TravelSkills

News and Tips For Your Trips

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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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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Popular: A350 Review + Cheap bag essentials + New first class + Delta final 747 + Perfect timing

Chicago O'Hare airport

Chris spoke in Chicago last week- and was at O’Hare for its first snow (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

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

1 Trip Report: Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 SFO-Hong Kong

2 4 cheap-but-indispensable things to pack in your “go-bag”

3 Emirates new first class is nice, but what about the rest of the plane?

4 Delta reveals details for final 747 flight

Tail camera Airbus A350 Cathay Pacific

Don’t miss our latest Trip Report! SFO-HKG> A beautiful sunrise as we approach Hong Kong International via the A350 tail cam! (Chris McGinnis)

5 Frequent flyers say free flights are not enough

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

7 Perfect timing for the cheapest trips

8 Alaska Airlines flies away from Havana, Cuba in January

9 Trip Report: A sentimental journey aboard United’s final 747 flight

10 Coming to Washington, DC & SF: An anti-Trump hotel

Don’t miss: NEW hotels in New York, Dallas, Charlotte, Las Vegas and Cincy! 

Wow! A big show up here today on #ORD > #LAX #travel #windowseat #avgeek #arizona #united

A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on

Do you love NEW HOTELS as much as we do? Then don’t miss our NEW HOTELS archive tab at the top of this page. CLICK OR HOVER for a good look!

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

United’s next stop could be Tahiti 

TripAdvisor to flag hotels with reported sexual assaults

Denver could be United’s #2 hub in two years, beating Newark & Houston

Should airline employees wear cameras to capture passenger disputes?

Why being near water makes you happier

Is this the end of the Airbus A380?

Qantas Airbus A380 LAX Hangar

The new Qantas hangar at LAX offers a snug fit for an Airbus A380 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Lyft moves into Toronto- first city outside US

More Lyft Uber headaches at ATL 

Google develops a new interface for its Google Flights searches

Updated American Airlines app can handle same-day flight changes

AirFrance-KLM’s loyalty program will change to spending-based in April

IHG Rewards members can earn points for using OpenTable and GrubHub

Thanksgiving travel volume will hit highest level in 12 years

Marriott’s ‘room of the future’ will rely on the ‘Internet of Things’

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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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.

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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Brush up on your travel skills in Chicago, Nov 18

Johnny Jet & Chris McGinnis will be speaking at Frequent Travel University in Chicago on Nov 18 (Photo: Natalie DiScala)

Way back in the dark ages of the 1990’s I got my start in the travel biz by offering “traveler training” seminars to new recruits at Fortune 500 companies. Eventually my career path veered into the media world, but my company and this blog still retain the name TravelSkills, reflecting our origins.

So I’ll be going back to my roots next month when I speak at the popular Frequent Travel University Expo at the Marriott Chicago O’Hare over the weekend of November 17-19.

I’ll be sharing the stage with Johnny Jet for our presentation, “Travel Like a Rock Star,” which is packed with news, advice, insight and experience that you find here on TravelSkills or on Johnny Jet’s newsletter. The last time we did this presentation together was at the New York Times Travel Show (pictured above)– FTU organizers were there and thought our content would be a good fit for their new Expo.

Classroom at previous Frequent Travel University meeting (Image: FTU)

Organizers are expecting a crowd of around 3,000 in Chicago for two days of presentations from a lot of bright and interesting travel personalities like Rudy Maxa, Nomadic Matt, Gary Arndt and Chris Guillebeau.  What’s new about this FTU is the broad and diverse array of speakers presenting. In the past, these events  were geared primarily for miles and points geeks or travel hackers, but this event will be much broader. There are 28 speakers covering a wide range of topics– such as travel photography, choosing the best credit cards or travel gear, or getting the most out of United’s MileagePlus program.

Might you be in Chicago on November 18? Then get registered for the event, drop by, say hey and bone up on your Travel Skills! Johnny and I speak at 9 am.

The fee for the Nov 18 Expo is just $39 for full day admission. Register here. You can also register for the broader, multi-day Signature Event here.

Need more reasons to go? FTU suggests the top 10 things you can learn how to do at the Travel Expo –

1. Earn hundreds of thousands of miles in a year with travel rewards credit cards.
2. Earn miles through everyday activities from restaurant dining to your business expenses.
3. Beat the airlines and win at frequent flyer miles
4. Experience the world’s most lavish airlines in first and business class on miles
5. Enjoy the world’s best airline lounges prior to your flights
6. Stay in luxury hotels around the world on points.
7. Get VIP treatment at hotels with credit card benefits and status matches.
8. Find incredible airfare deals for when you just want to get away
9. Take ‘trips of a lifetime’ every year, soon you’ll need a new travel bucket list
10. Do all this on an economy class budget

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

Reassessing your card strategy? See our “Credit Card Deals” tab to shop around! It helps us help you!

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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.

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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New Hotels: Hilton LAX, Nikko SF, Mondrian NYC, Marriott Denver, Ritz Chicago, Hilton DC

Hilton’s dual-branded H Hotel/Homewood Suites near LAX. (Image: Hilton)

In hotel news, Hilton cuts the ribbon on a dual-branded project near Los Angeles International Airport; Manhattan welcomes a pair of new properties; Marriott opens a Meridien/AC Hotel combo in downtown Denver, and Hilton gains a new presence there as well; an iconic hotel in the nation’s capital joins the Hilton family; and a Chicago classic reopens.

Less than a mile from LAX at 6151 West Century Boulevard in Los Angeles is a newly-opened, dual-branded Hilton affiliate. Its two parts are the 122-unit Homewood Suites by Hilton Los Angeles International Airport, and the 168-room H Hotel Los Angeles, Curio Collection by Hilton. The double hotel offers 24-hour shuttles to the terminals and car rentals from MCar Rental.  The Homewood Suites has studio and one-bedroom accommodations with full kitchens and separate living/sleeping areas. The H Hotel provides “high-end accommodations that currently do not exist at LAX,” Hilton said. Its rooms feature Nespresso machines and Google Chromecast on their TVs. Breakfast and dinner service is available to guests of both properties at Waypoint Kitchen in the H Hotel – “an American-style pub with modern California cuisine.” There’s also a coffee shop and a Subway Fresh in the lobby. Each hotel has its own fitness center, but they share a pool. The H Hotel has an open-air rooftop deck called H Overlook with views of the LAX runways, and guest-requested amenities and snacks are delivered to their rooms by a robotic butler. Rates begin at $160 for the Homewood Suites, and at $170 at the H Hotel.

Hotel Nikko San Francisco

All rooms in the Hotel Nikko San Francisco have been remodeled (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Did you know that the Hotel Nikko San Francisco closed down for three months for a top to bottom re-do earlier this year? It reopened this past spring and, based on our recent visit, feels like a brand new hotel. TravelSkills was there last week as the hotel celebrated its 30th anniversary in the spectacular white-marble-sheathed lobby– part of the $60 million renovation that included all public spaces and rooms (seen above.) Even if you are not staying there, it’s worth a walk through or a meal or drink next time you are in SF near Union Square. Rates start at as low as $180 per night but of course vary based on demand. Check out this video walk through. 

In New York City’s NoMad neighborhood, at Park Avenue South and 30th Street, a former 15-story office building constructed in 1915 has added five floors during its conversion into the 20-story Mondrian Park Avenue Hotel. The newly opened Mondrian has guestrooms with “plush bedding and spacious bathrooms, as well as neutral woven leather furnishings and floating desks,” the hotel said. Managed by Journal Hotels, the Mondrian has a signature restaurant called Cleo with Eastern and Southern Mediterranean-inspired cuisine; a rooftop lounge and outdoor terrace called Fifteen Stories; and an underground nightclub called Yours Truly “catering to the who’s who of New York City with a dedicated hidden entrance.” Rates start around $350.

Innovative guest accommodations at the Moxy Times Square. (Image: Marriott)

Across town at Seventh Avenue and 36th Street, meanwhile, the 110-year-old New Mills Hotel building has been overhauled and converted into Marriott’s new Moxy Times Square. (How far does a hotel have to be from Times Square before it’s not allowed to have Times Square in its name?)  It has 612 guestrooms ranging from 150 to 350 square feet, each with fast, free Wi-Fi; Bluetooth soundbars, and big HDTVs that can stream Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube. The hotel has a seafood restaurant, an “egg-centric all-day breakfast spot,” a big rooftop bar/lounge that Marriott says is New York’s largest, a lobby bar, and a grab-and-go market, as well as a newsstand/convenience store called New Stand. Marriott Rewards member rates start as low as $148 (after the holidays).

Marriott’s Le Meridien/AC Hotel is close to Denver’s convention center. (Image: Marriott)

Dual-branded hotels are getting ever more popular. Besides the Hilton project at LAX mentioned above, Marriott has just opened its own double hotel in downtown Denver, a block from the Colorado Convention Center at 15th and California. The 20-story structure includes the upscale 272-room Le Meridien Denver Downtown and the 223-room AC Hotel by Marriott Denver Downtown. Le Meridien has 12,000 square feet of meeting space, lots of original artwork, and coffee and cocktail service in the lobby. The European-inspired AC Hotel “is designed to feel like a modern ski lodge, with peaked roofs, strong lines, geometric language, and bold interior gestures,” Marriott said. Guests of the hotels can get American comfort food at Corinne, open for three meals a day; imbibe at The Lobbyist, Le Meridien’s cocktail lounge; and check out the mountains from 54thirty, Denver’s “highest open-air, seasonal rooftop bar.” Rates start at $162 at the AC Hotel and $229 at Le Meridien.

Given Marriott’s big new double-hotel presence in downtown Denver with Le Meridien and the AC Hotel, it may no longer need the 613-room Denver Marriott City Center, two blocks away at 17th and California – and that’s good, because the owner of that hotel, Chesapeake Lodging Trust, plans to change its affiliation on December 1, when it will become the Hilton Denver City Center, according to the Denver Post.

A corner room at the Madison Hotel in Washington, (Image: Hilton)

Long a landmark in downtown Washington D.C. not far from the White House, the Madison Hotel has ended its affiliation with Loews Hotels and has been rebranded as The Madison Washington DC, a Hilton Hotel, making it part of Hilton’s Honors program. That makes it Hilton’s third major property in the nation’s capital along with the Capital Hilton and the Washington Hilton. The 356-room Madison has 27 suites, eight meeting rooms, a 24-hour business center, restaurant and bar and a fitness center. Rates start at $131.

Part of the renovated lobby at Chicago’s Ritz-Carlton. (Image: Ritz-Carlton)

After a $100 million renovation job that kept the property closed for a year and a half, The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago has finally reopened. The big renovation of the property started just after it became an official member of the Ritz-Carlton group; before that, it was a Four Seasons hotel – even though it carried the Ritz-Carlton name. The work included the creation of a 15th-floor Ritz-Carlton Club lounge, an expansion of the hotel’s spa, and the addition of an Italian steakhouse restaurant. The hotel, located along North Michigan Avenue – the “Magnificent Mile” – is known for its spacious guest accommodations, which start at 300 square feet. Advance purchase rates start at $275.

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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Hotel news: Ritz in Atlanta, Marriott in Chicago, Hilton in NYC + Los Angeles, Austin

A luxurious suite overlooking Phipps Plaza at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta. (Image: Ritz-Carlton)

In recent hotel news, a classic Atlanta property gets rebranded; Marriott cuts the ribbon on a big convention hotel in Chicago, and Viceroy Hotels adds a property there; a trendy independent property makes its debut in LA’s West Hollywood district; Hilton adds a major location in Manhattan, near the United Nations; and Marriott/Starwood adds a dual-branded hotel in Austin.

Atlanta’s Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, across the street from Lenox Square in Atlanta, has been a fixture of the city’s upscale Buckhead district for 30 years. It was even the brand flagship when the company had its HQ in Atlanta. But it will be rebranded within a matter of weeks. The hotel’s owner, Host Hotels & Resorts, has reached an agreement with Ritz-Carlton parent Marriott to take the property out of the Ritz-Carlton group and convert it into a property “under independent operation” called The Whitley. But it will still be part of the huge multi-brand Marriott family: The deal calls for The Whitley to be a part of Marriott/Starwood’s Luxury Collection when it changes its name December 1. Existing reservations will be honored, as will Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Marriott Rewards redemption nights, the companies said. Have you stayed at the R-C Buckhead lately? How was it?

The new Marriott Marquis near Chicago’s McCormick Place. (Image: Marriott)

The largest hotel to open in Chicago so far this year is the brand-new Marriott Marquis, located next to (and connected to) the huge McCormick Place convention center. The 1,204-room, 40-story Marriott Marquis Chicago is the city’s sixth-largest hotel; in addition to its modern glass-walled tower, the hotel also includes the historic red-brick American Book Company building next door. True to its convention-oriented location, the hotel boasts 93,000 square feet of meeting space, including a pair of 25,000-square-foot ballrooms. The hotel’s Woven & Bound Restaurant is an American brasserie open for three meals a day. Guest amenities include an M Club Lounge with workspace, snacks and drinks, open to Marriott Rewards members (or non-member guests for a fee); a 24-hour fitness center; a big grab-and-go market; business center and FedEx office; and fiber optic high-speed Internet. Rates start around $299, but can vary considerably based on the level of convention activity.

A room at The Viceroy in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. (Image: Viceroy Hotels)

Farther north, in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, Viceroy Hotel Group has opened the 180-room Viceroy Chicago, a luxury property on the site of the former Cedar Hotel. It’s at the corner of Cedar and State streets, just south of Division Street. The 18-story Viceroy has a rooftop pool and year-round rooftop lounge, and an adjacent restaurant called Somerset run by chef Lee Wolen, a James Beard Award finalist. Guest rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, and the hotel will offer guests weekly classes in meditation and yoga starting in October. Opening rates start at $281 for bookings made by September 30.

The outdoor pool at The Jeremy in West Hollywood. (Image: The Jeremy)

At the corner of Sunset and La Cienega boulevards in Los Angeles is The Jeremy West Hollywood, a newly opened 286-room (including 50 suites) property. Its owners say the hotel has “an iconic cool presence that cultivates the best of WeHo’s notable culture.” The hotel’s all-day Etcho Café offers up “Cali-fresh cuisine” that is locally sourced and its JOAO Bar features “elements of old Hollywood.” The Jeremy also has a pool, fitness center, and a pair of large conference rooms. Rates start at $269.

A corner room at the Millennium Hilton at UN Plaza in New York. (Image: Hilton)

Members of Hilton’s Honors program have a new lodging option in New York City. A hotel at One United Nations Plaza on the east side of Midtown Manhattan (across from the UN Headquarters) has become a member of the Hilton family. The 439-room hotel opened as a Hyatt in 1976, then became the Millennium UN Plaza after it was acquired by Millennium & Copthorne Hotels in 2000. A few years ago, it was renamed the One UN New York, and now it is under Hilton Hotels management, and has been renamed the Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza. It’s the seventh Hilton Hotels property in New York. Rates start at $290.

The new Aloft/Element dual-branded hotel in Austin. (Image: Marriott/Starwood)

In downtown Austin, Texas, it’s one building but two new hotels. Marriott’s Starwood Hotels division has cut the ribbon on a dual-branded property that includes both an Aloft and an Element hotel, at Congress Avenue and Seventh Street, a few blocks south of the State Capitol. Both brands offer free Wi-Fi, and they share a 24-hour fitness center, business center, and 1,380 square feet of meeting space. The 32-story building includes a 278-room Aloft Austin Downtown along with a 144-room Element Austin Downtown. There’s also an on-site restaurant/coffeehouse/bakery called Caroline’s, and an “urban background playground” and bar called Upstairs at Caroline’s with live music. The Aloft offers high-ceilinged, loft-like accommodations with platform beds while the Element features studios and one-bedroom suites. Rates start at $349 at both hotels.

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Act fast to fly on a domestic United 747

A United 747-400. (Image: United)

Every now and then an anomalous domestic flight of a 747 creeps into the schedules – sometimes with little notice.

Last month, we reported on a Delta 747 flight – one-time, one-way only – from LAX to Detroit coming up in September. And we just learned of another one, this time from United. But you don’t have much time to snare a seat on it.

The United flight is this Friday (July 28), a 747-400 from Chicago O’Hare to San Francisco, and bookings are now open. Like that Delta flight, this is a one-time, one-way only opportunity.

United flight 2704 is set to depart O’Hare at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, arriving in San Francisco at 8:51 p.m.

Seats still available in economy and first class as of Wednesday

As of Wednesday, very few first business class seats available, but plenty in economy (Image: United)

We just looked at United’s website and found fares on the flight of $264 to $468 one way.

The 747 flight was just added to the schedule, a United official tells TravelSkills, “so there are plenty of available seats throughout the aircraft in all cabins.”

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What’s the big deal about a single 747 flight? United and Delta currently operate 747s only on long-haul international routes, and in a matter of months they won’t offer those any more, as new wide-bodies take over for the aging 747s.

So for aficionados of the so-called Queen of the Skies, a domestic 747 flight popped into the schedule is a rare opportunity indeed, and a chance to say good-bye to the iconic aircraft without flying to Asia.

 

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Routes: Delta to China, Mexico deals, Cathay upgrades, Saudi, WOW, United

Delta will use a 777-200LR for its new Atlanta-Shanghai flights. (Image: Delta)

In international route developments, Delta announces a major new transpacific flight and a Mexico route; Saudi Arabian Airlines is the last carrier to be relieved of the laptop ban; Cathay Pacific introduces a new way to upgrade; WOW enters a Midwest market; and United trims some Europe service.

Delta’s three existing U.S. gateways for non-stop flights to Shanghai (Los Angeles, Seattle and Detroit) will be joined by a fourth next year when the airline launches the only non-stop service to Shanghai from Atlanta. Set to begin in July 2018, the new route will allow passengers to connect to more than 50 destinations beyond Shanghai via Delta code-share partner China Eastern Airlines. Delta currently offers two other transpacific non-stop routes from Atlanta, to Seoul and Tokyo. The airline said it will fly the new Shanghai route with a 777-200LR that has 37 Delta One lie-flat seats, 36 seats in Delta Comfort+ and 218 in regular economy.

Aeromexico flights at Mexico City’s Benito Juarez Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Although its new joint venture partner Aeromexico already has several flights a day between Los Angeles and Mexico City, Delta plans to begin its own once-a-day service in that market on December 1. Delta will use an A319 on the route, with a 9:30 a.m. departure from LAX, and plenty of connections available at MEX on Aeromexico.

Speaking of Mexico, Alaska Air’s expansion in the US-to-Mexico market is resulting in some pretty amazing deals. For example with its new MexiCaliRica sale, nonstop roundtrips between Los Angeles or San Francisco and Mexico City are running as cheap as $220 round trip for late August and fall flights. Seattle to Mexico City is just $320 round trip. LAX to Los Cabos is just $240 round trip. Fall is a perfect time to visit Mexico as it cools off and prices tumble. Fares are available on Alaska Air as well as other carriers such as Aeromexico, Delta, United and Volaris on these routes.

Related: US-bound passengers warned to arrive at Mexican airports 3 hours in advance

Middle Eastern carriers were offering loaner laptops to premium passengers. (Image: Qatar Airways)

The U.S. “laptop ban” is now over, as Saudi Arabian Airlines has become the last carrier to have the ban lifted. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said recently that airlines and airports that complied with new, tougher inspection standards could be relieved of the ban – although any airline/airport worldwide that didn’t also increase security practices to meet those new standards could have a laptop ban imposed. This could create some new inconveniences for travelers, however – e.g., CNN said this week that Mexican aviation authorities are now advising passengers on U.S.-bound flights to show up at the airport three hours in advance so their personal electronic devices can be subjected to more stringent inspections. The U.S. ban against carrying laptops and tablets into the passenger cabin was issued in March against carriers operating non-stop flights to the U.S. from 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa.

Cathay Pacific has introduced a new Upgrade Bid program that lets passengers make cash offers for an upgrade to a business class or premium economy seat. Persons who book through the airline’s website will see an Upgrade Bid eligibility notification on their booking confirmation page, where they can make their best offer for a better seat – although they can change or rescind it up to 50 hours before departure. Successful bidders will be notified by email two or three days in advance. The only U.S. route where the program is currently offered is Chicago-Hong Kong; it is also available on several other routes out of Hong Kong including Amsterdam, Bangkok, Dubai, Rome and Seoul.

Wow Air flies an A321 on its new Chicago O’Hare-Iceland route. (Image: Wow Air)

Iceland’s low-cost carrier WOW Air has started service from another U.S. gateway, operating four flights a week from Chicago O’Hare to Reykjavik, where passengers can connect to major European cities. Frequencies will increase to six a week during August. The carrier is using an A321 on the route

United is planning some changes to its Europe service later this year, all on routes operated with 757s from the carrier’s Newark hub. On October 5, United will discontinue its daily service from Newark to Birmingham, England, and its year-round flights from Newark to destinations in Scotland and Ireland will be changed to seasonal service. Newark-Glasgow flights will be suspended from October 28 to May 3, and Newark-Shannon service will be suspended from November 25 to March 8.

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Routes: Hong Kong, LOT, United, Aeromexico, British Airways, Air India + more

The laptop ban was lifted for Royal Jordanian. (Image: Royal Jordanian)

In the latest international routes news, two more Middle Eastern airlines were removed from the Department of Homeland Security’s “laptop ban” this week; an Asian carrier will start its first U.S. service to Los Angeles; LOT Polish will fly from the U.S. to Hungary; Aeromexico adds a U.S. route at San Jose; United goes year-round on a key European route; British Airways starts flying a Florida route; Denver will get new non-stops to Switzerland; and Air India adds a U.S. gateway.

More Middle Eastern airlines and airports have met the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s new passenger inspection standards to guard against explosives in electronic devices, so this week DHS dropped its laptop ban for them. The latest carriers to allow passengers to carry laptops and tablets into the cabin are Royal Jordanian and Kuwait Airways. Royal Jordanian has 16 flights a week from Amman to New York JFK, Detroit and Chicago, while Kuwait Airways flies from Kuwait to JFK.

Last week, the ban was dropped for Etihad, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines.

Hong Kong Airlines will fly a new A350 to Los Angeles. (Image: Airbus)

Hong Kong Airlines, a 10-year-old carrier operating out of (where else?) Hong Kong and partly owned by China’s Hainan Airlines, is due to take delivery of its first Airbus A350-900XWB late this year, and will use it to begin service to the U.S. According to Routesonline.com, the launch is set for December 15. The two-class A350 will fly the LAX-Hong Kong route once a day with a late morning departure from Los Angeles. Hong Kong Airlines currently has a fleet of A320s and A330s as well as code-share agreements with several carriers including Virgin Australia, Asiana, EVA, Hainan and China Eastern.

Budapest will get non-stop service from the U.S. next year. (Image: Jim Glab)

There has been no non-stop service between the U.S. and Budapest, Hungary for the past six years, but that is due to change next spring. Instead of a Hungarian or U.S. carrier, though, the flights will be operated by LOT Polish Airlines. LOT plans to use 787 Dreamliners to fly twice a week from Chicago O’Hare to Budapest starting May 5, and four times a week between New York JFK and Budapest beginning May 3.

At Mineta San Jose International, Aeromexico has kicked off new daily flights to Guadalajara using a 186-passenger 737-800. The southbound flight leaves SJC at 10:15 a.m. and the northbound service departs Guadalajara at 7:15 a.m. Aeromexico is the sixth foreign carrier to start flying to San Jose since 2015. Don’t miss our post about super low fares on this route! 

Instead of ending its seasonal Newark-Rome flights this fall as previously planned, United Airlines now says it will make EWR-FCO a year-round operation. From early November through March, United said, it will fly the route from three to seven times a week. But instead of using the 242-seat 767-400 operating in the peak season, it will switch in November to a 214-seat 767-300 with 30 flat-bed business class seats and 184 economy seats, including 49 Economy Plus extra-legroom seats.

United’s decision might have been influenced by low-cost specialist Norwegian, which plans to begin 787 flights between Newark and Rome four times a week on November 9, increasing to daily frequencies next February. (We’ve asked United why it has not added SFO-Rome nonstops, but have not heard back…)

Speaking of competition against Norwegian, British Airways last week kicked off new service between Ft. Lauderdale and London four days a week, using a 275-passenger 777-200ER with business, premium economy and regular economy seating. But this route doesn’t go to BA’s Heathrow hub – it goes to London Gatwick. Norwegian started flying FLL-Gatwick three years ago.

Edelweiss will add Denver-Zurich flights next summer. (Image: Edelweiss Air)

We recently reported on new service from San Diego to Zurich operated by Edelweiss Air, a leisure affiliate of Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines. Next year, Edelweiss will add service from another western U.S. city: Denver. In June 2018, Edelweiss will start flying twice a week between Denver and Zurich with a 315-passneger A330-300. The carrier will offer evening departures from DEN on Mondays and Fridays

Air India’s newest U.S. gateway is Washington Dulles. Last week, the carrier started non-stop service from IAD to Delhi three times a week (Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) using a 777-200LR with first, business and economy seating.  The flight takes about 15-1/2 hours. Air India also serves New York JFK, Newark, Chicago and San Francisco, and plans to add Los Angeles service later this year.

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Routes: United, Domestic Delta 747 flight, Virgin America, Southwest, Frontier

United has started service on a dozen new domestic routes. (Image: United)

In domestic route news, United kicks off service in several new markets; Delta adds a Seattle spoke, and schedules a one-off 747 flight; Virgin America deploys more A321neos; Southwest’s new 737 MAXs will take to the skies this fall; and Frontier drops a San Francisco route.

Those new domestic routes that United announced last winter started operations last week. From San Francisco, United has added new daily service to Cincinnati, Detroit and Hartford Bradley, as well as three short hops (65 miles) a day to Santa Rosa, California. New service from United’s Chicago O’Hare hub includes three flights a day to Rochester, Minn., and three to Champaign/Urbana, Ill., as well as daily service to Spokane, Reno, and Charlottesville, Va. Other new routes include twice-daily flights from Washington Dulles to Springfield, Mo.; daily service between Newark-Sacramento; and daily flights from Denver to San Luis Obispo, Calif.

United has also extended some formerly seasonal routes to year-round operation, including San Francisco-New Orleans, Chicago-Tucson, Washington Dulles-Ft. Lauderdale, Newark-Salt Lake City and Denver-Kona.

On June 12, Delta added another spoke from its growing Seattle hub. The carrier started a daily A319 roundtrip between Seattle and Austin-Bergstrom International in Texas. Delta apparently sees Austin as a growth market; three months ago, it started flying to Raleigh-Durham as its seventh route from Austin, and in September it plans to add flights from Austin to Boston.

Delta has scheduled an unusual one-time domestic 747 flight from LAX. (Photo: Delta)

Speaking of Delta, we noticed a scheduling anomaly in Routesonline.com that might be of interest to readers who want to get in a convenient final 747 flight before those jumbos disappear from U.S. carriers’ fleets. Delta has reportedly scheduled a one-way, one-time 747-400 flight from Los Angeles to Detroit. It is due to lift off from LAX on September 5. NOTE: We found the Tuesday/Wednesday red-eye 747 flight DL1352 available on Delta.com for $317 one way. Ready to go?

If old planes aren’t your thing, how about new ones? We reported earlier that Virgin America started flying its first Airbus A321neo at the end of May on one daily San Francisco-Washington Reagan National flight, and it did the same this week on one daily SFO-New York JFK flight (VX022/29). Now Routesonlone.com reports that Virgin will put one of the new planes onto one daily San Francisco-Honolulu flight starting August 27, and one daily LAX-Newark flight as of October 15.  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; it has ordered 10 of them.

Southwest will start to deploy its new 737MAX aircraft this fall. (Image: Southwest)

Another airline with a new aircraft model coming online is Southwest, which is the U.S. launch customer for Boeing’s fuel-efficient 737MAX 8.  Southwest has ordered 170 of the new planes, which will have the same number of seats at Southwest’s 737-800s (175), but they’re quieter, 14 percent more fuel-efficient and can fly 500 nautical miles farther. Southwest is putting them into service on scores of U.S. routes this fall and winter; you can look here to see the full roster of 737MAX 8 routes.

Frontier Airlines, which operates one daily flight between San Francisco and Houston Bush Intercontinental, will eliminate that service effective July 14.

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United adds 11 new nonstops to Hawaii

United Hawaii

Cruising into Lihue Airport on Kauai from SFO on United will get easier with two flights per day (Chris McGinnis)

United is making a big grab for the lucrative Hawaii market, adding 11 new nonstops from the mainland, and adding even more lie-flat seats on overnight flights. It is also making its Denver hub a major, year-round gateway to Hawaii from the midwest.

More flights usually results two things important to frequent travelers: lower fares and more opportunities to redeem points to get to paradise. However, demand for Hawaii trips has increased so much recently that the additional capacity might not result in significantly lower fares or redemptions. Time will tell. However, it never hurts to set up fare alerts and keep an eye out for cheaper mileage redemptions in light of this announcement.

With the addition of the 11 flights, United says that it now offers the most flights between the mainland and Hawaii than any other carrier.

But flights to Hawaii are not cheap! Looking at August roundtrips in United economy class, Chicago-Maui and Denver-Maui are running a cool $1,400. Houston-Maui is $930. Cheapest SFO-Maui is $460, and LAX-Maui is about $570.

United adding more lie-flat seats on Hawaii flights (Chris McGinnis)

Starting this summer, all overnight flights between Hawaii and Chicago, Denver, Houston, Newark and Washington will have lie-flat seats up front. (Hawaiian Airlines is now offering lie-flat seats on some of its mainland-to-Hawaii flights. American recently added lie-flat seats on flights between Honolulu, Los Angeles and Phoenix. Delta flies lie-flat between ATL and Honolulu. United has had lie-flat seats on its SFO-Lihue 757 flights for a while now, but it appears that those flights, as well as most all non-Honolulu flights will be be served with 737s from SFO.)

Here’s what’s coming starting December 20 (these are in addition to existing Honolulu flights):

  • Denver’s seasonal flights to Kona, Lihue and Maui will convert to daily, year-round service.
  • From San Francisco, Maui nonstops increase from three to five times per day. Lihue increases to two per day. Kona increases from twice to three times per day.
  • Chicago-Maui service increases to 5x per week, up from 3x.
  • From Los Angeles, Kona and Maui get three flights per day, up from two and Hilo gets daily roundtrips

United’s expanded service to Hawaii starting Dec 20 (Image: United)

How do you fly to Hawaii? Have you been lately? How much did you pay…or how many miles did you redeem to get there? I recently snagged SFO-LIH for 45,000 United miles, which felt like a steal. You?

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New: Hilton-Beverly Hills, Hyatt-NYC, Marriott-Phoenix, Westin-Milwaukee, Choice-Chicago

Guest rooms at the new Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills all have balconies. (Image: Waldorf Astoria Hotels)

Recent hotel openings include a Waldorf Astoria in the heart of Beverly Hills; the first Hyatt House property in New York City; a dual-branded Marriott in downtown Phoenix; Choice Hotels International’s Cambria brand in Chicago’s Loop; and a new Westin in Milwaukee.

Hilton’s luxury Waldorf Astoria brand has cut the ribbon on the newly-built, 12-story Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, located at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards, adjacent to the Beverly Hilton Hotel and within walking distance of Rodeo Drive. The property has 119 guest rooms and 51 suites, with a décor “inspired by the contemporary interpretation of Hollywood glamour and the Streamline Moderne style of the 1930s and 40s,” the company said. Each room has floor-to-ceiling windows and a private balcony. The hotel has a guests-only rooftop pool deck with VIP cabanas, and food/drink venues created by renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, including a rooftop restaurant, the Jean-George Beverly Hills Bar, and the signature Jean-Georges Beverly Hills restaurant. The hotel’s Rolls Royce will take guests anywhere within a two-mile radius. Honors rates start at $635.

Accommodations at the new Hyatt House in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. (Image: Hyatt)

The newest addition to Hyatt’s extended-stay Hyatt House brand is in New York City. The 150-room Hyatt House New York/Chelsea is at the corner of Sixth Avenue and 28th Street. Accommodations are studio and one-bedroom units, ranging in size from 270 to 510 square feet; all units have a refrigerator and microwave, and half of them have full kitchenettes. They also come with floor-to-ceiling windows, large flat-panel TVs and dedicated work spaces. The 30th floor rooftop features an open-air “recreational area” with great Manhattan views, along with a 24-hour indoor fitness center. The H Bar on the second floor serves up breakfast and evening food and cocktails, and the hotel has a 24-hour take-out market. Rates start at $329.

Marriott’s new Courtyard/Residence Inn in downtown Phoenix. (Image: Marriott)

In the heart of downtown Phoenix at 132 South Central Avenue is a newly-opened, dual-branded, 20-story Marriott property that includes a 120-room Courtyard and a 200-suite Residence Inn. The hotel has direct access to the city’s light rail network and is within walking distance of the Phoenix Convention Center. Shared facilities for the two brands include an indoor pool, a fitness center, and 5,733 square feet of meeting space. The Courtyard features a new guest-friendly room design that offers a “tech drop” ledge for charging personal devices. The multipurpose lobby provides “media pods,” free Wi-Fi and a bistro. The Residence Inn has studio suites designed for stays of five or more nights, each equipped with full kitchens. Amenities include free breakfast, grocery delivery, free Wi-Fi and a 24-hour market. Rates start at $83 at the Courtyard and $129 at the Residence Inn.

Public areas at the Cambria Hotel in Chicago’s theater district. (Image: Cambria Hotels)

Choice Hotels International’s fast-growing Cambria brand has added a new property in downtown Chicago: The Cambria Chicago Loop-Theatre District. The 199-room hotel occupies the top 19 floors of the 22-story 32 West Randolph building, which went up in 1926. The lower part of the building is occupied by the historic Oriental Theater. Rooms have smart TVs, Bluetooth and free Wi-Fi, and the hotel has an American bistro restaurant called Social Circle. The hotel offers valet parking, and a game room with table games and TVs for watching sports events. Rates start at $178.

The new Westin Milwaukee has views of Lake Michigan. (Image: Westin Hotels)

Marriott’s Westin Hotels & Resorts brand has opened its first property in Wisconsin: The 220-room Westin Milwaukee. It’s located near the Lake Michigan waterfront at the end of Michigan Street, and is connected to the U.S. Bank Center. The property has nine meeting rooms totaling more than 9,000 square feet, along with a grand ballroom. The brand’s signature WestinWorkout fitness studio is there, along with suggested running routes along the lakefront as part of the RunWestin program. The hotel’s signature eatery is an Italian-American steakhouse called Stella Van Buren, and its bar has a “meticulously curated selection of bourbon” as well as an all-Wisconsin draft beer menu. SPG member prepaid rates start at $249.

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Routes: United, JetBlue, AA, Emirates, Air China, El Al, LOT Polish

United will add service to Buenos Aires from Newark. (Image: Buenos Aires Tourism)

In international route news, United is adding a South American route from Newark; JetBlue expands Mexico City service and strengthens ties with Icelandair; American will sell premium economy seats from Chicago to Paris; Emirates trims its JFK schedule; Air China changes its mind about a new LAX route; El Al comes to Florida; and LOT adds Newark service.

United Airlines said it will begin new year-round daily service on October 28 between its Newark hub and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The route will use a 767-300 with business class, Economy Plus and regular economy seating. And both northbound and southbound flights will be red-eyes, with a 9:50 p.m. EWR departure and a 9 p.m. Buenos Aires departure time. United also said it will increase service between Newark and Bogota, Colombia from one flight a day to two for the summer season, June 8-August 14.

JetBlue will increase capacity between Florida and Mexico City  effective September 6, boosting its schedules from one flight a day to two from both Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, offering early morning and midday southbound departures on both routes.  Meanwhile, JetBlue has also enhanced its partnership with Icelandair to include frequent flyer reciprocity. Members of JetBlue’s TrueBlue program can now earn points on Icelandair flights, and vice-versa for Icelandair Saga Club members flying on JetBlue.

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

American Airlines is reportedly planning to put a 787-9 equipped with its new premium economy cabin into service this summer between Chicago O’Hare and Paris. It’s currently offered only on a few routes out of Dallas/Ft. Worth. But the ORD-Paris debut of the new cabin is only for a short period: July 5 to August 5. American normally uses a 787-8 on the route.

A few weeks ago, Emirates said it was cutting frequencies on its routes from Dubai to five U.S. destinations (Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Seattle, Los Angeles and Boston), partly because the U.S. ban on in-flight electronic devices aboard inbound flights was taking a big toll on bookings. And now it is adding New York JFK to that list. According to Routesonline.com, Emirates will trim its Dubai-JFK non-stop schedule from three flights a day to two effective June 4 through at least the end of June.  The carrier also offers one-stop JFK-Dubai service via Milan.

Air China apparently never started taking reservations on the new Los Angeles-Shenzen service that it planned to start flying July 6, and it’s a good thing – because the carrier has now pulled the route from its schedule, Routesonline.com said. Air China had planned to operate the service three times a week with a 787-9.

El Al will start Tel Aviv service from Miami this fall. (Image: Israel Ministry of Tourism)

Miami will go back onto El Al’s route map in November, when it plans to start flying MIA-Tel Aviv three times a week. The Israeli carrier discontinued Miami service in 2008. Its other U.S. gateways include Boston, New York JFK, Newark and Los Angeles.

The newest U.S. route for LOT Polish Airlines is Newark-Warsaw, which it recently started flying four times a week with a two-class 767-300. It will upgrade the route to a three-class 787 in August, and boost frequencies to five a week.

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United: Will 3 wrongs make a right?

United jets on the ramp at Newark Terminal C (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The three primary characters in this week’s gruesome tale of airline passenger bashing made mistakes: United should have sought a better solution to its oversold/overbooked/crewing situation, David Dao should have gotten off the plane, and the police should have used less force.

On a busy Sunday night at O’Hare, these three mistakes coalesced to create a perfect storm onboard the plane. The end result we’ve all seen play out on viral videos that elicit a visceral, emotional reaction and created a social media firestorm.

United was wrong: United (or Republic) should never have boarded the plane before asking for volunteers. United should have increased the compensation it was offering for passengers to give up their seats until it got a few takers. It should have considered alternatives for getting its crew to Louisville– it could have rented a car and had them there in five hours. United should have tried harder to fix the situation before calling in law enforcement.

David Dao was wrong: But the least wrong of the three. As the Wall Street Journal said this week, “airplanes are dictatorships.” As lopsided and unfair as the situation was and as angry as Dao may have been, he should have gotten off the plane when instructed to do so. By refusing to get off, he was breaking federal law. Once off the plane, he could have possibly plead his case with gate agents, letting them know that he was a doctor with patients to see in the morning and that he was traveling with his daughter. Who  knows, they may have taken that into consideration, let him back on board or put him on another flight or arranged to have a car take him to Louisville. UPDATE: Do airlines have the right to throw you off the plane even though you’ve done nothing wrong? As wrong as it may seem, the answer is: Yes. Travel industry analyst and former airline executive Henry Harteveldt helps explain, “Just as airplanes defy the law of gravity when they take off, air travel has its own unique sets of rules that passengers must follow. Among the rules are following airline employees’ directions and commands. If you deliberately disobey an airline employee’s instructions, it can result in a fine, being removed from a plane, or even being put on a ‘black list’ and not being able to fly that carrier ever again.” For more background on this, see: Can an airline really just yank you off a plane? Plus: Legal minds are picking apart this premise.

Chicago Department of Aviation officers were wrong: As I write this, much of the media focus (and blame) is zeroing in on the Chicago Department of Aviation officers who brutalized Dao. Some force may have been necessary to get him off the plane, but not that much force. Tom Demetrio, Dao’s attorney, said that the 69-year-old “lost two front teeth, broke his nose, and suffered a concussion.” That’s grotesquely excessive. Today Business Insider reports that the union representing United pilots stated, “This violent incident should never have happened and was a result of gross excessive force by Chicago Department of Aviation personnel…For reasons unknown to us, instead of trained Chicago Police Department officers being dispatched to the scene, Chicago Department of Aviation personnel responded. At this point, without direction and outside the control of United Airlines or the Republic crew, the Chicago Department of Aviation forcibly removed the passenger.”

Will three wrongs make a right? Will United change? Will federal rules change? Will passenger behavior change? We’ll have to wait and see. But we are already seeing evidence of a policy change at United. Today the airline outlined procedural changes in a statement:

First, we are committing that United will not ask law enforcement officers to remove passengers from our flights unless it is a matter of safety and security. Second, we’ve started a thorough review of policies that govern crew movement, incentivizing volunteers in these situations, how we handle oversold situations and an examination of how we partner with airport authorities and local law enforcement.  Third, we will fully review and improve our training programs to ensure our employees are prepared and empowered to put our customers first.  Our values – not just systems – will guide everything we do.  We’ll communicate the results of our review and the actions we will take by April 30.    

UPDATE Friday: Delta has now increased compensation limits for voluntary denied boardings — gate agents can now offer up to $2,000 worth of vouchers, while supervisors can offer up to $9,950 worth of vouchers (per OMATT)

Some of the latest stories to note:

United Consumer perception plummets to lowest level in a decade (Ad Age)

United promising to make major customer service changes (Business Insider)

The Eagle has landed: Who is the lawyer taking on United Airlines? (NBC)

United Airlines did nothing wrong…so what’s all the fuss about? (The Street)

(Image: Emma Baum)

Remember this guy? Delta didn’t forcibly remove him and took social media heat for it (TravelSkills)

Dao’s lawyer and daughter speak at press conference (NBC)

Dao: The Asian Rosa Parks (USA Today)

How much authority do flight crews have over passengers? (TravelPulse)

Current United stock price (Google)

What do you think will happen? Will this lead to truly major reforms or will it blow over? Please leave your comments below. 

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United fiasco: Latest updates, feedback, reader comments

The internet nearly broke this week over a gruesome video from a United flight (Image: Pixabay)

Wow! The alarming visual of an passenger violently removed from a United flight to make way for an airline crew has sparked an unprecedented social media firestorm. At TravelSkills we’ve been fielding media calls and monitoring the situation all day, which is still rather fluid, but mellowing as details and apologies emerge.

First off, let’s look at United’s third and most far reaching apology. United posted this letter from CEO Oscar Munoz and distributed it throughout social media on Tuesday afternoon, about 48 hours after the incident occurred. It takes a much more conciliatory tone compared to previous apologies. Most importantly, it promises a thorough review of the incident, the results of which will be made public by April 30:

Here are a few updates: 

USA Today reports that Dr. David Dao, the passenger yanked from the flight and gruesomely bloodied, has hired two Chicago attorneys, Stephen L. Golan and Thomas A. Demetrio, to represent him. In a statement, Golan said that Dao is currently hospitalized. We suspect that there will be a quick settlement and hefty payout for both the victim and the lawyers in this case.

Today United stock took an early tumble, but crept up later in the day. While it does not appear that Wall Street fears a long-term financial hit, PR consultants have been crowing about how the whole incident is “brand suicide,” pillorying United for its inept handling of the situation, and offering advice. Time will tell an interesting tale once the firestorm subsides.

United stock tumbled Tuesday morning, but was rebounding by the afternoon close (Photo: Google)

While the incident sparked controversy in the US, it also roared through Chinese social media— within hours, the shocking video we’ve all seen by now reportedly amassed more than 210 million views (and plenty of angry commentary) on China’s popular Weibo.

New Jersey governor Chris Christie is calling for the federal government to ban the airline practice of overbooking. Seems strange coming from a laissez faire minded Republican, but times are strange!

Today CNN posted a good first person interview with Jayse Anspach from Louisville, a passenger seated across the aisle from Dao.

United’s about face on this could be telling in a legal dispute: United: Flight was “sold out” not “overbooked (USA Today)

“Airplanes are dictatorships” wrote the wise Scott McCartney today at the Wall Street Journal in a post about handling overbooking situations. While the post was not specifically about the United incident, its message was clear.

Scott McCartney in the Wall Street Journal

Several salacious headlines began to appear like this one in the New York Post: Doctor dragged off flight was convicted of trading drugs for sex. While Dao’s past is probably irrelevant to this incident, it’s nonetheless interesting.

Mysteriously, the Facebook page of Audra D Bridges (the woman who first posted the most-shared video of the incident) vanished from the Internet today… no explanation, but makes you wonder why.

In a few days or weeks, this too shall pass, and most travelers will be busy looking for great airfare deals for spring break or summer trips. Will this incident have a significant impact on United bookings? We doubt it. But we’ll sure be talking about it all year long!

What do YOU think? Be sure to check the numerous reader comments from our previous post (where there’s a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking, anger, provocative thinking and accusations that I’m taking sides with United) and leave yours here!

Phew!

–Chris McGinnis

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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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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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Mineta San Jose Airport: New transcon routes and more

San Jose SJC Terminal B

San Jose getting even more new nonstops to East Coast! (Photo: SJC)

Bay Area business travelers are seeing new flights at all three major airports in the region as passenger traffic keeps increasing, but one of them is adding new capacity at a faster rate than any airport in the country.

That airport is Mineta San Jose International (SJC), where total passenger traffic last year soared above the 10 million mark to 10.8 million, a gain of more than 10 percent over the previous year. For international passengers, the annual increase was more than 68 percent over 2015 as more carriers added transatlantic and transpacific service from SJC.

The number of airline seats flying in and out of SJC during March was up almost 20 percent over the same month a year ago. The average increase for U.S. airports was under 5 percent.

The capacity boom at Mineta San Jose is continuing this month with new transcontinental service – in fact, the same route — from two airlines. March 9 was the launch date for United’s new daily non-stops to its Newark Liberty hub, and three days later, Alaska Airlines inaugurated its own daily flights to EWR. United also started up twice-daily service to its big hub at Chicago O’Hare.

You can find more details about new San Jose routes here.

More planes, more flights, more passengers than ever at SJC (Photo: SJC)

With the tremendous growth in the nation’s technology sector, Mineta San Jose is positioning itself as the gateway airport for Silicon Valley business travelers, since the companies that collective name refers to are mostly just a few miles up the Highway 101 from SJC in towns like Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Palo Alto. It’s closer not only in highway miles, but especially in drive time thanks to its distance from the congested San Francisco peninsula (and its crowded airport).

Those new transcons from United and Alaska are just a few of the new services coming to SJC in late winter and spring. In mid-March, Alaska added California Corridor service between Mineta San Jose and the Los Angeles area’s uncrowded Hollywood-Burbank Airport, with three daily roundtrips. And in May, SJC will welcome seasonal daily service from American Airlines to its Charlotte, N.C. hub, as well as a third daily roundtrip to Atlanta being added to Delta’s schedule. On June 4, Southwest is due to begin daily roundtrips from Mineta San Jose to Reno.

And later this year, Alaska Airlines will begin new daily E175 service from SJC to Austin and Tucson (both starting August 28), and four flights a day to Los Angeles International (beginning September 20).

On the hunt for colorful planes? Look no further than San Jose! (Photo: SJC)

More international flights are coming as well. Aeromexico is set to start flying once a day from SJC to its Guadalajara hub on July 1. And on May 2, Air Canada will add a third daily frequency to its SJC-Vancouver route. That’s all in addition to the big bump in international options for business travelers that came to SJC last year, including Air China’s non-stops to Shanghai, British Airways’ flights to London Heathrow, and Lufthansa’s to Frankfurt.

It’s easier than ever now for South Bay road warriors to get to Europe or Asia from SJC without a connection.

Have you flown in or out of San Jose lately? Why or why not? Are you more likely to give SJC a try now that it’s added this slew of new flights? Please leave your comments below. 

This post is sponsored by Mineta San Jose International Airport  

San Jose Airport banner

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Routes: United SFO-Boston + AA, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Sun Country

United p.s. 757-200 with lie-flat seats at San Francisco. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

In domestic route developments, United goes flat-bed to Boston from San Francisco; American Airlines will add new spokes from its Chicago O’Hare hub; Delta plans a new California route and adds Austin service; ; Frontier announces a bunch of new routes from three cities; and Sun Country Airlines comes to Santa Rosa’s Charles Schulz Airport.

In what could be a strike back against JetBlue’s Mint service, United will be offering flat-bed first class sections on all its San Francisco-Boston flights this summer. That’s a welcome change for those achingly long 6+ hour flights. The carrier will reportedly change its aircraft mix on the SFO-BOS route starting June 8 from the current combination of 757-300s, 777-200s and 737-900s to just two types: 777-200s and 757-200s, all with lie-flat seating in the front cabin. H/T Live and Let’s Fly In other news, United plans to increase service between its Newark hub and Madison, Wis., starting May 5 with the addition of a second daily United Express roundtrip. Both flights use 50-seat Embraer 145s.

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

Gearing up for fresh competition with United at Chicago O’Hare, American Airlines said in a letter to employees this week that it will add several new routes to smaller markets out of ORD this summer. Starting July 5, AA will begin new service from O’Hare to Appleton, Wis.; Birmingham, Ala.; Boise, Idaho; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Greensboro, N.C.; and Greenville, S.C. The airline will also start flying on a seasonal basis between O’Hare and Ontario, Calif. United recently announced new O’Hare services as part of a larger domestic route expansion.

Delta plans to launch new California service from its Detroit hub later this summer. The carrier set September 5 as the starting date for six flights a week between Detroit and Orange County’s John Wayne Airport, using a 737-700. Meanwhile, Delta this week kicked off its previously announced new service linking Raleigh-Durham with Austin Bergstrom. Delta Connection/GoJet will fly the route Monday through Friday with a 76-seat CRJ-900. In June, Delta will add Austin service from Seattle as well.

Posh! A fancy ride to the airport in 19 new cities

The interior of Delta’s new Airbus A321. (Image; Delta)

In the northeast, Delta said it is responding to noise complaints from residents near New York LaGuardia by eliminating its older MD-88s– used on 30 flights a day there – and replacing them with quieter A320/321s, 737s and MD-90s. “Later this year, Delta service between Atlanta and LaGuardia will fly on larger-gauge Airbus A320s and Boeing 737-900ERs, which feature all-new, modern interiors with large, sculpted overhead bins and, on the Boeing 737-900ER, seat-back in-flight entertainment,” the carrier said. (Speaking of Atlanta, JetBlue will soon reestablish a presence there when it starts five flights a day to ATL from Boston on March 30. However, the airport appears to be messing with JetBlue, first promising gates in the nice new E Concourse, then trying to force JetBlue to accept the ghetto gates at the far end of Concourse D.)

$10 off your first Lyft ride!

Frontier Airlines is targeting Las Vegas for expansion this summer. New Frontier routes coming to LAS include Bismarck, N.D. (starting June 11 with two flights a week); Sioux Falls, S.D. (June 12, four weekly flights); Indianapolis (July 16, three flights a week); and Washington Dulles (July 16, daily service). The low-cost carrier also plans to add several routes out of Colorado Springs in June. Twice-weekly service to San Francisco begins June 11, with a third weekly flight operating seasonally. New seasonal routes from Colorado Springs include San Diego, operating daily starting June 10; Washington Dulles, also with daily flights beginning June 10; Chicago O’Hare daily service starting June 12; and Los Angeles service four times a week as of June 12. At Washington Dulles, Frontier also plans to start flying four times a week to Austin beginning April 21.

Minneapolis-based Sun Country Airlines plans to add a couple of new spokes to its network later this summer, but only for a limited time, and with a very limited schedule. It will offer one weekly roundtrip from MSP to California’s Charles M. Schulz Airport in Sonoma County from August 24 through December 3, and one a week to Austin from August 31 to December 10.

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Routes: Swiss to SFO + Lufthansa, Aeromexico, Hainan, Delta/KLM, Air Canada

Economy class on SWISS’s new 777-300ER. (Image: SWISS)

In international route developments, Swiss will increase San Francisco service and lay on more 777-300ERs to the U.S. this summer; Lufthansa sets the date for its first new A350 service to the U.S.; Aeromexico brings a new route to San Jose; Hainan Airlines adds a pair of routes from Los Angeles; Delta code-shares on more KLM flights; Air Canada adds a new Vancouver route and reshuffles Ottawa service.

Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss International’s newly issued summer schedule calls for an increase in San Francisco-Zurich frequencies from the current three 777-300ER flights  a week to daily service beginning April 22. All the flights will use the carrier’s new 777-300ERs. Swiss already uses the new aircraft on its Los Angeles-Zurich route, and said that between June and October of this year, it will also deploy the new aircraft on six of its 12 weekly flights between Zurich and Chicago O’Hare. Take a tour of “the new SWISS flagship” here. 

Lufthansa recently took delivery of its second A350 from Airbus and it’s headed to Boston. (Image: Lufthansa)

Lufthansa has taken delivery of its second brand-new Airbus A350-900, and it has set March 14 as the date when that aircraft will start flying between Munich and Boston. (The first one recently started flying from Munich to Delhi, India, and the third will go onto the Munich-Mumbai route starting in late April.) Innovations on the Lufthansa A350 include an in-flight entertainment system that lets passengers create their own programming playlists from an app before leaving home, and LED technology that makes it possible to provide two dozen different lighting schemes in the cabin.

The latest international carrier to announce new service to San Jose is Aeromexico. The Mexican airline set a July 1 start for new service between SJC and its Guadalajara hub, operating six 737 flights a week (not on Tuesdays). The flight will depart San Jose at 10:15 a.m.

Hainan Airlines is adding two 787 routes from Los Angeles. (Image: Simon Auger/Flickr)

China’s Hainan Airlines has started taking reservations for new service from Los Angeles to two destinations in western China. On March 15, it will begin service between LAX and Chengdu, followed on March 21 by new flights from LAX to Chonqing. Both routes will operate twice a week, and both will use 787-8s.

Delta continues to expand its roster of code-share flights with joint venture partner KLM. Beginning March 26, according to Routesonline.com, Delta’s code will go onto KLM’s flights between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Amsterdam. Also getting Delta codes will be KLM flights beyond Amsterdam to Milan Malpensa; Graz, Austria; Gdansk, Poland; Freetown, Sierra Leone and Monrovia, Liberia; Split, Croatia; and the Italian destinations of Catania, Sicily, and Cagliari, Sardinia.

Air Canada’s Jazz unit has started new daily non-stops between Vancouver and Dallas/Ft. Worth, using two-class CRJ-705s. On the east coast, meanwhile, Air Canada said it has ended its three daily flights between Ottawa and New York LaGuardia, but will add three flights a day between Ottawa and Newark beginning March 26. (Meanwhile, Delta is poised to pick up the slack from LGA, starting twice-daily service to Ottawa as of April 2.) In other news, Air Canada will use a 787-9 on one (AC737/738) of its six daily San Francisco-Toronto flights for the summer season, beginning June 1.

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Best & worst airport-to-city trains

Hong Kong train

An outstanding, clean, easy and cheap train to the plane in Hong Kong (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Over the last year alone, I’ve taken the train to or from the plane in Hong Kong, Atlanta, Sydney, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC.  I really wanna give the new airport train in Denver a go. Ever since United moved its NYC flights to Newark, I’ve been a regular on the trains that connect EWR to Penn Station in Manhattan. Even though I love my Lyft rides, I’m kind of an airport train freak.

A new study examines the speed and efficiency of airport public transit systems worldwide, and finds that – to no one’s surprise – most of the best are in Asia.

The world’s best public transit option is the Tokyo Monorail from Tokyo Haneda to downtown. Rounding out the top five are Delhi’s Airport Express Line in India; the Shanghai Maglev train to Shanghai Pudong; the Shanghai Metro Line 2 to Shanghai Hongquiao; and the Sprinter/Intercity line to Amsterdam Schiphol.

The study by Milecards.com looked at four factors: time saved vs. driving; passenger fares; frequency of departures; and convenience (e.g., availability of luggage storage on trains, etc.).

Source: Milecards.com

Source: Milecards.com

Looking only at U.S. airports, Milecards.com judged Atlanta’s MARTA to be the best, followed in order by Chicago’s CTA Orange Line to Chicago Midway; Chicago’s CTA Blue Line to Chicago O’Hare; Denver’s new University of Colorado A Line to Denver International; and New York City’s Long Island Railroad/JFK AirTrain connection to Kennedy Airport.

Seeing Atlanta rated as number one in the U.S. made me wish they had included service reliability as a factor in this ranking. I’ve had such bad results in ATL recently that I’ve almost stopped using it. Newark’s NJ Transit/Amtrak connection to Manhattan is not beautiful, but it’s very reliable, at least in my experience. What about you? Please leave your comments below.

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Source: Milecards.com

Source: Milecards.com

U.S. airport public transit has “plenty of room for improvement,” Milecards.com said. “Only six of the public-transport options are generally faster than driving.

Looking only at public transit travel times vs. taxi/Uber/driving times in the U.S., “Just six of the 50 busiest airports are served by transit options that can save time on a typical weekday afternoon, and that’s usually because they bypass a lot of congestion, rather than because they’re fast express lines,” Milecards.com said. “On a good, congestion free day you’d be hard pressed to find an airport transit line in the U.S. that rivals drive times.”

That’s probably why the SFO’s BART train ranked as one of the LEAST time saving airport transit lines in America– the report shows car/taxi rides take 21 minutes between airport and downtown, while BART takes 29 minutes.

Source: Milecards.com

Source: Milecards.com

The “least time-saving airport transit lines” in the U.S. are led by San Jose, the study found, where taking the VTA Route 10/Light Rail is 216 percent slower than driving (30 minutes vs. 10 minutes). Public transit travel time beats driving at New York JFK, Atlanta, Chicago Midway, Los Angeles (LAX FlyAway) and Oakland (BART), the study said.

By contrast, the overseas airport with the most time-efficient public transit is Shanghai Pudong, where a ride to city center on the 14-year-old Maglev train takes just eight minutes, vs. 50 minutes for driving. (Why? Because that magnetic levitation train can hit top speeds of 267 mph.)

Ranking second and third were London’s Heathrow Express trains, which takes 15 minutes vs. 45 minutes on the road; and London’s Gatwick Express (30 minutes vs. an 80-minute drive time). Anyone who travels to London frequently knows that roadway traffic can be horrendous…especially in the central city, so the cab ride from the Heathrow Express station at Paddington frequently takes longer than the train ride from the airport.

Click here to see the full study results and charts for worldwide and U.S. public transit options.

Ride-hailing apps like Lyft are surging in their share of business travel spending. (Image: Lyft)

Ride-hailing apps like Lyft are making some airport rail connections obsolete. (Image: Lyft)

Besides being generally slow, U.S. airports’ public transit options are facing a growing threat from ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, which provide door-to-door airport trips that eliminate the schlep to a transit station. In recent months, Bay Area airports including Oakland and San Francisco International have been seeing declines in public transit ridership even as passenger traffic at the airports increased. That loss in market share was generally seen to be going to the ride-sharing companies.

Which train to the plane is your favorite? Least favorite? Please leave your comments below. 

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How to ride on United’s very first real Polaris flight

United's first 777-300ER will debut February 13. (Image: United)

United’s first 777-300ER will debut February 13. (Image: United)

If you want to be among the very first to experience United’s Polaris business class on its first new 777-300ER, your miles can make it possible – but you must act fast.

As TravelSkills readers know, United introduced its new Polaris business class service late last year– but it has yet to roll out a plane with the new Polaris business class seat. United’s first Boeing 777-300ER with the new seats makes its domestic debut later this month.

The airline has scheduled a gala inaugural flight for the new aircraft – dubbed ‘New Spirit of United’ — on Monday, February 13, from Chicago O’Hare to San Francisco, and it has started an online auction where MileagePlus members can bid miles to win a pair of seats in the Polaris cabin.

The bidding deadline is noon CST on Monday, February 6, and at this writing the minimum bid is 241,000 miles. New bids can only be made in increments of 1,000 miles.

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

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

What you’re bidding on is not only two Polaris tickets for the ORD-SFO maiden flight, but an entire package that also includes a pair of economy tickets to Chicago, two more for a flight home from San Francisco, and a hotel stay in San Francisco the night of February 13. You’ll also have access to United’s new Polaris lounge at O’Hare.

You must be 21 or older to participate, and you can’t check any bags – carry-ons only.

To see all the details and to submit a bid, click here.

The first scheduled service of a Polaris-equipped 777-300ER will be on a domestic route, linking United’s San Francisco and Newark Liberty International hubs. The new aircraft will fly six days a week from February 13 through May 4, the airline said.

On March 25, the new aircraft will make its international scheduled service debut, replacing a 747-400 on the very competitive San Francisco-Hong Kong route, where Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific both offer non-stop service.

Seatmap of United's newest bird: The Boeing 777-300ER CLICK for details

Seatmap of United’s newest bird: The Boeing 777-300ER CLICK for details

The Boeing 777-300ER will have 60 business class seats— that’s up from around 50 in its 747s and 777-200s.  Both Economy Plus and regular economy seating will be 10-across, configured 3-4-3. Economy Plus will offer 34 inches of pitch vs. 31 inches for regular economy. Currently, United’s 777s are 9 across in economy class.

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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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Routes: United, China Southern, Hainan, Alaska, Hong Kong Airlines, LOT

United is boosting capacity on its new route from SFO to Auckland. (Image:

United is scaling back its six-month-old route from SFO to Auckland. (Image: Aucklandnz.com)

In international route developments, United will scale back its San Francisco-Auckland and LAX-London service; China Southern will boost capacity to San Francisco; China’s Hainan Airlines seeks two more U.S. routes; Alaska Airlines begins Cuba flights from the West Coast; Hong Kong Airlines schedules its first service to North America; and LOT Polish will resume a Chicago route.

Is there too much new capacity between the U.S. and New Zealand? United Airlines has decided to suspend its San Francisco-Auckland flight this spring and turn it into a seasonal route. United will halt the 787 service April 16 and pick it up again October 28, according to Routesonline.com. But then on December 16, 2017, United will boost frequencies on the route from seven a week to 10, using a 777-200ER. United kicked off the SFO-Auckland route last summer, just after American started flying from Los Angeles to Auckland. And a little over a year ago, Air New Zealand added a new Houston-Auckland route.

In other news, United has dropped plans to add a second Los Angeles-London Heathrow to its schedule this year. The second flight had been scheduled to begin April 4, but United apparently had second thoughts about committing more seats to a crowded market, with five other airlines already offering non-stop service between Los Angeles and London. And from its Newark hub, United this week ended its daily service to Belfast, Northern Ireland, as it previously announced. The Belfast Telegraph reports that Belfast Airport officials are in talks with several other carriers to add a U.S. route.

China Southern to launch new SFO nonstops in December (Photo: Wikimedia)

China Southern will add more seats from San Francisco to Guangzhou (Photo: Wikimedia)

China Southern Airlines has filed plans to increase capacity to San Francisco from Guangzhou, Routesonline.com reports. It will start by changing aircraft as of March 26 from 787-8s to larger 777-300ERs on its four weekly non-stop flights from Guangzhou to SFO and its three flights a week from Guangzhou to SFO via a stop in Wuhan. Then on June 21 it will increase frequencies on the non-stop route from four flights a week to six.

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

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

China’s Hainan Airlines, which has several U.S. routes already, wants two more. The carrier has applied with U.S. authorities to start flying two or three times a week from Chongqing to Los Angeles within the next few months, followed by a similar schedule from Chongqing to New York JFK in the second quarter, using 787s on both routes. Hainan already flies to Beijing from San Jose, Chicago and Seattle, and to Shanghai from Seattle and Boston.

Alaska Airlines has finally launched its new Havana service, becoming the only airline to fly to the Cuban capital from the West Coast. The daily service originates in Seattle, then stops in Los Angeles before continuing non-stop to Havana. The 737-900ER flight leaves SEA at 5 a.m. and departs LAX at 8:50 a.m. Chris was on the inaugural, and will file a report shortly.

Hong Kong Airlines, which has a route network all around East and Southeast Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand, plans to begin its first transpacific service to North America this summer. The airline said it will star flying once a day on June 30 between its Hong Kong base and Vancouver, using an Airbus A330.

LOT Polish Airlines has set a July 2 start for new service between Chicago O’Hare and Krakow, operating one flight a week on the route with a 787-8.

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New aircraft coming on key global routes: LAX, Boston, SFO, Chicago, Houston

Qantas' first 787-9 will enter service to LAX next year. (Image: Qantas)

Qantas’ first 787-9 will enter service to LAX next year. (Image: Qantas)

Several airlines have scheduled the introduction of brand-new planes on key international routes to the U.S., including Qantas, Lufthansa, Swiss International and Singapore.

Qantas announced that its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will enter service on December 15, 2017, flying the Melbourne-Los Angeles route. The new 236-passenger, three-class Dreamliner will fly the route six days a week, replacing a 364-seat 747, and will supplement Qantas’ daily A380 flight on the route. That will give Qantas 13 flights a week on the route, up from nine today. Even though the 787 is smaller than the 747 it will replace, the larger plane is only flying twice a week, so that’s a net capacity increase on the route of 1,400 seats a week. The Dreamliner will have business class, economy class, and a new premium economy section that the airline will introduce early next year.

Lufthansa recently took delivery of its first A350 from Airbus. (Image: Lufthansa)

Lufthansa recently took delivery of its first A350 from Airbus. (Image: Lufthansa)

Lufthansa recently took delivery of its first brand-new Airbus A350-900 which will begin regular commercial service February 10 between Munich and New Delhi. But the carrier announced last week that its second new A350 will start flying in March 2017 on the Boston-Munich route. Lufthansa said its first 10 A350s will all be based at its Munich hub. The aircraft will have 48 business class seats, 21 in premium economy and 224 in regular economy. The airline will introduce a new in-flight service for A350 business class flyers: a self-service area offering snacks and cold drinks. The new aircraft will also have larger video screens and “the latest FlyNet technology and improved web surfing,” Lufthansa said. The plane will offer a variety of lighting schemes and improved cabin pressure so travelers will arrive “feeling more rested,” the airline said.

Economy class on SWISS's new 777-300ER. (Image: SWISS)

Economy class on Swiss’s new 777-300ER. (Image: Swiss International)

Swiss International, a Lufthansa subsidiary, has been rolling out new 340-seat Boeing 777-300ERs as the flagships of its long-haul network. It has six already, with three more coming online in 2017. This year, it started flying them to Los Angeles in June and Miami in October. And they’ll soon be coming to San Francisco and Chicago. According to the Swiss website, The 777-300ER will begin flying between Zurich and San Francisco three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) starting February 16. And the airline will reportedly boost that 777 schedule to seven flights a week starting April 17. Meanwhile, Routesonline.com reports that Swiss will put the new 777-300ER into service between Chicago O’Hare-Zurich beginning June 1, flying that route six times a week. The new 777s carry 340 passengers, with eight seats in first class, 62 in business and 270 in economy (in a 3-4-3 configuration). Check out a photo tour of the Swiss 777-300ERs that we ran last year.

Singapore Airlines A350 premium economy

Singapore Airlines A350 Premium Economy is a good option for those who can’t bear the thought of 17 hours in economy (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Singapore Airlines continues add new Airbus A350s to its long-haul feet, and the next deployment of the aircraft will be on its Houston-Manchester (UK)-Singapore route starting January 17, according to Routesonline.com. The Singapore A350s have 42 business class seats, 24 in premium economy, and 187 in regular economy (in a 3-3-3 configuration).  Two months ago, Singapore put one of the new A350s into service on its Singapore-San Francisco route. Chris was on board for one of the first flights, and you can read his comprehensive report here about seating and in-flight service aboard the Singapore A350.

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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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New hotels: W – Vegas, Conrad – Chicago, Hilton – New York, DoubleTree – Hawaii + more

A Philippe Starck-designed guest room at the new W Las Vegas. (Image: Marriott)

A Philippe Starck-designed guest room at the new W Las Vegas. (Image: Marriott)

In U.S. hotel news, Marriott/Starwood opens a new W in Las Vegas; the Conrad Chicago makes its debut; Hilton adds a location in downtown Brooklyn and an affiliate in Manhattan, as well as a DoubleTree in Hawaii; and there’s a new boutique property in the Twin Cities.

One of the two towers at the SLS Las Vegas – which is a member of Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio – has been transformed into a 289-room W Hotel. Marriott took on the W brand as part of its merger with Starwood, and this becomes the first W in Las Vegas. The W’s rooms were designed by Philippe Starck, offering “a cheeky interpretation of luxury hospitality,” the company said, along with the W brand’s signature bedding and Bliss bath amenities. At the top of the tower is a 2,382 square foot Extreme WOW Suite designed by Lenny Kravitz. (Yes, that Lenny Kravitz.) The W has 15,000 square feet of its own meeting space, plus another 80,000 in the SLS complex. There’s a rooftop bar called the Wet Deck, a spa and fitness center, and a total of seven restaurants in the complex. Rates start as low as $114.

An atrium with a view at the new Conrad Chicago.(Image: Conrad Hotels)

An atrium with a view at the new Conrad Chicago.(Image: Conrad Hotels)

At 101 E. Erie in downtown Chicago, a former office building has been transformed into the newly opened Conrad Chicago, a part of the Hilton family of brands. The 20-story Conrad has 287 rooms and suites equipped with personal refrigerators, big 96-inch beds, 65-inch TVs and keyless entry. Guests can use the hotel’s luxury car service for free drop-offs within a two-mile radius. Food and beverage options include an Italian restaurant on the ground floor, a “bourbon- centric” eatery with American cuisine on the 20th floor, and a Japanese rooftop restaurant coming next summer. Guests can sample some of what Chicago offers without leaving the premises by using the hotel’s VR Concierge, offering 360-degree views through an Oculus VR headset. Rates start at $225. (The previous Conrad Chicago in 2015 was transformed into The Gwen, a member of Starwood’s Luxury Collection.)

A guest room at the Brooklyn Hilton. (Image: Hilton)

A guest room at the Brooklyn Hilton. (Image: Hilton)

New York City’s borough of Brooklyn has become a hot spot for commercial development, and Hilton has just opened a property in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill neighborhood, two blocks from Atlantic Avenue and not far from the Brooklyn Heights Historic District and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The Hilton Brooklyn New York at Smith and Schermerhorn streets occupies a building that used to be a rope factory in the 19th century. The 196-room Hilton has a 24-hour fitness center, a business center, concierge service and a grab-and-go pantry. Through May 29, HHonors members can earn an extra 1,000 points per night when they stay here. Non-refundable advance purchase rates start as low as $135; regular rates are from $159. (Meanwhile, an independent luxury property called The Renwick that opened last year in Manhattan on East 40th Street has just become a member of Hilton’s Curio Collection, making it a participant in Hilton’s reservations system and HHonors program.)

Hilton's new DoubleTree in Hilo, Hawaii. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton’s new DoubleTree in Hilo, Hawaii. (Image: Hilton)

In Hawaii, the former Grand Naniloa Hotel in Hilo, on the Big Island, has gone through a $30 million overhaul and emerged as a DoubleTree by Hilton. The 320-room hotel – the first DoubleTree on the Big Island — is on a 70-acre oceanfront site just two miles from Hilo International Airport. It has a nine-hole golf course, a big outdoor pool, 24-hour business center, and 13,000 square feet of meeting space. Guest rooms come with free Wi-Fi, big work desks, microwaves, refrigerators, and DoubleTree’s signature beds. Hilton is offering Honors members 5,000 bonus points for a minimum three-night stay at the hotel through March 15 when they book directly with Hilton. HHonors rates start at $154 in January on direct bookings.

A cozy room at The Hewing in Minneapolis. (Image: Aparium Hotel Group)

A cozy room at The Hewing in Minneapolis. (Image: Aparium Hotel Group)

What was formerly an old warehouse in the North Loop section of Minneapolis has been reborn as a boutique hotel. The 124-room Hewing Hotel is at the corner of Washington and 3rd Avenue, featuring “Nordic-inspired décor” like lots of bare wood and rooms with exposed brick walls and timber ceilings. It has a rooftop bar, spa pool and sauna; and a main floor restaurant called Tullibee. The Hewing is operated by the Chicago-based Aparium Hotel Group, which also runs the Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee. Rates start at $179.

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Airport news: LAX Terminal 1.5 | Raleigh-Durham | Chicago | Minneapolis | Montreal

LAX's Terminal 1.5 will link T1 and T2. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

LAX’s Terminal 1.5 will link T1 and T2. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

In airport news this week, Los Angeles moves forward with a couple of new construction projects; Delta overhauls its Sky Club at Raleigh-Durham; Chicago introduces a new tool for passengers to determine taxi waiting times; Minneapolis-St. Paul adds some new gates and restaurants; and Air Canada cuts the ribbon on a Maple Leaf lounge at Montreal.

Pending final approval from the city council, the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners has given a tentative OK to environmental and design plans for what it is calling the Terminal 1.5 project – construction of a six-level, 417,500 square foot building connecting Terminals 1 (Southwest) and Terminal 2 (International).   It won’t have any boarding gates, but will provide a new baggage claim area on the lower level, a ticketing lobby on the upper level, security screening on the concourse level and office space on the top two levels. Pre-security walkways on the first two levels will connect Terminals 1 and 2. The facility is expected to open in the summer of 2019. Meanwhile, airport officials are releasing a request for qualifications for design and construction of LAX’s planned Consolidated Rent-A-Car Center, which will be near Interstate 405 in Manchester Square. It will be linked to terminals by an automated people-mover system.

On December 6, Delta officials will cut the ribbon on the airline’s renovated Sky Club at Raleigh-Durham Airport, located on the second level of Terminal 2 across from Gate C3. The club has new contemporary furnishings; power outlets and charging stations near every seat; faster Wi-Fi; an expanded business center; a bar with free beverages including local craft beers, premium wines and cocktails as well as Starbucks coffee and self-serve espresso machines.

LoLo Kitchen has opened in MSP's Terminal 1. (Image: SSP America)

LoLo American Kitchen has opened in MSP’s Terminal 1. (Image: SSP America)

Noting that passenger counts at its Terminal 2 (Humphrey Terminal) have increased by 5.4 percent this year, Minneapolis-St. Paul International said it has opened four new aircraft gates at that terminal, which is used by Southwest, Sun Country, Icelandair and Condor. Besides the new gates (H11-H14), the project also included a new nursing mothers’ room and an indoor pet/service animal relief area. In Terminal 1, meanwhile, two new food and beverage options have opened. Concourse E is home to LoLo American Kitchen and Craft Bar, with seasonal local cuisine and craft beers; and Concourse D is the site of Republic, a “gastropub” offering local beers and small plate cuisine – along with live music performances during peak travel periods.

The Chicago Department of Aviation announced a new texting tool that passengers can use to get live updates on taxi waiting line times at the city’s two airports. Users simply text the word “taxi” to 312-883-8404 for O’Hare Airport waiting times, or 312-883-7969 for Midway Airport. The city also offers “e-hailing” for taxis through apps available at www.Chicabs.org, and the Aviation Department provides taxi wait times, traffic updates, weather and special travel alerts through its website at www.flychicago.com.

The food service area in Air Canada's Montreal Maple Leaf Lounge. (Image: Air Canada)

The food service area in Air Canada’s Montreal Maple Leaf Lounge. (Image: Air Canada)

Following a year-long overhaul, Air Canada’s International Maple Leaf Lounge at Montreal Trudeau has reopened. Located between Gates 52 and 53, the 11,000-square foot facility has room for 259 passengers. It has floor to ceiling windows, a full service bar with free drinks, a live food station, specialty coffees, free Wi-Fi, showers, a work area and more. It’s open to eligible Air Canada and Star Alliance customers.

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New hotels: Minneapolis, Chicago, Silicon Valley, Nashville, Atlanta

A guest room at the Radisson Red in Minneapolis. (Image: Radisson)

A guest room at the Radisson Red in Minneapolis. (Image: Radisson)

Recent U.S. business hotel openings include a pair of properties in Minneapolis, and another pair in Nashville; a dual-branded hotel in Chicago; big Bay Area/Silicon Valley hotel re-flags, and a new Marriott brand in Atlanta.

In Minneapolis, Radisson has set a November 16 opening for the first U.S. location of its new Radisson Red brand. The Radisson Red Minneapolis Downtown is a new build at 609 Third Street South, part of the Minneapolis Downtown East mixed-use development; it’s linked to the Wells Fargo Office Tower and the new U.S. Bank Stadium via the city’s skyway system. The hotel has 164 rooms (Radisson Red calls them studios) with free high-speed Wi-Fi. Its OUIBar + KTCHN focuses on locally sourced cuisine and craft beverages. And it offers a fitness center plus a 1,000 square foot “Events & Games Studio” for activities that can liven up meetings. Radisson is offering triple Gold Points for stays through February. Rates start at $139.

A King room at Marriott's new AC Hotel in Minneapolis. (Image: Marriott)

A King room at Marriott’s new AC Hotel in Minneapolis. (Image: Marriott)

Another newly built, newly opened property in Minneapolis is Marriott’s AC Hotel, part of a fast- growing new Marriott group with a style that reflects AC’s European origins. It’s located on Hennepin Avenue at S. Fourth Street, across from the city’s main library. The property is connected to the skyway system and to the Midtown Parking Garage. Its 245 rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and smart TVs that can stream Netflix, Hulu and other services; and the hotel has several conference rooms and a fitness room. There’s no full-service restaurant; the AC Kitchen serves breakfast only, and the AC Lounge offers drinks and tapas plates in the evening. Marriott Rewards advance purchase rates start at $149.

Accommodations at Hilton's new Hampton Inn in Chicago's West Loop. (Image: Hilton)

Accommodations at Hilton’s new Hampton Inn in Chicago’s West Loop. (Image: Hilton)

In downtown Chicago, Hilton has cut the ribbon on a dual-branded hotel in the West Loop neighborhood. With a combined total of 336 rooms, the Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago Downtown West Loop and the Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown West Loop are at 116-118 N. Jefferson, between Randolph and Washington. That’s about halfway between the river and I-90, two blocks west of the Boeing headquarters. The Hampton Inn offers a daily hot breakfast, free Wi-Fi, 24-hour business center and a fitness center. The Homewood Suites has all-suite guest accommodations; each unit comes with a fully equipped kitchen and separate living and sleeping areas. There’s a hot breakfast buffet, evening social, free Wi-Fi and grocery shopping service. HHonors advance purchase rates start at $90 at both properties.

Lobby of the Pullman San Francisco Bay hotel (Image: Accor Hotels)

Lobby of the Pullman San Francisco Bay hotel (Image: Accor Hotels)

The big Sofitel located along Highway 101 and the shores on San Francisco Bay just south of the SFO near Redwood City is not new, but has a new name. It’s now the Pullman San Francisco Bay Hotel— still part of Accor, but likely a brand many Americans have not heard of. The only other Pullman hotel in the US is located in Miami. Have you stayed at a Pullman? What makes it different than a Sofitel? Its website states: “Today Pullman appeals to the new generation of professional travelers, the Pullman global nomads, and captures the significance of each moment and their pursuit of a work-life blend.” Rooms start at around $300 per night.

A room at the new Thompson Nashville. (Image: Thompson Hotels)

A room at the new Thompson Nashville. (Image: Thompson Hotels)

Thompson Hotels, known for its luxury boutique properties, has opened its newest U.S. location in Nashville. It’s at 401 11th Avenue South, in a trendy area called The Gulch where former industrial buildings have been transformed into commercial ventures. The hotel is on the same block as a popular music venue called The Station Inn. Dining options at The Thompson Nashville include a southern/seafood restaurant called The Marsh House; a bar and small-plate venue called L.A. Jackson; and Killebrew, serving coffee, breakfast sandwiches and grab-and-go lunch fare. The 12-story, 224-room Thompson ties into the local music culture with things like a classic jukebox in the lobby and vinyl records for sale in the minibars. Introductory rates start at $247.

The Westin Nashville is in the heart of downtown. (Image: Westin)

The Westin Nashville is in the heart of downtown. (Image: Westin)

Nashville’s other new hotel is the 27-story, 453-room Westin Nashville, at 807 Clark Place in the heart of the city, close to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Ryman Auditorium and other attractions. The hotel has a rooftop pool and bar called L27 with daily live entertainment; a spa with nine treatment rooms; a casual lobby eatery called Decker & Dyer and a fancier venue called Oak Steakhouse Nashville. The Westin also has a dozen meeting rooms. Guests can use the WestinWorkout fitness studio or take advantage of the hotel’s suggested three- and five-mile jogging routes. Rates begin at $279.

Marriott's new AC Hotel in Atlanta's Buckhead district. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott’s new AC Hotel in Atlanta’s Buckhead district. (Image: Marriott)

In addition to its new AC Hotel in Minneapolis, Marriott has also cut the ribbon on an AC in Atlanta. The 166-room AC Hotel Atlanta Buckhead at Phipps Plaza, located at 3600 Wieuca Road Northeast, is the first new hotel in the city’s Buckhead district in eight years. Like other ACs, it lacks a full-service restaurant, but offers the AC Kitchen for breakfast and the AC lounge for drinks and evening small plate dining. Plus there is plenty to eat at the nearby Phipps Plaza or Lenox Square malls. There’s also an AC Library and a 24-hour fitness center with a heated indoor whirlpool. Marriott Rewards advance purchase rates start at $211.

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Routes: Delta, ANA, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, JetBlue, Alaska

Delta and ANA have shifted routes from Narita to Tokyo's close-in Haneda Airport. (Image: Haneda Airport)

Delta and ANA have shifted routes from Narita to Tokyo’s close-in Haneda Airport. (Image: Haneda Airport)

In international route news, Delta shifts a pair of Tokyo routes to a new airport and ANA does the same; Delta and Virgin Atlantic expand code-sharing to India with Jet Airways, and Delta drops a couple of Italy routes; British Airways adds a U.S. gateway – but not from Heathrow; JetBlue sets the launch dates for its new Havana service; and Alaska postpones the start of its new Cuba route.

New rights to fly to/from Tokyo’s close-in Haneda Airport took effect over the past weekend, resulting in some route changes at Delta and at Japan’s All Nippon Airways. Delta has started its new nonstops from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Tokyo Haneda, which replaces its MSP-Narita service; Delta also shifted its Los Angeles-Tokyo flights from Narita to Haneda (and earlier this month, Delta dropped its New York JFK-Narita route as well). Delta still flies to Narita from Seattle, Portland, Detroit and Atlanta.

ANA, meanwhile, has shifted its New York JFK and Chicago O’Hare routes from Tokyo Narita to Haneda.

Delta's code-sharing with India's Jet Airways is expanding to London and to Virgin Atlantic. (Image: delta)

Delta’s code-sharing with India’s Jet Airways is expanding to London and to Virgin Atlantic. (Image: Delta)

Across the Atlantic, Delta and partner Virgin Atlantic announced an expansion of Delta’s code-sharing partnership with India’s Jet Airways, which is currently available for connections to India via Paris and Amsterdam. Starting November 2, passengers on Delta and Virgin Atlantic flights into London Heathrow will be able to connect onto Delta code-shares operated by Jet Airways to Mumbai and Delhi, and beyond to 20 domestic destinations in India.

In other transatlantic news, for 2017 Delta will no longer offer summer seasonal service from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Rome or from New York JFK to Pisa; both routes had been planned to launch May 25. And to South America, Delta has just switched aircraft on its Atlanta-Buenos Aires route from a 767 to an A330-300, providing a 20 percent increase in the number of seats it flies.

British Airways next summer will add a new Florida route. The carrier said that starting July 6, it will fly to Ft. Lauderdale four days a week during summer and three days a week the rest of the year. But it will fly the route out of London Gatwick, not Heathrow. BA will use a 777-200 on the route, which will be its fourth into Florida.

Havana

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

JetBlue is the latest U.S. carrier to announce the starting dates for new service into Havana. JetBlue, which won rights for three routes into the Cuban capital, said it will begin daily roundtrips out of its New York JFK base on November 28; daily flights from Orlando on November 29; and daily service out of Ft. Lauderdale starting November 30 (increasing to twice a day December 1)

Alaska Airlines, meanwhile, has pushed back the start of its single new Havana route. The carrier had planned to start Los Angeles-Havana service on November 29, but now won’t begin flying the route until January 5.

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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.

Don’t miss out on these popular TravelSkills posts! Shocked passenger refuses to pay $3 for water | More Delta SkyMiles for Asian trips | Tips from a Hawaiian Vacation | JetBlue-Delta slugfest means lower fares | Test your planespotting skills! )

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Routes: AA, Air India, Cathay, WOW, Air Canada, Royal Air Maroc + more

Business class seats on an American 777-300ER. (Image: American)

Business class seats on an American 777-300ER. (Image: American)

The latest international route developments include American’s launch of a new transpacific route, along with its plans to add some flights to Europe and cancel others; Air India boosting San Francisco frequencies; Royal Air Maroc adding a new U.S. gateway; a new SFO route from a U.K. carrier; increased service between Boston and Hong Kong; a European carrier adding Miami service; and new U.S. routes from Air Canada and Aeromexico.

American Airlines last week kicked off its new non-stop daily service between Los Angeles International and Hong Kong, a 15-hour trip with an unfortunate LAX departure time of 1:55 a.m. American also code-shares with Oneworld partner Cathay Pacific’s three daily LAX-Hong Kong flights. American is using a three-class 777-300ER on the route; it also flies to Hong Kong from its Dallas/Ft. Worth hub.

Across the Atlantic, American plans to add a trio of new routes next spring, and to cancel some others. May 5 is the starting date for new daily AA service from Chicago O’Hare to Barcelona, using a 787-8; from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Amsterdam, with a 767-300ER; and DFW to Rome, using a 777-200ER.  The airline will discontinue its New York JFK-Birmingham 757 service effective January 6, and will not operate the seasonal summer service it had previously offered from Chicago to Dusseldorf, Philadelphia to Brussels, and Philadelphia to Zurich. Meanwhile, American will also change aircraft this winter on two routes out of DFW, replacing 777-200ERs with 787-9s on flights to Paris starting January 9 and to Seoul as of February 16.

Air India's first flight from New Delhi arrived at SFO before dawn. (Image: Peter Biaggi)

Air India uses a 777-200 on its San Francisco route. (Image: Peter Biaggi/SFO)

Air India started flying between San Francisco and Delhi last December, with three flights a week. But now it plans a big change in that route, one that will let it increase frequencies to six a week. The schedule increase takes effect November 21. Air India will still use a 777-200LR, but will change the flight from a transatlantic one to a transpacific routing. Although the transpacific distance between the cities is longer than the current routing, the flight time from Delhi to SFO is expected to be reduced by three hours due to strong tailwinds on the eastbound sector.

Moroccan carrier Royal Air Maroc has added its third North American gateway, launching new service last week between Casablanca and Washington Dulles. The airline also flies to New York JFK and Montreal. Royal Air Maroc is using a 787 Dreamliner on the Dulles route, which departs Washington three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Virgin Atlantic will be getting a little competition on the new San Francisco-Manchester route that it announced last spring. Virgin will fly the route three times a week starting next summer, using an A330. Now Thomas Cook Airlines, a leisure-oriented U.K. carrier, says it will also fly between SFO and Manchester, operating two flights a week starting in May 2017. The carrier already flies to six other U.S. cities from Manchester.

Cathay Pacific, which started flying from Hong Kong to Boston last year with four flights a week, announced plans to expand that schedule to daily non-stops beginning on March 27. The carrier uses a 777-300ER on the route, with first class, business class, premium economy and regular economy seating.

WOW Air will use an A330 on its new Miami-Reykjavik route. (Image: WOW Air)

WOW Air will use an A330 on its new Miami-Reykjavik route. (Image: WOW Air)

WOW, the Icelandic ultra-low-cost airline, plans to add Miami as its next U.S. gateway. The carrier will use an Airbus A330 to begin service April 5 between Miami and Reykjavik, offering one-way fares to Iceland starting at $99 and connecting fares to European capitals starting at $149 – plus add-ons, of course.

In North America, Air Canada said it will begin new service on February 5 linking Vancouver with Dallas/Ft. Worth, operating a daily 75-seat CRJ-705 flight under the Air Canada Express brand. And on November 17, Aeromexico will start flying four days a week between Mexico City and Austin, using a 76-seat Embraer 170.

Don’t miss out on these popular TravelSkills posts! Shocked passenger refuses to pay $3 for water | More Delta SkyMiles for Asian trips | Tips from a Hawaiian Vacation | JetBlue-Delta slugfest means lower fares | Test your planespotting skills! )

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Airport news: LaGuardia, Atlanta, Heathrow, Chicago Midway, Nashville

Construction of a new, grander LaGuardia Airport is causing headaches for travelers. (Image: New York Governor's Office)

Construction of a new, grander LaGuardia Airport is causing headaches for travelers. (Image: New York Governor’s Office)

In the latest airport developments, construction at LaGuardia is causing headaches for travelers; Delta consolidates its operations at London Heathrow; Atlanta’s new tunnel, Chicago Midway makes life easier for international travelers; and big upgrades are coming to Nashville.

Construction has finally started on the massive reconstruction of New York’s LaGuardia Airport – a multi-billion-dollar, multi-year effort – and The New York Times is reporting that it is not going smoothly. It said that the beginning of construction has led to massive traffic tie-ups for vehicles approaching the terminals, with travelers sometimes abandoning their rides and walking through the traffic jams to make it to the terminals. Travelers are being advised to plan on arriving at the airport at least two and a half hours before their scheduled departure time. “Such traffic debacles have become so common that seasoned fliers and travel bloggers have recommended avoiding LaGuardia altogether, perhaps for years to come,” the newspaper said.

Delta is moving all its London Heathrow departures to Terminal 3. (Image: Heathrow Airport)

Delta is moving all its London Heathrow departures to Terminal 3. (Image: Heathrow Airport)

Delta is making a big move at London Heathrow on September 14, consolidating all of its departures in Terminal 3. Delta flights to Boston, JFK and Seattle already fly out of T3; joining them on the 14th will be flights to Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Salt Lake City, which now depart from Terminal 4. Delta said it is making the move so that its own flights and those of its joint venture partner Virgin Atlantic are all under the same roof. However, Terminal 4 remains the base of operations at Heathrow for Delta’s SkyTeam global alliance partners.

Atlanta, ATL canopy

A dramatic new canopy and a new tunnel are part of Atlanta Airports $6 billion in improvements (Photo: ATL)

Atlanta airport officials have announced that a new “plane train” project will extend the airport’s underground train line west from its current endpoint under the main domestic terminal to the ground transportation/car rental train/MARTA station area. It will involve construction of a 600-foot tunnel, plus evacuation stairways and other equipment. Earlier this year, the airport announced $6 billion in upgrades over the next two decades, including eye-catching, translucent canopies outside the domestic terminal.

Citing a big increase in routes to Canada and Mexico from Midway Airport in recent years, the Chicago Department of Aviation said it has upgraded and expanded the availability of self-service Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks at the airport. Besides increasing the number of kiosks from six to 10, the devices have been enhanced with fingerprint readers, light bars and more language options. The Midway APC kiosks can be used by Canadian as well as U.S. passport holders. Midway’s Federal Inspection Service area has also added a Global Entry kiosk for members of Customs & Border Protection’s trusted traveler program.

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Nashville Airport will spend $1 billion on terminal expansion and other improvements. (Image: Nashville Airport Authority)

Nashville Airport will spend $1 billion on terminal expansion and other improvements. (Image: Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority)

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority has taken the wraps off a billion-dollar capital improvements program for the Tennessee airport. The project – estimated to take five to seven years to complete – includes construction of a new parking garage and an International Arrivals Building, both due for completion by 2018; expansion of the ticketing and baggage claim areas; adding more gates and passenger concessions to Concourses B and D; and building a spacious central entrance hall to be called the Grand Ole Lobby. The long-term plan also envisions the eventual construction of a 200 to 300-room hotel at the airport, and the addition of a “multi-modal connector to link BNA to a future Nashville transit system.”

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Exciting new hotels: New York, Chicago, Washington, Minneapolis, Denver

A central atrium is a highlight of the new Beekman Hotel in New York City.(Image: Thompson Hotels)

A central atrium is a highlight of the new Beekman Hotel in New York City. (Image: Thompson Hotels)

Recent hotel openings in key business destinations include a pair of properties in lower Manhattan; an addition to the Kimpton family in downtown Chicago; a dual-branded Hilton in Washington D.C.; an all-suite Hilton affiliate in Minneapolis; and an independent property in Denver’s Cherry Creek North neighborhood.

The upscale Thompson Hotels group has cut the ribbon on a new Manhattan property called The Beekman, located near the intersection of Beekman and Nassau streets in lower Manhattan, a block from City Hall Park and near the western approach to the Brooklyn Bridge. The project required a three-year overhaul and restoration of a landmark building dating back to 1883, characterized by a vast skylight-topped central atrium that has been preserved right down to its cast-iron railings. As a hotel, it has 287 guest rooms, including 45 suites – two of them with access to the rooftop. Rooms start at 285 square feet. The hotel’s signature restaurant, Fowler & Wells, is from celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, and renowned New York restaurateur Keith McNally is behind the hotel’s brasserie restaurant called Augustine. Rates start at $439.

Compact guest rooms are characteristic of the new Arlo in lower Manhattan. (Image: Arlo Hotels)

Compact guest rooms are characteristic of the new Arlo Hudson Square Hotel in lower Manhattan. (Image: Arlo Hotels)

Also new in Manhattan is the 325-room Arlo Hudson Square Hotel at 231 Hudson Street, just west of SoHo and just north of Canal Street. Arlo Hotels calls the property a four-star “micro-hotel,” which means it has guest rooms that average a mere 160 square feet, featuring “warm, high-touch materials and clever elements like fold-down desks and closets with adjustable hanging pegs,” the company said. It has a mod décor, lobby bar and restaurant, and a rooftop bar with views of the Hudson River. There’s also a public space called The Library that “evolves from a co-working space during the day into an area of fun in the evening, complete with a vast selection of vintage board games, throwback movies, and cocktail service from the Lobby Bar.” Opening rates start at $199. Another new Arlo is due to open on East 31st Street later this fall.

The Vol39 lobby bar at the new Kimpton Gray Hotel in Chicago. (Image: Kimpton Hotels)

The Vol. 39 lobby bar at the new Kimpton Gray Hotel in Chicago. (Image: Kimpton Hotels)

In downtown Chicago, InterContinental’s Kimpton Hotels unit has cut the ribbon on The Kimpton Gray Hotel, a makeover of the historic New York Life Insurance Building in the financial district at 122 West Monroe Street, built in 1894. Grand opening rates start as low as $168 on weekends. The 293-room Gray retains Art Deco details in its interior as well as its gray granite exterior, but with all the modern amenities. Kimpton’s fifth Chicago location, the Gray has a 15th-floor rooftop bar with cocktails and small plates of South American cuisine; a lobby bar called Vol. 39; and a New American restaurant called Steadfast.

Hilton's new dual-branded Washington D.C. hotel is near Union Station. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton’s new dual-branded Washington D.C. hotel is near Union Station. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton has expanded its presence in Washington D.C. with the opening of a 239-room dual-branded Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites property at 501 New York Avenue NE. Called the Hampton Inn by Hilton Washington D.C. NoMa Union Station and the Homewood Suites by Hilton Washington D.C. NoMa Union Station, the hotels are near the Metro’s Red Line at NoMa-Gallaudet U Station, not far from the U.S. Capitol. The hotels have separate lobbies and check-in desks but share a fitness center and pool as well as free Wi-Fi. The extended-stay Homewood Suites offers studio and one-bedroom units with full kitchens and separate living and sleeping areas, and both offer free hot breakfasts. HHonors advance purchase rates start at $161 at the Hampton Inn and $149 at the Homewood Suites.

Downtown Minneapolis is home to a new Embassy Suites from Hilton. (Image: Hilton)

Downtown Minneapolis is home to a new Embassy Suites from Hilton. (Image: Hilton)

What was once the Plymouth Building, an historic Beaux Arts structure in downtown Minneapolis at 12 Sixth Street South, is now the Embassy Suites by Hilton Minneapolis Downtown. The 290-unit all-suite property is linked to the city’s Skyway system and close to the Minneapolis Convention Center. Guests get free Wi-Fi, hot breakfasts and evening reception with snacks and drinks, and two-room suites have 49-inch TVs, walk-in showers, microwaves, mini-fridges and desks with ergonomic chairs. The hotel also has 12,600 square feet of meeting space in 10 rooms; a lobby bar with morning coffee service; and Lyon’s Pub, with beer on tap and bar food, as well as a fitness center and heated indoor pool. HHonors advance purchase discount rates start at $199.

The independent Halcyon Hotel is in Denver's Cherry Creek North district. (Image: Halcyon)

The independent Halcyon Hotel is in Denver’s Cherry Creek North district. (Image: Halcyon)

Newly opened in Denver is a 154-room independent hotel called Halcyon, located in the Cherry Creek North retail/commercial  district southeast of downtown. It’s the first newly built hotel in the neighborhood in 13 years. The luxury property offers guests e-bikes and Vespas to get around the neighborhood and the city, and has a program called Gear Garage that “allows guests to dive into the destination of Denver through hands-on learning of various skills and immersive adventures on a complimentary basis.” Like so many new urban hotels, Halcyon has a rooftop bar and pool. The Halcyon has a fitness center, and it offers Asian cuisine at a restaurant called Departure; it will soon open an Italian restaurant as well. Rates begin at $299.

(We’re back from summer vacation! In case you missed our other recent round-up posts, here they are: Domestic Routes Roundup | Tips from a Hawaiian Vacation | August’s most important travel news)

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Airports update: Denver’s problem, More CLEAR, O’Hare expands, JetBlue innovates + more

Denver Airport

Two of Denver’s biggest carriers don’t offer inseat power. And that’s a problem (Image: DIA)

In recent airport news, Denver solves a big problem, CLEAR keeps expanding; Chicago unveils plans for more gates at O’Hare; JetBlue makes a big change in passenger procedures at JFK; airlines move around at Milwaukee; and Baltimore/Washington adds a unique new traveler amenity.

Denver International has a big problem: Two of its largest carriers, Southwest and Frontier, do not offer in-seat power outlets at all. United’s power outlet offerings are spotty at best, and in many cases, the only way to get inflight entertainment is via personal devices since many United planes no longer have seatback screens. That means that Denver fliers are frequently scrambling to get a good charge on the ground before they find themselves powerless in the sky. To help travelers get charged, DIA recently installed nearly 10,000 charging points throughout the airport. Charged up there recently?

CLEAR's new logo

CLEAR’s new logo

The CLEAR trusted traveler program, which now has Delta Air Lines as a minority stakeholder, continues to expand its presence at U.S. airports. The company has opened new CLEAR lanes at Washington Dulles and Washington Reagan National airports as well as Seattle-Tacoma International. Last week the company announced that its next airport will be Detroit– not surprising since Delta has a hub there. CLEAR charges a $179 annual membership fee and uses biometric technology to verify travelers’ identities at its airport lanes. (Delta frequent flyers can get big discounts, though) Once they go through the lane, bypassing the regular TSA lines, members proceed directly to screening; those who also belong to TSA PreCheck go to that station, and those who don’t go to regular screening stations. With these additions, CLEAR now has a presence at 16 U.S. airports. 

In Chicago, there’s even more development coming at O’Hare International. Earlier this year came news of new runway construction, five new gates being added for American Airlines, and plans to develop two on-site hotels at the airport. Now the city says it will add nine new gates to O’Hare’s International Terminal (T5), a $300 million project that will grow the terminal’s capacity by 25 percent. It’s the first expansion of T5 in 23 years. And that’s not all: The city also said it will redevelop O’Hare’s Terminal 2 into “a new central terminal within the existing terminal complex.” The project could involve a new Customs facility, a departures hall with more space for TSA screening, additional concessions and other passenger amenities. Longer term, “the planning contemplates new concourses to be constructed to the west as airline passenger demand dictates,” the mayor’s office said. It did not give a timeline for completion of the new projects.

JetBlue has added more self-service options at its New York JFK Terminal 5 home base. (Image; JetBlue)

JetBlue has added more self-service options at its New York JFK Terminal 5 home base. (Image; JetBlue)

At New York JFK, JetBlue has completed a major overhaul of its check-in and ticketing lobby area in Terminal 5. The focus is on passenger self-service, with 70 check-in kiosks, along with a new feature: self-service baggage tagging and a dozen stations where customers can drop off their tagged luggage. The overall lobby space has also been expanded by 75 percent, and plenty of JetBlue staffers are on hand to help customers familiarize themselves with the new kiosks and procedures.

Travelers passing through Milwaukee’s Mitchell International will see some changes in the weeks ahead, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The newspaper said that in mid-August, Air Canada will move from Concourse C to Concourse E, and United will do the same in early September. Southwest will remain in Concourse C. The newspaper said the moves are being made in preparation for a longer-term project that will see Concourse E – the airport’s smallest – eventually converted into a facility that will handle international flights. The airport’s existing international terminal is in a separate building not connected to the main passenger concourses.

Baltimore/Washington International plans to open a new passenger facility this fall that is available at other major airports: a full-service health club. Operated by an Oregon-based start-up called ROAM Fitness, the 1,200-square-foot facility will offer equipment like treadmills, stationary bikes and free weights. It will also have shower facilities and will rent workout clothes to customers.

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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Airport news: Houston, Chicago, San Jose, Orange County

The new American Express Centurion Lounge at Houston Bush Intercontinental. (Image: American Express)

The new American Express Centurion Lounge at Houston Bush Intercontinental. (Image: American Express)

In airport news, Houston Bush Intercontinental gets a new Centurion Lounge; Chicago plans a big addition of on-site hotel rooms at O’Hare Airport; San Jose will expand its international arrivals area; and a clever new retail concept comes to Orange County’s John Wayne Airport.

In Texas, American Express has cut the ribbon on the seventh location for its Centurion airport lounge network. The new 8,500 square foot lounge is in Terminal D of Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport, near Gate D6. It’s open daily from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and it’s free for consumer, Business and Corporate Platinum and Centurion Card members, along with their immediate family members or up to two guests. Other AmEx Card holders can buy a day pass for $50. The lounge has plentiful power outlets, high-speed Wi-Fi, a family room, a computer bar and “tranquility areas,” and provides users with a complementary full bar and a selection of light dishes created by Houston chef Justin Yu, a James Beard Award winner.

The O'Hare Hilton is at left, and the proposed sites of O'Hare's two new hotels are on the right. (Image: City of Chicago)

The O’Hare Hilton is at left, and the proposed sites of O’Hare’s two new hotels are on the right. (Image: City of Chicago)

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has announced plans to build two new hotels at O’Hare Airport, continuing a trend toward new on-site airport hotels that we’re also seeing at Denver, Atlanta, San Francisco, New York JFK, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Emanuel said the new hotels will be financed and developed by the city’s Department of Aviation, and will be linked to O’Hare’s terminals by the airport’s free transit system. One will be adjacent to Terminal 5, providing 300 to 400 rooms and 25,000 to 65,000 square feet of meeting and conference space. The second, a smaller property of 150 to 200 rooms, will be built on the northeast side of the airport along Mannheim Road as part of a new mixed-use development. The city will issue a request for proposals later this year, and the hotels are expected to be finished by 2020. In addition, Emanuel said the city plans to overhaul and modernize the airport’s existing on-site hotel, the O’Hare Hilton, after the current lease expires in two years. That project will give the hotel the capability of hosting “large-scale trade shows and events,” the city said, and will add “spas, extended room service, concierge services, and quality restaurants and boutiques.”

Mineta San Jose International Airport said it plans to expand and upgrade its 14-year-old International Arrivals Building – a good idea considering the number of new international flights coming in there these days. Work has just started on the project, which will add 5,600 square feet of space to the facility by the time it’s finished in spring of next year. The building will get 2,700 square feet of additional baggage claim space and a second baggage carousel, and the front of the building will be extended by 2,900 square feet and enclosed. The airport will also add new seating, restrooms and a snack space in the new waiting area.

Hudson Group's mobile mini-store at Orange County Airport. (Image: Hudson Group)

Hudson Group’s mobile mini-store at Orange County Airport. (Image: Hudson Group)

Ever been waiting at the gate when you realized that you needed some sundries for your flight, but you didn’t have time to run back through the concourse to pick them up? Hudson Group, the company that has ubiquitous newsstands/amenities stores at airports, has launched a new concept at Orange County, California’s John Wayne Airport to meet those needs. It’s a mini-store built into a mobile cart that can easily move around from gate to gate. It has a cash register and wireless capability to handle credit card transactions, and a mini-fridge for cooling beverages. Besides cold drinks, the roving “store” sells electronics, health and beauty items, and snacks and candy.

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: San Francisco, LAX, Houston, San Jose, New York, Washington, Chicago

United will use a 787 for a second daily SFO-London flight. (Image: United)

United will use a 787 for a second daily SFO-London flight. (Image: United)

In international route news, United will boost its London schedules from San Francisco and Los Angeles while cutting back from Houston; also, United this week launches its promised New Zealand service; Lufthansa kicks off its delayed San Jose inaugural; Brussels Airlines rolls out a premium economy class; Wow Air adds another U.S. gateway; and a Mexican low-cost carrier adds a Chicago route.

United Airlines announced plans to add a second daily San Francisco-London Heathrow flight to its schedule starting October 30. The new LHR flight (UA900/901) will depart San Francisco at 4:15 p.m., using a 219-passenger 787-8 with BusinessFirst, Economy Plus and regular economy seating. Also on October 30, United will trim its schedule from Houston Bush Intercontinental to London from three daily flights to two, although it will use larger 777-200s on the remaining IAH flights instead of the current 767-300s and 787s. Then next spring (effective April 5), the airline will lay on a second daily Los Angeles-LHR flight (UA60/61), using a 252-seat 787-9. That flight will leave LAX at 3:10 p.m.

Meanwhile, July 1 is the launch date for United’s newest transpacific route, from San Francisco to Auckland , New Zealand. The carrier will use a 787-8 to fly the route three days a week, then will expand capacity starting October 28 to daily frequencies that use a larger 787-9. United has slated a 10:45 p.m. departure time from SFO for the 13-hour, 10-minute (westbound) flight. United will operate the route as part of its Star Alliance partnership with Air New Zealand.

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

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

Another new Bay Area international route starting up this week is Lufthansa’s non-stop service from Frankfurt to San Jose. Originally planned to begin on April 29, it is now set for a July 1 launch.  Lufthansa will operate the route five days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday), using an Airbus A340-300 with business class, economy, and premium economy seating.  This plane, which is smaller than the A340-600 on SFO-Munich,  has 18 business class seats, 19 premium economy seats and 261 economy seats– no first class. Even though SeatGuru.com shows the seats on the A340-300 to be of the old “angled lie flat” variety, a Lufthansa spokesperson tells TravelSkills that the planes have been reconfigured with the carrier’s latest, greatest true lie-flat offering, like what you’ll find on its A380 and A340 flying from SFO. Currently, fares from both SFO and SJC to Frankfurt appear to be identical: about $5,200 round trip in business class, $2,700 in premium economy, and about $1,300 for economy. 

Brussels Airlines is adding premium economy seating to its U.S. A330 flights. (Image: Brussels Airlines)

Brussels Airlines is adding premium economy seating to its U.S. A330 flights. (Image: Brussels Airlines)

International premium economy seating continues to proliferate; the latest carrier to add that feature is Brussels Airlines, which is due to start offering it July 1 on the Airbus A330s that it flies to its U.S. gateways (New York JFK and Washington Dulles) from Brussels. The new seating option, located in the first four rows of the economy cabin, offers extra legroom and seats that recline more than twice as far as regular economy seats. It also provides enhanced in-flight services and amenities.  The carrier is offering the new seating for a surcharge of $139 one-way until September 15, when the price will rise to $169.

Elsewhere in the New York area, Icelandic low-cost carrier Wow Air – which recently started flying from San Francisco and Los Angeles — said it will add Newark Liberty International to its route map on November 25, offering daily flights to Reykjavik and connections to the U.K. and Europe. The airline will use A321s or A330s on the new route, depending on the season. One-way fares to Iceland will start at $99, with service to European capitals from as little as $149.

Mexico’s low-cost Volaris Airlines has kicked off a new route linking Chicago O’Hare with Monterrey, Mexico. The carrier will operate the service twice a week (Mondays and Fridays), using a 174-passenger Airbus A320.

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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Transborder changes at SFO, Chicago, LAX, Houston, Minneapolis and SLC

United is ending Edmonton service from San Francisco and Chicago.

United is ending Edmonton service from San Francisco and Chicago. (Image: Travel Alberta)

Canada is losing some U.S. service but gaining capacity in other markets, and Southwest has its eye on three new Mexico routes from Los Angeles.

Low oil prices are taking a toll on energy industry-related traffic into western Canada. United plans to suspend service after June 30 from both San Francisco and Chicago O’Hare to Edmonton, Alberta; it operates daily E175 flights in both markets. In October, however, United plans to increase Edmonton-Denver service from one flight a day to two. Meanwhile, also on June 30, United will end flights from Houston to Montreal and from Chicago O’Hare to London, Ontario.

And Delta has set a July 31 termination date for its twice-daily service to Regina, Saskatchewan from its Minneapolis-St. Paul hub, ending the last service by a U.S. carrier to the provincial capital. But on June 9, Delta will lay on a second daily roundtrip between Seattle and Edmonton. Air Canada, meanwhile, has just launched a major new U.S. route between Salt Lake City and Toronto.

Across the southern border, Southwest Airlines said it plans to apply for government approvals that should open up new vacation destinations for Rapid Rewards members. The airline wants to begin flying from Los Angeles International to the Mexican resort destinations of Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and San Jose del Cabo. Southwest said it expects to win the necessary approvals by late June, and to begin flying the new routes in November.

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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New hotels: Chicago, New York, Baltimore, Washington D.C.

The new LondonHouse in Chicago is at N. Michigan Ave. and Wacker. (Image: LondonHouse)

The new LondonHouse in Chicago is at N. Michigan Ave. and Wacker. (Image: LondonHouse)

In news of hotel openings, a new Chicago property has a prime downtown location and an affiliation with Hilton; a big Spanish lodging group makes its U.S. debut in New York City; Radisson comes to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor; and there’s a new Homewood Suites at Washington D.C.’s convention center.

Right at the corner of North Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive – overlooking the Chicago River – is the newly opened LondonHouse Chicago, a 452-room “luxury lifestyle” property that incorporates the 93-year-old London Guarantee Building. The new independent hotel is a member of Hilton’s Curio Collection, and Hilton HHonors is offering members a 5,000-poont bonus when they stay at the hotel for three days or more. The hotel has a 24-hour fitness center, lobby bar, free Wi-Fi, a full-service spa, and a tri-level rooftop dining venue and cocktail lounge called LH. Guest rooms have 55-inch TVs with media streaming technology from Google Chromecast; they also feature mini-fridges, linen bedding and marble bathrooms. Rates start at $207.

Iberostar's first U.S. location is at 70 Park Ave. in New York. (Image: Iberostar)

Iberostar’s first U.S. location is at 70 Park Ave. in New York. (Image: Iberostar)

Spain’s Iberostar Hotels & Resorts has set a June 15 opening for a 205-room, four-star boutique Iberostar hotel in New York City, its first venture in the U.S. Located at 70 Park Avenue (at 38th Street), it’s a short walk from Grand Central Station. The property was formerly a Kimpton hotel called 70 Park Avenue. We tried to check rates for the new property, but at this writing it wasn’t yet available in Iberostar’s reservations system. Iberostar said it also plans to open a hotel in Miami’s South Beach district at the end of this year.

A room at the Radisson Baltimore Downtown-Inner Harbor. (Image: Radisson)

A room at the Radisson Baltimore Downtown-Inner Harbor. (Image: Radisson)

Radisson has cut the ribbon on the 323-room Radisson Hotel Baltimore Downtown-Inner Harbor, at 101 West Fayette Street, half a mile from the Inner Harbor. It offers downtown Baltimore’s only outdoor rooftop pool, free Wi-Fi, a business center and 24-hour fitness center. Accommodations include Carlson Business Class rooms that come with upgraded amenities and free breakfast. Food and drink is available at the hotel’s Balto Tavern & Tap, which also offers a grab-and-go menu. Rates range from $95 to $249.

Hilton;'s new Homewood Suites in Washington D.C. is near the convention center. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton;’s new Homewood Suites in Washington D.C. is near the convention center. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton has opened a 160-unit, all-suite Homewood Suites property near the Washington D.C. Convention Center, at 465 New York Avenue NW. It has studio and one-bedroom guest accommodations that have separate living and sleeping areas as well as fully equipped kitchens. Guests get free hot breakfasts and free Wi-Fi along with use of the hotel’s fitness center. The property hosts an “evening social:” for guests on weeknights. Advance purchase rates start as low as $140.

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: Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, Chicago, Newark, Honolulu, JFK

Delta has started new service from Raleigh-Durham to Paris. (Image: Jim Glab)

Delta has started new service from Raleigh-Durham to Paris. (Image: Jim Glab)

In the latest international route developments, Delta adds a European route from Raleigh-Durham; Turkish Airlines makes its Atlanta debut; Japan’s ANA will add a pair of U.S. routes  to Tokyo Haneda as American carriers wait for word on new Haneda slots, with Hawaiian Airlines the first winner; Air India plans new Newark service via London; and Air China boosts Newark frequencies.

It’s not really a big Delta hub, but Delta is the largest airline at Raleigh-Durham, so the carrier has started  new daily flights from RDU to Paris Charles de Gaulle. Delta is using a 164-seat 757-200ER on the new route to Paris, where customers can connect to 75 onward destinations thanks to Delta’s joint venture partners Air France, KM and Alitalia.

Turkish Airlines is using a 777-300ER on its new Atlanta route. (Image: Boeing

Turkish Airlines is using a 777-300ER on its new Atlanta route. (Image: Boeing)

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport rolled out the water cannon this week to welcome the first flight there from Turkish Airlines. The Turkish carrier will offer daily service on the Atlanta-Istanbul route with a 777-300ER. It’s the ninth U.S. gateway for Turkish Airlines, along with New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Boston and Washington Dulles. Delta was supposed to resume seasonal service this month between New York JFK and Istanbul, but it decided last month to suspend that service, citing security concerns.

Tokyo Haneda Airport is on the airline industry’s mind these days as the U.S. Department of Transportation is expected to announce any time now which U.S. carriers will get new daytime slots there. Since Haneda opened up to transpacific flights, U.S. carriers have been restricted to arrivals and departures late at night or very early in the morning, which made it difficult to attract passengers, even though Haneda is much closer to downtown Tokyo than Narita Airport.

My Instgram photo of the week! Do you follow me? Click on the pic! (Chris McGinnis)

Tokyo-bound tails at Honolulu International (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

But an amended agreement with Japan will open up some daytime slots at Haneda starting October 30, and the big U.S. carriers have been clamoring for those much-desired rights. In its first decision on Haneda, DOT granted Hawaiian Airlines rights to serve Haneda from Honolulu and Kona – but mostly because it was willing to accept an overnight slot. Hawaiian plans to fly the route four times a week from Honolulu and three from Kona, but the starting date hasn’t yet been set. And even though the new daytime slots haven’t yet been awarded, Delta and United have already started taking reservations for new schedules this fall on their Los Angeles-Haneda and San Francisco-Haneda routes respectively.

Meanwhile, Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) already won new daytime slots at Haneda, and said it will use them starting October 30 for daily flights from New York JFK and Chicago O’Hare. ANA also flies to Haneda from Los Angeles, Honolulu and Vancouver.

August 15 is the starting date for Air India service from Ahmedabad to Newark Liberty International, a route that it will fly three times a week with a 787-8. The new service will operate via a stop at London Heathrow. Also at Newark, Air China plans to increase frequencies from four a week to seven on its EWR-Beijing route from July 22 through August 24. It also serves New York JFK.

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 Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, LAX, Salt Lake City, Denver + more…

There are lots of developments in international services this week. United started a new China route; Air Canada kicks off a San Jose route; European carriers begin new transatlantic service from LAX, Oakland, Salt Lake City and Denver; a Chinese carrier sets the date for new Seattle flights; Chicago gets a new transpacific option; and a South American carrier comes to Washington D.C.

United Airlines on Sunday started its newest transpacific route, linking its San Francisco hub with Xi’an, a city of 8 million in central China; it’s the only non-stop service between the U.S. and Xi’an. United will fly the seasonal route three times a week – through October 27 – using a 787 Dreamliner. Westbound flights depart SFO on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:25 p.m. The westbound flight takes a little over 13 hours.

Low-cost European carrier Norwegian is set to begin its previously announced Oakland-London Gatwick service on May 12. The carrier will use a 787-8 with economy and premium seating, offering non-stop service three times a week. Norwegian’s initial fares on the route started at $299. On May 10, Norwegian increases Los Angeles-London Gatwick service from three flights a week to four.

On May 9, Air Canada kicks off new non-stop service out of Mineta San Jose International Airport to Vancouver. The Canadian carrier will offer two daily roundtrips using CRJ705 regional jets with 10 seats in business class and 65 in coach. Speaking of Vancouver, Air Canada recently announced it will begin a new ultra-long-haul route there on October 20 with non-stop service to Delhi, India operating four days a week with a 787-9 Dreamliner.

This is the Captain Kirk seat-- one of the two best seats in Aer Lingus biz class (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

This is the Captain Kirk seat– one of the two best seats in Aer Lingus biz class (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Aer Lingus last week kicked off Los Angeles-Dublin flights — the first of three new U.S. routes it will be adding this summer. The year-round service from LAX operates four times a week, using an Airbus A330-200. Later this year, the Irish carrier plans to begin new daily flights from Newark starting September 1, and new service from Hartford in late September.

Instead of resuming seasonal service this year between Amsterdam and Dallas/Ft. Worth, KLM opted instead to go with Salt Lake City, where it started flying last week. Its transatlantic joint venture partner Delta also serves the SLC-Amsterdam route. KLM started off with twice-weekly flights Thursdays and Saturdays, and will add a Monday departure on July 4. It’s using an A330-200 on the route. KLM also plans to add seasonal Miami-Amsterdam service in late October.

May 11 is the launch date for new Lufthansa service between Denver and its Munich hub; the German carrier already flies from Denver to Frankfurt. The new Munich service will operate five days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday), using an Airbus A330—300 with four classes of service, including premium economy, for the 10-1/2 hour flight. The eastbound flight leaves Denver at 4:05 p.m. Easy connections to the new route are available through Lufthansa’s Star Alliance partner United, which has a hub at DEN.

 China’s Xiamen Airlines, a member of Delta’s SkyTeam global alliance, has started taking bookings for its new Seattle-Xiamen route, which will begin September 26. The new service will operate three days a week via an intermediate stop in Shenzen, using a 787-8.

Taiwan’s EVA Air plans to launch new service on November 2 from Taipei to Chicago O’Hare, flying the route four times a week with a 777. EVA also will increase its Taipei-New York JFK schedule effective October 3 from the current 10 flights a week to twice-daily service.

A LATAM 767-300 with the carrier's new livery. (Image: LATAM)

A LATAM 767-300 with the carrier’s new livery. (Image: LATAM)

South America’s LATAM Airlines last week started its newest U.S. route, linking Washington Dulles with Lima, Peru – the only non-stop service between the two capital cities. LATAM will initially offer three flights a week, using a 767-300 with business class and regular economy seating.

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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United Club improvements: hot breakfast, menus, beepers

Entry to the new United Club at SFO (Chris McGinnis)

Entry to the new United Club at SFO (Chris McGinnis)

United is tinkering with more robust food service at United Clubs, and reader BH emailed us yesterday with this report from Chicago, O’Hare:

I am sitting in the UA Club in Chicago (near B18) this morning and they are now serving proper food for breakfast at no charge (egg scramble, sausage, toast).  A big step up from the yogurt, fruit, and cold cereal (although that is still here).  They are calling it Club Bistro.  They also have menu ordering for a charge.  They give you a restaurant “beeper” and bring it to where you are sitting.  I have attached the menu.

Menu from United Club at O'Hare

Menu from United Club at O’Hare

I am sure that this is very new.  Lots of United suits with ID badges wandering around, watching, and talking.  I spoke with one of them and she said that they are planning on expanding this to other Clubs.

This really takes the United Club to the level of a non-US airline—a big step forward and I welcome their investment in improving their product.

Anyway, I just thought that you might find this interesting.  Keep up the good work.

Thanks, BH! We contacted United about this, and a spokesperson confirmed it, providing a few more snippets about “the official start of our United Club Transformation.”

“We want to become the industry leader in airport lounge customer experience, and the B18 United Club is the first one fully transitioned to our new service partner Sodexo, which currently provides services at dozens of locations including our award-winning LHR (London Heathrow) United Club and Global First Lounge. The new club offers our customers a higher-quality experience including a new bar program created by mixologist Adam Seger and chef-inspired menus from restaurateur Art Smith.”

TravelSkills was in London LHR last year when Sodexo showed off its food service prowess (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

TravelSkills was in London LHR last year when Sodexo showed off its food service prowess (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

“Breakfast offerings included sausage and eggs, fresh breads, muffins, fresh fruit, yogurt and granola. We’ll also offer seasonal hot food items for lunch along with a build-your-own salad bar and a wider selection of artisanal cheeses and charcuterie. We’re also piloting a for-purchase program with Giordano’s pizza — customers can order from a kiosk and Sodexo will deliver the food to their table.”

Click here for a 3D virtual tour of United’s renovated Club at O’Hare B18

Have you noticed a change at United Clubs? Please leave your comments below.

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: Southwest, American, United, Alaska, JetBlue

Southwest will jump into the Oakland-Log Beach market. (Image: Oakland Airport)

Southwest will jump into the Oakland-Long Beach market. (Image: Oakland Airport)

In domestic route developments, Southwest expands within California and adds several other markets; American adds three routes from the Midwest; United adds a spoke from its Denver hub and drops one from Dulles; Alaska tries a new Kona gateway; and JetBlue adjusts the launch of LAX Mint flights.

Southwest Airlines will add Long Beach, California to its map on June 5, when it begins operating four flights a day from there to Oakland. The carrier is offering $49 one-way fares for travel through November 4, with an April 14 booking deadline. Southwest also has new service starting April 12 on several routes, with one daily flight in each market, including Atlanta to Greenville-Spartanburg; Baltimore/Washington to Minneapolis-St. Paul; Chicago Midway to Dayton, Ohio and to Flint and Grand Rapids, Mich.; Newark to Las Vegas and to Orlando; Phoenix to Wichita, Kans.; and St. Louis to Wichita and to Des Moines, Iowa.

With the Republican Convention in Cleveland coming up in July, American Airlines this week kicked off new Eagle service to Cleveland from Washington Reagan National with three flights a day (at the same time. American dropped its Cleveland-Phoenix service). Other new American Eagle service that started this week includes three flights a day from Washington Reagan National to Minneapolis-St. Paul, and two a day between Chicago O’Hare and Providence.

United is adding two new routes from Denver International to the East Coast this spring. (Image: Jim Glab)

United is adding two new routes from Denver International (Image: Jim Glab)

United has added a new spoke from its Denver hub, launching daily service to Richmond, Virginia; it’s the longest flight and the westernmost point served no-stop from Richmond. Meanwhile, United has set June 8 as the last day for United Express service between its Washington Dulles hub and Moline, Illinois.

Bellingham, Washington isn’t all that far from Seattle, but Alaska Airlines decided the city needs its own service to the Big Island of Hawaii. Alaska said it will operate once-a-week seasonal service (on Saturdays) between Bellingham and Kona from November 12 through April 1, using a 737-800.

According to Airlineroute.net, JetBlue has moved up the starting date for putting a Mint-equipped aircraft onto its Boston-Los Angeles route. The first Mint-equipped A321 will start flying LAX-Boston on October 20 instead of October 30. By November 17, the premium cabins should be on all three of JetBlue’s three daily flights in the market.

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 Francisco, JFK, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto

 

United 787-9 Dreamliner

United will use a 787-9 Dreamliner on its new San Francisco-Tel Aviv non-stops. (Image: United)

In international route developments, United kicks off new service from San Francisco to Israel; Qatar Airways doubles up its New York-Doha schedule; SAS and Norwegian both add new service out of Boston; Iberia comes to LAX; Chicago O’Hare gets new service to Iceland, China and Mexico; American and TAM both drop South American routes; and Air Canada revives a Salt Lake City route.

March 30 is the starting date for United’s new non-stop flights from San Francisco to Tel Aviv. United will use a 787-9 Dreamliner to fly the route three times a week, with SFO departures at 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The eastbound flight is estimated to take 14 hours and 10 minutes, with the return taking 15 hours 5 minutes. The carrier also flies to Tel Aviv from its Newark hub.

 Qatar Airways, which started service earlier this month to Doha from Boston, is due to add a second daily frequency between New York JFK and Doha starting April 1. The airline will use a new Airbus A350-900-XWB for the extra flight, which departs JFK at 6 a.m. The other flight still uses a 777.

The view from my room at the Radisson Blu Royal hotel in Copenhagen (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The view from my room at the Radisson Blu Royal hotel in Copenhagen (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Boston is getting new service to a pair of European destinations. March 29 is the launch date for SAS to start flying from Boston to Copenhagen every day. The Scandinavian carrier is using a non-standard aircraft on the route – a 737-700 Boeing Business Jet operated by PrivatAir, with 20 business and 66 economy seats. The other new Boston route that started this week is Norwegian’s Boston-London Gatwick service. The low-cost airline is using a 787 to fly the route four days a week. Norwegian also announced plans to start weekly service from Las Vegas to Oslo starting in November.

Iberia, a member of American’s Oneworld alliance, begins seasonal service March 30 from Los Angeles to Madrid. Using A330s and A340s, Iberia will start off with three flights a week, increasing to five a week May 17, then six a week beginning June 6 and daily frequencies from July 3 to August 28 before it starts to scale back the schedule again.

Icelandair Aurora

Icelandair’s stunning Hekla Aurora 757 livery (Photo: Icelandair)

At Chicago O’Hare, Icelandair has kicked off year-round service to Reykjavik, using a 767 to fly the route four days a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays), with an early-morning arrival in Iceland that permits easy connections to 20 destinations in Europe. Also at O’Hare, China Eastern Airlines has launched new non-stops to Shanghai Pudong, where it offers scores of connections to other Chinese cities. China Eastern is using a 777-300ER for the daily flights. And Mexican carrier Volaris announced plans to start service from Chicago O’Hare to Monterrey, Mexico on June 17, flying the route twice a week with an A320.

South America is losing a couple of routes to the U.S. On April 4, American Airlines plans to suspend its three-month-old New York JFK-Caracas flights “until market conditions improve.”  And on June 3, Brazilian carrier TAM is due to discontinue its three to four flights a week from Orlando to Brasilia.

Air Canada plans to return to Salt Lake City International on May 27, offering daily service to its Toronto hub with a 97-seat, two-class Embraer 190.

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: Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Salt Lake, Toronto

 

Qatar Airways is using an A350 on its new Boston-Doha route. (Image: Qatar Airways)

Qatar Airways is using an A350 on its new Boston-Doha route. (Image: Qatar Airways)

In international route developments, Qatar Airways starts flying to a new U.S. gateway, SAS adds a West Coast route, a Delta seasonal route to London will go year-round, American deploys a 787 Dreamliner on a U.K. route, and a WestJet division starts new service to the northeastern U.S.

Qatar Airways this week inaugurated service on its newest U.S. route, offering daily non-stop flights from Boston to Doha, Qatar. The carrier is using a new Airbus A350 on the Boston route, which is one of three new U.S. markets it will serve this year. In January, the airline started daily non-stops from Los Angeles to Doha, and it plans to launch Doha-Atlanta daily non-stops on June 1. And on April 1, Qatar Airways will add a second daily non-stop from Doha to New York, also using an A350.

SAS light attendants change into chef outfits when serving dinner (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

SAS flight attendants change into chef outfits when serving dinner (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Another new route that kicked off this week is Scandinavian Airlines’ daily service from Los Angeles International to Stockholm Arlanda. SAS, a Star Alliance member, is also on a growth track in the U.S. this year; at the end of March, it will begin Boston-Copenhagen service, and in September it plans to add flights from Miami to Oslo and Copenhagen. On the LAX-Stockholm route, SAS is using an Airbus A330-300 with three cabins: SAS Go has seats in a 2-4-2 configuration with 31/32 inch pitch; SAS Plus has 2-3-2 seating with 38-inch pitch; and SAS Business has a 1-2-1 layout with lie-flat seat-beds that have a massage feature.

Delta’s new non-stops from Salt Lake City to London Heathrow that start on May 1 were intended to be seasonal, but now the airline plans to keep the route going year-round, according to Airlineroute.net. The airline will cut back its daily frequencies after October 28, offering three flights a week through December 18, then four a week starting December 19. Delta will use a 767-300 on the route.

American is using a 787 Dreamliner on its new Los Angeles-Tokyo Haneda route. (Image: American)

American’s new 787 Dreamliner (Image: American)

The 767-300 that American Airlines uses on its daily service from Chicago O’Hare to Manchester, U.K. will be replaced this summer with a 787-8 Dreamliner. The changeover, which begins June 3, will put an extra 154 seats a week onto the route.

 A three-year-old affiliate of Canada’s WestJet called WestJet Encore has launched its first transborder service, flying three times a day between Boston and Toronto Pearson. Encore’s fleet consists entirely of Q400 turboprops. The carrier plans to start Toronto-Nashville flights in June.

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: Last chance 747 + Bankrupt airline + Europe on sale + United Global Services

A United 747-400 enroute to Osaka (Photo: InSapphoWeTrust / Flickr)

How to jump on a big 747 like this for a domestic trip (Photo: InSapphoWeTrust / Flickr)

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

1 Get on it while you can! One easy, last chance to ride a United 747

2 How’d that happen? Another airline declares bankruptcy

3 Screamin’ deals: Fares to Europe tumbleWeekend Edition

4 Routes: Southwest, Delta, American, United

5 Up or down? It depends: Airfares all over the map

6 Gimme a break! Airlines face new scrutiny over surcharges

7 Big job ahead for Marriott How would YOU merge Starwood & Marriott? [Poll]

8 More, better food on Delta, United & American

9 Great comments! Excuse me, do you speak English?

10 Bay Area to London for $299 + United non-stops to Singapore? + New Paris route + more

Chris McGinnis on CNN at SFO

Chris McGinnis on CNN at SFO

Off to Australia! Hey folks! I’m off to Sydney, Australia for four days this week to give QANTAS a try and write up a Trip Report. Plus I’ll be checking out Sydney’s 5 newest business class hotels. And I’ll dip into the city’s famous Mardi Gras celebration on Saturday. Have you been to Australia lately? What should I see, where should I eat? Please leave your comments below or email me. 

Are you elated or worried about the impending merger of Marriott and Starwood? How would you suggest the two hotel giants merge their many brands? Stay tuned to TravelSkills for a post about our meeting last week with Marriott’s top loyalty brass! And be sure to offer your two cents because Marriott is listening!

The view from my room at the JW Marriott LA Live, Los Angeles (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The view from my room at the JW Marriott LA Live, Los Angeles where I stayed for Marriott’s “Future of Loyalty” forum (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

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

What’s it like to be Global Services on United?

Delta’s newest, edgiest Donald-Sutherland-voiced commercial

Global corruption index 

Earn 10,ooo IHG Rewards points for stays in NYC, DC

Why did American threaten to dump Gogo?

Take a look at plans for world’s largest airport in Istanbul

Dubai International gets new billion dollar terminal 

Starbucks loyalty program follows airlines “spend more get more” mantra

A first class “bunk bed” proposed

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

Chris’s “Caged Bird” on Instagram. CLICK on the pic to follow him!

Free inflight wi-fi on QANTAS

Experts question security of in-flight Wi-Fi.

Crackdown of Uber. Lyft at Newark Airport may be back on.

Southwest flyers can use Pay With Amazon to access in-flight Wi-Fi.

Virgin America’s Elevate program hits 4 million members.

Australia gives final OK to Qantas-American transpacific partnership.

Climate change could make flights longer, more turbulent.

Choice Hotels loyalty program adds vacation rental option.

Norwegian passenger poll shows data on in-flight Wi-Fi usage.

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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One easy, last chance to ride a United 747?

United 747 Chicago

A United 747 at Chicago O’Hare (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Although United won’t confirm it, it’s now being widely reported that the carrier is planning to retire its aging fleet of 747s earlier than expected. This could mean that its current fleet of 22 “queens of the sky” could fly away by the end of 2018– two years ahead of schedule.

But there’s one easy way you can jump on a United 747 on a rare domestic run…but more on that in a minute…

Delta has followed a similar, accelerated path to retiring its gas guzzling 747s. Last April it put six out to pasture, and plans to retire the final six by the end of next year, to be replaced by the newer, more efficient Airbus A350. Just last month, Air France celebrated the final flight of its last 747 after flying the plane as the mainstay of its intercontinental fleet for almost 46 years.

Brian Sumers, who first reported the United news, wrote: “For now, United flies 747s from San Francisco and Chicago. But this week, United also told pilots it will remove the 747 from Chicago in February 2017, leaving only San Francisco with 747 service.”

If you are feeling reminiscent about this beautiful bird, and fly frequent between Chicago and San Francisco, consider picking up a leg or two on an one of the few domestic 747 flights United is running this spring.

TravelSkills reader Daniel E emailed us this week with this tip: “Everyday from March 3 there is a 747  leaving SFO at 8:35am (UA1570) to Chicago, O’Hare. Then I dug around some more and there is another one returning from ORD to SFO, UA1213 leaving at 4:05 pm also from March 3. I’ve flown back and forth between San Francisco and Chicago A LOT in the last 10 years and wide bodies are rare, let alone a 747.”

We checked and sure enough, we found the 747 flights on SFO-ORD– and United confirmed to TravelSkills that it “will operate daily 747 service between March 3 – March 25 and then again from April 6 – May 25, 2016. The flights are loaded and available for purchase.”

Screen Shot 2016-02-23 at 3.03.22 PM

Screen Shot 2016-02-23 at 3.22.15 PM

Wouldn’t it be nice to ride on a gorgeous and graceful 747 instead of the standard 737s or A320s United normally flies on this route? Maybe upgrade for a sweet ride upstairs in the business class bubble?

Still plenty of business class seats on the flights we selected (Image: United.com)

Still plenty of business class seats on the flights we selected (Image: United.com)

What do you think about the retirement of the 747… on United or other airlines? Will you miss it, or have you found a newer, younger more efficient favorite? Please leave your comments below.

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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Airports: Uber at Newark, O’Hare gates, Atlanta pods, Miami app

Might consider the AirTran instead of Uber at Newark (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Might consider the AirTran instead of Uber at Newark (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In airport news, Uber drivers at Newark get an official warning; Chicago O’Hare will finally start to see new aircraft gates being built; and Miami International releases an updated smartphone app that uses geo-location to assist passengers.

With all of United’s transcontinental p.s. flights from the West Coast now flying into Newark instead of New York JFK, arriving passengers might just instinctively tap their Uber app for an airport pickup upon landing. But that could be a problem in a couple of weeks. According to local media in New Jersey, the chief prosecutor for the city of Newark has sent a letter to Uber headquarters setting a February 22 deadline for Uber’s drivers to stop picking up passengers at Newark Airport. If they don’t, they could have their vehicles towed by police and face “civil and criminal penalties,” the letter said. The same warning applied to Uber drivers working at Newark’s Penn Station. (Although Newark, LaGuardia and JFK airports are all operated by the New York/New Jersey Port Authority, the rules governing ground transportation are set separately by Newark for Newark Airport and New York City for LaGuardia and JFK. The two New York airports do permit Uber pickups if the driver is licensed by the city.) Last month, Newark’s licensed taxi drivers staged a big anti-Uber protest at the airport.

Earlier this month, Chicago city officials announced plans for a huge infrastructure project at O’Hare Airport, including construction of a sixth runway, and some critics reiterated the complaints they made after the fifth runway was completed – namely, that building more runways to increase capacity isn’t going to do much good unless there are more places to park airplanes. But now the city is moving to start fixing the gate shortage, announcing a deal with American Airlines that will allow the carrier to build five new gates at O’Hare’s Terminal 3. The new gates, due to be finished by 2018, will be added to T3’s Concourse L. That will increase the total gate count for American at O’Hare’s Terminal 3 from 66 to 71. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, they represent the first significant construction of new gates at the airport since 1993.

It's a new thing at Atlanta's airport. Can you guess what it's for? (Image: Mamava)

It’s a new thing at Atlanta’s airport. Can you guess what it’s for? (Image: Mamava)

Nursing mothers never have it easy when they travel, but Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is trying to give them a break. The airport has set up four “lactation pods” that mothers can use for nursing or breast milk pumping in privacy. The stations are located past the security checkpoints near Gates T-7, B-5, D-34 and F-5, and another one will soon be added pre-security in the airport’s Domestic Terminal. The pods, designed by a company called Mamava, can be locked form the inside and provide seating, a changing table, and an electrical outlet for pumps.  

Miami International Airport is going super high-tech with an upgraded version of its smartphone app, called MIA Airport Official 2.0. The airport has installed more than 500 Bluetooth data beacons so that app users can simply scan their boarding pass to get turn- by-turn directions to their departure gate or other locations, estimated walking times, real-time flight updates and shopping/dining suggestions, based on their personal profile. Users can also get weather information for anywhere in the world, and can use a “near me” feature that identifies the closest dining and shopping outlets. “Future enhancements will include notifications for special offers from the user’s preferred shops and restaurants at MIA, the ability to reserve parking, and estimated security checkpoint wait times,” a spokesman said. The app is available at the Google Play and Apple App stores. MIA has put up a Youtube video explaining the new app.

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: San Jose delay, LAN to LAX, AA’s China changes & more

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

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

In recent international route developments, a new European route from San Jose is delayed; South America’s LAN resumes service to a major west coast gateway; American switches aircraft types on a pair of China routes; Cathay Pacific will increase Boston service; TAM will debut a new widebody on a key U.S. route; and Ft. Lauderdale loses some South American service.

Bay Area travelers who want to take Lufthansa’s planned new nonstops from San Jose to Frankfurt will have to wait a while longer. Instead of going ahead with its planned April 29 launch, the German carrier is pushing back the inaugural to July 1. Persons already booked will be put onto Lufthansa flights from San Francisco instead.  Lufthansa will use an A340-300 for the daily non-stops.

South American carrier LAN Airlines plans to resume service between Los Angeles International and Santiago, Chile on October 16, according to Airlineroute.net. LAN, a member of American’s Oneworld alliance, will use a 787-8 to fly the route three times a week. LAN discontinued Santiago-LAX (and Lima-SFO) flights in early 2014. 

American Airlines plans to make some changes on two of its routes to Shanghai starting June 2. The 787-8 that AA currently operates on its daily Los Angeles-Shanghai service will be replaced with a 777-200ER, while the 777-200ER that the airline currently flies from Chicago O’Hare to Shanghai will be replaced with a 787-8.

Back of the plane on Cathay Pacific's B777-300ER with new economy seat (Chris McGinnis)

Back of the plane on Cathay Pacific’s B777-300ER with new economy seat (Chris McGinnis)

Cathay Pacific says it is seeing increased demand for the non-stop Boston-Hong Kong flights that it introduced last spring, so it plans to increase frequencies on the route from the current four flights a week to five, effective May 5. Cathay will add a new Thursday departure from Boston in addition to the current Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday flights. Cathay uses a 777-300ER on the route. The 1:45 a.m. departure time from Boston allows for same-day connections at Hong Kong to major Asian destinations and 23 cities in China.

Related:  Nicest airport club in the world

Brazilian carrier TAM, which flies twice a day from Miami to Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos Airport, plans to replace the 777-300ER it uses on one of those flights with Airbus’s brand-new widebody the A350-900XWB, effective May 22, according to Airlineroute.net.

TAME Ecuador – the flag carrier for that South American country, and not to be confused with TAM – plans to discontinue its six weekly A320 flights from Ft. Lauderdale to Quito effective February 20.

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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Airports: New LAX terminal, Coke at DFW, ORD upgrade, MSP beer

Part of the newly renovated Terminal 2 at Los Angeles International. (Image: Westfield Airports)

Part of the newly renovated Terminal 2 at Los Angeles International. (Image: Westfield Airports)

In airport news this week, a big overhaul of Los Angeles International’s Terminal 2 has been finished; Dallas/Ft. Worth unveils new retail concessions and providers; Chicago O’Hare’s big new capital improvements plan includes yet another runway; and Minneapolis-St. Paul International has a big treat in store for lovers of craft beer.

Airport terminal design specialist Westfield Corp. said this week it has wrapped up a $78 million transformation of Los Angeles International’s Terminal 2, giving the facility 16 new retail and dining outlets – the first big upgrade of T2 in 30 years. Among the new offerings are the SeaLegs Wine Bar, serving up California share plates with paired wines; Slapfish, a seafood restaurant; Chinese cuisine at Pick Up Stix; organic sandwiches and salads at Ciabatta Bar; custom-made burgers at Built; an “American roadhouse” diner called Barney’s Beanery; a pair of Starbucks stores; a Spanx retail outlet; a duty-free shop called DFS; a pair of electronics stores; and a Fresh Brothers Pizza outlet. The terminal also got renovated bathrooms, new lighting and new gate information displays.

The Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport Board this week signed off on some new concession deals. The headline: From now on, it’s “No Pepsi – Coke!” The board signed a 10-year contract that will put Coca-Cola beverage brands through the airport, ending its 20-year arrangement with Pepsi. In other food & beverage news, the board OKd a new Maggiano’s Little Italy Italian restaurant that should open in Terminal C near Gate C16 by year’s end, as well as a new Rodeo Bar for Terminal B near Gate B31. Other new concessions coming to DFW include a Belgium Beer Café in Terminal C, a snack kiosk in Terminal B, and what will be the airport’s third 7-Eleven store, this one in Terminal D.

A prototype of United's mod new "scented" gate design at Chicago O'Hare (Image: Chris McGinnis)

More improvements like this prototype of United’s mod new gate design coming to Chicago O’Hare (Image: Chris McGinnis)

Chicago city officials this week unveiled a huge infrastructure improvement plan for O’Hare Airport, including construction of a sixth parallel runway. That runway will eat up almost $650 million of the total project’s $1.3 billion budget. The multi-year effort will also give O’Hare a new centralized de-icing facility – something that officials said will improve gate utilization and terminal capacity and end the need for secondary de-icing of departing flights. Also in the works: a cross-field taxiway network linking the north and south sides of the airport, which should reduce taxi time for arriving aircraft. The new runway – to be finished in 2020 — will be O’Hare’s second-longest at 11,245 feet, and will “balance the capacity of the north airfield with that of the south airfield, providing increased flexibility for east and west flow operations,” an airport spokesman said. Officials noted that these airfield improvements will pave the way for additional enhancements, including (much needed) increase in the number of aircraft gates and modernization of passenger terminals.

Beer lovers who fly through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are in for a treat: The former Chili’s restaurant there is being converted into a new craft beer bar and restaurant, due to open this summer under the supervision of the Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild. The official (and rather odd) name of the facility will be “Stone Arch.food.CRAFT.beer.” It will have 20 craft beers on tap at the bar, and five more available in a “Craft Lab” staffed by beer experts, if you really want the lowdown on your brews. Also part of the project are a 112-seat restaurant and a carry-out market.

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Airports: Atlanta’s airport hotel + Speedier Boingo + New Oakland lounge + more

Rendering of the hotel planned for Atlanta's airport. (Image: Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport)

Rendering of the hotel planned for Atlanta’s airport. (Image: Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport)

In airport news, Atlanta officials have reportedly selected a brand for their new airport hotel; Boingo boosts Wi-Fi speeds at a number of U.S. airports; a new passenger lounge is coming to Oakland Airport; Chicago airports now offered reserved parking spaces; and Tampa adds a huge number of charging outlets for travelers.

The new hotel planned for construction near Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson’s domestic terminal is expected to be an InterContinental, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 300-room high-end hotel is envisioned to be part of a $600 million “Airport City” project that will include commercial space, retail outlets and a travel plaza, and perhaps even residential space. The newspaper reported that renowned Atlanta architect John Portman will design the hotel, which will have meeting rooms, a restaurant, lobby bar and grill and other amenities. It is expected to be built within three years.

Boingo, the leading airport Wi-Fi provider, said that its paid subscribers can now select from options that will give them speeds of up to 20 Mbps at seven major airports, with more coming soon. The highest-speed airports include Baltimore/Washington, Boston Logan, Chicago Midway, Chicago O’Hare, New York JFK, New York LaGuardia and Newark. The company said all travelers can now get free Wi-Fi, and “power users” can select from a number of paid options, including speeds of 20 Mbps, bursting to 50 Mbps. “All Boingo subscribers, including those enrolled in the American Express Preferred Plan, will automatically receive the highest tier of speed when they log in,” Boingo said.

Oakland International Airport said that the U.S. subsidiary of U.K.-based MAG will develop a new passenger lounge at OAK that should open in June 2016. The 2,600 square foot Escape Lounge will be open to all passengers for a per-use fee, offering free food and beverages, Wi-Fi, and other amenities. Earlier this month, MAG opened its first U.S. airport Escape Lounge at Minneapolis-St. Paul International.

Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports this month introduced a new option of reserved parking spaces close to the passenger terminals. The reservation fee is $10 per space, per day (plus parking charges, taxes and fees). All spaces are inside the garages, and are guaranteed even when the facility is full. Parking spaces can be booked at https://ord.clickandpark.com/ for O’Hare or at https://mdw.clickandpark.com/ for Midway.

Tampa International Airport next year will make life easier for power-hungry business travelers and their devices. The airport is planning to install thousands of power outlets and USB ports for passengers — 4,683 of them, to be exact. Some will be at 299 new work stations the airport will install; the rest will be on towers wedged between seat rows at gate areas. Currently the airport only offers 237 outlets at work stations scattered around the terminal.

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Routes: Oakland-London + Dulles-Dubai dropped + BA/Aer Lingus code-shares + more

Norwegian reportedly plans new Oakland-London service with a 787. (Image: Creative Commons)

Norwegian reportedly plans new Oakland-London service with a 787. (Image: Creative Commons) 

In international route news, Bay Area travelers may see a new low-cost option to London in the spring; another U.S. carrier pulls out of the Dubai market; British Airways and its new sister company Aer Lingus are sharing codes all over the place; China Eastern will boost frequencies to a Midwest gateway; and Southwest eyes new international service from LAX.

Although the airline hasn’t announced or confirmed it yet, the website Airlineroute.net reports that European low-cost carrier Norwegian has filed a proposed schedule to fly between Oakland and London Gatwick. Based on data from the OAG Schedules Analyzer, Airlineroute.net said Norwegian plans to use a 787-8 to fly the route three days a week (Monday, Thursday and Sunday) starting May 12. Norwegian already has service from Oakland to Stockholm and Olso twice a week; it currently shows one-way fares to Stockholm in January for as little as $169 (plus ancillary fees).

The proposed Norwegian service, infrequent though it is, would give Bay Area travelers to the U.K. another option instead of flying out of San Francisco International — in addition to the new British Airways service from Mineta San Jose International to Heathrow that starts May 4 with a 787-9. In other news, Norwegian has pushed up the start of new Boston-London Gatwick 787 flights — slated for five days a week — from May to March 27.

Remember how Delta blamed government-subsidized competition and excess capacity from the big Mideast carriers for its decision to discontinue Atlanta-Dubai service this coming February? Now United is following suit, saying it will stop flying from Washington Dulles to Dubai after January 25. United blamed the entry of “subsidized carriers such as Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways into the Washington D.C. market,” but it also cited a decision by the U.S. government to shift its contract for Washington-Dubai flights to JetBlue, which has a code-share partnership with Emirates. (Earlier, United said it would discontinue its service from Dulles to Kuwait and Bahrain after January 13.)

Now that British Airways and Ireland’s Aer Lingus are sister companies under the umbrella of parent IAG, they have embarked on a big code-share expansion for their U.S. routes. According to Airlineroute,net, Aer Lingus’ code is going onto BA’s London Heathrow routes from 19 U.S. gateways, as well as its Gatwick service from New York JFK, Las Vegas and Orlando; and BA’s code goes onto Aer Lingus flights to Dublin from San Francisco, Orlando, Washington Dulles, JFK, Newark, Hartford and Boston, as well as Shannon flights from JFK and Boston.

China Eastern, a member of Delta’s SkyTeam alliance, plans to boost service on its Shanghai Pudong-Chicago O’Hare route — which starts March 18 — from three flights a week to daily.  The airline will use a 777-300ER on the route.

Southwest Airlines plans to add a new international route from Los Angeles International in April, subject to government approval. The carrier said it will offer daily flights from LAX’s Terminal 2 to Liberia/Guanacaste, Costa Rica, the gateway to that country’s coastal resort area.

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Brand new hotels: NYC, Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis & more

InterContinental's new EVEN hotel in New York has mood lighting in guest rooms. (Image: InterContiental Hotels Group)

InterContinental’s new EVEN hotel in New York has mood lighting in guest rooms. (Image: IHG)

In U.S. hotel news, InterContinental Hotels Group has cut the ribbon on a pair of new hotels from its newest brands in Manhattan; Hyatt opens a dual-branded hotel in the heart of Denver as well as new properties in New Orleans and near Miami’s airport; Marriott adds a big extended-stay option in Chicago’s Loop along with an upscale JW property in the Twin Cities; and Four Seasons has started taking reservations for a renovated Hawaii resort.

InterContinental Hotels Group’s (IHG) new EVEN Hotels brand — designed to appeal to “wellness-minded travelers” — has opened its third U.S. property, this one in the middle of Manhattan. The new EVEN Hotel New York-Times Square South is at 321 W. 35th Street. It offers healthy eating options in its Cork & Kale Market; sleep aids like mood lighting in guest rooms; a fitness center plus in-room workout items; and ergonomic work spaces (you can even get a stand-up desk in your room). A rate search finds rooms in mid-January for as little as $151.

The bar in New York's new Indigo hHotel has sweeping city views. (Image: InterContinental Hotels Group)

The bar in New York’s new Indigo Hotel has sweeping city views. (Image: InterContinental Hotels Group)

In lower Manhattan, meanwhile, IHG has also cut the ribbon on a new hotel in its Indigo brand. The 293-room Hotel Indigo Lower East Side New York is at 171 Ludlow Street, with a design that preserves elements of that historic neighborhood. The lobby, with floor-to-ceiling city views, is on the 14th floor; an outdoor terrace, pool, bar and restaurant are on the 15th floor. The hotel also has a fitness center and four suites, including a duplex penthouse loft on the 25th-26th floors. Rates start at $225.

Downtown Denver's new dual-branded Hyatt Place/House is near the convention center. (Image: Hyatt)

Downtown Denver’s new dual-branded Hyatt Place/House is near the convention center. (Image: Hyatt)

The Hyatt Regency Denver in the heart of that city has been joined by a new Hyatt property — the dual-branded, 361-room Hyatt Place/Hyatt House Denver Downtown. It’s located at 440 14th Street, a block and a half east of the city’s convention center. Hyatt Place is the company’s brand for “tech-savvy travelers,” with free Wi-Fi and 24-hour food options, while Hyatt House is its extended-stay product with apartment-style, kitchen-equipped accommodations. Rates begin around $192 at the Hyatt House, $184 at Hyatt Place.

A unit with kitchen in new Orleans' new Hyatt House. (Image: Hyatt)

A unit with kitchen in New Orleans’ new Hyatt House. (Image: Hyatt)

There’s also a new Hyatt House in New Orleans, at 1250 Poydras Street, in the city’s downtown BioDistrict. The Hyatt House New Orleans/Downtown has 114 studio and one-bedroom accommodations, all with kitchens, and 80 “Den” guestrooms without kitchens. The hotel offers free Wi-Fi, free hot breakfast, a bar, workout room, and 24-hour market. Rates start at $243.

The coffee-to-cocktails lounge at the new Hyatt Place Miami Airport East. (Image: Hyatt)

The coffee-to-cocktails lounge at the new Hyatt Place Miami Airport East. (Image: Hyatt)

And there’s a new Hyatt Place in Miami at 3549 LeJeune Road, just south of the Airport Expressway and just east of Miami International. The 135-room Hyatt Place Miami Airport-East has free Wi-Fi, free hot breakfast, a “coffee to cocktails” bar, and 24-hour meal service and market. Rates start at $234.

Chicago's newest Residence Inn occupies an historic building in the financial district. (Image: Marriott)

Chicago’s newest Residence Inn occupies an historic building in the financial district. (Image: Marriott)

The largest property in Marriott’s Residence Inn brand has opened in downtown Chicago. The 380-unit Residence Inn Chicago Downtown/Loop is inside a 100-year-old landmark structure, the Roanoke Building, at Madison and LaSalle Street in the city’s financial district. The property’s accommodations offer 10-foot ceilings, 55-inch TVs, free Wi-Fi,  kitchen, and ergonomic work spaces, and free breakfast is included. Rate start at $169.

A King Suite at the Mall of America's new JW Marriott. (Image: Marriott)

A King Suite at the Mall of America’s new JW Marriott. (Image: Marriott)

The newest upscale JW Marriott hotel from Marriott is at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., just south of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and 11 miles from downtown Minneapolis. With 342 rooms and a soaring three-story-high lobby area, the hotel has a signature restaurant called Cedar+Stone, Urban Table where all the ingredients are locally sourced, i.e., from no more than 200 miles away. The lobby bar also carries a big selection of local craft beers. The JW has an indoor pool, fitness center, Executive Lounge and meeting rooms  Rates start at $289.

An outdoor terrace at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai. (Image: Four Seasons)

An outdoor terrace at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai. (Image: Four Seasons)

Four Seasons Hotels has started accepting reservations for stays March 1 or later at its Four Seasons Resort Lanai in Hawaii. The property has undergone a multi-million dollar, floor-to-ceiling overhaul that includes all 217 guest rooms and suites. Accommodations now offer 75-inch LED TVs, wearable key wristbands, BluRay players, in-room iPad Airs, and a new mobile app linked to hotel services. The resort also got new restaurants (including a Nobu), a renovated spa, and an updated pro shop at its signature golf course. Rates start at a cool $960 a night.

 

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New routes for Airberlin, Delta, China Eastern; more AA, BA 787s scheduled

Airberlin will add A330 service to three U.S. cities in 2016. (Image: Airberlin)

Airberlin will add A330 service to three U.S. cities in 2016. (Image: Airberlin)

Topping the list of international route news this week is Airberlin’s plan to add a trio of new U.S. gateways. Also, Delta will fly to Iceland from a second U.S. city next year; China Eastern adds a new U.S. city and a new in-flight amenity; and British Airways and American will put 787s onto new routes.

Germany’s Airberlin plans a substantial expansion of its U.S. operations in 2016, adding three new destinations and increasing frequencies on existing ones. The company said it plans to add flights from Dusseldorf in early May 2016 to San Francisco, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Boston, using A330-200s. The DFW flights will operate four times a week; Boston service will begin at three a week and increase to four on June 16; and the San Francisco schedule will start at three flights a week and grow to five as of  June 9. Existing service from Dusseldorf to Los Angeles will increase from six a week to daily, and Dusseldorf-New York JFK will increase from 13 a week to twice-daily. The carrier also flies from Dusseldorf to Miami and Ft. Myers, and from Berlin to New York and Chicago. Airberlin is a Oneworld partner airline. It gets only fair reviews on both SkyTrax and TripAdvisor– have you flown it?

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In addition to service from New York JFK to Reykjavik, Delta plans to add service to Iceland from its Minneapolis-St. Paul hub next spring. The daily service, slated to launch May 26, will use a 199-seat 757-200 with 20 premium seats, 29 extra-legroom Delta Comfort seats and 150 in regular economy.

China Eastern's A330-200 at SFO (Photo Peter Biaggi)

China Eastern’s A330-200 at SFO (Photo Peter Biaggi)

Airlineroute.net, which tracks carrier’s schedule filings, reports that China Eastern Airlines will begin new U.S. service next year to Chicago O’Hare. The carrier plans to operate three flights a week from Shanghai Pudong with a 777-300ER. China Eastern is a member of Delta’s Skyteam global alliance. Meanwhile, China Eastern has teamed up with Panasonic Avionics to start offering in-flight Wi-Fi on international routes. The carrier’s 777-300ERs are introducing the service on routes from Shanghai to New York, Los Angeles and Toronto this month, followed by San Francisco and Vancouver in December.

More 787s are coming on international routes from the U.S. American Airlines plans to put a 787-8 onto its Dallas/Ft. Worth-Santiago, Chile route starting December 17, replacing a 777-200ER. And British Airways is due to replace the 767 on its Baltimore/Washington International-London Heathrow route with a 787-8 effective August 1, 2016.

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Uber/Lyft: Airport pick-ups start in Chicago; new airport fee in D.C.

Ride-sharing airport pick-ups in Chicago will be allowed starting later this month. (Image: Jim Glab)

Ride-sharing airport pick-ups in Chicago will be allowed starting later this month. (Image: Jim Glab)

Ride-sharing operators like Uber and Lyft will soon be able to pick up passengers at Chicago’s two airports, but they’re facing a new fee for Washington D.C. airport rides.

In Chicago, the city’s Department of Aviation has released new rules for ride-sharing app pickups at O’Hare and Midway airports and at the McCormick Place convention center. Passenger pick-ups at those places will be allowed starting November 18.

At both airports, passengers who summon an Uber or Lyft driver will have to meet them on the upper level roadway — not the lower level where taxis and other transportation services can be found. The drivers can’t get out of their cars to look for their customers, but they will be allowed to have signs identifying themselves.

Pick-ups are allowed only in designated areas — at O’Hare’s domestic terminals, on the upper level between Terminals 1 and 2 and between Terminals 2 and 3; and at the international terminal (Terminal 5), at the west end of the lower level. Pick-ups at Midway will be adjacent to Door 1 on the upper level.

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In Washington D.C., meanwhile, a new $4 fee has been imposed on Uber and Lyft rides to and from Reagan National and Dulles airports. An Uber official told The Washingtonian that the company’s drivers will pass the fee along to customers.

The fee brings the companies into compliance with airport rules and Virginia law, and it means ride-sharing drivers will be able to wait in staging areas at the airports instead of off-site. Uber complained that the fee for taxi pick-ups at the airports is only $3, and said the new Washington surcharge is among the highest in the country for its drivers.

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How to unclog Chicago O’Hare

Tunnel linking United's concourses at Chicago O'Hare. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Tunnel linking United’s concourses at Chicago O’Hare. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Chicago’s O’Hare Airport this month finished its latest new runway project — the latest step in a multi-billion-dollar, years-long capital improvements program — but runway construction may not be enough to erase the airport’s reputation as a delay-prone bottleneck in the nation’s air transportation system.

Reporters at The Chicago Tribune dug into the O’Hare situation, and they concluded that several other problems must be dealt with if the airport is to function more efficiently for airlines and passengers.

Among their recommendations:

The number of gates at O’Hare is not keeping pace with airfield improvements. The number of flights arriving late to the gate at O’Hare more than tripled in the past five years, the newspaper said, and part of the problem is simply that there are not enough gates to accommodate the arriving aircraft after they land. It quoted the city’s aviation commissioner as saying that if 24 new gates suddenly materialized at O’Hare, they would instantly be fully utilized. The airport is currently working on plans to add 12 new gates by 2018.

Taxi times — the time between landing and arrival at the gate — have to be reduced. As new runways are built farther away from the terminals, this has become a problem, the newspaper said. The average taxi-in time increased from 8.5 minutes in 2007 to 13 minutes this year, but the FAA says it expects that to be cut to 11 minutes per plane now that the new runway is operational.

The Federal Aviation Administration needs to speed up its long-promised NextGen air traffic system, which will allow a larger number of flights to operate safely in the air corridors in and out of O’Hare — and airlines need to be more realistic in the number of arrivals they schedule at the airport. O’Hare is the largest U.S. airport that serves as a major hub for two giant carriers — United and American — both of which funnel hundreds of flights into the airport to maximize possible connections. Officials said they hope the next two runways on the construction schedule will help reduce air traffic control-related delays.

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Uber, Lyft advance in Chicago, Las Vegas, Arizona

Flights to Las Vegas frequently get lucky numbers (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Ride-sharing pick-ups are now legal at Las Vegas McCarran Airport. (Image: Jim Glab)

A compromise plan worked out in Chicago’s city council appears to have removed a major stumbling block for UberX and Lyft pick-ups at the city’s airports, and ride-sharing pick-ups have started at Las Vegas McCarran.

It was only last month that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel switched from being an opponent to an advocate of ride-sharing pick-ups at the city’s airports, and now a compromise worked out in the city council should mean Uber and Lyft could start collecting passengers at O’Hare and Midway soon.

At issue was the amount of regulation that ride-sharing rivers should have to face. Chicago aldermen who were allies of the city’s taxi industry wanted to require Uber and Lyft drivers to obtain chauffeur’s licenses, just as cabbies do. But that demand was dropped in exchange for increasing the per-ride fee from 50 to 52 cents, in part so the city could reduce the cost of chauffeur’s licenses and background checks for taxi drivers.

To advance its cause, Uber even produced an online video ad campaign, uploading a YouTube video that features interviews with travelers waiting in long taxi lines at O’Hare.

In the next step, the city’s Aviation Commissioner will have to issue rules about required signage for ride-sharing vehicles to display. The expansion of ride-sharing authority will also apply to passenger pick-ups at McCormick Place and Navy Pier, which are currently restricted to licensed taxis.

In Nevada, meanwhile, Lyft said it has become the first ride-sharing company to start picking up passengers at Las Vegas McCarran Airport, although Uber is expected to join the fray soon.

Last month, Nevada started to allow ride-sharing services to operate in the state, but there was some uncertainty as to whether or not Clark County — home of Las Vegas — had the authority to impose additional requirements on the operators, and the start of ride-sharing in Las Vegas did not initially include pick-ups at the city’s airport.

But last week, Clark County allowed Uber, Lyft and other services to apply for licenses that would let them serve all of the city, including the airport — and Lyft was first out of the gate.

And in Arizona, Uber has recorded more than 20,000 signatures on a new online petition that calls on Phoenix city and airport officials to allow UberX pick-ups at Sky Harbor Airport. Again, the issue is the amount of regulation that drivers should be subject to. Uber sent a link to its petition to Arizona residents who have downloaded its app.

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Your favorite megahub?

Delta Atlanta rains

Atlanta, with hundreds of thousands of possible connections, tops the list of megahubs. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

What’s a megahub? It’s an airport that has a lot more options for flight connections than just a run-of-the-mill hub. That’s important when you’ve missed your scheduled connecting flight and need another one soon, or when your itinerary suddenly changes mid-trip.

If these things matter to you, you’re lucky you live in the U.S., which boasts more megahubs than any other country, according to a new study by air travel data giant OAG — including the most mega- of all megahubs, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson. One a single day, the report said, as many as 570,000 connections were possible at ATL.

OAG crunched the numbers (i.e., “the total number of all possible connections between inbound and outbound flights within an eight-hour window”) to determine the world’s 50 biggest megahubs. Of those 50, 22 are in the U.S. — including eight of the top 10. Not a huge surprise considering it has the largest domestic aviation market, but still….

“Contributing to the growth of megahubs are low-cost carriers and the rise in self-connecting passengers,” OAG noted. “While connections have traditionally been made between airlines through code sharing agreements, today, passengers are increasingly self-connecting between low-cost carriers. In fact, many airports, such as Chicago Midway (MDW), Baltimore Washington International (BWI) and Las Vegas McCarran International (LAS), are beginning to facilitate connections between low-cost flights for the traveler.”

The report also observed that partly as a result of industry consolidation, U.S. megahubs are tending to be dominated by a single carrier — e.g., Delta at Atlanta (80 percent of all flights), American at Dallas/Ft. Worth (81 percent), United at Houston Intercontinental (76 percent) and American/US Airways at Charlotte (88 percent). The U.S. has six low-cost carrier megahubs, the report said, and all of them are dominated by Southwest.

You can download a copy of the full report here.

megahubs

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Uber outrage in Chicago

Chicago could soon allow ride-sharing pick-ups at airports. (Image: Jim Glab)

Chicago could soon allow ride-sharing pick-ups at airports. (Image: Jim Glab)

Just a few months ago, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was adamant about not allowing ride-sharing apps using “citizen drivers” like UberX and Lyft to be used for passenger pick-ups at O’Hare and Midway airports as well as the city’s huge McCormick Place convention center. (UberBLACK pickups/drops are currently allowed at Chicago airports.) But now he has changed his mind.

The new 2016 budget proposal issued by Emanuel this week would reverse the city’s existing policy, allowing ride-sharing pick-ups at those restricted venues. What changed his mind? Chicago is facing a budget gap of hundreds of millions of dollars, and this is one way to erase some of the red ink.   

The plan still must be approved by the Chicago City Council, so there is no immediate estimate of when the newly proposed policy might take effect.

But the news did elicit outrage from the city’s licensed cab drivers, who staged massive protests by refusing to pick up waiting passengers at the O’Hare and Midway airport terminals for a period of two hours on Wednesday.

The cabbies’ outrage was not soothed by the fact that the budget plan would allow for a 15 percent increase in taxi fares. Drivers said that wouldn’t be enough to make up for the business they would lose to the unlicensed Uber and Lyft drivers.

According to the new budget proposal, ride-sharing drivers would have to pay the city a fee of $5 each time they pick up or drop off a passenger at the airports or the convention center — more than double the fee charged to taxi drivers. In addition, there would also be a new 50 cent surcharge on all taxi and ride-sharing trips.

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Shiny new hotels for you: Chicago, NYC, Dallas, Houston…

Outdoor Terrace at Starwood Luxury Collection's The Gwen in Chicago. (Image: Starwood)

Outdoor Terrace at Starwood Luxury Collection’s The Gwen in Chicago. (Image: Starwood)

In hotel news, leading properties in Chicago and Manhattan change their identities; mid-priced hotels open in the heart of Dallas and Houston; and more independents join up as affiliates of national chains.

Starwood Hotels’ Luxury Collection has added its first property in Chicago. The company has finished the previously announced conversion of the former Conrad Hotel (part of the Hilton family) into a Starwood property called The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel. It’s at 521 North Rush Street in the River North/Magnificent Mile area, directly linked to The Shops at North Bridge. It’s in the old McGraw-Hill Building, an art deco structure, and it’s named after Gwen Lux, a sculptor from the 1920s whose work influenced the design of the period. The Gwen has 300 rooms, three restaurants, and terraces overlooking the Chicago skyline. Rates start at around $360.

Another leading hotel in Manhattan has been acquired by an Asian company and changed its identity. This time it’s the New York Palace Hotel at 50th Street and Madison Avenue, right behind St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The elegant hotel which underwent a $140 million overhaul two years ago, has been acquired by South Korea’s Lotte Hotels & Resorts, a subsidiary of the Lotte Group, one of Korea’s biggest conglomerates. The hotel is now called the Lotte New York Palace. Earlier, the Waldorf Astoria was purchased by a Chinese company.

The new Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Dallas. (Image: Hilton)

The new Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Dallas. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton Worldwide has cut the ribbon on the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Dallas at 1600 Pacific Avenue, next to Thanksgiving Square and the Thanksgiving Tower. It’s part of a mixed-use project in the city’s LTV building, not far from Dealey Plaza and the AT&T Performing Arts Center. The 171-room Garden Inn has free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, a 24-hour business center, outdoor pool, fitness center, restaurant with Southern cuisine, and a 24-hour Pavilion Pantry. Rates start at $135.

Marriott's new SpringHill Suites in downtown Houston. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott’s new SpringHill Suites in downtown Houston. (Image: Marriott)

The newest lodging option in downtown Houston is Marriott’s 167-suite SpringHill Suites Houston Downtown/Convention Center, located at 914 Dallas Street, between Main and Travis streets, three blocks from The Shops at Houston mall. The building, a former apartment complex, was originally the Humble Oil Building, dating to 1921. Guests get a free hot breakfast every day, and guest accommodations provide separate living, working and sleeping spaces. There’s an outdoor pool, a fitness center and a 24-hour market. Rates start at $229.

Meanwhile, leading hotel companies continue to expand their roster of independent affiliate properties, which participate in their reservations systems and their loyalty programs.  In the latest developments, Marriott has added the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Charleston, S.C., to its Autograph Collection;  and Hilton’s Curio Collection has taken on The Admiral Hotel in Mobile, Ala. and The Partridge Inn Augusta in downtown Augusta, Ga.

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100,000

bonusBEST for Big Sign-up Bonus. British Airways Visa Signature® Card 0ffers a nice 50,000 Avios sign up bonus after you spend $2,000 in the first three months. But get this: You’ll earn an additional 25,000 bonus Avios when you spend $10,000 on purchases for a total of 75,000 bonus Avios. Even better: You earn another 25,000 bonus Avios when you spend a total of $20,000 on purchases within your first year for a total of 100,000 bonus Avios. In addition to the sign up bonus, you earn three Avios for every dollar spent on BA, and a free companion ticket (any class) when you spend at least $30,000 in a year. Plus there are no foreign transaction fees, and the card has a chip making it easier to use in Europe and beyond. Annual fee is $95.  More.

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Brand new hotels in San Francisco, San Jose, New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Raleigh

Marriott's new Courtyard in downtown San Francisco. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott’s new Courtyard in downtown San Francisco. (Image: Marriott)

In the next wave of new business hotels, San Francisco is getting a new mid-priced property downtown; Westin adds a new San Jose location; there’s a new boutique hotel in Manhattan and a new Hampton Inn in downtown Chicago; Red Lion debuts its upscale RL brand in Baltimore; and Marriott adds a dual-branded hotel in Raleigh.

An August opening is expected for the Marriott’s new Courtyard San Francisco Union Square, at 761 Post Street, near Leavenworth Street (a mildly sketchy neighborhood near the city’s Tenderloin district west of Union Square).  It has free Wi-Fi, a restaurant called The Bistro, and Marriott’s new lobby with working and socializing spaces. Rates begin around $329.

Guest room at the new Westin San Jose, formerly the Sainte Claire. (Image: Westin)

Guest room at the new Westin San Jose, formerly the Sainte Claire. (Image: Westin)

What was formerly the Sainte Claire Hotel in downtown San Jose — a 171-room property on the National register of Historic Places — is now Starwood’s Westin San Jose. Original touches have been preserved in the 90-year-old building, and guest rooms offer all the standard Westin amenities, including free high-speed Internet. It’s close to the McEnery Convention Center. Rates start around $269.

Accommodations at NYC's The Gregory, near Herald Square. (Image: The Gregory)

Accommodations at NYC’s The Gregory, near Herald Square. (Image: The Gregory)

In New York City, the newest boutique hotel to open its doors is The Gregory, at 42 West 35th Street near Herald Square. It originally opened in 1903 as The Gregorian; after a $10 million rehab it’s been modernized and refitted, but with some original touches preserved. Rates start at $379.

Historic entrance to Hilton;s newest Hampton Inn in downtown Chicago. (Image: Hampton Inns)

Historic entrance to Hilton;s newest Hampton Inn in downtown Chicago. (Image: Hampton Inns)

The old Chicago Motor Club Building (1928) a block south of the Chicago River at 68 E. Wacker Place has been reborn as the 143-room Hampton Inn Chicago Downtown/Michigan Avenue. Designers preserved the old Art Deco lobby, where a 1928 Ford Model A is now on display. It’s one of the few Hampton Inns that has a lobby bar. Rooms have free Wi-Fi, 42-inch HDTVs and more. Rates begin around $239.

A room at the new RL Baltimore Inner Harbor. (Image: Red Lion)

A room at the new RL Baltimore Inner Harbor. (Image: Red Lion)

Red Lion Hotels are known mostly for their affordability, but the company is launching a somewhat more upscale brand called RL Hotels, and the first one is due to open August 1 in Baltimore. The RL Baltimore Inner Harbor at 207 E. Redwood Street is a remake of the historic Keyser Building in the heart of downtown, close to the waterfront and Camden Yards. Introductory rates start at $111.

Marriott's new Courtyard/Residence Inn in Raleigh. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott’s new Courtyard/Residence Inn in Raleigh. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott has cut the ribbon on a dual-branded Courtyard and Residence Inn in Raleigh, N.C. Each of the two has 128 rooms, at 10600 Little Brier Creek Lane; that’s five miles from the airport, close to Research Triangle Park and in between NC State and Duke universities. They share an indoor pool, fitness center and other amenities. Rates start at $135.

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Affordable, new city center hotels: NYC, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta

Residential-style accommodations at the new Hyatt House Atlanta/Downtown. (Image: Hyatt)

Residential-style accommodations at the new Hyatt House Atlanta/Downtown. (Image: Hyatt)

For travelers whose budgets don’t allow for five-star luxury, major hotel brands have recently opened some more reasonably priced lodging options in the hearts of major business destinations, including Atlanta, New York, Chicago and Seattle.

Hyatt has cut the ribbon on the Hyatt House Atlanta/Downtown, located at 431 Marietta Street NW, close to the Georgia World Congress Center and the Georgia Dome. The hotel has 150 residential-style guestrooms, studios and one-bedroom units, free daily hot breakfast, free Wi-Fi, an outdoor pool, and other amenities. Rates start at around $159.

Hilton;s new Hampton Inn Manhattan/Times Square Central. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton;s new Hampton Inn Manhattan/Times Square Central. (Image: Hilton)

In New York City, Hilton has cut the ribbon on the 300-room Hampton Inn by Hilton Manhattan/Times Square Central. It’s on West 41st Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues, close to the Theater District and the Garment District. It offers free hot breakfasts, free Wi-Fi, a fitness center and 24-hour business center. Rates start at $228.

Hyatt Place Chicago Downtown-The Loop. (Image: Hyatt)

Hyatt Place Chicago/Downtown-The Loop. (Image: Hyatt)

The new Hyatt Place Chicago/Downtown-The Loop is at 28 N. Franklin Street, a block east of Wacker Drive between Washington and Madison streets. The hotel’s 206 rooms offer 42-inch HDTVs, sectional sofas, free Wi-Fi, and some have floor to ceiling windows. Guests get free breakfasts and access to an 1,800-square-foot fitness center. Rates begin around $189.

Hilton Garden Inn Seattle Downtown. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton Garden Inn Seattle Downtown. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton has opened a new mid-priced property in central Seattle, the 222-room Hilton Garden Inn Seattle Downtown. It’s at 1821 Boren Avenue on the southern tip of Lake Union, within walking distance of the convention center and close to the offices of businesses like Amazon and Google. It offers a 24-hour fitness center, free Wi-Fi, a saltwater pool, restaurant, bar, and 24-hour pantry. Rates begin around $211.

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New runway hasn’t reduced O’Hare delays

A new runway hasn't reduced delays at Chicago O'Hare. (Image: Adam Fagen/Flickr)

A new runway hasn’t reduced delays at Chicago O’Hare. (Image: Adam Fagen/Flickr)

The conventional wisdom has always been that big airports could make flight operations run more efficiently and on-time by adding a runway. But the Associated Press studied flight statistics for Chicago O’Hare, which opened a new runway in fall of 2013, and found that the opposite was true.

The new AP analysis found that from the time the airport’s newest runway opened in October 2013 through March 2015, departure delays at ORD totaled 28 percent of all flights, up from 22 percent over the previous five years; and arrivals delays rose from 20 percent to 26 percent.

Before O’Hare’s eighth runway (10C/28C) opened, planners had promised that it would reduce delays, benefiting travelers nationwide since O’Hare is a bottleneck for a large part of the aviation system.

“The poor results raise the prospect that the complexity and enormity of O’Hare, combined with its vulnerability to problems originating elsewhere in the nation’s air system, will sometimes swamp whatever performance gains come from the more efficient design,” AP said.

The increase in flight delays happened even though the number of takeoffs and landings at O’Hare have decreased by 110,000 from 2004 to 2014, the article noted.

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Chicago: No UberX or Lyft pick-ups at O’Hare

Chicago continues to block Uber airport pick-ups. (Image: Jim Glab)

Chicago continues to block Uber airport pick-ups. (Image: Jim Glab)

Despite a new online petition drive aimed at changing the city’s tune toward ride-hailing apps, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has once again refused to allow UberX to make passenger pick-ups at O’Hare and Midway airports.

This is in spite of Uber’s willingness for its UberX drivers to pay $4 per pickup in airport fees. It’s the second time in a little over a year that the mayor has closed the door on airport rideshare pick-ups.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, a spokesman for the city said Emanuel is “not planning to revisit” the existing rules, “especially while the city continues to receive and investigate complaints about ride-share vehicles attempting to game the system.”

Existing rules bar Uber, Lyft and other such firms from picking up passengers not only at the airports but also at McCormick Place.

Current options for getting to and from Ohare (Image: CTA)

Current options for getting to and from Ohare (Image: CTA)

As in many other cities, Chicago’s taxi drivers are vigorously opposed to any expansion of service by ride-hailing apps, especially to the airports.

Should ride-sharing companies like UberX and Lyft be allowed to pick up passengers at airports? Please leave your comments below. 

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O’Hare’s big new construction project

Artist's rendering of O'Hare's big new consolidated rental car facility. (Image: Chicago Dept. of Aviation)

Artist’s rendering of O’Hare’s big new consolidated rental car facility. (Image: Chicago Dept. of Aviation)

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other city officials gathered at O’Hare Airport last week to break ground on the facility’s biggest new construction project in years: a consolidated rental car facility.

The $782 million project includes not only the 4.5 million square foot building — on the northeast side of the airport property near the intersection of Mannheim Road and Zemke Road — but also an extension of O’Hare’s Airport Transit System to connect it to the passenger terminals.

Spacious lobby at the planned rental center. (Image: Chicago Dept. of Aviation)

Spacious lobby at the planned rental center. (Image: Chicago Dept. of Aviation)

The building will contain all rental company facilities, from check-in counters and back offices to parking for 4,200 rental vehicles. It will also have 2,600 public parking spaces. With no more need for shuttle vans, airport officials estimate the new rental center will eliminate 1.3 million vehicle trips per year through the terminal roadways after it is finished in 2018.

Three easy ways to snag 50,000 miles this month!

O’Hare is a little behind the curve in this area; consolidated rental car centers have been all the rage at major U.S. airports for the past decade or so, and they continue to spread — e.g., Charlotte just opened one this spring. O’Hare smaller sister airport, Midway, has had a consolidated rental facility since 2013.

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Hottest new hotels in New York, Dallas, Chicago

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Delta’s future + Aircraft size and flight delays + First class summer fare sales+ Chris’s summer travel outlook + United’s plans for LAX overhaul + Hertz’s fleet renewal 

Guest room at Marriott's New York EDITION. (Image: Marriott)

Guest room at Marriott’s New York EDITION. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott opens its new EDITION hotel in New York City this month, the old Statler Hilton in downtown Dallas is getting a new life, and a leading Chicago property will change brands.

In New York, one of Manhattan’s older landmark buildings — the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, also known as the Clocktower — is becoming Marriott’s New York EDITION this month. Located on Madison Avenue near E. 23rd Street, the easily recognizable building dates back to 1909. As part of the EDITION brand — created by Marriott with hotel guru Ian Schrager — the hotel will have 273 rooms, a restaurant from celebrity chef Jason Atherton, and a design inspired by “turn of the 20th century private clubs, Fifth Avenue’s Gilded Age Mansions and Stanford White’s architectural masterpieces,” Marriott said. Rates start at $675.

The former Dallas Statler Hilton. (Image: Hilton)

The former Dallas Statler Hilton. (Image: Hilton)

The old Dallas Statler Hilton at 1914 Commerce Street downtown opened in the 1950s and has been sitting idle for a decade, but it is getting new life. A developer plans to renovate the historic building with 161 hotel rooms on the lower floors and 219 apartments on the upper levels, with work starting this month. It will also get meeting rooms, office space and four restaurants.  And when it’s finished in about a year and a half, it will be called the Statler Hotel and Residences, and will be a member of Hilton’s Curio Collection.

Entrance to the Conrad Chicago. (Image: Conrad Hotels)

Entrance to the Conrad Chicago. (Image: Conrad Hotels)

The Conrad Chicago at 521 North Rush Street, just off Michigan Avenue, is a part of the Hilton family of brands, but it will change its name and affiliation this coming fall. The hotel’s new name hasn’t been picked yet, but it will become a part of Starwood’s Luxury Collection  following a renovation project, Starwood announced.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Delta’s future + Aircraft size and flight delays + First class summer fare sales+ Chris’s summer travel outlook + United’s plans for LAX overhaul + Hertz’s fleet renewal 


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New, free arrivals app speeds up customs

Customs and Border Protection's new arrivals app will reduce waiting time.

Customs and Border Protection’s new arrivals app will reduce waiting time (Image: CBP).

International travelers returning to the U.S. through Chicago O’Hare — a major entry point for United MileagePlus and American AAdvantage members — can now take advantage of a handy smartphone app to speed up Customs and Border Protection processing.

The Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app, available from Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store, serves a function like those automated passport control kiosks that are springing up in various airports.

The app is currently only available to U.S. and Canadian passport holders.

Passengers use the app to submit their passport data and customs declaration form before arrival, and they’ll get back a receipt with an encrypted QR code that a customs officer will scan.

Customs and Border Protection first deployed the app last summer for travelers flying into Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson. Since then, the app has become available for travelers returning to the U.S. through Miami International and Seattle-Tacoma International.

New: United’s sweet 50,000-mile bonus is back

“MPC is expected to expand to more airports later this spring and CBP has committed to expand the program to the 20 airports with the highest volumes of international travelers by the end of 2016,” CBP said.

Of course, O’Hare has offered the automated passport control kiosks for more than a year. “In the first full year of operation for APC kiosks, average wait times at O’Hare were cut in half to just 15 minutes,” the agency said.

Have you tried this new app… or used a kiosk to re-enter the US yet? How’d that go for you? Please leave your comments below. 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Nationwide summer fare sale + Outrageous luxury suites in the sky +Virgin’s new LAX Clubhouse! 


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Ritz-Carlton Chicago becomes a … Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago has a spectacular lobby

The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago (a Four Seasons hotel) has a spectacular lobby

If you ever looked closely at the formal name of The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, located on the top floors of Michigan Avenue’s Water Tower Place, you would have noticed it was “The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago (A Four Seasons Hotel).”

Confusing, right? Especially since the Four Seasons Chicago is right up the street.

But the confusion will end in August, when The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago drops its Four Seasons affiliation and becomes a full member of Ritz-Carlton, which is a subsidiary of Marriott. After the change is made in August, guests will be able to book the hotel through the Ritz-Carlton website, and will be able to earn points in the Ritz-Carlton Rewards program.

Although Ritz-Carlton has its own loyalty plan, it is partnered with Marriott Rewards, so that guests can earn and redeem points in either program.

The hotel will also get an “extensive renovation” over the next two years, Marriott said. Rates at the hotel start around $500.

How did the confusing affiliation start? According to Wikipedia, The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago licensed the Ritz name when it opened in 1975, but there was no Ritz-Carlton chain at the time, so it joined the Four Seasons group — which started in the early 1960s — where it remains today.

Have you ever stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago? What did you think?

Take a look at what you may have missed on TravelSkills this week! Here’s the full rundown of posts


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Chicago’s glut of hot new hotels

Lobby at the new Hyatt Centric Chicago Loop

Lobby at the new Hyatt Centric Chicago Loop (Photo: Hyatt)

Chicago openings: Hyatt, Marriott. The new Hyatt brand that was announced a few months ago — Hyatt Centric — has opened its first property in the heart of Chicago.

The Hyatt Centric The Loop Chicago occupies a former office building at 100 W. Monroe St. and offers a “minimalist decor” in its 257 guest rooms. Another Centric is due to debut in Miami next month.

Elsewhere in the Windy City, Marriott’s Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel at 1 West Wacker Drive has finished a massive $27 million renovation of its lobby area and all its guestrooms with “Chicago-centric design elements” …

The former Rush and Four Points hotel is now a shiny new AC Hotel by Marriott (Image: Marriott)

The former Rush and Four Points hotel is now a shiny new AC Hotel by Marriott (Image: Marriott)

Another new brand aimed at the Millennial market  — Marriott’s AC Hotels — is due to cut the ribbon on a Chicago property next month: The former Hotel Rush (and Four Points) at 630 N. Rush St. will be reborn as the 226-room AC Hotel Chicago.

Meanwhile, the new Virgin Hotel in Chicago, which started taking guests a couple of months ago, just celebrated its grand opening, and TravelSkills was there with a full report!

Need more brand new Chicago hotels? We’ve got a newsy post for you here about the new: Hotel Chicago, Hyatt Regency, Langham, a big renovation completed at the W Lakeshore, plus the new Thompson hotel. Check it out here!

New hotels are always exciting, but unfortunately all this new supply has not dampened rates in the Windy City– a decent hotel is still quite expensive, especially when there’s a big convention in town.

What’s your favorite hotel in Chicago? Why? 

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Virgin Hotel Chicago grand opening [sexy slideshow]

Wondering how Virgin throws a grand opening party for its very first hotel? Here are some photos that illustrate the showy event in Chicago last week. (All photos courtesy of Virgin Hotels)

To read TravelSkills full report on the Virgin Chicago grand opening event, see this.

Sir Richard Branson

Sir Richard Branson with his retinue

@RichardBranson

Matt McGorry

Actor Matt McGorry (Orange is the New Black) added some star power to the event

@MattMcGorry

Charlotte McKinney

Model and social media star Charlotte McKinney attracted a few eyeballs

@Char_McK 

Party scene on the roof of the brand new Virgin Hotel Chicago

Party scene on the roof of the brand new Virgin Hotel Chicago

To read TravelSkills full report on the Virgin Chicago grand opening event, see this.

VHpics 5

Chad Martel

VHpics 3

Chad Martel

 

VH_GOP15_1

To read TravelSkills full report on the Virgin Chicago grand opening event, see this.

VH_GOP15_ 16

VH_GOP15_ 14

A parade imitating Ferris Bueller’s Day off with Richard Branson in the starring role

 

VH_GOP15_ 12

DJ A-Trak

DJ A-Trak cranked it at the after party

DJ Ryan Hemsworth

DJ Ryan Hemsworth, too.

View from Cerise

View from Cerise, the bar at the top of the Virgin Hotel Chicago

To read TravelSkills full report on the Virgin Chicago grand opening event, see this.

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Six cheeky features at the first Virgin Hotel

The Virgin Hotel brand debuts in Chicago (Photo: Virgin America)

The Virgin Hotel brand debuts in Chicago (Photo: Virgin America)

Imagine disembarking from a Virgin America flight and checking in at Hotel Meh. Now imagine extending the vibe at a Virgin Hotel. It’s like business travel surround-sound. Or at least that’s what Virgin Hotels is betting on.

The Virgin Hotel Chicago celebrated its grand opening April 16 (after the industry practice of a soft opening January 15). Richard Branson added an extra dose of fun to the event, which I attended with great curiosity, courtesy of Virgin America.

The four-star property is not necessarily posh, but if you’re looking for a spicy place to stay, Virgin will certainly fit the bill while still being business-friendly and well-located at the corner of Wabash and Lake. The hotel offers 250 guest rooms, including 38 one-bedroom suites and two penthouse suites; rooms run about $210 and up. Rates vary based on demand, but in May, we found them in the $250-$350 per night range.

Here are six cheeky features to check out at the Virgin Hotel Chicago:

Efficient but fun Virgin Hotel "chamber" (Photo: Virgin America)

Efficient but fun Virgin Hotel “chamber” (Photo: Virgin America)

Your room flirts with you. This is a hotel that does not take itself too seriously. From red ear plugs offered on your pillow (with a note: If you didn’t have one “L” of a sleep, put a plug in it) to a little rubber lamb that looks over your shampoo in the shower, there’s plenty to smile at. The bed’s “playpen” design is patent-pending: white leather upholstery wraps the headboard and just one corner of the foot, inviting hangouts (or whatever).

The minibar will make you smile. When in the history of travel has that ever happened? A bright-red, retro SMEG fridge is adorable, but the real thrill is that the fare is reasonably priced. Just $1 for M&Ms? Shocking! The same can be said of in-room dining.

See grand opening slideshow!

The original bank vault grill tops the lobby grand staircase. (Photo: Nancy Branka)

The original bank vault grill tops the lobby grand staircase. (Photo: Nancy Branka)

Old and new play together. The 1930s Art Deco building was formerly the Old Dearborn Bank and operated as an office building until Virgin swept it off its feet. Original gilded features of the building sit with confidence next to irreverent pop décor. Case in point, the front desk is a 1920s cigar bar, topped with cheeky checkin screens. Red, red, red dominates.

The Tesla house car created quite a stir among guests. (Photo: Nancy Branka)

The Tesla house car created quite a stir during the Ferris Bueller parade. (Photo: Nancy Branka)

Even tech is sassy here. Lucy, the hotel’s app (iOS and Android), will assist you, from controlling the thermostat to ordering room service. All done humorously. Wi-Fi is blazingly fast, free and no login required, and no paying extra for a faster connection (bless ’em!). Need to run an errand? The house car is a stunning black Tesla.

The very glam Commons Club on the hotel's second floor (Photo: Virgin America)

The very glam Commons Club on the hotel’s second floor (Photo: Virgin America)

You’re granted instant access to a swanky club. The entire second floor of the hotel is dominated by a series of spaces that add up to what Virgin calls the Commons Club, where happy hour is hosted nightly. My favorite space within was the round Shag Room, right out of Austin Powers.

Virgin knows how to thumb its nose at The Man. The hotel ran into a roadblock with development of Miss Ricky’s, its street-level diner. The restaurant was intended to be 24/7, until the City of Chicago reminded Virgin that 24-hour establishments are a no-no. We’ll show you, said Virgin: The restaurant is open 23 hours a day.

Richard Branson's day off as Ferris Bueller at the grand opening (Photo: Nancy Branka)

Richard Branson’s day off as Ferris Bueller at the grand opening (Photo: Nancy Branka)

The grand opening was a colorful splash, true to Virgin form. At noon, Wabash Ave. was closed off as a crowd of passersby, guests and celebrities curiously awaited what they only were told to expect as #BransonsDayOff.

Sure enough, the parade scene of Ferris Bueller fame was recreated, complete with Richard Branson emerging from a circle of buxom German fräuleins to sing Twist and Shout. That evening, the entire hotel was overtaken by a rockin’ multi-floor party, and the next morning guests could receive an IV drip treatment from The IV Doc, fluids laced with vitamins to heal a hangover or jet lag. I settled for a B12 injection. (Yes, I let a total stranger—a pretty nurse dressed in black, no less—give me an injection in the Shag Room.)

Before the trip I wondered if I might be a tad too old for the hotel’s brand of humor aimed at millennials. But I felt quite comfortable even at, er, 39. If your loyalty program isn’t the biggest factor in your hotel selection, you’ll find Virgin an appealing choice for a trip to Chicago. Next up is a property on Nashville’s Music Row (2016), then New York in hot NoMad (2017), both new builds.

Rumors swirl of a possible Virgin Hotel in San Francisco, but for now they remain just rumors.

See full slideshow of grand opening event

Have you experienced the Virgin Hotel in Chicago? What did you think? Let us know in the comments.

–-Nancy Branka

Disclosure: Nancy Branka was a guest of Virgin America at this event.

Did you miss our TravelSkills’ Weekend Editions? Not to worry! Here they are:

Runway closure at LAX + New Starwood brand + More passport kiosks + New tier for IHG elites + Fast cars

Delta cutting back + Virgin shines + Southwest seats + Cool coach seat design + Star Wars jet

In Case You Missed It…

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Delta shuttle changes + Virgin beefs up Dallas + 747 quickly disappearing + Posh NYC hotel perch + DFW gets rapid rail

The art deco Marine Air Terminal at New York LaGuardia (Photo: Matt Green / Flickr)

The art deco Marine Air Terminal at New York LaGuardia (Photo: Matt Green / Flickr)

AIRLINES

Delta upgrades LGA-BOS Shuttle. On November 2, Delta will move its New York LaGuardia-Boston Logan Delta Shuttle from LGA’s remote (and cooly art-deco) Marine Air Terminal to Terminal C, and will upgrade its aircraft to 110-passenger Boeing 717s. (Those 717s used to belong to AirTran.)  Delta Shuttle’s LGA-Washington and LGA-Chicago flights will remain at the Marine Air Terminal and continue using Delta Connection/Shuttle America E-175s. Besides the larger planes (with three classes of seating, configured 2-3 in the back + wi-fi + power outlets), LGA-BOS Shuttle passengers will enjoy easier connections and a wider array of terminal services. (Any comments on the improvements Delta has made at LGA lately?)

Virgin expands DAL schedule. Virgin America beefed up is flight skeds from Dallas Love Field (DAL) not long after Southwest said it, too plans to start DAL-SFO/OAK flights. These higher daily frequencies are designed to make Virgin more appealing to business travelers. Virgin’s initial schedule at DAL starts in October, with three flights a day to SFO, LAX and DCA, and four to LGA. Now Virgin says it will add a fourth daily roundtrip to SFO, LAX and DCA starting April 29. (Unconfirmed reports suggest Virgin might end its SFO-Ft. Lauderdale route to free up aircraft for DAL; Virgin is also suspending SFO-PHL and LAX-PHL October 6.) It will also continue its twice-daily SFO-Austin service.

Legacy carriers cut routes… Delta and United are both eliminating some key business routes from their networks. At Memphis — once a Northwest hub — Delta plans to end service next month to Denver and to Austin, although it will add two more daily flights to its ATL hub. Meanwhile, United is due to end its daily non-stop Pittsburgh-Los Angeles flight on August 18, and its two daily Chicago O’Hare-Topeka flights on September 2, leaving that Kansas airport without scheduled passenger service.

…While low-cost airlines add them. Southwest Airlines last week kicked off six daily roundtrips between Chicago Midway and Washington Reagan National, plus three a day between DCA-Nashville and two from DCA to New Orleans. Southwest will add Cleveland-Phoenix service November 2, and just took over more Mexico routes from rapidly disappearing subsidiary AirTran … Spirit Airlines has started service from Kansas City to ORD, DFW, DTW, LAS and IAH, and announced new daily service linking Detroit-ATL and Detroit-New Orleans starting in November, as well as new once-daily service between ORD-ATL, ORD-MSY and ORD-BWI … Frontier said it will begin service on 10 new routes from northern cities to sun destinations this winter.

Alaska Airlines

An alert sent to TravelSkills by Alaska Airlines this week

Reminder: At SFO, all Alaska Airlines flights will move to the International Terminal, Boarding Area A, effective Wednesday, August 20. Details regarding lounge access for Board Room members are still up in the air, however. Stay tuned.

INTERNATIONAL

A fond farewell to Cathay's Queen of the Skies (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

A fond farewell to Cathay’s Queen of the Skies (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Cathay Pacific bids farewell to the B747. On August 31, the Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-400 will make its final departure from SFO, marking Cathay’s retirement of the graceful “Queen of the Skies” from long haul service. At a bittersweet farewell event at San Francisco International this week, Cathay’s Americas head Tom Owen said that Cathy is shedding itself of the B747 in “one of the fastest fleet replacements in history.” Why so fast? Owen said that while the company credits the 747 as the tool that made it a truly global carrier in the 1990s, “it was designed in an era when a barrel of oil cost $15-$20.” With oil currently hovering around the $100/bbl mark, Cathay is moving to the Boeing 777-300ER and the soon-to-be-released Airbus A350 (both of which are 25% more efficient than the 747) for its long haul flights. Cathay’s remaining 747s will be deployed on intra-Asia routes for the next two years, and will then disappear.

Related: Sad to see the graceful 747 fade away! 

Mockup of Aer Lingus' new true lie flat business class seat coming in 2015 (Aer Lingus)

Mockup of Aer Lingus’ new true lie flat business class seat coming in 2015 (Aer Lingus)

New biz classes at Aer Lingus, Finnair.  Aer Lingus has detailed its plans for a (much needed) revamped business class to debut in 2015, with fully-flat seats, free Wi-Fi, 16-inch hi-def touchscreens and Irish cuisine. Meanwhile, Finnair has unveiled the interior designs for its long-haul fleet of Airbus’ new A350 XWB (extra wide body) aircraft, which the Finnish carrier will start flying in 2015. The 297-seat A350s will have a 46-seat 1-2-1 business class with flat-bed seats, 16-inch touchscreens, Wi-Fi and more.  (TravelSkills contributor Ramsey Qubein recently flew to Helsinki for a first hand look at the first A350– stay tuned for his review later this week!)

Did you see our post on How to Deal With Americans? This is one of those cases where reader feedback is even better than the post! 🙂 Check it out here.

AIRPORTS

New DART rapid rail connection at DFW

New DART rapid rail connection at DFW (Photo: Dallas Area Rapid Transit)

DFW gets a rail link. August 18 marks the opening of the DFW Airport Station, the terminus for a five-mile extension of Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s light rail. The station, part of DFW’s Terminal A, is opening four months ahead of schedule. The new Orange Line extension runs from the airport to Belt Line Station, with continuing service to Irving-Las Colinas, Dallas Market Center and downtown Dallas. It will make DFW the third-largest U.S. airport with a direct rail link to the city center.

HOTELS

A posh new perch in NYC

The striking new Park Hyatt: A posh new perch in NYC (Photo: Hyatt)

NYC Park Hyatt opens next week. An August 19 debut is slated for Hyatt’s new flagship property, the Park Hyatt New York, across from Carnegie Hall on West 57th Street. The posh property takes up the first 25 floors of a 90-story glass tower that reshapes the Midtown skyline; the floors above contain ultra-expensive condos. The Park Hyatt has 210 extra-large rooms (standard rooms average around 500 square feet), including lots of suite options; rates start at $700-$800 a night.

Rebranded Chicago-area hotels. There’s lots of hotel rebranding in and around Chicago this month. Downtown, the former Crowne Plaza at 160 E. Huron was remade into a dual-branded Hilton — the Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Magnificent Mile … The former InterContinental Chicago O’Hare Hotel, a 556-room property across from the Donald Stephens Convention Center in suburban Rosemont, has been acquired by Loews Hotels and converted to the Loews brand … In the western suburb of Oak Brook, the former Renaissance has been converted by Starwood into Le Meridien Chicago-Oak Brook Center after a $25 million renovation; and the former Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center is now the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills.

In Case You Missed It…

>Ten little things that make a difference in a hotel stay.

>Hawaiian Airlines will start SFO-Maui A330 service four times a week November 20, increasing to daily December 17.

>TravelSkills contributor has mixed results with a recent Airbnb booking for a business trip

-Jim Glab & Chris McGinnis

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Delta backs down + Better food? + New ATL lounge + New Delta plane

DELTA BACKS OFF SAME-DAY CHANGE RESTRICTIONS…But just barely. Following significant feedback from customers, Delta has made the decision to soften the blow of recent changes to same day rules. Now, same-day confirmed changes can be made any time 24 hours prior to flight time. No fee will be required for Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Medallion members, but the same booking class must be available. This booking class restriction remains in place from the initial change, but the window for free changes has been extended to 24 hours (rather than within the previous three hour window). If your same fare bucket is not available, the free standby option remains. If you were upgraded on the original flight, going standby only puts you in the running for a seat in coach since the upgrade list is generally cleared first. This new policy is expected to be fully in place by late August. How do you feel about this slight “giveback”? Please leave your comments below!

Hugh Acheson of Empire State South

Hugh Acheson of Empire State South

DELTA HOLDS COOKOFF FOR NEXT CHEF…Delta is teaming up with Food & Wine magazine to look for the next celebrity chef to provide input on meals for Atlanta-departing flights. The culinary video series, named “Cabin Pressure Cook Off,” features four contestants including two Atlanta stars: Hugh Acheson of Empire State South and Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch Public House. The Cabin Pressure Cook Off, which will air in October on Delta flights, will feature culinary challenges filmed at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. Delta prepares more than 110,000 inflight meals daily.

NEW LOUNGE OPENS IN ATLANTA… As mentioned on The TICKET Facebook page, The Club at ATL lounge on Concourse F has opened. It welcomes Lufthansa and British Airways premium passengers in addition to full Priority Pass members. Other passengers can buy a day pass for $35, which is cheaper than the Delta Sky Club $50 fee for general one-day access. Complimentary beverages (including wine and beer) in addition to light snacks and free wi-fi will be on offer, but the lounge is still little competition for the flashy new Sky Deck at the neighboring Delta Sky Club. Similar The Club lounges are located at airports in Raleigh-Durham, Las Vegas and Dallas. Have you visited one yet? Thoughts? 

FIRST CLASS SNACK BASKET CHANGES…Noticed a few changes in the Delta snack basket recently? Delta is now stocking Fritos chips instead of SunChips (some flights may still have the latter until stocks run out). Other new items include Pirouette cookies and Hershey’s chocolate bars. Luckily, fresh fruit and Biscoff cookies are still here to stay in addition to other favorites like Pretzel M&Ms, Quaker granola bars, and peanuts. What’s your snack basket pick? Please leave your comments below.

Some of the firearms found in hand luggage and confiscated by the TSA

Some of the firearms found in hand luggage and confiscated by the TSA

TSA FINDS MORE GUNS AT ATL THAN OTHER AIRPORTS…Atlanta TSA agents discovered more travelers attempting to pass through security with guns than any other U.S. airport last year. TSA didn’t keep statistics on guns intercepted before 2011, but the government agency says there is an upward national trend in recent years. In the first six months of the year, screeners found 894 guns nationwide either on people or inside carry-on baggage. Atlanta set the record last year with 96 guns found. Do these people not watch the news? The help build awareness, the TSA now has an Instagram page with photos of confiscated weaponry. Take a peek— you won’t believe what you see.

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O’HARE CREEPS UP ON ATLANTA’S TITLE…Since Atlanta stole the title of world’s busiest airport from Chicago O’Hare in 2005, the race has been fierce, and O’Hare is finally gaining traction again. This year, Chicago’s largest airport has seen an increase in flights, and according to a recent Chicago Tribune article, many believe it may steal back the title with the most flights in the coming years. In the first half of 2013, Atlanta handled 453,800 takeoffs and landings, while O’Hare accommodated 426,800 flights, a preliminary FAA tally shows. Atlanta carries also more passengers than O’Hare. In 2012, Atlanta was the busiest airport in the world for total passengers, and O’Hare clocked in at number five. But just wait…airports in China should supersede ATL or ORD any day now…just wait.

Southwest B737 at ATL. (Chris McGinnis)

Southwest B737 at ATL. (Chris McGinnis)

ATLANTA A WEAK PERFORMER FOR SOUTHWEST? In a recent earnings call Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly included ATL among cities where it’s struggling. Here’s the quote: “In terms of what I think we would be comfortable sharing for competitive reasons, the markets that are in more of a transition from AirTran through some step process into Southwest, those are the ones that are in more development. So, if you sort of think about the Atlanta, Baltimore, Milwaukee where there’s a lot of change taking place. Those markets are not performing as strong as markets that aren’t affected by that kind of transition, that’s very clear.” How would you gauge Southwest’s performance in Atlanta so far? Have you tried Southwest? Why or why not? Please leave your comments below.  

Buh-bye Pinnacle, hello Endeavor Air

Buh-bye Pinnacle, hello Endeavor Air

ENDEAVOR AIR FLIES FOR DELTA CONNECTION…Never heard the name? Troubled Pinnacle Airlines has rebranded as Endeavor Air with a fresh logo. The Delta Connection carrier, a subsidiary of Delta following its investment in the bankrupt Pinnacle, will continue flying about 1,000 flights daily. The airline had its headquarters in Memphis, but it has since moved to Minneapolis. Only a handful of Endeavor’s flights touch Atlanta, and most flights are operated by CRJ-900s. The airline also operates CRJ-200s, but these are being phased out quickly.

WATCH YOUR MOVIES LONGER…Notice something different on your last Delta flight with inflight entertainment? Delta has decided to switch on the entertainment system upon boarding rather than after takeoff to allow people to watch live TV, movies, and other programming from the moment they sit in their seat. This will ease some of the stress from summer weather delays although it will be difficult to sell headsets in the main cabin before takeoff so stash a pair in your carry-on. Have you noticed the change? 

Simulated look at a Delta Boeing 717 (NBflightsim.com)

Simulated look at a Delta Boeing 717 (NBflightsim.com)

DELTA DEPLOYS NEW AIRCRAFT TYPE. Remember the news last year when Delta agreed to buy all of AirTran’s Boeing 717s from Southwest? The first of those planes will be deployed on Delta’s ATL-Newark route starting Sept 19. By the end of October, all flights between ATL and Newark will be on the 717. The aircraft will feature Gogo wifi, 12 first class seats, 15 Economy Comfort seats, and 83 economy seats. More 717 destinations will be coming online soon.

UNITED TEAMS UP WITH MARRIOTT…United copied Delta’s move to team up with a hotel brand. While Delta offers Crossover Rewards with Starwood allowing flyers to earn hotel points and hotel elite status (Starwood elites earn Delta benefits too), Marriott and United now provide similar benefits. Marriott Rewards Platinum Elite and Platinum Premier Elite will receive complimentary United Premier Silver status. Good advice from reader LH: “This may offer ATL AirTran business travelers, that meet the Marriott Rewards Platinum-level qualification, an elite status option over the pending switch to all-coach class Southwest. While it may be United’s lowest tier, the instant elite status will provide an alternative for those not wanting to start from the bottom with Delta. United Silver status brings complimentary upgrades, 25% mileage bonus and free Economy Plus seating within 24 hours of departure. Register here. United elites will also benefit from special benefits and elite status with Marriott as well; United Gold Premiers and above get automatic Marriott Gold Elite status, which offers club access, free breakfast, late checkout and more. What do you think about these instant elite partnerships? Are they fair to people who work to earn status the hard way? Please leave your comments below.

SEATTLE TO HEATHROW NONSTOP…Delta has announced nonstop Seattle to London Heathrow nonstop service beginning March 29, 2014. The flight will be operated using a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with lie-flat seats in the pointy end of the plane. The flight is part of the new code share with Virgin Atlantic.

SOUTHWEST ON ATL-DCA. Southwest will operate one of the six daily Atlanta to Washington Reagan National flights beginning Feb. 13 with AirTran continuing to fly the rest.

Can you ID this plane type? Please leave your comments below!

Can you ID this plane type? Please leave your comments below!

DELTA HERITAGE MUSEUM GETS A MAKEOVER…Delta is investing in memories and updating the Heritage Museum located near the Atlanta airport and corporate headquarters. The $6.3 million in renovation funds are coming from The Delta Air Lines Foundation and corporate sponsors and will restore the historic hangars, which house significant amounts of important airline memorabilia. Its most popular items on display are the Spirit of Delta, a Boeing 767-200 aircraft purchased through employee contributions in 1982 as a sign of appreciation and now housing an interior cabin mockup display, and Delta’s first 1940s era Douglas DC-3 aircraft. Tours, event space, and a gift shop will all be part of the revitalized facility when it reopens in the summer of 2014. Have you ever taken a look a the Delta Heritage Museum? Why or why not?

—Chris McGinnis & Ramsey Qubein

*****

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Virgin America blows into Chicago (ORD)

Virgin's star-studded arrival at Chicago-O'Hare included appearances of stars like Adrian Grenier of Entourage and the swashbuckling entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson. (Photo: Bob Riha, Jr.)

Virgin’s star-studded arrival at Chicago-O’Hare included appearances of stars like Adrian Grenier of Entourage and the swashbuckling entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson. (Photo: Bob Riha, Jr.)

On Wednesday, Virgin America inaugurated nonstops between San Francisco International and Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) in typical fashion– by throwing a big, glam party on a Chicago hotel rooftop full of stars (like Adrian Grenier) and swashbucklers (like Richard Branson).

On Wednesday, Virgin America inaugurated nonstops between San Francisco International and Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) in typical fashion– by throwing a big, glam party on a Chicago hotel rooftop full of stars (like Adrian Grenier) and swashbucklers (like Richard Branson).

Fans of Virgin have long awaited flights to the Windy City, but the carrier’s attempts to enter the SFO-ORD market were stymied due to lack of gate space and the power of entrenched legacy carriers American and United Airlines.

However, recent gate swapping among consolidating airlines plus a full-on charm offensive on the Chicago political machine finally landed Virgin with rights to fly from both Los Angeles and San Francisco into O’Hare.

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This is great news for Bay Area travelers who fly regularly on this very busy route. Entry by a new low-cost carrier means that fares will remain in check and hopefully decline. Virgin offered a few $200 round trip fares to kick off the service, but looking out over the summer months, you’ll pay $300-$400 or so to get to and from Chicago on any carrier. If that seems painful, I’m certain it would be a lot worse if Virgin were not in the market. With all these flights plus Southwest’s service into Chicago Midway airport, I can smell a fare war brewing…but it won’t happen until demand starts to wane in the fall months.

Members of frequent flyer programs are already benefiting from a slew of new promos to attract and/or keep them from shifting. American AAdvantage and United Mileage Plus jumped in with their biggest marketing guns: double elite qualifying miles for flights through the end of August. With that, Virgin’s Elevate countered with a triple points promotion (that’s a cool 15 points per dollar spent. Not bad!) Too bad Virgin does not have an elite level for Elevate members yet…but execs tell me it’s in the works….stay tuned.

Residency in California or Illinois and registration is required for all the promos: Virgin America | United| American

Virgin America entered the SFO-ORD market with three flights per day. United responded to that by adding five new flights per day on the route, for a total of 17. American offers six flights per day. [UPDATED: Continental Airlines now offers a single daily round trip between SFO and ORD using a nice new B737-900]

So, who’s going to win this epic battle? Travel industry analyst for Forrester Research Henry Harteveldt (who’s also a resident of San Francisco) says:

“Virgin America is a very credible challenger to American and United on the SFO-ORD route. Our research shows that even among frequent business travelers, 40% do not consider themselves to be brand loyal to any travel company. Virgin has some key amenities which business travelers value and that United lacks– satellite TV, in-seat power, and Wi-Fi. Between United and American, I believe that United will retain more of its market share, since it operates hubs in both Chicago and San Francisco. With a large base of Mileage Plus members in both cities, United’s double miles bonus offer will resonate. Even with double AAdvantage miles, I believe American is apt to lose more market share, since SF is not one of its five key ‘cornerstone’ markets.”

Frequent travelers should keep in mind that Southwest Airlines flies nonstop to Chicago’s Midway Airport four times per day from Oakland, three times from SFO and once a day from San Jose. Southwest’s summer fares to Midway are also in the $300-$400 range.

What do YOU think? Next time you fly to Chicago, which airline would you choose…and why?


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