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Expansion of laptop ban put on hold

May 18, 2017

Delta put up a sign at Cincinnati prematurely last week anticipating a larger laptop ban. (Source: FlyerTalk)

Travelers concerned about the U.S. banning in-cabin laptops and tablets on flights from Europe are breathing a sigh of relief – although it may be only temporary.

Just last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was said to be on the verge of expanding its laptop ban – currently in effect for flights from 10 Middle Eastern and North African airports – to include inbound flights from Europe as well. But after a crucial meeting in Brussels this week between U.S. and European security and aviation officials, those plans have apparently been put on hold for now.

The Associated Press quoted one official as saying after the meeting that the expanded laptop ban is ”off the table” for now.

In an official statement following the meeting, DHS and the European Commission said only that they had “reaffirmed their commitment to continue working closely together on aviation security generally,” and that they have scheduled another meeting next week in Washington D.C. “to further assess shared risks and solutions for protecting airline passengers, whilst ensuring the smooth functioning of global air travel.”

The U.S. is concerned that terrorist organizations like ISIS are refining methods of planting explosives inside electronic devices in such a way that they can’t be detected by existing airport security systems.

If laptops are a threat in the cabin, are they safe in checked bags? (Image: Jim Glab)

At their Brussels meeting, the two sides “exchanged information on the serious evolving threats to aviation security and approaches to confronting such threats,” the official statement said. “Participants provided insight into existing aviation security standards and detection capabilities as well as recent security enhancements on both sides of the Atlantic related to large electronic devices placed in checked baggage.”

The statement said nothing about the proposed expansion of the laptop ban.

The Europeans were known to be concerned about threats to aviation safety if large numbers of electronic devices with lithium batteries are stowed in the hold of an aircraft, since those batteries have been known to ignite.

The threat of an expanded laptop ban led to warnings from the airline and travel industries that transatlantic travel could suffer significant damage from such an order. The initial damage would be in the form of chaos at airports as travelers and airlines adapted to the ban, and longer term in a falloff of bookings, especially among higher-paying business travelers.

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

March 31, 2017

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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Routes: LAX, Denver, Paris, Minneapolis, NYC, Atlanta, Boston, Houston

June 8, 2016

More flights between California and Paris this week on XL Airways (Photo: SFO)

International route news this week includes a new French carrier coming to Los Angeles (and back to SF), a new Denver route for Air Canada, Delta transatlantic flights from the Twin Cities and New York JFK, Air France non-stops to Paris Orly, a Lufthansa subsidiary’s introduction of Boston service, and United’s decision to put a Dreamliner on a key South American route.

The French carrier XL Airways has started service to Los Angeles International, operating three flights a week to Paris out of Terminal 2 with an A330. The airline offers two-class service, including regular coach and Premium Galaxy class. The leisure-oriented carrier provides all passengers with one free checked bag, a hot meal and a snack – with upgraded cuisine and wines in the front cabin. XL also flies to Paris from New York, San Francisco and Miami. Also this week, XL’s seasonal SFO-Paris flights resumed.

Air Canada, a partner in United’s Star Alliance, this week kicked off the only non-stop service between Denver and Montreal. The daily flight leaves Denver at 6:25 p.m., using a 73-seat Embraer regional jet with business and regular economy seating. The aircraft is Wi-Fi equipped and offers free digital seatback entertainment and a power port at every seat.

Delta plans to revive Atlanta-Brussels flights in 2017. (Image: City of Brussels)

Delta has launched a new seasonal transatlantic route and plans to add two more routes to Europe in 2017. The airline last week began daily summer non-stop service from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Rome, using a 226-seat 767 that departs at 5:25 p.m. from MSP. It will continue through Labor Day.

Delta also announced that it plans to resume non-stop flights between its Atlanta hub and Brussels next year; the seasonal service will begin March 27 and continue through the summer, Delta said, using a 767-300. Delta also offers year-round service to Brussels from New York JFK. And on May 25, 2017, Delta will start up new daily seasonal service from New York JFK to Glasgow, Scotland, using a 164-seat 757-200ER. A few weeks ago, Delta launched JFK-Edinburgh flights.

Also at New York JFK, Air France this week started flying to Paris – not to Paris Charles de Gaulle, where it offers multiple daily flights with SkyTeam partner Delta, but to Paris Orly. Its only competition on the New York-Paris Orly route is from British Airways subsidiary Openskies, which flies to the French airport from both JFK and Newark. Air France is flying the route with a 777-200 that has business class, premium economy and regular economy seating. The carrier noted that it recently opened a new premium lounge in Hall 3 at Orly, available to La Premier and business class passengers, as well as Flying Blue elite members.

Eurowings, the low-cost subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, has started new U.S. service to Boston from Germany’s Cologne-Bonn Airport. The carrier flies the route three times a week with an A330-200 that has business class, regular economy and extra-legroom economy seating.

According to Routesonline.com, United Airlines plans an equipment change on its Houston-Santiago, Chile route effective June 30, replacing the current 767-300ER with a 787-8 Dreamliner.

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Routes: San Jose, San Francisco, Atlanta, Newark, Philadelphia, Miami

April 15, 2016

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.

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)

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.

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8 European cities most affected by terrorism

April 7, 2016

Summer bookings are up 3% in Barcelona. Pictured: Antoni Gaudi’s Casa Batllo (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

There’s an interesting report out this week that shows how the recent terror attacks in Brussels have affected summer travel bookings to Europe.

Some cities are faring just fine. But others have taken a big hit according to a report by ForwardKeys, a company that uses big data to predict future travel bookings.

While advance bookings for summer trips as of March 29 are down 5% overall, some European cities will actually see more visitors this summer. The data show higher bookings in Amsterdam (+1%), Madrid (+2%) and Barcelona (+3%).

But other cities won’t fare as well. For example, bookings to Istanbul are down a painful 36%. In Brussels, they are down 24%, and Paris is down 13%.

The report states, “The bomb attacks in Brussels have severely affected flight bookings to the Belgium capital. In the days following the attacks on 22 March, net bookings – new bookings minus cancellations – fell by 136% when compared with last year.” By comparison, bookings to Paris dropped 101% in the aftermath of the attacks there last year.

(Chart: Forward Data SL)

Read the full report (PDF) from ForwardKeys here.

How have the terror attacks in Europe affected your desire or willingness to travel there? Please leave your comments below.

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Worst summer ever for European trips? Or the best?

March 29, 2016

Getting an upgrade on a flight to Paris is tough (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Paris this summer? Maybe. Maybe not. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Depending on how you look at it, this could be the best or the worst summer ever for Americans traveling to Europe.

Why the best? Because as it looks right now, it’s going to be a lot less crowded. And it’s likely going to be the least expensive summer in recent memory.

Terrorism in Brussels, Paris and Istanbul is taking a toll on advance bookings. In the wake of the recent attacks, hotel occupancy in Brussels and other European capitals declined 15-25 percent according to the Wall Street Journal. It also reports that the World Travel Organization and Thomas Cook expect fewer European bookings. Big travel search engines and airlines report a big drop in searches for trips to Europe. And just as the industry was recovering from the Paris attacks, the U.S. State Department issued a warning for Americans traveling to Europe from now through mid-June. While Americans will likely take trips that are already booked, it’s less likely that they’ll book new trips to Europe until time heals those wounds and we see the return of some sense of security. It’s not just Americans who are skittish about European trips– the big Asian market, especially first-time Chinese travelers, are holding off, too. And the problem is that right now, we are in the key planning months for summer trips. For many, Europe will be off the table.

Another reason it could be the best summer in Europe? It’s likely going to be very inexpensive– even during the peak July-August period. Prices for everything from transatlantic airline tickets and hotel rooms to t-shirts and cappuccinos will decline significantly for two reasons: weak demand and the strength of the U.S. dollar. Currently the exchange rate is hovering at around $1.10 per euro, down from around $1.40 two years ago. A weak European economy means weak demand for transatlantic airline tickets from the other side of the pond– and that could translate into bigger airfare discounts for Americans. Plus there is new low-fare competition from the likes of Norwegian Air and WOW Air. Keep an eye on summer fare sales on transatlantic flights, which usually start this month- I predict we’ll see some very steep discounts. It could get easier to redeem frequent flyer miles on European itineraries, too. (Stay tuned to TravelSkills as we’ll monitor this closely.)

Honolulu for $89 plus change? It's possible! This is Hilton Hawaiian Village (Chris McGinnis)

Hawaii is likely going to be a hot ticket this summer. Why? Keep reading. This is Hilton Hawaiian Village (Chris McGinnis)

Why could this summer be the worst? Well, if you are in the business of sending or hosting Americans in Europe, it’s going to be a tough summer. I’m sure that most TravelSkills readers won’t let recent events sway their decisions about travel to Europe much- we are a resilient bunch. But… what would you do if you were responsible for chaperoning a group of high school kids to Europe? Would you feel good about sending your senior parents on a trip Paris or Rome? My father has a business trip planned for Istanbul in May, and I’m concerned. If he did not already have the trip booked, I’d probably advise him to stay home. If you are a meeting planner, would you risk booking a big convention in Europe in this environment? I didn’t think so.

Now let’s look at the flipside of all this. In the US, the economy is moving along well, consumer confidence is up, and we are all working hard. That means that there’s a healthy appetite for summer vacations this year. So I’m expecting we’ll see a LOT more demand for popular domestic, Canadian or Mexican options. Hawaii will likely have a huge summer. Cuba will likely be off the charts. San Francisco just reported that 2015 was its busiest tourist year…ever. So if you have any trips planned closer to home during the peak months of July and August, now’s the time to make those reservations.… I don’t think you are going to save much by booking early, but at least you’ll get the most convenient flights, choicest hotel rooms and right-sized rental cars. Remember, convenience is worth paying for!

What about you? Are you planning on going to Europe this year? Would you send your kids over there this summer? Are the deals too good to pass up? Please leave your comments below.

–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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Most popular: United’s longest + Fewer big seats + Concorde + Soul food + more

January 31, 2016

Seen QANTAS’ clever new inflight safety video? See link below (Image: QANTAS)

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

1 16 hours, 20 minutes United Airlines reveals its newest, longest flight

2 Fewer big seats at the pointy end United’s first class phase-out

3 Most readers approve New look for Alaska Airlines

4 Routes: LAX-China, Nashville, Toronto, Germany, India, Brazil

5 Second in our supersonic series Trip Report: British Airways Concorde experience LHR-JFK

6 Give and take New JetBlue seats: Less space, more tech

7 8 fun facts about inflight wi-fi

8 First in the series Trip Report: New York-London on Concorde! (PHOTOS)

9 Might not feel that way but… Mounting evidence that fares really ARE cheaper

10 Fried chicken on the plane? United’s got soul food (and free snacks)

Note the button on lower right- from a room phone at the Baccarat hotel NYC (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

We’ve completed our series of New York’s five newest business class hotels. Did you see all of ’em? If not, here ya go:

1 Hotel Central Park (Midtown)

The Baccarat (Midtown)

New York EDITION (Flatiron/Madison Sq Park)

The EVEN Hotel (Near Penn Station/Garment district)

The Knickerbocker (Times Square)

Remember our post and poll about your recent PreCheck experiences? So far, 330+ readers have participated and results are overwhelmingly positive– see below and if you’ve not voted yet, now’s the time! Do you agree with the findings?

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Here's Qatar Air's business class seat. All the UAE carriers had their most gorgeous FA's on hand to show off the seats! (Chris McGinnis)

Could you sit in this business class seat for over 18 hours? (Photo from Global Business Travel trade show floor by Chris McGinnis)

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

And the newest, longest flight in the world (18 hours) is…

American Airlines unveils new amenity kits

CLEAR’s special offer for Super Bowl attendees (or anyone else) $50 for 6 months

No LAX to Hong Kong nonstops on American after all

We’ve reached saturation with cute airline safety videos, but QANTAS has a good one

Back story on new Eastern Airlines

New York’s free public wi-fi is crazy fast

Uber billed executive $640 for a 30-minute ride to the airport.

SkyTeam offers discount on its around-the-world fares.

TripAdvisor invites user reviews of airlines.

Passport expiring? State Dept. says you shouldn’t delay in renewing it.

Starwood is the latest hotel company to participate in TripAdvisor’s Instant Booking feature.

Brussels wants you back! And they’ve made a video to convince you it’s safe.

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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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Routes: AA to Sydney, Air New Zealand to Houston, Delta to South America + more

December 22, 2015

Traditional Maori dancers welcomed Air New Zealand’s first flight from Auckland to Houston Bush Intercontinental. (Image: Houston Airports System)

In international route news, American has kicked off its new Australia service from Los Angeles; Air New Zealand has linked up with Star Alliance partner United at Houston; Delta inaugurated flights on three new Latin America routes; KLM will eliminate one U.S. gateway and add another; Kuwait Airways drops a U.S. route; and United will increase flights to Brussels.

At about the same time that Qantas started its Sydney-San Francisco 747 service this past weekend, its joint venture partner American Airlines launched its own new transpacific route to Sydney from Los Angeles International (a route also flown by Qantas, along with Melbourne-LAX). American’s daily flight uses a 310-passenger, three-class 777-300ER and departs LAX at 9:50 p.m. At the end of January, Qantas will trim its own Los Angeles-Sydney schedule from 14 flights a week to 10. It’s the first time in 23 years that American has flown to Australia.

Air New Zealand last week inaugurated its promised new service from Auckland to Houston Bush Intercontinental, where it offers connections via its Star Alliance partner United Airlines. The Kiwi carrier is using a 777-200ER with economy, Premium Economy and business class seating (with lie-flat seat-beds) for the route, which it flies five times a week. The westbound flight takes about 14-1/2 hours.

Delta added a trio of new routes to South America this past weekend. The carrier started new 767 service from Orlando to Sao Paulo, Brazil, operating four days a week (increasing to daily in March), and two routes from Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson to Colombia, both using 737s. Delta’s ATL-Medellin service operates daily, and ATL-Cartagena flies three times a week.

Instead of reviving its summer seasonal service from Amsterdam to Dallas/Ft. Worth next May, KLM reportedly plans to replace it with new Salt Lake City-Amsterdam service. The change is seen as benefiting KLM’s joint venture with Delta, which has a hub at Salt Lake City. The two carriers are reportedly looking to bolster the traffic feed to their new code-share partner Jet Airways for onward travel from AMS to India.

Facing a charge of unlawful discrimination from the U.S. Transportation Department, Kuwait Airways has discontinued the London Heathrow-New York JFK segment of its one-stop New York-Kuwait route. Last fall, DOT issued a cease-and-desist order to the airline after it learned that Kuwait Airways refused to sell a ticket to an Israeli citizen between London and New York. The airline maintained such a sale is barred by Kuwaiti law.

United Airlines said it plans to add a second daily flight next summer from its Newark hub to Brussels. The second flight will operate from May 5 through October 28; departures from May 25-September 6 will use a 214-seat 767-300, while earlier and later flights will use a 169-seat 757-200.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Delta free upgrades disappearing + Shipping vs. checking a bag +_San Francisco’s new long-haul routes + Is Newark our worst airport? + Delta, United forge new international partnerships

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