DELTA BRINGS WI-FI TO REGIONAL JETS. Delta is bringing wireless Internet access to its fleet of 70-90 passenger EMB-170, CRJ-700 and CRJ-900 Delta Connection aircraft. This industry first for a U.S. carrier will help ease the pain of flying on those smaller, cute-but-cramped “Barbie jets” (as we like to call them around here). Anyway, don’t expect to enjoy the free Wi-Fi that Google is offering during the holiday season on Delta mainline flights. Retrofits will begin next month and should take all year to complete as each aircraft takes its turn getting the antennas. As of now, each of Delta’s mainline aircraft is fitted with wireless Internet. Both Air Tran and Delta offer 100 percent Wi-Fi equipped planes keeping Atlanta travelers connected in the air. I’m glad to know that Wi-Fi’s an option on Delta’s RJs, but I rarely use it for flights less than two hours. And have you tried to open up and work on a laptop on a Barbie jet? Maybe Delta’s doing this for those using tablets and PDAs… What do YOU think? Leave your comments below.
DELTA PREMIUM ECONOMY. As reported earlier in The TICKET, Delta is reportedly introducing a new premium economy product on its international aircraft. More rumors have emerged hinting that it will be closer to United’s Economy Plus product rather than a separate cabin with individual service– with more leg room, but no different than the rest of the economy cabin. While details are still being fleshed out, it’s certain that there will be a slight premium to purchase these seats, but Delta’s Medallion and SkyTeam Elite/Elite Plus members will likely be able to select seats in these rows without a fee.
MAJOR MEMBERSHIP REWARDS BONUS OPPORTUNITY. Participants in American Express’ Membership Rewards program can take advantage of one of its best mileage transfer deals ever this month. Move points from the AMEX program to SkyMiles and receive a 50% bonus on miles plus 25,000 MQMs if transferring 50,000 points or more. A small fee is incurred when transferring miles. Hurry, the promotion ends Dec. 15. https://www.delta.com/pet/gofarther/pet/main
CONTRIBUTE TO TO A CAUSE, EARN MQM MILES. Check this out! SkyMiles members hoping to top off accounts with Medallion Qualifying Miles this year can donate to a variety of causes, including AID Atlanta, and earn 2500-5000 MQMs. Not bad! Details.
DOUBLE SKYMILES ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. Bonus SkyMiles abound this winter especially for international travelers. To celebrate Delta’s joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia, it’s offering double miles no matter what class of service is flown. Registration is required: https://www.delta.com/pet/transatlanticdouble/pet/main. Routes include JFK-Brussels, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Madrid, and Manchester; Dallas/Ft. Worth-Amsterdam; Houston-Amsterdam and Paris; and Seattle-Paris among others. You might have to take a circuitous route, but you’ll rack up miles twice as fast on transatlantic trips thanks to this excellent deal.
GOLD MEDALLION = SKYTEAM ELITE PLUS. Delta insiders have told The TICKET that it will be making a major change to the Gold Medallion frequent flyer elite level in March 2011 when it elevates the tier to SkyTeam Elite Plus status. This puts SkyTeam in line with other alliances like Star Alliance, which consider flyers with 50,000 annual miles to be in their alliance’s highest tier. Privileges of SkyTeam Elite Plus include increased baggage allowance with some carriers and access to any SkyTeam carrier’s lounge when traveling on an international SkyTeam ticket (no matter the class of service). NOTE: Remember to always carry your Medallion card as it is required to gain entry in conjunction with a same-day departing SkyTeam boarding pass.
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NEW “LITE” VERSION OF SKY CLUB? Rumors are in the air about a new concept dubbed “Sky Club Lite,” which would be a scaled-down version of the existing Sky Club product in cities that may not be able to justify the expense of a full-service Sky Club. While still under consideration, the club will most likely be “unmanned,” and offer a self-service drink and snack station. No decisions have been made regarding what the product would be and how it would be accessed if implemented. Fifteen airports across the system are reportedly under consideration for the offering, but no official date has been set for a decision. This concept was in use in the 1980s when airlines offered private club rooms to premium customers who accessed them by entering a pin code at the door.
SKY CLUB COMING TO ATL CONCOURSE D. Sky Club members have something else to look forward to in the coming year: Delta is apparently building a Sky Club in ATL’s D Concourse. The concourse is served by Delta Connection regional jets, and is the only terminal at the airport that lacks a SkyClub. Previously, passengers had no lounge option when flying from D gates, but the new club will provide a self-service bar and snack stations. The club will be located on the ground level near departure gates, but no completion date has been set.
Note the iPads at each table in this mock up of Delta’s Bar Brace at La Guardia
HIGH TECH GATE GRUB AT JFK. Delta has installed special iPad kiosks near boarding gates 15, 21 and 22 at JFK that allow passengers to place orders at various gourmet eateries in the terminal for guaranteed delivery within ten minutes at the gate. Special seating areas near the gate feature charging stations and allow you to enjoy an expedited meal near the gate rather than take too much time in the actual restaurant. Expect similar service at New York LaGuardia (gates 1 and 2) sometime next spring.
CAR SERVICE IN NYC. Nothing is worse than flying up to NYC during the winter and facing an hour-long wait in a taxicab queue. At this time of year, we ALWAYS use a car service. The cheapest one with the most reliable service that we’ve used over the years: Dial 7. Memorize its number: 212-777-7777. Rates from airport to city typically run only $5 or so more than taxi fares. Cars are not always brand new and shiny, but they get the job done. Many times you can call as soon as you land and get a car at the last minute, but we recommend a reservation. DO YOU USE A CAR SERVICE? If you’d like to recommend others, please do so in the comments box below.
DELTA EXPANDING OUT WEST. Delta is boosting its point-to-point network further with the addition of B737 nonstop flights between Las Vegas and Orange County beginning in January.
NEW SKYTEAM PARTNERS. In 2012 both Garuda Indonesia and Aerolineas Argentinas will join the SkyTeam alliance. Despite a spotty safety record, Garuda has made a big turnaround recently and was named the “World’s Most Improved Airline” in 2010 by SkyTrax. It’s been a somewhat bumpy ride for Aerolineas Argentinas in recent years, too, which lead to a nationalization (and stabilization) of the carrier two years ago.
VIETNAM? ROMANIA? GET A BONUS. Speaking of SkyTeam, travelers flying on two of the alliance’s newest members, Vietnam Airlines and TAROM Romanian Airlines, can take advantage of a unique promotion that offers 3,000 bonus SkyMiles for your first roundtrip international flight on either of the airlines. Registration is required at https://www.delta.com/pet/tarombonus/pet/main for TAROM and https://www.delta.com/pet/vietnambonus/pet/main for Vietnam Airlines. Both members joined the alliance this past summer and offer excellent award availability for those looking to redeem frequent flyer miles. Unfortunately, the only way to find out which flights are available for award redemption is by calling Delta directly as delta.com does include these partners yet.
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I use the wifi on the plane all the time, and will look forward to having it on RJ’s as well. Not everyone knows that there are some special rates if you only fly a single airline. For example, for $19.99 you can get a month of service for a mobile device, such as IPad or IPhone. For $29.99 you can get a month’s worth for a laptop. They don’t always advertise those rates. If you fly 10 times or more a month it becomes very cheap. One issue I have is that only domestic planes currently have wifi, so if you happen to get on a plane that is normally used for international service, but may be going from Atlanta to LAX, it won’t have wifi. There’s talk of enabling wifi on international flights as well so maybe one day that restriction will go away.