TravelSkills

News and Tips For Your Trips

Routes: Etihad at DFW, El Al, Southwest, and lots of Mexico news

Etihad 777-200

Etihad ended its 777 flights from San Francisco to Abu Dhabi last month- now another city gets dropped (Photo: Peter Biaggi / SFO)

In international route developments, Etihad drops another U.S. gateway and blames American; El Al comes back to Miami; Southwest adds three Latin America/Caribbean destinations from Ft. Lauderdale; and there’s new service to Mexico from Delta/Aeromexico, Alaska, Volaris, Interjet and Viva Aerobus.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways continues to struggle in the U.S. market. Late last month, it ended its San Francisco route, and it recently announced plans to trim its Los Angeles schedule from seven flights a week to four from mid-January through April. And now the carrier said it will suspend its daily flights from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Abu Dhabi, effective March 25. The airline said the Texas route “will become commercially unsustainable following American Airlines’ unilateral decision to terminate its codeshare agreement ” with Etihad. Company officials said almost half the passengers on its DFW flights were connecting from AA domestic code-shares. Etihad said that depending on how its summer bookings go, “further changes” are possible in its U.S. route network.

El Al uses a 777-200 on new Miami flights. (Image: El Al)

Nine years ago, Israel’s El Al ended its Tel Aviv-Miami service — but now it’s back. Last week, El Al started flying the route once again, operating three flights a week with a 777-200. The Israeli carrier also flies from Tel Aviv to New York JFK, Newark, Los Angeles, Boston and Toronto.

Southwest continues to expand its international schedule from Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport, where earlier this year it opened an expansion of Terminal 1 to accommodate those flights. This week, Southwest started daily service to three new destinations from FLL –Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos; San Jose, Costa Rica; and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. At Houston Hobby, meanwhile, Southwest just announced plans to start service next June to Grand Cayman.

There’s lots of activity in the U.S.-Mexico market these days. Alaska Airlines, which started flying to Mexico City from San Francisco and Los Angeles in August, has now kicked off San Diego-MEX flights. Alaska partner SkyWest operates the daily flights with an E175.

Aeromexico just started Seattle-Mexico City 737 flights. (Image: San Jose Airport).

Meanwhile, Delta and Aeromexico continue to develop their joint venture partnership. They just opened up new daily service between Delta’s Atlanta hub and Queretaro, Mexico, flying the route with a two-class Aeromexico E190. And last week, Aeromexico launched service from Delta’s growing Seattle hub to Mexico City, using a 737-800 for the daily year-round flights.

Mexican carriers are also adding new service.  Low-cost carrier InterJet is adding three routes out of Los Angeles International this month. On November 23, it will begin daily flights to Leon/Guanajuato (close to popular San Miguel de Allende) and three flights a week to Los Cabos, followed on November 24 by four weekly roundtrips from LAX to Puerto Vallarta. On December 19, Volaris will inaugurate weekly service from LAX to Acapulco. And on December 16, vivaAerobus plans to launch daily A320 flights between Mexico City and Las Vegas.

Finally, Southwest Airlines said it will expand service to Cancun on June 9 of next year by adding seasonal Saturday flights from Pittsburgh and Raleigh-Durham. That means that on Saturdays next summer, Southwest will be operating 27 flights to Cancun from 16 U.S. cities.

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!

Don’t miss out! Join the 185,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

 


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

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

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

Don’t miss out! Join the 185,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Airberlin keeps operating – but for how long?

Airberlin’s days are numbered and its assets are for sale . (Image: Airberlin)

Financially troubled Airberlin went bankrupt last month after one of its biggest investors – Abu Dhabi-based Etihad – decided to stop pumping funds into the money-losing airline. And now the carrier is living on borrowed time – and money – as it starts to wind down its operations.

Among the schedule changes: Airberlin has moved up the seasonal cessation of service on some U.S. routes by about a month. It is now due to stop flying to Berlin Tegel on October 1 from San Francisco and October 3 from Los Angeles, and will halt Chicago-Berlin flights September 30 and Miami-Berlin November 2. An October 1 termination is also set for the airline’s Boston-Dusseldorf service.

The airline currently plans to keep flying this winter to Berlin from New York JFK, and to Dusseldorf from JFK, Chicago, Los Angeles, Orlando and San Francisco, according to Routesonline.com, although those plans could change.

This is especially tough on SFO because it offered the airport’s only nonstop to Berlin. We’ve reached out to Lufthansa to see if it would be taking that slot, but have not heard back.

The European Commission this week approved the German government’s proposal to extend a $179 million bridge loan to the troubled airline. “The measure will allow for the orderly wind-down of the insolvent airline Airberlin without unduly distorting competition in the single market,” the EC said in a statement.

“The purpose of the loan is to allow Air Berlin to continue operations in the coming months, with the aim of maintaining its services while it concludes ongoing negotiations to sell its assets,” the EC statement added. “At the end of the process, Airberlin is expected to cease operating and exit the market.”

Airberlin is looking for investors interested in buying its assets, and has set a September 15 deadline for bids. According to press reports, European carriers interested in buying assets include Lufthansa, Ryanair, TUI and possibly Easyjet.

Last winter, Lufthansa agreed to lease about three dozen A319s and A320s and crews from Airberlin, to be used by Lufthansa’s Eurowings and Austrian Airlines subsidiaries.

On its website, Airberlin thanked government officials for approving the bridge loan as it looks for buyers. “Without guaranteed financial support at this time, Airberlin would have had to shut down operations immediately,” the company said.

Airberlin has posted a page of frequently asked questions for passengers.

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

In the market for a new credit card? See our “Credit Card Deals” tab to shop around! It helps us help you!

Don’t miss out! Join the 185,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

American pulls the plug on Etihad, Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways A350 (Photo: Qatar Airways)

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

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

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

Etihad 777-200

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

In the market for a new credit card? See our “Credit Card Deals” tab to shop around! It helps us help you.

Don’t miss out! Join the 185,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

More airlines dropped from laptop ban, effective immediately

Emirates passengers can once again use laptops inflight. (Image: Emirates)

Six Middle Eastern airlines said they are no longer subject to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s laptop ban, which originally covered non-stop flights to the U.S. from 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa.

Just this week Royal Jordanian and Kuwait Airways announced they were out from under the ban. Late last week, Etihad said it had met DHS’s stringent new security inspection standards so that passengers on its flights from Abu Dhabi to the U.S. would no longer have to put their laptops and tablets into their checked baggage, or check them at the gate. Also Emirates, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways say their U.S. flights are no longer subject to the ban, effective immediately.

 

Turkish Airlines has also had the U.S. laptop ban lifted. (Image: Boeing

Large Middle Eastern carriers had responded to the ban by offering “loaner” laptops to their business and first class customers, and by allowing passengers to gate-check their electronic devices on U.S.-bound flights. Turkish Airlines said that during the 102 days when it was subject to the ban, it collected almost 82,000 devices from passengers; three-fourths of those were laptops and tablets.

Last week, DHS officials said that the U.S.  could extend its laptop ban to flights from any of 280 airports worldwide unless airlines met strict new security standards that include more sophisticated explosive trace detection scanning for passengers’ carry-ons, greater use of bomb-sniffing dogs, and more intensive screening of airport workers and even passengers themselves.

But the agency also said airlines and airports currently facing the laptop ban could have it lifted if they met the new standards – which some of them are now doing.

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

In the market for a new credit card? See our “Credit Card Deals” tab to shop around! It helps us help you.

Don’t miss out! Join the 185,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

 

 


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Routes: More United Polaris from SFO + Etihad, ANA, Asiana, SAA, El Al

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

In international route developments, United will deploy more 777-300ERs with new Polaris cabins on routes from San Francisco and Newark; Etihad catches a break from the U.S. laptop ban; ANA adds a third daily Los Angeles flight; Asiana will fly a new A350 to San Francisco; South African Airways puts its newest aircraft on all its Washington D.C. flights; El Al will fly its new Dreamliner in a key U.S. market; and Southwest drops a pair of Cuba routes.

So far, United’s full-blown new Polaris business class with flat-bed passenger compartments is only available on its new Boeing 777-300ERs – and it doesn’t have many of them yet. But more are on the way, and the airline is gradually extending the new Polaris cabin to more routes. Routesonline.com reports that United’s latest schedule update shows the 777-300ERs going onto three more routes in the next few months: On September 6, the 777-300ER will replace the 747-400 on United’s San Francisco-Beijing route; on October 6, the new plane will take over SFO-Frankfurt, also from a 747-400; and on October 28, a 777-300ER will replace a 777-200ER on the Newark-Tokyo Narita route.

Last month, United put the new plane onto its SFO-Tokyo Narita route, and SFO-Taipei service is set to begin August 1. It also flies them from SFO to Hong Kong and from Newark to Tel Aviv.

Some bad news on the Polaris front: The new Polaris Lounge at SFO, which was first expected to open in mid 2017 will now open in “late 2017 or early 2018” according to a spokesperson. Stay tuned. (See our previous post about the Polaris lounge here.)

Although the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been threatening to expand its so-called laptop ban to more airports, it looks like the ban is actually getting smaller. DHS last week laid out new, tougher inspection and security standards for foreign airlines and airports to meet if they don’t want the ban extended to them, and one of the first to meet the new standards is Abu Dhabi-based Etihad. As a result, DHS said it has lifted the laptop ban for Etihad, and passengers can once again carry their personal electronic devices on board. The ban remains in place for non-stop flights to the U.S. from nine other Middle Eastern and North African airports.

Starting October 29, ANA plans to increase its schedule from Los Angeles International to Tokyo, citing “strong demand” in the market and “constant growth in the number of passengers.” The airline said it will increase its LAX-Tokyo Narita schedule from one flight a day to two; ANA also operates one daily roundtrip between LAX and Tokyo Haneda. The new Narita flight will offer a late-evening departure and will use a three-class 777-300ER.

Asiana will put a new A350 onto its San Francisco route. (Image: Airbus)

South Korea’s Asiana Airlines is planning some changes for its San Francisco-Seoul Incheon route. For one thing, instead of using a 777-200ER as previously planned, it will switch to a brand new Airbus A350-900XWB effective August 14. Then when its winter schedule kicks in on October 29, its SFO departure time will switch from daytime to late-evening (11:30 p.m.), making more connections possible at Incheon. The return flight will arrive in SFO in the afternoon.

Earlier this year, South African Airways started flying an Airbus A330-300 with its new Premium Business Class product three times a week between Washington Dulles and Johannesburg via a stop in Dakar, Senegal. Now the airline has increased Dulles service with the new plane to daily frequencies by deploying the A330-300 on its four weekly IAD-Johannesburg flights that operate via Accra, Ghana. The new business class seats recline 180 degrees and all of them offer direct aisle access, power/USB ports and on-demand entertainment systems. The aircraft’s economy section has also been upgraded.

Business class in El Al’s new 787-9 Dreamliner. (Image: El Al)

Israel’s El Al is a little late to the Dreamliner game, but it has set the schedule for deployment of its first 787-9s starting later this year. For U.S. passengers, El Al will put the plane into service six times a week beginning October 29 on its Newark-Tel Aviv route (the same route where United recently started flying its new 777-300ER), gradually increasing frequencies to 11 a week by next March. El Al will also deploy the 787-9 on its Tel Aviv-London Heathrow route starting September 12, and Tel Aviv-Hong Kong beginning March 18 of next year. El Al’s 787-9s will have a three-class configuration including a new premium economy class. Here’s a visual preview of the interiors.

The bloom is off the rose for all the new Cuba routes that U.S. carriers introduced some months ago. The latest pullback is from Southwest, which said it will discontinue its daily Ft. Lauderdale-Varadero and Ft. Lauderdale-Santa Clara, Cuba, service on September, and instead will focus on its Havana service.  Southwest flies to Havana twice a day from Ft. Lauderdale and once a day from Tampa, and has applied for rights to a third daily FLL-Havana flight. The airline said it dropped the other two routes because its analysis “confirmed that there is not a clear path to sustainability serving these markets, particularly with the continuing prohibition in U.S. law on tourism to Cuba for American citizens.”

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

In the market for a new credit card? See our “Credit Card Deals” tab to shop around! It helps us help you.

Don’t miss out! Join the 185,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Another Mideast carrier cuts U.S. service

Etihad 777-200

Etihad will end its 777 flights from San Francisco to Abu Dhabi. (Photo: Peter Biaggi / SFO)

Could this be the latest impact of the U.S. “laptop ban” on non-stop flights from the Middle East? Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said it will eliminate service to San Francisco effective October 29.

Etihad didn’t mention the laptop ban in its announcement, instead blaming the decision on lower-than-expected passenger levels and fares on the route. Earlier this year, Etihad had reduced frequencies on the SFO-Abu Dhabi route from daily to three flights a week.

Etihad’s presence at SFO got off to an inauspicious start. When it arrived in San Francisco in November of 2014, it used an older 777 borrowed from India’s Jet Airways, in which Etihad has partial ownership- this led to the nickname “Jetihad.” Back then we posted a TravelSkills Trip Report about a Jetihad flight which confirmed what many travelers feared- service that was not quite up to Etihad standards.

Eventually, it put one of its own 777s on the route.

Etihad said it will refund or rebook passengers booked on SFO flights after October 29, and that it will continue service on its other U.S. routes.

Emirates has cut back frequencies on several U.S. routes. (Image: Emirates)

Two  months ago, Emirates said it planned to reduce its U.S. service this spring by 25 flights a week on routes from Dubai to Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale – although it did not eliminate any of those routes.

Emirates placed the blame on declining passenger demand, which it attributed to the laptop ban and on the Trump Administration’s efforts to ban travel from select Muslim-majority countries.

Every reduction in U.S. service by the Big Three Middle Eastern airlines (Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways) is expected to benefit Air India, since a considerable amount of U.S.-India traffic flows through the Gulf States on those carriers.

Air India’s first flight from New Delhi arrived at SFO in December 2015. (Image: Peter Biaggi)

Next month, Air India will launch new service between Delhi and Washington Dulles, and recent reports indicate it plans to start flying from Delhi to Los Angeles in September and possibly to Dallas/Ft. Worth later this year. The Indian carrier was reportedly encouraged to expand its U.S. presence by the success of its San Francisco-Delhi route.

Meanwhile, Qatar Airways – which has maintained an aggressive growth strategy for the U.S. – said in April that it is planning to add Doha-San Francisco service in 2018. It already flies to 14 U.S. cities. Qatar officials said the airline’s load factor on U.S. routes fell by only half a point since the laptop ban was imposed.

However, Qatar Airways announced those plans before encountering a crisis this month when several of its regional neighbors – including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates – broke off diplomatic relations with Qatar, banning its airline from flying into their airports or through their airspace.

Thoughts, please! Have you flown Etihad or Jetihad? What did you think? 

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

In the market for a new credit card? See our “Credit Card Deals” tab to shop around! It helps us help you.

Don’t miss out! Join the 185,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

In the market for a new credit card? See our “Credit Card Deals” tab to shop around! It helps us help you.

Don’t miss out! Join the 185,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Working around the laptop ban

Qatar Airways is offering loaner laptops to premium passengers. (Image: Qatar Airways)

If you can’t bring your own laptop or tablet into the cabin for a very long flight, would you accept a loaner?

That’s the strategy some carriers are adopting in the wake of the so-called “laptop ban” imposed by the U.S. and U.K. governments on non-stop flights from several airports in the Middle East and Africa. The ban bars passengers from carrying any electronic device larger than a smartphone into the passenger cabin.

First, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad decided to offer loaner iPads and free Wi-Fi starting April 2 for first class and business class passengers on flights to its six U.S. gateways.

Qatar Airways then went a step further, buying up a supply of loaner laptops that will be made available on the aircraft to U.S.-bound business class passengers starting next week. “Customers will be able to download their work on to a USB before stepping on board to pick up where they left off,” the airline said. Qatar is also offering all passengers one hour of free in-flight Wi-Fi on U.S.-bound flights, or a special rate of $5 for a connection for the full duration of the flight.

Emirates’ president said that his carrier is also considering the use of loaner laptops for premium passengers.

Turkish Airlines and others will let customers check devices at the gate. (Photo: San Francisco International Airport)

Both Qatar and Emirates are letting U.S.-bound passengers keep using their tablets and laptops right up to boarding, so they don’t have to pack them in their checked luggage. Devices will be collected at the gate, flown in the hold, and returned at the destination. Turkish Airlines has also adopted procedures for checking electronic devices at the gate.

The affected airlines are not alone in worrying about the impact that the ban could have on their business. The International Air Transport Association – the leading trade organization for the world’s airlines – called on governments “to urgently find alternatives” to the device ban. The group said the ban seemed misguided and poorly conceived.

“The current measures are not an acceptable long-term solution to whatever threat they are trying to mitigate. Even in the short term it is difficult to understand their effectiveness. And the commercial distortions they create are severe,” said IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac.

“With the measures now in place, our passengers and member airlines are asking valid questions. Why don’t the US and the UK have a common list of airports? How can laptops be secure in the cabin on some flights and not others, including flights departing from the same airport? And surely there must be a way to screen electronic equipment effectively? The current situation is not acceptable and will not maintain the all-important confidence of the industry or of travelers. We must find a better way. And Governments must act quickly,” said de Juniac.

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

Don’t miss out! Join the 200,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

LOL: The lighter side the electronics ban

A nice meal and my laptop in business class (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The electronics ban imposed this week is serious business and bound to have a painful impact on inflight productivity as well as airline profits. But you can always count on social media to find humor in the serious.

Below are some clever examples of how airlines and travelers trying to put a smile on this grimacing situation.

First off, we have Royal Jordanian’s list of things to do when you don’t have a tablet or laptop. Clever! But I’d add: Book a window seat to ponder clouds and the geography below!

Here’s one way a traveler can pass time… sketching about his or her experience

Does anyone know if typewriters will be allowed in flight? At least it will give us something to do. But imagine the noise factor.


LG has found a way to use the ban to sell its products:


Turkish Airways video focuses on its elaborate meal service and robust inflight entertainment as a diversion from the boredom of a long flight without a laptop.

That Etch-a-Sketch looks too much like a fat tablet to pass muster… would probably have to pack that, too.


Chicago reporter Miriam Sobh explores 5 ways the electronics ban is a good thing, starting out with fewer kids onboard flights and ending with cheaper flights:

Emirates has quickly responded to the ban with a new service that allows travelers to work on laptops up until boarding time, then packs them up and stows them at the gate. Smart move!

Emirates was the first out with a clever response– it repurposed an old Jennifer Aniston ad asking “Who needs laptops anyway?” Makes me wonder if Aniston had a clause in her contract for the repurposing of the original ad… probably not!

Clever use of cartooning. Looks like me trying to write and post a Trip Report before I jump onboard.


It’s probably unintentional, but Kuwait Airways’ new ad campaign focuses on packing your bags for summer trips. They can tweak it to add “pack your electronics,” too!


This Etihad tweet is a double entendre:

Have you found any good examples? Or have one of your own? Please share them below. Also go search social media using the #electronicsban hashtag.

 

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

In the market for a new credit card? See our “Credit Card Deals” tab to shop around! It helps us help you.

Don’t miss out! Join the 200,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Electronics ban spreads: Advice & alternative explanations

Working on your laptop inflight now impossible on some airlines (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Today the Department of Homeland Security announced that passengers traveling on nonstop flights to the U.S. from 10 airports in the Middle East and Africa will not be allowed to carry on electronic devices larger than mobile phones. Instead, these larger devices must now be transported as checked luggage.

This morning, the UK imposed a similar ban on nonstop flights from six cities in the Middle East and Africa. The UK ban differs in that it DOES include non Middle East carriers (including British Airways) but it does not affect flights from Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi. Canada is also considering a similar ban.

This directive hits business travelers directly in the gut. Why? Because we typically spend most of our time on long flights working on our laptops, or watching movies on our tablets. We don’t check bags. And we don’t trust the airlines to transport our valuable equipment safely and securely in checked luggage (and airlines specifically state that they will not cover electronics in checked baggage).

The good news, if there is any, is that this directive affects a very small number of flights. DHS emphasizes that only 10 airports out of 250 worldwide with nonstop flights to the US are affected.

For example, at San Francisco International, it hits less than three flights per day: a daily nonstop from Dubai on Emirates Airline and the daily nonstop from Istanbul on Turkish Airlines. It also affects a twice-per-week nonstop from Abu Dhabi to SFO on Etihad.  In Atlanta, it affects two flights: the daily nonstop from Doha on Qatar Airways and another from Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.

Turkish Airlines inaugural flight with San Francisco mural arrives at SFO (Chris McGinnis)

The affected overseas airports are:

  • Amman-Queen Alia International Airport (AMM)
  • Cairo International Airport (CAI)
  • Istanbul- Ataturk International Airport (IST)
  • Jeddah- King Abdul-Aziz International Airport (JED)
  • Riyadh- King Khalid International Airport (RUH)
  • Kuwait International Airport (KWI),
  • Casablanca- Mohammed V Airport (CMN)
  • Doha- Hamad International Airport (DOH)
  • Dubai International Airport (DXB)
  • Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH)

Airlines affected by the ban:

  • Egypt Air
  • Emirates
  • Etihad Airways
  • Kuwait Airways
  • Qatar Airways
  • Royal Air Maroc
  • Royal Jordanian Airlines
  • Saudi Arabian Airlines
  • Turkish Airlines

Why is this happening…and why now? Well, the DHS says that it made the move to improve security based on intelligence that terrorists were focused on commercial aviation targets. But we’ve known about this threat since the 1990s. An interesting story in the Washington Post posits that the move is not about security at all– it’s about retaliation against the big three Middle East Carriers (known as 3ME).

Source: The Washington Post

What’s most poignant here is how the ban will affect the 3ME, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways. These are the only carriers offering nonstop flights to the U.S. from Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. While these airlines wow us with stellar onboard service on new aircraft, business travelers are going to book away from them when faced with this ban. Instead, they’ll book one-stop flights on European carriers for the flight back to the U.S. (At least that’s what I would do…what about you? Comments below, please!)

Helpful: Q&A with DHS about the ban

How long will this last? DHS says that the ban is in place indefinitely, although Emirates said it could last until October. The ban impacts all travelers on all affected flights regardless of citizenship or trusted traveler status. It even affects flights from Abu Dhabi, where passengers pass through customs at the airport in a DHS-run pre-clearance facility. The ban was announced on Tuesday, March 21, and airlines have until Friday to comply.

TIP: BACK UP YOUR LAPTOP NOW! Especially if overseas travel is in your future. You never know when or if this ban could spread and you could be separated from your device. Also, with a new focus on laptops, it would be smart to be sure it’s always charged in case you are asked to turn it on by security staff.

How do you feel about this? Does it affect you at all? Would you be more likely to book away from one of the affected carriers? Please leave your comments below!

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

In the market for a new credit card? See our “Credit Card Deals” tab to shop around! It helps us help you.

Don’t miss out! Join the 200,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

European consolidation: Lufthansa gobbles up Airberlin

Will Airberlin be absorbed into Lufthansa? (Photo: Air Berlin)

Will Airberlin be absorbed into Lufthansa? (Photo: Air Berlin)

It looks like Germany’s second-largest airline will be absorbed into its largest as Lufthansa moves in on Airberlin.

The dealings in Germany could affect U.S. travelers because Airberlin has routes to a number of U.S. cities from its bases at Berlin and Dusseldorf; it recently announced plans to begin San Francisco-Berlin and Los Angeles-Berlin flights next summer. Lufthansa’s U.S. flights go into its hubs at Frankfurt and Munich.

According to German media, Airberlin has been facing financial difficulties for some time, and has been propped up by Etihad Airways, which owns a 30 percent stake in the German carrier. And Etihad has recently been negotiating with Lufthansa over Airberlin’s fate.

Last week, Lufthansa agreed to lease 38 planes and crews from Airberlin; the Airbus A319s and A320s will go to Lufthansa’s growing Eurowings low-cost subsidiary and to Austrian Airlines, which Lufthansa also owns. Lufthansa also agreed to begin code-sharing with Etihad starting next month, putting its LH code onto the latter’s flights from Frankfurt and Munich to Abu Dhabi.

And this week, Airberlin’s board appointed a new CEO for the airline: Thomas Winkelmann, a longtime Lufthansa senior executive. The German financial newspaper Handelsblatt reported that the German federal government and state governments in Munich and Dusseldorf “have agreed to facilitate Airberlin’s gradual integration into Lufthansa, which would lead to the effective merger of the nation’s top two airlines.” And the prominent industry publication Aviation Week said that Lufthansa “has begun to look at ways that it could integrate the remaining parts” of Airberlin following that big lease agreement.

There was no immediate word on the likely fate of Airberlin’s long-haul aircraft, like the two-class A330s it flies to the U.S. Airberlin is a member of American Airlines’ Oneworld global alliance, While Lufthansa is part of United’s Star Alliance.

Expansive check-in hall at Frankfurt Airport's new Terminal 3. (Image: Fraport)

Expansive check-in hall at Frankfurt Airport’s new Terminal 3. (Image: Fraport)

German government officials reportedly didn’t want to see Etihad negotiate a sale of Airberlin to a foreign carrier. But a combination of Airberlin and Lufthansa will face possible opposition on antitrust grounds, Handelsblatt noted. “With 30.3 million passengers and more than $4.2 billion in revenue last year, Airberlin is a big fish to swallow, even for a carrier the size of Lufthansa,” the newspaper said.

Much of Lufthansa’s growth is concentrated on its Eurowings unit, which it sees as its primary weapon in competition against giant intra-European low-cost carriers like Ryanair and Easyjet. Earlier this month, Lufthansa said it would purchase the remaining 55 percent of Brussels Airlines that it doesn’t already own. So Lufthansa’s growing aviation empire will include Austrian Airlines, Swiss International, Brussels Airlines – and probably Airberlin, although that carrier’s identity might not survive. Even without Airberlin, the Lufthansa Group would control 700 aircraft, with up to 180 of them in Eurowings.

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

In the market for a new credit card? See our “Credit Card Deals” tab to shop around! It helps us help you!

Don’t miss out! Join the 150,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Routes: SFO, LAX, DFW, New Orleans, Orange County, Miami, JFK, Houston

An Etihad Boeing 777-3FX (Photo: Etihad)

Etihad will shrink its San Francisco schedule and increase DFW service. (Photo: Etihad)

In international route news, Etihad will trim its San Francisco schedule and grow at Dallas, but WOW Air will increase service at SFO and Los Angeles; British Airways adds a new U.S. gateway; Southwest drops a Mexico route out of southern California; and Mexico’s Volaris adds more U.S. service.

Two years ago, Etihad Airways added San Francisco to its route map with daily flights to its Abu Dhabi base using a Jet Airways B777 and prompting “Jetihad” snickers. Etihad finally deployed its own metal on the route earlier this year, but now Routesonline.com reports that Etihad plans to cut its schedule by more than half. Effective next February 1, Etihad is due to reduce SFO service from seven flights a week to just three – and that is expected to continue into next summer. Then on February 2, Etihad will boost its Dallas/Ft. Worth-Abu Dhabi schedule from the current three flights a week to daily service, noting that traffic on that two-year-old route has “exceeded expectations.”

Skúli Mogensen, the founder and CEO of WOW Air (Photo: WOW Air)

Skúli Mogensen, the founder and CEO of WOW Air (Photo: WOW Air)

While Etihad cuts back west coast service, ultra-low-cost Icelandic carrier WOW Air will grow. Last June, the company started operating five flights a week from San Francisco to Reykjavik, and four a week from Los Angeles. But on March 26, WOW will increase its schedule to daily flights from both west coast cities – with one-way fares starting as low as $99 (plus heavy-duty fees, of course). WOW operates single-class A330-300s, although it does offer some extra-legroom seats for an extra charge.

On March 26, British Airways will begin flying a transatlantic route that currently has no non-stop service: New Orleans to London Heathrow. BA will fly the route on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays with a three-class 787-8 and a 9:10 p.m. eastbound departure.  The carrier said roundtrip fares will start at $734 in economy and $2,145 in Club World business class (based on current exchange rates).

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

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

Southwest Airlines flyers in southern California’s Orange County will have to find another way to get to Mexico City after January 4. That’s the date when Southwest is due to discontinue its daily 737 flights between John Wayne Airport and the Mexican capital.

Mexico’s low-cost Volaris just keeps expanding its transborder network. According to Routesonline.com, the carrier has plans to bring on four new U.S. routes this winter. On February 1, Volaris will begin daily service between Miami and Mexico City, along with four flights a week linking Miami with Guadalajara. Then on March 1, it will add daily flights from Mexico City to New York JFK and four a week between Mexico City and Houston. Just this month it added nonstops between SFO and Mexico City.

Don’t miss out on these popular TravelSkills posts:

Kicking support animals off planes | Shocked passenger refuses to pay $3 for water | Marriott-Starwood: Higher prices, better rewards | The 10,000 points question! | Eye-catching maps explain state of the world | Test your planespotting skills!

In the market for a new credit card?

Wallet credit cards

Big news for big spenders as banks roll out new bonuses and perks (Image: Pixabay)

Scroll up to our “Credit Card Deals” tab at the top to shop around! It helps us help you! 

.

twitter-floowmeDo you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!

Please join the 150,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

.

facebook like


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Routes: Airberlin to SFO, LAX; Emirates, Lufthansa, Etihad, Southwest

Airberlin will add Berlin service from San Francisco and Los Angeles. (Image: Airberlin)

Airberlin will add Berlin service from San Francisco and Los Angeles. (Image: Airberlin)

In international route news, Airberlin plans a big increase in U.S. service for 2017, including new flights from Berlin to San Francisco and Los Angeles; Emirates adds another U.S. gateway starting in December; Lufthansa will add more capacity out of Denver; Etihad will more than double frequencies out of Dallas/Ft. Worth; and Southwest sets the starting date for its new Havana service.

Airberlin, which started new routes this year from Dusseldorf to San Francisco and Boston, will increase frequencies in those markets for 2017 and will also add more new U.S. routes including San Francisco-Berlin, Los Angeles-Berlin and Orlando-Dusseldorf. The company said its current U.S. operation will have up to 50 percent more flights when its 2017 summer schedule kicks in during May.

Among the changes: San Francisco-Dusseldorf service will increase from the current five weekly flights to daily service, and so will the current four flights a week between Boston and Dusseldorf. New service to Berlin’s Tegel Airport will include four weekly flights from SFO and three a week from Los Angeles. The new Florida route will bring five flights a week between Orlando and Dusseldorf; the carrier already flies to Miami and Ft. Myers. Airberlin said it is getting three more A330-200s to handle its increased U.S. schedules.

Emirates will use a 777 on its new Ft. Lauderdale route. (Image: Emirates)

Emirates will use a 777 on its new Ft. Lauderdale route. (Image: Emirates)

Emirates has announced a December 15 start for service to its 11th U.S. destination. The carrier will begin daily flights from Ft. Lauderdale to its Dubai base using a three-class 777-200LR. Emirates already flies to Orlando, a route it launched last year. The new Ft. Lauderdale service will benefit from Emirates’ code-share partnership with JetBlue, which has a hub at that Florida airport.

Lufthansa sees room for growth on its Denver-Munich route, which began earlier this year, so the carrier said it will boost frequencies on March 26 from the current five flights a week to daily departures, using a 255-seat A330-300. “Preliminary data show that for the first summer of service, the number of people traveling between Denver and Munich has increased by nearly 50 percent,” a Denver Airport spokesperson said, adding that the top connecting markets for Denver-Munich passengers include Budapest, Prague, Krakow and Kiev. Lufthansa also flies from Denver to Frankfurt.

Etihad will boost frequencies out of Dallas/Ft. Worth (Photo: Etihad)

Etihad will boost frequencies out of Dallas/Ft. Worth (Photo: Etihad)

Finding more traffic than it initially expected on its almost two-year-old route between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways plans to boost service from the current three flights a week to seven effective February 2. The carrier will continue to use a 777-200LR on the route. Etihad offers connections to 100 destinations from its Abu Dhabi hub, and also offers American travelers pre-screening by U.S. Customs and Border protection at that airport.

Southwest is the latest U.S. carrier to announce a starting date for its new rights to serve Havana, Cuba. The company said that on December 12, subject to Cuban government approval, it will begin flying to Havana from both Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa. (Southwest also set a November 13 inaugural date for flights from Ft. Lauderdale to the Cuban beach resort of Varadero.) The carrier is offering introductory Havana fares starting at $59 each way for purchase through November 20. Southwest set up a web page at www.Southwest.com/Cuba with details of the requirements for travel to Cuba and its flight schedules.

Don’t miss out on these popular TravelSkills posts:

Kicking support animals off planes | Shocked passenger refuses to pay $3 for water | Marriott-Starwood: Higher prices, better rewards | The 10,000 points question! | Eye-catching maps explain state of the world | Test your planespotting skills!

In the market for a new credit card?

screen-shot-2016-10-03-at-2-59-10-pm

Scroll up to our “Credit Card Deals” tab at the top to shop around! It helps us help you! 

.

twitter-floowmeDo you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!

Please join the 125,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

.

facebook like


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Popular: On vacation + New routes + Planespotting + Asia deals + Best Western

Have a nice August! We're on vacation! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Have a nice August! We’re on vacation ’til September! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

.

Dear Readers: The TravelSkills blog will be on vacation until September. We hope you have a nice summer! 

.

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts during the week of July 24 (descending order):

1 Routes: United (Shanghai, Saigon), Singapore (to UK), Delta (Caribbean), American, more 

2 LAX-Paris for $446 + Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas, New YorkWeekend Edition

3 Test your planespotting skills with our new quiz! (over 2,000 have tried. Avg score is 76%)

4 Routes: United (Tampa, Miami), Virgin America (Newark), Spirit, Frontier

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

6 Inside look at Virgin Australia’s refurbed B777 (Photos, 3D Streetview)

7  JetBlue lie-flat seats coming to an airport near you?

8 DEAL! $540 to Hong Kong from U.S. East/West coast, roundtrip (Now one stop) SFO-Beijing nonstop now $546

9 Surprisingly few Americans use Uber, Lyft

10 The Best Western surprise

 

Don’t miss your chance to get $150 in gift cards for trying the new Upside app! Here’s how

QANTAS LAX

Cool view of the other Australian carrier while at the Virgin Australia event at LAX (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

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

Etihad opens a new premium lounge in LAX’s Bradley Terminal

Are these the world’s most high-tech hotels?

Business traveler spending on taxis drops 51 percent in two years

Starwood Preferred Guest partners with Wi-Fi hotspot provider

French carrier La Compagnie offers unlimited transatlantic travel for $35,000

Another Delta hub gets CLEAR lanes: Detroit 

Too bad: Fewer widebody aircraft on order

Uber says its drivers are ow cruising The Strip in Las Vegas. (Image: Jim Glab)

Allegiant adds new nonstops from Oakland to Las Vegas. But would you? (Image: Jim Glab)

Allegiant adds Oakland-Las Vegas nonstops for just $58 roundtrip, but…

Clever: Lufthansa sells seats on Airbnb

Actor Michael Caine changes his name for faster airport security

Chase 5/24 rule means your credit card application could be dead on arrival

Are you signed up for PreCheck but never seem to get it? TSA wants to hear from you:

.

Dear Readers: The TravelSkills blog will be on vacation until September. We hope you have a nice summer! 

.

 

.
 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

twitter-floowmeDo you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!

Please join the 125,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

facebook like


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Routes: LAX-Paris for $446 + Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas, New York

Norwegian started new 787 flights from LAX and New York to Paris. (Image: Norwegian)

Norwegian started new 787 flights from LAX and New York to Paris. (Image: Norwegian)

In international route news, a low-cost airline launches a pair of new transatlantic routes; Delta will beef up Atlanta-London service; San Francisco attracts a Mexican airline; and Emirates and Etihad reshuffle their U.S. A380 plans.

European low-cost specialist Norwegian this week kicks off its newest transatlantic routes, beginning service to Paris Charles de Gaulle from New York and Los Angeles with two-class 787s. The carrier’s schedule calls for twice-weekly flights from LAX and four flights a week from New York JFK. When we checked Norwegian’s website, we found low-season (i.e. December) roundtrip no-frills fares as low as $446 from Los Angeles and $396 from New York. This comes on the heels of Air France warning about its concerns about France as a destination.

Related: Norwegian Air- low fares, low frills

According to Routesonline.com, Delta will adjust its Atlanta-London schedule next spring along with partner Virgin Atlantic. Effective May 25, Delta is due to restore a third daily ATL-London departure, while Virgin will scale back from two flights a day to one. Meanwhile, Delta is also planning to end its seasonal  Pittsburgh-Paris CDG service at the end of September, a month earlier than previously planned. The carrier will cut back frequencies in early September from daily departures to five a week.

Mexico's Volaris will start San Francisco-Mexico City flights this fall. (Image: Volaris)

Mexico’s Volaris will start San Francisco-Mexico City flights this fall. (Image: Volaris)

Mexican low-cost airline Volaris will introduce a new route linking San Francisco with Mexico City starting October 10. The carrier plans to operate four flights a week on the route, on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with one-way fares starting at just $125. It’s a trip for night owls, however: The southbound flights are scheduled to arrive in Mexico City at 2:29 a.m.

A schedule update posted by Emirates for its Dallas/Ft. Worth-Dubai route says that the carrier will not put an Airbus A380 super-jumbo back onto the route September 1 as previously planned, but instead will keep operating it with a 777-300ER. Meanwhile, Etihad next spring is planning to go all-A380 on its Abu Dhabi-New York route after June 1, 2017. The carrier will use the super-jumbos on both of its daily JFK flights after that date; currently, one of the two uses a 777-300ER.

Related: How Emirates welcomes a new A380. Wow!

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

twitter-floowmeDo you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!

Please join the 125,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

facebook like


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Popular: Celeb Trip Report + Etihad SFO + United elites + HHonors promo + CLEAR

Like many other airlines, Delta is starting to get rid of these graceful, gas guzzling old birds. (Photo: Delta)

Like many other airlines, Delta is getting rid of these graceful, gas guzzling old birds. (Photo: Delta)

Delta’s 747-400s are so old, the carrier is moving them into museums! Check out how Delta moved this big bird off airport grounds to a final resting place near Atlanta airport where it will soon go on exhibit.

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

1- A celebrity Reader Report: Japan Airlines first class LAX-Tokyo-SFO

2- All Etihad, all the time, at SFO, JFK

3- United entices former MileagePlus elites

Weekend Edition4- Routes: Delta-London, Lufthansa cuts first class, More OpenSkies +

5- United Club improvements: hot breakfast, menus, beepers

6- Hilton HHonors new double point offer & IHG, SPG promos

7- A new lie-flat seat on busy California corridor

8- CLEAR expands to Delta hubs; Diamonds get it free

9- On being missed :*(

10- Another giant hotel chain sold to Chinese investors

Screen Shot 2016-05-01 at 5.04.25 AM

Hey guess what? TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis is taking off for Cuba this week on the first cruise ship allowed to sail from the US (Miami) to a Cuban port (Havana) in 50 years! It should be an historic event and I’ll try to share snippets of the trip here. However, I’ve been warned about spotty-to-non-existent internet, so it may have to wait until next week. So stay tuned! I’m getting there on a new cruise line called Fathom Travel, which is part of Carnival Corporation. We will call on Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago (see above for our itinerary.) Why is this trip so special for Chris? Well, read about what happened the first time he reported on travel to Cuba on CNN!  (Phew!)

In case you missed yesterday’s post: Uber is testing new fees for those who make drivers wait. Thoughts?

A spectacular view from a corner room at the mid-century mod Radisson Royal Hotel in Copenhagen (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

View from a corner room at the mid-century mod Radisson Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. Radisson is now owned by Chinese investors  (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Radisson sold to Chinese investors 

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

Delta to temporarily close ATL South security entrypoint (Will it get a new CLEAR lane? Probably)

Uber’s position on tipping has not changed (sez Uber)

Ellen Degeneres producing new airport show for Travel Channel

Wendy Perrin’s advice for international travelers

Say what?? Passengers left $766K behind at TSA checkpoints last year 

How to score when airlines change schedules on you

Chengdu's modern airport is the fourth busiest in China - but not big enough! (Photo: Christian Ortiz / Flickr)

Chengdu’s current airport is the fourth busiest in China – but not big enough! (Photo: Christian Ortiz / Flickr)

China plans new $11 billion airport near Chengdu

Uber remains in legal limbo at ATL

Amazon considers buying entire airport in Germany

BBC reports on the frustrations and delays of air travel in China

Will undersea maglev trains someday travel NYC-London in four hours?

Google said to be developing new all-in-one travel app

Lufthansa wants to combine Brussels Airlines with its Eurowings subsidiary

Rate of lost bags worldwide hits lowest level ever

Which Midwestern city has the highest hotel rates? Not Chicago.

This week’s most popular Instagram post

Endangered species (Instagram- CLICK to follow Chris!)

“Endangered species” (Instagram- CLICK to follow Chris!)

Get $50 in ride credits from Lyft when you use our referral link! 

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

twitter-floowmeDo you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!

Please join the 125,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

facebook like


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

All Etihad, all the time, at SFO, JFK

Etihad 777-200

Etihad’s shiny new B777 replaces leased Jet Airways planes this week (Photo: Peter Biaggi / SFO)

Ever since it started flying to San Francisco from its Abu Dhabi home base more than a year ago, Etihad Airways has been using a 777 leased from India’s Jet Airways on the route instead of one of its own planes.

Instead of seeing the aircraft pictured above, Etihad customers saw this when they arrived at the airport:

Etihad uses a Jet Airways 777 on its new SFO-Abu Dhabi run (Photo: Aero Icarus / Flickr)

Etihad used a Jet Airways 777 on its SFO-Abu Dhabi run for over a year (Photo: Aero Icarus / Flickr)

The move lead to snickers that the service should be called “Jetihad” instead.

But those snickers will soon turn into smiles: Effective this week, Etihad will replace the Jet Airways plane used on SFO-AUH with the real deal: Its own 777-200LR.

It has also been using a Jet Airways 777 on one of its two daily New York JFK flights (EY 101/100), but on June 1 it will replace that aircraft with its own 777-300ER. The other JFK flight will continue to use an A380 super-jumbo.

Business class on Etihad (Photo: Etihad)

Business class on Etihad (Photo: Etihad)

The new San Francisco aircraft will be outfitted with eight first class seats, 40 in business class and 191 in economy for a total of 239 seats. Its larger 777-300ER on the New York run will have eight seats in first, 40 in business and 280 in economy for a total of 328 seats. Both planes have onboard wi-fi whereas the Jet Airways plane did not.

Over the last few months Etihad had been using its own planes periodically on the SFO and JFK runs, but now (or on June 1) it will run all Etihad metal, all the time.

Just last week, we received this comment from a TravelSkills reader who flew on the leased Jet Airways flight from SFO: “They ran out or snacks with another four hours to go and a bunch of us were irate and hungry and had to wait for the meal service an hour later. The toilets were super small. The attendants wouldn’t pay attention to the light and just ignore you. The seats were definitely way different from the flight I took from Europe last year. Disappointing.”

Link to Etihad’s business class page

Etihad has made a big splash recently among frequent flyers by rolling out a new three-room cabin onboard its A380 last December. The Residence includes a “living room,” private bathroom with shower, a bedroom with a double bed and a suited, London-trained butler. The Residence is one of many firsts Etihad has brought to the premium flying experience in recent years.

Etihad recently cut the ribbon on a new premium lounge at New York JFK — its second in the U.S. after Washington Dulles. The 7,000 square foot facility for first class and business class passengers has showers, a bar, a sitting area, and floor-to-ceiling windows. In San Francisco, Etihad passengers have access to Oneworld partner Cathay Pacific’s stellar, and recently expanded, lounge at SFO.

Etihad also operates daily flights to Chicago, Washington Dulles and Los Angeles, and three weekly flights to Dallas/Ft. Worth.

All passengers flying to the US clear customs and immigration in Abu Dhabi, which means they arrive in the US just like domestic flights. Recently, Etihad added a special first and business class lounge for passengers waiting to board after clearing customs in Abu Dhabi.

Have you or do you plan to fly Etihad one day soon? 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

twitter-floowmeDo you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!

Please join the 125,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

facebook like

 

 


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Most popular: 747 Trip report + Travel deals + Unusual plane + Etihad + more

TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis in Manhattan prepping for a speech at the New York Times Travel Show

TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis in Manhattan prepping for a speech at the New York Times Travel Show

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

1 Pretty plush! Trip Report: Korean Air 747-8 First Class

2 How to save big this year: Bargain hunters’ guide to 2016 travel deals

3 Look closely: What’s wrong with this 747?

Weekend Edition

4 Finally! Etihad upgrades aircraft on San Francisco, New York routes

5 Aha! Big airports by the numbers

6 Preparing to merge? This airline just added 42 new low-fare routes. Why?

7 New hotels: Amsterdam, Dubai, Casablanca, Taipei

8 Do you know? The big difference between direct & nonstop flights

9 Huge investments: More cash for Lyft, Silvercar leads to interesting new options

10 Etihad vs “Jetihad”

Use code "ROCKSTAR" to get in NYT Travel Show for free to hear Chris speak!

Use code “ROCKSTAR” to get in NYT Travel Show for free to hear Chris speak!

TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis is speaking at the New York Times Travel Show Today (Sunday) at 2:30 pm. If you are in NYC, stop by and used code “ROCKSTAR” at registration to attend the show for free!

Here are some newsy nuggets from other sources that we missed on TravelSkills this week:

Delta miffs Minnesota with a silly tweet 

New York City’s Javits Center plans $1 billion expansion.

United Airlines CEO Munoz is recovering from a heart transplant.

More airlines are using bidding auctions for seat upgrades.

Delta expands food options in international Sky Clubs

Enterprise expands rental locations for high-end, exotic cars.

Delta adds a meditation app to its in-flight entertainment selections.

Marriott plans to open new AC Hotels in these 22 cities this year.

Spirit Airlines CEO is suddenly replaced by former AirTran chief.

These new “green” technologies could save airlines billions of dollars.

New study suggests these are the least safe airlines in the world.

Marriott Rewards adds a new partnership with South African Airways.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  United packages Economy Plus with amenities + Ride-sharing firm goes out of business + Bucket list for air travelers + Useless travel gadgets + ‘Uber of the Skies’ dies 

twitter-floowmeDo you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!

Please join the 100,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

facebook like

Resolved to get your finances in order this year? Let Personal Capital, a free investment monitoring service,  show you how:


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Etihad upgrades aircraft on San Francisco, New York routes

An Etihad Boeing 777-3FX (Photo: Etihad)

This Etihad Boeing 777-3FX is similar to the one soon to be deployed at SFO (Photo: Etihad)

Ever since it started flying to San Francisco from its Abu Dhabi home base more than a year ago, Etihad Airways has been using a 777 leased from India’s Jet Airways on the route instead of one of its own planes. The move lead to snickers that the service should be called “Jetihad” instead.

But those snickers will soon turn into smiles: Effective April 25, Etihad said it will replace the Jet Airways plane with the real deal: Its own 777-200LR.

It has also been using a Jet Airways 777 on one of its two daily New York JFK flights (EY 101/100), but on June 1 it will replace that aircraft with its own 777-300ER. The other JFK flight will continue to use an A380 super-jumbo.

The new San Francisco aircraft will be outfitted with eight first class seats, 40 in business class and 191 in economy for a total of 239 seats.

Its larger 777-300ER on the New York run will have eight seats in first, 40 in business and 280 in economy for a total of 328 seats.

Link to Etihad’s business class page

Business class on Etihad (Photo: Etihad)

Business class (Photo: Etihad)

TravelSkills reader SP commented, “I’m happy to see that it’s the same plane they fly to LAX, which is a great product. I was hoping maybe we’d get the 380 to rival Emirates, but that was probably wishful thinking! Still, I’m very happy to see real Etihad service finally coming to the Bay Area.  It’s a great option for the AA loyalists of us around here.”

Etihad has made a big splash recently among frequent flyers by rolling out a new three-room cabin onboard its A380 last December. The Residence includes a “living room,” private bathroom with shower, a bedroom with a double bed and a suited, London-trained butler. The Residence is one of many firsts Etihad has brought to the premium flying experience in recent years.

Last month, Etihad cut the ribbon on a new premium lounge at New York JFK — its second in the U.S. after Washington Dulles. The 7,000 square foot facility for first class and business class passengers has showers, a bar, a sitting area, and floor-to-ceiling windows. In San Francisco, Etihad passengers have access to Oneworld partner Cathay Pacific’s stellar, and recently expanded, lounge at SFO.

Etihad also operates daily flights to Chicago, Washington Dulles and Los Angeles, and three weekly flights to Dallas/Ft. Worth.

Have you or do you plan to fly Etihad one day soon? Please leave your comments below. 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  United packages Economy Plus with amenities + Ride-sharing firm goes out of business + Bucket list for air travelers + Useless travel gadgets + ‘Uber of the Skies’ dies 

twitter-floowmeDo you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!

Please join the 100,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

facebook like

Resolved to get your finances in order this year? Let Personal Capital, a free investment monitoring service,  show you how:


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Route news: Tokyo, Cologne, Buenos Aires, Casablanca and more

Japan Airlines is using a 787-8 on new Dallas./Ft. Worth-Tokyo service. (Image: Japan Airlines)

Japan Airlines is using a 787-8 on new Dallas./Ft. Worth-Tokyo service. (Image: Japan Airlines)

In international route developments, Japan Airlines returns to a big U.S. gateway; American sets a starting date on a new route from LAX; Hawaiian adds a transpacific route; a German carrier adds service to three U.S. cities; Delta kicks off a Latin America code-share; Royal Air Maroc plans a new U.S. gateway; an eastern European carrier will go transatlantic; and Etihad upgrades its New York service.

Japan Airlines this week came back onto the Dallas/Ft. Worth-Tokyo Narita route that it had dropped 14 years ago. JAL will initially operate four flights a week to DFW using a 161-seat 787-8 with business and economy class seating, but plans to go daily on the route next March. The airline’s Oneworld partner American already flies the route twice a day.

Speaking of Tokyo, the Transportation Department has reaffirmed American’s rights to take on the Los Angeles-Tokyo Haneda route, rejecting a complaint from Delta that American hadn’t launched service on the route in a timely manner. (AA got the route because Delta gave up its Seattle-Haneda authority.) DOT gave American until late March to start flying LAX-Haneda, but the carrier said it expects to start daily flights on February 11.

Tokyo's Haneda Airport is much more convenient than distant Narita.

Tokyo’s Haneda Airport is much more convenient than distant Narita.

And in yet another bit of Tokyo news, Hawaiian Airlines announced plans to begin service next summer between Honolulu and Tokyo Narita; it already flies from Honolulu to Haneda. Hawaiian said it will begin daily HNL-NRT flights on July 22, using an A330-200 with business class, regular economy and Extra Comfort seating.

Lufthansa’s Eurowings (previously known as Germanwings) will start flying to the U.S. from Cologne. The carrier will use A330-200s to fly three times a week to Miami beginning May 1, followed by three weekly flights to Boston and two a week to Las Vegas, both starting May 4. The flights will carry the Lufthansa code.

Delta on December 10 starts code-sharing to Argentina with SkyTeam alliance partner Aerolineas Argentinas. The Delta code is now on Aerolineas flights from New York JFK and Miami to Buenos Aires; from Miami to Cordoba, Argentina; and on the Argentine carrier’s domestic flights from BA to Cordoba, Mendoza and Trelew, Argentina.

Morocco’s flag carrier, Royal Air Maroc, will add another U.S. gateway next year when it begins service between Casablanca and Washington Dulles. Starting September 8, the airline plans to operate three weekly flights using a 787-8 Dreamliner. Its only existing U.S. service is to New York JFK.

Subject to government approvals, Air Serbia — which was launched two years ago — plans to start flying its first transatlantic route in June 2016, according to Travel Weekly. The carrier, which is 49 percent owned by Etihad Airways, plans to use a two-class A330-200 to operate five weekly flights between Belgrade and New York.

Speaking of Etihad, that airline has put an Airbus A380 super-jumbo into service between New York JFK and its Abu Dhabi base. The plane features super-luxury accommodations called The Residence — three-room suites with a double bed, shower and butler. That’s in addition to first class, business class and economy. The A380 is used on one of the airline’s two daily New York flights; the other is a 777-300ER. Meanwhile in San Francisco, we are still waiting for a real Etihad jet instead of the current Jetihad plane. 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: 5 ways to save using Uber/Lyft  + New overseas plan from Verizon + Trans-Pac fare war?

twitter-floowmeDo you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!

Please join the 100,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

facebook like


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Delta dumps Dubai, blasts Mideast carriers

Dubai airport has the most international passengers, but.... (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Dubai’s gorgeous airport won’t see any more Delta frights from Atlanta after February 11. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The ongoing war of words between major U.S. carriers and their Middle Eastern rivals over government subsidies and unfair competition is starting to have real-world consequences: Delta said it will abandon its Atlanta-Dubai service in February, and it placed the blame squarely on overexpansion by airlines like Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

Delta, American and United have been lobbying the U.S. government — so far without result — to block the Mideast Big Three from adding more U.S. gateways. They allege that the foreign carriers benefit from government subsidies that the U.S. companies don’t enjoy. The Mideast airlines deny those allegations.

In announcing the end of Dubai service from Atlanta, Delta said the 777 it uses on the route “will be redeployed to other transatlantic markets where it can compete on a level playing field that’s not distorted by subsidized state-owned airlines.”

Delta said that from 2008 to 2014, 11,000 seats a day to the U.S. were added from Dubai (Emirates’ hub), Doha (Qatar) and Abu Dhabi (Etihad’s home base), and more than 95 percent of them are operated by the Middle Eastern airlines.

Delta’s move comes on the heels of United’s plans to terminate its Washington Dulles-Kuwait/Bahrain flights in January, a move that some sources suggested may have been mandated by Kuwait’s government in a political dispute over U.S. anti-discrimination laws.

Meanwhile, the Middle Eastern carriers continue to add U.S. flights. Qatar Airways, for instance, earlier this year announced it would begin service to three U.S. gateways in 2016 — Atlanta, Boston and Los Angeles — and it plans to add a second daily New York flight next spring. Emirates last month started a new route from Dubai to Orlando. And some traffic between the U.S. and the Middle East is likely to travel via Istanbul on a rapidly-expanding Turkish Airlines, which started flying to San Francisco last spring and Miami this week, and plans to start Atlanta-Istanbul flights in May 2016.

TravelSkills reader S.C. wrote to suggest that Delta didn’t seem to be having trouble attracting business on its Dubai (DBX) route: “I’ve traveled there three times in the last three years, and only one time did an empty seat even exist, and that was on the ATL to DXB segment I took in July this year…which happened to be during Ramadan, so there were about 20-25 empty seats. NEVER before that has there been even one empty seat on the plane in either direction – and a waiting list of people trying to get on!”

What are your thoughts about Delta pulling out of Dubai? Please speak out below. 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Global Entry gets more global + New York’s lowest ranked hotels +Best/worst hotel programs for awards + More flat seats

twitter-floowmeDo you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!

Please join the 100,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

 


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Is Jennifer Aniston tweaking U.S. airlines?

Jennifer Aniston Emirates

Jennifer Aniston needs a shower, a bar & a flat bed when she flies. (Image: Emirates / YouTube)

Emirates Airline is paying actress Jennifer Aniston millions of dollars as the centerpiece of its new marketing campaign, but with the first TV commercial now out, some are wondering if the company is using her as part of a transparent attack its ongoing battle against its U.S. competition.

In the new ad, Aniston dreams she’s on a flight that — to her great dismay — has no showers and no bar. Then she wakes up on an Emirates flight and starts telling the bartender about the horrors of her low-service nightmare.


The thing is, all of the flight attendants that she encounters in her bad dream are clearly Americans — implying that she is flying on a U.S. carrier that provides vastly inferior services and passenger amenities compared to the Emirates experience. (The galley scene is pretty hilarious…and spot on IMO.)

Fair enough, but the ad might also be seen in the context of the ongoing battle between the major U.S. global carriers (Delta, United and American) and their Big Three Middle Eastern competitors –Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways — all of which are expanding their U.S. route networks in a bid to capture a greater share of intercontinental traffic.

U.S. airlines have launched an intensive p.r. and lobbying campaign to convince the public, Congress and government regulators that the Mideast carriers are competing unfairly by benefiting from direct and indirect subsidies from their governments.

The U.S. carriers want the government to step in and restrict the access of the Mideast airlines to additional U.S. markets — something regulators have not yet done. But disinterested observers warn that such an action by the U.S. — which has always supported Open Skies relationships with other countries — could invite retaliation and ultimately stifle worldwide route development and hurt the global economy.

Do you think America’s Sweetheart suspected she was stepping into a global transportation maelstrom when she put on that robe and stepped in front of the cameras?

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: New hotel openings + Cathay Pacific’s new lounge + Joining PreCheck gets easier + Air India’s San Francisco plans + New perks from United, Virgin America

twitter-floowmeDo you follow us on Twitter? It’s a great way to keep up with the latest news!

Please join the 100,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

 


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Turkish Airlines pinging Silicon Valley (VIDEO)

Turkish Airlines inaugural flight with San Francisco mural arrives at SFO (Chris McGinnis)

Turkish Airlines inaugural flight with San Francisco mural arrives at SFO (Image: San Francisco International Airport)

This week, San Francisco International welcomed Turkish Airlines inaugural Boeing 777 flight from Istanbul, and TravelSkills was there on the runway to capture the moment. (I was there broadcasting live using the new Periscope app in my iPhone. Are you on it yet? If so, be sure and follow me!)

Turkish is pushing hard for the Bay Area tech crowd, and even created a special livery (above) to commemorate the new flight. The B777 on the route sports a colorful mural of San Francisco in the left side of the plane, and a similar mural of Istanbul on the right side.

The right side of Turkish Airlines B777 is a mural of Istanbul (Chris McGinnis)

The right side of Turkish Airlines B777 is a mural of Istanbul (Chris McGinnis)

>Clearly hoping to appeal to techies, Turkish created a clever riff on HBO’s Silicon Valley TV series with a video (see below) and a sponsored post on BuzzFeed about why SF and Istanbul are two long lost sister cities.

Recent: Is United’s food getting better? 

>San Francisco is the carrier’s seventh U.S. destination. It also flies to: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington DC. Atlanta is rumored to be its next destination, and it did not go unnoticed on us that the carrier’s newly appointed PR company is located there.

>Turkish is fast growing, with a modern fleet and easy (but crowded) hub in Istanbul. It’s an excellent new option for travelers headed to Greece (one stop SFO-Mykonos!), or elsewhere in Eastern Europe. It’s also competing with the big UAE carriers like Emirates and Etihad for tech travelers headed to India. For example, it competes with Etihad and United for the shortest flight times (21-23 hours each way, one stop) between SFO and Mumbai.. 

Recent: Brand new(ish) hotel brand in New York, San Francisco

>The flight time between LA or San Francisco and Istanbul is around 12-13 hours depending on winds. From the east coast, flight time is around 10-11 hours.

>On its Boeing 777-300ER serving SFO, Turkish offers 300 economy seats,  and 49 flat bed business class seats, but no premium economy, as you’ll find on LAX-IST. All seats  are leather and have individual on-demand video entertainment screens at every seat on its 777s. Plus there’s wi-fi onboard and it’s free in business class.

>Turkish is a member of the Star Alliance. Business class passengers get access to United’s business class lounge at SFO’s International Terminal G.

Here’s our previous TravelSkills report on Turkish Airlines in the US.

Have you flown Turkish Airlines yet? What did you think? Please leave your comments below.

–Chris McGinnis

 


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

$64,000 roundtrip + Bevy of new flights + Southwest bag fee + Lufthansa update + Kimpton nightcap

The big bed in Etihad's 3-room Residence aboard its A380 flying to New York in December (Photo: Etihad)

The big bed in Etihad’s 3-room Residence aboard its A380 flying to New York in December (Photo: Etihad)

The $64,000 question. Etihad Airways said it will put an Airbus A380 onto its New York JFK-Abu Dhabi route starting December 1, giving ultra-affluent air travelers a chance to try out the carrier’s posh cabins that it calls “The Residence by Etihad.” The 125-square-foot cabins have a living room, en-suite shower and a bedroom with a double bed, and come with white-gloved, Savoy-trained butler services. The roundtrip fare for the Residence between New York and Abu Dhabi? A mere $64,000. Which begs the question: Who in the world would pay that? Well, somebody out there already has! Etihad issued a press release on the day after the product announcement stating that it sold the Residence on the inaugural flight “within hours.”  What’s it like onboard? Check out Etihad’s video below. 

Screen Shot 2015-03-07 at 9.19.27 AM

Clever comment of the week. Last week’s TravelSkills post US airlines vs Emirates, Etihad & Qatar sure struck a chord with readers, with the majority sounding off against US airline whining (see above).

Routes: American, Alaska et al. American Airlines last week kicked off new daily service between Miami and Austin … Alaska Airlines has started flying between San Diego and Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island three times a week … Air China will boost frequencies between Los Angeles and Beijing on May 2 when it adds a third flight four days a week, increasing to three daily roundtrips July 1; also on July 1, Air China will move from Terminal 2 at LAX to the Tom Bradley International Terminal … Lufthansa has put a new 364-seat 747-8 Intercontinental into service between Newark and Frankfurt.

 Southwest reassures on bag fees. Southwest Airlines is still under lots of pressure from Wall Street to start charging fees for checked bags — especially since JetBlue caved on that policy recently and will soon issue a new fare structure that eliminates a free checked bag for the lowest prices. But Southwest’s CFO told an aviation conference last week that the airline still has no plans to change its policy, which currently allows passengers two free checked bags.

Southwest heads south. This week, Southwest launched new nonstops to international destinations south of the border: San Jose, Costa Rica (from Baltimore) and Aruba (from Houston). Each of the new routes is longer than 2,000 miles each-way. San Jose service marks a milestone for the carrier by establishing a presence in a new country (not preceded by AirTran) and by connecting Central America to the Southwest network.

Inflight wi-fi fee hits a new high

All doors open during a behind-the-scenes tour of Lufthansa's hangar in Frankfurt (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

All doors open during a behind-the-scenes tour of Lufthansa’s hangar in Frankfurt (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Lufthansa updates in-flight experience, fares. Now that Lufthansa has almost finished refitting all its long-haul cabins with new seats –a job that should end by the third quarter, including expansion of premium economy seating from the current 30 planes to all 106 long-haul aircraft — the carrier plans to roll out some service enhancements. That includes “Business Class Restaurant Service” on long-haul flights starting this summer, with tables set individually, meals served from the galley instead of a cart, and more flight attendants in the business cabin; and the expansion of its FlyNet in-flight Wi-Fi service to all intercontinental flights. Lufthansa will also introduce new economy fares on intra-European flights next fall, with three levels: Light (no checked bags, rebooking or refunds), Classic (one bag, advance seat selection and rebooking for a fee) and Flex, with the most options included. Have you flown Lufthansa recently? What did you think? 

Food critic Elliott Mackle is back! Anyone who has lived in Atlanta for a while probably remembers food critic Elliott Mackle’s zingers in the AJC or Creative Loafing when it came to the Atlanta food scene. He’s a long-time TravelSkills reader and provides us with his take on Delta’s business class cuisine onboard a recent roundtrip between Atlanta and Buenos Aires. Here’s his Reader Report.

AmEx adds Gold Card benefits. Holders of American Express’ Premier Rewards Gold Card will see some additional benefits starting June 1, the company said, including double Membership Rewards points for purchases at U.S. restaurants, a $100 credit for incidental airline fees like checked bag charges, elimination of foreign transaction fees on trips abroad, and a personalized travel service. Oh, one more thing: The annual fee for the card will go up from $175 to $195 on the same date.

Don’t buy Gogo onboard + Virgin to Hawaii? + Clever Delta ad + LaGuardia slots

HOTELS

Kimpton’s free booze. The latest perk for guests at Kimpton Hotels — now a division of InterContinental Hotels Group — is the “Nightcap Program.” Guests at 17 Kimptons will get a free “small pour of a nighttime libation” and a paired snack each evening — things like scotch and shortbread, port and blue cheese, etc. It’s available at 17 Kimptons now, with more to be added through the year. Add this to the long list of “little things” that Kimpton always gets right– it’s one of my favorite hotel chains.

Mock up of the brand new Loews Chicago hotel

Mock up of the brand new Loews Chicago hotel

Openings, rebrandings: Chicago, Philadelphia, etc. Just weeks after announcing it was taking over San Francisco’s Mandarin Oriental, Loews Hotels has cut the ribbon on the 400-room Loews Chicago Hotel, two blocks east of Michigan Avenue just north of the Chicago River. It’s in the lower 14 stories of a 52-story tower … The former Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing is now the 348-room Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing … InterContinental Hotel Group’s new Kimpton Hotels subsidiary has taken over management of the Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach, Calif., close to the city’s famous pier … Melia Hotels this month opens the 369-room Melia Paris La Defense in the district of the same name — the largest four-star hotel to debut in Paris in 10 years … Dubai has its fifth Hyatt-branded hotel with the opening of the Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights; its 464 rooms occupy a pair of 538-foot towers … Got business in Haiti? Marriott opened the doors of its newly-built Marriott Port-au-Prince … Starwood has added a new Luxury Collection property in Mexico City: Las Alcobas, a gorgeous 35-room boutique-style property in the upscale Polanco district.

Why you should change the credit cards you carry

In Case You Missed it…

>Which cities worldwide have the best (and worst) quality of life?

>United renovates airport clubs, boosts food quality.

>Virgin Atlantic will boost San Francisco schedule with a 787.

>Hilton finally jumps on the free Wi-Fi

Weekend Edition

Did you missed yesterday’s issue of TravelSkills Weekend edition? No probs! Here ’tis:

Don’t buy Gogo onboard + Virgin to Hawaii? + Clever Delta ad + LaGuardia slots


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Southwest Big Love + Hidden Delta rules + Remarkable Atlanta deal + SFO Centurion chef

AFLaPremieresuite

Air France’s swank new first class suite arrives in the US. See below for details (Photo: Air France)

Southwest sets next round of Love expansion. Southwest Airlines last week revealed details of a big schedule expansion at Dallas Love Field, with plans to add non-stop service to 10 cities starting April 8. New destinations to be served from DAL include Charleston (S.C.), Columbus, Indianapolis, Memphis, Milwaukee, Panama City Beach, Portland (Ore.), Sacramento, San Jose and Seattle/Tacoma. (Charleston service will start April 11 and will operate only on Saturdays; Panama City Beach flights will begin with once-a-week service, increasing to daily May 8, but will be seasonal.) Also on April 8, Southwest will boost frequencies on routes from DAL to Ft. Lauderdale, OaWeekendEditionkland and Santa Ana/Orange County. The airline will also add other new service at Santa Ana/Orange County June 28, including non-stops Chicago Midway, Seattle and Austin.

Southwest woos Atlanta flyers. Pulling out its biggest marketing guns to date, Southwest Airlines this week launched a new promotion in the Atlanta market only, offering Rapid Rewards members a pass good for free companion travel through the end of the year. To get it, members must register online at www.southwest.com/atlanta and complete at least three roundtrips out of Atlanta from now through May 17.  The only other way to get coveted companion pass status on Southwest is to amass 110,000 Rapid Rewards points. This is quite a remarkable deal, especially if you are the type of traveler who likes to mix business with pleasure and bring along the spouse or significant other from time too time. T&Cs state that you must be an Atlanta resident living in one of these zip codes to get the deal.  Delta loyalists….will you bite? 

Screen Shot 2015-02-13 at 5.34.36 PM

Talk about being in the right place at the right time! A rare Etihad sighting along with Air Force One at SFO. (Photo credit: Touch n Go Aviation Photography)

Etihad jet at SFO? We did a double-take when we saw the image of this Etihad jet at SFO floating by on Twitter this week. We thought maybe our post Etihad vs Jetihad had forced positive change 🙂 In the end, we learned from an airport spokesperson that Etihad substituted one of its own aircraft for the normal Jet Airways 777 on the route due to “operational issues.” It’s nice to see that beautiful bird at SFO…and even nicer to see it on the same day that President Obama was in town— see his 747 in the background? What a shot!

Delta said to tighten award rules. First, Delta angered SkyMiles members by taking down the awards chart from its website. And now — according to the Crankyflier blog– the airline has taken another step backwards with its loyalty program by quietly introducing new advance-purchase rules for low-level domestic award travel. Cranky says that SkyMiles now requires members to book those award trips at least three weeks in advance, but it didn’t bother to announce the change. And SkyMilers now have to go through the award booking process online before they can find the true mileage cost of a trip. (So…about that offer from Southwest mentioned above…)

Predicting spring-summer airfares

Air France brings new luxury to JFK flights. The first U.S. flights to introduce Air France’s new La Premiere first class suites are AF 010/011 between New York JFK and Paris CDG. The 32-square-foot suites have a seat that transforms into a bed that’s six and a half feet long and 30 inches wide, along with a 24-inch table and an ottoman that can serve as a guest seat. And four (count em!) windows– see top.

SFO Centurion Lounge loses chef. Michelin-starred chef Christopher Kostow (from Meadowoods in Napa) only lasted three months in a gig where he oversaw the kitchen at American Express’s popular new Centurion Lounge at SFO’s Terminal 3. According to EaterSF, which broke this news, “Kostow declined to comment on the reason for the severed ties, but some industry types assume that the differing desires of a Michelin-starred chef and an airport food service provider have something to do with it.” Too bad because the spread Kostow prepared for the opening night was deeelicious, and TravelSkills was there with a full report!

Screen Shot 2015-02-13 at 4.07.53 PM

The DOT’s official announcement regarding the United ticketing scam

Smart traveler or fraudster? The TravelSkills post (Should United pay for its mistakes) this week about the folks who snapped up supercheap fares by misrepresenting themselves received a TON of great comments. Check em out here. In a related story….remember the Skiplagged site, where a college kid exposed the longstanding practice of “hidden city ticketing” – a similar practice of the traveler misrepresenting where he or she is actually flying in order to get a cheaper fare? Both United and Orbitz filed a lawsuit against the kid, and this week, Orbitz reached a settlement, but United’s case is still active. Full story from USA Today

Alaska adding preferred seats. The next carrier to add a paid preferred seating option will be Alaska Airlines, which will reportedly start selling extra-legroom bulkhead and exit row seats sometime later this year. The airline is said to be eyeing preferred seating fees ranging from $15 to $50 depending on the length of the flight. Buyers will also get a free drink and priority boarding.

JetBlue will take Apple Pay. JetBlue Airways said its flight attendants will soon start accepting Apple Pay for in-flight purchases of food and beverage items, extra-legroom seats and other amenities. The new Apple Pay technology is offered with Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6s models. The carrier plans to give iPad minis and NFC-enabled cases to flight attendants so they can handle the Apple Pay transactions. The devices will also have a new iOS app that provides flight data and other information, and will let flight attendants “easily identify TrueBlue and Mosaic loyalty members by name,” JetBlue said.

Best new credit card bonuses for frequent flyers

icelandairaurora

Icelandair offers “aurora” flights. For passengers who don’t get to see the real aurora borealis, Icelandair is trying to offer the next best thing. It has painted the exterior of one of its 757s in a Northern Lights simulation, and even brought the same feeling to the cabin interior with a special mood lighting display. The plane is on a varied international schedule. Watch this gorgeous plane take shape in this excellent VIDEO

In Case You Missed It…

>American sets schedules for first 787 Dreamliners.

>Chris tries out (and photographs) JetBlue’s new Mint Class.

>InterContinental’s loyalty plan adds Kimpton hotels, new signup bonus.

Have you been following our super popular Planespotting 101 series? Check out our first two installments here: 

Planespotting 101: Boeing 737 vs Airbus A320

Planespotting 101: MD-80/90 & Boeing 717

+++

>>Take a peek at what you may have missed on TravelSkills.com this week! <<
Like what you just read? Then say so! Scroll back up to the top and LIKE the post on Facebook, post it on Linked In and/or tweet it!

facebook like

Would you rather get TravelSkills Weekly instead of Daily? No probs! click here to sign up for TravelSkills Weekly.

Please join the 85,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

Don't miss the travel deals posted on TravelSkills!


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Etihad vs “Jetihad”

One of very few photos provided by Etihad to welcome it's new SFO-Abu Dhabi flights (Photo: Etihad)

One of two photos of the provided by Etihad to welcome it’s new “Jetihad” SFO-Abu Dhabi flights (Photo: Etihad)

Last November, Etihad Airways launched new nonstops between San Francisco International and Abu Dhabi. But in an unusual twist, it did not launch the service using an Etihad aircraft. Instead, it substituted a Boeing 777 aircraft and inflight amenities from India’s Jet Airways, of which Etihad is part owner.

Etihad has made a big splash over the last year among frequent flyers by rolling out a new three-room cabin onboard its A380 last December. The Residence includes a “living room,” private bathroom with shower, a bedroom with a double bed and a suited, London-trained butler. The Residence is one of many firsts Etihad has brought to the premium flying experience in recent years.

The highbrow amenities, and the well-crafted media circus around their introduction has raised travelers’ expectations about flying one of UAE’s flag carriers.

Etihad uses a Jet Airways 777 on its new SFO-Abu Dhabi run (Photo: Aero Icarus / Flickr)

Etihad uses a Jet Airways 777 on its new SFO-Abu Dhabi run & one of two JFK flights (Photo: Aero Icarus / Flickr)

While it’s always exciting to get new nonstop service at SFO,  it was a bit of a letdown to learn that Etihad would launch the SFO-Abu Dhabi flights with a leased Jet Airways plane instead of a shiny new B777 of its own…just like the ones recently deployed from Los Angeles and Dallas.

Etihad has one of the youngest fleets flying, with the average aircraft age of just 5.5 years.

An Etihad B777-300ER flies between LAX and Abu Dhabi (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

An Etihad B777-300ER flies between LAX and Abu Dhabi (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

When I asked around about why SFO would get the Jet aircraft instead of a new Etihad B777, I learned that it was because the rapidly expanding airline simply did not have enough of its own aircraft to enter the market. Experts also said that the Bay Area does not have as robust a premium class market as LA, New York or Dallas.

Having never flown Jet Airways, or Etihad, I was eager to see photos of the plane. So were readers…over the last few months, I’ve been peppered with queries about the aircraft interiors, services and amenities on the SFO flight. However, despite multiple requests, Etihad couldn’t provide more than two original photos– the one at the top of this post, and another one showing a ribbon cutting inside the SFO International Terminal.

In December,  I heard from a longtime TravelSkills reader  (“S.P.”) who had just flown from Los Angeles to Abu Dhabi on a new Etihad B777 in first class and was returning to SFO (also in first) on the new “Jetihad” nonstop.

Perfect! I asked S.P. to help us with our new series of “Reader Reports” by taking some notes and photos from his journey so I could report them here. (Last month’s Reader Report “I have to sit where?”)

His first missive was regrettably full of disappointment about the Jet Airways plane from Abu Dhabi to SFO. So I asked him to balance it out by sharing his thoughts on the LAX-AUH flight on the Etihad flight, which he really liked.

Below are some excerpts from our emails and some photos to help compare the two trips. Keep in mind that S.P. only took photos on the Abu-Dhabi-SFO leg of the trip. I’ve done my best to include photos of Etihad interiors from other sources to help compare.

S.P.: Overall, the AUH-SFO leg of the trip was a big disappointment.  My expectations were sufficiently low, knowing that the Jet hard product wouldn’t be the same as Etihad, but the actual experience was significantly worse than those expectations.

I was surprised by how different this flight was than the one we took Los Angeles-Abu Dhabi on the outbound (on an actual Etihad aircraft).  I knew in advance that we’d be on a Jet Airways aircraft, but I thought everything else would be Etihad — entertainment, food, crew, etc.  But boy was I wrong.

UAE 2014 (358)

Here’s how Etihad explains to passengers why they are onboard Jet Airways aircraft instead of Etihad. (Photo: S.P.)

UAE 2014 (353)

Photo of Jet Airways first class seats (Photo: S.P.)

 S.P.: In first class, the suite is pretty similar in form to what you find on Etihad.  The finishes on the Jet seat were not nearly as nice as Etihad, the seat motors were loud and creaky like an old jalopy, and my seat wouldn’t even move in all the directions it was supposed to.  The controller for the seat was also much worse than Etihad, very hard to read and use. The Etihad aircraft had really nice mood lighting that adjusted throughout the flight — something about it was very cool and felt glamorous.  No such lighting on Jet.
(Courtesy: Ben Schlappig / OneMileAtATime

Photo of Etihad first class seats (Courtesy: Ben Schlappig / OneMileAtATime

S.P.: First class on Etihad from LAX was very luxurious feeling with beautiful finishes, especially the soft beige Poltrona Frau leather seat. Everything in my suite felt new, high end, and of course, was fully functioning. The entertainment system on Etihad has a few cool features that you don’t find on the Jet aircraft (even though it is the Etihad entertainment system on Jet).  I enjoyed being able to view two live cameras, one that looked straight down at the ground and the other that was a perspective from the flight deck, looking forward.  The other cool feature was the ability to watch live TV, which is great for getting a news update while you’re stuck flying for 15+ hours.  Jet didn’t have either of these features.

>>Take a peek at what you may have missed on TravelSkills.com this week! <<

UAE 2014 (360)

First class amenity kit on Jet Airways operated flight (Photo: S.P.)

Etihad amenity kits feature colorful Sadou patterns pa centuries-old Abu Dhabi weaving craft. (Photo: Etihad)

Etihad amenity kits feature colorful Sadou patterns pa centuries-old Abu Dhabi weaving craft. (Photo: Etihad)

S.P.: The contents of the amenity kit on the Etihad flight were pretty basic, especially for first class, but I did like that the bag itself was somewhat “authentic” in that it was made of woven wool fabric that I read was some kind of UAE traditional design (as opposed to some generic high-end case like Givenchy or Ferragamo).  Much better than the cheap, black rubber bag given out on Jet.

UAE 2014 (366)

First class lavatory on the Jet Airways operated flight (Photo: S.P.)

S.P.: The bathroom situation on the Jet operated aircraft was also a clear step down.  Etihad had two lavatories in first, one large one and then a second smaller one.  But the Jet aircraft only had one and it was pretty ghetto. It was very rough around the edges and just didn’t feel clean. I really liked having two lavs for the first class cabin, which only has eight seats.  One of them was smaller, but perfectly adequate, and the second one was very large and easy to move around (great for changing clothes) with nice, high-end finishes
UAE 2014 (357)

Business class on the Jet Airways operated flight to SFO (Photo: S.P.)

Business class on Etihad (Photo: Etihad)

Business class on Etihad (Photo: Etihad)

Despite the addition of several new aircraft elsewhere in its network, an Etihad spokesperson at first told TravelSkills that there were no immediate plans to replace the Jet Airways B777 on the SFO to Abu Dhabi route. Update: As of April 25, 2016, Etihad will replace the Jet Airways plane with its own B777-200LR– see this post. 

Keep in mind that this reader is one of the few lucky ones to travel in first class– most TravelSkills readers will be flying in business class or economy, and their experiences could be completely different. So here are some other resources to help make your decision to fly Jetihad or not.

>Jet Airways on SkyTrax

>Jet Airways 777 first and business class seats on FlatSeats

>Jet Airways 777 seats maps/reviews on Seat Guru

>Jet Airways website

>Etihad business class page

Have YOU flown Etihad on a Jet Airways operated aircraft (there’s one on the two New York-Abu Dhabi flights, too). Please leave your comments below, or submit a Reader Report to us which we will consider for posting!

–Chris McGinnis

Post script: Etihad provided TravelSkills with the following statement regarding this post:

Our absolute commitment at Etihad Airways is to being the very best in the hospitality industry for our guests – whether you are comparing us with the best airlines, hotels and restaurants – and, also across every class of service.  We greatly appreciate the support and ongoing feedback from our guests within the San Francisco market, which we launched late last year using an aircraft leased from one of our partner airlines, Jet Airways and is operated by Etihad Airways. This feedback helps us constantly improve the travel experience for our guests as we always strive to offer the best in flight hospitality in the world. We value the feedback our guests have shared with you and with us which we will certainly take into account as we continue to further improve upon the product.

(Reader Report is a new series of posts from TravelSkills readers about their recent travel experiences. Would you like to submit a Reader Report on a recent travel experience? Let us know and we’ll send you some guidelines! We are looking for short, sweet, concise reports– no rants. Photos always appreciated! Email us!) 

 

Putting a wrap on airport security checkpoints

New jets SFO-LAX + Europe summer deals + United move at ATL + Delta wi-fi progress + Cathay biz class sale

+++

>>Take a peek at what you may have missed on TravelSkills.com this week! <<
Like what you just read? Then say so! Scroll back up to the top and LIKE the post on Facebook, post it on Linked In and/or tweet it!

facebook like

Would you rather get TravelSkills Weekly instead of Daily? No probs! click here to sign up for TravelSkills Weekly.

Please join the 85,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

 


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Mileage switch begins + Etihad mess + Marriott’s Mi-Fi blocking policy + Free Wi-Fi at NYC airports

Delta Connection flight for mileage item (Photo: Jim Glab)

Delta’s big SkyMiles changes now in effect (Photo: Jim Glab)

AIRLINES

Big mileage switch starts. On January 1, Delta became the first of the Big Three U.S. legacy airlines to transform the basis of earnings in its loyalty plan from distance flown to money spent. Under the new regime, non-elite SkyMiles members will get five miles per dollar spent on air fare, Silver Medallions earn seven miles per dollar, Golds get eight, Platinums nine and Diamonds 11. Delta has an online comparison calculator so you can figure how much a given flight would earn in the old vs. new structures. United will put the same spending-based structure in place for MileagePlus members starting March 1. (American/US Airways for now is sticking with the traditional mileage scheme, although during 2015 it has new mileage bonuses based on fare class, elite status and distance flown.) Some observers say the change to spending-based programs is a logical development following the hotel industry’s lead, but others see it as the latest step in a class warfare where airlines disproportionately cater to big spenders at the expense everyone else. Readers: Have you run any numbers to see if you’ll be better off under the new criteria vs. the old? What did you find?

Etihad mess. Etihad, which launched San Francisco-Abu Dhabi nonstops using Jet Airways B777s in November, took a big hit over the weekend when fog struck in Abu Dhabi. SFO-bound flight 183 had started its taxi toward take off when the flight was halted due to foggy conditions. Passengers ended up stuck on the tarmac for about 12 hours with no opportunities to get off the plane– and lots of bickering between passengers and flight crews according to various reports. After that ordeal, passengers endured the 16-hour flight to SFO. Luckily, the only damage from this incident is frayed nerves on the part of travelers and a big black eye for an airline just getting started in SFO. Regrettably, an elderly passenger on a Dusseldorf-bound flight facing a similar delay died. Since US rules (or fines and compensation) for such delays do not apply foreign airlines operating overseas, it will be up to Eithad to determine how it will compensate passengers and repair its image. Stay tuned….

WeekendEdition

Alaska lifts bag fee temporarily. All members of Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan who fly on the carrier during January will get a break from the carrier’s $25 fee for a first checked bag during that month. If you booked a January flight at an earlier date and your Mileage Plan number is in the reservation, the fee waiver will kick in automatically during check-in. What’s the purpose of the month-long fee waiver? “To encourage new and existing members to experience the benefits of Alaska’s award-winning frequent flier program,” the company said. For details, go to www.alaskaair.com/FirstBagFree.

Routes: Virgin, American, Spirit. Virgin America Airlines has kicked off new seasonal daily flights between New York JFK and Ft. Lauderdale … American reportedly plans to revive American Eagle service between Cleveland and New York LaGuardia on March 29, with three ERJ-140 flights a day — the same day United plans to trim its CLE-LGA schedule from eight daily roundtrips to six … Spirit Airlines is growing in southern California; it will launch daily San Diego-Denver service January 6, Los Angeles-Cleveland flights April 16 and a daily LAX-Denver roundtrip on the same date.

Meeting room at Phoenix Marriott Mesa Hotel (PHOTO: Marriott)

Meeting room at Phoenix Marriott Mesa Hotel (Photo: Marriott)

HOTELS

Marriott explains Mi-Fi blocking. Remember a few months ago when Marriott was slapped with a $600,000 fine by the FCC after its Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville was caught blocking the personal Wi-Fi mobile hotspots (also known as Mi-Fi) that some guests were using at meetings there? Marriott and the American Hotel and Lodging Association are asking the FCC for a ruling that such blockages do not violate federal rules, and last week Marriott sought to clarify its position on the issue. Marriott said it will never block guests’ Mi-Fi signals in guestrooms or lobbies — in fact, it encourages such activity. Instead, it only wants to block “rogue and imposter Wi-Fi hotspots used in our meeting and conference spaces that pose a security threat to meeting or conference attendees or cause interference to the conference guest wireless network.” (But if you read through the AHLA/Marriott petition to the FCC, it doesn’t say anything about limiting hotels’ Mi-Fi blockage authority only to meeting rooms.) Meanwhile, Google and Microsoft, along with other respondents, have jumped into the debate, urging the FCC to continue barring hotels from imposing any restrictions on Mi-Fi hotspots. Do you ever use your own Wi-Fi hotspot in a hotel? Will this be unnecessary as the big chains roll out free standard Wi-Fi at all their hotels? Post comments below.

Hilton, Marriott cancellation policies start. Just a reminder: January 1 was the effective date for new policies and Hilton and Marriott that require guests who won’t show up to cancel their booking no later than the day before their expected arrival. Otherwise, they’ll forfeit the cost of a night’s stay. (Some say the purpose is to stop guests from looking for better rates on last-minute booking sites.) We haven’t seen other major lodging groups match the policies yet, and if too many guests book away from Hilton and Marriott in favor of more lenient cancellation rules, the new policies might not last. Do cancellation policies affect your choice of hotels? Add comments below.

Resolve to get more out of your good credit score in 2015 with a new credit card! Here are our picks for the two best all-around cards— Both currently offer 40,000 mile sign up bonuses!

Lobby of Aloft Denver Downtown Hotel (Photo: Starwood Hotels)

Lobby of Aloft Denver Downtown Hotel (Photo: Starwood Hotels)

Starwood adds three Alofts. Are you a tech-minded Millennial? Then you’re the target market for Starwood Hotels’ trendy Aloft brand, and the company just opened three of them in key domestic business destinations. In Detroit, the historic David Whitney Building at One Park Avenue has been converted into a 136-room Aloft Hotel; another new Aloft has opened at 16th and Stout in the heart of downtown Denver; and the third has made its debut at Buffalo, N.Y.’s airport. Here’s our take on the Aloft near San Francisco International airport.

AIRPORTS

Free Wi-Fi coming to NYC airports. By the end of the first quarter of 2015, travelers in all terminals of the three major New York City-area airports should be able to enjoy 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi with no ads. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is working with Boingo Wireless to upgrade Wi-Fi technology at LaGuardia, JFK and Newark so that free high-speed 30-minute sessions can be offered in all of them. Currently, the amenity is in EWR’s Terminal C, LGA’s Central Terminal and JFK’s Terminal 4. For more time online, the system will offer hourly, daily or monthly fees.

In Case You Missed It…

+++
>>Take a peek at what you may have missed on TravelSkills.com this week! <<

.

What are the two best all-around credit cards? Both currently offer 40,000 mile sign up bonuses!

.

Like what you just read? Then say so! Scroll back up to the top and LIKE the post on Facebook, post it on Linked In and/or tweet it!

facebook like

Would you rather get TravelSkills Weekly instead of Daily? No probs! click here to sign up for TravelSkills Weekly.

Please join the 85,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Virgin’s next moves? + NYC + New Lufthansa seat + Eastern Airlines + More A380s

A brilliant fall day in NYC from the top floor of the Parker Meridien hotel (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Greetings from New York City on a beautiful fall day peering out from the Parker Meridien hotel (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

AIRLINES

Virgin shares soar in IPO. And the airline could, too. This is going to be really fun to watch. Virgin America shares hit the market Virgin Americaon Friday morning at $23 each, and took off to reach $30 by the end of the day. That makes Virgin worth about $1.3 billion. Now, with about $220 million in net proceeds, Virgin is going to add new planes, new routes and hopefully more frequencies in key business markets. CEO David Cush said that Virgin will add five new planes in 2015 and another five in 2016. He also said the SF-based carrier has a few other “tricks up its sleeve.” Talk of new flights to Hawaii has re-emerged. With Southwest taking AirTran’s business class seats out of the SFO-ATL market, I’d love to see two-class Virgin dive in. Where would YOU like to see Virgin America (see current destinations) expand? And would you be willing to give up your legacy carrier frequent flyer miles to try it? Please leave your comments below. 

Lufthansa’s premium economy starts this week. That new Premium Economy Class at Lufthansa is opening up nine days sooner than expected. The carrier said that starting November 22, the new section will be available on all of its 747-8 routes, including Frankfurt to Chicago, LAX and Washington Dulles. Besides the extra in-flight comforts, passengers will get twice the free checked bag allowance of regular economy, and for a 25 euro fee ($31), Premium Economy passengers can access the business class lounge before departure. Currently, United does not allow redemption of MileagePlus miles for Lufthansa (or any Star Alliance) premium economy. Lufthansa is offering a 15 percent discount on Premium Economy bookings until December 9. Take a look at Lufthansa’s new seat in this TravelSkills post: 20 different business class seats in one room

etihadTheResidenceFclass

One of three rooms in the Etihad First Class “Residence” onboard its A380s (Etihad)

$20,000 first class suites going fast. Would you pay $20,000 one way to fly in a private first class suite the size of some Manhattan apartments? Etihad Airways says these super-premium accommodations on its A380s — called The Residence — are selling out, in spite of the stratospheric price tag. Each one has a private shower, living area, bedroom — and the services of a butler. Meanwhile, other leading international carriers have upgraded their own front cabins to meet strong demand from global business moguls.

I captured this image of the Asiana B777 wreckage when my Delta flight from Atlanta landed the day after the crash (Chris McGinnis)

I captured this image of the Asiana B777 wreckage when my Delta flight from Atlanta landed  at SFO the day after the crash (Chris McGinnis)

Asiana SFO flights suspended. The South Korean government has ordered Asiana Airlines to halt its daily service to San Francisco from Seoul Incheon for 45 days as a penalty for the airline’s crash of a 777 during its landing at SFO in July 2013, in which three passengers died and scores were injured. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board blamed the crash on errors by one of the pilots, who was unfamiliar with all the automated systems on the 777. Asiana said it will appeal the suspension, which could delay implementation of the order.

Related: Korean Air Trip Reports- SFO-Seoul on a B777  &  Seoul-Atlanta on an A380 

International route news: Etihad Airways, which begins daily San Francisco-Abu Dhabi non-stops November 18, said its upcoming Dallas/Ft. Worth route, beginning with three flights a week on December 3, will increase to daily on April 16; Etihad is a code-share partner with American …

>Emirates will put a fourth daily flight, using an A380, onto its Dubai-New York JFK route on March 8, timed to maximize connections with partner JetBlue. The carrier also said it intends to put the A380 super-jumbo onto more U.S. routes; it introduced the plane on its DFW route last month, and will do the same in December with San Francisco and Houston. Emirates will have 68 A380s in operation by the end of 2015 compared with 55 today according to Bloomberg …

>British Airways will replace the 777 on its Denver-London route with a four-class 747 starting in March (including its new 14-suite first class design) …

>El Al will introduce Boston-Tel Aviv service three times a week starting in June 2015 …

>On May 1, Aer Lingus will begin new seasonal service from Washington Dulles to Dublin four times a week …

>Lufthansa will add Tampa to its route network in September 2015, using an A340-300 for flights to Frankfurt.

Popular: 20+ TravelSkills readers have signed up for these oddball credit card offers that reap big rewards. Have you? 

The new Eastern Airlines has painted its first jet. Brings back memories, no?

The new Eastern Airlines has painted its first jet, a 737-800. Brings back memories, no?

Something old, something new: PEOPLExpress, Eastern. The new incarnation of PEOPLExpress Airlines appears to be in trouble: Media reports indicate officials at Virginia’s Newport News/Williamsburg Airport are trying to evict the carrier from its home base, citing $100,000 in unpaid bills … The old Eastern Airlines name is also being revived in Miami. The “new” Eastern has started recruiting flight attendants, although it doesn’t yet have FAA certification. The company said it plans to operate 737-800s, but will initially serve only as a charter airline.

United’s holiday shopper lounges. Chase and United Airlines will soon open special VIP lounges for holiday shoppers in San Francisco and New Jersey. Available to Chase United cardholders, they’ll offer gift wrapping, refreshments, TVs, Wi-Fi and more, with locations at the Westfield San Francisco Centre (November 24-December 24) and The Mall at Short Hills (November 22-December 24).

Lake Tahoe at sunset (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Lake Tahoe at sunset (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Love Lake Tahoe? Then come chat about it! TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis will be talking about his favorite place to get away from it all MONDAY at 3 pm ET. Take a cool virtual tour here and come chat with us and FlipKey today! On Twitter, look for the #TakeMeThereTahoe hashtag at 3 pm ET, Noon PT today!

In Case You Missed It…

Stay tuned! Part 2 of this weekly “Catch Up” will post tomorrow morning…

 

>>Take a peek at what you may have missed on TravelSkills.com this week! <<

Like what you just read? Then say so! Scroll back up to the top and  LIKE the post on Facebook, post it on Linked In and/or tweet it! 

facebook like

Would you rather get TravelSkills Weekly instead of Daily? No probs! click here to sign up for TravelSkills Weekly. 

Please join the 80,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

Print pagePDF pageEmail page

20 different biz class seats in 1 room- PHOTOS

The star of the show was a mock up of Etihad's new 3-room "Residence" w double bed on its new A380's (Chris McGinnis)

The star of the GBTA trade show was a mock up of Etihad’s new 3-room “Residence” w double bed soon to appear on its new A380’s (Chris McGinnis)

(Los Angeles) Every year at about this time, the business travel industry gathers for the Global Business Travel Association convention. This year it’s here in Los Angeles, with about 7,000 industry folks schmoozing, speaking, selling, learning, networking and having a lot of fun. 

One of the best parts of this conference is the trade show floor where hundreds of travel suppliers like airlines, hotels, car rental companies, or banks (sellers) erect elaborate booths to show off their wares and negotiate deals with all the corporate travel managers (buyers) at the show.

The highlight of the show? The airline booths! Most (but not all) have their latest, greatest business class seats on the floor to show off. Here’s a collection of some of my best shots from this colorful kaleidoscope! Check ’em out and stay tuned for more posts about the  convention.

Virgin America was there showing off its cushy white leather first class seats (Chris McGinnis)

Virgin America was there showing off its cushy white leather first class seats (Chris McGinnis)

On the heels of announcing new nonstops to SFO, Turkish had its nice true lie flat biz class seat on display (Chris McGinnis)

On the heels of announcing new nonstops to SFO, Turkish had it’s nice true lie flat biz class seat on display (Chris McGinnis)

The new lie-flat seat that American Airlines is using on its long hauls-- esp popular on the New York to London run (Chris McGinnis)

The new lie-flat seat that American Airlines is using on its long hauls– esp popular on the New York to London run (Chris McGinnis)

LAN's new business class seat nice for those overnights to South America! (Chris McGinnis)

LAN’s new business class seat nice for those overnights to South America! (Chris McGinnis)

Airbnb was at GBTA for the first time with a cool hipster like lounge booth (Chris McGinnis)

Airbnb was at GBTA for the first time with a cool hipster like lounge booth (Chris McGinnis)

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

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

That's me and Johnny Jet in the "living room"- one of three rooms in the new "Residence" onboard its new A380s

That’s me and Johnny Jet in the “living room”- one of three rooms soon appearing in the new “Residence” onboard Etihad’s new A380s

First class on Amtrak's high speed Acela trains along the NE Corridor (Chris McGinnis)

First class on Amtrak’s high speed Acela trains along the NE Corridor (Chris McGinnis)

Emirates did not have a seat on display, but had a mock up of its inflight lounge aboard its A380s. (Chris McGinnis)

Emirates did not have a seat on display, but had a mock up of its inflight lounge aboard its A380s. (Chris McGinnis)

Here's JetBlue's new "MINT" class seat now appearing on its LAX-JFK transcons (Chris McGinnis)

Here’s JetBlue’s new “MINT” class seat now appearing on its LAX-JFK transcons (Chris McGinnis)

That's Alitalia's lovely "baseball glove" leather trimmed business class seat (Chris McGinnis)

That’s Alitalia’s lovely “baseball glove” leather trimmed business class seat (Chris McGinnis)

Please join the 50,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!
Lufthansa was showing off it's new premium economy seat (Chris McGinnis)

Lufthansa was showing off its new premium economy seat (Chris McGinnis)

A Singapore Girl shows off Singapore Air's new business class seat now appearing on its 777s (Chris McGinnis)

A Singapore Girl shows off Singapore Air’s new business class seat now appearing on its 777s (Chris McGinnis)

After a long day at the GBTA show, I needed a nap on Air New Zealand's economy Sky Couch! (Chris McGinnis)

After a long day at the GBTA show, I needed a nap on Air New Zealand’s economy Sky Couch! (Chris McGinnis)

Like what you just saw? Then say so! Scroll back up to the top and  LIKE the post on Facebook, post it on Linked In and/or tweet it! 

Based on what you’ve seen here… or experienced for yourself… which seat is your favorite or the one you’d like to try the most? Leave your comments below.

–Chris McGinnis


facebook like

Would you rather get TravelSkills Weekly instead of Daily? No probs! click here to sign up for TravelSkills Weekly. 

Check out these popular recent TravelSkills posts:

Southwest pads schedules + 70K Marriott points + New airline for SFO + Chris at GBTA + Salt Lake makeover 

Frequent travelers love Chick-fil-a

Kicked off flight for a tweet? Southwest responds

Conrad snags posh new London hotel

Best & worst hotels, airports for Wi-Fi

How I watched the #MH17 tragedy unfold

Unusual ways to earn hotel rewards points

Should I renew my CLEAR card?

New global carrier for SFO with an Indian twist

Bigger bins + Check-in not required + Beware LAX traffic mess + New low fare O’Hare flights + Big new build hotel LA Live +

Are you in the market for a new credit card? Looking for a fat points or mileage bonus to sweeten your balance? Then check out our BEST CREDIT CARDS FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS and scoop up the deals!

Please join the 50,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

 


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

New 3-room suite onboard an A380? Yep.

Etihad Residence

Double bed inside Etihad’s new Residence (Photo: Etihad Airways)

Put a three-room suite, including bathroom with shower, double bed, 32-inch LCD screen, and a London-trained butler on a commercial Airbus A380, and you are going to get a LOT of press.

So it goes with yesterday’s announcement that Etihad Airways is doing just that. A single, 125 square foot “Residence”  will be located at the front of the upper level of Etihad’s Airbus A380s when delivered this December. In the next several years, the airline plans to offer the single ultra-luxe suite on  flights to London, Paris, New York and Sydney from its base in Abu Dhabi. (I’ve heard rumors of another UAE carrier with eyes on SFO… we’ll just have to wait see if it’s Etihad!)

The “Residence” is so posh that it’s a level above first class. Etihad’s A380s will also have nine first class “Apartments” onboard, as well as 70 business class “Studios.” Even coach is getting cushy, offering 11-inch seatback video screens, noise canceling headsets and duvets.

Round trip fares for the Residence? Reportedly about $40,000 roundtrip between Abu Dhabi and London.

How much press did this get? Well, a quick Google News search this morning netted at least 12 pages of links. Take a peek at images! Or check out what folks are seeing and saying about it on Twitter.

–Chris McGinnis


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Airline update: Delta, Southwest, ATL news

Having fun at the new Southwest Airlines Porch at Piedmont Park (Photo: Southwest Airlines)

SOUTHWEST PORCH AT PIEDMONT PARK. Southwest Airlines has just opened a “Southwest Porch” at Park Tavern overlooking the southeast corner of Piedmont Park in Midtown Atlanta. Visitors can relax in lounge chair, enjoy a beer or a snack, and take part in fun Southwest events and giveaways while taking in park and skyline views. Later this winter, they can watch ice skaters on the adjacent Southwest Rink. Southwest opened the Southwest Porch at Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan in 2009—and it’s now a popular hangout with 3.5 stars on Yelp. Denver’s Southwest Porch at Skyline Park opened in September 2010 and has morphed into a seasonal operation called the Southwest Rink at Skyline Park. Last month, the Southwest Porch at Strauss Square opened in the Arts District in Dallas. Southwest, which arrived in ATL last February, now has 29 daily nonstop flights to 15 cities from Atlanta. Will any of you Delta die-hards stop by the Southwest porch for a beer and some brand building?

DELTA’S DOING JUST FINE. In its third quarter financials released today, Delta reported that it has $5.1 billion in cash on hand. Nice. It’s load factor for the quarter was a very packed 86.4%, slightly higher than last year. It’s still cutting capacity, though, stating it plans to cut 1-3% more in the fourth quarter, even after cutting out 2% in the third. We could only find one foreboding statement in this report, “However, we are in the process of implementing a $1 billion program of structural initiatives that we anticipate will generate significant savings in the second half of 2013, while maintaining the high quality product, network and operation we have built.” Hmm. “Structural initiatives.” What do you think that is? Please leave your comments below.

>>>Have you signed up for The TICKET via Feedburner yet? If not, do it right now! Email in the box to the right, please!>>>

RANKING TSA THEFT BY AIRPORT. Here’s an interesting story from ABC News, which obtained figures from the TSA via a Freedom of Information Act request, ranking airports based on the number of TSA employees fired for theft. No surprise that Miami came in numero uno with 29 firings, followed by New York-JFK (27) and Los Angeles-LAX (24). Atlanta took the #4 position with 17 firings. The idea to obtain the numbers on TSA firings was initially sparked by an investigative report showing how an iPad was planted and “lost” at airport security in Orlando, and then tracked to the home of a TSA officer.

SEATTLE GETS A BOOST. Seattle/Tacoma was an important gateway for Northwest and is now an important (and very profitable) gateway for Delta. At a recent event that included CEO Richard Anderson’s presence in Seattle (that’s how you know something is really important!), Delta announced major upgrades for its SEA-TAC gateway such as new Boeing 747-400 service to Tokyo (more seats compared to the current A-330), lie-flat Business Elite seats on all international flights including Seattle-Paris, Amsterdam and Osaka, an application to begin nonstop flights to Shanghai and Tokyo- Haneda (the latter switching from Detroit), and new upgraded transcon Business Elite service on the quartet of daily Seattle-JFK flights. This focus on the Seattle gateway shows that Delta is shifting focus away from Atlanta as its primary “Worldport.” In addition to its already strong JFK hub, the larger Delta is now taking advantage of market opportunities in all corners of the country.

DELTA-ALASKA AIR BENNIES. The major Seattle announcement put Delta’s Alaska Airlines codeshare partnership in the spotlight again. In case you didn’t know, Delta passengers get on upgrade waitlists for Alaska Airlines flights 24 hours before departure. All Alaska MVP elites will clear ahead of Delta flyers, but several TICKET readers report good success on upgrades on certain routes. Alaska elites can upgrade on Delta too, but only after all Delta Medallions have had a shot (yes, even suffering Silvers). Also, Sky Club members can access Alaska Board Room clubs in Seattle, Portland, Anchorage, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in conjunction with an Alaska flight. Be sure to take advantage of these perks!

EARNING DELTA MQMs. Running low on Medallion Qualification Miles as we approach the end of the year? Delta and Hilton have partnered up with a promotion allowing guests who stay at Hilton to earn 250 MQMs in addition to double miles. A two-night stay is required anytime between now and December 15, 2012. It is important to make sure your Hilton HHonors setting is switched to earning miles (some people have it switched to earning additional HHonors points instead). Sign up for the promotion here. Hertz is offering a similar 250 MQM promo for rentals of three days or longer—details here.

NEW AIRTRAN/CHASE CARD. When Southwest took over AirTran, it dumped Barclays as a card provider, and recently switched over to Chase to offer the new AirTran A+ Rewards Credit Card.  Get the new card and spend $1,000 in the first three months and you’ll receive 16 award credits and two upgrades to AirTran’s business class. The award credits equate to one free roundtrip—and the upgrades? Well, enjoy them while you can because (as revealed in a recent interview) business class is set to disappear completely by 2015. New AirTran/Chase cardholders get the $69 annual fee waived for the first year. Plus, cardholders get two credits at the end of every year they hold the card. Another nice perk: Cardholder credits are good for two years on AirTran vs just one for non-cardholders. Not bad—and don’t forget that credits can now be redeemed on AirTran or Southwest. (Note: Chase targeted certain members of A+ in September, offering whopping 32 credits for $2000 spend…the deal expired Oct 4. Did you get the offer?)

Opening day at the new iTravel store at ATL. (Photo: Myrna White)

APPLE DETHRONES BLACKBERRY AT ATL. Have you noticed that the Blackberry store near gate B-17 at ATL has turned into an Apple store? The new iTravel store (an Apple authorized re-seller) opened last month, offering a full array of Apple products…and experts on hand to answer any questions you may have about your new iPhone or iPad Mini or Mac.  Interesting: The US Patent Office recently awarded Apple ownership of a new concept called iTravel, which will eventually use Near Field Communications (NFC) so iPhones can be used as e-wallets or e-tickets—along the lines of Apple’s new Passbook application, which stores loyalty program credentials, airline boarding passes, etc in iPhones. Do you still use a Blackberry? Are you considering a switch to a new device? Which one?

NEW BANK AT ATL. Have you noticed all the construction by the old car rental counters at the top of the arrivals escalators at ATL’s main terminal? Word from airport officials is that the space will soon be a new Wells Fargo bank branch.

Airlines ranked by 2Q 2012 baggage fee revenue, dollars in thousands (000)

BIG ON BAG FEES. While most TICKET readers cringe at the thought of ever paying to check a bag on Delta (due to their elite status), it’s interesting to note that Delta leads the pack when it comes to bag fees. In the first half of this year, Delta collected nearly half a BILLION in bag fees—which are what keeps airlines in the black these days. While business travelers like to think it’s their high fares and loyalty that keep airlines afloat, the emergence of bag fees, which are primarily paid by INfrequent travelers, could be switching up that equation.

(Have you scored your 500 Delta SkyMiles bonus for using TICKET sponsor Peachy Airport Parking yet? Click here for the coupon!) 

MORE PARIS. With Delta’s recent transatlantic flight reductions, it’s increasingly likely that Europe-bound travelers will be making a stop at Paris CDG on the way to their final destination. Combined, Delta and Air France now offer four daily nonstops between ATL and Paris. Delta has announced it will add new nonstops to Paris from Newark and Boston. Charles de Gaulle Airport has recently expanded and enhanced its new S4 satellite terminal (slideshow) with big bright business class lounges and nicer gate areas, which should make even the most vociferous CDG-haters feel a little better about making transfers there. (Don’t forget that you can always transfer at Amsterdam Schipol on SkyTeam partner KLM.) With Europe racked by a recession, which is depressing demand for air travel, it’s likely going to be a while until we see the return of the raft of nonstops between ATL and smaller European cities. Bon voyage! UPDATE: Air France is expecting a strike on Oct 26– while it says it will transport all passengers, it also advises them to check for updates at www.airfrance.us

EUROPEAN ECONOMY COMFORT. Economy Comfort seats (similar to Delta’s) will be available on KLM’s Boeing 737 flights within Europe departing December 1 onwards. (EC was previously only available on KLM’s intercontinental flights.)  The carrier is reportedly considering the possibility of adding the roomier coach seats to its KLM Cityhopper fleet, too.

Do you know which brand new Chicago hotel is inside this wavy building?

BUSINESS TRIP. What are the top five hottest hotels and restaurants in Chicago…and what condiment should always be left OFF a Chicago-style hot dog? Do you know the names of the four brand new 5-star hotels that have opened in Toronto the last year? Take a peek at the latest in my BBC Business Trip series to learn the answers!

>Are you signed up for our Facebook page yet? We frequently break news on our Facebook page that eventually makes it into our monthly roundups. So if you want news when it happens, come on and get on our Facebook page.

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS. In a move that seems to foreshadow something interesting, the highly-reputed Etihad Airways (based in Abu Dhabi, UAE) along with Air Berlin have signed a partnership deal with Air France-KLM. The deal comes on the heels of Qatar Airways announcement that it plans to join the American Airlines-led Oneworld Alliance. This is especially interesting because until now, the three main Gulf carriers (Etihad, Emirates, and Qatar) were firm in their commitment to remain independent rather than hook up with global alliances. Qatar’s move may prompt the others to follow. For now, the partnership is strictly a codeshare agreement and not an opportunity for Delta/SkyTeam flyers to earn and burn miles—for now. But things change rapidly in the world of airline alliances, so sit tight and let’s see what happens… Have you flown a UAE-based airline yet? What did you think? Leave your comments below…

AN UNSAVORY MIX AT SKYCLUBS.  In recent years, TICKET readers have raved about the new array of sweet and savory snack mixes from Montego Bay to Mesa Rosa on offer at Sky Clubs. But those raves have turned to rants as club attendants have started to dump new mixes on top of the old, leading to stale snacks and random surprises like spicy cheese chips and crunchy corn kernels in an almond-cranberry nut mix. Noticed it?

AIRPORT WHEELCHAIR ABUSE? According to the New York Times, some sneaky travelers hoping to avoid airport security hassles are asking to be wheeled through airports and cutting in security lines in wheel chairs…even if they are not disabled. Here’s a snippet from the story: “Once cleared [at security], the woman suddenly sprang up from her wheelchair, hoisted two huge carry-on bags from the magnetometer’s conveyor belt and plopped back in the wheelchair. She gave a nod to the person pushing her, and they rolled off to the gate.” Hmm. Have you noticed this yet? Leave your comments below.

>Do you follow TICKET editor Chris McGinnis on Twitter? Every day I sift through all the business travel news out there and tweet items that I think would interest my readers most.

Silver Airways routes from ATL

SILVER AIRWAYS PICKS UP ATL ROUTES.  For years, Delta (like many other airlines) flew to smaller cities that were funded by the federal government as Essential Air Service (EAS) routes. This program guarantees that smaller communities get connections to the same global airline networks as larger cities– subsidized by the federal government. Delta recently decided to drop many of these routes on its own and forfeit the payments it was receiving from the government. Silver Airways has stepped in to offer new air service (using 19-34 seat propjets) to these communities from Atlanta including Tupelo, Hattiesburg, Meridian, and Greenville in Mississippi and Muscle Shoals in Alabama. Silver also serves Gainesville, Florida and Greenbrier Valley, WV from Atlanta. Have you flown Silver Air? What did you think? Please leave your comments below.

DELTA MUGS MILWAUKEE. Once the domain of Northwest and then AirTran, Delta is aggressively inserting itself into this important Midwest market by nabbing naming rights to its main convention center The Delta Center (formerly the Midwest Airlines Center). Delta’s name will also be added to the US Cellular Arena and Milwaukee Theatre.

OBRIGADO. Delta’s prolific “immediate help service” on Twitter now speaks Portuguese at @DeltaAjuda. Delta’s real-time customer service channel on Twitter is staffed during business hours from Monday through Friday, offering something other airlines lack. Have you used DeltaAssist or Ajuda to help solve a travel issue? What was your experience?

RECHARGE. Those popular recharging stations that have appeared at many airports like Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, JFK, Norfolk, Omaha, and Seattle are coming to even more airports. Four gates at Tokyo Narita have been upgraded and you’ll soon see the stations in: Anchorage, Austin, Denver, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston Intercontinental, Kansas City, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Ontario, CA, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Syracuse.

EASY 500+ SKYMILES BONUS. You gotta park at the airport anyway, so why not help out The TICKET, and our newest sponsor, Peachy Airport Parking, on your next trip? You’ll help yourself, too, since Peachy is offering TICKET readers 500 SkyMiles plus three SkyMiles per dollar spent. If you are tired of worrying about on-airport lot sellouts, long, dark walks to your car or the congested mess that is Camp Creek Parkway, just exit I-85 south at Sylvan Road, one mile north of the airport, and follow the signs to Peachy. Once there, you’ll find extra wide spaces in a secure, climate controlled indoor lot, afree car wash and a short two-minute shuttle ride to the airport. Daily rates are just $6.99 outdoor or$8.99 indoor. COME ON! Help keep The TICKET free by clicking on this link or on the ad to the right to learn more about ATL’s newest parking option. Note: You have to click on the link and print the page to get the SkyMiles! 

****

>Do you follow TICKET editor Chris McGinnis on Twitter? Every day I sift through all the business travel news out there and tweet items that I think would interest my readers most. Come on! Follow me!

*****

Subscribe to The TICKET via E-mail!

Follow @cjmcginnis

*****


Print pagePDF pageEmail page
Editorial Disclaimer: This editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuer. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of the credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. This site may be compensated through the credit card issuer Affiliate Program. Responses in the comments section are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.”