world at their Heathrow hub.

MORE OF SPAIN ON DELTA. Delta’s now flying from JFK to Valencia on Spain’s Mediterranean coast south of Barcelona using a single aisle Boeing 757 ETOPS plane with 16 Business Elite and 158 coach seats.

MEDALLIONS PAY MORE FOR CHECKED BAGS AFTER ALL: From TICKET reader C Lowenstein: “I noticed in the May issue that you mentioned the new $50 second international bag fee and that Medallions were exempt. But, I don't recall seeing anything anywhere about the change reducing the "free" baggage allowance from three to two bags for medallions (except when flying on a paid for first or business ticket).” [Medallions will now pay $300 roundtrip for the third checked bag on international flights.]

OUT OF AFRICA: Delta has postponed previously announced new service between ATL and both Nairobi and Monrovia, saying that it has still not received TSA permission due to security concerns.

Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA LINKS FROM THE TICKET!

airtran.com |  delta.com  |  Hotwire  | 

MISCELLANY

BOONDOGGLES? Here’s something to send along to the powers-that-be at your company who think that cutting meetings and convention travel is going to save the day: “…About 300 senior-level marketing respondents in North America during the past five years have consistently ranked events as the marketing type that delivers the greatest ROI over print advertising, public relations and direct mail--and five times more than broadcast advertising.” (Meeting Professionals International – George P Johnson Co. Survey)

GRUB ON THE GO: What do business travelers like to eat on the road? FOOD WITH HANDLES for one. Please check out your TICKET editor’s latest post on Best Western’s Youmustbetrippin.com travel blog for my take on the best bites for biz travel. Be sure and leave your commentary!

 

Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA LINKS FROM THE TICKET!

airtran.com |  delta.com  |  Hotwire  | 

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MAILBAG:

NEW DELTA SKY MAG. The new Sky Mag is informative, well written and visually appealing. – JJD

NEW DELTA SKY MAG. I LOVE the new magazine! I thought I would flip through it in about 5-10 minutes as usual, but now I find myself taking over an hour to read it from cover to cover. And I especially like the page with the pictures of Delta's fleet! --MB

HIGH SPEED INTERNET SUGGESTION: Here is a suggestion for travelers who need reliable high speed internet access on the road, particularly for trade shows. I've used Rovair (www.rovair.com) about half a dozen times to get an air card on a daily rental basis. We attend a handful of trade shows and need to demonstrate our website and take orders in our booth. The convention centers typically charge several hundred dollars for a wired high-speed line for just a few days. Rovair rents an air card with either Sprint or Verizon for about $15 per day, plus shipping. We take it to the convention center and it also works in the airport and hotel. Definitely a money saver! I've also found that high speed is a relative term at various hotels, many of which still charge $10-$15 per day for access. You can sign up online at www.rovair.com. The package arrives the day before you leave and has a self-mailer to return it via FEDEX. –J Kiger       

ACCESS AMERICA INSURANCE FROM DELTA. Do you have any info what's a legitimate travel insurer that would pay for, i.e., date changes? I filed a claim with this company months ago and have yet heard anything. Furthermore, it seems Delta would care enough about their reputation as to not use them. Check out their review: http://www.travelinsurancereviewer.com/insurer-reviews/access-america/ -- RM (READERS: Has anyone else experienced claim problems with Access America, the travel insurance company Delta recommends on its web site? LET US KNOW!)

DEAR READER! Do you like what you are reading? Then help us out and tell all your friends about THE TICKET. Copy and paste the sign up link below, then email to at least five people.

 

Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA LINKS FROM THE TICKET!

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http://www.travelskills.com/tktarchive/Directory.htm

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