OUR VIEW. (This new addition to THE TICKET will offer views and commentary from your editor.)

KISS. Delta is (finally) following the basic KISS principle of keeping it simple, stupid. Over the years, SkyMiles has become a mess of rules, regulations, exceptions, add-ons, multipliers, fees and other frustrating details. In one way or another, the unwieldy program has ticked off nearly every loyal Delta customer. Even your humble editor, who has covered Delta for over 15 years, had trouble keeping all the convolutions straight. Now it seems that desperate times have called for desperate measures—a major re-vamp of SkyMiles. (See our NEWSBITE on the subject.) Undoubtedly, there will be naysayers out there, but a simple program makes life SO much easier. Easier for customers to understand, easier (and cheaper) for Delta to administer, and easier for THE TICKET to cover! Congratulations, Big D. You done good!  (Comments? Feedback?)

--Chris McGinnis, editor/publisher

AIRLINE NEWS

THE BIG QUESTION ANSWERED. When we broadcast the NEWSBITE about Delta's SkyMiles program changes, the most frequent response we heard from readers was: "Great news for 2005, but what about the miles I've earned in 2004?" Here's what Delta told THE TICKET: "Delta is not currently providing higher status for those customers who are close to reaching Medallion by the end of 2004.  However, the airline will review members' accounts in early 2005 with the possibility of offering select members higher status, benefits or promotions based on their 2004 flight activity.  It's important to remember that these members will find it much easier to earn Medallion status in 2005." 

FEEDBACK: To see what TICKET readers think about the new SkyMiles changes, be sure to see the MAILBAG at the end of this issue! 

CHICAGO-MIDWAY DOGFIGHT CONCLUDES. After it looked 

like AirTran would swoop in and clean up the mess left at 

Chicago's Midway airport by bankrupt ATA, powerhouse 

Southwest Airlines charged in. AirTran's offer was about 

$90 million, but Southwest's offer of about $117 million

won out. AirTran CEO Joe Leonard was a good sport about 

the whole affair saying, "We saw Midway Airport expansion 

as a good opportunity, but we were not going to overpay for 

those assets.  We congratulate the parties on the conclusion

of the auction." He added, "Before this opportunity came along, 

the airline had a successful growth blueprint in place, and we 

will continue to move forward with that plan." While this is not 

such good news for AirTran, it is good news for Atlantans as 

AirTran's focus will remain on ATL and it's current "focus 

cities" like Dallas. 

DELTA CUTS CHANGE FEES. Delta has reduced change 

fees for domestic non-refundable tickets from $100 to $50, 

systemwide. $100 just seemed so excessive. $50 is 

reasonable. Another good move on Delta's part. (Who do 

we have to thank for that reduction? AirTran, 

who's change fee has never gone over $50.)  

ATL CENTERPOINT CROWN ROOM UPGRADE: In partnership with Coca-Cola, Delta has created a new "customer experience" at its Concourse A Centerpoint Crown Room. The new Dasani Listening Zone provides Delta's valued Crown Room Club members with an upscale retreat featuring Sirius Satellite Radio heard through top-rated Bose headphones, comfortable ultra-suede leather lounge chairs and ottomans from Spain, and five-foot tall lava towers with Dasani blue lava designed to create a relaxing ambience. The new facility was opened on Nov. 22, 2004. (Have you seen this? What did you think? Let us know!)  

ANOTHER CROWN ROOM REVAMP? From TICKET reader AP Gouge: "I took a day trip to DC yesterday and noticed the Crown Room in Washington National Airport had removed the HP computers (they stunk anyway) and replaced them with a notice that a computer solution for business travelers was being developed with T-Mobile (the same company that provides the Hot Spot service in the Crown Rooms).  I guess we’ll have to stay tuned!" We have tried to confirm this with Delta, but it has not yet responded to our queries.  TICKET reader E. Terk reports: "Just returned from DFW last night. The computers have been removed and the same sign is posted in the DFW Crown Room."

LOWEST BIZ FARES . . . EVER? American Express reports that the average one-way fare paid by business travelers for the July-September quarter was just $217—11% less than the full year average for 2003, and 16% less than the 2001 peak. Amex says that when adjusted for inflation, we are paying the lowest average business fares ever, thanks to the recent rise of low-cost carriers. 

NEW SERVICE. Delta is back on the nightly ATL-Buenos Aires run. AirTran cranked up two new daily nonstop between ATL and Sarasota/Bradenton on Dec 17.

UNITED SHRINKS. United says it will cut its domestic flight capacity by 14% after the holidays, and focus more on more profitable international flights. Like Delta, it plans to rely more on RJ's for domestic flights that will feed into its hubs. (United has been under bankruptcy protection for TWO years this month, and seems to be nowhere near the end of the tunnel.) In the meantime, US Airways, the major airline in the most precarious condition, has told its bankruptcy court that it will not be profitable until 2007, and could start liquidating assets in January if it cannot get the cutbacks it is asking for.

AIRTRAN UPGRADES AT KIOSK. You can now use AirTran's ByePass kiosks to buy your last minute upgrades to business class. Just swipe your credit card to pay for the $35-$75 (depending on flight length) standby upgrades when you are checking in at a kiosk, instead of waiting in line to do so at the gate.

WHO'DA THUNK? For the first time in some 30 years, a U.S. airline is flying to Vietnam. United Airlines last week started flying a three-class 747-400 between San Francisco and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), operating via a stop in Hong Kong.

HEAVY HOLIDAY BAGS? Consider this if you plan to travel with heavy bags. Delta (and most other major carriers) only allow checked bags of less than 50 pounds. If it weighs more, you'll pay a $40 fee. AirTran, on the other hand, allows checked bags weighing up to 70 pounds. But if you go over that, you'll pay a $65 excess baggage fee.

OIL AND GAS MAN? Alright, already to all the bellicose Bush supporters who whined about our referring to the president an "oil and gas man" in the November issue. The same man may have also had something to do with the fact that we have seen a $10 drop on crude oil prices in the last month—they now hover around $40-$45 per barrel. Driving the price of crude down might be a way the government can prop up ailing carriers and help them limp through the cash-poor winter months—without having to give them ANOTHER handout.

MIA: AMERICAN SIMPLIFARES. American Airlines is mimicking Delta's Cincy Simplifares with a new simplified fare structure at its Miami hub. Walkup fares are cut by as much as 82%, and it says that maximum one-way fares will be $499, $599 or $699 depending on the route. It has also (like Delta) cut the fee to make changes on non-refundable tickets from $100 to $50.  

SEX TOYS ON THE FLY. AP reports that in a lawsuit, Delta passenger Renee Koutsouradis claims she was forced by an agent to remove a "sex toy" that was buzzing in her luggage, hold it up in front of other passengers and remove its batteries. She also claims a nearby baggage handler licked his lips and made sexually inappropriate comments and laughed. She is suing the airline saying she has suffered nightmares, panic attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder because of the incident. She is seeking unspecified damages in federal court. Delta is not commenting on the matter.  

AIRTRAN'S NEW INFLIGHT MAG. Starting in Feb, AirTran will 

switch to a new inflight magazine titled Go. Promo materials 

say that it will include "a wide array of literary content for today's

 travelers -- from high-powered business strategies to 

do-it-yourself facials. Regular features will include sports-themed

 articles, reports on unique travel destinations, automotive and 

technology reviews, hot celebrity trends, fashion and shopping 

tips, and hip food and drink recipes."

WATCH HOOTERS EXPAND. Hooters Air will offer a most-days-of-the-week flight from Atlanta to Rockford, Illinois with connecting service on to Denver and Las Vegas starting Jan 31. From its Myrtle Beach hub, the carrier now flies to Newark, Baltimore, Gary, Columbus, OH and Nassau. Its two Boeing 737 and one 757 aircraft offer a single "club" class with dark blue leather seats, extra leg room, and are staffed by a crew of two pilots, three flight attendants, along with Hooters Girls on every flight.

NOTE TO SELF: Have you photocopied the contents of your wallet and your passport? It's a good idea to do this once a year. It will help you recover if your wallet is lost or stolen.  

AIRPORT NEWS

WE BEG TO DIFFER. A recent JD Power and Associates airport satisfaction survey got a lot of ink lately. But its findings are hard to fathom. While Atlanta's Hart-Jack (ranked 14^th) is not as good as it could be, it certainly is better than Minneapolis-St Paul (6^th best), DFW (4^th best) or Houston Intercontinental at 10th best (except for that snazzy new international terminal!) And in our book, ATL's head and shoulders above the creaking and delay-prone Chicago-O'Hare (11^th best). At the bottom of the large airport ranking: New York JFK (no surprise there!) At the top, Hong Kong. What do YOU think? LET US KNOW

ATL CONCOURSE C. While the AirTran side of Concourse C is in the midst of a re-do, Delta has announced that the ASA side of C will get a $20 million facelift (new carpet, seats, paint, etc) starting this winter. Included in the update will be a new 7000 square foot Crown Room—the first on Concourse C.

NEW TRAFFIC DIVERSIONS AT ATL. As we enter Phase II of ATL's "big dig," incoming vehicles will be routed along the OUTER roadways in front of the terminals.

• NORTH Terminal (AirTran, others): Passengers may be dropped off before and after passing the construction site.  The Kiss ‘N Fly drop-off will be modified in the hourly parking lot during the second phase to become a designated passenger pick-up area. AirTran's curbside baggage check is at the far end of the terminal—alongside American's and NOT in the Kiss 'N Fly area.
• SOUTH Terminal (Delta): Kiss ‘N Fly will remain a drop-off area (including curbside baggage check in) and private vehicles may continue to pick-up passengers near the Terminal building’s outer roadway curbsides.

(TIP: Avoid the upper level mess and do all your picking up and dropping off on the LOWER levels—veer far left as you approach the terminal to access these lanes.)

NEW TRAINS AT MSP. As at ATL, you can now take the train between the airport and downtown when using Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport. The new MetroTransit Hiawatha line was recently completed, linking the city (and the Mall of America) to both the Humphrey and Lindberg terminals at MSP. The fare between terminals is free, and $1.75 each way to go elsewhere.

FEES UP AT AT NYC: Starting next summer, the Port Authority of NY and NJ will increase the Passenger Facilities Charge (PFC) on each airline ticket from $3.00 to $4.50, the maximum allowed under federal law.

THE VENT-TSA-STYLE. USA Today reports that the husband of a TSA screener is running a new site for airport screeners where they can gripe about travelers, view and post cartoons, read articles relating to screeners, and more. It's an interesting perspective for travelers. Check it out at www.tsa-screeners.com

EWR: FROM DRAB TO FAB. The dreary Terminal B at Newark Airport (where Delta and Northwest operate all their flights) will soon undergo a $280 million re-do and expansion. Expect a larger concourse/ticketing area and additional security checkpoints, among other improvements. But don't wait around—the job will start next year and could take up to five years to complete.

BIZ TRAVEL IS BACK. With business travelers back in record numbers, and a HUGE holiday travel surge, expect airport parking lots to be full—especially the covered decks. (We have had more than our fair share of last-minute, freaked-out searches for on-airport parking, fearing we would miss our flights!) ALWAYS call on your way to the airport to determine if you need to park in off-site lots. 404-530-6725, then press 2 for an automated update.  

TECHNOMADS

CELL PHONE IN THE SKY? Don't hold your breath. While the mainstream press was recently all aflutter with the notion of in-flight cell phone and high-speed internet usage, we tend to be rather scroogish in the outlook. While the government seems to be giving the idea the green light by reviewing current FCC and FAA policies that prohibit the use of cell phones in flight, the technology is pretty far off—at least two years. Cell phones don't work when a plane is over 10,000 feet. And from what we've read, the "high speed" internet access is going to rely on the current in-flight phone platform—hardly high speed. (The more expensive option, the satellite-based Connexion by Boeing in use by Lufthansa and a handful of other non-US carriers seems much more viable.) We'll keep an eye out on this, however, so stay tuned.

ONLINE TRAVEL ON A ROLL. Nielsen/NetRatings says 23% of Americans and 46% of all active web surfers visited a travel site during the month of Nov.  Online consumers spent $919 million on travel during November, up 11% from the $828 million spent a year earlier. Top travel sites visited: #1 Mapquest.com; #2 Expedia.com (Mapquest is good, but we prefer randmcnally.com for mapping.)

FREQUENT FLYER NEWS  

NEW YEAR AMEX/SKYMILES BONUS. You'll earn a 20.05% bonus on all eligible spending when you use your SkyMiles credit card during the month of January. To get the bonus, you must enroll first with your SkyMiles credit card number and 4-digit card code. (If you don't yet have a SkyMiles card, you can get the first year fee waived (a savings of $85) and get 10,000 bonus miles—more info here.

BUY ELITE STATUS? Yep, American Airlines is finally doing something that we have always thought was a bright idea: selling elite status. Based on your current status and earned miles, you can purchase AAdvantage gold or platinum status for $450 to $750. To get gold, you must have banked at least 15,000 elite qualifying miles. To get platinum, you need at least 30,000. (Hey Delta, are you listening?)

PRIORITY CLUB DOUBLE. InterConti's Priority Club is offering double points or airline miles to those staying at least twice between Jan 17 and Apr 30 at any InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn or HI Express. To get the bonus, you must first register.   

CAR RENTAL NEWS

ENTERPRISE GETTING PICKY?  A series of columns in the Washington Post infer that Enterprise Car Rental could be encouraging the practice of charging customers for minor scuffs and scratches to its cars. The Post columnist wrote about a single reader who felt overcharged for three small scuffs on an Enterprise rental. Shortly after that was published, the columnist wrote, "Copycat reader feedback to a column isn't unusual, but rarely are almost all the follow-up complaints about the same company doing the same thing, as in this case." When Enterprise was contacted, they said that the feedback was unacceptable on many levels and promised an internal investigation. We at THE TICKET laud Enterprise for its no-nonsense, low-cost and simple approach to car rental, but we are a little bewildered at this nugget of news. Stay tuned. . .

TASTE OF THE TICKET

BOTTOMLESS GLASS OF WINE? "Our server quickly suggested their Friday night promotion, the “Bottomless Glass of Wine”. You pay one price (with no limit to how much wine you order) and get a selection of up to 40 different wines.  What a deal – and on a Friday night?  We were sold!" gushes our fearless taste-tester.

Wanna check it out? Then check out this month’s “Taste of The TICKET” and see what she says about this north-of-the-border (Alpharetta) castle in her latest dispatch from the Hotlanta food scene. See the TASTE OF THE TICKET  

HOTEL NEWS:  

HOTEL RENOVATIONS. With the hotel industry rebounding and firmly in the black, many properties are now embarking on long-overdue re-habs. As a matter of fact, the Wall Street Journal reports that the hotel industry will raise its spending on renovations by 37% next year to $4.1 billion compared with $3 billion this year. You can expect improvements like more high-speed internet, flat screen TV's, improved bedding and bigger, brighter bathrooms. TIP: This means you should ALWAYS ASK about nearby renovation noise when checking in your hotel. Nothing is worse than the sound of a drill or jackhammer when you are trying to work, nap or sleep in your room.

HYATT NEWS. In an unusual move, Hyatt Hotels recently purchased Amerisuites, an all-suite limited service hotel brand. The move is unusual because until this point, Hyatt prided itself as one of the few hotel companies focusing solely on the full-service (Regency) and luxury (Grand and Park) segments.

SKIING DEAL 

UTAH: To encourage out-of-towners to stay a little longer, the Salt Lake City Convention and Visitors Bureau is offering the "Ski Salt Lake Super Pass." For prices as low as $42, the pass includes an all day lift ticket at Alta, Brighton, Snowbird or Solitude, plus round trip travel to the nearby resorts on either bus or the city's light rail system. (Not a bad deal considering standard all-day tickets usually run from $50 to $60.) It's only available to travelers from out-of-state who are staying at 75+ participating hotels-- ask about it at when you make your hotel reservation or see visitsaltlake.com. Another great deal for business travelers who may want to arrive early and get in a few days on the slopes before getting down to business in Salt Lake is  the "Quick Start" pass. With it, you'll ski for free on the day your plane lands in Utah if you: 1) go to parkcityinfo.com and print off the Quick Start coupon, and 2) bring the coupon and your same-day airline boarding pass to the lift ticket window at the Canyons, Deer Valley or Park City (about 45 minutes from Salt Lake airport), and pick up your free ski pass for the rest of that day. Peak season blackout dates apply.  

COLORADO: Winter Park and Copper Mountain will sell you two lift tickets for the price of one ($68) if you present them with your Frontier Airlines boarding pass. Good only Monday through Friday, excluding Dec 27-31 and March 14-25.

 NOTICE!! © Copyright 2004, 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  . . .   

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

delta.com  |  Hotwire  |  Orbitz |  Site59

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. 

delta.com  |  Hotwire  |  Orbitz |  Site59

MAILBAG!  

Your thoughtful comments to THE TICKET regarding . . .

SkyMiles Changes:

"What took them so long?" -C Bernstein 

"I am happy to hear that Delta is reducing the amount to redeposit miles to $50. I had planned to redeposit miles on 2 award trips next year. Boy am I glad that I waited..." -Andrea 

"While I applaud Delta on a re-think of their program, I do not think it will entice me back. This past year I divorced Delta and, surprisingly, have had no withdrawal angst." -L Heldt 

"We will fly more in 2005 due to the full MQM on all fares.  Our first booking will be made tonight." -J&C Carr 

"While I understand them dropping the 0.5 multiplier, I am confounded by the drop to 75,000 miles to make Platinum.  Every Platinum I know complains there are already too many and few benefits above being gold. They just made it easier to reach both levels by increasing the multiplier on the cheap fares.  Many of us superflyers have wondered why they didn't create a super platinum level and really recognize those of us that fly every week." -L Belote 

"In calculating the 2005 Medallion status, will the new program apply to the miles traveled in 2004?  In my opinion I would hope that Delta will apply this to the 2004 travels in as much as so many of us could be left out for 2005." -ADA

"Admittedly, I’m biased, but since I am a super high mileage flyer, with lifetime of 3,400,000 miles, I have a different point of view. I would like to see Delta Reward LONG TERM LOYALTY.  They don’t and never have, as SkyMiles is year by year. The drops on the thresholds are not great, as I think the more you fly, the more you should benefit.  I also would like to see something about SkyTeam integration.  There is little now in terms of upgrading, and it stinks." -P Bush

"A couple of weeks ago I made the platinum level at 100k MQM and was concerned about making it in 2005.  I made it to 85k MQM in 2003. So I would guess that I will make platinum in 2005 without too much trouble, but so will a ton of other people.  The crown rooms are already crowded so there is a good chance this will make it worse. Anyway this will be easier to understand and calculate." -Gary A 

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 and look for your postings in the NEXT issue of THE TICKET