TravelSkills

News and Tips For Your Trips

Routes: End of Delta West Coast shuttles + Another carrier to Hawaii + Alaska, United, American

Flying the Delta California Shuttle from SFO to LAX on an Embraer jet (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In domestic route news, Delta puts an end to the Shuttle brand for key West Coast routes; Alaska adds a pair of new San Diego markets; United expands Hawaii service from its Denver hub; American is adding regional/seasonal service next summer from O’Hare, DFW and elsewhere; Sun Country comes to Hawaii; JetBlue adds a New England route – and a new fee; OneJet takes on an intrastate market in New York; and Spirit grows at Ft. Lauderdale.

Starting next week, Delta plans to phase out its specially-branded West Coast Shuttle service, which operates on the San Francisco-Seattle, SFO-Los Angeles and Seattle-Los Angeles routes. It’s not taking the flights away – although it might trim some frequencies – just folding them into its regular schedules, and and starting next summer, switching from its Delta Connection fleet of Embraer aircraft to Delta mainline jets. It will likely end some of the little perks that the Shuttle branding promised, like free drinks in the main cabin, gates close to the security checkpoint, special check-in counters, local craft beers and free Luvo snacks. Why is Delta making the change? A spokesperson said this was “based on several factors, including a review of the competitive landscape, customer survey data and ongoing facility improvements at LAX and Sea-Tac, these changes will allow Delta to offer a more consistent experience, which is highly valued by our customers.” The change will not affect Delta’s East Coast Shuttle operation out of New York LaGuardia to Boston, Washington D.C. and Chicago – although those flights recently moved from LGA’s Marine Air Terminal to Terminal C.

In the latest phase of its growth plan at San Diego, Alaska Airlines this month launched new daily flights from SAN to both Kansas City and St. Louis. In the past four months, the airline has boosted its San Diego presence with new daily flights to Omaha, Austin, Albuquerque, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. In mid-February, Alaska will add daily service from SAN to Dallas Love Field.

United is boosting Hawaii service from Denver International. (Image: Jim Glab)

United is boosting schedules to Hawaii from its Denver hub. It already offered daily flights from DEN to Honolulu, but in the New Year it will expand frequencies to other islands as well, offering daily non-stops year-round from DEN to Kahului, Maui; to Kona on the Big Island; and to Lihue, Kauai. Previously, United’s schedules offered daily or almost-daily service on those routes during some winter and summer months, but frequencies varied at other times of the year, ranging from six flights a week to one a week to none at all.

The latest schedule filings from American Airlines show new service coming on several domestic routes next summer, all using regional jets operated by partners Envoy Air, ExpressJet, Republic and PSA. The new service includes six daily roundtrips between Philadelphia and New York JFK starting April 3; seasonal daily service from Miami and Chicago O’Hare to Savannah, Ga., starting June 7; twice-daily O’Hare-Burlington, Vt. Service from June 7-Septeber 4; daily service from O’Hare to Charleston, S.C., starting May 4; daily O’Hare-Missoula, Mont. flights from June 7-September 4; twice-daily service from O’Hare to Portland, Me., from June 7-October 3; and a daily flight from O’Hare to Wilmington, N.C., from June 7-September 4. Also on the schedule is new daily service from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Missoula starting June 8.

A Sun Country Airlines 737. (Image: Sun Country)

Just after its acquisition this month by a New York-based investment group, Minnesota’s Sun Country Airlines announced plans to begin service to Honolulu, although on a limited basis. The carrier will offer service from its Minneapolis-St. Paul home base to Honolulu via a stop in Los Angeles, but only four days a week, and only from May 19 through August 19. Sun Country will also introduce new service from MSP to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, operating twice a week from April 6-June 4.

Although Worcester, Mass., isn’t all that far from Boston, it does have its own airport, which is served by only one carrier – JetBlue.  In addition to its existing flights from Worcester Regional Airport to Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, JetBlue said it will add daily Embraer 190 flights between Worcester and New York JFK on May 3. In other news, JetBlue has added a new $75 fee for travelers who want to stand by for a seat on a flight earlier or later in the day than their schedule departure.

For the past seven years, it hasn’t been possible to fly non-stop across New York State from Buffalo to Albany. But that possibility will return on February 1 when public charter operator OneJet plans to begin twice-daily service on the route with ERJ-135 regional jets – larger aircraft than the seven- or eight-seat Hawker 400XP business jets that OneJet usually uses.

Spirit Airlines has announced plans for an expansion at Ft. Lauderdale, beginning new daily service to Columbus, Ohio, on February 15, followed by daily flights from FLL to Richmond, Va., starting March 15, and seasonal daily service from FLL to Seattle beginning April 12.

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Airport news: Tasty upgrades at SFO, LAX + LaGuardia SkyClub + Newark rebuild + more

tartine lemon tart

Don’t miss the lemon cream tarts at Tartine Bakery at SFO…or in the Mission (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In airport news, San Francisco travelers can look forward to some enticing new food and beverage options in the international terminal; American opens its latest Flagship Lounge at Los Angeles International; there’s a new Delta Sky Club at New York LaGuardia; funds are approved for a rebuild of Newark’s Terminal A; and Dallas/Ft. Worth gets a big new duty-free area.

A summer 2018 debut is expected for a new Manufactory Food Hall in San Francisco International’s International Terminal, with airport versions of three renowned local eateries. Located before security and close to Boarding Area A, the new outlets in the 3,200 square foot food hall will include Cala, Kin Khao, and Tartine. The Mexican cuisine at chef Gabriela Camara’s Cala will feature breakfast tortas, tacos, tostadas and salads using local produce.  The new airport outpost of downtown San Francisco’s Michelin-starred Kin Khao, from chef Pim Techamuanvivit, will include Thai specialties like rice bowls, noodle dishes, and both meat and vegan options. Tartine (one of my favorites!) will be a sibling of the Tartine Bakery & Cafe in the Mission District, specializing in baked goods – but also offering a cocktail bar and a coffee bar. (If they have lemon tarts, get one! Best pastry ever!)

American’s new Flagship Lounges have hot and cold self-service buffets. (Image: American)

American Airlines has opened its newest Flagship Lounge at Los Angeles International, following similar openings in recent months at New York JFK, Chicago O’Hare and Miami International. The LAX facility is in Terminal 4, with the same entrance as the Admirals Club; and like the other Flagship Lounges, it is intended for use by international first and business class travelers on American and its Oneworld partner carriers. It has a big buffet dining area, a self-serve bar and lots of champagne – all at no charge. Comfortable chairs have USB and AC power plugs, and the facility has free Wi-Fi throughout. There’s also a business zone with computers and printers, a TV viewing area, and a quiet zone. The LAX Flagship Lounge also features a Flagship First Dining area with table service, for first class international and transcontinental passengers.

Following the recent consolidation of its operations at New York LaGuardia’s Terminals C and D, Delta has cut the ribbon on a new Sky Club in Terminal C. It’s located next to Gate C28, just past security. Delta also has another Sky Club in Terminal C and one in Terminal D. The new Sky Club has a bar with free drinks (and premium brands for a fee) and a selection of food offerings, along with plenty of seating and good runway views. “Further enhancements to the new Club are planned,” Delta said.

The big new TRG Duty Free facility at Dallas/Ft. Worth’s Terminal D. (Image: CBI Retail Ventures)

Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport’s Terminal D has a brand new duty-free shopping venue. The new TRG Duty Free is a 19,000 square foot, two-level store developed by CBI Retail Ventures, which modestly calls it “the single largest and most technologically advanced duty-free store in the Western Hemisphere.” The facility has a pair of executive mezzanine lounges, lots of digital displays, dozens of iPads, several tasting bars, and all kinds of luxury branded products like Estee Lauder, Dior, Armani, Prada, Gucci, Chanel, Omega, Burberry and more. VIP concierge services are also available.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey this month approved almost $500 million in funding for the start of work on a major (and much needed!) reconstruction of Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport, plus another $250 million for aircraft parking areas and AirTrain station construction at the new terminal. The total rebuilding project is expected to cost $2.3 billion. By the time it partially opens in 2021, the terminal will be called Terminal One instead of Terminal A. The 1-million-square foot terminal will have 33 aircraft gates, and will include “a more efficient roadway network and parking for about 3,000 vehicles,” the Port Authority said. The agency also approved spending $8 million on a feasibility study for a consolidated rental car facility at EWR. The first phase of the terminal project will include “extensive paving work and the milling of existing pavement; the demolition of buildings, concourses and satellites; installation of a new drainage system; construction of four new bridge structures, and taxi lane lighting and new curbing,” the Port Authority said.

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Routes: Hawaiian, Alaska to Hawaii + American, JetBlue, Spirit

First class cabin on Hawaiian’s A321neo, coming to a new San Diego-Maui route in 2018. (Image: Hawaiian)

In domestic route news, Hawaiian Airlines will increase service to the islands from the West Coast next year; Alaska Airlines is about to begin a new Hawaii route from San Francisco; American adds Oakland as a spoke from a major hub, and plans several other new routes; JetBlue adds more transcontinental Mint service this month; and Spirit unveils 10 new domestic route starting next spring.

Hawaiian Airlines, which is on the verge of beginning commercial service with its new Airbus A321neos, said it will use the planes to expand service from the West Coast next year. The airline will add a new route on May 1 between San Diego and Kahului Airport on Maui using an A321neo, and will begin extra seasonal summer flights with the aircraft (in addition to its regular schedule) between San Francisco and Honolulu from May 26 through July 31, and between Oakland and Kona from May 26 through September 2. The carrier has also scheduled an extra seasonal flight between Los Angeles and Kahului, Maui from June 1-August 31, using an A330.

According to FlightGlobal.com, Hawaiian will actually start flying the new A221neos on December 19, deploying them on inter-island routes to familiarize its flight crews with the aircraft. The carrier is due to put the planes into mainland service starting January 8 from Oakland to Maui, and on January 18 from Portland to Maui.

Speaking of Hawaii, Alaska Airlines next week will start flying the last of several new Bay Area routes that it announced earlier this year. On December 14, the carrier will inaugurate daily service between San Francisco and Kona, on the Big Island, using a Virgin America aircraft. The SFO departure time is scheduled for 11 a.m.

American will use an A320 on its new Oakland-DFW route. (Image: Jim Glab)

American Airlines will kick off new Bay Area service next spring. The carrier plans to start daily flights on April 3 between Oakland and its Dallas/Ft. Worth hub, with an 11:50 a.m. departure from OAK and a 9:10 a.m. departure from DFW, using an A320. American also announced some new domestic routes out of its Chicago O’Hare hub starting next spring, including twice-daily ORD-Charleston, S.C. flights beginning May 4; and weekend-only service from ORD to Bangor, Maine and Myrtle Beach, S.C., starting June 7, using American Eagle/Envoy Air CRJ700s. At Phoenix, American will kick off daily flights to Amarillo, Tex. and Oklahoma City on April 3, using Mesa Airlines CRJ900s. On the same date, it will add twice-daily LaGuardia-Portland, Maine service with Enviy Air ERJ140s.

Elsewhere, American’s 2018 schedule includes some new Saturday-only seasonal routes, all flown with regional jets, including DFW-Asheville, N.C., DFW-Myrtle Beach, DFW-Wilmington and Los Angeles-Bozeman, Mont., all operating June 9-August 18; LAX-Flagstaff, Ariz., May 5-September 1; and New York LaGuardia-Traverse City, Mich., June 23-September 2.  Finally, on February 14, the company will terminate its American Eagle/SkyWest service from Phoenix to Bullhead City, Ariz./Laughlin, Nevada, due to a lack of passenger demand.

JetBlue’s lie flat Mint class comes to San Diego-Boston this month. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

The next step in JetBlue’s ongoing expansion of its premium-cabin Mint service, with lie-flat seats, comes on December 10, when the carrier is slated to introduce a Mint-equipped aircraft on one of its daily San Diego-Boston flights, adding a second daily Mint flight on the route starting December 20. It already offers Mint cabins on two daily San Diego-New York JFK flights. Last month, JetBlue added Mint service on two daily New York JFK-Las Vegas flights.

Spirit Airlines unveiled a bunch of new domestic routes that will kick off next spring, including daily year-round service from Baltimore/Washington to Denver beginning March 22; daily year-round flights between Tampa-Los Angeles, Tampa-Las Vegas and Orlando-Las Vegas starting April 12; daily seasonal service from Seattle to Ft. Lauderdale, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Minneapolis-St. Paul beginning April 12; and daily seasonal flights from Detroit to San Diego and Portland kicking off April 23.

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Airlines’ new safety target: Passengers’ ‘smart bags’

Smart bags are the latest generation of high-tech luggage. (Image: Bluesmart Luggage)

Savvy business travelers always try to carry on everything they’ll need on their trips. But if there are occasions when you go on a longer trip and need to check a bag, watch out for brand-new airline rules banning a specific kind of checked luggage: smart bags.

The latest generation of products from luggage manufacturers is incorporating various new technologies into an item that was previously very low-tech. So modern smart bags can provide things like tracking technology, built-in scales, and power ports to juice up your electronic devices on the go. But those functions all require a power source, and that source is generally a lithium-ion battery in the luggage.

The problem with lithium-ion batteries is that they sometimes spontaneously combust – and that means airlines don’t want to take the chance of having them in a baggage hold.

In the past few days, Delta, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines have all issued advisories warning customers that effective January 15, smart bags powered with a lithium-ion battery that cannot be removed will no longer be accepted as checked luggage. If the passenger can take the battery out of the luggage and carry it on, no problem. Otherwise, he has a real problem if he shows up at the airport with one of the now-banned bags.

Airlines don’t want lithium-ion batteries in their luggage holds. (Image: Jim Glab)

“If the customer is able to take the bag into the cabin with them, the customer will be able to leave the battery installed,” American’s advisory said. But Delta said that smart bags with non-removable batteries will not be accepted as a checked or carry-on bag. Likewise at Alaska, “Smart bags will be allowed as carry-on baggage, if they meet carry-on size limits and if it’s possible to remove the battery from the bag if needed,” the company said.

Other airlines are likely to follow suit. So if any of your loved ones are planning to buy a new smart bag as a holiday gift for their favorite frequent traveler, make sure they get one with a removable battery.

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Routes: Air Canada to SFO/Sacramento, AA, Aer Lingus, Norwegian, WOW, Copa + more

Air Canada Express will add new U.S. routes with regional jets. (Image: Air Canada/Skyregional)

In international route news, Air Canada and American have both announced plans to expand service between the U.S. and Canada; Aer Lingus comes to Seattle next year; low-cost carriers Norwegian and WOW will increase capacity to the U.S. in 2018; Copa boosts West Coast frequencies; Lufthansa’s Eurowings subsidiary sets more U.S. routes; and Thomas Cook Airlines comes to New York JFK.

Air Canada has unveiled plans to add new service to six U.S. cities next spring, including San Francisco and Sacramento. All the routes will be operated as Air Canada Express, with 76-seat or 50-seat regional jets. On May 1, the airline will kick off daily flights between San Francisco and Edmonton with a 76-seat aircraft, as well as daily Omaha-Toronto service, using a 50-seat plane. May 17 is the launch date for 76-seat regional jet service between Sacramento and Vancouver as well as daily roundtrips between Baltimore/Washington-Montreal and Pittsburgh-Montreal, both served by 50-passenger aircraft. All those routes will operate year-round. Air Canada will also begin seasonal service on May 17 between Providence and Toronto.

American Airlines is also increasing its transborder service to Canada. It will boost its Phoenix-Edmonton schedule from one flight a day to two effective December 15 to April 2. Next spring, American will launch new daily year-round 737 service from its Chicago O’Hare hub to Vancouver starting May 4, and seasonal daily flights from O’Hare to Calgary June 7-September 4, with an American Eagle/Envoy Air E175.  On February 15, American will increase frequencies between New York LaGuardia-Toronto from four a day to five, and on May 4 it will boost its Washington Reagan National-Toronto schedule from two flights a day a day to three. Also on May 4, the airline will lay on a third daily roundtrip between Philadelphia and Ottawa.

Ireland’s Aer Lingus, now a part of International Airlines Group along with British Airways and Iberia, will add a new U.S. West Coast gateway next year when it starts Dublin-Seattle service. The carrier plans a May 18 start for the new route, using a 265-passenger, two-class Airbus A330-200 to operate four flights a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday). Passengers flying back to Seattle will be able to pre-clear U.S. Customs at Dublin. Aer Lingus previously announced plans to start Dublin-Philadelphia service four days a week next March.

Norwegian will put larger 787-9s on U.S.-Barcelona routes next year. (Image: Norwegian)

Faced with new and growing competition from British Airways/Iberia’s Level affiliate, Norwegian plans to increase capacity between the U.S. and Barcelona next year by switching to larger aircraft – specifically, from the current 291-passenger 787-8 to the 344-seat 787-9. The changeover will take place in late March, affecting Norwegian’s two weekly flights from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale, three flights a week to Los Angeles and Oakland, and four a week to Newark.

Another low-cost carrier – Iceland’s WOW – will also add more U.S. seats next year, increasing frequencies on its route between Newark Liberty International and Reykjavik from seven flights a week to 13, effective May 29 through September 16. That’s in addition to the airline’s new daily flights out of New York JFK starting April 28.

Panama’s Copa Airlines plans to increase its West Coast capacity this winter. The airline will boost its Panama City-San Francisco schedule from twice-daily service to 18 flights a week starting March 1, and its Panama City-Los Angeles frequencies from three a day to 25 a week effective January 2.

Lufthansa’s Eurowings unit will add U.S. routes in 2018. (Image: Eurowings)

When Lufthansa announced its recently-launched New York JFK-Berlin service (taking over for the defunct Airberlin), it said the route would be turned over next summer to Eurowings, its fast-growing, leisure-oriented subsidiary. Now it has even more transatlantic plans for Eurowings. The carrier will start a new route between JFK and Dusseldorf starting April 28, using a Brussels Airlines A340-300 to operate six flights a week. Lufthansa said Eurowings will also begin Dusseldorf-Miami service three times a week as of May 4, and Dusseldorf-Ft. Myers flights three times a week starting May 3.

Thomas Cook Airlines has launched new service between New York JFK and Manchester, operating three flights a week with an Airbus A330 and fares starting as low as $209 one-way – including a checked bag and in-flight meals. And JetBlue will kick off its fourth Caribbean route from Newark next spring, beginning daily service to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on May 3.

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American Airlines glitch: “Never mind”

Don’t worry about your American Airlines flight this December (Image: American)

I guess we should not be surprised by yesterday’s breathless, widespread reporting about how an airline glitch (or shall I say grinch!) was going to ruin everyone’s Christmas. A negative airline story always plays well during peak holiday season when air travel is top of mind.

My pat answer when the media called for an opinion about the American Airlines scheduling mess? “I’m sure this will be worked out. Too much money is at stake during peak holiday season. And money talks!”

And sure enough, American’s debacle was worked out. And quickly. This morning the carrier released the following statement.

Out of the 200,000 flights American will operate in December, only a few hundred are currently unassigned to pilots. That number of open flights continues to decrease thanks to our pilots who are stepping up to the plate and picking up trips to ensure customers are taken care of. It’s another example of why we are thankful to have such an incredible team. In addition, we have more reserve pilots on hand in December than normal months and they provide us with the ability to fly many of the trips that are currently uncovered. We have not canceled any scheduled flights in December and will continue to work to ensure both our pilots and our customers are cared for.

Glitches happen. Companies fix them. As SNL’s Emily Litella says in this video, “Never mind.”

Airlines and travelers now have the holiday travel drill down. There were few if any horror stories over Thanksgiving– as a matter of fact, this week airlines are boasting about their best Thanksgiving performance ever!

About the only grinch that could steal holiday joy this year is a bad storm that hits a big hub airport, or New York City. We’ll be watching out for that!

Update: American Airlines pilots are now disputing the carrier’s claims that only a few hundred flights are unassigned. Their union says that the number is still in the thousands. However, American Airlines says that it does not expect any cancellations in December due to the mix up. This is starting to sound more like a public airing of grievances between the airline and its pilots union than an operational issue travelers need to worry about.

 


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Airport news: AA’s Miami flagship + LAX security + Kansas City revamp + SkyTeam Vancouver + Burger joints

The new SkyTeam lounge at Vancouver International (Image: Delta)

In recent airport news, Delta’s SkyTeam alliance opens a new lounge at Vancouver; American debuts another new Flagship Lounge; Kansas City voters approve a big airport construction project; Los Angeles’ Bradley Terminal gets automated TSA lanes; and Atlanta and Denver get popular new upgraded burger joints.

The SkyTeam global alliance –Delta, Air France-KLM and partners – has opened its first dedicated lounge in North America, at Vancouver International. The 5,600-square-foot facility is in the international terminal close to Gate 53 by the duty-free area. It offers a hot and cold buffet service with locally-sourced cuisine; a made-to-order noodle bar; showers; beverages including local wines and beers; and seating for 126 with a work area and a separate TV room. It’s the seventh SkyTeam lounge worldwide; others are at Dubai, London Heathrow, Hong Kong, Sydney, Istanbul and Beijing. It’s open to Elite Plus, first class and business class customers.

American Airlines has cut the ribbon on its latest Flagship Lounge, this one at Miami International. Located near Gate D30 in Concourse D, it’s open to first class and business class customers on long-haul international flights, as well as qualifying AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro and Platinum members; AAdvantage ConciergeKey members; and Oneworld Emeralds and Sapphires. The Miami lounge has showers, upgraded food offerings, plenty of outlets for charging personal devices, lounge-style seating and quiet areas. Other new Flagship Lounges opened earlier this year at New York JFK and Chicago O’Hare, and another is due before year’s end at Los Angeles International. (See leaked images)

Rendering of the new design for Kansas City International. (Image: Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate)

Kansas City International’s unusually designed three terminals will be replaced by a single large structure following a referendum this month in which voters approved the city’s plan to spend $1 billion on a major airport reconstruction project. The city’s plan calls for the existing 45-year-old, three-terminal structure to be replaced with an H-shaped building that has two passenger concourses and 35 aircraft gates. The new design will allow for an increased number of retail concessions, more bathrooms, and more efficient security screening, and will give the airport separate levels for arriving and departing passengers, along with close-in parking. No timetable was given for construction of the new terminal.

Los Angeles International already had those new TSA automated screening lanes in Terminals 7, 2 and 4, and now it has opened five of them in the Tom Bradley International Terminal, with nine more coming there in the months ahead. The new lanes allow up to five persons to load their personal items into security bins simultaneously, and the belts automatically pull the bins into the x-ray device and return them back to the starting point. Items that need additional inspection are shunted off to a separate belt to keep the flow going, and bins are 25 percent larger than before. By the time all the new lanes are operating in the TBIT next spring, LAX officials said, the number of passengers that can be screened in an hour will increase by almost 1,000, to 3,220.

But do those lanes really work? If you are wondering, don’t miss this post (and comments): Are automated security checkpoints better? 

A Bobby Flay’s Burger Palace is coming to Atlanta International. (Image: Bobby’s Burger Palace)

As airports keep upgrading their food and beverage options, more of them are turning to burger joints that are a cut or two above the traditional fast-food franchises. The latest examples are Atlanta International and Denver International.  At ATL, celebrity chef Bobby Flay has been tapped to bring a new Bobby’s Burger Palace to Concourse B, with its opening expected early in 2018. Flay already has 17 of the high-end burger restaurants around the U.S., but the ATL location will be his first in an airport. DEN, meanwhile, has turned to Denver-based Smashburger for two new locations. A 2,300-square-foot Smashburger just opened in the airport’s C Concourse, open daily until 10 p.m. It also serves breakfast, and will soon open a full bar with local craft beers. Next spring, a second and larger Smashburger will open in DEN’s B Concourse.

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Routes: United beefs up + Alaska adds PIT + American in DC + Spirit’s newest city

United is adding several regional routes in 2018 using Embraer aircraft like this . (Image: United)

In domestic route developments, United announced plans to serve a bevy of new regional markets next year; Alaska will add a big spoke from its Seattle hub; American will expand at Washington Reagan National in 2018; and Spirit grows at Columbus and New Orleans.

United plans to launch new service in 2018 from five major airports to several smaller ones. At its Chicago O’Hare hub, United will begin year-round twice-daily service starting April 9 to El Paso, Tex., and to Wilmington, N.C. (By the way, United said that starting next February, it will implement an “enhanced bank structure” at O’Hare that will mean “shorter connection times and better access to more destinations” for connecting passengers.)

Also beginning April 9 for United will be a daily Denver-Jacksonville flight, and twice-daily service from Los Angeles to both Redmond and Medford, Oregon; from Newark to Elmira, N.Y.; and from Washington Dulles to Wilmington, N.C.

New seasonal service from United, beginning June 7, includes daily flights from O’Hare to Fresno, California; and from LAX to Kalispell and Missoula, Montana (all located near major national parks). All the above flights will use regional jets operated by United Express partners.

Routesonline.com turned up some additional smaller new markets for United Express next year. It said United will launch service on January 30 from Denver to Scottsbluff, Nebraska, twice a day; on February 1 from Denver to North Platte, Nebraska, twice a day; and on February 6 from Denver to Pueblo, Colorado and Liberal, Kansas six times a week. United had previously announced new service from Denver to Moab, Utah starting May 1 and to Vernal, Utah beginning June 1.

Alaska Airlines 737 New Livery

Alaska Airlines is coming to Pittsburgh next year. (Image: Alaska Air)

Alaska Airlines will begin service in September 2018 to the 90th destination from its Seattle hub when it adds a daily 737 flight to Pittsburgh, with an 8:25 a.m. eastbound departure and a return flight leaving Pittsburgh at 5:20 p.m. Currently, there is no non-stop service in the Seattle-Pittsburgh market.

American Airlines plans to add service in various domestic markets next year, including three new routes from Washington Reagan National. New DCA service for American will include a daily CRJ900 flight to Tallahassee starting February 15, and six CRJ200 flights a week to Montgomery, Alabama, as of June 7, both operated by PSA Airlines; and a daily E175 flight from DCA to Little Rock, operated by Republic Airlines. American will also expand its weekend-only service to daily between DCA and Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, Florida starting May 4; and between DCA and Myrtle Beach, S.C. as of April 3.

Elsewhere, American will begin twice-daily flights in April between New York LaGuardia and Portland, Maine, with 50-seat regional jets. And on February 15, American will begin mainline A320 service between its Charlotte hub and Tucson, Arizona, with a very-late-night (12:30 a.m.) eastbound departure time.

Spirit Airlines will add Columbus, Ohio to its system. (Image: Spirit Airlines)

Spirit Airlines announced plans to add Columbus, Ohio to its network on February 15, offering daily, year-round service to Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale and Las Vegas, as well as seasonal daily flights to Tampa and Ft. Myers that will end April 11 and resume November 8. On March 22, Spirit will add seasonal service three times a week from Columbus to New Orleans and Myrtle Beach, continuing through November 7. On March 15, Spirit will also begin daily flights from Richmond, Virginia to Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale. Earlier this month, Spirit launched new daily service from New Orleans to Boston, Newark, Tampa and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

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Routes: SFO-Tahiti + Lufthansa, AA, WOW, Aeromexico, Volaris

Paris-based low-cost carrier French Blue will begin San Francisco-Tahiti flights in 2018. (Image: French Blue)

In international route developments, a low-cost French airline plans to fly from San Francisco to Tahiti next year; Lufthansa starts a new non-hub route from New York; American targets Iceland in the face of new competition; Iceland’s WOW will add a new U.S. gateway and expand at another; Aeromexico sets a new seasonal Denver route; and Mexico’s Volaris plans more service to California.

A one-year-old French low-cost airline called French Blue – which currently flies from Paris Orly to the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean – plans to add another long-haul route next year: Paris to Papeete, Tahiti via a stop in San Francisco. The carrier plans to use an Airbus A350-900 on the route, which will begin in May with two flights a week, eventually increasing to three. Currently, the only non-stop service to Tahiti from the U.S. mainland is out of Los Angeles on Air Tahiti Nui, Air France and Qantas. The airline has a website at www.frenchblue.com, although currently it is only in French.

Lufthansa is using an A330 on its new JFK-Berlin Tegel route. (Image: Lufthansa)

Lufthansa last week started its promised new non-stop service from New York JFK to Berlin’s Tegel Airport – bypassing its Frankfurt and Munich hubs — following the recent demise of Airberlin. Lufthansa is using a three-class Airbus A330-300 to fly the route five days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday). It’s the first time in 16 years that the German carrier has operated a long-haul aircraft out of Berlin. Next summer, Lufthansa plans to transfer the JFK-Berlin route to its Eurowings subsidiary.

In recent weeks, new 2018 service from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Reykjavik, Iceland, was announced by both Icelandair and low-cost competitor WOW. And now DFW’s hometown airline is jumping on the Iceland bandwagon as well. American Airlines announced it will operate seasonal daily flights from DFW to Reykjavik from June 7 through October 26, using a 176-seat 757-200.

Wow Air will use an A321 on its new JFK-Iceland route. (Image: Wow Air)

Speaking of WOW, the low-cost Icelandic airline plans to add another U.S. gateway next year, kicking off daily flights to Reykjavik from New York JFK as of April 26. WOW will operate an Airbus A321 on the route. The carrier already offers daily flights out of Newark Liberty International, which will continue. Elsewhere, WOW plans a significant increase in capacity from Baltimore/Washington International next summer, boosting its BWI-Reykjavik schedule from daily departures to 11 flights a week from May 18 through September 16,

Aeromexico, now a joint venture partner of Delta, has been adding more U.S. service as the two coordinate their schedules, and now the Mexican carrier has unveiled plans to revive another U.S. route – but only for a limited time. The carrier said it will offer seasonal service between Denver and Monterrey, but only twice a week (Saturdays and Sundays), and only from December 16 through January 14, using a 76-seat E175. Aeromexico already offers DEN-Mexico City service year-round.

Another Mexican carrier, Volaris, plans to add three California routes next month, but only offering two flights a week on each of them with Airbus single-aisle aircraft. Volaris will start San Jose-Zacatecas flights on December 18, San Jose-Morelia service on December 15, and Fresno-Morelia on December 16.

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Routes: United’s longest + Delta Comfort+ American to China + more

United 787-9 Dreamliner

United will use a 787-9 Dreamliner on its new Los Angeles-Singapore non-stops. (Image: United)

In international route developments, United has inaugurated the longest U.S. non-stop service and has revived Auckland flights; Delta starts selling its Comfort+ seats on transatlantic flights and launches its first A350 flights; American begins a new China route; Air France replaces Delta on a Paris route; Air Canada adds capacity to India from the West Coast; and Pakistan’s national carrier drops a U.S. route;

New non-stop service launched last week by United between Los Angeles and Singapore takes the number one spot as the longest flight from the U.S. at 8,700 miles. That surpasses the 8,446-mile route that United started up last year from San Francisco to Singapore, and tops Qantas’ 8,576-mile Dallas/Ft. Worth Sydney route. As with its San Francisco route, United is using a 250-passenger 787-9 for the LAX-Singapore flights. The new flight departs LAX at 9:25 and takes almost 18 hours. Don’t miss: Chris’ Trip Report on SFO-SIN from last year 17 moments in 17 hours on Singapore Airlines

In other news, United just revived its seasonal service between San Francisco and Auckland, New Zealand, which is also served by Star Alliance partner Air New Zealand. United will fly the route six days a week from now through December 17, boosting the schedule to daily service through March 22. The carrier’s Auckland flights are using a 777-300ER fitted out with United’s new Polaris business cabin, featuring lie-flat seats that all have aisle access. United and Air New Zealand have created a new website at www.united.com/airnz that provides information on both carriers and destination tips about New Zealand.

Delta’s Comfort+ seating is now on sale for transatlantic flights. (Image: Delta)

Delta has just started selling its Comfort+ product – extra-legroom main cabin seating – on transatlantic flights effective for travel January 22 and beyond. That includes all its flights from North America to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Delta started selling Comfort+ seating two years ago for travel within North America, and by earlier this year had expanded it to Asia/Pacific and Latin America/Caribbean flights. (Nice for those who buy it, but less nice for those hoping to get comp upgrades.)

Meanwhile, Delta this week put its first new Airbus A350 into commercial service on its Detroit-Tokyo Narita route. The new plane features a new Delta One front cabin with lie-flat seats in private suites, as well as the airline’s new international premium economy cabin called Premium Select, which is being installed in Delta’s A350s instead of Comfort+ seating. As of this week, Delta is now using the 747 on a single route, Seoul-Detroit and that is only through December 17 when it will be replaced by a shiny new Airbus A350.

American will use a 787-8 on its new LAX-Beijing route. (Image: American)

After months of negotiations with Chinese officials to secure commercially viable slot times, American Airlines is finally due to kick off its newest route to China in a few days. November 5 is the launch date for American’s daily flights from Los Angeles to Beijing, which it will initially operate with a 787-8, switching to a 787-9 next spring. Delta had also filed for the route, but lost out when the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the rights to American in December of last year.

Air France said it will step in and replace joint venture and Skyteam partner Delta this winter on the Chicago O’Hare-Paris CDG route.  Air France will use an Airbus A330 to fly the route up to five times a week.

Air Canada has foiled plans for a schedule increase this winter on its Vancouver-Delhi route. The carrier will increase frequencies on the route from five a week to daily service effective December 9 through at least December 23. Air Canada uses a 787-9 on the route.

Over the past weekend, Pakistan International Airlines ended its service between Karachi/Lahore and New York JFK, which it had been serving with a 777-200LR via a westbound stop in Manchester, U.K. PIA had been flying to New York since 1961.

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American adds more premium economy seats- will United follow?

American’s premium economy cabin on its 787-9s has 2-3-2 seating. (Image: American)

As American Airlines brings more new 787-9s to its long-haul fleet, it is making its international premium economy cabin available on additional routes – starting with Australia and New Zealand.

American’s new 787-9s are being delivered with premium economy seating already installed. The airline is also busy at work putting the new middle cabin into its 47 777-200s, a job that should be finished by next March; and its A330-200s, expected to be finished by this December. AA’s 20 777-300ERs should have the extra cabin by June of 2018, and its 787-8s will also get the refit next year.

It’s too early to say when those other wide-body models with new premium economy seating will start flying in specific markets (with a few exceptions – see below), but when a 787-9 is scheduled to start on a route, the new middle cabin automatically comes with it. American’s 787-9s also feature a business class with 30 new lie-flat seats, all with direct aisle access.

On November 8, American is due to introduce the premium economy option on its Los Angeles-Sydney flights when it replaces the 777-300ER on that route with a 787-9.

And this month—after a two-month hiatus on the route – American started flying a 787-9 on its daily Los Angeles-Auckland service, replacing a 787-8. (American has decided to convert LAX-Auckland into a seasonal route, operating only from October through March.)

Amenities that come with an AA premium economy seat. (Image: American)

American introduced the premium economy-equipped 787-9s out of its Dallas/Ft. Worth hub last fall and winter, putting it on routes to Sao Paulo, Madrid, Paris and Seoul.

On November 5, American is due to inaugurate its long-awaited Los Angeles-Beijing daily service with a 787-8. But according to Routesonline.com, American has plans to replace that aircraft on March 25 of next year with a 787-9, offering premium economy seating in the market.

American is expected to put the 787-9 into service early next year on a pair of Japan routes — Los Angeles-Tokyo Haneda and LAX-Tokyo Narita — both beginning January 8. They will replace 777-200ERs on those routes.

Looking at American’s recent schedule filings, we can see 787-9s scheduled to begin flying between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Shanghai Pudong on March 4, replacing a 787-8; and LAX-Shanghai Pudong starting March 25, also replacing a 787-8.

The schedule filings also show AA taking the 787-9 off its DFW-Paris and DFW-Madrid routes starting March 25, replacing them with 777-200ERs. However, those 777s are listed as three-class aircraft, so they presumably have the premium economy option. The schedule also shows a three-class 777-200ER replacing a 777-300ER on AA’s DFW-London Heathrow route starting March 25.

Although it is reconfiguring its wide-bodies with premium economy seating, American is planning to keep offering a Main Cabin Extra option as well – i.e., its extra-legroom seating in the economy cabin. While Main Cabin Extra provides up to six inches of extra seat pitch, AA’s premium economy product will offer slightly more – 38 inches, along with extendable foot, leg and head rests; larger touch-screens; and additional services and amenities including one checked bag free. Seating is in a 2-3-2 layout on the 787-9s.

Delta’s premium economy cabin will debut on its A350s. (Image: Delta)

Delta is also introducing a new international premium economy seating option, called Premium Select, as it puts its new Airbus A350s into service. The first one starts flying next week (October 30) on Delta’s Detroit-Tokyo Narita route. Last week, we detailed other Delta routes that will have new A350 service coming in the weeks and months ahead.

All this of course leads us to the question of when or if United is going to follow American and Delta down the path to real premium economy. Right now it sounds like they are not ruling it out– when we asked directly about this, a spokesperson said, “At this time we do not have details to share regarding Premium Economy. We’re always looking at ways to improve the customer experience and the choices we offer our customers for their travels with United.”

Have you or will you try the new American versions of Premium economy? Will United add one, too? Leave your comments below. 

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Routes: Aeromexico at SJC, Southwest, Air New Zealand, BA, United, AA, Etihad + more

San Jose International welcomes a new 737 nonstop from Mexico City next summer. (Photo: SJC)

In recent international route developments, Aeromexico will add seasonal service at San Jose; Southwest drops plans for two Mexico markets; Air New Zealand brings a new aircraft to Houston; British Airways adds high-density 777 flights to Gatwick; United and Delta drop Europe flights while KLM adds one; American plans new code-shares to and within China; Etihad trims its Los Angeles schedule and terminates San Francisco service; and LATAM adds a Boston route.

Aeromexico, now a joint venture partner with Delta, plans to expand its presence at Mineta San Jose International next summer by offering seasonal flights to Mexico City. The carrier will use a 737-800 on the route, offering daily flights from June 1 through August 31. The southbound flight will depart SJC at 1:40 p.m. In July of this year, Aeromexico started service from San Jose to Guadalajara.

Speaking of Mexico City, Southwest Airlines has scaled back its plans to expand service to the Mexican capital. The Dallas Morning News reports that Southwest has changed its mind about adding new service to MEX from Los Angeles and Ft. Lauderdale next summer. The carrier has given up the slots at Mexico City that it had acquired for those routes, and DOT assigned them instead to VivaAerobus, a Mexican low-cost carrier. When Delta and Aeromexico won approval for their joint venture, they had to give up some slots at MEX, and Southwest picked up enough for four flights a day there, which it initially used to add two flights a day from Houston Hobby.

Premium economy seats on the new version of Air New Zealand’s 787-9.(Image: Air New Zealand)

The new Qantas 787-9 that starts flying from Melbourne to LAX in December won’t be the only new Dreamliner service from Down Under.  Air New Zealand plans to deploy the newest version of its 787-9 on its two-year-old Auckland-Houston route in December. The Kiwi carrier also plans to boost frequencies on that route next year, from the current five weekly flights to six or seven from March 25 through October 27. The new Air New Zealand 787-9 increases capacity in the front of the plane, from 18 business class seats to 27 and from 21 premium economy seats to 33. The airline currently flies a 777-200 to Houston.

British Airways has been planning to introduce “high density” 777-200ERs on long-haul flights out of London Gatwick Airport, partly in response to low-cost interlopers like Norwegian, and its plans for those planes are starting to emerge. Unlike its existing 275-seat 777-200ERs, the new version will cram 336 seats into the planes, according to Routesonline.com – 32 in business class, 52 in premium economy and 252 in regular economy. BA plans to put the new version of the plane into service for one weekly flight between Orlando and Gatwick as of May 11, 2018, increasing to daily by October 6; one flight a week between Ft. Lauderdale and Gatwick starting September 13 of next year, increasing to three a week October 8; and daily service between New York JFK and Gatwick effective July 8 of next year.

Looking ahead to other transatlantic markets for 2018, United had been planning to offer seasonal service from Chicago O’Hare to Shannon, Ireland from late May through early September, but now it has canceled those plans.  And Delta is giving up on its Newark-Amsterdam service – which operates four days a week this winter – as of March 23. However, Delta partner KLM will expand service between New York JFK and Amsterdam next year, adding a third flight six days a week effective March 26. In another development, Delta will code-share on daily A330-200 Alitalia flights from Rome to Delhi, India, effective October 29.

American’s customers will get access to new destinations on China Southern. (Image: China Southern)

American Airlines, which acquired a small equity stake in China Southern Airlines this year, is planning a substantial code-sharing program with that carrier, according to Air Transport World. It said AA has filed plans with the Transportation Department to put its AA code onto China Southern flights from San Francisco to Wuhan and to Guangzhou, as well as its New York JFK-Guangzhou service. The AA code would also go onto 14 China Southern routes from Beijing to other destinations in China. It didn’t say when the code-sharing is expected to begin. Last month, American moved its operations at Beijing’s airport from Terminal 3 to China Southern’s base at Terminal 2.

Etihad Airways plans to reduce its schedule between Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi this winter. From January 15 through April 30, it will trim frequencies from daily to four a week, switching aircraft on the route from a 777-200LR to a 777-300ER. (And don’t forget, as we reported last summer, Etihad will discontinue its San Francisco-Abu Dhabi service on October 29 after cutting it back earlier this year from daily frequencies to just three flights a week.)

To Latin America, LATAM has filed for regulatory approval to begin the first non-stop service between Boston and Sao Paulo, Brazil next summer, although a schedule and starting date haven’t yet been determined.

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Routes: American, United, JetBlue, Southwest, OneJet, Frontier

American operates out of Philadelphia’s Terminal B. (Image: American)

In domestic route news, American grows its Philadelphia hub and expands transcon wide-body flights there; United adds spokes to its O’Hare and Denver hubs; JetBlue revives a California route for the holidays; Southwest drops a Washington D.C. route; and Frontier keeps rearranging its network.

American Airlines is expanding access to its Philadelphia hub by adding several new routes there. On February 15, American will add daily A319 flights between PHL and San Antonio, followed on May 4 by new daily E175 American Eagle service between PHL-Madison, Wis.; and twice-daily roundtrips between PHL-Des Moines, Iowa; and PHL-Omaha, Neb. The airline also said that beginning March 25, it will deploy a wide-body Airbus A330 on one of its daily flights between Philadelphia and Los Angeles International, “offering West Coast customers better access to PHL and American’s transatlantic service.” Meanwhile, the A330 that American just started flying on one of its daily PHL-San Francisco flights will now be extended until at least March 4 instead of ending on December 14 as previously scheduled.

Moab, Utah is the gateway to Aches National Park. (Image: Discover Moab)

Effective December 1, United is due to add a couple of spokes out of Chicago O’Hare, with six flights a week to Quincy. Ill., and to Cape Girardeau, Mo., using CRJ-200s. At its Denver hub, meanwhile, United is looking at a May 1, 2018 start for new service to the outdoor activities mecca of Moab, Utah, offering 12 flights a week via Skywest CRJ200s; followed on June 1 by new service from DEN to Vernal, Utah, also running 12 times a week with Skywest CRJ200s.

For the third year in a row, JetBlue plans to lay on special holiday-season service between its New York JFK hub and Palm Springs, California. The daily flight will operate from December 21 through January 3, and it will use an Airbus A321 that features JetBlue’s premium-class Mint service with lie-flat seats.

November 4 is the final day for Southwest Airlines’ three-year-old route between Indianapolis and Washington Reagan National. A Southwest official told a local business publication in Indiana that the route just wasn’t attracting enough business to make it profitable.

OneJet uses small Hawker 400XPs on short-haul routes. (Image: OneJet)

The former CEO of Milwaukee-based Midwest Express Airlines – which disappeared in 2011 – is behind an effort to bring new service to MKE from OneJet, a business jet operator that offers scheduled service on underserved business routes out of Pittsburgh (including daily Pittsburgh-Milwaukee service). On November 1, OneJet is due to start twice-daily roundtrips from Milwaukee to both Columbus, Ohio and Omaha, Nebraska, using seven-passenger Hawker 400XP jets.

It’s difficult to keep up with all the route news from ultra-low-cost Frontier Airlines, but we’ll try. The carrier just kicked off new daily flights from San Jose to Denver, to be followed by four flights a week from SJC to Las Vegas November 1, and less-than-daily departures to five other cities next April.  At Cleveland, meanwhile, Frontier has axed the four weekly CLE-San Diego service that it just launched last spring, as well as seasonal flights from Cleveland to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston And Charlotte. But the airline is expanding at Denver, starting less-than-daily frequencies to Omaha November 2; to Grand Rapids December 10; to Charleston, S.C. February 20; to Little Rock March 1; and to Tulsa March 15. The carrier plans to add daily Orlando-Phoenix service November 1 and three weekly Orlando-Memphis flights November 2. On December 16, Frontier will start three flights a week between San Francisco and Las Vegas. At Colorado Springs, Frontier plans new flights to San Antonio and Seattle starting April 8 and to San Jose and Minneapolis-St. Paul as of April 9. Seasonal service from Philadelphia to Charleston, S.C. three days a week starts February 20, followed by less-than-daily service from PHL to Jacksonville February 14, to Madison April 8, and to Memphis and Omaha April 9. Twice-weekly Frontier service from Chicago O’Hare to Charleston, S.C. starts May 11, and limited-frequency service from Omaha to Las Vegas starts April 8, followed by Omaha-San Francisco June 4.

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Airport updates: O’Hare, LAX, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Boston

American’s new Flagship Lounges have hot and cold self-service buffets. (Image: American)

In airport news, American Airlines opens a big new lounge at Chicago O’Hare; Los Angeles International travelers can now use an app to speed up re-entry after international trips; Pittsburgh International will get a massive makeover; Minneapolis-St. Paul gets faster TSA screening lanes; and facial-recognition boarding is a hit with JetBlue passengers at Boston.

At Chicago O’Hare, American Airlines has cut the ribbon on its second new Flagship Lounge; the first was opened at New York JFK some months ago. At ORD, the lounge is in Terminal 3, in the crosswalk between Gates H6 and K6. Hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Targeted for AA’s international travelers at its primary gateway airports, the 17,000 square foot O’Hare Flagship Lounge is open to qualifying first and business class passengers, AAdvantage Executive Platinums, Platinums and Platinum Pros; AAdvantage ConciergeKey members; and Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire travelers. American said it expects to open additional Flagship Lounges before year’s end at Los Angeles International and Miami International, and in 2018 at Dallas/Ft. Worth, Philadelphia and London Heathrow. The O’Hare lounge can handle up to 300 passengers. It has showers, “quiet rooms,” a self-service wine bar, create-your-own cocktail service, hot and cold buffets and a chef to prepare customized offerings.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Mobile Passport Control app is now available for travelers going through Customs at Los Angeles International’s Tom Bradley International Terminal as well as Terminals 2, 4 and 7, airport officials announced. Available free at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, the app lets passengers create a profile and submit passport information and answers to CBP inspection questions via their smartphone or tablet. The app will then send users a receipt and an encrypted bar code to show to CBP agents at the airport. LAX is a little slow in rolling out the CBP Mobile Passport Control app – 22 other airports have already done so.

Rendering of the spacious atrium planned for Pittsburgh’s new landside building. (Image: Pittsburgh International Airport)

Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County Airport Authority has unveiled a major redevelopment plan that calls for construction of a new landside building for Pittsburgh International’s Midfield Terminal and scaling back the terminal’s number of gates from 75 to 51. Besides new security, ticketing and baggage facilities in the $784 million landside building – which would be between the airside C and D concourses – the project also includes an overhauled international arrivals area, 3,000-space parking garage and other improvements. The X-shaped Midfield Terminal was built 25 years ago to serve as a hub facility for US Airways, but since the carrier downsized that operation and then was merged into American, the terminal now handles less than half the traffic that it once did. The terminal was built to accommodate up to 32 million passengers a year, but it currently handles only 8.3 million; the new facility’s capacity would be 18 million. The $1.1 billion plan calls for razing the existing landside building and the people-mover that carriers travelers from that building to the airside concourses. Construction is planned for 2019 to 2023.

Minneapolis-St. Paul is the latest airport to install those new automated security lanes that are said to speed up the TSA screening process by as much as 30 percent. (Although we’ve heard from many frequent travelers who would disagree with that assessment.) MSP now has four of the new lanes at the Terminal 1 south checkpoint, and will expand them to the north checkpoint next year. The lanes allow several travelers to load their belongings into bins simultaneously; the bins are larger than before, and if a bag raises the concerns of the TSA agent manning the x-ray machine, it can be shuttled off on a separate conveyor belt for further examination without slowing down everyone else. Empty bins are sent back to the starting point by a separate conveyor belt, freeing up TSA agents for inspection duties.

Here’s how JetBlue’s facial recognition system works. (Image: JetBlue)

Some months ago, we reported on JetBlue starting to test facial recognition technology for passenger boarding at its Boston Logan hub. Instead of having to show a boarding pass, passport or anything else to the gate agent, passengers simply stand in front of a camera and proceed on board. After four months, SITA — the technology company that provided the new system — said its biometric scanning proved to be quite accurate in the tests, with a success rate of almost 100 percent matching passengers’ facial images to those in government databases to verify identity. The company said a majority of JetBlue passengers on the airline’s Boston to Aruba flights used the camera option to board.

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Routes: Frontier at SJC, Alaska/Virgin, Delta, AA, Sun Country

Frontier is adding more new routes at Mineta San Jose- including an Atlanta nonstop. (Image: Frontier)

In domestic route news, ultra-low-cost Frontier announced even more new service at San Jose; Alaska kicks off its big bump in Bay Area service, and deploys more Virgin A321neos; Delta adds new flights to ski destinations; American expands its schedule to Vail; and Twin Cities-based Sun Country Airlines moves to a new business model.

Two months ago, Frontier Airlines announced plans to add service from Mineta San Jose to four cities – Denver, Las Vegas, Austin and San Antonio. Now Frontier is adding three more cities to its SJC schedule: Atlanta, Cincinnati and Colorado Springs. Atlanta and Colorado Springs flights will operate four days a week starting April 9, 2018, while Cincinnati service will fly three days a week as of April 8.  Daily SJC-Denver service kicks off October 5, followed by SJC-Las Vegas four days a week beginning November 1, SJC-San Antonio three days a week as of April 8 and SJC-Austin three times a week starting April 9.

Take a streetcar ride through New Orleans to see how it’s changed since Katrina (Image: Pixabay)

Back in March, Alaska Airlines/Virgin America unveiled plans for a big expansion of activity in the Bay Area, and this fall those new flights are finally starting to operate. Alaska recently started new daily mainline service (using A320-family planes from Virgin’s fleet) from San Francisco International to Philadelphia and to Nashville, to be followed by daily flights from SFO to New Orleans beginning September 21, to Indianapolis September 26, to Baltimore-Washington October 16, to Raleigh-Durham October 19, and to Kona, Hawaii December 14.

Also part of Alaska’s Bay Area expansion are new E175 flights out of Mineta San Jose, including four flights a day to Los Angeles beginning September 20, and recently-launched daily service to both Austin and Tucson.  At its Seattle hub, meanwhile, Alaska plans to drop its existing daily Horizon Air non-stops to Colorado Springs effective November 4.

Virgin America’s new Airbus A321neos will hold 24 percent more passengers than its A320s. (Image: Airbus)_

Alaska subsidiary Virgin America is getting more new Airbus A321neos, and has revealed the markets where they will begin to operate. Virgin will use an A321neo for one daily Los Angeles-Honolulu flight beginning November 5 (moved up from January 4, 2018); two daily San Francisco-LAX flights beginning November 5; a daily San Francisco-Seattle flight as of November 6; daily SFO-Kona service starting December 14; daily LAX-Maui flights as of January 14 and flights once a week from SFO to San Diego and SFO-Las Vegas beginning January 14 and February 11 respectively. The A321neo (which stands for New Engine Option) is the largest aircraft in Virgin’s fleet, with 185 seats, vs. 146-149 for its A320s.

Delta is beefing up its winter schedule to ski destinations this year. Beginning December 21, Delta will offer daily flights from Salt Lake City to Eagle, Colorado (the airport for Vail) and to Montrose, Colorado (the gateway for Telluride), plus flights once or twice a week from Atlanta to Vancouver, B.C. (the gateway to Whistler). From December 21 through April 2, Delta will also increase frequencies this year from its hubs to its existing ski destinations including Aspen, Vail, Steamboat Springs and Montrose, Colo.; Sun Valley, Idaho; Bozeman and Kalispell, Montana; Reno/Tahoe; Jackson Hole, Wyo.; Calgary/Banff, Alberta and Vancouver/Whistler. You can click here  and scroll down to see the full Delta ski schedule.

Speaking of Vail/Eagle, Colorado, American Airlines plans to extend its seasonal service from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Vail, making it a year-round daily operation next year. Currently, only United Express has year-round Vail flights.

A Sun Country Airlines 737. (Image: Sun Country)

Ever fly Sun Country Airlines? That Twin Cities-based niche carrier recently hired a new CEO named Jude Bricker, who formerly worked at ultra-low-cost Allegiant Air. And according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the new chief plans to move Sun Country over to the same ultra-low-cost business model used by Allegiant, Frontier and Spirit Airlines. Citing a memo to employees at Sun Country, the newspaper said the changes will mean “more seats on airplanes” and a plethora of new passenger fees, including one for overhead bin space. It also means diversifying Sun Country’s route network away from its heavy reliance on MSP, where it is caught in a squeeze between legacy carriers and ultra-low-cost competitors. There’s no word yet on how soon flyers will see those changes.

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New transatlantic routes: Delta, American, BA, Lufthansa, United, WOW

How you gonna keep ’em down on the farm? Delta will fly Indianapolis-Paris in 2018. (Image: Jim Glab)

Continuing with our route news updates, this time we’ll focus on transatlantic.  Delta is adding a pair of non-hub routes to Europe and a new route to Africa; American will introduce some new routes to Europe next year but drop others; British Airways adds a U.S. gateway to Heathrow and some high-density 777 service to Gatwick; Lufthansa ends year-round San Jose flights; United makes an aircraft change on SFO-London; and Iceland’s WOW will fly to more U.S. cities;

Delta has set a May 24, 2018 start for new daily non-stop flights to Paris CDG from … Indianapolis? Yep. It’s not a hub, but Delta does operate 37 fights a day there and has a Sky Club as well. Another new non-hub route for Delta will be the only non-stop service between Orlando and Amsterdam, operating daily starting March 30 of next year. The airline will use 767-300ERs on both routes, with Delta One, Comfort+ and regular economy seating. Delta’s only other international route from Orlando is to Sao Paulo.

On March 24, 2018, Delta will kick off another transatlantic route, from New York JFK to Lagos, Nigeria. The carrier already flies to Lagos from Atlanta four times a week, and the JFK flights will operate three times a week (eastbound on Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday). That route will get an Airbus A330-200 with lie-flat Delta One seats as well as Comfort+ and regular economy.

Look for some changes in American Airlines’ transatlantic summer schedules next year. The airline has announced it will add new daily seasonal service May 4-October 27 from Philadelphia to both Prague and Budapest, using 767-300s; and from Chicago O’Hare to Venice with a 787-8. (American already flies to Venice from Philadelphia.) According to schedule updates in Routesonline.com, American also plans to add daily service starting March 25 from Philadelphia to Zurich, a route it last served in September 2016. Seasonal service getting the ax from AA next year, effective March 25, includes Boston-Paris, JFK-Zurich and JFK-Manchester.

British Airways will use a Dreamliner on its new route to Nashville. (Image: British Airways)

Nashville hasn’t had non-stop flights to London since the 1980s, but it will get them again on May 4, 2018, when British Airways is due to begin five flights a week to Heathrow from the Music City with a 787-8 Dreamliner. Tennessee is reportedly offering BA incentives worth $1.5 million to fly the route. From Philadelphia, meanwhile, British Airways will boost its LHR schedule from seven flights a week to 10 starting in April with the addition of second departures on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays, also with a 787-8. And on May 8, BA will replace one of its two daily 747-400 flights between Chicago O’Hare and London with an Airbus A380 – the first regularly-scheduled A380 service at O’Hare.

British Airways has also been converting some of its 777-200ERs to a higher-density configuration to compete with low-cost competition like Norwegian from London Gatwick, and it will put the aircraft onto some U.S. routes next year. The three-class 777s will have 32 business class seats, 52 in premium economy and 252 in regular economy. They’ll fly once a week to Gatwick from Ft. Lauderdale starting September 13, daily from New York JFK beginning July 8, once or twice a week from Orlando as of May 11, and twice a week from Tampa starting June 7.  BA will also beef up its Las Vegas service on March 27, adding three weekly Las Vegas-London Gatwick 777 flights a week to its 11 weekly LAS-LHR flights.

Lufthansa uses an A340-300 on its San Jose-Frankfurt route. (Image: BriYYZ/Wikimedia Commons)

The San Jose-Frankfurt non-stops introduced last year by Lufthansa will no longer operate year-round. The German carrier had been planning to keep flying the route five times a week, but now has decided to scrap the service for the winter. The SJC-FRA A340-300 flights will be suspended from October 29 through March 24.

Flying United from San Francisco to London? From October 28 through December 19, United plans to make an equipment change on the route. Instead of using 777-200ERs on both daily departures, it will switch one of them (UA900/901) to a 787-9.

Iceland’s ultra-low-cost WOW Air plans to add service from more U.S. cities next spring, offering four Airbus A321 flights a week to Reykjavik (with connections to lots of European cities) from Detroit starting April 26, from Cleveland May 4, from Cincinnati May 10 and from St. Louis May 17. The carrier will also begin Dallas/Ft. Worth service May 24 with three flights a week. One-way fares on the new routes will start as low as $99 (with plenty of extra fees for various amenities and services).

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Across the Pacific: Battle for Hong Kong + Flock of new A350s + lots more route news

Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A350

Hong Kong Airlines, among others, adding more A350 flights across the Pacific (Photo: Airbus)

Let’s keep catching up with recent route developments with a look at what’s happening across the Pacific. Hong Kong Airlines, which plans to begin Los Angeles flights later this year, now has its eye on San Francisco and New York as well – a threat to Cathay Pacific, which said it will soon upgrade aircraft on its SFO and Newark routes; American Airlines finally nails down a launch date for its long-planned LAX-Beijing flights; Delta will bring a new plane to its Atlanta-Seoul route, and expands code-sharing to China; United drops a China route and expands capacity to New Zealand; Hainan Airlines will add a new U.S. route, and Air China sets a start for an LAX route.

Hong Kong Airlines, which is partly owned by China’s Hainan Airlines, said last month it plans to begin daily Hong Kong-Los Angeles flights in mid-December with its first new Airbus A350. And now it looks like that will just be the beginning: Hong Kong Airlines said that as it takes delivery of more new A350s – it has ordered 21 of them – the carrier plans to start flying from Hong Kong to New York and San Francisco in 2018, as well as Hong Kong-London “and other European and American destinations.” The carrier said its A350s will have 33 fully-reclining business class seats, 108 in “Economy Comfort” class, and 193 in regular economy. It didn’t provide any schedule information for next year’s new routes.

The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post suggested that Hong Kong Airlines’ ambitious expansion plans couldn’t come at a worse time for Hong Kong’s major carrier: “The airline’s push poses a fresh challenge to Cathay Pacific, which has already suffered huge losses in recent years, caused by competition from mainland and Middle Eastern carriers,” the newspaper said.

Cathay Pacific A350

Cathay Pacific’s first U.S. A350s are coming to Newark and SFO this fall (Photo: Cathay Pacific)

For its part, Cathay Pacific recently announced  plans to start flying its own A350s on select U.S. routes. The carrier said that effective October 29, it will replace the 777-300ER currently used on its Hong Kong-Newark route with an A350, and will also put an A350 onto one of its three daily San Francisco-Hong Kong fights on the same date. Cathay has 16 A350-900s, with six more on order. Cathay’s A350s also offer business, premium economy and regular economy seating.

Have you flown an A350 yet? I did last fall on Singapore Airlines inaugural 17-hour SFO-SIN flight. Read the Trip Report here.

After months of delays as it negotiated with China for acceptable takeoff and landing slot times, American Airlines has now settled on November 5 for the inauguration of service on its new Los Angeles-Beijing route. The carrier had to secure DOT’s approval for the late start, and had to fend off regulatory challenges from Delta, which had sought the same route. American had originally said it would use a 777-200 for the LAX-Beijing service, but Routesonline.com now reports that American will begin flying the route with a 787-8, then switch to a 787-9 on March 25 of next year.

Delta’s new international premium economy seats will debut on the A350. (Image: delta)

Delta Air Lines has started taking delivery of its own new Airbus A350s, which it previously announced will start flying October 30 between Detroit and Tokyo Narita. Now Delta says it will also deploy one of the new wide-bodies on its Atlanta-Seoul Incheon route starting March 24 of next year- but the first A350s will fly between Detroit and Tokyo starting this fall. In other transpacific news, Delta this week expanded its code-sharing arrangement with China Eastern, putting the Delta code onto the Chinese carrier’s flights from Shanghai Pudong to Chiang Mai, Ningbo and Urumqi; from Beijing to Chongqing, Haikou and Wuxi; and on its San Francisco-Qingdao-Kunming route. Delta’s code will also go onto the flights of Shanghai Airlines (a China eastern subsidiary) from Pudong to Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur and Weihai.

United has been flying from San Francisco to Hangzhou, China three times a week with a 787-9, but the carrier plans to discontinue that route on October 14, according to a notice in Routesonline.com. Elsewhere, United will make an aircraft change on its San Francisco-Auckland route, which is now seasonal, operating from October 29 through March 22. Instead of a 787-9, United will put a 777-300ER on the route, and will trim frequencies from seven a week to six through December 17, and from 10 a week to seven from December 18 to March 22.

China’s Hainan Airlines plans an October 26 start for new service between New York JFK and Chengdu, flying the route twice a week with a 787-9. And Air China, which had originally planned a mid-summer start for Los Angeles-Shenzen service, has now set December 7 as the launch date; it will fly the route three days a week with a 787-9.

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U.S. routes: Southwest, United, Alaska, AA, Delta, JetBlue + more

San Jose Airport

Southwest Airlines is adding new San Jose routes next spring. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

We have a lot of airline route news to catch up on following our August break, so we’ll start with domestic developments. Southwest’s spring schedule additions include several new routes out of San Jose and Sacramento; Alaska also starts new service at San Jose; United will join Alaska in flying out of a new Pacific Northwest airport, and adds a seasonal ski market from San Francisco; American will start new service from Denver, and will put a wide-body on a San Francisco transcon route; Delta’s Salt Lake City hub gets a new spoke, and Las Vegas gets more Hawaii flights; JetBlue grows at Atlanta and Boston; Spirit adds a Las Vegas transcon route; and Frontier expands at San Antonio.

The battle for California is paying off for Golden State travelers with tons of new routes and low fares. Southwest Airlines last week unveiled plans for significant expansion in California next spring. On April 8, the airline will kick off new daily service from San Jose to Boise, St. Louis, Austin, Spokane and Houston Hobby, along with new daily flights from Sacramento to Austin and St. Louis. Southwest will follow that up on May 6 by launching new daily service to Orlando from both San Jose and Sacramento. Officials at SJC said Southwest will also expand existing routes there starting April 8, adding a second daily roundtrip to both Chicago Midway and Dallas Love Field, a fifth to Seattle, a sixth to Phoenix, and a fifth and sixth daily flight from SJC to Portland., along with new Sunday-only service to Albuquerque and New Orleans.

In Florida, Southwest on April 8 will add three daily roundtrips between Ft. Lauderdale and Jacksonville and daily non-stops between Milwaukee and Houston Hobby. On March 8, Southwest is due to discontinue its non-stop flights between Dallas Love Field and Milwaukee, and between Philadelphia and West Palm Beach, and will seasonally suspend service between Oakland-Tucson, Washington Reagan National-Ft. Myers, and Minneapolis/St. Paul-Ft. Lauderdale.

United will join Alaska in flying out of Washington State’s Paine Field next year. (Image: Alaska Airlines)

Travelers in San Francisco and Denver will get a new option for flights to the Seattle area next year with United’s announcement that it will add service from those cities to Paine Field, 23 miles north of Seattle. Starting in the fall of 2018, United said, it plans to start offering six flights a day from Paine to its SFO and DEN hubs. Last spring, Alaska Airlines announced plans to begin the first commercial airline service from Paine Field in the fall of next year, although it didn’t say which routes it would serve. In other route news, United will begin twice-weekly seasonal  service on December 18 between San Francisco and Vail/Eagle, Colorado, with CRJ700s operated by SkyWest. Elsewhere, United/SkyWest on November 1 will begin service six days a week to Clarksburg, West Virginia, from both Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles with CRJ200s.

Speaking of Alaska Airlines, that carrier last week kicked off new routes at San Jose, adding daily flights to both Austin and Tucson, using the popular Embraer E175 regional jets. That gives Alaska 31 daily departures at SJC to 18 destinations.

San Jose gates

SJC is expanding, adding two new gates (29 & 30) at the southern end of the Terminal B for use by Alaska Air (Image: SJC)

On October 5, American Airlines is planning to replace the A321 currently used on one of its daily Philadelphia-San Francisco flights (AA722/723) with a wide-body Airbus A330-200. The bigger plane is currently scheduled to keep flying the route through December 14. Next year, beginning June 7, American plans to operate a daily summer flight between Denver and New York JFK with a 737-800. In other news, The Dallas News reports that American will offer 2-4-2 premium economy seating on its Hawaii routes from Dallas/Ft. Worth, using retrofitted 777-200s. The roomier seats are available from DFW to Honolulu and Maui starting in December, and from DFW to Kona beginning next June.

On December 21, Delta plans to begin new daily service between its Salt Lake City hub and Milwaukee, using an E175 operated by SkyWest. Delta is also extending its planned Las Vegas-Honolulu 757 service, which was originally scheduled for daily holiday flights from December 21 to January 14. Now they will continue as Saturday-only service from January 15, increasing to three flights a week February 16.

JetBlue is adding three more Atlanta routes. (Image: Jim Glab)

JetBlue finally broke into the Atlanta market last March, when it started flying five times a day from ATL to its Boston focus city. And now JetBlue has plans to double its Atlanta presence by adding five more daily flights there. Effective March 8, 2018, JetBlue will start flying from Atlanta to New York JFK twice a day, to Ft. Lauderdale twice a day, and to Orlando once a day. Elsewhere, JetBlue announced it will begin new service between Boston and Syracuse on January 4, offering one daily roundtrip with an Embraer 190.

In the ultra-low-cost carrier arena, Spirit Airlines on November 9 will begin daily A320 service between Las Vegas and Newark.  And Frontier Airlines will start operating four flights a week from San Antonio to Washington Dulles on October 6, followed by four a week between San Antonio and Ontario, California beginning October 13.

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American pulls the plug on Etihad, Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways A350 (Photo: Qatar Airways)

American Airlines said it plans to terminate its code-sharing partnerships with Qatar Airways and Etihad next year. This simply means you won’t be able to buy (or redeem points for) an American Airlines ticket to fly on operated by either airline– or vice versa. However, frequent flyer partnerships will remain in place. For now, at least.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering that American, Delta and United have been engaged in a years-long fight against the Middle East Big Three – Etihad, Qatar and Emirates – alleging that those carriers are subsidized by their governments, in violation of the Open Skies agreements that have allowed them to greatly expand their U.S. presence in recent years. The Mideast carriers deny those allegations.

The U.S. carriers have long been lobbying the federal government to curtail any new route rights for the Mideast trio, and have mounted extensive public relations campaigns to air their grievances. They even formed an advocacy group called the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies to promote their cause. Its motto is “a level playing field for all.”

Etihad 777-200

Etihad, like Qatar and Emirates, has added more U.S. gateways in recent years, but will leave SFO this October (Photo: SFO/PeterBiaggi)

So things have been quite tense between the U.S. Big Three and the Mideast Big Three for a long time.

Qatar Airways roiled the waters even more last month when it said it planned to acquire a stake of up to 10 percent in American Airlines – an unsolicited offer that American did not welcome.

A week after that investment plan was made public, American told both Qatar and Etihad that it would be pulling the plug on its code-sharing agreements with both of them effective March 25 of next year. Qatar Airways has been a member of American’s Oneworld global alliance since 2013.

American said that in view of the “extremely strong public stance” that it has taken against the Mideast Big Three, continuing its code-share partnerships with Etihad and Qatar would “no longer make sense for us.”

Important: An American official told Air Transport World that other aspects of the airline’s relationships with Qatar and Etihad will stay in place, including interline access, frequent flyer programs and airport lounge access. The downside of the loss of codesharing means that Advantage members will no longer earn elite qualifying miles on flights operated by Qatar or Etihad.

The decision to end code-sharing was made shortly before another incident that made relations between the carriers even worse. Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al-Baker gave a speech last week in which he bragged about his airline’s flight attendants having an average age of just 26, compared to what he called the “grandmothers” who comprise the flight crews of American carriers. He also referred to the U.S. carriers as “crap.” He later apologized for the remarks.

What do make of all this? Please leave your comments below.

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Bummer: Alaska, American dial back partnership

Alaska Airlines and American are changing the terms of their partnership. (Image: Jim Glab)

Alaska Airlines and American Airlines are changing the terms of their longstanding partnership next year in ways that will affect Mileage Plan and AAdvantage members and elites, although their code-sharing agreements will remain in place.

This should come as no surprise as Alaska continues to integrate Virgin America into its system and its loyalty program, since Virgin directly competes with American on several lucrative transcontinental routes.

So what’s changing? Starting January 1, Alaska Mileage Plan members will only earn miles on domestic American Airlines flights that are marketed by Alaska – i.e., flights that are code-shares, with an Alaska Airlines flight number and that are booked through Alaska. Likewise, AAdvantage members will earn miles, elite qualifying miles, elite qualifying segments and elite qualifying dollars only on Alaska and Horizon Air flights that carry AA codes and flight numbers, and are booked through American.

Alaska Airlines’ merger with Virgin America is changing the competitive landscape. (Image: Alaska Airlines)

For elite-level loyalty members at both airlines, the perks that they now receive when flying on the other carrier will end January 1. That includes priority boarding/check-in, preferred seating and a waiver of checked baggage fees. (Alaska noted that Mileage Plan elites can now get priority check-in/boarding and free bags on Virgin America, with access to preferred seats and Main Cabin Select upgrades “coming later this summer.”)

However, members of the airlines’ airport lounge programs will continue to have reciprocal access to the other carrier’s lounges when traveling on an Alaska or AA flight.

The two airlines will still offer plenty of code-shared flights in the U.S. Just last year, Alaska and American implemented a substantial expansion of domestic code-sharing on many key business routes.

Alaska Airlines noted that the combined network of Alaska and Virgin “serves 80 percent of the top routes that Mileage Plan members have historically flown and earned miles on with American.”

Mileage Plan members could see pricing changes for award travel on AA. (Image: Boeing)

The impact of the changes will depend on a traveler’s location. Alaska said that those in the Pacific Northwest, “with a few exceptions,” will no longer earn miles on AA flights out of the region. For Mileage Plan members in California, Alaska is touting Virgin as an alternative for flights to New York, Boston and Dallas, “where American flights will no longer earn Mileage Plan miles.”

Members of both airlines’ loyalty programs will still be able to redeem miles for flights on the other carrier. However, Alaska noted that for award trips booked starting January 1, award pricing will increase for Mileage Plan members traveling on some of American’s international flights, and off-peak award travel on AA’s flights to Central and South American and to Asia will no longer be offered. At the same time, award pricing will be reduced for some premium cabin travel on American to Hawaii and within the U.S., Alaska said. You can see the old and new award pricing here.

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Airport news: LAX, Alaska lounge deal, O’Hare, Phoenix, Vancouver, Pittsburgh

The CLEAR trusted traveler program has opened at LAX. (Image: CLEAR)

In airport news, CLEAR comes to Los Angeles International and United opens a new check-in area there for Global Services members; Alaska Airlines and Qantas introduce airport lounge reciprocity; American Airlines passengers will have an easier time connecting to international flights at Chicago O’Hare; a new carry-on scanner being tested at Phoenix could be a game-changer for security threats; Vancouver will get a new SkyTeam lounge; and a pay-per-use lounge opens at Pittsburgh International.

CLEAR, the biometric-based trusted traveler program that gives members fast access to security checkpoints, has opened at Los Angeles International. The company said it has opened CLEAR lanes in Terminals 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 at LAX (not the TBIT), and it is coming soon to T1 and T5. LAX is the 22nd airport to join the CLEAR network. CLEAR – which is partly owned by Delta Air Lines – uses fingerprint and iris scans to verify members’ identities. Persons who sign up to join CLEAR at the airport will get a one-month free trial, the company said. An annual membership costs $179, with discounts available to SkyMiles elites.

United’s new LAX check-in area for Global Services members. (Image: United)

Also at Los Angeles International, United Airlines has just cut the ribbon on a new Global Reception area a premium check-in facility for the airline’s elite Global Services members. From the Global Reception area, members can go to the front of the line for security screening. The new facility is decorated with vintage airline photos. It’s the fourth newly designed Global Reception area for United; others are at Houston Bush Intercontinental, Chicago O’Hare and San Francisco, with one coming soon at Newark Liberty International.

More airport comforts are now available to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan elites (MVP Golds, MVP 75Ks) and Alaska Lounge members: Effective immediately, they have access to 13 Qantas international business class lounges around the world as well as two dozen Qantas Clubs in Australia when they fly on Qantas. At the same time, Qantas Club members and Qantas loyalty plan members who have attained Gold status or higher now have access to Alaska’s airport lounges at LAX, Portland, Seattle and Anchorage when they fly Alaska on a connection to or from an international Qantas flight.

Contest: Fly free to Hong Kong & write about it! Here’s how.

Passengers at O’Hare can now get post-security transfers from American’s T3 to T5. (Image: Chicago Dept. of Aviation)

Before June 19, American Airlines passengers connecting from a domestic arrival at Chicago O’Hare’s Terminal 3 to an international departure out of Terminal 5 had to go through a security re-screening at the latter terminal. But now they don’t, thanks to a new Terminal Transfer Bus service introduced by the Chicago Department of Aviation. The bus takes travelers from the secure side of T3 (near Gates G17 and K20) to the post-security side of T5 (at the M Concourse). The buses run from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

A new security checkpoint scanner now being tested at Phoenix Sky Harbor could alleviate the Department of Homeland Security’s fears of sophisticated explosive devices in laptops, and could also speed up passenger processing by ending the requirements to take liquids and laptops out of carry-ons. TSA is working with American Airlines to try out a computed tomography (CT) scanner at one checkpoint lane in Terminal 4, giving the security agent a 3-D image of a bag’s contents. TSA currently uses CT scanners to examine checked bags for explosive materials; the one being tested at the security checkpoint is smaller, but should be equally effective, TSA said. A similar test is expected to start at Boston Logan later this month.

Delta’s SkyTeam global alliance has selected Vancouver International as the location for its seventh branded airport lounge and its first in North America. The new SkyTeam lounge is expected to open sometime later this year, the alliance said. It will be available to first class, business class and Elite Plus customers flying on any of the nine SkyTeam carriers that serve Vancouver (Delta, Air France, Aeromexico, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, KLM, Korean and Xiamen). Existing SkyTeam lounges are in Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London Heathrow and Sydney.

The new Club lounge at Pittsburgh is in Concourse C. (Image: Airport Lounge Development)

Travelers at Pittsburgh International have a new lounge option. Airport Lounge Development Inc. has opened a lounge called The Club, the 17th in its growing network of pay-per-use airport facilities. The Pittsburgh Club is in Concourse C between Gates C54-C56, and is also accessible from Concourses A, B and D. The current Club location is temporary; a permanent Club will open this fall across from Gate C52. The temporary lounge can accommodate 35 persons. It has a food-and-drink zone, a work zone with electrical outlets and a workstation, and a relaxation zone. A day pass costs $40, but the Club is also open to members of Priority Pass, Lounge Key, Lounge Club and Diners Club as well as AAA Discount Reward members.

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American gives back an inch

A Boeing 737 MAX in American Airlines livery. (Image: Boeing)

Several weeks ago, news broke that some seats on American Airlines’ new 737 MAX aircraft would have a 29-inch pitch – marking a new legroom low for major U.S. carriers. But now American has apparently had a change of heart.

That could be due to a raft of comments on TravelSkills and elsewhere that fiercely condemned the move. On our post, PP wrote: “I hate the thought of more regulation, but seriously — it’s like they’re asking for the Feds to step in….”

American sent out a memo stating that based on feedback from customers and employees, it has decided to scrap the 29-inch pitch, which would have affected three rows of seats on the new planes. The other seats in regular economy would have 30-inch pitch.

That’s the good news. On the other hand, American will reportedly stand by its plan to provide a 30-inch pitch for regular economy seating on the new planes, giving just an extra inch to those three tight rows. American currently provides 31-inch pitch on its 737-800s in economy class, and pitches of 30-31 inches on A319s, 31 on A320s and 31-32 on A321s.

AA’s Main Cabin Extra seats have 35-37 inch pitch. (Image: American)

And giving back that extra inch will also mean a reconfiguration for AA’s 737 MAXs. They’ll still have 172 seats, but the Main Cabin Extra seating (American’s extra-legroom economy product) will be reduced from 36 to 30 (one row), while regular economy will increase from 120 to 126 seats. The new aircraft will still have 16 first class seats.

As for the standard 30-inch pitch throughout the economy section, American’s memo said the MAX seats will make more efficient use of space, so that “a 30-inch pitch will feel more like today’s 31 inches.” (That’s what she said! LOL. Sorry I could not resist…) 

American has ordered 100 of the next-generation 737 MAX aircraft from Boeing.

Small as American’s giveback may be in the pitch department, at least it might prevent its legacy competitors from transitioning to a 29-inch pitch, which would effectively eliminate one of the key differences between them and the ultra-low-cost airlines.

Why do you think American caved on this one? Please leave your comments below. 

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Airport news: Denver, LAX, San Diego, Houston, Las Vegas

Rendering of the main floor of Denver’s re-imagined Jeppeson Terminal. (Image: Denver International Airport)

In the latest airport developments, Denver International outlines a major transformation coming to its main terminal building; American Airlines plans big improvements for Terminals 4 and 5 at Los Angeles International; San Diego will debut airport-wide gate delivery service for passenger purchases; Las Vegas McCarran gets a new access road; and American Airlines opens an Admirals Club at Houston Bush Intercontinental.

Denver International Airport officials have revealed details to the Denver Post about their big plans for a massive $1.2 billion overhaul of the airport’s Jeppeson Terminal – i.e., the main terminal building. Assuming the city council approves the plan next month, work would start next year on a three-year project that would relocate the airport’s two main security checkpoints from the main floor of the Jeppeson Terminal to the north end of the upper level. Ticket counters on the upper level would be consolidated at the south end. That will open up a huge amount of space on the main floor for additional concessions. There’s even talk about installing a Colorado-oriented theme activity in the space like a climbing wall or a zip line. Here’s a fly-through video (click to skip the ad): https://youtu.be/hzB2hTQlctc

American’s rebuilt T4 and 5 at LAX will have a link to a new people-mover system. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

Los Angeles World Airport and American Airlines are working on a new 15-year lease that would provide for $1.6 billion in improvements to AA’s Terminals 4 and 5 at Los Angeles International. The project, which would happen over the next seven to 10 years, calls for the gradual demolition of the T4 and T5 lobby areas. They would be replaced by a new facility including a new “vertical circulation core” connected to the airport’s planned landside Automated People Mover train system. The project would also provide combined passenger check-in and baggage claim areas for the two terminals; a centralized security screening checkpoint for both terminals on the level of the people-mover system; and connecting the two terminals on both the landside and airside, including an above-ground connector that runs from the T4/Bradley Terminal connector to T5 on the airside. The new lease would also provide for American to add more gates at LAX in the future.

San Diego Airport users will be able to shop from the gate this summer. (Image: San Diego Airport)

A new service for travelers at San Diego International will let them order food or retail items via their phone and have it delivered to their gate, anywhere in the airport. The new service is expected to launch this summer, using the mobile ordering app called Grab and delivery service provided by a vendor called AtYourGate. “The app enables time-pressed travelers to pre-order restaurant and retail service items for pick-up.  AtYourGate will take the service one step further by delivering items to busy travelers and flight crews while they wait at their gate,” the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority said. It’s believed that SAN will be the first major airport in the country to offer the service.

It had a soft opening several weeks ago, but June 12 marks the grand opening of an American Airlines Admirals Club in Terminal A at Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport.  Since American only has a few dozen flights a day at IAH, it’s not a huge facility – about 4,400 square feet — but it offers seating for 87 persons, a business center, and lots of outlets for recharging devices. Free snacks and alcoholic beverages are provided in the club, and so are salads and sandwiches for purchase.

Have you ever been stuck in traffic heading south out of Las Vegas McCarran Airport on the so-called Airport Connector tunnel to the eastbound lanes of the I-215 Beltway? Those traffic problems should be eased following the opening this week of a new half-mile-long “flyover” ramp that links the Connector to 215. Before the ramp opened, vehicles had to slow down to navigate a sharply looping ramp from the tunnel to the Beltway. Las Vegas officials said some 20,000 cars a day are expected to benefit from the new ramp, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

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Routes: JetBlue to Europe + AA, Delta, Norwegian, United, Avianca, Etihad

Will a larger Mint cabin on a new A321 model make Europe flights work for JetBlue? (Image: JetBlue)

In international route developments, JetBlue sees possibilities for Europe with new planes, more Mint; American’s new premium economy seating spreads to more routes; Delta kicks off Seoul service from its home base; Norwegian begins Barcelona flights this week; United drops a U.S.-South America route and Avianca adds one; and Etihad goes all-A380 on a key U.S. route.

JetBlue is in the midst of an analysis about how it can operate profitably on routes to Europe, according to an article in The Motley Fool, and the carrier reportedly sees two keys to making transatlantic flights work. One is the right aircraft – and JetBlue has taken steps in that direction by amending an aircraft order with Airbus to secure some A321LRs starting in 2019. With their longer range, those planes would let JetBlue fly from its Boston and New York JFK bases to major cities in western Europe. (How customers would react to a transatlantic flight on a single-aisle plane is another matter.)

The second key is competing not against ultra-low-cost operations like Norwegian and WOW, but against mainstream airlines’ premium cabins by offering business travelers a front cabin with more flat-bed Mint seats than the 16 that its domestic flights offer.  JetBlue sees its domestic Mint deployment as a major competitive success story, and wants to repeat it.  “Airbus’ Cabin-Flex concept will give airlines full discretion on how big to make their premium cabins by rearranging the locations of the emergency exits,” the article noted, and JetBlue is said to be looking at boosting Mint seating to 22 if it goes transatlantic.

American’s new Premium Economy section, with 2-3-2 leather seats, is coming to more routes later his year. (Image: American Airlines)

We noted recently that American Airlines has started installing its new international premium economy seating on its 777-200ERs, and Airlineroute.com reports that the carrier is taking reservations for premium economy travel starting December 15 on a number of routes. (The new section has initially been available only on select routes where AA uses new 787-9s.) In mid-December, the premium economy seats will be available on AA’s 777-200ER routes from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Buenos Aires, Frankfurt and Tokyo Narita; from Los Angeles to Tokyo Narita and Tokyo Haneda; and from Miami to Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Santiago (Chile).

Delta has launched new daily transpacific service from its Atlanta hub to Seoul Incheon, supplementing the daily flight in the same market operated by its partner Korean Air. The Delta flight uses a 777-200LR featuring a Delta One cabin with 37 lie-flat seats; 36 Comfort+ extra-legroom economy seats; and 218 main cabin seats in a nine-across layout. All seats have power ports and entertainment on demand, and satellite Wi-Fi is available.

Low-cost transatlantic specialist Norwegian kicked off three new U.S. routes this week, all of them to Barcelona with 787 Dreamliners. The carrier is operating twice a week to Barcelona from Los Angeles (increasing to three a week in August); twice a week from Newark (going up to four a week in August); and twice a week from Oakland (increasing to three in August). Norwegian’s Oakland-Barcelona route is already facing competition from new entrant Level, a low-cost subsidiary of British Airways/Iberia parent International Airlines Group.

Venezuela has been going through unprecedented political and economic turmoil in recent months, and travel to that country has suffered as a result. The latest evidence: United Airlines plans to end its daily flights to Caracas from Houston Bush Intercontinental effective July 1. United is just the latest of several carriers that have suspended Venezuela flights, in part because they have had trouble getting money from ticket sales out of the country.

Avianca added A319 service to Boston from Bogota. (Image: Avianca)

Avianca has launched new U.S. service between Bogota, Colombia and Boston Logan. The Star Alliance member flies the route four times a week from Terminal E at BOS, using a two-class A319 with 12 business class seats and 108 in economy. The flight operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from Boston, and is the only non-stop service between the two cities.

Etihad Airways has put an Airbus A380 onto its second daily New York JFK-Abu Dhabi  flight, replacing a 777-300ER. The other daily flight has been using an A380 since late 2015, so the aircraft change makes JFK-Abu Dhabi one of the airline’s few all-A380 routes, along with Abu Dhabi-London and Abu Dhabi-Sydney.

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Routes: Southwest, AA, Delta, Alaska, + a new 787 route

Southwest just added several new California routes. (Image: Jim Glab)

In domestic route developments, Southwest adds Cincinnati to its route map and adds service in several new California markets; American adds some regional routes and will put a wide-body on a SFO transcon; Delta adds more Comfort+ seats to regional aircraft; Alaska starts up its latest East Coast route; Spirit grows at Oakland; Frontier comes to Providence; and Air Canada pits a Dreamliner on a key SFO route.

Southwest Airlines this week added Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to its route map with an initial schedule of eight flights a day – five to Chicago Midway and three to Baltimore/Washington. At the same time, the airline’s route map eliminated Dayton, where Southwest had been running a few flights a day to Midway.

As the airline’s summer schedule kicks in this week, Southwest also inaugurated new non-stop service in several California markets, including San Francisco-Portland, San Jose-Reno, San Diego-Boise and San Diego-Salt Lake City. New seasonal summer routes active as of this week include Oakland-Newark, San Diego-Newark, San Diego-Spokane and San Diego-Indianapolis. Elsewhere, Southwest started daily service between Denver and Charleston, S.C.; weekend flights between Denver-Pensacola; and seasonal flights between Denver and Norfolk. At Nashville, Southwest kicked off new daily flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul and seasonal service to Seattle.

After all the hubbub about airlines putting flat-bed seating into the front cabins on more domestic routes – notably Boston-San Francisco – readers of Flyertalk discovered another entry into the fully-reclining transcon competition: An American Airlines listing for A330-200 service between San Francisco and its Philadelphia hub starting in early October. Could this be just a seasonal redeployment of excess transatlantic aircraft, or a permanent thing?

American has new Eagle service at Billings and Medford. (Image: American Airlines)

Meanwhile, American just added some new regional service, including daily flights between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Billings, Montana using a 76-seat American Eagle E175; and new Eagle service from Medford, Oregon to both Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Delta continues to roll out its Comfort+ extra-legroom economy seating to more regional aircraft. Earlier this year, it finished installing the seats on its CRJ-200s, and now it has started selling Comfort+ on its E-175s and CRJ-900s. The extra-legroom seats are also now on sale for travel starting June 15 on Delta’s E-170 and CRJ-700 aircraft. “Delta remains engaged with distribution partners to allow Delta Comfort+ to be purchased through travel agents and in consumer direct shopping displays,” the airline said.

Alaska Airlines has started flying its newest transcontinental route. The carrier is offering daily seasonal non-stop service from Portland to Philadelphia, using a 737. The Portland-PHL flights will continue through August 26. It’s Alaska’s 58th destination from Portland.

Air Canada has deployed a new 787 Dreamliner between SFO and Toronto (Image: Air Canada)

There’s something new in the skies between San Francisco and Toronto : Air Canada has just put a 787-9 Dreamliner into service on one of its six daily flights in the market. It’s scheduled on the airline’s 11:55 a.m. departure from SFO and its 8:15 a.m. westbound flight from Toronto. See more about this beautiful bird here. 

Spirit Airlines introduced a number of new domestic markets. (Image: Spirit Airlines)

Spirit Airlines has kicked off new seasonal service from Oakland International to Baltimore/Washington and to Detroit, along with seasonal flights between Detroit and Seattle. New year-round markets just introduced by the low-cost carrier include San Diego-Baltimore/Washington, Seattle-BWI, New Orleans-BWI, New Orleans-Cleveland and New Orleans-Orlando. Spirit has also added Pittsburgh to its route map, launching new daily flights to Dallas/Ft. Worth, Orlando, Las Vegas, Houston Bush Intercontinental and Los Angeles, along with three flights a week to Ft. Lauderdale and daily seasonal service to Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Low-cost Frontier Airlines has announced some new routes starting in mid-August. The carrier will start flying out of Providence’s T.F. Green Airport on August 14 with daily flights to Denver and Orlando, and out of Islip, Long Island’s MacArthur Airport August 16 with daily service to Orlando.

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Airport news: AA’s new JFK lounge + Chicago, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Charlotte

Part of American’s renovated and expanded Flagship Lounge at New York JFK. (Image: American)

American Airlines has cut the ribbon on its first new Flagship Lounge at New York JFK; faster TSA lanes have opened at JFK’s Terminals 2 and 4; Chicago Midway gets a bunch of new food and beverage outlets and stores; Philadelphia International moves ahead with a big improvements project; more details on the new hotel coming to Minneapolis-St. Paul; and Charlotte unveils a long-term development program including an on-site hotel.

American has opened the first of several new premium airport lounges at its New York JFK Terminal 8. The newly renovated and enlarged Flagship Lounge is now available not just to first class flyers but also to business class passengers on international and transcontinental flights. (But first class travelers do have exclusive access to the new sit-down dining experience at the lounge’s new Flagship First Dining facility.) The Flagship Lounge offers quiet rooms, individual work pods, showers, a hot and cold food buffet, and made-to-order dining entrees. There’s also a “make your own cocktail” station. Later this year, American will open renovated Flagship Lounges at Los Angeles, Chicago O’Hare and Miami; and in 2018 at Dallas/Ft. Worth, Philadelphia and London Heathrow.

Elsewhere at JFK, Delta’s Terminals 2 and 4 are now equipped with those new “smart lanes” at TSA security checkpoints. Offering automated conveyor belts, larger bins, and the ability for more travelers to load up bins for the x-rays simultaneously, the new lanes are estimated to speed up the lines by 30 percent.

New restaurants have opened at Philadelphia’s Terminal B. (Image: American)

Three new restaurants have opened in Terminal B at Philadelphia International, with more improvements on the way. They include an Italian restaurant, a French pastry café and a German beer garden, and all feature iPads for ordering – a trend that is spreading quickly at major airport food outlets. (Passengers seem to love or hate iPads in equal measure.) They are among a total of eight new restaurants coming to the facility, all iPad-equipped, as part of a $33 million terminal redesign. That’s just a piece of a larger $900 million airport improvement project at PHL that will include substantial enhancements to basic infrastructure like elevators and escalators, along with plans by American to build a new front entrance to replace the Terminal B and C ticketing areas.

Chicago’s Midway Airport is bringing on 21 new food and beverage outlets and retail stores, the airport announced this month – all part of an ongoing $75 million improvements program. The project will increase the number of full-service sit-down restaurants at MDW from one to three, and will add other dining options ranging from a sushi outlet to a burriteria to a Dunkin Donuts. New retail stores at the airport include Tech on the Go and Sweet Indulgences. Other outlets will feature well-known Chicago brands like the Home Run Inn and Go Go White Sox.

Rendering of the InterContinental Hotel under construction at Minneapolis-St. Paul. (Image: InterContinental)

An airport hotel with its own TSA security checkpoint? That’s one of the innovations coming for the hotel under construction at Minneapolis-St. Paul International, due to open in the summer of 2018. InterContinental Hotels Group said this month that its new InterContinental Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport will be linked to Concourse C of the airport’s Lindbergh Terminal via a climate-controlled skybridge. The 12-story, 291-room hotel will also offer two restaurants, an upper-floor “observation bar,” an InterContinental Club Lounge, business and fitness centers, and a spa. Companies will be able to schedule same-day, fly-in, fly-out meetings, since the hotel will have 20,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 10,800-square foot ballroom.

New on-site airport hotels are also coming at San Francisco, Atlanta and New York JFK, and now one has been announced for Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina. Airport officials said this week they plan to build a full-service hotel on the site of the airport’s existing control tower, which the FAA will replace with a new structure in 2020. The tower is just north of CLT’s new hourly parking deck adjacent to the terminal. In a presentation to the Charlotte city council, airport officials said their new long-term development plan also calls for construction of an automated people-mover that would run from the hourly parking deck through the hotel to Wilkinson Boulevard, where to would link up with a new light rail line planned by the Charlotte Area Transit System.

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Routes: Alaska, Southwest, Finnair, United, American, Air India, Avianca

Alaska Airlines will start Mexico City nonstops from SFO and LAX in August. (Image: Alaska Airlines)

In international route developments, Alaska unveils plans for its new California-Mexico City flights; Southwest will add more international service from Ft. Lauderdale; Finnair is about to launch San Francisco flights; United schedules aircraft changes for some transpacific markets from SFO and launches more seasonal Europe service; American puts its code on new flights from the West Coast to Barcelona; Air India adds two U.S. gateways; and Avianca Brasil adds a U.S. route.

Alaska Airlines has won Transportation Department approval for Mexico City routes thanks to slots at MEX that Delta and joint venture partner Aeromexico had to give up, and now Alaska has released schedule plans for its new service. On August 8, Alaska will start flying one daily roundtrip from both San Francisco and Los Angeles to Mexico City; on November 6, it will add a second daily LAX-MEX flight, plus one a day from San Diego to Mexico City. The SFO flight and the first LAX flight will use 737s; the second LAX flight and the San Diego service will use E175s.

Southwest Airlines is due to cut the ribbon in a couple of weeks on a new international concourse at its Ft. Lauderdale base, when it will also add service from FLL to new international destinations including Montego Bay, Cancun, Belize and Grand Cayman. Now Southwest has announced two more international destinations from Ft. Lauderdale. In early November, it will begin daily flights from FLL to San Jose, Costa Rica and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. And on November 11, the carrier will also start Saturday-only service to Cancun from Nashville and St. Louis.

Finnair will use an A330 on its San Francisco route. (Image: Finnair)

June 1 is the launch date for seasonal Finnair service from San Francisco to Helsinki, operating three days a week through the end of September with an Airbus A330-300. Finnair is a member of the American/British Airways Oneworld alliance, and Alaska Airlines this week announced a frequent flyer partnership with Finnair as well. “Members of Alaska Mileage Plan can begin earning miles on Finnair starting today,” the airline said. “Award redemption will commence later this year. Finnair Plus members can begin earning and redeeming points on Alaska Airlines starting today.”

United Airlines is planning some equipment changes on transpacific routes from San Francisco this winter, according to Routesonline.com. On August 1, United will pull the 747-400 from its daily SFO-Taipei flight, replacing it with a 777-300ER.  Starting October 28, one of United’s two daily SFO-Shanghai Pudong flights will use a three-class 777-200ER instead of the previously planned 787-9; the other will use a 787-9. On December 16, United will boost SFO-Auckland schedules from seven to 10 a week as previously announced, but will use a 787-9 instead of a 787-8 for the winter season. And starting December 20, United’s daily 787-9 service from SFO to Tokyo Haneda will switch to a 777-200ER.

Meanwhile, United on May 24 is due to kick off its next round of seasonal transatlantic service, including flights from Newark to Athens continuing through October 4; Washington Dulles to Barcelona through October 27; and San Francisco to Munich through September 3. On May 25, United adds Chicago O’Hare-Shannon service continuing through September 5, and Chicago-Edinburgh flights through October 4.

Level will fly A330s from Oakland and Los Angeles. (Image: IAG)

Remember that new low-fare service from the West Coast to Barcelona that we told you about in March on a carrier called Level? That’s a new low-cost operation from International Airlines Group, the parent of British Airways and Iberia, and it’s due to get off the ground next week, with twice-weekly Los Angeles-Barcelona flights beginning June 1 and three flights a week from Oakland to Barcelona starting June 2, both using two-class A330s. And now Routesonline.com reports that BA/Iberia’s joint venture partner American Airlines will put its AA code onto the Level flights.

Air India’s SFO-Delhi flight proving very popular (Image: Peter Biaggi)

Air India is said to be doing so well with its San Francisco-Delhi service that it plans to add two new U.S. gateways later this year, according to The Times of India. The carrier has already announced plans to start flying to Washington Dulles in July, and the newspaper said Air India now expects to begin non-stop Los Angeles-Delhi service September 1, followed by Dallas/Ft. Worth service sometime later this year.  The report said Air India is seeing a surge in passenger demand for U.S. service now that travelers cannot take their laptops into the cabins of the big Middle Eastern airlines on non-stop flights to the U.S. Besides its SFO service, Air India also flies to Delhi from New York and Chicago, and to Mumbai from Newark.

Avianca Brasil is due to kick off new daily flights between Miami and Sao Paulo June 23, with red-eye service in both directions.

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American’s premium economy: 777-200s are next

American’s new premium economy seating is currently on 787-9s in select markets. (Image: American Airlines).

Now that American Airlines started selling a new premium economy class of seating this month on its first 787-9s, the company has detailed the timetable for retrofitting its other wide-bodies with the new cabin.

American CFO Derek Kerr told an industry conference this week that the company will begin installing the new seats during the current quarter on 777-200s. The airline has 47 of those planes, comprising the largest segment of American’s long-haul fleet. Work on those aircraft should be finished by March of next year.

During the third quarter, work will start on the airline’s 15 Airbus A330-200s, due for completion in December of this year. Next in line will be AA’s 20 777-300ERs beginning in the fourth quarter and ending by June 2018, followed early next year by its 20 787-8s.

American is now estimating that its entire wide-body fleet will have the new cabin by the end of the third quarter of 2018; previously, it had targeted June 2018 for completion of the job.

Delta’s premium economy cabin will debut on its A350s later this year. (Image: Delta)

Although it is reconfiguring its wide-bodies with premium economy seating, American is planning to keep offering a Main Cabin Extra option as well – i.e., its extra-legroom seating in the economy cabin. While Main Cabin Extra provides up to six inches of extra seat pitch, AA’s Premium Economy product will offer slightly more – 38 inches, along with extendable foot, leg and head rests; larger touch-screens; and additional services and amenities including one checked bag free. Seating will be in a 2-3-2 layout.

Delta is planning to introduce its own international premium economy product later this year as it starts to take delivery of new Airbus A350s. Unlike American, Delta will not continue to offer extra-legroom Comfort+ seating in the economy cabin when premium economy is introduced. In 2018, Delta will extend the premium economy cabin to its 777s.

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Economy class legroom: How low can it go?

A 737 MAX in American Airlines livery. (Image: Boeing)

It’s ironic that word leaked out this week about American Airlines’ plans to reduce seat pitch on some of its new single-aisle aircraft. Ironic because it’s the same week that the House Transportation Committee held hearings in Washington about U.S. airlines’ poor treatment of passengers– and the possibility of regulating airline seating was discussed.

CNN said it learned that American plans to stuff more seats into its new 737 MAX aircraft by reducing seat pitch from the standard 31 inches to  a tight 29 inches on three rows in the economy cabin, and to 30 inches on the rest. The report said United Airlines “is considering a similar move.”

Our guess is that those three painful rows will be reserved for passengers who have booked the cheapest “basic economy” fares which the major airlines say they’ve introduced to compete with ultra low cost carriers. Since these will be the least desirable seats, and basic economy passengers are the last to board, they’ll end up in these seats by default. Another issue left up to speculation now is whether or not these seats will recline. I would hope not, but you never know.

Related: Should you ever book a Basic Economy fare? 

The new configuration will give American 170 seats on the new planes, vs. 160 on existing 737-800s, although they will still offer first class and Main Cabin Extra (with 35-37 inch pitch) seating.

According to the CNN report, 40 of the 100 737 MAX aircraft ordered by American are expected to join the fleet by the end of 2019, and the airline is reportedly thinking about reconfiguring economy seating in its older 737-800s to match the new planes.

“As the big airlines match each other move for move, the risk is that 29 inches becomes the standard (seat pitch) for flying economy in the United States,” CNN said.

JetBlue’s Airbus fleet has standard seat pitch of 32 to 34 inches. (Photo: JetBlue)

Frequent travelers know that an inch or two of more (or less) legroom can make a big difference in comfort, and if the legacy carriers were to reduce that number, they risk losing one of their main advantages over ultra-low-cost carriers.

Among the major airlines, seat pitches on single-aisle domestic aircraft generally range from 30 to 32 inches. Almost all airlines offer extra legroom seats with 34-36 inches of legroom for elite level members of frequent flyer programs or those who pay higher fares.

According to Seatguru.com, American offers 31-inch pitch on its 737-800s in economy class, and pitches of 30-31 inches on A319s, 31 on A320s and 31-32 on A321s. Delta’s economy pitch is 30-31 inches on 737-900s, and 31-32 inches on 737-800s and single-aisle Airbus planes. At United, 737-800s and -900s offer 30-31 inch pitch. Alaska’s 737-800s have 31-32 inches and 737-900s have from 31 to as much as 35 inches.

Spirit Airlines squeezes ’em in with a 28-inch seat pitch. (Image: Spirit Airlines)

JetBlue appears to be the most generous, with economy class legroom ranging from 32-33 inches on A321s to 34 inches on A320s. Southwest’s standard pitch is 31 inches on 737-700s and 32-33 on 737-800s. At Virgin America, economy seat pitch is 32 inches on A319s and 320s.

By contrast, low-cost Spirit Airlines has a standard pitch of 28 inches across its fleet of single-aisle Airbus planes. Frontier Airlines’ economy seat pitch is 28-31 inches on A319s, 28-29 on A320s and 30-32 on A321s.

What do you think about the tighter configurations? Is the new “get what you pay for” mentality among major airlines going to far? Should seat pitch minimums be regulated by the feds? 

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Routes: Qatar Airways to SFO + United 787s, Delta, Copa, AA, Virgin Atlantic

Qatar Airways plans to start San Francisco service next year- image of Qatar’s current business class seat from a travel conference trade show floor. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

In international route news, Qatar Airways will add San Francisco service and delay Las Vegas; United plans changes to 787 schedules at SFO in 2018; Delta’s code goes onto a long-haul Air France route; Copa adds a new U.S. gateway; American will suspend its Auckland route for a while; Virgin Atlantic trims an Atlanta route; Spirit gives up a Caribbean destination; and United and American start up several seasonal Europe routes this week.

Laptop ban or no laptop ban, Qatar Airways plans to add service to another new U.S. destination next year: San Francisco. Company officials said at a travel show in Dubai last week that Qatar plans to bring a dozen new destinations onto its route map in 2018, including SFO – although it did not say exactly when the flights would start or what type of aircraft it would use. SFO tells TravelSkills that the service will be daily and could start in the second quarter of 2018 using a Boeing 777. Meanwhile, Qatar’s previously announced plan to start flying to Las Vegas on January 8 of next year has been pushed back to sometime in the second quarter. Qatar plans to fly the LAS-Doha route four times a week with a 777-200LR. Qatar Airways is a member of the Oneworld Alliance. 

United will add 787-9s to more San Francisco routes next year. (Image: United)

United will make some changes in its 787 schedules at San Francisco next year, according to Routesonline.com. The carrier plans to deploy 787-9 Dreamliners on its daily flights from SFO to Seoul on March 18 and to Taipei on May 4, 2018, replacing 777-200ERs on both routes. At the same time, 787-9s will replace 787-8s on the SFO-Munich route May 4, 2018 and on the SFO-Chengdu, China route May 2. Also on March 24, United will switch from a 787-9 to a 787-8 on its Washington Dulles-London Heathrow route.

Delta last week gave its customers a new way to get to Singapore. In an expansion of code-sharing with joint venture partner Air France, Delta started putting its code onto Air France’s daily Paris CDG-Singapore flight. Meanwhile, Air France added new code-shares with Singapore Airlines, putting its code onto the latter’s flights beyond Singapore to Melbourne and Sydney, and on sister carrier SilkAir’s service to Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Phuket.

Copa Airlines economy class on a 737-800 (Image: Copa)

Panama’s Copa Airlines has set a December 11 start for new service between Denver and Panama City, which will be its thirteenth U.S. gateway. The carrier plans to fly the route four times a week with a 737-800.

Going to New Zealand later this year? American Airlines filed plans to suspend its Los Angeles-Auckland service for a while – specifically, from August 5 to October 4. When the flight resumes on October 5, it will use a 787-9 instead of the current 787-8. In another service cutback, Delta partner Virgin Atlantic will trim its Atlanta-Manchester schedule this winter. From October 29 through March 24, Virgin will fly the route three times a week instead of daily. And Spirit Airlines is giving up the ghost on Cuba: The carrier will terminate its Ft. Lauderdale-Havana flights effective May 31, citing weak demand.

It’s time for major carriers to start up their seasonal summer routes to Europe, and both United and American will launch a bunch of them this week.  On May 5, United will kick off seasonal service from its Newark hub to Edinburgh, Venice, Stockholm and Hamburg; from Washington Dulles to Lisbon and Madrid; and from Chicago O’Hare to Rome and Dublin.  Also on May 5, American Airlines will begin seasonal flights from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Amsterdam and Rome; and from Chicago O’Hare to Barcelona.

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Another violent onboard altercation caught on video

A heated moment from a scene captured by Surain Adyanthaya and posted to Facebook

“Maybe you’ll get videotaped too and it will be all over the news,” shouted an angry passenger at a flight attendant on a recent San Francisco-Dallas flight on American Airlines caught on video. Apparently a flight attendant violently grabbed a baby stroller from a mother, which set off this incident of tears, shouting and a near physical altercation.

According to a Facebook video posted by Surain Adyanthaya (see below), here’s what happened: OMG! AA Flight attendant violently took a stroller from a lady with her baby on my flight, hitting her and just missing the baby. Then he tried to fight a passenger who stood up for her. AA591 from SFO to DFW.

Dallas News station Q13FOX reports, “According to multiple witnesses, the woman, who is from Argentina and was flying internationally, brought her stroller on the plane. When the flight attendant attempted to remove the stroller from the plane, there was an altercation, which resulted in the stroller striking the woman and nearly hitting her child.”

After the widespread attention to last week’s United incident, prepare for newly empowered and enraged passengers to get feisty this summer as temperatures and tempers soar.

Here’s the full video from the American Airlines flight 591 incident on Friday night at SFO:

American Airlines responded quickly to the incident on Friday night, removing the flight attendant in question and posting the following statement on its website:

Statement from American Airlines

More details are emerging about the incident this morning and reported on the Q13Fox News site. 

You may be a veteran business traveler with millions of miles under your belt, but do you really know what your specific rights are if something goes wrong?

Following a tsunami of publicity about United Airlines dragging a passenger off a flight, the Transportation Department has put up a new web page that serves as a one-stop research center for air travelers’ rights.

Subjects covered on the new web resource include tarmac delays, flight delays/cancellations, reservations and ticketing issues, refunds, accessibility and discrimination, baggage issues, bumping and oversales, and passenger complaints. It also includes links to other consumer protection pages.

The updated DOT site goes into some detail about overbooking for example, it notes that airlines are required to conduct an auction to solicit volunteers who will surrender their seats. If there aren’t enough, “it is legal for airlines to involuntarily bump passengers,” DOT said. And “it is the airline’s responsibility to determine its own fair boarding priorities.”

When that happens, “an airline may deny you a seat on an aircraft based on criteria that it establishes, such as the passenger’s check-in time, the fare paid by the passenger, or the passenger’s frequent flyer status,” DOT said. “However, the criteria cannot subject a passenger to any unjust or unreasonable prejudice or disadvantage.  For example, an airline could not lawfully use a passenger’s race or ethnicity as a criterion.”

What do you think about these new incidents? Is this just a taste of what’s to come later this summer? Please leave your comments below. 

 

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Routes: New Alaska transcons + Delta, Southwest, AA, Frontier

Alaska Airlines keeps adding more transcontinental routes. (Image: Alaska Airlines)

In domestic route developments, Alaska can’t seem to get enough transcontinental routes; Delta extends a new seating option to smaller regional jets; Southwest takes on another intra-California market; American drops a key Caribbean route but adds a Michigan link; and Frontier expands to Puerto Rico.

Alaska Airlines is getting into several new transcontinental markets thanks to its acquisition of Virgin America, and it has been adding some of its own, like the San Jose-Newark, Portland-Orlando and San Diego-Baltimore/Washington flights it started last month. But that’s not enough for Alaska: It just announced plans to add new daily transcon flights  from Portland to New York JFK and from Los Angeles to Philadelphia. And it’s not quite a transcon, but Alaska also announced plans to start flying once a day from Portland to Detroit.

The Portland-Detroit service starts August 30, followed by one daily LAX-Philadelphia flight September 1 and one daily Portland-JFK roundtrip beginning November 6. All the eastbound flights on the new routes will be red-eyes. The two Portland routes will use 737s, while the LAX-Philadelphia route will use an Airbus from the A320 family (i.e., a Virgin America plane). LAX-Philadelphia was previously served by Virgin America from 2012 to 2014.

Delta Connection CRJ-200s are getting Comfort+ seats. (Image: SkyWest)

Major carriers have been transitioning their fleets away from smaller regional jets to the larger ones preferred by passengers. Delta still has some 50-seat CRJ-200s operated by Endeavor/SkyWest, and it just announced it has started selling its extra-legroom Comfort+ seating on those planes, effective for travel beginning May 1. With this enhancement, Delta said it “will now offer Delta Comfort+ on nearly all single-cabin delta Connection aircraft, in addition to its two-cabin aircraft.”

Delta’s announcement didn’t say how many Comfort+ seats the CRJ-200s would have, or how much extra pitch they would offer, or what would happen to seat pitch for the regular economy seats on those aircraft.

Southwest is starting service from Long Beach to Sacramento. (Image: Long Beach Airport)

Southwest Airlines, which started flying out of southern California’s Long Beach Airport last year with several flights a day to Oakland, has been eager to expand at Long Beach if only it could get more slots there. Well, it recently picked up a couple of slots given up by American, and said it will use them to begin twice-daily flights from Long Beach to Sacramento starting August 1.

American Airlines has been flying from New York JFK to San Juan, Puerto Rico for more than 45 years. But it has decided to give up that market on August 22, when it will eliminate its two daily flights on the route. AA still will fly to San Juan from several other hubs. Elsewhere, American Eagle has started up new service from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport, operating 12 flights a week.

While American is cutting capacity to San Juan, Frontier Airlines is adding it. Frontier is due to begin daily flights from Philadelphia and Orlando to San Juan on June 11, operating one daily A321 roundtrip on each route.

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Routes: Seattle and SFO; Delta, WOW, AA, Emirates, United, BA + more

Sir Richard Branson frolics at Seattle-Tacoma as Virgin Atlantic starts service there. (Image: Virgin Atlantic)

In international route news, Virgin Atlantic starts a pair of west coast routes; Delta resumes a transatlantic route and adds a South American one; Iceland’s WOW brings its low-fare service to the Midwest; American puts a new cabin class on sale; Emirates scales back at LAX but British Airways grows there; United starts two seasonal routes to Rome; Finnair drops a U.S. gateway; and Copa doubles down at O’Hare.

Virgin Atlantic Airways this week kicked off its new service to Seattle, using a 787-9 for its daily flights to London Heathrow. Virgin’s operations in the U.S. are closely coordinated with joint venture partner Delta, and Virgin’s new Seattle service replaces Delta’s daily flight to London. Delta was using a 767, so Virgin’s 787-9 increases capacity on the route by 50 seats a day. Also this week, Virgin Atlantic introduced new seasonal service from San Francisco International to Manchester, using an A330-300. That route operates three days a week (Tuesday, Friday and Sunday). It’s the only SFO-Manchester non-stop service, but it won’t be for long: On May 14, U.K. leisure carrier Thomas Cook Airlines will begin two flights a week with an A330-200. All this is in addition to British Airways four daily nonstops from the Bay Area to London!

Delta will fly to the beaches of Rio from JFK starting in December (Image: VisitBrazil.com)

Delta will expand its South America reach later this year with new daily service between New York JFK and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, slated to launch December 21. Using a 210-passenger 767-300 with Delta One flatbed seats, Delta will offer onward connections at Rio to 23 Brazilian destinations thanks to its Brazilian partner GOL. Meanwhile, Delta this week resumed service on the Atlanta-Brussels route, flying five times a week (increasing to daily during summer) with a 767-400. Delta had suspended the route a year ago after the Brussels terror attacks, although it maintained daily flights to Brussels from JFK.

On July 13, Icelandic low-cost carrier WOW will add another U.S. gateway, starting service four days a week to Reykjavik from Chicago O’Hare. The carrier said it is offering one-way base fares starting as low as $99 (plus extras) from ORD to Iceland, or $149 for connections to major European capitals. The flights will operate Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays using an A321-300 with 30-inch seat pitch (or 34 inches for an additional fee).

American’s new premium economy seating is on 787-9s in select markets. (Image: American Airlines).

American Airlines’ new international premium economy seats, currently available on a few routes out of Dallas/Ft. Worth, have been used for upgrades during their rollout. But now the airline is putting the new cabin category on sale for travel beginning May 4. AA’s premium economy class is on its new 787-9s from DFW to Paris, Madrid, Sao Paulo and Seoul. Seats are 19 inches wide with 38 inches of pitch (vs. 33-34 inches in Main Cabin Extra) in a 2-3-2 layout.

Is that U.S. laptop ban starting to hurt business for the big Middle Eastern carriers? Routesonline.com reports that Emirates is “temporarily adjusting” its schedule between Los Angeles and Dubai, cutting service from two flights a day to one from May 1 through June 30.

But Routesonline.com says that British Airways is planning an increased schedule from LAX to London Heathrow, bringing on a third daily flight effective October 29. The additional frequency will use a 787-9. On the same date, BA will boost its New Orleans-LHR schedule from four flights a week to five. Meanwhile, BA this week introduced its biggest bird – the 469-passenger A380-800 – into the aircraft mix on its Boston-London route, where the giant jet operates Mondays and Fridays.

United’s seasonal international schedule adjustments start to kick in next week. On April 4, the carrier will begin seasonal service from Newark to Rome and from Washington Dulles to Rome, both using 767s. The Newark flights continue through November 8, while the Dulles schedule is in place through October 27. Also on April 4, United will lay on extra frequencies from Newark to Paris, Dublin and London.

Trying to get from Miami to Helsinki this summer? Forget Finnair, which is suspending service on that route from May 1 through September 30, according to Routesonline.com. The Finnish carrier is also cutting back Chicago-Helsinki frequencies from five flights a week to three.

Panama’s Copa Airlines is doubling its service from Chicago O’Hare to Panama City effective June 1, when it will supplement its existing daily morning departure with a midafternoon flight out of ORD. Copa has onward service from its Panama City hub to 50 destinations in Latin America.

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American buys greater access to China

American’s customers will get access to scores of new destinations on China Southern. (Image: China Southern)

American Airlines is buying an equity stake in China Southern Airlines, a move that will give its customers access to more  destinations in Asia through code-sharing and frequent flyer connections.

The $200 million equity investment will give American a 2.68 percent stake in the Chinese carrier.  American is following a strategy like that of Delta, which purchased 3.5 percent of China Eastern Airlines two years ago. Delta also owns more substantial equity stakes in Virgin Atlantic and Aeromexico.

“Later this year, the two carriers expect to begin codeshare and interline agreements that will give customers access to many more destinations in China, as well as North and South America,” American said. “The expected codeshare routes are anticipated to include the ability to earn and redeem AAdvantage Miles, through-bag checking and the ability to book travel on a single ticket. The planned routes operating under the interline agreement are anticipated to include through-bag checking to the traveler’s final destination.”

Asia’s largest fleet with more than 600 aircraft. (Image: China Southern)

Most of China Southern’s transpacific flights are from Guangzhou. American flies to Beijing and Shanghai from Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Los Angeles. The company said that the new partnership with China Southern will give its customers access to 40 destinations through connections at Beijing and 30 beyond Shanghai. Passengers will gain access to scores of AA cities beyond the Chinese carrier’s U.S. gateways of Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York JFK.

It is Asia’s largest airline in terms of passenger traffic. Both China Southern and China Eastern are members of Delta’s global SkyTeam alliance, but a spokesperson for American tells TravelSkills that is not an issue in the equity purchase.

“We don’t expect China Southern to leave SkyTeam. That’s not the focus of our relationship with them,” the spokesperson said.

American flies 787s on its China routes to Beijing and Shanghai. (Image: American)

Meanwhile, American’s newest route, from Los Angeles to Beijing, is still on hold as the carrier tries to negotiate slot assignments at Beijing from Chinese authorities. A few weeks ago, the U.S. Transportation Department gave American a six-month extension to start flying the route after it became apparent that the slot issue would not be worked out by the March 16 deadline originally set  by the agency.

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Routes: Delta, Alaska, AA, JetBlue, United, JetSuiteX

Delta’s A319s have nine-inch screens at every seat. (Image: Delta)

In domestic route news, Delta will start multiple daily flights between two key business centers; Alaska eyes deployment of new E175s this spring and summer; American adds spokes from its Miami and Dallas hubs; JetBlue invades Delta’s hometown; United drops an East Coast route; and JetSuiteX steps up for music lovers.

Delta set June 19 for the start of new service from its growing Seattle hub to the largest city where it doesn’t yet fly from SEA. The carrier said it will inaugurate service between SEA and Chicago O’Hare, offering three flights a day with Airbus A319s. Departures in both directions are scheduled for early morning, midday and late afternoon, and tickets are on sale now. Meanwhile, later this year Delta will revive service on a route it dropped years ago: Salt Lake City-Tampa. Service will begin December 21 with one daily 737 roundtrip. And effective July 9, Delta will deploy a second daily roundtrip on its Atlanta-Rochester, Minn. route, using a CRJ-700.

Alaska’s Horizon Air subsidiary is deploying new three-class E175s. (Image: Alaska Airlines)

Alaska Airlines has ordered a bunch of new Embraer E175s, and several of them are being delivered this spring and summer. Routesonline.com reports that Alaska’s Horizon Air unit has started scheduling the new planes onto its route network, initially operating one daily roundtrip in each market. You’ll see the new E-175s staring May 4 on the Portland-St. Louis route, followed on May 18 on routes from Seattle to Oakland, Ontario, Portland, San Francisco, and St. Louis. The plane debuts June 4 between Portland-Salt Lake City; June 15 from Seattle to Calgary, Colorado Springs, Santa Barbara and San Jose; July 17 from Portland to Dallas/Ft. Worth; July 18 from SEA to Fresno and San Luis Obispo; August 17 from Seattle to Bozeman; August 18 from Orange County and Portland to Albuquerque; September 18 from San Francisco to Albuquerque and Kansas City; and October 18 from San Diego to Albuquerque.

The new aircraft are part of Alaska’s largest order ever for Horizon – a total of 30 new planes. And they will come with a three-class seating configuration including 12 first class seats, 16 in Alaska’s new Premium Class and 48 in the main cabin. The premium class seats will have a 34-inch pitch, vs. 36 to 38 inches in first and 31 inches in the main cabin. The planes will also have Wi-Fi, power outlets throughout, and free streaming entertainment.

American Airlines plans a July 5 start for new service between its Dallas/Ft. Worth hub and Spokane. The carrier will operate one daily roundtrip using a 124-passenger A319. On the same date, American will add another spoke from its Miami hub with the inauguration of one daily roundtrip to Omaha, Nebraska. MIA-Omaha will be an American Eagle operation, using a 76-seat E-175.

JetBlue and Delta are adding a new competitive arena as JetBlue invades the Boston-Atlanta market. (Image: Jim Glab)

We’ve mentioned this before, but just a reminder: This Tuesday (March 28), JetBlue is set to jump into a market thoroughly dominated by Delta and Southwest: Boston-Atlanta. JetBlue plans five flights a day on the route. The carrier planned on operating out of ATL’s Terminal E, but the airport reportedly wanted JetBlue to split its flights between Terminals D and E – prompting a JetBlue complaint to the FAA.

With a big hub at Newark, United Airlines doesn’t have much of a presence at New York LaGuardia – and that presence is about to get smaller. United Express/Republic Airlines operates up to three flights a day between LGA and Raleigh-Durham, but those flights are scheduled for termination effective June 7. United already serves RDU from Newark.

Music fans who want to get to the renowned Coachella Festival next month without a long drive through the desert have a new option. JetSuiteX, which operates small-jet scheduled service on intra-California routes, is planning to run special flights on two April weekends from Burbank to the Jacqueline Cochran Desert Resorts Regional Airport in Thermal, California. The service is scheduled for April 14-17 and April 21-24; tickets start at $199 each way at www.JetSuiteX.com.

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American joins the free food fight – sort of

American will bring back free meals in coach on two A321T transcontinental markets. (Image: American)

When Delta announced last month it would offer free meals in the main cabin on transcontinental flights, it was probably just a matter of time until its rival started to respond – and American Airlines is the first to do so, although on a limited basis.

American said this week that on May 1, it will also begin handing out free meals in coach – but only on two routes.

The policy change affects passengers flying American’s special transcon A321Ts between San Francisco-New York and Los Angeles-New York.

“Depending on the time of day, customers will be offered a continental breakfast or a boxed meal with a sandwich wrap, kettle chips and dessert. The menu also includes a vegetarian option and a fruit and cheese plate,” American said.

Delta’s free transcon Main Cabin offerings include a Luvo veggie wrap. (Image: Delta)

Delta’s free main cabin meals started earlier this month on the JFK-LAX and JFK-SFO routes, and will be extended as of April 24 to 10 more transcon routes, including JFK to Portland, San Diego and Seattle; Boston to San Francisco, LAX and Seattle; Seattle to Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and Raleigh-Durham; and Washington Reagan National to LAX. (Sorry, Atlanta, you are not included in the freebies.)

Even though American’s competitive response to Delta’s initiative is relatively muted, it still puts more pressure on other transcon carriers to match or beat the free coach meals. United, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines’ Virgin America unit all charge for anything more filling than snacks in the main cabin on their coast-to-coast routes.

For example, JetBlue has a service in its main cabin called the EatUp Café on LAX/SFO-area routes from Boston, New York and Ft. Lauderdale, offering sandwiches, salads, cheese plates and such for prices ranging from $4 to $12.

Would you rather pay for a high quality meal, or get a free one that’s just okay? Please leave your comments below. 

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Routes: American’s Beijing problem + Virgin Atlantic, United, Air India, Bliss Jet

American Airlines' new Los Angeles-Beijing route authority is in trouble.(Derwiki - Pixabay)

American Airlines’ new Los Angeles-Beijing route authority is in trouble.(Photo: Derwiki – Pixabay)

In international route developments, American’s recently-awarded route authority from Los Angeles to Beijing has hit a big snag, and American’s code goes onto a LAX-Paris flight; Qantas and American will try again for antitrust immunity; Virgin Atlantic schedules the deployment of A330s equipped with a new Upper Class; United changes planes on one of its San Francisco-London flights; Air India adds a new U.S. route; and a new company plans luxury small-jet service between New York and London.

Last fall, American won rights to fly from LAX to Beijing, with a start date expected in the first quarter of this year. But now American’s plans are up in the air, with the airline complaining to the Transportation Department that Chinese officials won’t provide takeoff and landing slots at Beijing’s Capital International Airport. It’s not that Chinese authorities tried to stick American with slots in the middle of the night, the carrier said — they wouldn’t give it any slots at all for the LAX flights. American argues that this is in violation of the bilateral agreement between the two countries. Currently, the only airline flying the LAX-Beijing route is Air China, which has three flights a day. American flies to Beijing from DFW and Chicago.

Given all the tough talk from the new Trump Administration toward China, this situation could pose a tough test for newly appointed Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Speaking of the Trump Administration, Qantas and American Airlines seem to think the new regime in Washington might be inclined to reverse the Obama DOT’s recent rejection of the carriers’ joint venture partnership, so they plan to make a new filing for antitrust immunity. But in the meantime, Qantas said it has stopped code-sharing on AA’s Sydney-Los Angeles flights, and that it is adjusting its frequent flyer policy with American “to bring it in line with other Oneworld carriers” starting May 1.

In other news, American has expanded its code-sharing partnership with Air Tahiti Nui, and has put its AA code onto that carrier’s Los Angeles-Paris CDG flights.

This old Upper Class cabin on Virgin Atlantic's A330s is being replaced. (Image: Virgin Atlantic)

This old Upper Class cabin on Virgin Atlantic’s A330s is being replaced. (Image: Virgin Atlantic)

Virgin Atlantic is refitting the Upper Class cabins of its 10 Airbus A330s following complaints that the seating layout of the herringbone “Dream Suites” was too cramped. Specifics of the redesign haven’t yet been announced, but Routesonline.com reports that the carrier has started to schedule the rollout of the overhauled A330s. The schedule sets March 27 for the debut of the aircraft on Virgin’s Manchester-San Francisco and Manchester-Boston routes, followed by London Heathrow-Newark, LHR-New York JFK, LHR-Washington Dulles, Manchester-Atlanta and Manchester-JFK on September 1; LHR-Atlanta and another LHR-JFK flight October 30; and LHR-Miami October 31.

While United will continue to operate one of its last 747s on the San Francisco-London Heathrow route through the summer, it has filed plans to change the aircraft on its second flight (the evening departure from SFO, UA930/949) from a 777-200ER to a 787-9 from May 24 through September 5, according to Routesonline.com.

Air India plans a July start for its newest U.S. route, linking Delhi and Washington Dulles. The carrier plans to use a 777 to fly the new route three times a week. Air India already flies to New York, Newark, Chicago and San Francisco.

Bliss Jet plans to operate LGA-Lonodon flights with luxurious Gulfstream business jets. (Image: Bliss Jet)

Bliss Jet plans to operate LGA-London flights with luxurious Gulfstream business jets. (Image: Bliss Jet)

Bliss Jet, a new company that last year said it would begin offering individually-ticketed private jet flights between the New York area and the U.K., failed to deliver on that plan. But now the carrier is trying again – this time with a new route. Bliss Jet’s original plan called for weekly roundtrip service between New York’s Westchester County Airport and London’s small Biggin Hill Airport. Now the company is planning to start offering private jet charter flights sometime this spring between LaGuardia and London Stansted, using private terminals at both airports. Bliss Jet will sell individual seats on Gulfsteam G450s and G550s with a maximum of 10 seats per flight. Service will operate eastbound on Sundays and westbound on Thursdays. The cost will be a mere $11,995 – each way.

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American’s new amenity kits: Stylish and reusable

Trendy new amenity kits by American Airlines in collaboration with Cole Haan (Photo: Kim Grimes)

Trendy new amenity kits by American Airlines in collaboration with Cole Haan (Photo: Kim Grimes)

American Airlines and Cole Haan partnered on inflight amenity kits last year and now they’re back with a second edition for 2017.

By Kim Grimes

The carrier sent TravelSkills a handful of the fashionable new kits as a sneak peek, so let’s take a look:

Amenity kits for transcontinental flight passengers (Photo: Kim Grimes)

Amenity kits for transcontinental flight passengers (Photo: Kim Grimes)

There are two different transcon amenity kits, one for business class and one for first class.

This transcon kit looks nice, but isn't as substantial as the other kits (Photo: Kim Grimes)

This transcon business class kit looks nice, but isn’t as substantial as the others (Photo: Kim Grimes)

The business class kit features a diagonal-cut flap and brown button clasp. It’s the only amenity kit in the new line that has American Airlines branding directly on it, but it’s fairly discreet. This kit probably has the least reuse value out of the four since there are two large slits in the back that small items could slip out of, but it’s durable enough to keep things in during a flight.

Inside, passengers will find a toothbrush, Crest toothpaste, earplugs, an eye mask, and polyester socks. There’s also a C.O. Bigelow refreshing travel kit inside that includes lip balm and lime and coriander scented body lotion.

First class transcon kit features

First class transcon kit features Clark’s Botanicals instead of C.O. Bigelow (Photo: Kim Grimes)

The first class version of the transcon kit is very stylish and has a handy pocket in the front that can be used for notes or boarding passes. It could easily be reused as a pen or makeup case. This kit comes with all of the same things as the business class kit except for the C.O. Bigelow items. Personal care items in this kit are provided by Clark’s Botanicals and include ultra rich lip balm, moisturizing hand cream, and a refreshing hand wipe. The kit also includes a small packet of tissues.

International flight kits are super durable (Photo: Kim Grimes)

AA’s new international flight kits are super durable (Photo: Kim Grimes)

Two different amenity kits are provided for passengers flying business class or first class on international flights.

AA's international business class kit is spacious and resilient (Photo: Kim Grimes)

AA’s international business class kit is spacious and resilient (Photo: Kim Grimes)

The kit for international business class has a rectangular shape that feels really comfortable to hold. The embossed pattern on the bottom half acts as a nice grip. It comes with a toothbrush, Crest toothpaste, C.O. Bigelow mouthwash, earplugs, an eye mask, Bose headphone covers, polyester socks, a packet of tissues, and a pen. Also inside is the C.O. Bigelow refreshing travel kit including lime and coriander body lotion and a tube of lip balm.

Unfold this kit to reuse as a trendy tablet case! (Photo: Kim Grimes)

Unfold this international first class kit to reuse as a trendy tablet case! (Photo: Kim Grimes)

International first class passengers receive an amenity kit that can be reused as a clutch purse or tablet case. The kit looks nice folded in half showing off its contrasting colors, but when you lift the flap you’ll have a case big enough for your tablet with brown on one side and the patterned navy on the other.

Inside this amenity kit passengers will find a toothbrush, Crest toothpaste, mouthwash, earplugs, an eye mask, Bose headphone covers, polyester socks, a packet of tissues, and a pen. Luxury skincare brand 3LAB has provided their ultimate travel collection in these kits as well. It comes with their PERFECT Lips lip balm, PERFECT hand cream, and “M” Cream.

These new pajamas are soft and comfortable (Photo: Kim Grimes)

These new pajamas are soft and comfortable (Photo: Kim Grimes)

American Airlines has also come out with new pajamas for first class passengers. They’re surprisingly soft and comfortable with the airline’s eagle icon on the bottom of the shirt. The pajama set is pretty lightweight but still provides a nice amount of warmth. I wore them instead of my fleece pajamas for a few nights and slept soundly without having to turn up my heater.

You can check out these new items throughout 2017 on American Airlines’ transcontinental and international flights– and be on the lookout for slight changes in colors every quarter.

American Airlines hopes that you’ll reuse their amenity kits in innovative ways and invites you to share how you reuse your amenity kits using the hashtag #GreatestFlyers. Will you be picking up and reusing one of these fashionable kits this year? Are amenity kits even necessary? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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Are seatback screens becoming obsolete?

Seatback screens are still staying on American wide-bodies like this 787 -- for now. (Image: American)

Seatback screens are still staying on American Airlines wide-bodies like this 787 — for now. (Image: American)

American Airlines has decided to do without seatback video screens in its newest single-aisle planes, and it is betting that passengers won’t care.

The carrier is due to take delivery of its first four next-generation 737 MAX aircraft this year – it has ordered a total of 100 – and they will come without the traditional seatback screens. American will still offer the screens on wide-bodies used for international routes, for its three-class A321Ts used on lucrative transcontinental routes, and on some other single-aisle aircraft, including 40 A321s and other 737 models due for delivery this year.

Instead of using seatback screens, passengers on the new 737 MAX planes will be able to see entertainment programming on their personal electronic devices, the airline said in a memo to employees.

The carrier said more than 90 percent of AA passengers now bring along their own tablet, laptop or smartphone, and that passengers prefer to use those devices. The airline will allow passengers to access its collection of movies, TV programs and live TV at no charge.

Satellite-based Wi-Fi links will be available for a fee, so that passengers can stream on-demand video entertainment from other providers. All of American’s new 737 MAX aircraft, and several hundred of its other domestic planes, will be getting new satellite-based Wi-Fi technology from ViaSat, the same vendor used by JetBlue.

Direct streaming to tablets and laptops will preclude the need for seatback video screens in the future. Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Direct streaming to tablets and laptops will likely preclude the need for seatback video screens in the future. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The new technology will permit much faster Wi-Fi for easy video streaming from sources like Netflix and Amazon. The ViaSat Wi-Fi should be on about half of AA’s single-aisle fleet by mid-2018.

American hasn’t decided yet whether it will extend the “no screens” policy to other aircraft types in the future.  But its memo to employees did say that the company expects seatback monitors to be “obsolete within a few years.”

Other carriers seem to be taking the same approach; United’s new 737-900s rely on entertainment streaming without video screens, and Alaska also uses streaming-only in-flight entertainment, although on longer flights it offers rental tablets that are preloaded with movie and TV programming.

Readers: Do you care if your domestic flight has a seatback screen as long as you can stream entertainment directly to your laptop or tablet at a reasonable speed?

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American rolls out cheap new low-frills fares

American is the latest carrier to introduce Basic Economy fares. (Image: American Airlines)

American is the latest carrier to introduce Basic Economy fares. (Image: American Airlines)

Beware bargain-hunters: American Airlines has become the last of the Big Three legacy carriers to unveil a new, cheap but highly restricted Basic Economy fare category.

Like the Basic Economy fare introduced recently by United Airlines, American’s will not allow purchasers to stow carry-on bags in the overhead bin; instead, carry on bags must fit under the seat (unless they are an AAdvantage elite or an AAdvantatge credit cardholder). Delta’s Basic Economy fares do not have similar restrictions on carry on baggage.

Passengers traveling on basic economy fares will be the very last group to board the plane (except for elites and AAdvantage cardholders), and will face more scrutiny regarding the size of their carry on bags. If they are too big to fit under the seat, basic economy passengers will be dinged for the standard checked bag fee ($25) plus a $25 penalty for gate checking the bag.

American said its Basic Economy fares will be the lowest available, but like those at United and Delta, they will come with very limited benefits. Purchasers will get the same in-flight service as regular Main Cabin customers, but they can’t select a seat (it will be assigned are check-in, although they can purchase one earlier); they will not be eligible for upgrades regardless of elite status; and will not be allowed same-day standby or flight changes. (Or as American put it, “Tickets are non-refundable, non-changeable. Use it or lose it.”)

Basic Economy fare buyers will be the last to board. (Image: Jim Glab)

Basic Economy fare buyers will be the last to board. (Image: Jim Glab)

Why are major carriers doing this? To head off competition from the likes of Spirit, Allegiant and Frontier, which offer rock bottom fares and sky high fees. AA President Robert Isom said the new fare category is for “those who want simple, low-price travel,” and he noted it will give American “the ability to compete more effectively with the growing number of ultra-low-cost carriers [ULCCs].”

Basic Economy customers only earn half of an Elite Qualifying Mile per mile flown, and only one half of an Elite Qualifying Segment per segment flown.

If customers are inclined to bite at the lowest available fare when searching for a flight, how will they know what they’re getting with Basic Economy?

“Multiple disclosures will spell out the attributes of a Basic Economy ticket at the time of purchase on aa.com, and when utilizing the airline’s reservations phone centers or when booking through a travel agent or online travel site,” the airline said. In addition, “Basic Economy customers will also receive reminders as their travel day gets closer, including at check-in kiosks at the airport.”

For a business traveler, a basic economy fare might work for a short haul day-trip, like San Francisco to Los Angeles or Dallas to Houston, but not much more than that. Most corporate travel managers and corporate travel agencies will not force these fares on business travelers.

A comparison of Basic Economy and Main Cabin fares. (Image: AA)

A comparison of American’s Basic Economy and Main Cabin fares. (Image: AA)

American said the first Basic Economy fares will go on sale next month in 10 markets, and will be expanded to more markets later this year. It noted that the fares will not be offered on every AA flight, and that the number of Basic Economy seats on its flights will vary. (It’s likely that you’ll only see them in markets where AA competes with ULCCs.)

Soooo, what do you think about this new fare category? Will you be using it to save money? Please leave your comments below.

 

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Routes: Delta at Seattle, Alaska at Portland + AA, JetBlue, Spirit

Delta is adding several more routes out of Seattle (Photo: Jim Glab)

Delta is adding several more routes out of Seattle (Photo: Jim Glab)

In domestic route news, Delta, Alaska and American each announced several new markets for 2017; JetBlue kicks off a California corridor route; and Spirit adds 10 markets.

Delta just announced plans to pile on more flights at its growing Seattle hub this year, with tickets for the new routes going on sale January 14. The new service includes a daily roundtrip to Milwaukee beginning March 9; three flights a day to Eugene, Oregon starting April 1; a daily Nashville flight as of May 26; a daily Raleigh-Durham flight effective June 8; a daily roundtrip to Austin beginning June 12; two flights a day to Redmond, Oregon as of June 12; and one a day to Lihue, Kauai starting December 21.

Portland International will get more Alaska Airliners service this spring. (Image: Jim Glab)

Portland International will get more Alaska Airliners service this spring. (Image: Jim Glab)

Alaska Airlines will beef up its operations at Portland this spring and summer with new service in four markets. It will begin a daily roundtrip May 22 from Portland to Philadelphia; another on June 5 from PDX to Milwaukee; and a third on June 6 from Portland to Baltimore/Washington International. Those will all operate seasonally until the last week of August; Milwaukee gets a SkyWest E175 while the other two will use 737s. Then on August 18, Alaska’s Horizon Air will start new daily year-round service from Portland to Albuquerque with an E175.

Routesonline.com reports that American Airlines’ latest schedule updates include new summer service in seven markets, all starting June 2. From its Phoenix hub, American will add service once a day to Eugene, Oregon; Jackson Hole, Wyoming (seasonal until August 21); and Medford, Oregon. Jackson Hole gets an A319 and the other two will use American Eagle/SkyWest CRJ-700s. From Dallas/Ft. Worth, American Eagle/Envoy Air will start flying once a day to Traverse City, Michigan (seasonal through August 21) and to Billings, Montana, using E175s. And from Chicago O’Hare, Eagle/SkyWest will start one daily CRJ-700 roundtrip to Bozeman, Montana (seasonal until October 4).

JetBlue last week revived an intra-California route. (Image: Jim Glab)

JetBlue last week revived an intra-California route. (Image: Jim Glab)

JetBlue, which briefly flew the intra-California route from its Long Beach focus city to San Jose seven years ago, jumped back into that market last week. The airline will use its 150-seat A320s to fly the route four times a day.

Spirit Airlines unveiled plans to add 10 new routes this spring from Houston, New Orleans, Baltimore/Washington and Detroit. From Houston Bush Intercontinental, Spirit will begin year-round service to Newark and seasonal flights to Seattle on April 27. New routes from New Orleans, all operating year-round beginning May 25, include Baltimore/Washington, Cleveland and Orlando. The new BWI service, all seasonal and starting May 25, will be to Oakland, San Diego and Seattle. And new seasonal service starts May 25 from Detroit to Oakland and Seattle.

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Big changes start for AAdvantage members

American's big AAdvantage change started this week. (Image: Jim Glab)

American’s big AAdvantage change started this week. (Image: Jim Glab)

American Airlines announced a while ago that it would change its AAdvantage program to include minimum spending requirements for elite status, and now those changes have taken effect.

January 1 was the starting date for the new AAdvantage rules, which brings American’s program into line with its major competitors. So here’s a reminder for AAdvantage members who need one.

Members now have new requirements for achieving AAdvantage elite status, most significantly including a minimum spending requirement for each level. And speaking of elite levels, there are now four instead of three.

The new level is called Platinum Pro, in between regular Platinum and Executive Platinum. Platinum Pro benefits – in addition to the regular Platinum perks – include unlimited complimentary upgrades in 500-mile upgrade markets; nine award miles per dollar (an 80 percent bonus); a 72-hour upgrade window; and two free checked bags. Platinum Pros will have the same Oneworld Sapphire status that Platinums have.

Here’s a chart showing the new elite levels, which require minimum spending of Elite Qualifying Dollars as well as minimums for Eilte Qualifying Miles OR Elite Qualifying Segments.

aadv1

Except for the addition of the Platinum Pro level, the miles/segments requirements are the same as they were before. Elite Qualifying Dollars are based on the ticket price plus carrier-imposed fees, but not government taxes and fees. The number of miles accumulated per Elite Qualifying Dollar ranges from 5 for non-elite AAdvantage members up to 11 for Executive Platinums.

aadv2

Later this year, American said, upgrade prioritization rules will be updated to include not only elite status level, but also the number of Elite Qualifying Dollars accumulated in the last 12 months; and Executive Platinums will be able to use free 500-mile upgrades for award flights on American.

You can see a summary of the new rules here.

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Routes: American, China Airlines, Xiamen, JetBlue, Alaska + more

American's new premium economy seating is on 787-9s in more markets. (Image: American Airlines).

American’s new premium economy seating is on 787-9s in more markets. (Image: American Airlines).

In international route updates, American Airlines is adding premium economy-equipped 787-9s to more markets; China Airlines planes an aircraft change and more flights to San Francisco; Xiamen opens sales for a new LAX route; JetBlue boosts Bermuda capacity; Alaska adds a Mexico route from Sacramento; Avianca increases Los Angeles service; and Delta expands Caribbean code-shares.

The new premium economy section that American Airlines is putting into its 787-9 Dreamliners will soon appear on more routes. The section first appeared on Dallas/Ft. Worth-Sao Paulo and DFW-Madrid flights in November, and now it is due to debut on DFW-Paris and DFW-Seoul flights starting January 9 and February 16 respectively.  Although the seats are out there, they’re not yet officially on sale as premium economy fares. That will begin early next year, American said. In other news, American is planning to upgrade the aircraft on its Raleigh-Durham to London Heathrow route. On March 5, it will switch from a 767 to a 777-200, offering about 40 percent more seats.

China Airlines will put a new Airbus A350 onto its San Francisco-Taipei route next spring. (Image: Airbus)

China Airlines will put a new Airbus A350 onto its San Francisco-Taipei route next spring. (Image: Airbus)

More flights are coming on the San Francisco to Taipei route, along with a new aircraft type. China Airlines, a member of Delta’s SkyTeam alliance, reportedly plans to boost frequencies on the route from seven a week to nine starting May 14, and to switch aircraft from a 777-300ER to a new Airbus A350. Then in early August, the carrier will add two more weekly flights on the route for a total of 11 a week.

China’s Xiamen Airlines has started taking bookings for its planned new service between Xiamen and Los Angeles International, due to begin on June 27. The carrier will use a 787-9 Dreamliner to fly the route three times a week.

JetBlue is adding more capacity to Bermuda from its Northeast focus cities. Beginning May 18, it will operate daily year-round flights from New York JFK, with a second daily frequency from May 18 through October. The airline will also increase its Boston-Bermuda daily service from seasonal to year-round as of May 18, and will upsize aircraft on its Bermuda routes from 100-seat Embraer 190s to 150-seat Airbus A320s.

Alaska Airlines plans to add a new route from California to Mexico next summer. As of June 10, the airline will offer weekly 737 service (on Saturdays) between Sacramento and San Jose/Los Cabos.

The LAX-Bogota route will get more Avianca Dreamliner flights next year. (Image: Avianca)

The LAX-Bogota route will get more Avianca Dreamliner flights next year. (Image: Avianca)

Got  business in Colombia? The Colombian carrier Avianca will boost its West Coast service in 2017, increasing frequencies on the Bogota-Los Angeles route from four a week to daily starting on March 28. Avianca uses a 787-8 Dreamliner on the route.

Delta is expanding its code-share partnership with Seaborne Airlines on flights beyond San Juan to various Caribbean island destinations. In recent weeks, Delta has put its DL code onto Seabourne flights from San Juan to St. Maarten, Anguilla, St. Kitts and Nevis, and on March 5 it will do the same on Seabourne service to La Romana, Dominican Republic.

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Routes: Alaska/Virgin at SFO + American, Delta, Frontier, OneJet

Virgin America will add SFO-Orlando flights next year. (Image: Virgin America)

Virgin America will add SFO-Orlando flights next year. (Image: Virgin America)

In domestic route news, Alaska Airlines and Virgin America provide details of their new San Francisco flights; American Airlines adds routes at Washington Reagan National and Phoenix, but drops one from Los Angeles; Delta adds a pair of Florida routes;  OneJet expands at Pittsburgh; and Frontier will resume seasonal Cleveland-West Coast service.

Alaska Airlines has announced details of the new San Francisco services it mentioned earlier this week. On June 14, Alaska’s Virgin America unit will begin daily A320 flights from SFO to Orlando – but you’ll have to wake up early, because they depart SFO at 6:30 a.m.

On June 15, Alaska will expand its California Corridor presence by launching three daily SFO-Orange County roundtrips, increasing to four on July 18. (You might recall that Virgin America jumped into the SFO-SNA market in 2009, only to jump back out less than a year later in the face of stiff competition from Southwest.). Also on July 18, Alaska adds a pair of daily San Francisco-Minneapolis-St. Paul roundtrips. The Orange County and MSP flights will use 76-seat SkyWest E175s with first class, premium class and main cabin seating.

Delta is beefing up its east coast presence with new service from Boston to Florida. On February 18, Delta will begin twice-daily service from Boston to Tampa, and on February 17 it starts weekend-only (Saturday and Sunday) flights from Boston to Ft. Myers. (JetBlue also flies both routes.) Both routes will use Airbus A319s.

Republic Airways flies E175s like this one for American Eagle and Delta Connection. (Image: American Airlines)

An American Eagle/Republic E175 will fly from Washington D.C. to Northwest Arkansas.  (Image: American Airlines)

American Airlines plans to expand at Washington Reagan National in the spring. On April 4, it will kick off new daily American Eagle/Republic Airlines service from DCA to Northwest Arkansas Airport in Fayetteville (near Walmart headquarters) with an Embraer 175. And on the same date it will begin twice-daily American Eagle/PSA Airlines service from DCA to Grand Rapids, Mich., with CRJ 200s; and daily Eagle/Republic roundtrips from DCA to Pensacola, Fla., with an E175.

Meanwhile, American this month began new American Eagle/SkyWest daily CRJ 700 service between its Phoenix hub and Santa Fe, N.M. American used to fly to Santa Fe from Los Angeles, but discontinued that service in 2015. It also serves Santa Fe from Dallas/Ft. Worth. And speaking of Los Angeles, American has decided to discontinue its three-year-old non-stop service between LAX and Pittsburgh as of February 14.

OneJet uses small Hawker 400XPs on short-haul routes. (Image: OneJet)

OneJet uses small Hawker 400XPs on short-haul routes. (Image: OneJet)

One airline that’s growing at Pittsburgh is OneJet, which operates small business jets in regional markets under public charter rules. OneJet plans to begin daily PIT-Richmond service March 1, followed by daily PIT-Albany flights March 22. It already flies from Pittsburgh to Hartford, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Louisville and Cincinnati.

Frontier Airlines, which introduced seasonal flights last year from Cleveland to four West Coast cities, is bringing them back in 2017. In April, Frontier will add service from Cleveland to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland, with flights operating three or four days a week and fares starting as low as $79 one way.

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Routes: Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic, Hainan, United, AA, Delta, Volaris

Air Canada will use regional jets like the Embraer 190 on new U.S. routes. (Image: Air Canada)

Air Canada will use regional jets like the Embraer 190 on new U.S. routes. (Image: Air Canada)

In international route news, Air Canada will add some new transborder routes next year; Virgin Atlantic will drop a key U.S.-London service; China’s Hainan Airlines applies for rights to two U.S. cities; United suspends two Europe routes this winter and one next summer; American goes all-787 on a London route; Volaris adds two U.S.-Mexico routes and Delta drops one.

Air Canada said it plans to add or expand half a dozen U.S. routes next spring, using regional jets on all of them. On May 1, the airline will begin new daily service from Toronto to San Antonio and Memphis, and its Vancouver to Phoenix service will be expanded from seasonal to year-round. On the same date, Air Canada will start seasonal Toronto-Savannah, Ga., flights for the summer, operating six times a week through October 15. On May 18, Air Canada will begin twice-daily flights between Vancouver and Denver, and on May 26 it will add daily flights between Montreal and Dallas/Ft. Worth.

Virgin Atlantic’s summer Chicago-London Heathrow flights, which last year operated from mid-May through mid-October, will not resume in 2017, according to Routesonline.com. Virgin said suspension of the Chicago flights will allow it to add a third daily Los Angeles-London flight, as previously announced.

Don’t miss! Transcon fares plunge to around $200 round trip

Hainan wants to add 787 flights from Chengdu to LAX and New York. (Photo: San Jose Airport)

Hainan wants to add 787 flights from Chengdu to LAX and New York. (Photo: San Jose Airport)

What’s the big attraction of Chengdu, in central China’s Sichuan province? For one thing, it has a population exceeding 10 million. China’s Hainan Airlines has asked the U.S. Transportation Department for rights to fly to Chengdu twice a week from Los Angeles in the first quarter of 2017, and three times a week from New York in the second quarter, using 787s on both routes. It already has the approval of China’s government. Chengdu is already served by United from San Francisco, by China Eastern from LAX via Nanjing and Sichuan Airlines from LACX via Hangzhou.

United Airlines plans a temporary suspension of two routes to Germany this winter, according to Routesonline.com. United will drop its four weekly Newark-Hamburg 767 flights from January 9 through May 4, and its five weekly Houston-Munich 767 roundtrips from January 10 through April 3. And next summer, United has reportedly decided not to offer previously planned seasonal daily 757 flights between Newark and Oslo, which had been scheduled to operate from May 5 to September 5.

The main cabin on an America Airlines 787. (Image: American)

The main cabin on an America Airlines 787. (Image: American)

American Airlines, which currently uses 767s and 777s on its Chicago O’Hare-London Heathrow route, reportedly plans to change over to all 787-8 Dreamliners for those flights beginning March 5. The airline’s three daily ORD-LHR flights will be supplemented with a fourth daily 787 roundtrip for the summer starting April 4. AA also will replace its daily 767-300ER flight from O’Hare to Dublin with a 787-8 from July 5 through October 4.

Delta’s daily Los Angeles-Guadalajara 737-800 flight is due to be discontinued February 1. But Mexican low-cost carrier Volaris continues to expand transborder service. This month, it started daily A320 roundtrips from Monterrey to Denver, and in March it is due to launch twice-weekly service from Guadalajara to Milwaukee.

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Airports rapidly adding faster TSA security screening lanes

New automated TSA screening lanes in American's Terminal 3 at Chicago O'Hare. (Image: American Airlines)

New automated TSA screening lanes in American’s Terminal 3 at Chicago O’Hare. (Image: American Airlines)

Those new, speedier, more automated TSA airport security screening lines are proliferating quickly: This week new lanes opened at Chicago O’Hare for both United and American Airlines customers — including the first one exclusively for PreCheck members. And more lanes are coming to airports Dallas Ft Worth and Atlanta as well.

United said it has opened a “fully redesigned” TSA PreCheck security checkpoint for its Terminal 1 base at Chicago O’Hare, with one of the new automated checkpoints for PreCheck travelers and two others for regular screening. At the same time, American Airlines said it now has two of the faster screening lanes in operation at its Terminal 3 at O’Hare.

TSA Security lanes

United’s new automated TSA security lanes at Chicago O’Hare (Photo: United)

Similar to the new lanes that opened earlier this year at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson and more recently at Los Angeles International, the new facilities allow up to five passengers at a time to load their carry-on belongings into plastic bins, and automatically draw bags into the x-ray device instead of requiring passengers to push them. They also have an automatic return conveyor belt to bring empty bins back to the beginning of the line, and a secondary screening belt for bags that need an extra inspection, so that they won’t hold up the line. The bins are also 25 percent larger than before.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the new lanes are helping O’Hare to eliminate security bottlenecks that hampered its operations. “Earlier this year, wait times at (O’Hare’s) TSA checkpoints escalated to an unacceptable 104 minutes,” he said. “Working together with our federal and airline partners, we resolved this crisis and today have average wait times that are among the shortest of major airports in the country.”

Another fast screening lane is being built at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson. (Image: Delta)

Another fast screening lane is being built at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson. (Image: Delta)

Last month, United opened a pair of the faster screening lanes in its Terminal 7 at Los Angeles International Airport. And earlier in the year the concept was first introduced by Delta and TSA at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson. Speaking of ATL, another new automated TSA lane is now being constructed at the South security checkpoint, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution – although this project will not require the checkpoint to be shut down as it was last spring when the first two lanes were installed there.

Meanwhile, the board that governs Dallas/Ft. Worth International this week is expected to approve a $3.5 million expenditure to install 10 of the faster screening lanes around the airport, in Terminals A, D and E. The plan calls for two machines each at checkpoints near Gates A21, D18, D22, D30 and E18, according to the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. The work is expected to be finished by next spring.

United is also working on an overhaul of security screening at its Newark hub, where it is consolidating four checkpoints into one centralized facility. American said it expects to add the new lanes early next year at Los Angeles, Miami and New York JFK as well.

Readers: Have you had a chance to try these new automated screening lanes yet? What did you think?

 

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Faster, cheaper inflight wi-fi is going to take a while

Inflight wi-fi on American Airlines is changing (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Inflight wi-fi on American Airlines is changing (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

>American Airlines switches up wi-fi providers, Gogo pushes new satellite service and raises prices

In the latest airline effort to bring faster in-flight Wi-Fi to customers, American Airlines plans to move away from Gogo as the supplier for much of its domestic fleet, shifting that business to ViaSat instead.

According to the travel industry news site Skift.com, AA plans to make the switch to ViaSat on more than 500 domestic aircraft – although the changeover is expected to take several years.

Early this year, Gogo agreed to release American from an exclusivity clause in its Wi-Fi contract after the carrier had sued the provider for that relief so that it could look for a higher-speed alternative.

As a result, in June of this year American signed a deal with ViaSat to bring that firm’s satellite-based Wi-Fi technology to the 100 new Boeing 737 Max aircraft that it has ordered. And now AA is extending that embrace of ViaSat to hundreds more of its planes.

Airlines are shifting to Wi-Fi systems that communicate via satellites like this one.. (Image: SES/Airbus Defence & Space)

Airlines are shifting to Wi-Fi systems that communicate via satellites like this one.. (Image: SES/Airbus Defence & Space)

Although American had been one of Gogo’s first airline customers – a relationship going back to 2008 – it became troubled by the provider’s reliance on ground-based cell towers for aircraft communication as other suppliers developed faster satellite-based links. Gogo has since caught up with the trend by rolling out its own next-generation 2Ku satellite-based technology, and American will still go ahead with plans to install that on 140 of its aircraft.

Meanwhile, AA is using yet another supplier – Panasonic – to provide Wi-Fi on its long-haul international fleet. ViaSat has been moving quickly into the U.S. airline market; it also has deals with JetBlue, United and Virgin America.

gogo logo

Gogo continues to accumulate new business from its 2Ku satellite system. It recently signed on Air France-KLM, which plans to install it on 120 planes. In its recent earnings report, Gogo said it now has contracts for 2Ku Wi-Fi service on 1,500 aircraft of 13 airlines.

And Gogo continues to seek revenue boosts by raising its prices for passengers. Last month, the company raised the price from $16 to $19 for a full-day Wi-Fi pass purchased in advance in the Gogo website– although that is still a much better deal than the $50 or more you’ll pay in flight.

What’s been your recent experience using inflight wi-fi? Is it getting better or worse? On my Virgin America flight to/from DC last week, I was pleasantly surprised at the speed and reliability of the connection, but that’s not always the case! 

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Routes: Southwest, JetBlue, Delta, American, Surf Air

Southwest has added two more California routes out of San Jose. (Image: Jim Glab)

Southwest has added two more California routes out of San Jose. (Image: Jim Glab)

In domestic route developments, Southwest kicks off new service out of San Jose; JetBlue sets one new transcontinental route and plans the extension of Mint service to another; Delta and American establish new spokes from their Seattle and Charlotte hubs respectively; and all-you-can-fly Surf Air has a new way for customers to meet its membership fees.

Southwest Airlines this week launched service on a pair of new routes out of Mineta San Jose Airport. The carrier started flying once a day from SJC to Baltimore/Washington International and twice a day to Salt Lake City. The eastbound BWI flight is not a redeye, but it departs very early – at 6:35 a.m.

JetBlue's front-cabin Mint service is coming to San Diego-JFK next year. (Image: JetBlue)

JetBlue’s front-cabin Mint service is coming to San Diego-JFK next year. (Image: JetBlue)

JetBlue Airways has announced plans to add yet another transcontinental route next spring. The airline set a May 3 start for once-daily service linking its Long Beach, California focus city with its Florida counterpart at Ft. Lauderdale. The new flight – which operates as a redeye eastbound – will give JetBlue a total of 35 daily flights to 13 destinations out of Long Beach. Earlier this year, it started new service form Long Beach to Reno/Tahoe and to San Jose. Meanwhile, Routesonline.com says that JetBlue is targeting its San Diego-New York JFK route for the next expansion of its Mint service. The site said the carrier has tentatively set August 15, 2017 for the introduction of Mint service on one of its two daily JFK-SAN flights.

Delta’s next expansion of its growing Seattle base will be a daily flight linking SEA with Milwaukee, due to begin operating on March 9 – a route already served by Alaska Airlines and Southwest. Delta plans to use a Delta Connection/SkyWest Embraer 175 on the route.

American Airlines this week inaugurated service on a new spoke out of its Charlotte hub, offering twice-daily flights to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The service uses CRJ-700s operated by American Eagle/PSA Airlines.

Surf Air offers private aircraft flights around California. (Image: Surf Air)

Surf Air offers private aircraft flights around California. (Image: Surf Air)

Want to try out Surf Air, the all-you-can-fly membership club that offers small-plane flights on a California intrastate network? If you’re a member of Lufthansa’s Miles & More loyalty program, you can take advantage of a special promotion through the end of March 2017. The company said it is inviting Lufthansa frequent flyers to try out a single roundtrip flight for 25,000 award miles, or an all-you-can-fly membership for travel within California (and to Las Vegas) with redemptions starting at 50,000 for a one-month participation.

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A new way to China on American Airlines

Beijing China

American Airlines has won tentative approval to fly from Los Angeles to Beijing (Photo of lunch in Beijing: Chris McGinnis)

There a new nonstop option to China on the horizon for American Airlines flyers.

The U.S. Transportation Department has tentatively approved American Airlines’ request for a new route from Los Angeles to Beijing.

Once it wins final approval, American is expected to start flying the route in 2017. American currently flies to Beijing from its Dallas/Ft. Worth and O’Hare hubs.

The new China authority is for daily non-stops from LAX to Beijing, a route not currently served by any U.S. carrier. Both American and Delta had applied for the route, but DOT tentatively decided that giving it to American would even things out among the Big Three serving Beijing from west coast, since Delta already flies there from Seattle and United does the same from San Francisco.

DOT said it couldn’t assign the LAX-Beijing route to both American and Delta because the U.S.-China aviation agreement limits the number of flights between the two countries, and the allotment for U.S. carriers has nearly been used up. The agency said it will continue to hear objections and counter-arguments to assigning the route to American until November 29, after which it will issue a final decision.

The only carrier currently offering LAX-Beijing non-stops is Air China.

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Routes: United at San Jose + Delta, JetBlue, American, Virgin America

United will fly E175s from San Jose to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. (Image: United)

United will fly E175s from San Jose to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. (Image: United)

In domestic route developments, United will offer special service out of San Jose for a big convention in January; Delta adds an Austin route and expands in the Twin Cities; JetBlue is about to jump into the fray on one of the northeast’s busiest routes; American exits three Philadelphia markets; and Virgin America will operate a pair of seasonal services out of New York City.

With a nod to the big temporary demand coming out of Silicon Valley, United Airlines plans to operate a virtual shuttle service for techies going to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next January. According to Airlineroute.net, United Express/SkyWest will offer seven daily roundtrips between SJC and Las Vegas from January 4 through January 9 only, using Embraer 175s. The temporary United service will offer an alternative to Southwest’s heavy schedule in the SJC-LAS market.

Austin Bergstrom Airport will get new Delta service to Raleigh-Durham. (Im,age: City of Austin)

Austin Bergstrom Airport will get new Delta service to Raleigh-Durham. (Image: City of Austin)

Delta has set a March 9 starting date for new daily service linking Austin, Texas with its growing Raleigh-Durham base. The carrier said Austin is the “largest unserved non-stop market” from RDU. The flights will be operated by Delta Connection/GoJet with a 76-seat, two-class CRJ-900.

Meanwhile, Delta also announced some additional service out of its Minneapolis-St. Paul hub next year. A key development for SkyMiles summer vacationers: Delta’s winter seasonal service from MSP to Honolulu, which begins on October 29, will now continue operating continuously through Labor Day 2017 instead of stopping in April as previously planned. Also coming from Delta at MSP next summer: The addition of a third daily flight to San Jose, a sixth to Phoenix, and a second to Richmond.

JetBlue will use E190s for its new LaGuardia_Boston flights. (Image: JetBlue)

JetBlue will use E190s for its new LaGuardia-Boston flights. (Image: JetBlue)

October 31 is the launch date for JetBlue’s entry into the busy New York LaGuardia-Boston market, which is dominated by the Delta and American shuttle operations. JetBlue plans to offer six daily roundtrips between LGA and BOS, using E190 aircraft with 100 seats, including 16 in JetBlue’s Even More Space section and 84 in regular economy. The entry into the LaGuardia market will make JetBlue the only airline serving Boston from all three New York-area airports. In another part of the country, JetBlue recently started daily service between New Orleans and Ft. Lauderdale, in competition with Southwest and Spirit.

As part of an ongoing rethinking of the Philadelphia hub it inherited from US Airways, American Airlines plans to end service next February in three regional markets. Getting the axe are AA’s three daily CRJ200 fights between PHL and Newark, along with its twice-daily service from Philadelphia to Binghamton., N.Y. and Elmira, N.Y.

Virgin America said this week it plans to bring back service next month in two seasonal markets out of New York JFK. On November 1, it will begin daily non-stops between JFK and Ft. Lauderdale, and on November 19, it will begin service between JFK and Palm Springs, California.

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Airport news: San Francisco, Atlanta, Newark, Philadelphia

San Francisco's Terminal 1 overhaul is leading to some closures. (Image: San Francisco International Airport)

San Francisco’s Terminal 1 overhaul is leading to some closures. (Image: San Francisco International Airport)

In the latest airport developments, San Francisco warns travelers about some upcoming closures; Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson starts work on a major project; an international carrier opens a lounge at Newark Liberty International; and American will adjust its presence at its Philadelphia hub.

At San Francisco International, officials are advising travelers that due to ongoing renovation work in Terminal 1, some facilities and areas there will be closed in the days ahead, possibly resulting in some inconvenience or congestion. On Monday (October 24), the connecting walkway linking Terminal 1 and International Boarding Area A will be closed, so passengers will have to use AirTrain to transfer between those points. Also, the Southwest Airlines ticket counters will move to a new location closer to Delta and Frontier. On the arrivals level, October 21 is the starting date for closure of the traffic lane closest to Terminal 1 from Doors 1 through 10; and on the departures level, closure of the lane closest to Terminal 1 from Doors 1 through 5 starts October 28. Click here to see details and suggested tips for affected passengers. The airport has created a cool video simulation of the reconstruction process for T1. Worth a look but turn down the volume to avoid the Game of Thrones-like soundtrack 😉

Atlanta, ATL canopy

A dramatic new canopy and a new tunnel are part of Atlanta Airports $20 billion in improvements (Photo: ATL)

Preparatory work has begun at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson for the installation of those massive overhead glass canopies above the pickup and drop-off areas outside the domestic terminal. It’s one of the most visible parts of the airport’s ongoing $6 billion expansion and renovation project. The initial stage of the canopy project – construction of the foundations — has led to some lane closures in the area around the terminal. The closures started earlier this month for shuttle and commercial vehicle pick-ups and drop-offs in the outer lanes of Terminal North, and similar closures will begin October 30 at Terminal South.  Airport officials are advising travelers to build in extra time if they’re going into those areas.

Air Canada opened a Maple Leaf Lounge at Newark. (Image: Air Canada)

Air Canada opened a Maple Leaf Lounge at Newark. (Image: Air Canada)

At Newark Liberty International, Air Canada has opened a new Maple Leaf Lounge for premium passengers near its departure gates in Terminal A, beyond the security checkpoint. The facility offers free Wi-Fi, refreshments, and work areas that include free printing. Air Canada operates up to 23 flights a day from Newark (including United code-shares), serving Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. The airline said it will open a new Maple Leaf Lounge in Montreal next month, and an expanded facility in Vancouver next summer.

American Airlines inherited a hub at Philadelphia International from its merger with US Airways, and it is planning some changes to its operations there in the months ahead. On January 1, American will consolidate its arrival and departure banks – scheduled to maximize connections – from eight a day to six. This will mean rescheduling of flight times in many cases, so if you’re a regular PHL traveler, check AA’s schedules.  The airline also reportedly plans to reduce the number of flights it operates at Philadelphia, although in some cases it will switch from smaller to larger aircraft to minimize the impact on passenger capacity.

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Exposed: How airline mergers get muscled through in Washington

A new expose tells how American and US Airways got their merger approved despite DOJ opposition.(Image: American)

A new expose tells how American and US Airways got their merger approved despite DOJ opposition. (Image: American)

With the Justice Department’s antitrust division expected to decide any day now whether the proposed Alaska Airlines-Virgin America merger meets its standards for competition, a fascinating new investigative article exposes how American Airlines and US Airways used raw lobbying power and political connections to override DOJ’s initial rejection of their 2013 merger.

Anyone who’s followed the airline industry for any length of time knows that it almost always gets what it wants on Capitol Hill, thanks to incredibly cozy relationships between lobbyists and legislators. (Last year, for instance, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that House Transportation Committee chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) was dating the vp-government affairs from Airlines for America (A4A), the industry’s trade organization; that another A4A vice president was hired to work for Shuster’s committee; and that a senior vp at A4A was married to Shuster’s chief of staff.) But the Justice Department’s antitrust division is supposed to be immune to political influence.

Or maybe it’s not: ProPublica, an independent, non-profit investigative journalism organization, this week published a detailed examination of the American-US Airways merger, showing how the airlines enlisted former Obama Administration insiders to use their connections and influence in a successful bid to overturn DOJ’s initial rejection of that deal. The airlines also spent many millions of dollars on lawyers, lobbyists, consultants and economists to make their case.

You might recall that DOJ initially filed suit to block the AA-US Airways merger on the grounds that it would create too much industry concentration, and would hurt consumers by limiting competition. But a few months later, DOJ apparently changed its mind, and said it was willing to work out a settlement that would let the deal go through if the airlines met certain conditions like giving up gates and slots at key airports to low-cost competitors.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (Image: City of Chicago)

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (Image: City of Chicago)

How did the two airlines pull off this sudden change of heart at DOJ? “They used their pull in the administration, including at the White House, and with a high-level friend at the Justice Department, going over the heads of staff prosecutors,” ProPublica said. “And just days after the suit was announced, the airlines turned to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s first White House chief of staff, to help push back against the Justice Department.”

The AA-US Airways deal came along after Obama’s DOJ had already approved the Southwest-Airtran and United-Continental mergers, and the Bush Administration had given the nod to Delta-Northwest and US Airways-America West. So maybe AA and US Airways figured it just wasn’t fair that their merger should be the only one to be blocked – even though the government’s investigation concluded that they could both continue to compete successfully as independent companies.

But the two airlines pulled out all the stops in getting what they wanted from Washington – and they got it. The ProPublica article quotes one former state attorney general who joined the government’s suit against the merger as saying: “It was a gross miscarriage of justice that that case was dropped and an outrage and an example of how our system should not work.”

The article makes a fascinating read for anyone with a big stake in the regulation (or non-regulation) of airlines – like the passengers who end up paying the higher fares that result from industry concentration.

Readers: Take a look at the article and tell us what you think.

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Routes: LOT at LAX, AA seats, KLM popup, 2 new US cities for Icelandair

LOT Polish will use a 787 for new Los Angeles service in 2017. (Image: LOT Polish)

LOT Polish will use a 787 for new Los Angeles service in 2017. (Image: LOT Polish)

In international route news, LOT Polish Airlines will begin new service to Los Angeles and Newark; American Airlines officially launches its new international premium economy class in a few weeks; British Airways drops a Philadelphia flight but American adds one; KLM will fly to Minneapolis-St. Paul and offers San Franciscans a 787 sneak peek; and Icelandair plans to open up two more U.S. gateways.

LOT Polish Airlines will kick off the first non-stop service between the West Coast and Poland on April 3, 2017 when it begins service between Los Angeles International and Warsaw. LOT will fly the LAX route four times a week using a 787-8 Dreamliner. Also in April, the Polish carrier will resume service from Warsaw to Newark Liberty International, a hub for its Star Alliance partner United.  The Newark flights will begin April 28, initially operating three times a week with a leased 767-300ER, but switching to a 787 in August. With the addition of Newark flights, LOT will trim its 2017 summer schedule out of New York JFK from 12 flights a week to nine.

American's new Premium Economy section will have leather seats in a 2-3-2 layout. (Image: American Airlines)

American’s new Premium Economy section will have leather seats in a 2-3-2 layout. (Image: American Airlines)

When American Airlines puts its new 787-9s into international service next month, they’ll come equipped with the carrier’s new premium economy cabin – a first for U.S. airlines on international routes.  The first flights to offer the premium cabin will be from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Sao Paulo on November 3 and from DFW to Madrid on November 4. The premium economy service is in addition to (and priced higher than) the airline’s extra-legroom seating in the regular economy cabin. Premium economy seats have a 38-inch pitch, greater width than regular economy, adjustable headrests and footrests, larger video screens, noise-reducing headphones, free drinks and more.

British Airways’ longstanding Philadelphia schedule of two daily flights to London Heathrow will change in March 2017 when it drops one of them – the 10 p.m. departure. But joint venture partner American Airlines will pick up the slack, boosting its own PHL-LHR schedule from one flight a day to two.

Delta’s transatlantic joint venture partner KLM plans to kick off service on March 27 from Delta’s Minneapolis-St. Paul hub to Amsterdam using an Airbus A330 for three flights a week (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday). It hasn’t flown the MSP-Amsterdam route for 15 years, according to Airlineroute.com. Delta serves the route with two to three flights a day. Elsewhere, KLM is about to resume Miami service, as previously announced. October 30 is the launch date for the carrier’s three weekly flights from MIA to Amsterdam, which will continue through March 23 with a two-class A330.

KLM 787

Business class seats on KLM’s 787 Dreamliner (Photo: KLM)

In San Francisco, meanwhile, KLM is inviting travelers to visit a Pop-Up location that the carrier will open at Union Square (445A Sutter Street) October 14 to 22, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Pop-Up’s purpose is to promote KLM’s 787 Dreamliner, which it put onto its SFO route a few months ago. Visitors can experience the airline’s World Business Class and a virtual reality simulation of the 787, and will get a chance to win free tickets to Amsterdam.

Icelandair will expand its U.S. network in 2017 with the addition of two new gateways. The carrier will begin seasonal summer service to Reykjavik from Philadelphia four days a week beginning May 30, along with year-round flights from Tampa twice a week starting September 6. Also for the 2017 summer season, Icelandair will boost Denver-Reykjavik service from seven to nine weekly flights from June 1 through mid-September; and will increase its Portland schedule from three a week to four on May 20, adding a fifth weekly flight June 14 through August 31.

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Routes: New JetBlue transcon + more Mint, Delta, OneJet, United, AA

JetBlue will add Los Angeles-Orlando flights. (Image: Jim Glab)

JetBlue will add Los Angeles-Orlando flights. (Image: Jim Glab)

In domestic route news, JetBlue announced a new transcontinental route out of Los Angeles and has scheduled more transcon Mint service; Delta Connection starts using new jets on the West Coast and wants more; small-plane OneJet adds another Pittsburgh route; United expands Puerto Rico capacity with big jets; and American adds a New England route out of LaGuardia.

JetBlue has announced a January 5 start for new transcontinental service between Los Angeles and Orlando, operating one daily A320 roundtrip (the eastbound segment will be a redeye). That will give the airline a total of 17 daily departures at LAX, including service to all four of its focus cities in the northeast and Florida. Meanwhile, JetBlue said the next expansion of its premium-cabin Mint service will come on May 15, when it will introduce Mint on both of its daily flights between San Francisco and Ft. Lauderdale. Mint is already slated to debut on JetBlue’s LAX-Ft. Lauderdale flights on March 20. In other news, JetBlue said it is expanding its partnership with Cape Air, putting its B6 code onto the latter’s flights from Boston and San Juan to small airports in the northeast and in the Caribbean.

Delta Connection/SkyWest is putting upgraded E175s into West Coast service. (Image: delta)

Delta Connection/SkyWest is putting upgraded E175s into West Coast service. (Image: delta)

Delta Connection partner SkyWest has started flying the first of several new, upgraded Embraer 175s for Delta on the West Coast. SkyWest will be getting 19 of the new jets, to be used mainly as Delta Connection aircraft on the latter’s West Coast Shuttle routes linking Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The 76-seat E175s offer in-seat power outlets, seats similar to those on Delta mainline flights, faster Wi-Fi and ambient lighting. “This brand new E175 comes with all the trim and finishes of a mainline aircraft on a plane with 76 seats,” a Delta official said. “We designed the interior of this aircraft, in cooperation with SkyWest Airlines and Embraer, for a consistent brand experience.”

Meanwhile, Bloomberg News reports this week that Delta wants to buy up to 50 new aircraft in the 70- to 76-seat range, part of a continuing effort to replace smaller 50-seat planes in its regional fleet. The report noted that over the past three years, Delta has eliminated half of the 309 50-seat jets in its Delta Connection fleet. The big hurdle for the new planes: Delta must obtain the approval of its pilots’ union, which has veto power over any plan for new, larger regional aircraft to be flown by Delta’s partner carriers instead of Delta itself.

OneJet uses small Hawker 400XPs on short-haul routes. (Image: OneJet)

OneJet uses small Hawker 400XPs on short-haul routes. (Image: OneJet)

OneJet, a small but growing operator that specializes in “nonstop travel in small and medium size markets, at relatively low cost,” will add new service between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati on October 19, with two flights a day. The carrier has been growing at PIT, where it also offers flights to Hartford, Indianapolis, Louisville and Milwaukee. The company uses small Hawker 400XP jets and concentrates on underserved markets of less than 700 miles.

United Airlines said it will give a big capacity boost to its route between Newark Liberty International and San Juan, Puerto Rico this winter. The carrier plans to increase its EWR-San Juan schedule from one flight a week to six – using a 344-passenger 777.

American Airlines will expand its presence at Burlington, Vermont on December 15, launching a new daily flight to New York LaGuardia and a second daily flight to its Charlotte hub.

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Routes: Finnair to SFO, Delta, Virgin Australia, Austrian, AA, SAS + more

Finnair will use an A330 on its San Francisco route. (Image: Finnair)

Finnair will use an A330 on its San Francisco route. (Image: Finnair)

In international route news, Finnair will add San Francisco service next year; Delta expands sales of Comfort+ seats and Caribbean code-sharing, Virgin Australia will revive Melbourne service, Austrian Airlines is coming to Los Angeles, American suspends some Europe flights, SAS comes to Miami Aer Lingus adds a pair of gateways, United code-shares to India, and a Mexican carrier adds three U.S. routes.

Finland’s national carrier is coming to San Francisco next year. Finnair said it will operate seasonal SFO-Helsinki flights three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays) from June 1 through September 30, using an A330. The new service will be a part of the transatlantic joint venture that includes Oneworld partners American, British Airways and Iberia as well as Finnair. “Thanks to Helsinki’s geographical location, Finnair’s new northern route to San Francisco will offer competitive travel times for customers from Scandinavia, the Baltics, Russia as well as from many European cities,” a spokesperson said. Finnair currently flies to New York, Chicago and Miami. At first glance, SFO-HEL roundtrip economy fares appear to be in the steep $1,900 range, but we’ll be on the lookout for lower introductory promo fares.

Delta said it has expanded the sale of its extra-legroom Comfort+ economy seating to a number of international routes, including: from the U.S. and Canada to Latin America and the Caribbean (except Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Chile); between North America and Asia-Pacific destinations (except China and Hong Kong); and on flights within the Asia-Pacific region (except China and Hong Kong). Last fall, Delta created a new fare category for Comfort+ and started selling it for travel within the U.S. and Canada. Meanwhile, Delta has expanded its agreement with Caribbean-based Seaborne Airlines to allow single-ticketing for connections through San Juan to St. Croix, Anguilla and Beef Island in the British Virgin Islands; and between St. Thomas and St. Croix.

The new business class on a Virgin Australia 777-300. (Image: Virgin Australia)

The new business class on a Virgin Australia 777-300. (Image: Virgin Australia)

Virgin Australia has set a launch date of April 4, 2017 for a revival of service between Los Angeles and Melbourne. On the same date, it will trim LAX-Brisbane schedules from seven flights a week to six. The carrier also flies from LAX to Sydney. Its transpacific operations are part of a joint venture with Delta. Virgin said it will fly the LAX-Melbourne route five times a week (no westbound departures on Wednesdays or Mondays), using a 777-300ER.

Los Angeles will get another new international route beginning April 10, 2017, when Austrian Airlines plans to launch up to six flights a week between LAX and Vienna, using a 777.  The 12 and a half hour seasonal flight will depart Los Angeles daily except Sundays at 3:05 p.m. Austrian, a part of the Lufthansa Group, also flies to New York JFK, Newark, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Miami.

American Airlines plans to cut back its international schedule out of Philadelphia. After ending its Philadelphia-Brussels service last month, American now says its seasonal PHL-Zurich service, which ends September 30, will not be revived next year; and its year-round PHL-Frankfurt flights will now operate seasonally, with no service from October 30 through April 5. AA also plans to drop its twice-weekly Philadelphia-Halifax flights in January.  Elsewhere, American will suspend Chicago O’Hare-Paris CDG flights from December 5 through December 13, and from January 10 to March 25; and its New York JFK-Manchester flights from January 9 through March 29.

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On September 28, SAS is introducing new non-stop service from Miami International to Copenhagen and Oslo. The carrier will offer flights to Copenhagen on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays; and to Oslo on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Aer Lingus is adding two U.S. routes this month. (Image: Aer Lingus)

Aer Lingus is adding two U.S. routes this month. (Image: Aer Lingus)

Aer Lingus this month introduced new daily year-round service between Dublin and Newark Liberty International, using an Airbus A330. And on September 28, the Irish carrier is slated to inaugurate a new route linking Hartford, Connecticut with Dublin, operating four days a week (Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday) with a 757.

United flyers will get a new option for travel from the West Coast to India next month. United is putting its code onto Star Alliance partner Air Canada’s new Vancouver-Delhi seasonal service, which will operate from October 20 through April 6.

Mexican low-cost carrier Interjet will expand its transborder network this fall with a trio of new U.S. routes. On October 20, it will inaugurate twice-daily service between Mexico City and Los Angeles, followed on November 10 by a daily Las Vegas-Mexico City roundtrip and on November 17 by two daily Mexico City-Chicago O’Hare flights. The airline will use Airbus A320s for all the flights.

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Airport news: Inside newest Delta SkyClub + Phoenix, Seattle, Boston, LAX

Delta SkyClub

An exclusive preview party for Delta’s newest, and second largest SkyClub (Photo: Delta / Flickr)

In airport news this week, Delta opens its newest SkyClub, ride-hailing service passenger pick-ups will soon be legal at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson; Phoenix travelers should be prepared for flight delays in October; more gates will be added at Seattle-Tacoma; American will consolidate its gates at Boston Logan; and Alaska Airlines tests a new baggage procedure at Los Angeles International.

Delta hosted a special preview this week of its newest SkyClub located in a dedicated space on the top of Concourse B at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson. Delta is calling the new SkyClub its “flagship” lounge, which is the second largest in its system behind the one at New York-JFK. The carrier says that the new $24 million, 25,000-square-foot, 500-seat space follows the airline’s strategy of “giving each new club a sense of place.” It features locally sourced fare, craft beer from Georgia breweries, artwork from seven Atlanta galleries and other local artists. Its modern design features “tiered ceilings bracketed by massive windows to let in the Southern sun and afford views of downtown,” but alas no outdoor space like you get out at the Concourse F (Int’l) club. It is located at the center of the concourse, adjacent to Gate B18 and opens to the public on Sept 23. Delta’s two other SkyClubs on the concourse will close.  Next up for Delta SkyClubs is a new opening in Seattle expected in late October or November. See this video from the ATL preview party. More details from the Delta News Hub here.

Also at ATL… Some UberX and Lyft drivers have been picking up passengers for months at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, but they have to try to avoid enforcement officers, since what they are doing is technically illegal. But that will soon change: The Atlanta City Council this week approved a measure that will make passenger pick-ups at ATL legal beginning January 1. The measure will add a $3.85 fee to the passenger’s fare for airport pick-ups. ATL is the largest airport in the nation that doesn’t yet allow legal ride-hailing service.

Travelers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International are being advised to expect delays during the coming month due to runway improvement projects. Officials said the airport’s north runway – one of three at the facility – will be closed from Thursday, October 6 through Sunday, November 6. “Arrival and departure delays of up to 30 minutes are possible during peak travel times: 7:30 a.m.-10 a.m. and 5 p.m.-8 p.m.,” the airport said. It advised passengers to check flight status before coming to the airport.

Sea-Tac's North Satellite will get eight more gates. (Image: Port of Seattle)

Sea-Tac’s North Satellite will get eight more gates. (Image: Port of Seattle)

The Port of Seattle’s governing body has approved final plans for an expansion of Seattle-Tacoma International’s North Satellite terminal, which is used by Alaska Airlines. The project will add eight gates to the terminal, with construction starting early in 2017 and completion expected in 2019. According to the Seattle Times, the project will also expand Alaska Airlines’ lounge on the terminal’s upper floor to 14,485 square feet, and will bring 3,000 square feet of retail and food and beverage concessions to the space. Alaska will continue to use concourses C and D as well. SEA is also building a new international arrivals terminal due to debut in 2019. Passenger numbers at SEA this year are running 10 percent ahead of last year, and 2015 passenger numbers posted 13 percent growth over 2014.

Big changes are coming to Boston Logan’s Terminal B. The Massachusetts Port Authority said an improvement project will consolidate all American Airlines gates from two different locations in Terminal B to 18 contiguous gates on the side of the terminal formerly occupied by US Airways. Also, the three existing security checkpoints on that side of Terminal B will be consolidated into one checkpoint. The project will also bring expanded ticketing/kiosk areas, improvements to the baggage handling space, and reconfigured concessions. Overall, the effort will add 75,000 square feet of passenger space, Massport said, adding that once the project is finished, Southwest Airlines will move from Terminal A into the former American Airlines gates in Terminal B.

Alaska Airlines is testing self-service bag drops at LAX. (Image: Alaska Airlines)

Alaska Airlines is testing self-service bag drops at LAX. (Image: Alaska Airlines)

At Los Angeles International, Alaska Airlines has started testing self-service baggage drops for passengers. Customers participating in the test – which runs through November 10 — will check in online, by mobile app or at an airport kiosk; they can print a bag tag at home or at an airport kiosk. Then they’ll show an ID to a customer service agent and use one of the six new bag-drop lanes to deposit their luggage. Touch screens will walk customers through the process. “This technology will allow customer service agents to interact more with customers one-on-one in the lobby while having the machines complete the technical work of dropping the bags,” an Alaska official said.

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Havana, Cuba airline tickets from US cities coming soon

Havana

Refrigerator magnets from a recent trip to Havana (Chris McGinnis)

Last month, the U.S. Transportation Department awarded U.S. carriers new route rights to serve secondary cities in Cuba, but not the biggest plum – Havana.

This week, DOT finally acted on all the requests it had from U.S. airlines to operate regular scheduled service to the Cuban capital, awarding Havana routes to eight airlines for flights that are likely to start sometime this fall.

The preliminary route awards are still subject a public comment period before being finalized. Tickets are not yet on sale, but should be later this summer. Right now, round trip charter flights from Miami to Havana are running at about $450 round trip, a price that we expect to drop significantly when competition cranks up in the fall.

The only Havana route from the West Coast went to Alaska Airlines, which will operate daily non-stops from Los Angeles using a two-class, 181-passenger 737-900ER. The flight will originate in Seattle, offering same-plane service top Cuba. Alaska said it expects to begin the service by year’s end. From LAX or SFO, current fares to Havana via Mexico City (Aeromexico) or Panama City (Copa) are about $625 round trip.

Recent: Curious about Cuba? Don’t miss this!

Cuba cars

Vintage cars serve as tourist taxis in Havana’s Plaza de la Revolucion (Chris McGinnis)

Most of the new routes will be from the eastern U.S., especially Florida. The exception to that rule was DOT’s selection of United to operate Houston-Havana flights, but only once a week. United will also operate daily non-stops to Havana from its Newark hub.

American Airlines will offer four daily roundtrips to Havana from Miami and one a day from Charlotte; Delta’s new route authority includes daily roundtrips to Havana from Atlanta, New York JFK and Miami; JetBlue won rights for two daily flights from Ft. Lauderdale and one each from New York JFK and Orlando; Southwest’s new route authority provides for two daily roundtrips from Ft. Lauderdale and one from Tampa; Spirit Airlines got two daily Ft. Lauderdale-Havana flights; and Frontier will be allowed a single daily flight from Miami to Havana.

Don’t miss: Cruising into Cuba: It’s complicated!

Havana nonstops

Nonstops to Havana from US cities announced today (Image: Great Circle Mapper)

Technically, the U.S. still does not allow for simple tourist travel to Cuba; Americans who go there must fall into one of 12 categories approved by the government, including things like journalistic activity, professional research and meetings, educational activities and so on. Here’s a link to the Treasury Department’s rules for travel to Cuba.

Have you been to Cuba yet? Will you go in the near future? Why or why not? Please leave your comments below!

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Be the first to try American’s premium economy cabin

American's new Premium Economy section will have leather seats in a 2-3-2 layout. (Image: American Airlines)

American’s new Premium Economy section will have leather seats in a 2-3-2 layout. (Image: American Airlines)

Last December, American Airlines said it would introduce an international premium economy cabin, and now it has set the date when customers will begin to see that new seating option. The move by American marks a new era for major U.S. carriers and is just one more step in the long-term reconfiguration of long-haul aircraft as the traditional first class cabin continues to disappear.

American said that on November 4, it will start flying 787-9 Dreamliners equipped with the new premium economy cabins on routes between Dallas/Ft. Worth-Madrid and DFW-Sao Paulo. Seats can be booked starting July 10 (so no fare info yet). The aircraft will have 30 lie-flat business class seats arranged 1-2-1; 21 premium economy seats in a 2-3-2 configuration; 21 Main Cabin Extra seats (up to six inches of extra legroom) arranged 3-3-3; and 207 regular economy seats, also in a 3-3-3 layout.

The premium economy section will offer leather seats with 38 inches of pitch; extendable foot, leg and head rests; and on-demand entertainment systems with larger touchscreens. Premium economy passengers will get to check one bag free, and will receive noise-reducing headphones, amenity kits, and an enhanced meal service with free alcoholic beverages of their choice. The new AA 787-9s will also offer international Wi-Fi. Besides the new 787-9s, American plans to retrofit its existing wide-bodies with the new cabin over time.

U.S. carriers are behind their foreign counterparts in adding true premium economy sections to their long-haul aircraft. According to Seatguru.com, which has compiled a comparison chart of premium economy seating worldwide, some 28 foreign carriers already offer the service.

Delta will introduce premium economy sections on new A350s in 2017. (Image: Delta)

Delta will introduce premium economy sections on new A350s in 2017. (Image: Delta)

American’s status as the only major U.S. carrier to offer international premium economy won’t last too long, however; Delta has already said it plans to introduce premium economy seating on the new Airbus A350s that it will start adding to its fleet in 2017, and then will extend the new cabin to its 777s as well.

All this is putting pressure on United Airlines to follow suit, but so far that carrier hasn’t said anything about premium economy. United’s last big announcement about its long-haul fleet was its plan to install an all-new Polaris Business Class product, which will start to appear in December on its 777-300ERs and then on its new 787-10s and A350-1000s; the new business cabin will also be deployed on United’s 767-300s and 777-200s as part of a three-year project that will also mean the gradual elimination of first class service on the airline’s long-haul fleet.

A typical window seat in United's new Polaris business class. (Image: United)

A typical window seat in United’s new Polaris business class. (Image: United)

And United’s not alone in that respect; we recently noted that a number of the world’s leading airlines are moving to eliminate traditional first class as they buy new aircraft and retrofit their older ones. Think of it as a gradual recycling of cabin classes, with newer, plusher business classes replacing traditional first class, and improved premium economy seating taking the place of traditional business class.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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New tech speeds up airport security screening

Phoenix Airport will be the test site for new security screening technology by American Airlines and TSA. (Image: Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport)

Phoenix Airport will be the test site for new security screening technology by American Airlines and TSA. (Image: Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport)

American Airlines, which recently complained to Congress that thousands of its passengers were missing flights due to long airport security screening lines, is the latest company to look to new technology to speed up the process. American joins Delta, which recently installed a pair of innovative checkpoint lanes at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson (and bought part of CLEAR).

American said it will cooperate with the Transportation Security Administration in trying out new technologies and procedures including automated screening lanes and computed tomography (CT) scanners at its hubs nationwide. The aim is to reduce the time customers spend in TSA lines by 30 percent, the company said.

The effort will begin with a pilot program at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, due to start by year’s end. The company anticipates expanding the enhancements to Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Los Angeles and Miami.

Part of the program involves ”automating many of the functions currently conducted manually,” in order to speed up the process, American said. That includes automated belts that pull bags into the x-ray machine so customers don’t have to stand by to push them in; and other belts that return empty bins to the beginning of the checkpoint, so that TSA personnel don’t have to do that. New bins in the regular screening lanes will be 25 percent larger than the existing models so passengers won’t need as many of them.

Any passenger items believed to show a problem during x-ray can have their bins automatically shunted off the main belt for further checking without holding up the line. Bins will have radio frequency ID tags (RFID) “to allow for additional accountability of items as they transit throughout the system,” AA said; and cameras will grab a photo of the outside of the bag “which is linked to the x-ray image of the bag’s contents.”

Analogic Corp. says its CT scanners can process passengers twice as fast as x-ray machines. (Image: Analogic)

Analogic Corp. says its CT scanners can process passengers twice as fast as x-ray machines. (Image: Analogic)

Also to be tested at Phoenix is the latest CT scanning technology. It’s only used on checked bags today, but American said if it were used for carry-ons, that “could make it possible to allow passengers to leave liquids, gels and aerosols, as well as laptops, in their carry-on bags at all times” – he same kind of treatment that only PreCheck members get today.

The leader in CT security scanning is a firm called Analogic Corporation, which has been testing the latest scanning technology for the past two years at Amsterdam Schiphol and London’s Luton Airport, looking for explosives and other prohibited items without requiring travelers to remove laptops or liquids from their bags. The company said earlier this year that the tests have been a huge success, scanning more than a million bags so far. “The results were considered the best in class by airport security experts, with extremely low false alarms and increased throughput at the checkpoint,” a spokesman said. The company said the tests indicate CT scanning can handle up to 550 passengers per hour – twice the rate of traditional x-ray scanning.

American’s announcement comes just weeks after Delta teamed up with the TSA to install new security screening stations at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson that incorporate some of the same elements American will use at Phoenix – except for the CT scanning. They also have five stations where passengers can load up their bins simultaneously instead of doing it one at a time.

TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger said at a Senate hearing recently that the two new screening lanes at ATL have shown “dramatic improvements’ in speeding up the security process, improving efficiency by about 30 percent.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Routes: Alaska, American, JetBlue, Frontier, Allegiant

Alaska Airlines 737 New Livery

Alaska Airlines will add a new trancon route. (Image: Alaska Air)

In domestic route developments, Alaska Airlines will add a new transcontinental route as well as service to another California city; American plans to trim capacity for its Northeast Corridor shuttle service; JetBlue sets a starting date for more transcontinental service with Mint-equipped aircraft; Frontier adds a pair of routes from Las Vegas; and Allegiant enters new markets from Newark and Oakland.

Alaska Airlines has scheduled a March 16 start for new daily non-stop 737 service linking Portland, Oregon with Orlando – the only non-stops between those two cities. Meanwhile, Alaska also said it will add new service effective April 13 between its Seattle hub and San Luis Obispo, California. That route will be flown for Alaska once a day by SkyWest using a 76-passenger E175 with first class, Preferred Pus and main cabin seating.

American Airlines plans to adjust capacity this fall on the Northeast Corridor shuttle service that it inherited from US Airways. Starting November 4, the carrier will reduce the number of daily shuttle flights between New York LaGuardia and Boston from 16 to 15, and will trim the schedule between LGA and Washington Reagan National from 16 to 13 daily roundtrips. In addition, American will begin to use Embraer 175s operated by Republic Airlines on five daily LGA-Boston flights and on eight LGA-Washington flights; the rest will continue to user larger E190s.

JetBlue will add more Mint flights on transcon routes this fall. (Image: JetBlue)

JetBlue is slowly expanding its premium cabin Mint service to more routes. (Image: JetBlue)

As JetBlue continues the gradual expansion of its Mint premium cabin service to more markets, it has reportedly set a date for the start of Mint flights on the Los Angeles-Ft. Lauderdale route. According to airlineroute.net, JetBlue will introduce Mint service on one of its two daily LAX-FLL flights on March 20, and will offer it on both flights by April 20. The carrier has expanded Mint from its JFK-LAX and JFK-San Francisco routes to San Francisco-Boston, with plans to add LAX-Boston this fall; next year, Mint should appear on select routes from Seattle, San Diego and Las Vegas as well.

Low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines is growing at Las Vegas McCarran, with plans to add new daily service from there to both Nashville and Tampa starting September 6. Using 150-seat A319s. And on October 30, Frontier will begin new daily flights between Colorado Springs and Orlando.

Another low-cost carrier, Allegiant, plans to launch the only non-stop service between Oakland and El Paso, Texas on October 6, offering two flights a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. Meanwhile, Allegiant also plans to move into United’s Newark hub in November after the airport opens up more takeoff and landing slots. Allegiant will fly from Newark to Cincinnati, Savannah (Georgia), Asheville (N.C.) and Knoxville.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Alaska gives Mileage Plan members a heads-up on AA flights

Alaska Airlines is advising Mileage Plan members of earning changes on AA flights. (Image: Jim Glab)

Alaska Airlines is advising Mileage Plan members of earning changes on AA flights. (Image: Jim Glab)

American Airlines earlier this month reminded its AAdvantage members that the rules of earning miles will change dramatically on August 1, as the program switches over to a spending-based regime. And now Alaska Airlines is advising its Mileage Plan loyalists how those changes at American might affect their program earnings.

The advisory in Alaska Airlines’ blog is especially significant because over the past couple of months, American and Alaska have substantially expanded their code-sharing partnership to scores of additional flights and routes of both airlines.

Alaska said Mileage Plan members should watch for changes when they fly on American, in line with the new AAdvantage rules. Basically, Mileage Plan members’ earning rate will depend on which airline markets the flight (i.e., whose code it is booked under).

“For flights marketed by American, but operated by Alaska, you will earn miles at the new rate,” the airline said in its blog. “For flights marketed by Alaska, but operated by American, you will earn miles based on the distance you fly, as well as any class of service bonuses.”

That “new rate” means Mileage Plan members on American-marketed flights will earn miles based on a combination of a percentage of distance flown and fare class. (Click on the above link to the blog to see a full chart of fare class multipliers.)

Mileage Plan members who fly on Alaska flights will see no changes in their earning system. (“Additionally, Alaska does not currently have any plans to change how miles are earned on Alaska flights,” the company assured members.)

As examples, Alaska said a Mileage Plan member on a 1,660-mile American flight from Seattle to Dallas/Ft. Worth in first class would earn 3,320 Mileage Plan miles after August 1, compared with 2,490 miles before that date; but a member flying O class in economy on the same flight would only earn 415 Mileage Plan miles after August 1 (actually 500 miles, because the program has a 500-mile minimum earning provision), vs. 1,660 miles prior to August 1.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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A chat with Qantas CEO re LAX, SFO, 787, lounges

Chris's "Caged Bird" on Instagram. CLICK on the pic to follow him!

Qantas 747s parked near the freeway at SFO serve as giant billboards (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Last week I sat down at SFO with Gareth Evans, Qantas’s CEO of  international operations. He was in the U.S. to meet with American Airlines and celebrate that carrier’s launch of new nonstop between Los Angeles and Auckland, a further expansion of its joint venture with Qantas on transpacific flights.

Here are a few bits and pieces from that conversation:

Qantas CEO International Gareth Evans (Photo: Qantas)

Qantas CEO International Gareth Evans (Photo: Qantas)

>If you’ve been flying to LAX much lately, you may have noticed a huge white hangar being built on the airport’s southwest corner. Later this year, that will open as the largest A380 maintenance hangar in the U.S. and house all of Qantas administrative offices. Since Qantas aircraft spend so much time on the ground in LA, the airline does a lot of maintenance work on the big birds there.

>Qantas re-launched its SFO-Sydney nonstops last year, and since then, San Francisco has emerged as the #1 destination for Australian business travelers to the U.S., beating out both New York and Los Angeles. (See our Trip Report: Qantas 747-400 business class SFO-Sydney)

>While business travel is big business for Qantas, Evans said that the recent strengthening of the U.S. dollar has resulted in a lot more leisure traffic with passengers responding well to the carrier’s message that Australia is not as far away as many people may think. The “Eat, watch a movie, have a sleep and wake up in Australia” pitch seems to be working.

Qantas business class

Qantas’ newest business suite seat, currently on its A330s only (Photo: Qantas)

>Qantas still operates 11 747s, and plans to keep the graceful old planes flying “into the beginning of the next decade.” In the meantime, the carrier is focused on rolling out its new fully flat, forward facing “business suite” seats on its A330s and eventually its 787 Dreamliners. Currently it has eight firm Dreamliner orders, and will get the first one in October 2017. Will Qantas eventually replace the 747s with Dreamliners on the SFO-SYD route? Evans said that the potential is there, but it’s too early to say. Plus, Qantas 747s now carry about 360 passengers, vs the 200 passengers a Dreamliner can accommodate.

>The new “mini-suite” seat is currently on Qantas’ A330s only (none of which fly to the U.S.). Evans pointed out that the new seat is allowed to take off in a partially reclined position, which means passengers can relax and get to sleep faster. Business class passengers will be able to request that the seat be made into a bed prior to boarding, too. Because sleep is so important to long-haul business travelers, Evans said that those on an overnight flight departing Sydney could arrive at the airport, eat a meal in the lounge, change into pajamas, board and get to sleep almost immediately. (Check out the Australian Business Traveler review of the business suite seat.)

Don’t miss: Sydney’s newest business class hotels

>The new behind-security connector between American Airlines Terminal 4 and the new Tom Bradley international terminal has made life much easier for passengers transiting between Qantas and American. Within about two weeks, both arriving and departing passengers will have a seamless connection.

>At SFO, it appears that Qantas business class passengers will continue to use the Air France/KLM lounge. Due to overcrowding issues, only a handful of super-elite passengers get access to Oneworld partner Cathay Pacific’s lounge. Evans said that the AF/KLM lounge was recently upgraded, so we reached out to Air France’s Thomas Walsh for details on that. Here’s what he said:

We are still finishing up the renovations but they are almost complete. We’ve replaced the darker, library look with a more bright, modern finishes with approximately 145 seats (previously 108). This week we will complete the addition of over 130 power and usb power outlets. We’ve added a new granite work-top counter all the way around the lounge, where clients can take in the views, while using their laptop, enjoying a snack and sipping a glass of champagne. We will add a smaller footprint reception desk in a few weeks, as well.

More seats and better views from the new marble-topped counter (Photo: Thomas Walsh)

More seats, more plugs and better views from the new marble-topped counter (Photo: Thomas Walsh)

We have yet to decide on artwork for the walls as the paint has barely dried. I would love to find a local artist or organization that we can support by displaying their crafts. We continue to look to refresh the food items, mixing warmer comfort roasted vegetables and soups at night while also trying some passed hors d’oeuvres every hour.
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NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Routes: JetBlue, Virgin America, Alaska, American, United

JetBlue added a new transcontinental route from San Diego. (Image: Jim Glab)

JetBlue added a new transcontinental route from San Diego. (Image: Jim Glab)

Don’t miss: Unprecedented JetBlue offer for Virgin America flyers

In domestic route news, JetBlue has kicked off a new transcontinental route from San Diego; Virgin America adds another Hawaii flight from the West Coast (but you still can’t surf from it); Alaska adds new routes from San Diego and Anchorage; American plans new service from O’Hare this fall; and United enters a new East Coast market from LaGuardia.

The newest transcontinental route for JetBlue Airways is San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale, which it started flying last week. The daily eastbound segment is a red-eye, departing San Diego at 10:15 p.m. and arriving at 6:19 a.m. It’s the latest step in an ongoing JetBlue expansion at Ft. Lauderdale, where it is already the busiest airline. Last month, JetBlue started service from FLL to Nashville and to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

Virgin America has added its fourth Hawaii route from California. (Image: Virgin America)

Virgin America has added its fourth Hawaii route from California. (Image: Virgin America)

Virgin America Airlines has added a fourth route to Hawaii with the launch of new service between Los Angeles and Kahului, Maui. The new daily service departs LAX at 9:35 a.m.; like the airline’s other Hawaii flights, it uses an Airbus A320 equipped with “sharklet” wingtips that create greater fuel efficiency and increase the aircraft’s range. Last month, Virgin started LAX-Honolulu service; it also flies to both Hawaiian destinations from San Francisco. Note: Virgin’s satellite based wi-fi is still not operational on its Hawaii flights from LAX or SFO. A spokesman told TravelSkills that it’s “coming later this year.”

Dont miss: 6 habits of highly annoying infrequent fliers

Alaska Airlines has started new seasonal service between Anchorage and Spokane, Washington, operating once a week (on Saturdays) with a 737 from now through August 27 – the first-ever non-stop service in that city-pair. The airline also announced plans to operate seasonal service this coming winter from San Diego to Hayden/Steamboat Springs, Colorado for the ski season. Those flights, on Wednesday sand Saturdays, will use 76-seat Embraer 175s operated by SkyWest.

Starting October 6, American Airlines will add a pair of spokes from its Chicago O’Hare hub. New American Eagle flights will operate twice a day between O’Hare and Akron/Canton, Ohio; and three times daily between O’Hare and Lansing, Michigan. Both routes will use Embraer 145s.

On the heels of Delta’s announcement to start Raleigh-Durham service from Newark this fall, United now plans to do the same from New York LaGuardia. The United service begins October 30, when it will start operating three flights a day (except Saturdays) between LGA and Raleigh-Durham, using Embraer 170s.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Popular: Biz class sale + Delta Shuttle + TSA mess + New routes + Award travel sale

Delta Atlanta

Graceful lineup of Delta tails at ATL (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

After a week in Cuba and another week in Atlanta, I’m glad to be back in San Francisco! With all the hoo-hah over security lines at ATL, I was sure to arrive two hours early on Saturday at around 9 a.m. Much to my surprise, the PreCheck line had a ZERO-minute wait. Seriously, I was the only person in line and sped right through.

American Airlines lunch

Chicken salad, melon & prosciutto for lunch on American Airlines in first class, ATL-PHX (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

I flew American Airlines on this trip (using AAdvantage award), and was surprised that my flight to SFO via PHX did not depart from ATL’s T-gates. Instead, I had to trundle out to the old US Airways gates on D. Arriving in SFO, same thing happened: I was expecting a nice walk through American’s T2, but instead, we arrived at the old US Airways’ gate in Delta’s T1C boarding area. One thing I did notice in PHX is that American is making rapid progress on painting all its jets in AA livery– I only saw one US Airways jet, which of course was the A320 I flew from PHX to SFO.  –Chris

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

1 Act fast! British Airways business class sale (expired, but we’ll keep an eye out for more)

2 Delta expands West Coast Shuttle

3 New solutions emerge for TSA airport security messWeekend Edition

4 Routes: San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, LAX, Salt Lake City, Denver + more…

5 Briefs: Alaska/JAL, AA biz seats, BA Wi-Fi, Lufthansa in Silicon Valley

6 Are passengers really happy with air travel? 

7 Uber’s getting headaches from Harvard Business School

Shave in Cuba

Getting a shave from a new Cuban friend in Cienfuegos (Photo: Mia Taylor)

8 Curious about Cuba? Don’t miss this [PHOTOS]

9 Hyperloop approaching faster than expected

10 Should I tip my Uber or Lyft driver? [Poll]

In case you missed Saturday’s post: Award seats: More on Delta; fewer on United

Points guy

Chris goofing around with The Points Guy founder Brian Kelly in SF to give away a million JetBlue miles in a promo with Barclaycard (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

Delta Award Travel Sale for fall trips

How to tip hotel front desk clerk. But would you?

JetBlue’s new status match program

ATL security still a mess. Check wait times here.

Don’t forget to register for Starwood’s new Triple Up summer promotion

Rolls Royce introduces new luggage line. But the pricetag? Whoa!

Royal Caribbean's newest ship is longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall (Image: Royal Caribbean)

Royal Caribbean’s newest ship is longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall (Image: Royal Caribbean)

World’s newest, largest cruise ship: 6,000+ passengers, 2,000+ crew. Whew!

Public smoking banned in world’s largest tobacco market

British Airways mystery: How did this flight land with a square tire?

Kayak founder’s new app is a kind of virtual travel agent

Wyndham Rewards program adds new member levels

Hotel owners’ lawsuit seeks to block Marriott-Starwood merger

Are driverless shuttles coming to airports?

My most popular Instagram post this week. CLICK to learn more about this cake!

My most popular Instagram post this week. CLICK to learn more about this cake- and to follow Chris 🙂

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Briefs: Alaska/JAL, AA biz seats, BA Wi-Fi, Lufthansa in Silicon Valley

Japan Airlines has a new partnership with Alaska Airlines. (Image: JAL)

Japan Airlines has a new partnership with Alaska Airlines. (Image: JAL)

International carrier news briefs include a new transpacific partnership for Alaska Airlines, a look at American’s new long-haul business class seating, a Wi-Fi decision by British Airways and its siblings, and a move by Lufthansa to fund travel-related start-ups in Silicon Valley.

Starting this summer, members of Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan will be able to earn miles on Japan Airlines, thanks to a new partnership between the two carriers. The code-sharing and frequent flyer cooperation pact will mean seamless connections for travelers between Alaska’s flights and JAL’s transpacific services to Tokyo from San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Vancouver, as well as JAL’s LAX-Osaka service. While mileage-earning on JAL will begin this summer for Mileage Plan members, award travel redemptions on the Japanese carrier “will begin later in 2016,” Alaska said. Strategically, the tie-up with JAL is a logical step for Alaska; its merger partner Virgin America already has an interline partnership with JAL for connections at SFO and LAX, and Alaska recently started a big expansion of code-sharing with American Airlines, which has joint venture and Oneworld global alliance partnerships with the Japanese carrier.

Japan Airlines and Alaska will link up at four West Coast gateways. (Image: JAL)

Japan Airlines and Alaska will link up at four West Coast gateways. (Image: JAL)

American Airlines will turn to a next-generation “Super Diamond” business class seating configuration for its next-generation long-haul international aircraft, according to a report in Forbes. The new seats will all recline fully flat, will be enclosed in a kind of personal shell, and will offer aisle access from every seat. They’ll go into the new 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A350s that will be coming to American in the next few years, and will also be retrofitted onto some 777-200s. American recently broke off its ties to French-based seat manufacturer Zodiac and is turning to B/E Aerospace for the new business class seats.

American Airlines' new international business class seat. (Image: American)

American Airlines’ new international business class seat. (Image: American)

International Airlines Group, (IAG), the parent of British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus, has signed a deal with Wi-Fi vendor Gogo for installation of that firm’s next-generation 2Ku satellite-based Wi-Fi technology. Passengers should start to see the technology appearing on aircraft next year, and by 2019, IAG said, it should be on 90 percent of the airlines’ long-haul fleets. “In addition to providing faster access to web-based services, passengers will enjoy more entertainment options throughout their entire journey. In the future, inflight Wi-Fi will also transform the duty free experience, allowing travelers to order from their phones and tablets and arrange for items purchased on board to be delivered to their homes,” the company said. It will be installed in BA’s 747s, 777s, 787s and A380s as well as Iberia A330s and A340s and some Aer Lingus 757s.

Gogo will greatly increase broadband satellite Wi-Fi capacity in 2017. (Image: SES/Airbus Defence & Space)

Gogo will greatly increase broadband satellite Wi-Fi capacity in 2017. (Image: SES/Airbus Defence & Space)

Earlier this year, JetBlue announced the formation of a subsidiary that will invest in travel-related technology start-ups in Silicon Valley – and now Lufthansa is doing  the same. The airline said its Lufthansa Innovation Hub unit will team up with Plus and Play, a venture capital group in Silicon Valley. “The objective is to identify and promote innovative technologies and digital business ideas along the entire travel chain,” Lufthansa said. “Over the course of a twelve-week mentoring program, 20 to 30 selected start-ups will receive support for the further development of their business models. They will also make contact with companies in order to talk about partnerships and joint projects as well as investment.” The airline is backing up its interest in Silicon Valley with new San Jose-Frankfurt non-stops due to start July 1.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Routes: AA, Alaska, United, Delta, Frontier, OneJet, JetSmarter

Alaska Airlines and American are launching a big code-sharing expansion. (Image: Jim Glab)

Alaska Airlines and American are launching a big code-sharing expansion. (Image: Jim Glab)

In domestic route news, American and Alaska expand code-sharing, and AA adds a Washington D.C. route; United sets a pair of new San Francisco routes and seasonal service out of Newark; Delta ends a year-round Alaska option; Frontier starts a big expansion at Atlanta and Chicago; a small carrier begins two new Pittsburgh routes; and a private jet charter service begins Atlanta-area operations.

With Delta keeping the pressure on Alaska Airlines at the latter’s Seattle hub, Alaska and American Airlines are planning a significant expansion of their code-sharing partnership. Effective April 28, American will put its AA code on Alaska flights from Seattle to Atlanta, Charleston (S.C.), Nashville, New York JFK, Raleigh, Sun Valley and Washington Reagan National, as well as Alaska flights from Los Angeles to Baltimore/Washington, Monterey, Salt Lake City and Washington Reagan National. Then on May 15, Alaska’s code will show up on 14 AA routes out of Charlotte, nine out of Chicago O’Hare, 27 out of Dallas/Ft. Worth, and scores of additional AA routes out of Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington Reagan National. In other developments, American plans a July 5 start for new daily service between Washington Reagan National and Lansing, Michigan, using a two-class, 76-seat American Eagle regional jet.

On September 8, United Airlines plans to add a new spoke from its San Francisco hub by launching daily service to Omaha, Nebraska with a 76-seat Embraer E175. United already flies to Omaha from its Denver, Chicago, Houston and Newark hubs. In another SFO schedule enhancement, United will operate seasonal daily service to Aspen, Colorado from June 9 through August 15. Meanwhile, United also plans to add seasonal service from its Newark hub to Bangor, Maine from July 1 through October 29 using a 50-seat regional jet.

Turkish Airlines inaugural flight with San Francisco mural arrives at SFO (Chris McGinnis)

Turkish Airlines landing at San Francisco International Airport (Chris McGinnis)

Delta has suspended its seasonal New York – Istanbul flights due to security concerns, weak bookings and cancellations. However, Turkish Airlines’ daily ATL-Istanbul flights are set to begin on May 16. Last fall, Delta decided to operate its Seattle-Juneau, Alaska route on a year-round basis, but now the airline has changed its mind. Delta now plans to end SEA-Juneau flights on August 31, with a resumption of seasonal service in 2017.

Low-cost Frontier Airlines has kicked off a big wave of new routes. At Atlanta, Frontier this month started flying to Houston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Raleigh-Durham, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, St. Louis and Memphis, and resumed seasonal service to Austin, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Indianapolis and Trenton. At Chicago O’Hare, Frontier started flying to Charlotte, Kansas City, Nashville, Portland, St. Augustine (Fla.), Seattle and Minneapolis-St. Paul, and revived seasonal flights to Austin, Philadelphia, Washington Dulles, Raleigh-Durham and Trenton. Frontier also added new service from Cleveland to Portland (Ore.), Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia. Many of the new flights operate just a few days a week.

JetSmarter

A new private jet option for Atlanta’s northside (Image: JetSmarter)

The private jet company JetSmarter plans to begin Atlanta-area operations on May 3, offering twice-weekly flights to and from Westchester County, N.Y. and weekly roundtrips to Ft. Lauderdale. The flights operate out of DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK), using Falcon 2000 jets that seat up to 10 passengers. The company uses app-based reservations; it charges a $3,500 initiation fee and an annual membership fee of $9,675, but imposes no other cost for its flights.

OneJet, which specializes in serving small to medium-sized markets with small jets, will expand at Pittsburgh in June, launching twice-daily roundtrips to Hartford on June 8 and two daily roundtrips to Milwaukee beginning June 14. The company will also double its Pittsburgh-Indianapolis schedule from two flights a day to four as of June 14. OneJet promises its customers TSA PreCheck access, expedited boarding and high-speed in-fight Wi-Fi.

 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Routes: San Jose, San Francisco, Atlanta, Newark, Philadelphia, Miami

It's all systems go for Air China's San Jose-Singapore service. (Image: Shangri-La Hotels)

It’s all systems go for Air China’s San Jose-Shanghai service. (Image: Shangri-La Hotels)

In international route developments, Air China gets a green light for its planned San Jose service; Virgin Atlantic goes all-787 at San Francisco; Atlanta loses a European route and Philadelphia gains one; Newark gets new service to Africa; American adds two markets from Philadelphia and drops two from Miami.

 The U.S. Government has given its approval for new Air China service between San Jose and Shanghai Pudong. The carrier plans to fly the route three days a week starting June 16 with a two-class, 237-seat Airbus A330-200. It will be San Jose’s second China route following Hainan Airlines’ inauguration of San Jose-Beijing service last year.

Virgin Atlantic's brand new Dreamliner touched down at ATL this week (Photo: Hartsfield-Jackson)

All Dreamliners all the time for Virgin Atlantic (Photo: Hartsfield-Jackson)

At San Francisco International, meanwhile, the route-watching site Airlineroute.net reports that Virgin Atlantic plans to transition to all-Dreamliner service later this year. It said that starting September 4, Virgin Atlantic will replace the aging A340-600 currently operating one of its two London flights (VS019/020) with a 787-9; the other flight already uses a Dreamliner.

Although the troubles at Brussels Airport are settling down, it looks like passenger demand from the U.S. took a big hit. Delta has resumed its New York JFK-Brussels flights, but said it has decided to suspend the resumption of Atlanta-Brussels service until March 2017. Meanwhile, United Airlines has ditched plans to add a second daily Newark-Brussels flight that had been due to begin on May 5, according to Airlineroute.net.

Newark will get a new route to Africa, however. Ethiopian Airlines reportedly plans to shift its three weekly New York flights from JFK Airport to Newark, starting July 3 and lasting at least through October. Ethiopian’s 787-8 flights to Addis Ababa operate via a stop in the West African capital of Lome, Togo.

Mmmm. Easier access to summer salads in Greece (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Mmmm. Easier access to summer salads in Greece (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

At its Philadelphia International hub, American Airlines plans a May 6 revival of seasonal flights to Athens. The daily service will use an A330-300 with 27 business class seats and 259 in economy. Also at PHL, American has resumed daily flights to Bermuda. At its Latin American hub in Miami, however, American reportedly plans to scale back service to Brazil by eliminating Miami-Recife and Miami-Salvador de Bahia flights effective May 3 and 4 respectively.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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AA wants another big China route

American has joined Delta in seeking new route rights from LAX to Beijing. (Image: Motox810 / Flickr)

American has joined Delta in seeking new route rights from LAX to Beijing. (Image: Motox810 / Flickr)

It seems like U.S. airlines just can’t get enough China routes. Just a few weeks after American Airlines announced that it plans to begin daily Los Angeles-Hong Kong service on September 7, the airline now says it wants another new China route – the same one Delta wants.

That route is Los Angeles-Beijing, which is currently served on a non-stop basis only by Air China, which offers two to three flights a day and code-shares with United. Delta earlier this month said it has applied for government approvals to operate daily LAX-Beijing flights starting December 16. American said it wants to start daily service on the route on the same date; it did not specify what type of aircraft it would use.

American noted that it is building up not only its international network at LAX, but also its domestic feed, with plans to begin more than 20 new daily flights there by June to new and existing U.S. destinations. It is also adding two more gates at LAX to support its larger presence. American currently flies to Beijing from Chicago and Dallas/Ft. Worth.

It might be possible that both airlines could get the nod for LAX-Beijing flights. Although China has followed a policy of limiting its airlines to no more than one Chinese carrier on any given U.S. route, the U.S. has not done the same. For instance, the Los Angeles-Shanghai route is currently flown by American, Delta and United.

In any case, the skies to China are getting crowded. Besides the growth at LAX, United plans to start San Francisco-Hangzhou non-stops on July 13 and seasonal service from SFO to Xi’an starting May 8. And China Eastern Airlines last week launched new daily flights from Chicago O’Hare to Shanghai.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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3 new China routes from United, American, China Eastern

American will begin LAX-Hong Kong flights in September. (Image: Hong Kong Tourism Board)

American will begin LAX-Hong Kong flights in September. (Image: Hong Kong Tourism Board)

Additional routes to China are springing up all over the place these days. And this week, there are three new ones from United, American and China Eastern.

At San Francisco International, United plans a July 13 launch (subject to government approval) for new non-stop service to Hangzhou, the capital city of China’s Zhejiang Province, located 102 miles southwest of Shanghai. United will fly the route three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Saturday westbound) using a 252-seat 787-9 Dreamliner with 48 seats in BusinessFirst and 204 in economy (including 88 Economy Plus seats). Hangzhou will be the fifth Chinese city served by United from San Francisco, along with Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Hong Kong. The airline also plans to offer seasonal service from SFO to Xi’an from May 8 to October 27. Hangzhou is located about 110 miles southwest of Shanghai. Its metropolitan area is China’s fourth largest with a population of nearly 9 million. Fare info won’t be available until the flights get government approval – but currently, United nonstops between SFO and nearby Shanghai are running as low as $535 roundtrip in economy, $4,300 in business class.

At Los Angeles International, American Airlines this week confirmed long-rumored plans to start flying to Hong Kong. The new daily non-stops will begin September 7 (subject to regulatory approvals), and American will use a 777-300ER on the route, offering eight first class, 52 business class, 220 regular economy and 30 Main Cabin Extra seats. The westbound flights out of LAX will have a rather unfortunate departure time of 1:55 a.m. The new LAX-Hong Kong service will be operated as part of AA’s joint venture with Japan Airlines. It’s part of American’s ongoing transpacific growth at LAX, which also includes new non-stops to Tokyo Haneda that started last month, LAX-Sydney flights that kicked off in December, and LAX-Auckland service that will begin June 23.

Screen Shot 2016-03-09 at 10.18.12 AM

Click for more info and a video of the China Eastern new B777

Finally, China Eastern Airlines – a member of Delta’s SkyTeam alliance – said it will launch new daily service on March 18 between Chicago O’Hare and Shanghai Pudong , where it offers scores of connections to other cities in China and Asia. The carrier said it will use a 777-300ER on the route, with first class, business class and economy seating, and Wi-Fi throughout. China Eastern said customers in first and business will be offered free luxury car transfers from the airport in Shanghai, and that similar transfers at O’Hare will be available “soon.”

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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Most popular: Marriott/Starwood + AAdvantage deadline + 2 big routes + NASA supersonic plans

TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis flew down to Sydney this week on a QANTAS 747-400. How'd he get this photo of the dramatic approach to SYD? Stay tuned for his Trip Report!

TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis flew down to Sydney this week on a QANTAS 747-400. How’d he get this photo of the dramatic approach to SYD? Stay tuned for his Trip Report!

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

1 Still wondering: What Marriott said about the Starwood merger

2 Tick-tock: Decision time approaching for AAdvantage award travel

3 Catch up on all this now: Hotel news: New Hyatt brand, Marriott merger, Hilton cancellations, Vegas fees

Weekend Edition4 Bay Area loads up Routes: Bay Area to China, Fiji + Delta code-shares + JetBlue to Africa, South America

5 Get on it! One easy, last chance to ride a United 747?

6 Airports: LAX connector, SFO dining, ATL flap, CPR at ORD, DFW app,

7 Spend much time in LA? Read this: New Metro line to serve LA’s “Silicon Beach”

8 How’d that happen? Another airline declares bankruptcy

9 Death spiral? Will more small cities lose regional airline service?

10 It’s getting even easier: Uber’s new automated business expense reporting

Verizon

Remember last year when we wrote about Verizon’s new TravelPass? $10 per day flat fee for data and voice. I signed up immediately and I really like how it removes a lot of the uncertainty about using my smartphone overseas– worked like a dream in Australia. Are there any other Verizon-using globetrotters feel similarly? Or not? I know a lot of readers think T-Mobile’s international plan is better, but the reality for me is that T-Mobile does not work in my house, or in many parts of San Francisco. Please leave comments below. 

NASA's new SST design could fly over land without creating a sonic boom that disturbs the people below. (Image: NASA)

NASA’s new SST design could fly over land without creating a sonic boom that disturbs the people below. (Image: NASA)

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

NASA designs a greener, quieter supersonic passenger plane

U.S. airlines are piling on in fight for new route rights to Cuba

Southwest selects a new in-flight coffee

SPG_AMEX_PHOTO_08.04.15

 

Starwood’s AmEx card offers 35,000 bonus points for March sign-ups

Luggage manufacturer Tumi is being acquired  by Samsonite

Here’s a new roundup of the world’s 25 longest non-stop airline routes

Boeing develops an aircraft bathroom that disinfects itself

Starwood Preferred Guest members can redeem points for Major League Baseball tickets

Guess what’s now a collector’s item? Airline barf bags

 

My most popular Instagram photo this week: One of Sydney's many rock pools for protected swimming. CLICK to follow me! (Chris McGinnis)

My most popular Instagram photo this week: One of Sydney’s many rock pools for protected swimming. CLICK to follow me! (Chris McGinnis)

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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Looking to the sky to speed up inflight wi-fi

Gogo will greatly increase broadband satellite Wi-Fi capacity in 2017. (Image: SES/Airbus Defence & Space)

Gogo will greatly increase broadband satellite Wi-Fi capacity in 2017. (Image: SES/Airbus Defence & Space)

Everybody who uses in-flight Wi-Fi tends to complain about the slow speeds, lost signals and so on, but if travelers can hang on a bit longer, it looks like significant improvements are coming. Gogo, one of the leading providers of the service, just inked a big new satellite deal, and a European consultancy sees a bright future for the technology, which is spreading to more aircraft and more airlines.

Gogo said it has signed “one of the largest satellite capacity deals ever” in the commercial airline market with a satellite operator called SES, in order “to meet the growing demand for high-speed in-flight connectivity.”

The deal will give Gogo access to a pair of SES satellites due to be launched next year that will cover all of North America, Central and South America, the Caribbean and the North Atlantic. A third satellite, also due to launch in 2017, will expand Gogo’s coverage to flights over Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Russia.

“This deal will dramatically increase bandwidth and drive overall costs per bit down by orders of magnitude,” Gogo chief technology officer Anand Chariu said. The satellites will provide “high throughput spot beam and wide beam capacity,” the company said—in other words, much greater bandwidth and download speeds. And airlines already signed up for Gogo’s 2Ku technology will be able to transition to the newer satellite service “without any equipment modifications.” The new satellites will also increase capacity for Gogo’s live TV product, Gogo TV. Gogo has been gradually transitioning its service from ground-based to satellite-based technology.

Gogo’s news comes on the heels of a recent lawsuit filed against it by American Airlines, which sought to invoke an escape clause in its contract with Gogo so it could look for faster Wi-Fi service from other vendors. The suit was dropped this week after Gogo said it wouldn’t challenge American’s plans, and that it expected to give American a better proposal of its own.

Earlier this month, the global consulting firm Euroconsult issued a report predicting that revenues from passenger connectivity services on airlines will grow from $700 million last year to $5.4 billion within a decade. It said that the number of connected aircraft jumped by 21 percent just in the 12 months of 2015, and that the ongoing launch of “high throughput satellites” (HTS) including Ku- and Ka-band “is expected to be a game changer in the in-flight connectivity market.”

“HTS systems will not only tremendously increase data speeds to the plane compared to regular satellite systems, but will also significantly lower costs, thereby further driving the adoption of IFC (in-flight connectivity) services,” said Euroconsult’s Geoffrey Stern. “With more airlines opting for cabin connectivity, companies that have not yet made a decision will be increasingly pressured to offer such services to match their competitors.”

The company said it expects that over the next decade, the number of connected commercial aircraft will grow from 5,300 to 23,100, or 62 percent of the global fleet.

Some airlines are already feeling the pressure. Air France, which has long been a holdout against in-flight Wi-Fi, said last week that it has changed its tune, and will start putting the technology into its international fleet later this year. The French carrier is said to be looking into a model like that in the hotel industry, which would provide basic service free to its passengers, while charging a fee for higher download speeds.

Meanwhile, Qantas said this week that in 2017 it plans to deploy free Wi-Fi for passengers on its domestic Australian routes, thanks to a partnership with ViaSat that will offer “speeds up to 10 times faster than conventional on-board Wi-Fi, giving customers the ability to stream movies, TV shows, the latest news bulletins and live sports.”

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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Routes: Alaska, United, Southwest, AA, Virgin + more

United plans to fly 757-300s from Washington Reagan National to San Francisco and Denver. (Image: BriYYZ/Wikimedia Commons)

United plans to fly 757-300s from Washington Reagan National to San Francisco and Denver. (Image: BriYYZ/Wikimedia Commons)

In U.S. route news, Alaska Airlines plans to expand at Mineta San Jose Airport with new intra-California service, and it is also growing at Portland; United trims its Cleveland schedule and puts larger aircraft on two Washington Reagan National routes; Virgin America makes a seasonal SFO route year-round; Southwest plans to fly to another Los Angeles-area airport; American adds a new spoke from LaGuardia; and a small niche carrier targets Pittsburgh for expansion.

Alaska Airline's mod new look. What do you think? (Image: Alaska Air)

Alaska Airline’s mod new look. (Image: Alaska Air)

Alaska Airlines announced an expansion in the Bay Area, with plans to add service from Mineta San Jose Airport starting June 5 to both San Diego and Orange County/Santa Ana, Calif. The carrier will operate three daily flights in each market, using 76-seat Embraer 175s from SkyWest Airlines. The planes have 12 seats in first class, 12 in preferred class and 52 in the main cabin, and are equipped with Wi-Fi and free streaming entertainment. Meanwhile, February 18 is the launch date for three new Alaska Airlines routes out of Portland International. The carrier will begin once-daily service from Portland to Kansas City, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Omaha.

Effective May 4, United Airlines plans to drop two routes from Cleveland Hopkins Airport, ending its service to Las Vegas and to St. Louis. That brings United’s presence at Cleveland down to 15 destinations, from 58 two years ago. Meanwhile, United also plans to expand capacity on a pair of routes out of Washington Reagan National by switching to 213-seat 757-300s from smaller aircraft. The 757s will replace 737-800s starting March 23 on the San Francisco-DCA route, and A320s and 737-800s on the Denver-DCA route beginning March 3. In other developments, United plans to discontinue service April 4 from Chicago O’Hare to Elmira/Corning, N.Y., and to operate Saturday/Sunday seasonal service from O’Hare to Great Falls, Montana from June 11 through August 14.

Southwest Airlines, seeking to expand its network to “five for five in Greater L.A.,” has applied for takeoff and landing slots at Long Beach Airport. The airline already flies out of Los Angeles International, Burbank, Orange County Airport and Ontario. Southwest didn’t say where it wants to fly from Long Beach, but California and Nevada media are speculating that it might have its sights on the Bay Area and/or Las Vegas. The airline said it hopes to start service at Long Beach later this year.

According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, American Airlines plans to start daily non-stop service from that Kentucky city to New York LaGuardia effective June 2. It said American will operate one daily roundtrip with a 50-seat regional jet.

A red carpet welcome under wintry skies at Palm Springs International

Virgin America’s inaugural flight to Palm Springs got the red carpet treatment (Chris McGinnis)

Virgin America Airlines said that its seasonal service between San Francisco and Palm Springs will be operated year-round from now on. The airline said it will fly the route four times a week through the fall. Virgin’s Palm Springs-New York JFK flights will remain seasonal, continuing through May.

OneJet, a small but fast-growing niche airline that operates seven-passenger Hawker 400 jets on routes in the Midwest, said it plans to make Pittsburgh its next focus city. The little airline, which already flies from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee and Indianapolis, plans to start twice-daily Pittsburgh-Hartford flights on May 9, and then to add four more destinations from Pittsburgh in the second quarter, although it didn’t day which ones.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Boeing 747 nearing its end? + “Targeted” for an upgrade? + 5 newest biz class hotels in New York + TSA PreCheck is exploding + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 

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American’s new look for lounges (Photos/Video)

Rendering of seating area at AA's new and expanded Flagship Lunges. (Image: American)

Rendering of seating area at AA’s redesigned and expanded Flagship Lounges. (Image: American)

As U.S. carriers haul in record profits, they are reinvesting some of that money in an improved passenger experience – especially for premium customers. The latest effort along these lines is an announcement from American Airlines that it will overhaul and expand its top-of-the-line Flagship Lounges at key hubs, and make them accessible to more customers; add a new Flagship Dining experience with table service; and open new Admirals Club lounges.

American said it plans to “redefine” its Flagship Lounges – exclusive airport retreats for its first class passengers (and separate from its Admirals Clubs) – by renovating and expanding the existing facilities at New York JFK, Los Angeles International and Chicago O’Hare, and adding new ones at Dallas/Ft. Worth, Miami International and Philadelphia International. The work starts this spring.

Because the Flagship Lounges will be larger and in more airports, American said that starting in 2017, it will open them up to more passengers – specifically, customers booked in first class and business class on transpacific and transatlantic flights, as well as flights to “deep” South America and first/business class passengers on the airline’s transcontinental A321T flights.

Besides enlarging the Flagship Lounges, AA said it will refurnish them, add more connectivity and power outlets, and bring more hot and cold selections to their buffet food service.

Related: First look at new United Club at SFO

Rendering of AA's new Flagship Dining facilities, coming to major hubs. (Image: American Airlines)

Rendering of AA’s new Flagship Dining facilities, coming to major hubs. (Image: American Airlines)

Speaking of food, the airline also plans to create new Flagship Dining facilities starting in 2017 at its JFK, DFW, Miami and LAX hubs.  Instead of the buffet service in Flagship Lounges, these new facilities will provide full table service, seasonal menus and locally sourced ingredients. Access will be limited to first class passengers on AA’s three-class international and transcon flights.

This month, American is also beginning an overhaul of its arrivals lounge at London Heathrow; the renovation includes private showers and dressing areas, food and beverage service, and a valet pressing service.

Design for American'snew Admirals Club coming to Orlando International. (Image: American Airlines)

Design for American’s new Admirals Club coming to Orlando International. (Image: American Airlines)

As for American’s paid-membership Admirals Club airport lounges, it will open new ones in Orlando International and Houston Bush Intercontinental, and will continue to renovate existing locations. The first Admirals Clubs to get the new look and renovation were recently completed at Sao Paulo Guarulhos in Brazil and at Phoenix Sky Harbor. The renovation schedule includes 15 more locations over the next few years, starting with Admirals Clubs at New York JFK, Miami and Los Angeles.

The company has put up a Youtube video  where you can get an idea of what the new and renovated facilities will look like.

 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Boeing 747 nearing its end? + “Targeted” for an upgrade? + 5 newest biz class hotels in New York + TSA PreCheck is exploding + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 

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American unveils Uber partnership

American Airlines is creating new Uber promotions and tie-ins. (Image: Uber)

American Airlines is creating new Uber promotions and tie-ins. (Image: Uber)

American Airlines said this week it is teaming up with ride-sharing giant Uber to provide new services, discounts and promotions to its passengers.

The airline said it is updating its mobile app to offer new functionality that ties in with Uber rides. When a customer books a flight on aa.com, the e-ticket confirmation that comes back to them via e-mail will include a “Remind me to Uber” icon. If the passenger clicks on it, he or she will be sent a reminder to book a ride.

The airline’s app also now has a new airport navigation feature that will guide users to the nearest Uber pick-up location at 11 major U.S. airports, including Charlotte, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Los Angeles, New York LaGuardia, New York JFK, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, San Jose and Washington Reagan National.

AA customers who aren’t already signed up with Uber can get a $20 discount on the car service when they register an account and use promo code RIDEAA. In March, AA Executive Platinums will be given a unique code for a discount of up to $25 off an Uber ride whether or not they are currently Uber users. And from now through July 31, AA customers who use an AAdvantage Aviator MasterCard to pay for Uber rides will get two bonus miles for every dollar spent.

United was the first carrier to partner with Uber for a presence on its app.

 

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American steps into the battle for LAX

Uber and Lyft pick-ups at LAX could start soon. (Image: Thomas Hawk/Flickr)

Another major player wants a bigger slice of the LAX pie (Image: Thomas Hawk/Flickr)

Just a week after word got out about Delta’s plans to accommodate growth at Los Angeles International Airport by moving out of newly-renovated Terminal 5 to larger quarters at Terminals 2 and 3, American Airlines has unveiled a growth spurt of its own at LAX.

American said that it will add 20 more daily flights out of LAX starting June 2, serving nine destinations, and will beef up frequencies on some existing routes. The airline said it is building two new gates at LAX to accommodate the increase, which will give it a total of 220 flights a day at LAX to 70 destinations worldwide.

On June 2, American will jump into the busy LAX-Seattle market with five daily roundtrips. We say “busy” because LAX-Seattle is already served with multiple daily flights by Alaska, Delta, United, Southwest and Virgin America. In addition, Southwest flies from Burbank and Ontario to Seattle, while JetBlue serves Seattle from Long Beach.

American will also kick off three daily roundtrips from LAX to Portland, a route already well covered by Delta, Southwest and Alaska. Other new LAX markets for AA in June will include Minneapolis-St. Paul with two daily flights, and New Orleans, Kansas City, Omaha and Hartford, each with one flight a day.

At the same time, American will debut seasonal service every day from LAX to Anchorage and on weekends from LAX to Durango, Colorado. New summer service out of LAX will include daily flights to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and weekend-only service to Montrose and Vail/Eagle, Colorado.

The new domestic growth comes on top of American’s ongoing international expansion at LAX, including new daily service to Sydney that started last month, and plans to begin flights to Tokyo Haneda in February and Auckland, New Zealand in June.

 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  United packages Economy Plus with amenities + Ride-sharing firm goes out of business + Bucket list for air travelers + Useless travel gadgets + ‘Uber of the Skies’ dies 

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