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AIRLINE
NEWS
FUEL
PRICES. It looks like higher fuel costs are taking the
shine off the sunny forecasts for summer travel—and the
airlines are scrambling to stem losses. Continental raised
fares $20 to $40 on all roundtrip fares—the highest attempt
so far. (As we go to print, United, Delta and American have
matched this increase on many-- but not all routes.) Other
airlines have recently tacked on an additional $4 or $5 to
help defray increased fuel costs. Jet-fuel
prices—the second largest expense for airlines-- have
climbed about 34 percent since April 1 to more than $1.23 a
gallon. Whether or not this latest increase
"sticks," you can expect airfares to increase
eventually . . .
PRESIDENTIAL
ASSISTANCE?
Many carriers are now asking President Bush to siphon off gas
headed toward to strategic petroleum reserve to help lower jet
fuel prices—but Bush has so far said no to that. (Last time
oil ran over $40 per barrel was in 1990 when Daddy Bush was in
office . . . hmmm.)
INDEPENDENCE
AT ATL.
Independence Air—which is rising from the ashes of Atlantic
Coast Airlines at Washington, DC's Dulles International-- will
launch eight daily round trips to ATL on June 16 with one way
fares
ranging from $79 (adv purchase) to $146 (walk up). It says it
will have 16 daily round trips by August, using 50 passenger
regional jets—the first low cost airline to utilize the
smaller aircraft. See www.flyi.com.
ATL
ON-TIME IMPROVING.
ASA has pulled itself from its long term rut at the bottom of
the DOT's On-Time Performance rankings to SECOND place in the
most recent report. AirTran, which had not fared much better,
came in fourth, and Delta remained in the middle of the pack
at ninth place. Overall, flights arrived on time at Hart-Jack
nearly 84% of the time.
MORE
PLANES.
AirTran has ordered an additional six Boeing 717's to beef up
its current fleet of 76 717's. Later this summer, AirTran will
begin taking delivery of its new 737's which it will use for
longer stage west coast runs.
UNITED
PUFFS UP FIRST.
United Airlines recently sent members of it Mileage Plus
program an email announcing that the carrier was "taking
a step back in time to the days of more luxurious air
travel" by adding things to its first class domestic
service like hot towels, linen tray table liners, warmed nuts,
hot meals and ice cream sundaes. (The last time we can
remember a bankrupt carrier enhancing first class was when
Eastern expanded the first class section on all its planes
back in 1989—and then shut down two years later. . .)
United's emergence from bankruptcy still seems as murky as
ever. Stay tuned . . .
SO
LONG PITT. Beleaguered
US Airways, which now says that it will take the focus off its
hubs and instead try and become a "point to point"
carrier like Southwest, is expected to dramatically reduce the
number of flights at Pittsburgh International. No word yet on
the fate of Charlotte, the carrier's largest hub. Facing new
competition from Southwest in Philly, US Airways has announced
new "Go" fares, which mimic Southwest's easy to
understand, no-nonsense fare structure, which does not require
Saturday night stayovers or other nonsensical restrictions
that the legacy carriers cling to where they are able.
WHO'S
LUCKY?
Check out TICKET Editor
Chris
McGinnis's CNN.com column which lists the country's
luckiest and unluckiest cities when it comes to low fares.
HOURLY
IS BACK.
Citing increasing demand, Delta has resumed its hourly flights
between ATL and NYC-LaGuardia and Washington-Reagan, and
starting June 1, to Philadelphia. Hourly service was pared
back when travel demand dipped in recent years, and remains
pared between ATL and Chicago and Boston.
ALL
IN THE NUMBERS.
The Atlanta Business Chronicle recently ran a well-researched
article with some very interesting numbers that explain the
wide financial divide between Atlanta's two largest carriers:
·
Delta
has $20.6 billion in debt and pilot costs that are 50 to 60
percent higher than elsewhere in the industry. AirTran has a
relatively small $250 million in debt and pilot wages and
employee costs that are among the lowest in the industry.
·
Delta's
revenues last year were $13.3 billion, and its net loss for
the year was $790 million. Last year, AirTran posted a profit
of $100 million on revenues of $918 million, making it one of
the best-performing carriers in the industry.
- Stock
in AirTran has been one of the best performers in the
industry during the past five years, going from about $5 a
share to the $12.50 range today. AirTran's market cap is
now $1.4 billion, almost double that of rival Delta's $570
million market cap. Delta stock has gone from $60 a share
five years ago to the $4.50 range today.
NW-CO DELAY SKYTEAM ENTRY. While SkyTeam never announced an "official" date
for Northwest and Continental to join the club, it was widely
reported to be May 1. With the passing of that date, we
queried SkyTeam and received the following answer. "Plans
are on track for Continental, Northwest and KLM to join
SkyTeam later this year. Until recently, the
alliance never set an official date, but as Air France said in
its press release dated May 5, the official joining is
currently slated for
mid-September." Continental said, "It basically boils down to getting necessary systems and
procedures to match between airlines so the customer has the
feeling of seamlessness and consistency on various services -
hopefully from the very first day. So we are
taking extra time to make sure that the product delivery
meshes properly. Everything else is in place
in terms of our commitment, business relationships, etc."
SONGS ON SONG. Delta's low-fare subsidiary has completed the installation
of the entertainment systems at each seat in its 36
jets—offering live TV, music, talk and games to all
passengers. Eventually, the units will offer pay-per-view
movies. Song has
also announced in interesting plan designed to make its
customers "nicer." Flight attendants have been given
four coupons each that are good for one round trip flight.
When the FA observes a passenger "being nice" to a
fellow passenger, he or she can bestow the freebie. (We wonder
how many tickets will be given to those "being nice"
to flight attendants instead of being nice to each other . .
.) Song offers two flights a day between ATL and New York-JFK.
SORRY,
BUT . . .
Despite Delta's tough times, it's hard to find much sympathy
among TICKET readers who responded to our query as to whether
or not their attitude about Delta had changed due to the
gravity of its financial situation. Check out the MAILBAG at
the end of this issue for a sampling of responses.
AIRPORT
NEWS
MONDAY
MORNING WARNING. By
now, everyone has heard about the awful delays at security
checkpoints at Hartsfield, and they are only expected to get
worse as the peak summer travel season unfolds. In many cases,
the airport will open up ALL lines, including those normally
reserved for elite frequent travelers, to everyone. BEST
ADVICE: Avoid early Monday morning departures like the plague.
Just don't do it. Or fly out Sunday night, or drive. Although
the TSA says that it will hire additional screeners to meet
demand, don't count on it making much difference. The only
other day that is bad for morning departures it
SATURDAY—when the airport fills with those taking last
minute weekend trips. ALSO:
beware of the TUESDAY after Memorial Day--June 1.
Morning gridlock is almost a certainty.
CROWDS
ARE BACK. Expect Hart-Jack parking lots to fill up fast as the peak
summer travel season approaches. 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.
MIDWAY
OR O'HARE? From Gene Maggard: "In your recent issue you mentioned Midway as an
alternative to O'Hare in Chicago. One key reason I fly
to O'Hare is the early morning flight that departs at 6:30 and
arrives at 7:30. And while you mentioned the train
connection from Midway to downtown, the Blue Line train is
closer to the terminals in O'Hare, and indoors (you have to
walk outdoors at Midway to get to the train--quite cold in the
winter and sweaty in the summer), and the Blue Line only takes 10
minutes longer to get to the Loop than the Midway train. I
know they are cutting back some flights and there are delays
at O'Hare, but if you need to do business in Chicago before
11:00 am, Midway is not an option. Love your newsletter!
FREE
PARKING. ATL is offering a free first day (worth $9) to those parking
at on-airport Park-Ride lots for at least 4 days. To get the
deal, which is good through May 31, you must first print
the coupon here.
SAFETY AND SECURITY
NEWS
 BEWARE
OF SHADY SCREENERS. A
security screener at Denver International Airport was recently
arrested after a passenger complained he stole $400 from his
wallet. The passenger says he put his wallet through the x-ray
machine, and when he retrieved it, four one hundred dollar
bills were missing. It’s the second such arrest in
Denver this year according to the Denver Post. Also, four TSA
screeners at Detroit Metro Airport were indicted on charges of
stealing laptops, cameras and other electronic equipment last
fall. Apparently, the screeners took
the valuables from checked passenger bags when they were being
screened behind the scenes. We are frankly surprised that
people in Detroit were actually packing and things like
laptops or cameras! That’s a huge no-no as the airlines and
the TSA accept NO LIABILITY at all for the loss or damage of
valuables like electronics, cameras, jewelry, cash, or furs.
That means if you pack it, check it, and it disappears, you
get nothing from the airline. NADA!
FREQUENT
FLYER NEWS
PROBLEMS
REDEEMING?
We are getting an increasing number of emails like the
following from J Sinton. Have you experienced similar problems
redeeming tickets? Let
us know. "Many frequent fliers are saying Delta's
award tickets on desirable routes are actually non-existent.
Fraud is a word I heard twice last week when comparing notes
with other high-mileage flyers who have only been able to get
Sky Choice tickets (2X miles)."
NICE
TOUCH.
Hilton HHonors members can now check hotel availability and
book reward reservations using their HHonors points at www.hiltonhhonors.com.
DINE
OUT BONUS. From May 1 through Jul 31, you can earn up to 1,000 SkyMiles with iDine. Just
dine out three times and you’ll earn 500 mile bonus. Dine
out another two times, for a total of 5 dines in the bonus
period, and get another 500 miles. This bonus is in addition
to the five or ten miles per dollar spent you earn.
Registration is required and each dining ticket must be over
$25 to qualify for the bonus offer. To get in on this, you
have to register. Some popular in-town spots where
you’ll earn miles include: Einstein's, Joe’s on Juniper,
Front Page News. Buckhead: Cheyenne Grill, Eclipse de
Luna, Chopstix, and Johnny’s Hideaway. North:
Buffaloes, Mouth of the South, Il Forno, McKendricks
Steakhouse.)
MILES FOR MEALS.
Delta will give you a 500 SkyMile bonus on your first order of
inflight fare if you use your American Express card to pay.
Good from Apr 1 to Jul 31.
TASTE
OF THE TICKET
The AJC recently said that this north metro N'awlins outpost has
"perfect beignets and café au lait plus classic Creole
dishes..."
Check
out this month’s “Taste” and see if our fearless
taste-tester agrees in her latest dispatch from the Hotlanta
food scene. See the TASTE
OF THE TICKET
SEE
MAILBAG BELOW!! > > > >
INTERNATIONAL
CODE SCARE. Delta recently announced a code-share agreement
with Taiwan's China Airlines. Shortly thereafter, Frommers.com
included this worrisome blurb: "We've railed before
about codesharing, the airlines' practice of
'pretending' that another airline's flights are theirs for
marketing purposes. While airlines say codesharing improves
travelers' options by merging airlines' networks, we think it
confuses travelers and teeters on the edge of becoming
flat-out false advertising. Occasionally, codesharing can even
put travelers' safety in question. We're disturbed by Delta's
announcement this week that they're going to start selling
tickets on Taiwan's China Airlines as Delta tickets. While it
often has very low fares, China Airlines also has one of the
worst safety records in the industrialized world. China
Airlines has had more than thirty times Delta's fatal accident
rate per flights flown. And China Airlines' problems aren't
buried in the past, and aren't caused by one bad crash. The
airline had fatal crashes in 1998, 1999, and 2002."
SKYTEAM
UPGRADES?
From Timothy Smith: "Fly Star Alliance and upgrade
practically on any airline with your miles from one airline.
Can't do that with SkyTeam and that's a BIG negative.
I have tons of miles with Delta and buy an
Atlanta-Seoul ticket on KAL for a cool $1500 or so and there
is no possible upgrade. Not
even for a full-fare. Not on any Delta codeshares with Korean.
What a scam and a shame. Hey SkyTeam, what about your
'Caring More for You' trademark slogan?
Let's upgrade that SkyTeam Upgrade Policy!"
SAVE
$5000! BUSINESS CLASS TO PARIS.
From Joel DeRoy: "You may want to let your readers know
that Delta's Business Elite to Europe is currently on sale for
about $2,200.00 round trip (ATL-CDG). I am not sure
until when this sale will be up, but it is a good deal.
We actually booked our flight out on Delta's Air France code
share, and are hoping AF will have introduced their new
business class cabin by then. (TICKET Ed NOTE: On May 20, we
were still able to find a biz class fare of $2200 roundtrip on
airfrance.com, but not on delta.com. These fares normally run
in the $7000 ranges, so this is a great value.)
COOL
NEW TUNNEL.
Construction of a tunnel and rail system under the Bosporus
straight to connect Europe and Asia began this month in
Istanbul, Turkey. The 13.7
kilometer, (8.5 mile) tunnel, some 1,400 meters underwater,
should be completed in 2008.
COMMISSIONS
AND SKYMILES.
From Steve Luben: "Air Jamaica is one of a very few
airlines in the U.S. to offer commissions to travel agents.
Air Jamaica never joined the rush of airlines in the
mid-90s that did away with such rewards for travel
professionals. Additionally, when purchasing Air Jamaica
tickets from any of 12 U.S. gateways to any of 14 Air Jamaica
destinations, SkyMiles members or their agents simply give
their SkyMiles number when booking to receive credit in the
program."
TECHNOMADS:
HIGH ALTITUDE HOTSPOT.
On flights between Los Angeles and Munich, Lufthansa now
offers high-speed Internet access onboard using a system
called Connexion by Boeing. Passengers log on for $30 per
long-haul flight or opt for the metered price of $10 for the
first 30 minutes, then 25 cents per minute afterward.
Unfortunately for Americans, no U.S. carriers offer the
service, which can cost up to $1 million per aircraft.
However, in addition to Lufthansa, Connexion by Boeing has
definitive service agreements with Scandinavian Airlines
Systems, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways for
installation. Singapore and China airlines also have announced
their intention to install the Connexion service on their
long-haul aircraft.
COOL DIG-E-PLAYER.
Now that Alaska Airlines is making transcontinental runs
across the United States, it is offering a new  in-flight
entertainment option called a digEplayer. It's a
battery-operated portable entertainment unit with a big hard
drive and a 7-inch screen, made by APS Inc. of Tacoma,
Washington. Each player is loaded with 30 full-length movies,
hours of music, cartoons, sitcoms and destination information.
To get a digEplayer, you can pick one up at the gate. But
since they sell out frequently, you may want to reserve it
online before your flight. Alaska Airlines offers the player
free for first-class passengers. For coach-class passengers,
the fee is $10. Hawaiian Airlines also is offering the
digEplayer on flights between Hawaii and the mainland.
NICE TOUCH AT AA.com. Did you know AA.com has a "Hold"
feature that allows you to place eligible reservations on hold
for up to 24 hours without entering your credit card
information? If your fare qualifies, there will be a
"Hold" button at the bottom of the "Flight
Summary" page during your booking process. This option
offers you great flexibility to firm up your travel plans with
family or colleagues before purchasing your tickets online.
CALL IN/LOG ON FOR $16. Westin Hotels now offer unlimited 24-hour
high-speed Internet access, local, toll-free and domestic long
distance phone calls for a flat rate of $16 per day** in its
65 hotels in the United States. (While many hotels offer the
high-speed access for free, the addition of free long distance
is nice—although most business travelers now use their cell
phones for in-room long distance calls.)
MISCELLANY:
UPS AND DOWNS.
The Travel Industry Association of America's Summer Travel
Forecast predicts across-the-board gains in key travel
indicators through August-- leisure travel should grow by 3.2
percent this summer, almost a full percentage point greater
than in 2003. And business travel, in decline since 1999, is
expected to rebound with a 5.7 percent increase over last
summer. (However, we think that rising auto gas and jet fuel
prices could result in steep inflation in travel costs, which
could crimp expected growth. Stay tuned . . .)
DINERS
COMING BACK?
Diners Club and MasterCard are teaming up to provide enhanced
global acceptance of Diners Club cards. The alliance allows
Diners Club cards to be reissued with the MasterCard brand on
the front of the card in order to function as MasterCard
cards. These cards would be accepted at the more than 22
million merchant locations worldwide where MasterCard credit
cards are accepted.
Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA
LINKS
FROM THE TICKET!
delta.com
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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
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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 . . .
MAILBAG!
Your
thoughtful responses to our query last month in THE TICKET
regarding whether or not your attitude about Delta has changed
in light of its precarious financial situation:
From
J. Dawsey: Delta
as a brand was long ago pillaged and plundered. Over the
years, I have alternately felt sorry for the company and its
hardworking average employees, and yet been infuriated that
they really do take Atlanta customers for granted.
From
K. Ewing:
Delta no longer deserves the bashing, but the pilot's union
sure does. Now
they are insisting on bringing back over 1000 furloughed
pilots since "the load factor exceeds pre-9/11
levels". Is
this in pure numbers or percentages?
And, they want their 4.5% raise too?
What planet are they living on?
What does it take to get them to understand the pure
economics of their situation?
I'd like to see just one of them find a job in any
other sector of business that would pay them half of what they
earn. The pilots
have finally lost their minds.
From
S. Gaskins:
I certainly won't shed any tears for Delta's situation.
Delta has monopolized Hartsfield-Jackson for years, and I
welcome the shake-up. From arrogant ticket agents
to surly flight attendants, I've had enough. The last
straw for me was when Delta diluted their medallion program.
Within a year I went from gold medallion to no medallion.
It's really hard to feel sorry for an airline that rewards top
level officers with huge perks and pay packages and exiting
high-level management with golden parachutes.
From T. Duncan: I now consider Delta just another discounted airline with
little benefits. It is not my fault they have the highest paid
pilots but yet I am suffering in lack of service. When are
companies going to realize that eventually the customer will
have its say? I think Delta owes Atlanta a debt of gratitude.
From F. Smessaert: I feel bad for the counter agents and flight attendants who
have to enforce the ridiculous policies set forth by
management. I suggest Delta management spend some time with
actual clients to see what is going on in the trenches or fly
Southwest or Jet Blue for an example of how it should be done.
From J. Maltby: As the Delta team scrambles to hold the company together and
avoid bankruptcy, I hope they will work as a unified group to
untangle years of management mistakes, clear out the dead
wood, and become a more focused and stronger airline…one who
remembers who brought them to the party. As a proud Atlanta
native I certainly hope Delta makes it through this difficult
time and becomes a better airline through the process.
From Ken: Delta is getting exactly what it
deserves! Delta’s customer service has been awful these past
few years. As a business traveler you would think they would
try to keep our business, instead they have made it almost
impossible to get those nice upgrades and perks that made it
fun to fly Delta. Why should I even try anymore? Instead I
just fly Air Tran and upgrade to business at the gate for an
extra $35.
From
S. Fleming:
I grew up with Delta. My
uncle flew for Delta. My
cousin flies for Delta. Two
other relatives worked in Delta management.
I used to date a Delta flight attendant.
I have over a million Delta SkyMiles. And I'm flying
AirTran these days. Let them go bankrupt, let AirTran buy the
assets out of bankruptcy, and then move their headquarters
here from Orlando. AirTran
can adopt the Delta logo and we can be proud of our hometown
carrier again...
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 ticketatl@travelskills.com and look for your postings in the NEXT issue of THE
TICKET.
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
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 . . .
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