DEAL ALERT: $50 off new/renewed Crown Room memberships

AirTran Adds Two New Cities

Newsletter - September, 2002

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AIRLINE NEWS 

WE ARE MAD AS HELL. Recent Newsbites about major carriers further restricting the use of nonrefundable fares resulted in more TICKET reader feedback than ever! THANKS for your comments and sorry we were not able to respond to each email individually. (You TICKET readers are as articulate as you are vociferous! Keep it coming!) We’ve posted many of your initial responses on a special feedback page, which we’ve heard has made the rounds, and raised a stink at some airline executive offices.

HERE’S THE LATEST: In a nutshell: Starting Jan 1, you’ll have to pay $100 to standby for an earlier or later flight on the same day of travel on all majors except Northwest. Starting Oct 1, all major airlines will no longer offer credits for future flights when you call to cancel a non-refundable ticket. You will have to make reservations for a future flight at the same time you cancel. If you don’t cancel before departure, you forfeit the value of your ticket. Also, when other airlines did not follow suit, US Airways withdrew its despised attempt to stop offering base miles on non-refundable tickets. (Click here for the full UPDATED story)  

NO CHANGES AT AIRTRAN: AirTran has not modified its free standby policy. And you are still required to pay a $50 fee if you want to change or cancel your ticket once you buy it. Then you can apply the value of the unused ticket toward a future purchase for up to a year. But if you don’t call within an hour of the flight to make the change or to cancel, then you forfeit the value of the ticket.   

BAGGAGE BLUES. Delta now charges $40 for each bag over the free limit of two—a relative bargain compared to the other major airlines that are asking for up to $80 per extra bag. Tip: Buy bigger bags. If you travel frequently with oversized sports equipment, Delta is now offering a door-to-door pickup and delivery service through a partnership with Sports Express. Delta says that pickup and delivery of a set of golf clubs, for example, starts at $36 one way, with the price varying by the origin and destination cities. We checked on rates for a golf case from Atlanta to San Francisco, and were quoted $54 each way for three-day delivery and $67 for two-day delivery.    

ALLIANCES SCHMALLIANCES. All this hot air about the US Air/United and the subsequent Delta/Northwest/Continental alliances being good for consumers is balderdash. These confusing code share alliances are good for the airlines, and bad for consumers, period. But for now, we’ll control the amount of ink (or electrons) we devote to the subject as it appears that the government is not going to give these ill-hatched plans the green light anyway.  

INTO THREEWAYS? Delta-Northwest-Continental? We still wonder how this would play out in the SkyMiles program. Keep in mind that in both the CO and NW programs, platinum status is given to those with only 75,000 miles—Delta requires 100,000. Also, Delta offers free Crown Room membership to platinums; NW and CO do not. (Will Delta have to modify its program? Stay tuned.)

HOW ABOUT TWO-WAYS? In August, United and Delta began interline electronic ticketing, allowing you to use a single electronic ticket when your itinerary includes travel on both carriers.  The enhancement also makes it easier for electronic ticket holders to jump over to a UAL flight if their Delta flight cancels.  

AIRTRAN GETS 40. On October 8, AirTran will add three new daily nonstops between ATL and Kansas City, using all new Boeing 717 aircraft. On December 10, it will start three daily all 717 nonstops to West Palm Beach, AirTran’s 40^th destination. Introductory fares are $69 each way. By the way, AirTran now serves Vanilla Coke. Have you tried it? 

DELTA EXPANDS/CONTRACTS. On Dec. 1, Delta introduces new or more frequent flights from ATL to: Liberia (Pacific coast of Costa Rica), Aruba, Turks and Caicos, and St. Maarten. It is also beefing up RJ flights to/from Washington Reagan airport as bankrupt US Airways scales back in the DC area. On Nov 1, Delta will suspend flights to Worcester, MA.   Delta will cancel its daily, nonstop service from Atlanta to Buenos Aires and from Atlanta to Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 30, 2002, but will continue flights between Atlanta and Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Argentina is one of the best travel deals around right now as a result of its recent currency devaluation. And it is not as dangerous as reported in the mainstream media.)

BUY ME. Delta’s new purchase upgrade program seems to be a big success, providing the carrier with a nice new revenue stream. Delta says that thousands of travelers have taken the airline up on its offer of $40-$60-$80 standby upgrades at the gates. (And we’ve even heard that some gate agents are selling them to those on so-called non-upgradeable fares—- especially in oversold situations.) 

SKY DELI SACKED. Did you know that Delta has dumped the SkyDeli snacks once served gateside? We are wondering what Delta did with all those SkyDeli refrigerators on wheels. Hmm. Maybe they’ll be re-incarnated as vending machines when the inevitable charge for food becomes reality. And speaking of charges . . . we expect the charge for Crown Room cocktail issue to rear its ugly head again as Delta searches for new revenue. What do you think? Let us know! ticketatl@travelskills.com  

PDA OKAY. The Federal Aviation Administration told USA TODAY reporter Chris Elliott that onboard use of PDA’s (like Blackberries or Palms) to send and receive email while inflight does not violate any rules. So go for it! We did. Shortly after sending out a recent Newsbite, your TICKET editor boarded a plane to LAX, Blackberry in hand. Every time we flew over a major city, your comments and feedback poured in, which kept me entertained for the entire flight!  

DESTIN-NATION. Phoenix Air now offers non-stop flights from Marietta/Cobb-McCollum airport (near Town Center Mall off I-75, about 30 minutes from downtown) to Destin, Florida. For a 60-minute flight, who wants to deal with the Hartsfield hassle? The air charter company flies a 19-passenger Gulfstream G-1 turboprop on the route four times a day (Thursday-Sunday) for $199 each way with no restrictions. Fully refundable and transferable. For more information, see www.phoenixair.com or call 770-387-1900.  

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It helps us to help you! 

SUPPORTING THE TICKET: Writing, researching, broadcasting and managing THE TICKET, a free publication, requires a lot of time and expense. As a result, we are seeking new ways to keep THE TICKET a profitable venture. Recently THE TICKET Newsletter and Portal established affiliate relationships with the airlines our readers use most. This means that each time you click on an airline website link, button or banner ad from this newsletter or elsewhere on our site, and end up buying a ticket, we earn a few dollars. (Same web sites, same online booking bonus miles, just a different way of getting there!) Each time you want to visit an airline site, do so via a link from this newsletter or via our portal page. 

If you have any questions or comments about this new option, please email us! 

AIRPORT NEWS   

CROWN ROOM CONNECTIONS: Over the last few months, several readers have contacted us regarding the painfully slow Internet connections from the PC workstations located in Delta Crown Room Clubs at airports. Well folks, you were not just imagining those delays. Delta Crown Room chief Betty Hollan acknowledges some challenges recently with the speed of the connections, telling THE TICKET:  “Unfortunately for the past few months, we have had problems with our server and customers faced slow response times or the computers went down altogether.  We have been working diligently with Hewlett Packard and as of July 29th, the servers became fully functioning and the whole system's reliability and speed are more consistent.”  

SPEAKING OF CROWN ROOMS: Have you taken a peek at the $50 off (plus SkyMiles bonus) deal that the Crown Room is offering EXCLUSIVELY to TICKET readers? Check it out, cuz time is running out! CLICK HERE NOW!

UNVENTILATED, UNSANITARY, UNDERSTAFFED, BROKEN, ILL STOCKED, CLOGGED URINALS, POSITIVELY DISGUSTING. In July, we posted a letter from a TICKET reader about restroom conditions at Atlanta airport, as well as a response to that letter from Hartsfield officials. That was all it took to get you all riled up. Check out the ATL Bathroom feedback page to read how TICKET readers can relate . . . Our question: Has ATL bathroom sanitation improved lately? Comments to: ticketatl@travelskills.com.  

TSA OKAYS COFFEE OR COKE. Paper or foam cups may once again be carried through metal detectors at airport security. However, sealed containers must go through X-ray machines. If you can’t seal it, it will not be allowed through. 

HANGAR: AirTran’s recently announced new hangar, big enough for two Boeing 717’s should help the airline’s flight reliability at Hartsfield and reduce delays due to mechanical problems. Construction of the facility should be finished by Dec 2003.  

EARLY BAGS. America West Airlines has announced that starting this week, customers will need to check their bags at least 45 minutes prior to departure in Atlanta and Denver.  

DUMB QUESTIONS: The TSA has ruled that airlines no longer have to ask those tedious questions about who packed your bag and if it has been out of your possession, etc. In addition, the questions should be deprogrammed from Delta’s ticketing kiosks by the end of the month.  

EWR. Newark International Airport has been renamed Newark Liberty International Airport to commemorate the September 11 attacks. 

PAVING PITS PARKING. Hartsfield has started resurfacing the North and South Economy Parking Lots, a project that should last through the first quarter of 2003. The south lot is almost complete, and the north lot repaving will start later this month. Expect more parking lot sellouts as a result. Always call ahead to determine parking availability: 404-530-6725. Press 2 to go straight to the availability hotline, or check ATL lot status online.  

A $50 DEAL FOR YOU!

One of the benefits of TICKET readership is the special offers made to our readers from time to time by companies that realize who our readers are: smart, affluent and discriminating business travelers. This month, Delta is offering an exclusive $50 discount off annual Crown Room membership fees, plus 1500 bonus SkyMiles, to TICKET readers only. The deal is only good from now through October 31, so be sure to apply or renew your Crown Room membership TODAY! Click here for details: www.travelskills.com/crcspecial.htm    

FREQUENT FLYER NEWS  

BASE MILES SAFE. FOR NOW. In its initial announcement, US Airways said that it would no longer award “base miles” to those traveling on nonrefundable tickets. Outraged elite level fliers, who need base miles to get or maintain their status, screeched loudly. Luckily, other airlines did not match this controversial new rule, and US Airways quickly withdrew this change.  

DELTA DUMPS MCI. As we predicted, Delta has suspended new enrollments in its MCI program and is “exploring telecommunications partner offerings.” Existing MCI program members will continue to earn five SkyMiles per dollar spent on MCI bills through Feb 28, 2003. Stay tuned for a new partnership to be announced soon (our money is on AT&T . . ..)   

OMNI. Delta and Omni Hotels have become partners. SkyMiles members will receive double miles, 1,000 miles per stay, from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31, 2002, to help launch the new partnership. After that, you’ll get 500 miles per qualifying stay at all Omni Hotels located throughout North America (We like the new one in downtown SF!) . Omni Hotels owns and operates 40 luxury hotels and resorts throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.  

EARLIER REDEMPTIONS REQUIRED: Delta has increased the timeframe in which SkyMiles members must redeem miles for free trips. Now, all SkyMiles medallion members must pay a $25 fee when award tickets are issued within 14 days of departure, up from the current seven day limit. (General members pay $50 which is a $10 increase from the current fee.)  

HOUSEKEEPING NOTE: 

In our four years as electronic publishers we’ve come to a conclusion: all e-mail list management services are far from perfect. The service we use to broadcast THE TICKET, Microsoft’s Listbuilder, is no exception. For reasons unknown to us, email addresses are frequently dropped and subscriptions cancelled. WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU: If your email address changes, or you do not hear from us at least once every 60 days (Newsletter or Newsbite) please return to our site and sign up again.  

Did you miss a recent issue of THE TICKET, or want to refer back to a NEWSBITE? Then check out our new ARCHIVE:

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

THE TASTE OF THE TICKET 

Atlanta’s most well-traveled restaurant critic is back at her job, keeping TICKET readers on the cutting edge of our fast-paced, always-changing restaurant scene. Here’s her first dispatch for the fall:

This brand new in-town restaurant is a labor of love and passion for its well-known and talented chef.  The room is cozy and wintry. The smell of the wood ovens is intoxicating.  A nice bar and community table sit up front. It’s located in the building that once housed one of Atlanta’s most popular seafood restaurants. Can you name it??  

Read THE TASTE OF THE TICKET to find out.

SEEKING HOTEL DEALS? Then check out these Hotel Discounts for some  amazing hotel consolidator bargains in most major cities. 

INTERNATIONAL  

PASSPORT FEES INCREASE: The State Department has increased fees for new passports, up from the current $60 to $85. Renewals increase $15 as well, going from $40 to $55. And if you need that passport in a jiffy, you’ll have to pay a $60 premium for the rush service, up from $35.  Tip: Get the info and the forms you need online instead of waiting at the post office. For more information, see http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html   

HOTEL AND CAR RENTAL 

LONG HOT SUMMER: Last month, Budget joined Alamo and National Car Rental in bankruptcy court and was recently acquired by Avis. (Which mean fewer choices, and higher car rental prices . . . )  

HOW ABOUT A BACK RUB? Starwood Hotels says is will now compensate guests with frequent guest points, spa services or gift certificates if they experience bad service.  

MICRO-HAPPY. J.D. Power ranked Microtel Inns & Suites the highest in guest satisfaction among the economy/budget hotel chains. (We’ve tried ‘em, and we like ‘em, too. Nice, clean and new.)   

PRIORITY CLUB Rewards, is now offering “Autumnatic” rewards: a choice of 2,000 bonus points or 500 bonus airline miles for every second qualifying stay at any Inter-Continental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and Staybridge Suites hotel in North America through November 27. To participate, Priority Club Rewards members must register www.priorityclub.com/autumn or call 888/560-5660 and enter promotion code 5700.

NOTICE!!: © Copyright 2002, Travel Skills Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved    

If you are cutting and pasting COPYRIGHTED information from THE TICKET into your internal publications, we ask that you do the right thing and credit your source with the following line:  
<<Source: THE TICKET Newsletter, free subscriptions available at http://www.travelskills.com/signup.htm >>  

KEEP READING >>>>>>>>  

MAILBAG!  

PREVIOUS QUERY:  Delta has long built its reputation among business travelers as a full service, mainline carrier. But now, its marketing and advertising seem bent on portraying the carrier as a low fare carrier. It’s recent aggressive ad campaign seems to be trying to convince us that Delta (and not AirTran) is the airline that offers “more low fare seats” than any other carrier in Atlanta. What do you think about this approach? Does it appeal to you? Will it work for Delta in the long run? Would a “Delta is Atlanta’s full-service carrier” campaign work in the current market?  

SOME OF YOUR RESPONSES:  

>Personally, I don't like the idea of Delta positioning itself completely as a "low-fare" airline.  Often, in the eye of consumers, that means "a low-class" airline.  Many of us in Atlanta who have used Delta for years continue to do so because of the high-quality service we receive.  Likewise, when you hear complaints about AirTran, you often hear "but its a low-class airline, what would you expect?”  So, to answer your question, I believe that it’s important the Delta have some lower fare options to appeal to a wider target.  But to stay afloat in the long run, they still need to position themselves as high-quality, not just lowest fare. 

>If you guys think Delta will ever be a "low fare carrier", you're crazy.  Delta is constantly manipulating situations in their attempts to rid the Atlanta area of AirTran.  Should they become successful, this so called "low fare carrier" will again show it's true colors.....the most expensive no-caring carrier out there and the public would have assisted them in ridding the market of a true low fare carrier.   

PLEASE JOIN IN and provide us with your questions, observations and comments about your travel experiences or topics in this issue! Send your questions and comments to us at mailto:ticketatl@travelskills.com.  

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See you again in October, or with a NEWSBITE if or when hot news breaks. 

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