TravelSkills

News and Tips For Your Trips

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alaska Airlines 737 New Livery

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.

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Routes: JetSuiteX in California + JetBlue cuts + New Sun Country model + more

JetSuiteX will add another California Corridor route next month. (Image: JetSuite)

In domestic route news, JetSuiteX adds service in another California Corridor market; JetBlue grows at Boston but cuts back flights to a key Caribbean destination; Alaska Airlines adds service at Albuquerque but reduces it at Portland; Sun Country unveils details of its new low-cost business model; and United will add a spoke at its Denver hub.

Niche carrier JetSuiteX plans to jump into another intra-California market in mid-November when it starts flying between Oakland and Burbank, using private terminals at both airports. The company – which operates public charter flights using 30-passenger E135 jets – said that it will offer three roundtrips every day except Saturday, with one-way fares starting at $129 (including up to two pieces of baggage). Last month, JetSuiteX kicked off new service between Burbank and San Jose with 12 flights a week. The company said its flights offer free drinks and snacks, wi-fi, business class-equivalent legroom, and minimal waiting time at the airport because it uses private terminals. JetSuiteX’s Oakland terminal is located at 9351 Earhart Road, Oakland, CA 94621

Did you know that JetSuite is partially owned by JetBlue? Read our post about that here.

Flying over San Juan’s Condado neighborhood; JetBlue is slashing service to SJU.  (Chris McGinnis)

JetBlue will add its 65th non-stop destination from Boston Logan next spring when it begins service to Minneapolis-St. Paul. It will operate three daily roundtrips in the market starting May 3, and is currently offering fares starting at $89 each way. It noted that MSP is the biggest domestic market not currently served by JetBlue. (It’s also the second big Delta hub JetBlue has infiltrated this year.) In other news, JetBlue is planning a big reduction in service to Puerto Rico due to damage on the island from two major hurricanes. San Juan is a big piece of JetBlue’s network, accounting for about 6 percent of its total capacity. But the carrier said it expects to cut capacity to San Juan by 33 percent, a reduction that will likely last through the end of 2018. The extensive hurricane damage and the resulting publicity mean that leisure travel to Puerto Rico is unlikely to recover for many months. By this year’s December holidays, JetBlue plans to shift a lot of that capacity to other Caribbean islands, but it hasn’t yet said which ones.

 Alaska Airlines has launched new daily service from San Diego to Albuquerque as part of its continuing West Coast expansion. The carrier is using three-class, 76-seat E175s operated by its Horizon Air unit. At the same time, Alaska has added a second daily Albuquerque-Seattle non-stop. At Portland, meanwhile, Alaska is converting two routes from year-round service to seasonal: it will suspend Portland-Kansas City flights from December 1 to March 10, and will eliminate Portland-St. Louis service from November 28 through March 10.

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

As it converts its business model to that of an ultra-low-cost carrier, Twin Cities-based Sun Country Airlines has come out with details of new fares and fees, which are effective now for travel beginning January 19. The airline’s new product is called Bundle & Go pricing; the lowest fare level, called Grab & Go, allows travelers to carry on one personal item to stow under the seat, but no carry-ons (stowed in the overhead bin) or checked bags. The next level up, Check & Go for an extra $20, provides for one personal item and one checked bag, but no carry-ons. Store & Go fares, for an extra $30, include one personal item and your choice of one checked bag or one carry-on. Only first class fares are all-inclusive, providing for a personal item, a carry-on and two checked bags.

Got business in Scottsbluff, Nebraska? You can’t fly to its Western Nebraska Regional Airport right now, but the facility will regain airline service on February 1 when SkyWest is due to start flying there from Denver with 12 flights a week. SkyWest, which will operate under the United Express banner, recently won a federal Essential Air Services contract for the route.

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Sneak sale: Hawaii $325 roundtrip from 5 west coast cities

Fares to Hawaii take a dip. Need to act fast, though. Kauai pictured here.  (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

UPDATE! United’s been on a tear this week with tons of low fares for winter trips from the Bay Area- we can barely keep up! First it was Hawaii at $325, then South Florida for $251, then SFO-Boston for just $197 in basic economy, $228 regular (even during peak summer) and now SFO-HNL or Maui (OGG) are back and even lower at $299-$305- and these fares are good November thru May and then again in August and September. And there’s even more: How about SFO-LAX for just $73 roundtrip in basic economy, $110 in regular. Yep, and it’s good for trips late November through end of February.  Grab ’em while they are hot! All fares found on Google Flights & United.com and subject to change.

>>Here’s the original post from last week.

Whenever we see fares to Hawaii from the west coast dip below $400, we jump. Over the last year it has been rare to see anything below $399. That changed this week when roundtrip fares dipped quietly closer to $300. 

The airlines are not making a big deal about this, but we are!

Today we are seeing some very nice deals for winter travel to the islands– most at around $325 round trip between the Bay Area, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, Seattle and Honolulu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii. (This applies to both nonstop and one stop flights.) Interestingly, this does not apply (yet) to flights from LAX where fares remain above the $400 mark, but not by much, at around $410.

UPDATE #2: As of 3 pm on Oct 24, these fares are already drifting higher– most $325 fares are now closer to $350.

UPDATE #3: We are now finding flights available for deep peak summer for just $325-$345, mostly SFO-HNL in late August and early September

UPDATE #4: Weds Oct 25 7 am– the lowest roundtrip fares are now in the $375 range- not $325 any more, but still a good deal for winter trips to Hawaii. Most remaining discounts appear to be on flights to Maui (OGG).

Update #5: Weds 5 pm This sale appears to be slowing down however we are still finding SFO-Honolulu or Maui on Virgin America for $345 Nov-May and also in late August. That’s a very good deal.

Fares for mid-Late November between SFO and Hawaiian Islands (Google Flights)

What’s even better about this is a nice big window for travel– it starts in November and goes all the way to May. Of course this does not include the Christmas/New Year’s holiday period, but it does include spring break months of March and April (excluding the week before Easter). First class fares from the west coast are at about $1,000 roundtrip.

As of today, its mostly United and Hawaiian that are offering the low fares, but keep an eye out for matches from Alaska Air and Virgin America.

As of this morning (Tues Oct 24) we have found the following deals on Google Flights and as always clicked thru to airline sites to confirm:

  • San Francisco or San Jose to Maui: $325
  • San Francisco to Honolulu or Kauai: $333
  • San Diego to Honolulu, Maui or Kauai $338
  • Sacramento to Honolulu or Maui: $366 (one stop in SFO)
  • Seattle-Honolulu $348 (one stop in LAX)
  • Portland to Honolulu $333 (one stop)

San Francisco to Maui nonstop for just $325 in February is a great deal. Go grab it! (Google Flights)

Right now it appears that United is leading this sale with the most sale fares. Keep in mind that this could change rapidly– the airlines might just be “testing the waters” to see how low they must go to stimulate demand.

As always during the slower fall and winter months, it’s important to act fast on these un-publicized sales. If you see a fare that works for you, grab it because it likely will not last.

What’s a “good” deal to you when it comes to Hawaii? What’s the least you’ve ever paid to fly there? Please leave your comments below.

Get that $325 roundtrip fare nearly every day in cold dark Jan and Feb and get to paradise! (Google Flights)

Aloha!

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Routes: Air France, China Airlines, Aer Lingus, Scoot, Finnair, Seattle seaplanes

Air France will start 777 flights to Seattle next year. (Image: Air France)

In international route developments, Air France adds a new West Coast gateway; China Airlines will fly to an unlikely California airport; Aer Lingus adds a new transatlantic route in 2018; Singapore’s Scoot plans its first U.S. route; Finnair returns to Miami; and Seattle-Vancouver travelers could get downtown-to-downtown service.

Air France has scheduled a March 25 start for new U.S. service between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Seattle – a route where its joint venture partner Delta already offers daily year-round service. Air France said it will initially fly the route three days a week, increasing to five days a week from June 19 through September 2, using a 777-200ER with business class, premium economy and regular economy seating. The new flight will depart SEA at 4:30 p.m.

Taiwan-based China Airlines already flies from Taipei to Los Angeles and San Francisco, and now it plans to add a third California gateway starting in the spring of next year. Could it be San Diego? San Jose? Nope. It’s Ontario International Airport, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles – an airport that currently has just 62 flights a day to 15 cities. China Airlines reportedly expects to carry more than 80,000 passengers a year in each direction on the new route, which it will initially serve four days a week with a two-class, 358-seat 777-300ER.

Aer Lingus is adding a Philadelphia route next year. (Image: Aer Lingus)

Aer Lingus, now a sister company of British Airways as part of International Airlines Group, has announced plans to add new U.S. service on March 25 when it will start flying between Dublin and Philadelphia. The Irish carrier will use a 757 to fly the new route four days a week – a route already operated by BA’s joint venture partner American. Aer Lingus’ summer U.S. schedule for 2018 also includes two flights a day from New York JFK, Boston and Chicago; daily service from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Hartford; four flights a week from Orlando; and three a week from Miami.

Scoot, the low-cost affiliate of Singapore Airlines, has opened the books for reservations on its first U.S. route. The carrier plans a December 19 launch of flights from Singapore to Honolulu via a stop in Osaka, Japan. Scoot will use a 787-8 on the route, which it will fly four days a week. The Scoot 787-8 has 335 seats in a two-class configuration, although some economy seats are offered with extra legroom for an additional fee.

Finnair this week resumed seasonal service to Miami International, operating three flights a week to Helsinki with an Airbus A330. The flights will continue through March.

Vancouver’s Harbour Flight Center is right downtown. (Image: Harbour Air)

Business commuters who travel between Seattle and Vancouver could soon have a new flight option that avoids the two cities’ big airports. The Seattle Times reports that a pair of small regional carriers – Kenmore Air and British Columbia’s Harbour Air – are planning to introduce new seaplane service, possibly by the end of this year.  The Seattle departures would be from Lake Union, convenient to Amazon headquarters. Harbour Air operates out of downtown Vancouver’s Harbour Flight Center.

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10 hottest neighborhoods in the U.S.

You didn’t know Brooklyn had hills? Check out Sunset Park. (Image: Barry Winiker/Getty)

If business keeps taking you back to the same cities, do you spend your free time there revisiting the same old haunts and/or hanging around your hotel? For a bit of urban adventure, why not check out a city’s up-and-coming hot neighborhoods that are loved by locals but still undiscovered by visitors?

Travel publisher Lonely Planet solicited input from its experts and local contributors on the subject, and it came up with a list of uber-cool neighborhoods for trend-seeking travelers. Even if you’re not a hipster, hopping an Uber to these off-the-beaten-path districts could at least make you sound kind of cool and in-the-know to your colleagues back home.

Here are its Top 10 picks, with comments from Lonely Planeteers:

Sunset Park, New York “The success of art and commerce behemoth Industry City has shone a light onto one of Brooklyn’s most exciting under-the-radar neighborhoods. Another favorite from Lonely Planet’s global neighborhood list, Sunset Park sits below Park Slope on the south and western borders of Green-Wood Cemetery, and hosts a heady mix of cultures and traditions…Set on one of the highest hills in Brooklyn, it offers spectacular views of lower Manhattan.” – Robert Balkovich

 Capitol Riverfront & Yards Park, Washington DC “One of DC’s most recent reincarnations, the former Navy Yard, a commercial wharf in the 19th Century, has been completely overhauled. Formerly one of the grittier parts of the US capital, the riverfront area began to change in 2008, when it became home to Nationals Park, DC’s major league baseball stadium. These days, there are more reasons to visit here than for sport alone; the entire waterfront precinct now features an attractive boardwalk, small riverside parks and a handful of top-notch eateries.” – Kate Armstrong

Denver’s RiNo is for foodies and arts aficionados. (Image: Gabriel Rovick/Lonely Planet)

River North (RiNo), Denver “Even as the Mile High City expands, RiNo still clings to its punk-rock roots. You’ll find it in the street murals that seem to pop up overnight, in the experimental galleries that play open house on Friday nights, and in the innovative food halls and rockabilly microbrews that play host to the city’s young, bold and tattooed. [RiNo] is playing center stage for the resurgent arts and cultural scenes that have transformed D-Town into the cultural dynamo of the American West.”  – Greg Benchwick

Point Loma, San Diego “Point Loma is the conservative neighbor of hippy Ocean Beach, with its sports fishing centers, yacht clubs, and naval base…[it’s] home to a mishmash of New England-style clapboard houses, tropical- themed hotels, and exquisite modern hilltop homes with panoramic views of the city and harbor below. It’s common to see members of the armed forces in uniform around the sleepy town, but foodies also gravitate to Point Loma for the outstanding seafood brought to shore daily by boats, and served in local restaurants.” – Jade Bremner

Pizza is a big draw in Seattle’s Frelard district. (Image: Geoffrey Smith)

Frelard, Seattle “A highlight from Lonely Planet’s global list, this new community has slowly taken shape in the space between two of Seattle’s most popular neighborhoods. First coined by Seattle restaurateur Ethan Stowell, owner of Frelard Pizza Company, the name Frelard reflects those of its neighbors: Fre(mont) and (Bal)lard…It’s the perfect place to refuel on a day spent exploring beyond Seattle’s main tourist sights.” – Valerie Stimac

Montavilla, Portland “On the far side of Mount Tabor Park in southeast Portland is the quietly cool Montavilla neighborhood…Its core is just a half-dozen blocks along Stark Street, lined with shops, restaurants and bars. The lynchpin of this stretch is the Academy Theater, a second-run cinema (built in 1948, restored and reopened in 2006) … Fifteen or so years ago, this neighborhood had a reputation for crime…Now there’s a busy Sunday farmers market, a handful of craft-cocktail and beer bars, cute little independent shops and a dive bar (Montavilla Station) known for its weekend blues jams.” – Becky Ohlsen

Austin’s South 1st Street is hipper than hip. (Image: Amy Balfour/lonely Planet)

South 1st Street, Austin “At first glance, South 1st Street looks like a ho-hum stretch of cottages, food trucks and weathered buildings. But don’t be fooled by the low-key façade … Chatty locals keep Bouldin Creek Café and the indie coffee shops buzzing while beloved Torchy’s Tacos serves “damn good tacos” from its very first location – a trailer – all day long… It’s an appealing mix of old and new – and a stark contrast to trendy South Congress Avenue one block east.” – Amy Balfour

Avondale, Chicago “Avondale offers no hotels or tourist sights. It’s mostly humble two-flat homes and the occasional smokestack or steeple popping up. But throughout this working-class beat on Chicago’s northwest side, groovy things are brewing…Get here soon though, because Avondale teeters on the edge. Hipster ‘hoods nibble at its borders, poised to spill over. And that may change its scruffy, artsy, lived-in magic.”  – Karla Zimmerman

 East Liberty & Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh “Pittsburgh won’t be the first American city to beep on your cool-o-meter, but its eastern neighborhoods might just be the sleeper hit your hipster sensibilities have been craving…the influx of moneyed millennials has willed a new food and beverage scene into existence, led by the Ace Hotel, which opened in a once-derelict YMCA in 2015 – all of which is making the Steel City’s reputation considerably less rusty.” – Brandon Presser

East Nashville, Nashville “Music City is known for its country crooners and the honky tonks on Lower Broadway, but just across the Cumberland River in East Nashville, residents march to the beat of a different drum…there are more tattoos, street murals and alternative music venues on this side of town…And if you came to Nashville for hot chicken, the East side has you covered as well, with Pepperfire, Bolton’s and the place that started it all, Prince’s.” – Evan Godt

What’s your favorite sleeper neighborhood that no one really knows about…but should? 

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Routes: Delta at LAX, More Mexico for United, BA 747s, Norwegian, Icelandair,

Delta will use a 777-200LR for LAX flights to Paris and Amsterdam. (Image: Delta)

In international route news, Delta will add new transatlantic routes next year; Norwegian starts up London flights from two western U.S. cities; Icelandair will add U.S. gateways in 2018; Austrian Airlines debuts a new cabin class; British Airways will put 747s on two U.S. routes; United adds a Mexico destination from two cities; Aeromexico replaces Delta on a U.S. route; and new services are coming for Avianca, Azul and WestJet.

Delta said this week it plans to add new service from Los Angeles to two European destinations next year. Effective June 16, Delta will use a 777-200LR to fly from LAX to both Paris and Amsterdam, but it will not offer daily departures on those routes. The Paris flights will operate Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (eastbound), and the Amsterdam flights on the other four days of the week. Many onward connections at both destinations will be available on Delta partners Air France and KLM. At New York JFK, Delta will start flying five days a week as of May 24 to Ponta Delgada in the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal about 1,000 miles west of Lisbon in the Atlantic Ocean.

At its Atlanta hub, Delta will add seasonal 767 service to Lisbon from May 24 through September 4. And starting May 16, Delta will add a third daily roundtrip between Detroit and Paris CDG (already served by daily flights from Delta and code-share partner Air France). Delta had previously announced new transatlantic service three times a week as of March from JFK to Lagos, Nigeria; Orlando-Amsterdam flights beginning March 30; and Indianapolis-Paris starting May 24.

In other news, Delta this week resumed code-sharing with Russian carrier Aeroflot, putting its DL code onto 14 Aeroflot domestic routes out of Moscow Sheremetyevo. You can see a full list of the affected routes here.

Norwegian Air 787 Dreamliner

Norwegian Air is now flying from Seattle and Denver to London with 787s. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Low-cost Norwegian has started flying a pair of previously-announced new transatlantic routes. This week it inaugurated daily 787-9 service to London’s Gatwick Airport from Seattle-Tacoma International, as well as twice-weekly (Saturday/Tuesday) 787-9 service from Denver International to Gatwick. The Denver service is scheduled to increase to increase to three flights a week on November 2 with the addition of a Thursday departure from DEN.

Icelandair is expanding its U.S. route network next year, as it faces growing competition from low-cost Icelandic carrier WOW Air. Icelandair will add Dallas/Ft. Worth to its route map in May 2018, offering 757-200 flights to Reykjavik four days a week out of DFW’s Terminal D. (Earlier this month, WOW announced new DFW-Reykjavik service also starting in May 2018, operating three times a week with an A330.) Also coming in mid-May 2018 is new Icelandair service from Cleveland to Reykjavik, operating five days a week with a new two-class 737MAX 8. The day after Icelandair announced its Cleveland route, WOW announced it will also fly Cleveland-Reykjavik, starting May 4 with four flights a week, with fares starting at $99 one-way.

Austrian’s new premium economy seats have 38-inch pitch. (Image: Austrian Airlines)

Austrian Airlines — the Lufthansa subsidiary that flies to Vienna from New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami – unveiled plans to offer premium economy seating, bookable now for flights starting March 6. The new seats will be wider than regular economy and will offer a 38-inch pitch as well as footrests, a 12-inch seatback screen, power outlets and USB ports. Premium economy passengers will be allowed two free checked bags, and will get welcome drinks, amenity kits, and meal service on china.

Touch-screen screens in economy are part of British Airways’ overhaul of its 747s. (Image: British Airways)

You want more chances to fly on a 747 before they all disappear? British Airways still relies on the Boeing jumbos for some long-haul services, and it plans to put a 747-400 onto its London Heathrow-Austin route next spring (effective April 8), replacing the 787-9 it currently uses. And from August 8 through September 30 of next year, according to Routesonline.com, BA will replace an A380 on its Los Angeles-LHR route (BA283/282) with a 747-400.

United Airlines is adding service to Mazatlan, Mexico just in time for the winter holidays. From its Houston hub, United will fly to Mazatlan four times a week from December 21 through April 8, then cut back to weekly Saturday-only service through mid-August. From Chicago O’Hare, United will offer once-a-week Saturday service to Mazatlan from December 23 through April 7. In other Mexico route news, Delta’s existing daily Delta Connection/Skywest CRJ900 service from Salt Lake City to Guadalajara will be replaced in January by daily E190 flights operated by Delta’s new joint venture partner Aeromexico.

Elsewhere in Latin America, Brazil’s Azul will expand its U.S. network in December by adding new service four times a week between Orlando and Belo Horizonte, Brazil; and four flights a week linking Ft. Lauderdale with Belem, Brazil. Avianca’s TACA Airlines unit plans to revive Newark-San Salvador, El Salvador service November 17, operating five flights a week. And Avianca Brasil plans to offer daily flights to Sao Paulo Guarulhos from New York JFK beginning December 15.

And to Canada, Westjet will start flying between Denver and Calgary effective March 8, operating one daily roundtrip with a 737-700.

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

San Jose Airport

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

San Jose gates

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Routes: Hawaiian, Alaska, Delta, United, Southwest

Hawaiian will start deploying new single-aisle Airbus A321neos later this year. (Image: Airbus)

In domestic route news, Hawaiian Airlines will add new West Coast routes as new aircraft come online; Alaska eyes more expansion in the months ahead; Delta grows again at Seattle; United adds two routes in the west; and Southwest’s Houston hub will get a new spoke.

As it takes delivery of new single-aisle Airbus A321neos next year, Hawaiian Airlines said it will add or alter service in some West Coast markets. Hawaiian’s first new A321neo service will begin January 8 between Oakland and Maui, where the plane will replace the existing A330 service. Hawaiian will begin new service January 18 between Portland and Maui, also using an A321neo. The airline’s seasonal Oakland-Kauai flights, currently using a 767, will stop September 4, then use an A321neo when they start up again April 11. And Hawaiian will inaugurate wide-body Los Angeles-Kona daily flights March 11, switching to an A321neo on the route next summer.

Alaska has ambitious route expansion plans. (Image: Jim Glab)

Although they provided no specifics, Alaska Airlines officials said in an earnings conference call that the carrier will start service in 30 new markets over the next six months, according to the travel industry news website Skift. That presumably includes some new service that has already been announced but hasn’t yet started, like new Bay Area routes Alaska will phase in from late summer through fall, as well as some new Dallas Love Field service coming in late August and February. Officials also said that of 20 markets the airline entered in the past nine months, 15 are now operating in the black. (I’m hoping for some competition on the SFO-ATL route! Come, Alaska! Let’s go!)

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

Delta has announced plans for some more growth at Seattle. Its new Seattle-Austin service, which started last month with a single daily roundtrip, will add a second frequency October 1, providing a morning departure from Seattle. On the same date, the carrier will launch new daily Delta Connection/SkyWest flights between Seattle and Medford, Oregon, with a two-class E175.  October 1 also marks the addition of new Delta service between Los Angeles and Albuquerque, operated six days a week by Delta Connection/Compass Airlines with an E175.

United Airlines dropped service between Los Angeles and St. George, Utah, more than four years ago, but it plans to resume that route on October 6. United Express/SkyWest will fly the route once a day with a CRJ200. Another route United will revive, this one on December 1, is Denver to Pueblo, Colorado, with two daily weekday CRJ200 flights also operated by SkyWest.

Southwest Airlines’ Houston Hobby hub will get a new spoke on March 8, when the airline adds daily service to Milwaukee. The airline said the route will allow for easy connections to international destinations including Mexico City, Cancun and Belize. On the same date, Southwest will start weekly Saturday service to Tampa from Detroit and Omaha.

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Routes: United, Norwegian, Thomas Cook, Alitalia, BA, Level, Air France, Scoot

United will fly a 787 between Denver and London next summer. (Image: United)

In international route developments, Denver is getting new transatlantic service from United and Norwegian; Thomas Cook Airlines will add another a U.S. gateway; Alitalia plans to extend its Los Angeles service; British Airways changes aircraft on some U.S. routes; BA’s Level affiliate is adding more aircraft; Air France will fly to the Caribbean from the U.S. (and gets a new U.S. investor); and Singapore’s Scoot is coming to Hawaii.

United Airlines flew from its Denver hub to London Heathrow from 2008 to 2010 and then stopped. But now it plans to revive that route in 2018 on a seasonal basis. United will use a 787-8 for the daily flights, which will operate from March 24 through October 26, 2018. The eastbound service will depart Denver at 5:35 p.m. The 787-8 will offer 36 flat-bed seats in business class, 70 in Economy Plus and 113 in regular economy. British Airways currently has the only DEN-LHR non-stops.

A few weeks ago, United said that its summer seasonal Newark-Rome service is now going to operate year-round, a decision it made after Norwegian announced plans to start flying the same route beginning November 9. So maybe United’s Denver-London plans have something to do with Norwegian’s new Denver-London Gatwick service, which begins with two flights a week September 16, increasing to three a week in late October. (And we still wonder why United has not jumped at the chance to offer SFO-Italy nonstops…)

Norwegian will offer low-cost flights from Denver to Paris in 2018. (Image: Jim Glab)

And that’s not the only news for Denver: Norwegian also just announced it will start flying between Denver and Paris CDG next spring. The low-cost carrier said it will initiate service on the new route April 9, with fares starting at $229 one-way in economy and $815 in its premium cabin. The 787-9 service will initially operate two days a week (Mondays and Fridays) year-round. (Does this mean United will add DEN-CDG service too?)

The U.K.’s Thomas Cook Airlines, a leisure-oriented carrier that has been growing its U.S.-U.K. network, plans to add another U.S. route next year. On May 27, it will start flying twice a week between Seattle and Manchester, using an A330-200. The carrier will also extend its seasonal New York JFK-Manchester service to a year-round operation this winter, operating three A330 flights a week effective December 14.

Another service extension this winter will come from Alitalia. Instead of ending its Los Angeles-Rome seasonal service on October 29 when the winter schedule kicks in, it will continue to fly the route three times a week. (It won’t be fully year-round service, however; Alitalia will suspend the route from January 15 to March 6.)

British Airways is planning some equipment changes to the U.S. for its winter schedule starting October 29. On its Washington Dulles-London Heathrow route, BA will replace a 777-200ER with a 787-9. The 787-200ER and -300ER used on the Atlanta-LHR route will also be switched out for a 787-9. And 777-200ERs will go into service between LHR and Houston instead of the current 787-9 and 747-400 service. As we mentioned previously, BA will also add a third daily Los Angeles-London frequency with a 787-9.

Don’t miss: What in the world is Thomas Cook Airlines? 

Level will add more A330 routes next year — but where? (Image: IAG)

Look for more new routes in 2018 from Level, the new low-cost subsidiary of British Airways/Iberia parent International Airlines Group. Level started flying two-class A330-200s last month from Barcelona to Oakland and Los Angeles, and the carrier has just firmed up plans to add three more A330-200s to its fleet by next summer – although it hasn’t yet said where it will use them.

Ever been to Martinique or Guadeloupe? Those two Caribbean islands are technically and legally part of France, and that means Air France can fly to them from the U.S. The carrier has plans to begin twice-weekly service from Atlanta to Guadeloupe on November 21, using an A320.

Speaking of Air France – because Delta and Air France-KLM have had a close joint venture partnership for eight years now, you may have thought that Delta held an equity stake in the company. But it doesn’t. That’s now changing, however as Delta announced plans to acquire 10 percent of Air France-KLM, subject to a variety of shareholder and regulatory approvals. And it’s part of a three-way deal: Air France-KLM will acquire a 31 percent interest in Virgin Atlantic, which is 49 percent owned by Delta. Not a whole lot of good news for consumers with these deals, although the airlines will spin them that way…

Singapore Airlines’ Scoot subsidiary has Hawaii in its sights. (Image: Scoot)

Singapore Airlines used to have two low-cost subsidiaries – Tigerair, used on short-haul routes out of Singapore, and Scoot, for medium to long-haul routes. But it recently merged them into one operation, keeping the Scoot brand. Following the merger, Scoot plans to add more long-haul flights, including a new route from Honolulu to Singapore. Depending on how soon it can get regulatory approvals, the Honolulu flights could begin before the end of this year or early in 2018.

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6 sexy new hotels in LA, NYC, Seattle, Honolulu, Charlotte

A room at the new Dream Hollywood. (Image: Dream Hotels)

In new hotels news, Dream Hotels comes to Hollywood; a legendary hotelier opens a new hotel in Manhattan; greater Seattle welcomes a W and another Hyatt Regency; InterContinental adds 600 rooms in Honolulu; and a small boutique gem opens in Charlotte.

Dream Hotels, which has two locations in Manhattan and one in South Beach, has cut the ribbon on a new property in Los Angeles. The 178-room Dream Hollywood  is at the intersection of Cahuenga Boulevard and Selma Avenue in Hollywood. It features a big rooftop pool, a rooftop restaurant and lounge with views of the Hollywood Hills, and a 1,000-square-foot fitness center and ”wellness program” run by celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson. Other food and beverage outlets include a big Asian restaurant called Tao; Beauty & Essex, with a multi-ethnic menu; and a bar/pizzeria. For film industry moguls, the Dream Hollywood has an 1,800-square-foot Guest House suite with a private screening room. Rates start at $292.

Unusual sleeping layout at Ian Schrager’s PUBLIC Hotel in Manhattan. (Image: PUBLIC Hotel)

In New York City, boutique hotel pioneer Ian Schrager has opened a new downtown property called PUBLIC. Located on Chrystie Street, near the intersection of Houston Street and The Bowery, the hotel has 370 rooms and nightly rates that start at just $150 (if you select the prepaid, nonrefundable option). The hotel keeps its costs down with innovative tactics like eliminating the front desk – guests check in on iPads that send a bar code key to their phones. There are no bellhops and no room service, but there is a restaurant under the direction of celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. There’s also a rooftop bar with expansive city views, and a “cutting edge, progressive and avant-garde multi-media performance space.”

Don’t miss: Hilton, Marriott and IHG impose new cancellation penalties

Accommodations at the new Hyatt Regency in Renton, Washington. (IMage: Hyatt)

The Seattle metro area has two newly opened business hotels. Hyatt has cut the ribbon on its third Seattle-area Hyatt Regency, this one in Renton. It’s called the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington at Seattle’s Southport, a 12-story, 347-room property on the shore of that lake. Its main restaurant, Water’s Table, features “Northwest-inspired pan-Asian cuisine,” and the hotel offers a 24-hour fitness center, a Regency Club, a grab-and-go market, and 60,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Rates start at $225 for World of Hyatt members.

Don’t miss: Singapore Air contest winner Lacie R is on her way to Hong Kong! See pics

The new W Hotel in Bellevue, Washington. (Image: W Hotels)

Just north of Renton in Bellevue, Washington is Marriott/Starwood’s new W Bellevue, located in that city’s downtown at 10455 NE 5th Place, 12 miles from Sea-Tac. The new W has 245 rooms, a spa, a fitness center, a business center, and a library with board games and books. Contemporary Northwest cuisine is served up in The Lakehouse restaurant, while “craft cocktails” are available in a bar with the unusual name Civility & Unrest. The W has 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The property is linked by a skybridge to sister property The Westin Bellevue, and it is half a mile from the Meydenbauer Convention Center. Rates at the W start as low as $338 for SPG members but are generally in the $400+ range.

The 44-story Holiday Inn Express in Honolulu. (Image: InterContinentsl Hotels Group)

Got some InterContinental Hotels Group Rewards Club points to burn with Hawaii on your mind? That lodging group has just cut the ribbon on the largest Holiday Inn Express in the Americas, and it’s in Honolulu. The 596-rooom, 44-story Holiday Inn Express Waikiki Hotel at 2058 Kuhio Avenue is three blocks from the eponymous beach and four blocks from Hawaii Convention Center. Amenities include an outdoor pool, sun deck with cabanas, a 24-hour fitness center, video game room, nine-hole mini-golf course, and free cooked breakfast. Rates start at $135.

Posh digs at The Ivey’s Hotel in Charlotte. (Image: The Ivey’s Hotel)

If you do a lot of business in Charlotte and you’ve had your fill of chain hotels, there’s a small new luxury boutique hotel in the city’s Uptown district, just across the street form Bank of America headquarters and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. Called The Ivey’s Hotel, it has just 42 rooms. The hotel is at 127 North Tryon Street in a building that opened in the early 1900s as a department store. Guest rooms have luxury furnishings and linens, and come with free Wi-Fi, Sony 4K TVs, and Bose sound systems. No two rooms have the same design. Dining is available at 5Church Charlotte, with modern American cuisine, and cocktails flow at the wraparound bar in Sophia’s Lounge.  Rates start at $197.

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Routes: More JetBlue Mint + Southwest, Delta, American, Alaska

JetBlue’s lie flat Mint class seat fully reclined (Chris McGinnis)

In domestic route developments, JetBlue unveils the starting dates for expansion of routes where it offers its Mint front-cabin service; Southwest will add a new transcontinental route from San Diego; Delta expands at Boston; American adds service in several secondary markets; and Alaska deploys more three-class E175s.

JetBlue has announced another wave of expansion for its premium cabin Mint service. On January 4 of next year, JetBlue said, it will introduce Mint service with lie-flat bed-seats on two daily flights between Boston and Las Vegas, followed by two daily Mint flights between Boston and Seattle starting February 15, and one daily Mint-equipped roundtrip between New York JFK and Seattle beginning April 15, with a second to be added sometime later in the year. The airline also said it plans to add a fifth daily Mint flight between San Francisco and Boston, with an afternoon departure time from both cities; and an 11th daily LAX-JFK roundtrip, although it didn’t specify a start date for those extra frequencies.

Boston is the focal point of a growing market-share battle between Delta and JetBlue. Last month, Delta started twice-daily 757-200 service between Boston and San Francisco, and it recently announced two more new Boston routes. On October 1, Delta will start flying twice a day between Boston and Pittsburgh with CRJ-900s; and next February, it will add seasonal weekend service between Boston and New Orleans, with flights on Saturdays and Sundays through April 1. Speaking of New Orleans, Delta also plans to operate Saturday/Sunday service to the Big Easy from Seattle starting February 10. And during the second week of January, 2018, Delta will operate twice-daily CRJ-900 flights between Sacramento and Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show.

Southwest is adding a new transcon route from San Diego. (Image: Jim Glab)

Southwest Airlines has set January 8 as the launch date for its newest transcontinental route. The carrier plans to begin daily service linking San Diego with Tampa. At the same time, Southwest will begin new weekend-only service linking Phoenix with Des Moines, Iowa, as well as weekend service between New York LaGuardia and Ft. Lauderdale.

American Airlines this month started flying on several new routes out of its Chicago O’Hare hub to secondary cities including Appleton, Wis.; Birmingham, Ala.; Boise, Idaho; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Greensboro, N.C.; and Greenville, S.C. The airline also started flying on a seasonal basis between O’Hare and Ontario, Calif. American also kicked off new daily service between Dallas/Ft. Worth-Spokane and between Miami-Omaha.

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

Alaska Airlines continues to deploy new Horizon Air E175s on its network. This week, it is putting the new planes onto three more routes: Portland-Dallas/Ft. Worth, Seattle-Fresno, and Seattle-San Luis Obispo. The planes have a three-class configuration with 12 first class seats, 16 in Alaska’s new Premium Class and 48 in the main cabin. The premium class seats will have a 34-inch pitch, vs. 36 to 38 inches in first and 31 inches in the main cabin. The planes will also have Wi-Fi, power outlets throughout, and free streaming entertainment.

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Airport news: Houston, LAX, Newark, Ft. Lauderdale, Seattle

United’s Concourse C North at Houston Bush Intercontinental (Image: United)

In airport news, United plans some operational changes at Houston Bush Intercontinental; Los Angeles International gets a popular new eatery for Delta flyers; Newark’s Terminal C adds several dining options; Southwest opens an international concourse at Ft. Lauderdale; and Seattle issues leases for several new concessions.

United Airlines said this week it will change its scheduling at Houston Bush Intercontinental  this fall to offer “shorter, more convenient connection times and better access to more destinations.” Specifically, United plans to “rebank” its flight operations at IAH on October 29, shifting from the current 10 daily flight banks to eight. (A flight bank is a window of concentrated arrivals and departures.) Besides making for shorter connections, the airline said, the change will let it better utilize its 90 gates at IAH and “use aircraft more effectively throughout the entire country.” And in 2018, United said, it will finish its $277 million investment in the airport’s C North concourse, offering more spacious gate areas, improved technology and new dining options.

Delta’s Terminal 3 at LAX gets a Shake Shack. (Image: Shake Shack)

Los Angeles International’s Terminal 3, part of Delta’s new home at the airport, is opening a new comfort food mecca this week: Shake Shack. The fast-growing fast-food favorite started with one location in New York City 13 years ago and now has 130 worldwide (including 80 in the U.S.). Its specialty is hamburgers (all-natural, antibiotic-free Angus beef), but it also offers chicken, hot dogs, fries, frozen custard and breakfast sandwiches. It’s open from 4:30 a.m. to midnight. The chain opened its first Los Angeles location last year in West Hollywood and now has five in the area.

That long-term overhaul of concessions at Newark Liberty International’s Terminal C – United’s hub – has opened three more dining venues. But there are actually six, because these new Terminal C eateries have one identity for breakfast and then change to a different one for lunch and dinner. For lunch/dinner, the new venues include Wabi-Sabi (Asian street food), Notorious P.I.G. (barbecue, of course) and Uptop Pizzeria (build your own pie). Earlier in the day, they serve up something totally different as Crepe Juliet, Flip Flop Pancake Shop and Breakfast Boli. Two months ago, the terminal opened two other split-personality eateries – Eggy Weggy and Supreme Bowl in the mornings, then Custom Burger and Philly Cheesesteaks later in the day.

Southwest’s Concourse A at Ft. Lauderdale Airport. (Image: Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport)

Southwest Airlines is due to cut the ribbon this week on its new Concourse A  linked to Terminal 1 at Ft.Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, which will house the airline’s growing international operation at FLL. The new concourse has five gates that can handle both international and domestic flights, as well as a Customs and Immigration facility. It has several new shops and eateries – and even a pet restroom. Southwest flies to Nassau and to Cuba from FLL, and this month added new routes to Belize City, Grand Cayman, Cancun and Montego Bay. It plans to start service in November from FLL to Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos.

Travelers at Seattle-Tacoma International can look forward to plenty of new food and beverage options in the months ahead. The airport has just awarded leases for a couple of dozen new outlets, representing all kinds of global cuisine and branches of local favorites, as well as new retail stores. The biggest is probably the Marche Food Hall, which will be in Concourse A at Gates A5 and A6. It will include a juice bar, a bakery, an ice cream shop, a burger restaurant, a coffee shop and a beer bar. Other new options will include two locations of Starbucks Urban Market (selling news publications, sundries and travel necessities as well as the usual Starbucks fare) and eateries ranging from Asian to Italian to Alaskan seafood and more. You can see a full list here. The airport plans to boost the number of retail outlets and restaurants from the current 86 to 135 in the years to come.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If old planes aren’t your thing, how about new ones? We reported earlier that Virgin America started flying its first Airbus A321neo at the end of May on one daily San Francisco-Washington Reagan National flight, and it did the same this week on one daily SFO-New York JFK flight (VX022/29). Now Routesonlone.com reports that Virgin will put one of the new planes onto one daily San Francisco-Honolulu flight starting August 27, and one daily LAX-Newark flight as of October 15.  The A321neo (which stands for New Engine Option) is the largest aircraft in Virgin’s fleet, with 185 seats, vs. 146-149 for its A320s; it has ordered 10 of them.

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

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

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

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Routes: Alaska, JetBlue, Southwest, Delta + seaplanes to Tahoe!

Alaska Airlines will offer the first commercial service out of Paine Field next year. (Image: Alaska)

In domestic route developments, Alaska Airlines will start flying out of a new Seattle-area airport; JetBlue kicks off its newest transcontinental Mint route from San Francisco; Southwest adds some Milwaukee routes and drops one; Delta will enter a New England market from JFK; and Blackbird starts flying seaplanes from the Bay Area to Lake Tahoe.

Travelers who live in Washington State’s northern Puget Sound region will get a new air travel option starting next year when Alaska Airlines begins operating out of Paine Field in Everett, Wash., also known as Snohomish County Airport. The carrier hasn’t yet announced routes, but said it expects to begin flying at Paine Field by the fall of 2018, operating nine flights a day with 737s and E175s. Alaska, which will be the first carrier to offer commercial service from Paine Field, said construction of a passenger terminal there will begin next month.

In other news, Alaska last week started service on the newest spoke from its Seattle hub, operating one daily 737 roundtrip to Indianapolis.

JetBlue’s front-cabin Mint service is expanding to more transcon routes. (Image: JetBlue)

JetBlue this week deployed a Mint-equipped A321 on another transcontinental route: San Francisco-Ft. Lauderdale.  According to the Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel, advance-purchase one-way fares on the route are in the $599 range, but can be found as low as $499. Two months ago, JetBlue introduced Mint service on its Los Angeles-Ft. Lauderdale route, and more Mint expansion will come later this year, including San Diego-New York JFK, San Diego-Boston and Las Vegas-JFK.

Southwest Airlines will make some changes to its Milwaukee operations starting November 5. The carrier will begin new service in two markets: Milwaukee-Nashville, with two flights a day; and Milwaukee-Cleveland, with two daily flights Sunday-Friday and one on Saturdays. At the same time, Southwest will boost Milwaukee-Denver frequencies from three a day to four, and will add a second daily Milwaukee-St. Louis flight. However, Southwest’s two daily Milwaukee-Minneapolis flights will be eliminated.

Delta plans to add another spoke to its New York JFK hub later this year, according to Routesonline.com. On September 10, the carrier is planning to begin one daily roundtrip between JFK and Portland, Maine, operated as a Delta Connection flight by Endeavor Air with a CRJ-900.

Blackbird’s seaplanes will fly from Sausalito to Lake Tahoe. (Image: Blackbird)

Who needs an airport? Blackbird Air, which offers small-plane service on several intra-California routes from the Bay Area, will introduce something new and totally different this summer: seaplane service from Sausalito to Lake Tahoe. Or as the company puts it, “Take off on the bay and land in the lake.” Blackbird has a downloadable app that can be used to book the service, which it says will start June 16 with fares from $124.

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

Boston will get new Delta Connection service to four cities. (Image: SkyWest)

In domestic route developments, Delta and JetBlue both announce more service out of Boston; United expands Basic Economy to more routes; Virgin America starts flying new A321neos; Alaska adds a pair of Seattle markets; Southwest adds service at Sacramento; and American grows at Santa Rosa and Charlotte.

Boston travelers are the beneficiaries of an ongoing battle for market share between Delta and JetBlue. In the latest round, Delta unveiled new or expanded service on several BOS routes, in addition to its previously announced plans to start Boston-San Francisco flights on June 8. The carrier said its summer schedule this year will include new mainline service from Boston to Austin, along with new Delta Connection flights to Kansas City, Jacksonville, Buffalo and Norfolk. And on September 10, Delta will add a second daily roundtrip between Boston and Nashville.

And there’s more to come next winter: Delta said effective December 21, its Boston-West Palm Beach and BOS-Ft. Myers service will increase from weekend-only to daily, and Boston-Ft. Lauderdale will increase from weekends-only to twice-daily.  The expanded schedule will give Delta 12 new destinations out of Boston since November of last year.

A few days later, JetBlue announced its own expansion plans for Boston-Florida routes, including the addition of one more seasonal daily roundtrip from Boston to Jacksonville, to Palm Beach and to Ft. Myers. JetBlue had already announced that it will lay on a fourth daily Boston-Los Angeles Mint roundtrip in October, and will start Boston-San Diego Mint service in December. At Ft. Lauderdale, meanwhile, JetBlue said it will begin a daily roundtrip to Salt Lake City beginning November 16.

Lie-flat front cabin seating on a Delta 757-200. (Image: Delta)

Speaking of Delta, we noticed a couple of unusual entries on Routesonline.com, which tracks all airlines’ filings of new routes and service changes. Routesonline said Delta plans to put a 757-200 with flat-bed Delta One seats into service on one of its daily Boston-Minneapolis flights starting January 3 of next year. And from this month through October, Delta will use the same aircraft on one of its three daily New York JFK-Philadelphia flights; the other two still use Endeavor Air regional jets. Are these domestic legs of international flights? Any ideas, readers?

When United started offering bare-bones Basic Economy fares earlier this year, it did so mainly on routes between Minneapolis-St. Paul and its major hubs. But now United has started selling the ultra-low, no-frills fares in more than 100 domestic markets, mainly from its hubs to leisure destinations and to other hubs, for travel beginning May 9.  That includes routes like Newark-Orlando, Chicago-Denver, Washington Dulles-Orlando, Denver-Houston, San Francisco-Orlando and Chicago-Ft. Lauderdale. We’ve even heard they are in markets without ultra-low-cost-carriers such as LAX-SFO. 

An Airbus A321neo in Virgin America livery. (Image: Virgin America)

Although it’s now technically part of Alaska Airlines Group, Virgin America remains a separate brand and operating unit with its own new aircraft deliveries. And over the next several weeks, Virgin will put its newest aircraft type into service – the Airbus A321neo.  (The neo stands for New Engine Option.) The company said the new A321neos – it has ordered 10 of them – will have 185 seats. That will make it the largest in Virgin’s fleet; its current A320s have 146-149 seats, while its A319s have 119. The first A321neo will go into service May 31 between San Francisco and Washington Reagan National, and the second will start flying June 14 between SFO and New York JFK.

Speaking of Alaska Airlines, it recently started service on a pair of new routes out of its Seattle hub.  That includes one daily roundtrip from Seattle to San Luis Obispo and one between Seattle and Wichita. Both routes are operated by SkyWest with 76-seat, three-class E175s.

Southwest Airlines is growing at Sacramento. Besides new twice-daily flights between Sacramento and Long Beach starting August 1, the airline will also start daily Sacramento-Spokane service on the same date. And on June 5, Southwest will add more frequencies in two other markets, boosting its Sacramento-Seattle schedule to as many as six flights a day, and increasing Sacramento-San Diego to as many as 11 a day.

American Airlines’ new service (started in February) between its Phoenix hub and Sonoma County, California’s Charles Schulz Airport in Santa Rosa has been filling up fast, so the carrier plans to add a second daily flight in the market starting July 5. The Santa Rosa flights use American Eagle 70-seat, two-class CRJ-700s. Elsewhere, American plans to add two new American Eagle routes out of its Charlotte hub on August 22, with two flights a day to Shreveport, La., and two a day to Toledo, Ohio. Both will use CRJ-200s operated by PSA Airlines.

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Alaska targets Texas for growth spurt: Why?

Alaska/Virgin America will expand service at Dallas Love Field. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Alaska Airlines officials said last week they had no intention of giving up Virgin America’s gates at Dallas’ close-in Love Field – even though Alaska already flies to Dallas/Ft. Worth International – and this week they explained why: They are planning a significant expansion of service at Love.

The company said it plans to add four new West Coast routes out of Love starting later this summer and into next year, and to keep most of the DAL routes that Virgin already has, although with some changes of aircraft.

On August 27, Alaska will begin twice-daily flights between Seattle and DAL, using a Virgin A320 for one of them and an E175 for the second. The airline will also use three-class E175s for the other new routes, including daily service from Portland to DAL starting August 28, along with San Diego-DAL and San Jose-DAL, both starting February 16.

Southwest, the dominant airline at Love Field, also dominates all four of those routes, with multiple daily flights in each market; and American does the same from DFW. Alaska currently flies to Seattle and Portland from DFW, and will continue to do so.

Virgin America’s first class check-in at Love Field. (Image: Virgin America)

Alaska and Virgin America also plan on “streamlining the airlines’ route network at Love Field” with aircraft changes. This summer, the company will start replacing Virgin America mainline jets with E175s out of Love Field. The changeover is set for August 27 for the three daily DAL-New York LaGuardia flights, with a fourth frequency added October 28. On February 18, two daily DAL-Washington Reagan National flights will make the switch from mainline to E175s, with the third one doing the same March 11.

One additional tweak to Alaska/Virgin’s Love Field schedule: Service to Las Vegas will be dropped August 26. The company will continue operating Virgin’s current schedule of three daily flights from DAL to both San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Alaska has ordered a number of new three-class E175s. (Image: Alaska Airlines)

Switching to E175s frees up mainline Virgin aircraft from Love Field to fly Alaska’s previously announced new routes from San Francisco to Philadelphia, New Orleans, Nashville, Indianapolis Raleigh-Durham and Kona, and new LAX-Philadelphia flights.

“Prior to merger, Virgin America lacked a regional aircraft to take advantage of mid-sized routes. The fuel-efficient E175 jet has the same amenities and features of a mainline jet and is perfectly suited for Love Field,” said John Kirby, Alaska’s vp-capacity planning.

Virgin America moved its Dallas flights from DFW to Love Field in 2014 after regulatory changes opened up the close-in airport to more long-distance flights beyond the states bordering Texas.

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Routes: Norwegian SEA/DEN-London $199; LOT, JAL, United, EVA + more

Norwegian will fly 787-9s to London from Seattle and Denver. (Image: Norwegian)

In international route news, Norwegian is adding two more U.S. gateways with low-cost service to London; LOT Polish starts new west coast service; Japan Airlines adds a new route out of New York; United will drop an intra-Asian route; Eva adds more flights to San Francisco; a European leisure carrier plans San Diego-Zurich service; and an Avianca affiliate adds a Miami route to Brazil.

Transatlantic low-cost carrier Norwegian just keeps adding more routes to the U.S.  In its latest foray, the airline said it will start flying to London Gatwick from both Seattle and Denver beginning in mid-September. It will use 787-9s on both routes. The schedule calls for Denver service to start September 16 with two flights a week, increasing to three on November 2. From Seattle, Norwegian will start flying on September 17 with four weekly non-stops to LGW.

Norwegian’s “launch fares” on both routes start at $199 one-way in economy, including taxes; and $839 one-way in its Premium Cabin. Flying economy can bring lots of add-ons for various services and amenities; the premium fare includes a luggage allowance, lounge access, priority boarding, sleeper seats, and all meals and drinks. Seats are on sale now at www.Norwegian.com/us.

Those two routes are just the latest in an onslaught of U.S. service for Norwegian in 2017. In June, it will start flying to Barcelona from Los Angeles, Newark and Oakland; and in June and July it will kick off a slew of 737MAX routes from three smaller northeastern airports (Newburgh, N.Y.; Providence, R.I.; and Hartford, Conn.) to points in Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Norway. Orlando-Paris and Ft. Lauderdale-Barcelona start later in the summer.

Business class on a LOT 787-8. (Image: LOT Polish)

LOT Polish this week began service from Los Angeles to Warsaw, using a 787-8 to fly the route four times a week. The 6,500-mile route is the longest in LOT’s network. The Polish carrier – a member of the Star Alliance — is due to start Newark-Warsaw flights at the end of April, and to begin Chicago-Krakow service in August.

Japan Airlines this month started flying from New York JFK to Tokyo’s close-in Haneda Airport. The daily flight to Haneda is in addition to JAL’s daily service from JFK to Tokyo Narita. The new Haneda flight uses a 244-seat 777-300ER, and JAL switched its JFK-Narita flight from a 787-8 to a 777-300ER as well. The larger 777 has a first class cabin that the Dreamliner doesn’t, along with business class, premium economy and regular economy seating.

At the end of October, United Airlines is planning to discontinue service on its route from Tokyo Narita to Seoul Incheon, which it serves once a day with a 737-800. The route will continue to be served by United’s Star Alliance partner Asiana.

Taiwan’s EVA Air has filed plans to boost frequencies on its route from Taipei to San Francisco. The carrier currently flies the route twice a day, and plans to increase that to 17 a week starting November 5. The extra flights will use a 777-300ER. EVA is a member of the Star Alliance.

Edelweiss will use an A340-300 for San Diego-Zurich seasonal service. (Image: Edelweiss

Ever hear of Edelweiss? Yes, it’s a small mountain flower and a song in ‘The Sound of Music’, but it’s also a leisure carrier affiliated with Swiss International (www.flyedelweiss.com). And it plans to start seasonal service June 9 between San Diego and Zurich. Edelweiss will use an A340-300 to fly the route twice a week, with SAN departures on Fridays and Mondays. The aircraft has a business class with lie-flat seats along with premium economy and regular economy seating.

Avianca’s Brazilian affiliate, Avianca Brasil, has started taking reservations for a new route between Miami and Sao Paulo Guarulhos, which it will start flying June 23. The service will operate once a day with an A330-200.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Routes: Norwegian, WOW, Emirates, United, Air China + more

A Boeing 737 MAX in Norwegian livery. (Image: Boeing)

In international route developments, Norwegian adds more flights from the east coast to Europe; WOW Air increases frequencies to the west coast; Emirates kicks off controversial new U.S. route; United expands code-sharing with Asiana; Air China adds a Los Angeles route; Southwest begins a new international service from Denver; and Avianca increases its U.S. schedule.

Norwegian Air hasn’t even started its new 737 MAX low-fare service from the U.S. east coast yet and already it is adding more routes. In addition to those already scheduled to Ireland and Scotland (with fares starting at $65 one way), Norwegian also plans to add twice-weekly flights to Bergen, Norway, from both Providence., R.I. and from Stewart Airport in Newburgh, N.Y.  The airline has also filed its winter schedules for Paris Charles de Gaulle, where it will switch from 787-8s to 787-9s starting October 29. Norwegian’s Paris schedule calls for six flights a week from New York JFK (down from daily in the summer), four a week from Los Angeles, two from Ft. Lauderdale and one from Orlando.

Also increasing its U.S. service is low-fare rival WOW Air, which offers connecting flights to Europe through its Reykjavik hub. WOW told Air Transport World that its service to Reykjavik from San Francisco and Los Angeles will be increased to daily frequencies with its summer 2017 schedule. The carrier has been running five flights a week from San Francisco and four from LAX. WOW is installing premium seating in its A330-300s, which it uses for the west coast routes.

Emirates is using a 777-300ER on its new Dubai-Athens-Newark route. (Image: Emirates)

Emirates this week launched its promised new service from Newark to Athens, continuing to Dubai, and was greeted at Newark Airport with a protest staged by 200 United Airlines employees. United, Delta and American are adamantly opposed to U.S. route expansion by the Middle East Big Three airlines – Emirates, Etihad and Qatar – and are conducting an intensive lobbying effort with the Trump Administration to block new service for those carriers. The U.S. airlines allege that their Mideast rivals are subsidized by their governments, thus challenging Trump’s pledge to put American companies first in the face of foreign competition.

United Airlines will expand its code-sharing agreement with Star Alliance partner Asiana Airlines on March 17, when United’s code will go onto Asiana’s daily Chicago O’Hare-Seoul Incheon flights.  At the same time, Asiana will put its code onto 16 domestic United routes out of ORD.

Air China will use a 787 on new LAX-Shenzen service. (Image: Air China)

Got business in Shenzen, China? Air China has filed a schedule for new service to Shenzen from Los Angeles International, due to begin July 6. Air China – a Star Alliance member — will fly the route three days a week, using a 787-9 Dreamliner.  Speaking of Shenzen, China’s Xiamen Airlines has trimmed back its Seattle-Shenzen-Xiamen 787-8 service from three flights a week to two, a seasonal reduction continuing through May 22.

Two minor players in the foundering US-Cuba market, Silver Airways and Frontier,  have announced they are pulling out completely later this spring. Other carriers have cut back on flights as the market finds its legs…and waits to see what the Trump administration has in store.

Southwest Airlines has started its newest international route: The carrier has started flying from Denver International to Belize City, Belize. It’s currently operating as Saturday-only service, but Southwest will boost it to Saturday and Sunday flights for the summer, June 4 to August 14.

Avianca’s Los Angeles-Bogota route, which has been operating four times a week, will increase to daily frequency starting March 26. The carrier uses a two-class 787 on the route. Meanwhile, the Colombian carrier also plans a new U.S. route. It will begin Bogota-Boston service on June 2, operating four flights a week with an A319.

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Airport news: SFO, Oakland runways + Minneapolis, Baltimore, Seattle

San Francisco's Runway 28L will be repaved this spring. (Image: FAA)

San Francisco’s Runway 28L will be repaved this spring. (Image: FAA)

In airport news, San Francisco runway work could mean some delays; Oakland also plans a runway rehab; Baltimore-Washington will expand its international terminal; faster security screening lanes are coming to Minneapolis-St. Paul; and Seattle breaks ground on more Alaska Airlines gates.

San Francisco International has scheduled a major maintenance project for its Runway 28L that could mean some weekend flight delays over the next four months. Officials said the runway, which is used mainly for arriving flights, will be repaved and will get new centerline lights and ground markings. While most of the work will be done during late-night hours, officials said, the runway will be shut down during several weekends. The weekend closures are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday through noon the following Monday on the weekends of March 31; April 7, 21 and 28; May 5, 12 and 19; and June 2 and 9. The schedule is subject to change depending on weather, and “some delays may occur during weekend closures,” official said.

A similar project is coming this summer at Oakland International, where Runway 12-30 is due to get an asphalt concrete overlay – something it needs every 15 years, officials said.  The airport hasn’t issued a schedule for the work yet, but said it expects to exercise “a short-duration, full closure option” for the runway, which is typically is use 24 hours a day. During the closure, the airport will use a parallel taxiway as a temporary runway – the same thing it did during the last repaving in 2001. The airport didn’t say what the impact would be on flight operations, but it will discuss that and other details of the project at a public meeting on Thursday (February 16), scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Oakland’s Metropolitan Golf Links, 10051 Doolittle Drive.

Baltimore-Washington's Concourse E extension will add more international gates. (Image: BWI Airport)

Baltimore-Washington’s Concourse E extension will add more international gates. (Image: BWI Airport)

Baltimore-Washington International this spring will start construction of six new gates for its international terminal, including two full-service gates and four for arrivals only. The project involves building a 70,000 square foot extension of BWI’s Concourse E. Last year, BWI added two international gates as part of its new D/E Connector project. Airport officials said international traffic at BWI has been surging in recent years as airlines like WOW and Norwegian started service there; Southwest is the biggest international operator there, with flights to eight destinations in Latin American and the Caribbean.

Minneapolis-St. Paul’s Metropolitan Airports Commission has approved a $1.6 million plan to install some of those new security screening checkpoints that use new design features to move passengers through the process as much as 40 percent faster. The checkpoints allow up to five persons at once to load items into plastic bins, use an automatic return conveyor belt to move empty bins back to the loading area, and shunt questionable bags off to a side station for inspection instead of holding up the line. They’ve been appearing in major airports recently including Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare and Los Angeles. The new MSP lanes will occupy four center lanes in Terminal 1’s south checkpoint, and should be in operation by this summer.

A new Alaska Airlines rooftop lounge will be part of Seattle's North Satellite expansion. (Image: Seattle-Tacoma Airport)

A new Alaska Airlines rooftop lounge will be part of Seattle’s North Satellite expansion. (Image: Seattle-Tacoma Airport)

Officials at Seattle-Tacoma International have broken ground on an eight-gate, $550 million expansion of Alaska Airlines’ North Satellite Terminal.  The existing structure will be extended 240 feet to the west, and will also get a new upper level mezzanine and a $41 million, 15,000 square foot rooftop lounge for Alaska’s customers. The project will more than double the amount of space available for shopping and dining concessions. After the expansion is finished in 2019, the existing North Satellite space will be renovated and modernized.

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Emirates says Delta tantrum led to a six-hour flight delay

An Emirates 777 was delayed for six hours at Seattle during a search for a spare part. (Image: Emirates)

An Emirates 777 was delayed for six hours at Seattle during a search for a spare part. (Image: Emirates)

How much does Delta hate the Big Three Middle Eastern airlines? Apparently quite a bit, based on a new allegation from Emirates.

Last spring, Delta was so upset about Qatar Airways holding a special event in Atlanta’s historic Fox Theater that Delta canceled its sponsorship of the venue.  And now Emirates is charging that an apparent snit by Delta officials caused a six-hour delay in an Emirates departure from Seattle to Dubai this week.

According to Bloomberg News, an Emirates 777 at Seattle had a mechanical problem that required the replacement of a minor part in its hydraulic system. Since Emirates has no significant maintenance presence at SEA, it looked to other airlines there for a replacement part and found one at Delta. This is said to be common practice among airlines regardless of their competitive relationships.

Bloomberg said Delta’s local engineering office provided the $300 part, and it was installed on the Emirates 777 – but Emirates said that a Delta official at Atlanta headquarters called and ordered Seattle employees to take back the part. A Delta spokesman told Bloomberg that the part in question was the only one of that type Delta had at Seattle, so it had to keep the part in case it needed it.

Emirates then had to scramble around to find the spare part somewhere else, and eventually located one Alaska Airlines, which is a code-sharing partner of the Dubai-based carrier. The result of the situation was a departure delay of almost six and a half hours for the Emirates flight.

Atlanta's Fox Theater lost Delta's sponsorship after Qatar Airways held a party there last year. (Image: Fox Theater)

Atlanta’s Fox Theater lost Delta’s sponsorship after Qatar Airways held a party there last year. (Image: Fox Theater)

Delta, American and United have been trying for many months to get the U.S. government to clamp down on Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways by restricting their access to U.S. markets. The U.S. carriers allege that their Middle Eastern rivals are unfairly subsidized by their governments.

The CEOs of United and Delta, along with other carrier chiefs, met with President Donald Trump this week (American’s CEO had a scheduling conflict) and raised the issue of unfair competition from the Gulf States airlines. But according to news coverage of the meeting, Trump reportedly declined to do anything to block the Middle Eastern airlines, citing their large purchases of U.S.-made aircraft and engines, as well as other investments in the U.S. by their governments.

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Ultra-cheap transatlantic fares for 2 new cities

Norwegian plans to fly 737 MAX aircraft to Europe from Providence's T.F. Green Airport. (Image: T.F. Green Airport)

Norwegian plans to fly 737 MAX aircraft to Europe from Providence’s T.F. Green Airport. (Image: T.F. Green Airport)

Ultra-low-cost Norwegian Air intends to continue its relentless U.S. expansion from additional gateway airports – unless the Trump Administration steps in to block it.

Norwegian confirmed this week that the second U.S. base for its new 737 MAX transatlantic flights will be Providence, Rhode Island’s T.F. Green Airport (PVD). Meanwhile, the carrier’s CEO suggested he would like to add new West Coast 787 service from Seattle-Tacoma as well.

In December, word came out that the first U.S. gateway for Norwegian’s 737 MAX operations will be Stewart Airport, located at Newburgh, N.Y., some 60 miles north of New York City. The carrier will reportedly offer base fares as low as $69 one-way to Scotland, Ireland, England and Norway, operating up to 21 flights a week from Stewart starting in June. The 737 MAX is a new fuel-efficient version of the single-aisle plane that has greater range than its predecessors.

A Boeing 737 MAX in Norwegian livery. (Image: Boeing)

A Boeing 737 MAX in Norwegian livery. (Image: Boeing)

Norwegian confirmed to USA Today this week that its second 737 MAX base will be Providence, which can draw business from the nearby Boston market. The airline had also been considering Hartford, Conn. and Portsmouth, N.H. as options.

It did not reveal any specific route plans for Providence. Providence is about a three hours east of Newburgh by car, and about a hour south of Boston

Separately, Norwegian chief executive Bjorn Kjos told the Seattle Times that subject to government approval, he wants to begin new 787 Dreamliner flights from Seattle to London. (Currently, Delta, Virgin and British Airways have a lock on nonstops between Seattle and London.)

The airline is due to take delivery of nine more 787-9s this year, along with half a dozen 737 MAX aircraft. Norwegian already flies to London Gatwick from Oakland, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando.

In other developments, Norwegian is negotiating with European carriers Ryanair and EasyJet about the creation of a low-cost carrier alliance that would permit passengers to easily connect among their networks.

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Norwegian wants to team up with Ryanair for a low-cost alliance.(Photo: Ryanair)

Norwegian wants to team up with Ryanair for a low-cost alliance. (Photo: Ryanair)

All of Norwegian’s plans, of course, depend on maintaining and expanding its access to U.S. airports – something that major U.S. carriers and their pilot unions are fighting against. The U.S. companies argue that Norwegian is taking advantage of various international agreements and labor laws – like basing a subsidiary in Ireland, for example – to undercut its rivals in wages and other operating costs.

The heads of major U.S. airlines are due to meet with President Trump on Thursday, and the Norwegian situation is likely to be high on their agenda – along with their bitter opposition to the Big Three Gulf States airlines – Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways – which the U.S. carries allege are competing unfairly thanks to subsidies from their governments.

Update from FlightGlobal on Trump’s view of Norwegian via spokesman Sean Spicer: “There is a deal in which [Norwegian’s] having 50% of the crews and the pilots are American based, they’re flying Boeing planes – there’s a huge economic interest that America has in that deal right now,” he says during a press briefing today. Spicer’s comments are the first by a Trump administration official on the subject of Norwegian. Full post here

So where do you think this is all going? Leave your comments below. 

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AmEx expands Centurion Lounge network

Spacious seating area at the AmEx Centurion Lounge in Miami Airport. (Image: American Express)

Spacious seating area at the AmEx Centurion Lounge in Miami Airport. (Image: American Express)

American Express unveiled plans to add two more locations to its Centurion airport lounge collection this year – including its first international one — and to expand an existing location.

The first Centurion Lounge outside the U.S. will be at Hong Kong International Airport. The 8,000-square-foot Hong Kong lounge will be in Terminal 1, but AmEx provided no other details except to say it will offer “a unique selection of premium amenities, food and beverages.” The company noted that Hong Kong is one of Asia’s most popular destinations for premium AmEx cardholders.

The other new lounge this year will be in Philadelphia International’s Terminal A West. That 6,300 square foot facility will have a complimentary premium bar and a food menu with “Philadelphia favorites,” as well as floor-to-ceiling windows, bathrooms with a private shower suite, and free Wi-Fi.

AmEx did not give estimated opening dates for the new lounges. Centurion Lounges are available at no charge for AmEx Platinum Card holders with reservations for same-day travel; other AmEx cardholders can access the lounges with a day pass that costs $50, subject to capacity limits. Click here for details on the lounges.

Seattle's new Centurion Studio- small but nice (Photo: Amex)

Seattle-Tacoma’s Centurion Studio is getting bigger. (Photo: Amex)

Meanwhile, the company said it also will expand its Centurion Lounge in Seattle-Tacoma International’s Terminal B from the current 3,100 square feet to 4,500, adding a private shower suite, additional restrooms, extra seating, a full premium bar, and “spectacular views of Mount Rainier.” Work should be finished in the first half of this year, AmEx said.

I sure wish they’d find a way to expand the Centurion Lounge at SFO— nearly every time I go, the lounge is a mob scene and I turn around and leave.

Besides Seattle, existing Centurion Lounges are in Dallas/Ft. Worth International, Las Vegas McCarran, New York LaGuardia, San Francisco International, Miami International and Houston Bush Intercontinental.

What do you think of Centurion Lounges? Have you experienced crowding issues? Please leave your comments below. 

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Routes: Emirates nonstop NYC to Athens, JAL, Southwest, Delta, Iberia, Qatar

Emirates will begin the only year-round non-stops between the U.S. and Athens. (Image: Jim Glab)

Emirates will begin the only year-round non-stops between the U.S. and Athens. (Image: Jim Glab)

In international route news, Emirates will introduce a new option between the U.S. and Europe; Japan Airlines adds a Haneda flight from New York; Southwest will serve an international market from San Diego; Delta drops a Taiwan route but adds new code-shares to Southeast Asia; Iberia starts selling a new premium economy class; and Qatar Airways sets a date for new Las Vegas flights.

Dubai-based Emirates is moving into a new U.S.-Europe market on March 12, when it plans to begin year-round daily service between Newark Liberty International and Athens; the flight continues to Dubai. The airline already flies between New York JFK and Dubai four times a day. Plus it flies nonstop between JFK and Milan. Emirates noted that there has been no year-round, non-stop service between the U.S. and Greece since 2012 (US carriers offer summer seasonal service only). Emirates fares for March-April flights start at $600 roundtrip. The carrier will serve the route with a 777-300ER that offers first class, business class and economy seating. Predictably, Delta, United and American said the announcement shows that Emirates is “flagrantly violating” the Open Skies agreement between the United Arab Emirates and the U.S., and said they will call on President Trump to block Emirates from the route. Will he? This should be interesting…

Japan Airlines will begin service between New York JFK and Tokyo's close-in Haneda Airport. (Image: Haneda Airport)

Japan Airlines will begin service between New York JFK and Tokyo’s close-in Haneda Airport. (Image: Haneda Airport)

Japan Airlines, which already flies twice a day between Tokyo Narita and New York JFK, said it will add a new daily non-stop between JFK and Tokyo’s close-in Haneda Airport beginning April 1. The company said the new service will give customers more connecting options to domestic flights in Japan via Haneda. The new route will use a coveted daytime international departure slot at Haneda. JAL also said it will change aircraft on its evening departure from Narita to JFK, switching from a 787-8 to a larger, four-class 777-300ER.

Southwest Airlines said it will begin its first international service from San Diego on April 25, when it launches new service to San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos. Through January 26, Southwest is offering introductory fares on the new route starting at $104 one-way. Flights from Oakland to Cabo and Puerto Vallarta begin in February.

Delta’s route from Seattle to Tokyo Narita to Taiwan will be shortened after May 24 when the carrier reportedly plans to drop the Narita-Taiwan segment. Meanwhile, Routesonline.com reports that Delta will soon – perhaps as soon as this week – start to put its DL code onto partner KLM’s fights from Amsterdam to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Iberia's new Premium Economy seating. (Image: Iberia)

Iberia’s new Premium Economy seating. (Image: Iberia)

Iberia, a subsidiary of British Airways’ International Airlines Group and a member of the BA-American Airlines joint venture, announced the opening of reservations for its new long-haul Premium Economy seating class. The company said the new section is going into 21 of its aircraft, including eight A330-300s and 13 A340-600s; it will also be in A350-900s to be delivered after 2018. Premium Economy will be available for travel starting in May 2017 on Iberia’s routes to Madrid from New York and Chicago, starting in August for Miami-Madrid flights, and beginning in September for Boston-Madrid service. For bookings made before January 31, roundtrip fares start at $1,299. The new seating has increased recline, 37-inch pitch, greater seat width (19 inches) than regular economy, adjustable head and foot rests, 12-inch HD video screens (vs. 9 inches in economy), international Wi-Fi, a free drink, upgraded meal service, amenities kit, and allowance for two checked bags.

Qatar Airways has set January 8, 2018 as the launch date for its planned new service between Las Vegas and Doha, Qatar. Earlier, the airline has said it would start flying to Las Vegas in 2017, although it didn’t give a specific date. Qatar Airways plans to fly the Las Vegas route four times a week, using a 777-200LR. Las Vegas will the airline’s 11th U.S. gateway.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Deal Alert: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic to London

Afternoon tea at the Palm Court in London's elegant Langham Hotel is a sight to behold! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Afternoon tea at the Palm Court in London’s elegant Langham Hotel is a sight to behold! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Today British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have a great deal on round trip, nonstop flights to London from many major US gateways- just $504 round trip!

This is an especially good deal for flights from western cities such as SFO, LAX, Seattle, and Denver– but it’s also in Atlanta and other eastern cities.

What’s best about this sale is the wide window during which you can get the deal- according to Google Flights, the deal is good for flights from January all the way through May 2017. This includes the popular and busy spring break timeframe. 

London

Google flights showing LAX-London for just $504 rt in March

From SFO, you can now fly on Virgin Atlantic’s two new B787 Dreamliners plying the route across the pond. British Airways flies an A380 and a B777 on the SFO-London Heathrow route. From Oakland, Norwegian Air has a handful of flights to London Gatwick airport selling for $468 round trip.

UPDATE: This fare sale seems to be spreading and is now available to/from many more US and European cities. So dig in and take a look around!

Find these deals on Google Flights.

Fares available on Tuesday, Nov 22 and subject to change.

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Routes: Easier to fly Korean + Norwegian, Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Fiji, more

The Delta-KAL codeshare lets you buy a ticket from Delta, but fly KAL (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

More flights, more availability for award flights on Korean Air (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In international route news, Korean Air plans to boost West Coast frequencies next year, Norwegian’s Las Vegas routes will be cut back to a seasonal basis;  Aer Lingus adds a new U.S. gateway; Air Canada adds a pair of summer Europe routes from Vancouver; Fiji Airways will boost San Francisco service; two German airlines add new U.S. routes next summer; and ANA will start direct service to Mexico City.

Korean Air’s 2017 schedule plans include more flights to the West Coast, according to Routesonline.com. On March 26, Korean’s San Francisco-Seoul Incheon schedule is tentatively set to increase from seven flights a week to 12, then grow to 13 in June and 14 in September. The carrier will utilize a mix of B747-8 and B777s on the route. KAL likely added more capacity since Singapore Air moved its daily SFO-Seoul nonstop to LA to make way for its nonstop SFO-SIN service. From June through August, the airline will increase Los Angeles-Seoul Incheon frequencies from 14 to 19 flights a week. And Korean’s Seattle schedule shows daily flights during May, September and October, up from five a week for the same months this year. (FYI, Korean Air is a partner in Chase Ultimate Rewards- many readers love to unload their points to fly KAL in first or business class because space is frequently available. Get a new card, earn the bonus, and redeem away!)

Don’t miss: Trip Report – First class on Korean Air Boeing 747-8 from SFO

Here’s how TravelSkills reader JS flew KAL in first class by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to Korean Air SkyPass. He told us: “As you probably know it’s incredibly easy to find first class space on Korean since so few people in the U.S. either have those miles or know about the transfer process from Chase.  In addition, even though Delta and Korean are both members of SkyTeam, Delta members cannot redeem their miles for first class on other SkyTeam carriers.”

Norwegian Air Shuttle has been growing at Las Vegas, but it has now decided that its four routes to Europe will operate seasonally instead of year-round. Why? Because it discovered this year that sometimes Las Vegas is just too hot in the summer for its planes to take off, so they’ve had to sit on the ground until temperatures dropped. The cutoff temperature for the airline’s 291-seat Dreamliners is 104 degrees, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, so for 2017 the airline will suspend its service to London, Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen from late March until November. The publication said the airline is studying the possibility of rescheduling summer departure times to early morning or late in the day for 2018.

 

Aer Lingus is adding a Miami route next year. (Image: Aer Lingus)

Aer Lingus is adding a Miami route next year. (Image: Aer Lingus)

Ireland’s Aer Lingus will add Miami as its newest U.S. gateway next year. The airline set a September 1 start for the new service, operating three times a week between Miami and Dublin with a 266-seat A330-200. Aer Lingus also said it will boost its Los Angeles schedule from the current four flights a week to daily departures from May 26 through the end of August; increase Chicago O’Hare service from 12 flights a week to twice-daily departures beginning May 26; and add a fourth weekly flight from Orlando effective March 14.

Air Canada will give travelers new options to Europe from Vancouver next summer. The carrier said it will start daily flights from Vancouver to Frankfurt on June 1, using a 787-8 with business class, premium economy and regular economy seating; and three flights a week from Vancouver to London Gatwick with an Air Canada Rouge 767-300ER with premium and regular economy seating.

Fiji Airways is boosting capacity to San Francisco in 2017 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Fiji Airways is boosting capacity to San Francisco in 2017. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Fiji Airways must be doing well with its San Francisco-Nadi, Fiji route, because it plans to increase capacity next summer. Instead of operating two flights a week for eight weeks, it will keep them going from June 1 through late October, and will add a third weekly frequency from June 19 to August 8 – and it will upgrade the aircraft it uses from an A330-200 to a -300.

New travel options to Germany next year include service from Seattle to Cologne and from Pittsburgh to Frankfurt. The Seattle route be flown by Lufthansa Group subsidiary Eurowings, with three A330-200 flights a week operating seasonally from July 11 through October. And the Pittsburgh-Frankfurt route will be flown by Condor Airlines, with two 767 flights a week from June 23 through September.

Chris McGinnis inspecting ANA's maintenance hangar at Haneda Airport on the day before the 787 was grounded. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Chris McGinnis inspecting a Boeing 787 at Tokyo Haneda (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Want to get from Mexico to Japan without flying through the U.S. or Canada? Japan’s All Nippon Airways announced plans to begin the first non-stop service between the countries, with daily flights from Tokyo Narita to Mexico City beginning February 15. It will be ANA’s longest non-stop flight, and will use a 787-8 Dreamliner with business class and economy seating.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Dive into Delta’s newest Sky Club

New Delta Sky Club at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Photo: Scott Hintz)

New Delta Sky Club at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Photo: Scott Hintz)

Last week, Delta opened a new Sky Club lounge at its growing Seattle hub. And what a club it is. We had a chance to preview it before it opened last Friday and we were impressed.

This new club is located in the main terminal between Concourses A and B, near gate A1. It’s the second Sky Club at SEA, complementing the existing lounge in the South Satellite terminal near gates S9 and S10. But this new lounge is far larger, newer and nicer — and definitely worth going out of your way to visit if you have enough time, even if you are flying out of the satellite terminal.

Delta Sky Club

New Skyclub location between Concourses A and B at Sea-Tac airport

 

Entrance to new Skyclub near gate A1 at SEA

Entrance to new Skyclub near gate A1 at SEA

The new Seattle Sky Club is one of the largest in the Delta network at over 21,000 square feet and with enough space to seat over 400 visitors. (Compare that to the new Atlanta Sky Club with 25,000 square feet and room for 500.)  The design is modern and sleek, quite similar to the design of the also-new Delta lounge at SFO. It felt more like something you’d experience at a BA lounge at Heathrow or maybe a Cathay lounge in Hong Kong in terms of it being large, light and airy, and packed with a lot of amenities. Kudos to Delta for really upping its game here.

Speaking of amenities, here are the highlights: Comfortable seating and power ports galore. You have a choice of long, partitioned benches; individual club chairs; sleek modern curved benches that feel like they belong in the mod, vintage TWA terminal at JFK; dining table/chairs; connected seats with high walls for privacy; quad-seat cubes facing away from each other; desk workstations; private pods with work lighting and swivel table/desk; and many other varieties of club chairs. There is truly a comfortable seat for everyone in this lounge. And all seating had power outlets integrated or adjacent to the seat. Even the dining section had clever power-port “towers” so you can charge up while enjoying the food (more on that below).

Elegant and functional seating at the new SEA Sky Club (Photo: Scott Hintz)

Elegant and functional seating at the new SEA Sky Club (Photo: Scott Hintz)

 

Private workstations are one of the many seating options at the new SEA Sky Club (Photo: Scott Hintz)

Private workstations are one of the many seating options at the new SEA Sky Club (Photo: Scott Hintz)

Power ports are everywhere, including these “power towers” throughout the dining area (Photo: Scott Hintz)

Power ports are everywhere, including these “power towers” throughout the dining area (Photo: Scott Hintz)

A gorgeous two-story space with lots of natural light and great views of the tarmac and Mount Rainier off in the distance (or so we’re told — it was cloudy on the day we were there). Delta has incorporated local design elements throughout such as a glass wave design in room partitions, natural wood, and colors that evoke the Pacific Northwest. There’s also a beautiful mosaic-style mural of the famous Pike’s Place market sign made by the same artist who did the similar Golden Gate bridge mosaic in the SFO Skyclub. See our review of the SFO Sky Club! This will be a very comfortable place to kill time or get work done at SEA.

Beautiful two-story, 30-foot space with lots of artwork and nods to the Pacific Northwest (Photo: Scott Hintz)

Beautiful two-story, 30-foot space with lots of artwork and nods to the Pacific Northwest (Photo: Scott Hintz)

Pixelated mural of Pike Place Market by artist Craig Alan McMillan, the same artist who did the Golden Gate Bridge mural at the SFO Sky Club (Photo Scott Hintz)

Pixelated mural of Pike Place Market by artist Craig Alan McMillan, the same artist who did the Golden Gate Bridge mural at the SFO Sky Club (Photo Scott Hintz)

Views from the expansive 30-foot windows in the Skyclub. Mount Ranier is supposedly visible on clear days (Photo: Scott Hintz)

Views from the expansive 30-foot windows in the Skyclub. Mount Rainier is supposedly visible on clear days (Photo: Scott Hintz)

Six private shower rooms with Malin+Goetz toiletries. There are three “standard” size rooms and three larger ones that we’re told can accommodate families if you are traveling with kids; but even the smaller rooms were large and impressive. The room has a private toilet, sink, and of course, shower area. The design is very high end and just feels luxurious. Well done, Delta.

Private shower rooms includes shower, toilet, and sink with Malin+Goetz amenities (Scott Hintz)

Private shower rooms includes shower, toilet, and sink with Malin+Goetz amenities (Scott Hintz)

Delta’s first foray into a spa integrated into a Sky Club. It’s run by Asanda and offers chair massages and relaxation treatments, all for a fee. I tried a 10-minute sample chair massage and it was great (normal pricing is 20 minutes for $50 or 45 minutes for $100). I also tried samples of two of the relaxation treatments where you lie in a zero-gravity chair, but honestly, didn’t care for either of them. The first is called Nap26 and you basically listen to white noise on headphones to relax, but I could still hear outside sound and the white noise just felt a little annoying to me. The other one I tried is the Deepak Chopra Dream Weaver, where you listen to a little bit of Deepak himself speaking in a calm voice to guide you to a relaxing “other” world, then you wear glasses with embedded LEDs that blink in various colors and formations to create hypnotic visual images (you keep your eyes closed and just pick up light and patterns). The blinking LEDs sort of freaked me out and made me stressed and anxious, the opposite of the intended goal. Maybe others will like it, but I would urge caution.

Chair massage and relaxation chairs at the SEA Sky Club spa (Scott Hintz)

Chair massage and relaxation chairs at the SEA Sky Club spa (Scott Hintz)

 

Chair massage and relaxation chairs at the SEA Sky Club (Scott Hintz)

Chair massage and relaxation chairs at the SEA Sky Club (Scott Hintz)

Enhanced food and drink It seemed that there was more food on offer here than I’ve seen at other Sky Clubs, not quite the full buffet you might see at a foreign carrier’s lounge, but getting close. Delta says it’s partnering with chef Ethan Stowell to provide food that has a local flair to it, in addition to a mac and cheese dish from Beecher’s Cheese, which is a Seattle institution (and we can attest to it being delicious). As far as beverages, it was the standard Sky Club setup of free and premium offerings, but here Delta will have Washington State wines, as well as spirits and beers from local makers. THE BAR at Delta Sky Club offers a variety of premium and complimentary options including Washington wines such as Chateau Ste. Michelle, cocktails from local distilleries including Glass Vodka, Westland Distilleries and more, Georgetown Lucille IPA craft beer, and freshly brewed Starbucks coffee.

Mac and cheese and other hot food options at the SEA Sky Club (Scott Hintz)

Mac and cheese and other hot food options at the SEA Sky Club (Scott Hintz)

Salads, crudite, and other food options at the SEA Skyclub

Salads, crudites, and other food options at the SEA Skyclub

All in all, this Sky Club is a fantastic new space that will be welcomed by frequent travelers. It also ups the game considerably in terms of lounge experiences offered by U.S. carriers — so American, United, and Alaska should pay attention, but even foreign carriers are put on notice. It definitely shows how much effort Delta is putting into growing its Seattle hub.

For west coast flyers, Seattle is an increasingly viable option for international journeys. Delta flies nonstop to five cities in Asia from SEA (Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo/NRT, Seoul, and Hong Kong) and three cities in Europe (London/LHR, Amsterdam, and Paris), with most of those airports offering tons of connections on Delta partners to get you almost anywhere you want to go. And Seattle is a somewhat efficient routing, as most west coast flights go up the coast over the Seattle area anyway to get to Asia or Europe.

Sky Club members and certain American Express cardholders have unlimited access the club. Non-members can pay a one-time fee of $59.

What’s Next for Sky Clubs? A renovated Club in Raleigh-Durham is scheduled to open in late November and will offer additional seats, more accessible power and a new food and beverage area. A new Club expansion is coming to Newark in late 2016, including a redesigned bar and more food options.

This post was written by TravelSkills contributor Scott Hintz

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New California routes: Southwest, AA, Delta, JetSuiteX, Mokulele + more

Southwest will add two more California routes in March. (Image: jim Glab)

Southwest will add two more California routes in March. (Image: Jim Glab)

In domestic route news, much of the action is in California, including a pair of new Southwest routes, new American flights from northern California and LAX, a new Delta market from Los Angeles, and new intrastate service from JetSuite and a small Hawaiian carrier; meanwhile, Alaska upgrades its equipment on two California routes.

Southwest Airlines, which has focused much if its recent growth on California, plans to add another pair of routes there. The carrier said that beginning March 9, it will start new service to Salt Lake City from both Sacramento and Burbank. Southwest is offering introductory fares starting at $59 one-way for booking through October 20.

American will begin Phoenix flights from Santa Rosa's Charles M. Schultz Airport. (Image: Charles M. Schultz Airport)

American will begin Phoenix flights from Santa Rosa’s Charles M. Schultz Airport. (Image: Charles M. Schultz Airport)

On February 16, American Eagle/SkyWest will kick off new daily non-stops between Sonoma County’s Charles M. Schulz Airport in Santa Rosa and AA’s Phoenix hub. The carrier will use a CRJ-700 on the route. Elsewhere in California, American plans to initiate summer seasonal service next year from Los Angeles International to Grand Junction, Colorado. The flights will operate from June 3 through August 19, also with an American Eagle/SkyWest CRJ-700.

Outside of California, American will begin new regional jet service on February 16 from Phoenix to Bullhead City, Arizona; and AA this month began American Eagle/Envoy Air flights twice a day from its Chicago O’Hare hub to Akron/Canton.

As we mentioned the other day in a post about the expansion of lie-flat premium seats on transcontinental routes, Delta plans to launch new service on April 24 between LAX and Washington D.C.’s close-in Reagan National Airport, using a 757-200 equipped with fully-flat seats in the front cabin. At the same time, Delta will drop one of its two daily Salt Lake City-DCA flights, replacing it with a Salt Lake-Washington Dulles service.

This Phenom 100 jet from JetSuite seats six (JetSuite)

A Phenom 100 jet from JetSuite (JetSuite)

JetSuiteX, which offers small-plane public charters within California, will begin new service October 17 between San Jose and McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, north of San Diego. The company will use a four-seat Phenom 100 to fly the route four times a week, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On the same day, JetSuiteX will boost frequencies between San Jose and Burbank to two flights a day– and currently flights from both Concord and San Jose to Burbank are on sale for just $59 each way (for November trips) and that includes checked bags and wi-fi.

Following United’s recent decision to stop flying between San Francisco and Santa Maria, California, that town just got new service from an unlikely source: Hawaii-based Mokulele Airlines. The carrier is flying four times a day between Santa Maria and Terminal 6 at Los Angeles International Airport using nine-passenger Cessna Grand Caravan turboprops.

In nearby Santa Barbara, meanwhile, Alaska Airlines has started to use new 76-passenger Embraer 175s on its routes to Seattle and Portland, replacing 70-passenger CRJ-700s. The new planes have first class, Preferred Plus and regular coach seating, and are equipped with Wi-Fi service.

Don’t miss out on these popular TravelSkills posts:

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Airport news: Newark, Seattle, Phoenix, Dulles, Boston

United's hub operation at Washington Dulles got a new lease on life. (Image: metropolitan Washington Airports Authority)

United’s hub operation at Washington Dulles got a new lease on life. (Image: metropolitan Washington Airports Authority)

In airport news this week, Seattle Tacoma International is giving a preview of what its new international arrivals facility will look like; Phoenix Sky Harbor will inform travelers about the waiting times for TSA lines; a unique restaurant concept is coming to Newark Liberty; United signs a new lease at Washington Dulles, and Turkish Airlines opens a lounge there; and Virgin America switches terminals at Boston Logan.

Those recurring rumors that United Airlines is about to get rid of its Washington Dulles hub have been put to rest by the news that United has signed an extension of its lease at IAD, guaranteeing it will keep a big presence there through 2025. There had been speculation that United might shift more of its East Coast connecting traffic and international flights to Newark. In other developments at Washington Dulles, Turkish Airlines has its first U.S. airport premium lounge there. The 5,000 square foot facility has showers, free Wi-Fi, a buffet, business area with six Cs, and a selection of newspapers and magazines.

The Port of Seattle has released renderings of the new international arrivals facility (IAF) to be built at Seattle-Tacoma International, due for completion in 2019. Citing a “dramatic increase” in the number of international flights at SEA’s South Satellite, the Port said the existing federal inspections area at the airport is already beyond peak capacity. The 450,000-square-foot IAF will be east of the current Concourse A, and will be linked to the South Satellite by a 900-foot elevated walkway across the top of Concourse A. “Creation of a secure international corridor on Concourse A will mean more gates for arriving international flights with a direct connection to the IAF,” the Port said. The facility will increase the number of international widebody-capable gates from 12 to 20; increase the number of Passport booths and kiosks from 30 to 80; increase bag carousels from four to seven; and reduce minimum connecting times from 90 to 75 minutes. Here’s a link to a gallery of images for the new IAF, and an animated fly-through video.

A rendering of the interior of Seattle's new international arrivals facility. (Image: Port of Seattle)

A rendering of the interior of Seattle’s new international arrivals facility. (Image: Port of Seattle)

Flying out of Phoenix Sky Harbor? You can now see what the waiting times are for TSA security lines before you head to the airport, if you’re leaving from Terminal 2 or 4. The airport now posts security waiting times on its website (www.skyharbor.com), on flight information displays in the terminals and at PHX Sky Train stations, and on visual paging screens in the terminals. “This amenity will be especially helpful for customers traveling through Terminal 4, since passengers can use any of the four security checkpoints in that terminal to access any gate,” the airport noted, adding that T4 handles 80 percent of the airport’s customers. The service will add T3 data later this year. Note: The waiting times are for regular TSA lines, not PreCheck.

The new Daily restaurant at Newark's Terminal C. (Image: OTG)

The new Daily restaurant at Newark’s Terminal C. (Image: OTG)

The newest dining venue to open at United’s Newark Terminal C hub – part of the facility’s ongoing $120 million redevelopment — is called Daily, described by concessions partner OTG as “the world’s first airport restaurant where the entire menu changes every day.” Why? In order to present the freshest possible cuisine, the restaurant will base its menu on the produce, meats and fish currently available from nearby farmers’ markets. (Which has us a little concerned considering what’s near Newark Airport 😉 The centerpiece is a wood-burning grill for preparing meat and fish entrees. Other new venues recently opened at EWR Terminal C include Saison, a French bistro; Riviera, with French country dining; Little Purse, serving up dumpling and noodle dishes; and Tacquila, specializing in street tacos.

At Boston Logan, Virgin America has moved its operations from Terminal B to Terminal C, in order to be close to merger partner Alaska Airlines. Virgin flies from BOS to San Francisco and Los Angeles, while Alaska has flights to Seattle, Portland and San Diego. Spirit Airlines has also relocated at BOS to Gates B37-38 from another part of Terminal B.

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!

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Most popular: New transcons | Crazy low fares | Dogs | United Polaris | Odd flight numbers | New SeaTac bridge

Delta Sky Club San Francisco

Watching the sun and the planes from a pretty perch at Delta’s exceptional Sky Club at SFO (Chris McGinnis)

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

1 This post has gone viral: Kicking “support animals” off the planeWeekend Edition

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

3 A sneak peek: Deep Dive: United Polaris business class (Part 1 of 3)

4 Flight 420? Unique, unusual or eccentric flight numbers

United Polaris

Soon in United Polaris business class: A Bloody Mary cart on flights that depart before noon (Photo: Scott Hintz)

5 Deep Dive: United Polaris business class (Part 2 of 3) Food & beverage, lounge

6 Low demand = super low prices this fall: The season for jaw-dropping low fares

7 100,000 members link accounts every day: Marriott Starwood: Higher prices, better rewards

8 Routes: SFO, Seattle, Oakland-Rome, JFK, Boston, Montreal, Detroit

9 Nice work, DL! Inside Delta’s newest SkyClub (Slideshow)

10 Vamos! Airlines start rolling out Havana schedules, fares

Renaissance New York Times Square bar

Looking down on the cacophony of Times Square from the cozy, recently renovated R Lounge at the Renaissance New York Times Square hotel (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Last week I was in NYC for the Skift Forum, which is something like TED talks, but for the travel industry. I spent two days hanging out with wunderkinds, CEOs, visionaries, and media in the spectacular Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. (More on what I learned in a future post.) Thanks to the Renaissance New York Times Square hotel (4.5 stars on TripAdvisor) for putting me up for two nights to check out its latest updates, which include a refresh of the dramatic R Lounge overlooking Times Square. Since I’m not a big fan of Times Square, I found the lounge the perfect place to quietly sit above the fracas and enjoy the colors and a cocktail. I also checked out the hotel’s newest suites on the fourth floor…all are big bright (white and canary yellow) with terraces overlooking 7th Avenue. In a quirky twist, the terraces are carpeted in astroturf and have life sized plastic sheep that appear to be grazing. Rates start at around $350 per night. — Chris

A big bright white & yellow room with terrace overlooking Times Square (Chris McGinnis)

A big bright white & yellow room with terrace overlooking Times Square (Chris McGinnis)

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

Cathay Pacific B777 Economy

Economy class on Cathay Pacific’s B777 is now 9-abreast as seen here. Soon it will squeeze in one more seat.  (Photo: Ramsey Qubein)

Oh no! Cathay Pacific to introduce dreaded 10-across seating on Boeing 777s

A short history of airport moving sidewalks

Gogo plans to speed up inflight wi-fi…. in 2018

Frontier and Spirit to join TSA PreCheck 

Maps that show how Americans speak English differently

West Elm starts a hotel brand

Best Western launches new brand in the economy hotel segment

Check out what’s coming at Seattle-Tacoma International: A new glass enclosed pedestrian sky bridge that’s high enough for a 747 to pass underneath. Construction begins this fall and it’s expected to be operational in three years as part of the airport’s new international terminal. Full report from Glenn Farley here.

Frontier Airlines passengers can now use TSA PreCheck

Harvard Business Review warns biz travelers are targets of ‘spymail’ hacking on the road

World airline group finds air rage incidents are increasing

Orlando Airport’s lobby gets 1,560-foot-long hi-def video wall

Air France KLM will install Gogo satellite Wi-Fi in long-haul fleet

Uber starts selling gift cards

Lufthansa acquires the rest of Brussels Airlines

Air Berlin’s fleet shrinks in restructuring plan

Celebrity chef brings Latin cuisine to DFW Airport

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! )

DONT MISS! The 100,000 points question!

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Routes: SFO, Seattle, Oakland-Rome, JFK, Boston, Montreal, Detroit

China Eastern is using an A330 for its new San Francisco flights. (Image: Airbus)

China Eastern is using an A330 for its new San Francisco flights. (Image: Airbus)

In international route developments, Norwegian hints at Oakland-Rome nonstop; China Eastern adds San Francisco service; China’s Xiamen Airlines comes to Seattle; Delta will add new Europe routes from the East Coast next spring; Air Canada plans a very long haul from Montreal; and Aeromexico will begin a Detroit route.

Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines, a member of Delta’s SkyTeam global alliance, this week kicked off new service to San Francisco from Kunming – the capital of Yunnan Province in southwest China – via a stop in Qingdao, a port city in Shandong Province. China Eastern will use an Airbus A330 and will operate the flight three times a week, with SFO departures on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

A Xiamen Airlines 787 now flies to Seattle from Xiamen (Image: Boeing)

A Xiamen Airlines 787 now flies to Seattle from Xiamen and Shenzen (Image: Boeing)

Another new China route also opened up this week: Xiamen Airlines started service to Seattle from its hometown of Xiamen, operating via a stop in Shenzen. It’s the airline’s first U.S. route (although it also flies to Vancouver) and the first non-stop service between Shenzen and the U.S. The carrier’s future plans include service from Xiamen to Los Angeles and Fuzhou-New York, officials said. Xiamen has inked a partnership pact with Alaska Airlines for easy connections at SEA. It’s also a member of the Delta-led SkyTeam Alliance. The carrier will use a 787 Dreamliner on the route, which operates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Rome Colusseum

A new nonstop between the Bay Area and Rome? Hope so! (Photo: Pixabay)

It was really big news when Norwegian Air announced new Oakland-Barcelona and Oakland-Copenhagen nonstops starting next spring. When TravelSkills attended the announcement event at Oakland’s Jack London Square, we snagged a few minutes with Norwegian Air execs. They told us that since they’ve received such a positive reception in the Bay Area, the carrier will soon announce nonstops between Oakland and Paris…. AND that the carrier is looking to add Oakland-Rome and Oakland-Madrid, too! Stay tuned for more details.

Delta will add some new service to Europe next spring. On May 25, Delta will begin daily flights from Boston to Dublin as well as daily service from New York JFK to Lisbon. At the same time, Delta will resume daily flights between JFK and Berlin. The Dublin and Lisbon routes will use 164-seat 757-200s, while the Berlin service will be operated with a 225-seat 767-300, Delta said. Meanwhile, Delta also announced an expansion of its six-month-old code-sharing partnership with India’s Jet Airways. In addition to the existing connections at Amsterdam to Delhi and Mumbai, starting October 30 Delta flyers will also be able to connect via Paris Charles de Gaulle to Jet Airways flights to Mumbai and beyond to 20 other Indian destinations. Delta joint venture partner Air France KLM is also a party to the code-sharing deal with Jet.

Air Canada will put a 787 onto its new Montreal-Shanghai route. (Image: Air Canada)

Air Canada will put a 787 onto its new Montreal-Shanghai route. (Image: Air Canada)

A new route between North America and China will begin on February 16, when Air Canada is due to begin flying once a day from Montreal to Shanghai with a 787-8. It will be Air Canada’s first use of a 787 out of Montreal. Onward connections at Shanghai will be available from Star Alliance partners Air China and Shenzen Airlines, Air Canada said. The carrier plans to begin another ultra-long-haul starting July 1, with three non-stop flights a week between Toronto and Mumbai, using a 787-9. Air Canada hasn’t served that route since 1991. Also on tap for the Canadian carrier: Daily Vancouver-Taipei 787 flights beginning June 8, and three 767-300ER flights per week between Vancouver and Nagoya, Japan, starting June 1.

Aeromexico will add a new U.S. route starting January 10, when it begins flying between Detroit and Monterrey, Mexico. The carrier will use an Embraer 190 for the daily service.

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! )

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

Delta SkyClub

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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International routes update: Delta, Air China, United, Hainan, Turkish, Southwest, American + more

Air China will use an A330-200 between San Jose and Shanghai. (Image: Mehdi Nazarinia/Wikimedia Commons)

Air China will use an A330-200 between San Jose and Shanghai. (Image: Mehdi Nazarinia/Wikimedia Commons)

In international routes news, Air China comes to San Jose; Delta is dropping routes to Tokyo and Moscow; Las Vegas gets a Beijing flight; Southwest and American plan new service to Mexico from LAX; LaCompagnie suspends London flights; Copa doubles up on San Francisco service; Air Canada trims San Diego-Vancouver capacity; Turkish trims flights to US and EVA adds more seats from Seattle to Taipei. Also, stay tuned to TravelSkills for some really good route news for Oakland coming out this Thursday.

Mineta San Jose International Airport added another international route last week when Air China kicked off new service from SJC to Shanghai – the airline’s only route to Shanghai from North America. Air China is using a two-class, 237-seat Airbus A330-200 on the route, departing San Jose on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Departure time from SJC is 1:30 p.m. for the 12.5-hour flight, with arrival in Shanghai at 4:40 p.m. the next day.

Delta, which recently won new rights to operate daytime flights to Tokyo’s close-in Haneda Airport from Los Angeles and Minneapolis-St. Paul, said it plans to discontinue its daily New York JFK-Tokyo Narita service on October 2. On October 3, Delta will axe its daily Narita-Osaka flight, and on October 29 it will end its daily Narita-Bangkok service. The airline will still fly to Narita from Seattle, Portland, Detroit and Atlanta. Meanwhile, Delta this week suspended its New York-Moscow non-stop service for the season, with plans to resume the flights in May 2017.

Las Vegas will also get new service to China by year’s end. Hainan Airlines has applied for government approval to fly three times a week between Las Vegas and Beijing, with a starting date of December 2. Hainan has been growing its U.S. presence in recent months, and currently flies from San Jose to Beijing, Los Angeles to Changsha, and Seattle to Beijing and Shanghai.

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

Southwest will add three routes from LAX to Mexico. (Image: Jim Glab)

Southwest will add three routes from LAX to Mexico. (Image: Jim Glab)

Both American Airlines and Southwest Airlines apparently see room for growth in the Los Angeles-Mexico market. American is planning to start new daily 737-800 flights on December 15 from LAX to both Cancun and Puerto Vallarta. And Southwest on December 4 will launch twice-daily service from LAX to both Cancun and San Jose del Cabo, as well as one flight a day between LAX and Puerto Vallarta. Meanwhile, Mexican low-cost carrier Volaris plans to begin new service December 1 between Denver and Monterrey, Mexico, operating two A320 flights a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays).

United is switching up equipment on key routes between SFO and Europe for the winter season starting October 30. On SFO-London it will run two 777-200ERs instead of the current 777 and 787 Dreamliner. On SFO-Paris, the current 767-300ER will be replaced with a 787.

Panama’s Copa Airlines, a member of United’s Star Alliance, plans to increase service between Panama City and United’s San Francisco hub. Effective November 1, Copa will increase its schedule on the route from one to two 737-800 flights a day. (Regrettably both departures from SFO are red-eyes, arriving Panama City in the morning.)

All-business-class La Compagnie blames Brexit for dropping Newark-London flights. (Image: La Compagnie)

All-business-class La Compagnie blames Brexit for dropping Newark-London flights. (Image: La Compagnie)

La Compagnie, a niche carrier that offers transatlantic all-business-class flights with 74-seat 757s, said that it will drop its route linking Newark with London’s Luton Airport effective September 25. In October, the carrier will add a second daily flight to its Newark-Paris CDG route. In explaining its decision to drop Newark-London service, La Compagnie said that the recent decision by British voters to take the U.K. out of the European Union – aka Brexit – “has created an unprecedented level of legal and economic uncertainty for airlines that service Great Britain.” 

Taiwan’s EVA Air will boost capacity this fall on its route to Taipei from Seattle. The carrier plans to add a second flight three days a week, for a total of 10 a week, beginning November 19. EVA will use a 777-300ER for the extra flights.

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines is cutting back on weekly frequencies, but not to SFO, pictured here (Chris McGinnis)

Turkish Airlines is reducing frequencies to several US cities in the wake of the downturn in demand due to recent events as well as the slower winter season ahead. Airline Routes is reporting service cutbacks (but no elimination of service) between Istanbul and Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami.

Air Canada currently operates an Air Canada Rouge A319 on its daily San Diego-Vancouver route.  But the carrier plans to temporarily suspend the route effective October 17, and when it resumes service December 14, it will downsize to a CRJ-705 operated by Air Canada Express. Elsewhere in Canada, Westjet plans to convert its seasonal Calgary-New York JFK service into a year-round route, operating six flights a week when its winter schedule begins October 30.

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

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

Denver Airport

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

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

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

CLEAR's new logo

CLEAR’s new logo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Routes: United, Singapore, Delta, American, Airberlin, LATAM, Volaris

United will add a second daily San Francisco-Shanghai flight with a 787-9. (Image: United)

United will add a second daily San Francisco-Shanghai flight with a 787-9. (Image: United)

In international route news, United will increase Shanghai service but drop Vietnam; Singapore Airlines will reroute its eastbound Houston to Singapore flight; Delta will increase its Caribbean presence via code-sharing; American will trim its LAX-Brazil schedule; Airberlin will add more U.S. flights and expand code-sharing with American; LATAM adds a new Miami market; and Mexico’s Volaris plans two new U.S. routes.

According to Routesonline.com, United Airlines plans to add a second daily flight between San Francisco and Shanghai Pudong, and has already opened it up for reservations. The second frequency is due to begin on October 14, using a 787-9 Dreamliner, although the carrier is expected to replace that with a 787-8 next spring.  Meanwhile, United also plans to discontinue service to Vietnam at the end of October when it terminates its current Hong Kong-Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) route, which it serves with a 737-800. A United spokesman tells TravelSkills that the carrier is working with its joint venture partner ANA to offer a greater number of new connections to Ho Chi Minh City via Tokyo Narita than United currently offers through Hong Kong.

Effective October 30, Singapore Airlines will make a big change in its eastbound flight from Houston Bush Intercontinental to Singapore, which currently operates via a stop in Moscow. After October, the carrier will drop Moscow from that route, replacing it with a stop in Manchester, England. The five-days-a-week service will depart Houston at 8:15 p.m., arriving in Manchester at 10:05 a.m. and eventually in Singapore at 8:20 a.m.

Delta will add Caribbean destinations via code-sharing with Seaborne Airlines. (Image: Delta)

Delta will add Caribbean destinations via code-sharing with Seaborne Airlines. (Image: Delta)

Delta has filed for Transportation Department approval to begin code-sharing with San Juan-based regional carrier Seaborne Airlines. The planned code-sharing would put Delta flight numbers onto Seaborne flights from San Juan to five destinations not currently served by Delta: Beef Island in the British Virgin Islands; Dominica; Nevis; Anguilla; and La Romana in the Dominican Republic. The code-sharing would also increase Delta-coded flights from San Juan to destinations already served by the Atlanta-based carrier, including St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

American Airlines plans to reduce frequencies between Los Angeles and Sao Paulo, Brazil from seven flights a week to five effective December 1, and will also change planes on the route from a 787-8 to a 777-200ER.

Airberlin will boost U.S. schedules this winter. (Image: Airberlin)

Airberlin will boost U.S. schedules this winter. (Image: Airberlin)

In Europe, meanwhile, American has added more code-share routes with partner Airberlin, putting its code onto the latter’s flights from Dusseldorf to Bologna, Florence, Stockholm and Venice; Frankfurt to Palma de Mallorca; and Munich to Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg. Meanwhile, effective with its winter schedule starting in November, Airberlin will increase Miami-Berlin service from two flights a week to four, and New York-Dusseldorf service from seven flights a week to eight. The carrier is also adding a new daily New York-Berlin flight, and extending its Los Angeles-Dusseldorf service from seasonal to year-round. Airberlin will also boost Chicago-Berlin frequencies from four flights a week to five, and Ft. Myers-Dusseldorf from three a week to four.

LATAM Airlines Brazil has set a September 24 start for new once-a-week service on Saturdays between Miami and Recife, Brazil, using a two-class 767.

Mexico’s low-cost Volaris Airlines has added a couple of more U.S. routes, launching service three times a week from Seattle to its Guadalajara hub, and twice a week from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Monterrey. Both routes use A320s.

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

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Routes: Alaska, JetSuite, Southwest, United, American, Spirit, Frontier

Alaska Airlines 737 New Livery

Alaska Airlines will add several routes into Newark (Image: Alaska Air)

In domestic route news, Alaska will add several routes into Newark; JetSuite plans a new California Corridor route; Southwest has its eye on Long Beach-Las Vegas service; United and American grow at Memphis; and Frontier and Spirit expand their Florida presence.

Taking advantage of the FAA’s decision to open up more takeoff and landing slots at Newark Liberty International Airport this fall, Alaska Airlines said it plans to add new flights there from four West Coast cities. On November 10, Alaska will begin one daily roundtrip from Portland to Newark, followed on November 21 by a new daily flight from San Diego to Newark; neither of the eastbound flights will be red-eyes. Then in 2017, Alaska will add a daily flight from San Jose to Newark on March 12, along with a third daily Seattle-Newark roundtrip beginning May 14.

Alaska also said it will begin twice-weekly seasonal service between Portland and Sun Valley, Idaho, operating from December 17 to April 1 and again from June 14 to September 16, 2017, using a Horizon Air Q400 turboprop.

JetSuiteX will add another California Corridor route. (Image: JetSuite)

JetSuiteX will add another California Corridor route. (Image: JetSuite)

Earlier this year, a private jet operator called JetSuite launched a new service between Burbank and Concord, California (just east of San Francisco) called JetSuiteX, selling single seats on scheduled departures of 30-seat Embraer 135s. And now the company plans to add a new JetSuiteX route on August 15, linking Burbank and San Jose with 12 weekly roundtrips and introductory fares as low as $99.

Last month, Southwest Airlines added Long Beach, California to its route map, launching four daily roundtrips to Oakland. And now Southwest plans to add daily Long Beach-Las Vegas flights beginning September 18, with introductory fares starting at $39. But the Long Beach-Las Vegas service is only scheduled to continue through the end of December.

American and United are planning to increase capacity out of Memphis, according to the Memphis Business Journal. It said that on August 23, American will replace smaller regional jets and an MD-82 with 160-seat 737s for its two daily Memphis-Dallas/Ft. Worth flights; and on October 6, it will add a fourth daily weekday flight between Memphis and Washington Reagan National. On October 31, the publication reported, United plans to replace a CRJ-700 with a 166-seat 737 for one of its two daily Memphis-Denver flights. This month, American eclipsed Delta as Memphis’ largest carrier.

Spirit Airlines is expanding its Florida network. (Photo: Spirit)

Spirit Airlines is expanding its Florida network. (Photo: Spirit)

Spirit Airlines will boost its presence at Orlando this fall, adding daily service to five cities, including Boston and Philadelphia starting October 7; Kansas City beginning November 10; and Niagara Falls and Plattsburgh, N.Y. as of November 17. Also on November 10, Spirit will kick off new daily non-stops from Baltimore/Washington to both Tampa and Fort Myers, Fla.

On October 30, Frontier Airlines is planning to launch daily roundtrips from San Diego to Orlando, as well as three weekly flights linking Orlando with Des Moines, Iowa. Meanwhile, Frontier will also trim its schedule at Pittsburgh at the end of October, discontinuing service to Atlanta and to Chicago O’Hare.

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

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Routes: Alaska, American, JetBlue, Frontier, Allegiant

Alaska Airlines 737 New Livery

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Routes: LAX, SFO, Seattle, San Diego, Boston, New York, Atlanta + more

Fiji Airways SFO

SFO’s latest arrival from the exotic South Seas! (Photo: Peter Biaggo/SFO)

In international route news, American next week adds new transpacific flights from Los Angeles; Swiss brings its fancy new 777 to the Los Angeles-Zurich route, while Emirates doubles down on LAX service with a big sports sponsorship; San Francisco gets a new route to the South Pacific; Germany’s Condor Airlines unveils some new U.S. routes, including Seattle and San Diego; TAP Air Portugal adds two U.S. gateways with upgraded aircraft; Delta trims service to a South American city from Atlanta; and two U.S. airlines start selling tickets for scheduled service to Cuba.

American Airlines next week will kick off its newest transpacific route: On June 23 it will start flying a 787-8 Dreamliner between Los Angeles International and Auckland, New Zealand as part of its growing joint venture partnership with Qantas, ending Air New Zealand’s non-stop monopoly on that route. The aircraft’s business class offers personal suites with 77-inch lie-flat seat-beds, direct aisle access for every seat, and a walk-up bar stocked with drinks and snacks. The economy cabin offers a Main Cabin Extra seating option with five extra inches of legroom, and both cabins have Wi-Fi and AC/USB ports at every seat.

Also at Los Angeles International, Swiss has started flying the LAX-Zurich route  with its new 777-300ERs, the flagships of its international long-haul fleet. The aircraft boasts redesigned and upgraded interiors with first, business and economy class. Take a look here at some photos of the plane that we ran last year when the carrier introduced them. Swiss had planned to start flying the 777-300ER to San Francisco in August, but as we reported last month, that introduction has been postponed until February 2017.

emiratesfas

Emirates flight attendants visited Dodger Stadium to promote the airline’s expanded LAX service. (Image: Emirates)

Meanwhile, Emirates is due to lay on a second daily A380 flight starting July 1 between Los Angeles and Dubai, and it is counting on a new sponsorship deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers to draw attention to the airline in that big market. The airline even brought some of its flight attendants onto the field during a recent game at Dodger Stadium to promote the tie-in.

At San Francisco International, Fiji Airways this week kicked off seasonal service to Nadi, Fiji, using a two-class A330 for the 10-hour flight. It will operate twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, through mid-August, then will resume from mid-December through mid-January.

Germany’s Condor Airlines, a leisure-oriented carrier that belongs to the Thomas Cook Group, plans to add some U.S. routes in 2017, including the only non-stops between Seattle and Munich. That route will begin in July 2017 with twice-weekly service. Condor already flies between Seattle and Frankfurt, and recently extended that to year-round service. Also in Condor’s 2017 plans: twice-weekly seasonal flights between Frankfurt and New Orleans from May through September; three flights week starting May 1 between Frankfurt-San Diego; and twice-weekly service beginning May 2 between Munich and Las Vegas.

TAP Portugal is using upgraded A330s on new Boston and New York routes. (Image: Airbus)

TAP Portugal is using upgraded A330s on new Boston and New York routes. (Image: Airbus)

TAP Portugal just started new daily service between Lisbon and Boston Logan, and will add daily Lisbon-New York JFK service July 1. Both routes are using A330s that feature TAP’s new executive class cabin with lie-flat seats. The aircraft also features a new, advanced in-flight entertainment system; and the economy cabin has two kinds of seating, offering 34-inch and 31-inch pitch. The airline already serves Newark and Miami from Lisbon.

At its Atlanta hub, Delta on August 30 will reduce service to Medellin, Colombia, cutting back from the current daily frequencies to just three a week. Delta uses a 737-700 on the route.

Following the Transportation Department’s recent award of Cuba route rights (except Havana) to U.S. carriers for regular scheduled service, some of them have started selling tickets to the island nation. American will start flying once or twice a day from Miami to Cienfuegos and Holguin on September 7; from Miami to Camaguey and Santa Clara September 9; and from Miami to Varadero September 11. Silver Airways will start service September 1 from Ft. Lauderdale to Santa Clara, followed by flights out of Ft. Lauderdale to Camaguey, Cienfuegos and Holguin in October; to Santiago and Cayo Coco in November; and to Varadero, Cayo Largo and Manzanillo in December.

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New hotels: Seattle, Cleveland, New York, Miami

Thompson Seattle hotel

Stunning Puget Sound views from the new Thompson Seattle hotel (Photo: Commune Hotels)

In U.S. lodging news, the upscale Thompson Hotels group comes to the Pacific Northwest; Hilton opens a high-rise location in the heart of Cleveland; Holiday Inn cuts the ribbon on a new location in Brooklyn; and Starwood converts a Miami property into a W.

Views of the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains are among the highlights of the newly opened Thompson Seattle , a 12-story luxury boutique hotel located next to the city’s popular Pike Place Market. With an all-glass exterior and 158 rooms (including eight corner studios and two suites), the newly-built Thompson has a décor that features exposed steel and concrete, along with “an eclectic blend of modern and vintage furniture and fixtures of reclaimed woods.” Guest rooms have 400-thread-count bed linens, free Wi-Fi, 42-inch smart TVs and marble bathrooms with rain showers. The hotel has 5,000 square feet of meeting space and a signature restaurant specializing in locally sourced ingredients from the Pacific Northwest, as well as a rooftop bar and lounge with expansive city views.  Rates start at $419, but the hotel has an opening special of 30 percent off best available rates for 2016 bookings made by June 30.

The new Hilton Cleveland Downtown overlooks Lake Erie. (Image: Hilton)

The new Hilton Cleveland Downtown overlooks Lake Erie. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton Hotels has cut the ribbon on a big new property in downtown Cleveland. The 600-room Hilton Cleveland Downtown, at 100 Lakeside Avenue East, is connected to the city’s Huntington Convention Center and adjacent to the Global Center for Health Innovation; it overlooks Lake Erie and FirstEnergy Stadium. The 32-story convention hotel has more than 50,000 square feet of function space, including a 20,000 square foot grand ballroom. The hotel has an indoor pool and fitness center on the sixth floor, a business center, in-room Wi-Fi, and a signature restaurant on three levels called The Burnham. There’s also a luxury bar on the 32nd floor; a “communal workspace” called Eliot’s Bar; and a grab-and-go eatery called The Noshery. HHonors discount rates start at $280.

The former Viceroy Hotel in Miami is now one of Starwood's W properties. (Image: Starwood)

The former Viceroy Hotel in downtown Miami is now one of Starwood’s W properties. (Image: Starwood)

Starwood has added its third W property in Florida: The company has taken over the former Viceroy Miami and rebranded it as the W Miami – although it doesn’t yet have all the regular W touches. “W Miami will undergo a renovation to create the W brand’s signature W Living Room on the hotel’s 15th floor overlooking Biscayne Bay,” Starwood said, and a cocktail lounge and WET Deck will be added on the 50th floor. The hotel is on Brickell Avenue in downtown Miami, right across the street from the Brickell City Centre development of upscale restaurant and retail locations. The new W has 148 rooms and suites as well as 38 residential units serviced by the hotel. Other Florida W locations are in South Beach and Ft. Lauderdale. Rates start at $182.

The lobby of the new Holiday Inn-Brooklyn Downtown. (Image: Holiday Inn)

The lobby of the new Holiday Inn-Brooklyn Downtown. (Image: Holiday Inn)

In New York City, the borough of Brooklyn is a hot growth area these days, with new attractions and major gentrification going on. And InterContinental Hotels Group has just opened a newly-built Holiday Inn there. The 245-room Holiday Inn-Brooklyn Downtown is on Schermerhorn Street, not far from the Barclay Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Metro Tech Center. InterContinental plans to open a new EVEN Hotel Brooklyn right next door later this year. The 14-story Holiday Inn has a business center, 24-hour fitness room plus heated indoor pool/hot tub/sauna, and 2,500 square feet of meeting space. Reflecting Brooklyn’s multicultural nature, the hotel’s all-day restaurant is called Brasserie Seoul, with Korean and French-inspired cuisine. Rates start at $201.

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Routes: American, Delta, United, Southwest

American's new service to Seattle from LAX in June will find plenty of competition. (Image: Jim Glab)

American’s new service to Seattle from LAX has plenty of competition. (Image: Jim Glab)

In domestic route news this week, American has a big growth spurt at Los Angeles International, and adds new routes from Dallas/Ft. Worth and Tucson; Delta announces a pair of new markets in the western U.S. and adds an East Coast route; United revives some Cleveland routes but drops two California flights; and Southwest plans five new non-stop routes this fall.

It’s a big week for American Airlines at Los Angeles International, where the carrier has started more than 20 new flights to a number of domestic destinations. As part of its build-up at LAX, American is adding two more gates and hundreds of employees there this year. New destinations added to its LAX schedule this week include Seattle (five flights a day in a busy market already served by Delta, Alaska, Virgin America, United and Spirit), Portland (three a day), and Minneapolis-St. Paul (two a day), as well as single daily roundtrips from Los Angeles to New Orleans, Kansas City, Omaha and Hartford. American also added seasonal daily flights from LAX to Anchorage, and weekend service to Durango, Colorado; and will operate summer flights to Jackson Hole, Wyoming every day and to Montrose, Colorado and Vail/Eagle, Colorado on weekends. With the schedule additions, AA now operates more than 220 flights a day at Los Angeles.

At its Dallas/Ft. Worth hub, meanwhile, American just started new daily flights to Montana’s Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport and to Boise, Idaho. And in Arizona, American plans to offer the only non-stop service from Tucson to New York, with a daily daytime flight to JFK beginning October 6.

Delta will use E175s for new San Diego-Las Vegas service. (Image: Delta)

Delta will use E175s for new San Diego-Las Vegas service. (Image: Delta)

Delta Air Lines has set a December 17 start for new service linking San Diego and Las Vegas, a market thoroughly dominated by Southwest. Delta plans to operate three flights a day on the route, using Embraer 175s. And at its Salt Lake City hub, Delta plans to revive service this winter to Aspen, Colorado after a six-year hiatus. The Delta Connection/SkyWest flights will operate once a day with a CRJ700, starting December 17. On the East Coast, meanwhile, Delta just announced plans to begin flying between Newark Liberty International and Raleigh-Durham beginning November 6, using two-class CRJ-700s for three flights a day, operated by Delta Connection/GoJet.

United has been seriously downsizing the former Continental hub at Cleveland Hopkins, but it plans to operate seasonal flights to Florida again this winter, in spite of new competition from several low-cost carriers, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It said the airline will offer seasonal service from CLE to Ft. Lauderdale and Ft. Myers from December 16 through early April. Meanwhile, United will end a couple of California routes, according to Routesonline.com. It will drop its daily Los Angeles-New Orleans service effective August 16, and its daily flights between Ontario and Houston Bush Intercontinental (operated by SkyWest) at the end of June.

In addition to the two new routes it will add from San Jose starting November 6 – to Salt Lake City and to Baltimore-Washington International – Southwest Airlines said that on the same date it will begin new service between Washington Reagan National and Providence, Rhode Island; Washington Dulles and Orlando; and Kansas City and San Antonio. The airline has already started taking reservations on all the new fall routes.

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Inside Qatar Airways event that sparked Delta tantrum [PHOTOS]

Atlanta's historic Fox Theater is the venue for the latest skirmish between Delta and Qatar Airways. (Image: Fox Theater)

Atlanta’s historic Fox Theater is the venue for the latest skirmish between Delta and Qatar Airways. (Image: Fox Theater)

Big airlines all try to get involved with the communities they serve by sponsoring or contributing to various local venues or events. Delta does that too, but it just made a couple of moves that might have its public relations department wondering what its community relations department was thinking.

The first move was in Atlanta, where Delta has been a sponsor of the city’s landmark Fox Theater for 20 years. But now, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution , Delta plans to end that sponsorship when it expires next year.

Why? Because the theater had the audacity to rent out its space to Qatar Airways for a VIP event plus an exclusive performance by Jennifer Lopez celebrating that airline’s launching of Atlanta-Doha service on June 1.

TravelSkills reader TB send us images from the exclusive Qatar Airways event at the Fox Theater in Atlanta

A TravelSkills reader sent images from the exclusive Qatar Airways event at the Fox Theater in Atlanta (More below)

Delta and the other big U.S. carriers have been in a major feud with the Big Three Middle Eastern airlines – Qatar, Etihad and Emirates – for many months, alleging that they are subsidized by their governments and thus competing unfairly on routes to the U.S. Those carriers have also been adding new U.S. routes at a fast pace, prompting the U.S. carriers to lobby for government intervention that would stop that expansion.

Earlier this year, Delta cancelled its Atlanta-Dubai route, blaming subsidized competition; and last month, a Delta executive blasted Qatar Airways’ plan for Atlanta service, claiming there is no way that carrier could make money on the route. A Qatar executive responded by saying his airline was going to “rub salt in the wounds of Delta” by flying to Atlanta – a remark that prompted Delta to take revenge by canceling its Fox Theater sponsorship, the newspaper reported.

Related: How Emirates welcomes a new plane [PHOTOS]

Meanwhile, Delta has another rival in Seattle – Alaska Airlines, where the two carriers are in a battle for new routes and market share. In that city, Delta has just taken on sponsorship of the annual Seattle Gay Pride Parade for three next three years – but it added one stipulation to its sponsorship agreement: No Alaska Airlines employee can be in the parade if they are wearing T-shirts or other clothing that displays the Alaska Airlines logo or brand.

Come on, Delta. How low can you go?

UPDATE: Scratch that report about the Seattle Gay Pride Parade. Apparently a Seattle Pride leader misunderstood the sponsorship arrangement with Delta, and mistakenly told Seattle media that it barred Alaska Airlines employees from participating in clothing with company logos. They are indeed welcome, and Delta never declared that they weren’t, he said.

Reader thoughts, please! Plus see below for some more images from the Qatar Airways event at the Fox.

Delta Fox Qatar

Quite an opulent affair at the Fox Theater

 

At the Fox Theatre event, Qatar gave away a pair of free roundtrip tickets anywhere it flies

At the Fox Theatre event, Qatar Airways gave away a pair of free roundtrip business class tickets anywhere it flies

 

Thousands of red roses at the Qatar Airways launch event in Atlanta

Thousands of red roses at the Qatar Airways launch event in Atlanta

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Delta expands West Coast Shuttle

Delta is extending its West Coast Shuttle product to Seattle. (Image: Jim Glab)

Delta is extending its West Coast Shuttle product to Seattle. (Image: Jim Glab)

Faced with a stronger West Coast competitor as Seattle-based Alaska Airlines and San Francisco-based Virgin America move toward a merger, Delta Air Lines is making a pre-emptive strike on the coastal market this week by extending its Shuttle product to Seattle.

Three years ago, the airline introduced Delta Shuttle service between Los Angeles International and San Francisco International, and starting on Wednesday (May 11), it will bring that concept to the Seattle-SFO and Seattle-LAX markets.

It won’t have much immediate impact on schedules – Delta currently operates eight flights a day in both markets – although the company did say it plans to expand its LAX-Seattle schedule to 10 daily roundtrips on weekdays starting May 23.

But it will bring a host of standardized extra services and amenities to those routes clearly aimed at capturing a bigger share of business travelers.  Here’s Delta’s list of the Shuttle features it is introducing for SEA-LAX/SFO flights:

  • Dedicated check-in counters exclusively for Delta Shuttle customers
  • Gates located near security
  • Complimentary newspapers for all customers including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Financial Times
  • Assigned seating
  • Two classes of service with complimentary upgrades for SkyMiles Medallion members when available
  • Complimentary meals in First Class on all flights
  • Complimentary Luvo snack box offered in Comfort+ on all flights
  • Complimentary onboard snacks provided by Nourish Snacks in the main cabin
  • Complimentary in-flight beer, wine, spirits and other beverages in all classes of service, including Lagunitas Brewing Company and Fremont Brewing Company craft beer and Starbucks coffee
  • Access to in-flight Wi-Fi and free entertainment options through Delta Studio
  • Convenient access to the new Delta Sky Club set to open in Fall 2016 (at SEA) on Concourse A

Delta will use a mix of 737-800 and 717s on the SEA-LAX route, and two-class E175s operated by Compass Airlines on the SEA-SFO route.

How do you fly up and down the West Coast? Please leave your comments below. 

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Uber-Lyft updates for Newark, Boston, Seattle, New Orleans, Los Angeles

Uber at the airport in Newark still a question mark (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Uber at the airport in Newark still a question mark (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In the latest news about Uber, Lyft and other ride sharing operators, the ongoing controversy about passenger pick-ups at Newark Airport is apparently not close to resolution; an entrepreneur in Boston plans to launch a whole new kind of ride-sharing for skittish customers; passenger pick-ups officially begin at two major airports; and L.A. taxi drivers are feeling the pain.

All eyes of ride-sharing drivers in northern New Jersey will be on the Newark City Council next week as it plans to vote on new fees for those operators – and the proposed fees have caused some outrage. The city’s plan is to assess a $500 annual fee on drivers to operate in Newark, plus an additional $1,000 fee for the right to pick up passengers at Newark Liberty International Airport and at Newark Penn Station. An Uber executive told NJ.com that if the fee ordinance is approved, Uber will simply stop operating in Newark. Earlier, Newark officials had threatened to tow the cars of ride-sharing drivers if they caught them at Newark Airport.

A former Uber driver in Boston, taking note of occasional news reports about crime and violence committed by or upon the service’s vehicle operators, plans to start a new ride-sharing service specifically for customers who might feel vulnerable or threatened. The new operation, called Chariot for Women, will use only female drivers and will restrict its customer base to women and children under 13. The only thing that might stand in its way, according to the Washington Post, is the question of whether it is legal to restrict service by age and/or gender.

Ride-sharing apps continue to make inroads at airports -- with some exceptions. (Image: Uber)

Ride-sharing apps continue to make inroads at airports — with some exceptions. (Image: Uber)

It’s official: UberX and Lyft have started picking up passengers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport under a one-year pilot program approved by the Port of Seattle. UberPool, Uber’s car-pooling service, has also started operating at Sea-Tac. A writer for GeekWire tried out the new option, and found only one problem: Difficulty locating the passenger pick-up area on the third floor of the parking garage. “I knew the pick-up area was staged on the third floor of the parking garage. But for anyone else arriving at the airport trying to find their Uber or Lyft driver, this is difficult to locate because there are no signs pointing people to the pickup area until you exit the terminal and enter the third floor of the parking garage,” the writer noted.

UberX last week started picking up arriving passengers at New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport, and Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a Tweet that “more ride-sharing companies will follow.” Uber said the minimum cost of a ride between the airport and downtown is $33, subject to surge pricing increases, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Drivers will wait for their customers in a designated app-based ride services area on the upper level of the airport’s Ground Transportation Center.

Taxi drivers have long complained that ride-sharing apps are costing them business, and a report in the Los Angeles Times suggests they are right. It cites statistics from the city’s Department of Transportation showing that in 2012 – just before Uber and Lyft started operating in the city – taxis operated a total of 8.4 million trips. In 2015, that number dropped to 6 million. The story cited a cab company manager who said taxi drivers take-home pay has dropped from $800 per week a few years ago to $400-$500 now. And the number of licensed taxi drivers in the city has declined by 586 over the past three years, with some of them defecting to ride-sharing services.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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JetBlue’s big Mint expansion: Seattle, Ft Lauderdale, San Diego

JetBlue has big plans for expanding its Mint service. (Image: JetBlue)

JetBlue has big plans for expanding its Mint service. Seattle’s in for a treat (Image: JetBlue)

Encouraged by the success of its Mint lie-flat premium cabins on their existing routes, JetBlue said it will expand the service to seven more transcontinental markets over the next two years.

The airline first introduced Mint service on its New York JFK-San Francisco and JFK-Los Angeles routes; it recently added Mint cabins between San Francisco-Boston and will do the same this fall between Los Angeles-Boston.

Today the carrier said that starting next year, it will introduce the premium service between San Francisco-Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles-Ft. Lauderdale, Las Vegas-JFK, San Diego-JFK, San Diego-Boston, Seattle-JFK and Seattle-Boston. The company said all of those routes have “strong demand for premium travel.”

JetBlue's Mint class meals- choose three of five options. I chose the terrine, lentil salad and pot roast. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

JetBlue’s Mint class meals- choose three of five options. I chose the terrine, lentil salad and pot roast. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

“Our plan has long called for strategic growth of Mint on these valuable transcontinental routes, and now is the right time for us to capture this opportunity to bring much needed competition where customers are facing dwindling choices,” said JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes.

JetBlue is due to take delivery of nine Mint-equipped Airbus A321s in 2017 and even more of the aircraft the following year. The Mint cabins have seats that recline to a fully-flat position, some with low sliding doors for privacy; 15-inch video monitors with free entertainment selections; enhanced food and beverage offerings, and amenity kits. JetBlue also provides its free high-speed Wi-Fi service – called Fly-Fi – for all passengers on its Airbus fleet.

JetBlue's lie flat Mint class seat fully reclined (Chris McGinnis)

JetBlue’s lie flat Mint class seat fully reclined (Chris McGinnis)

The airline has also been expanding Mint service to parts of its Caribbean network. The premium cabins are available on year-round service from New York JFK to Barbados and on a seasonal basis from New York to Aruba and Boston-Barbados. JetBlue recently announced it will also offer the premium cabins on a seasonal basis starting in November from New York JFK to St. Lucia and St. Maarten and from Boston to Aruba.

Have you flown in Mint class yet? Do you plan to? We have! Be sure to see our JetBlue Mint Trip Report SFO-JFK. Does it look posh enough to tear you away from United, Delta or American?

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Alaska Airlines + Virgin America: What you need to know now

Alaska Airlines & Virgin America to merge (Image: Alaska Airlines)

Alaska Airlines & Virgin America to merge (Image: Alaska Airlines)

Well I guess we all saw this coming. At least as of last week. But before that, it seemed unfathomable that San Francisco would lose its hometown carrier to another airline.

But here we are. Today Alaska Airlines and Virgin announced at the crack of dawn that they would merge later this year, following government approvals (which likely won’t be much of a problem). It could take up to two years for full integration.

What remains to be seen is what will happen to JetBlue, which was reportedly also in the running for Virgin. Will it combine with another carrer? Will Alaska buy it, too? Or will it continue to operate without change…hmmm. We’ll keep an eye on that!

Anyway, for Bay Area flyers, this the merger brings together two of the country’s most loved airlines– Virgin is known for its fun, funky and almost luxurious service and Alaska Airlines is know for its solid product, good on time performance and profitability. Virgin America is known as “hip.” Alaska Airlines is know as “friendly.” It will be interesting to watch these two cultures and reputations meld.

Here are some key points to keep in mind right off the bat. We will of course be following this very closely at TravelSkills so stay tuned!

Fares could increase from SFO. Why? As a young upstart, Virgin America kept a lid on fares to the cities it served. For example, when Virgin landed in Denver last month, fares plummeted to as low as $118 round trip! When it took off for Hawaii last December, a fare war ensued, with fares dropping to as low as $318 round trip to Oahu and Maui. With Alaska Airlines in charge, I think much of that fare discounting will go away.

Virgin’s Elevate program will fold into Alaska’s Mileage Plan. Alaska’s statement says: “Virgin America Elevate loyalty program members into its Mileage Plan, ranked #1 by U.S. News and World Report. With Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, members are able to redeem award miles for travel to more than 900 destinations worldwide, rivaling global alliances.”

Watch Chris talk about the merger on this CBS-KPIX video:

Virgin America flyers in the Bay Area (with big investments in Virgin’s Elevate program) will soon see a lot more opportunities to earn/burn miles– that’s because Alaska Airlines serves all three Bay Area airports– Virgin America only served SFO. From the Bay Area (SFO, Oakland and San Jose) Alaska Airlines currently has about 45 daily departures. Combined with Virgin, the new Alaska Airlines will serve 114 destinations.

Virgin’s Elevate and Alaska’s Mileage Plus programs will operate separately until the merger closes – which could take a while- so no need for members to make and immediate changes.

From SFO, Alaska now flies nonstop to: Seattle, Portland, Palm Springs, Salt Lake City, Cabo and Puerto Vallarta.  From Oakland? There are nonstops to: Portland, Seattle plus Lihue, Honolulu, Maui and Kona in Hawaii. From San Jose, it has nonstops to four cities in Hawaii, plus Seattle, Portland, Eugene, Boise, Reno, Orange County, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Cabo and Guadalajara. From Santa Rosa (near Wine Country) it flies to several cities in the Pacific Northwest and Southern California via its Horizon Air subsidiary.

Here’s a link to the combined airlines’ route map.

It appears that the vaunted Virgin brand will disappear with the merger. Alaska’s statement says: “Alaska will maintain its new, refreshed brand and will work closely with Virgin America to learn more about the award-winning Virgin America brand and customer experience.” Which means that we will hopefully see an end to things like Virgin’s once fun, now irritating pre-flight safety video.

Hopefully Alaska Airlines will adopt Virgin’s dedication to technology by installing seatback video and wi-fi connections on 100% of its aircraft very soon. Like Virgin, Alaska uses Gogo for inflight wi-fi. Here’s a link to Alaska’s inflight entertainment and wi-fi options.

It will be interesting to see if Alaska Airlines adopts Virgin’s popular RED seatback entertainment system that allows passengers to order food from a menu and have it delivered by flight attendants. Alaska Airlines offers hot meals (for sale) on all flights over 2.5 hours. It serves Starbucks coffee.

Alaska Airline's mod new look. What do you think? (Image: Alaska Air)

Alaska Airline’s mod new look. What do you think? (Image: Alaska Air)

Alaska recently updated its “look” which Bay Areans will soon see a lot more of. And it’s no slouch when it comes to inflight comfort and tech. For example, it has all-leather recaro seats and oversized overhead luggage bins on its newest Boeing 737-800 and 737-900 aircraft. It has seatback power (standard and USB) on nearly all its planes now. It offers “preferred plus” economy seating with more legroom and a free cocktails.

While Virgin America was showy and fun, it always struggled— only recently showing profits as the cost of fuel declined. Combining with Alaska Air should help shore up Virgin, but could lead to the loss of some money-losing routes.

Alaska is buying Virgin for $2.6 billion. The combined airline will be the fifth largest in the US, with 1,200 daily departures with 280 planes with an average age of 8.5 years. The airline will have hubs in Seattle, San Francisco, Anchorage, Portland and Los Angeles.

The future of Virgin America’s employees in the Bay Area is uncertain at the moment, but the good news is that both carriers are considered great place to work-both rank among Forbes “best places to work.”

At SFO, Alaska Airlines is temporarily operating  out of the International Terminal while Terminal 1 is under construction. It remains to be seen how or if Alaska’s flights will integrate with Virgin’s in Terminal 2. Alaska does not currently operate a Board Room at SFO– members instead use Cathay Pacific’s lounge on the A side of the international terminal.

The combined airline will be based in Seattle-– too bad because Virgin America was always very proud to boast that it was “the only California-based airline.”

Why did Virgin agree to be acquired in the first place? One its website it says, “Today, just four airlines control more than 80% of the U.S. market.  By combining with Alaska – an airline that, like us, has a strong position on the West Coast, a history of operational excellence, and a guest- and employee-focused culture – we are not only creating the best airline in North America, but one with the size and market share necessary to compete in this consolidated environment.”

Read a blog post from Brad Tilden, Alaska Airlines’s CEO on the merger here. Also, here’s the press release announcing the merger.

Stay tuned to TravelSkills for more as this whole deal comes to light. In the meantime, let us know what you think about the merger in the comments below. For me, I’m a bit sad at the loss of my hometown carrier. It’s been a joy chronicling the scrappy, funky and fun carrier’s journey over the last eight years. Check out this video to see what I mean…

–Chris McGinnis

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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Routes: JetBlue, Delta, United, Alaska, Spirit

Only a handful of these very special seats on JetBlue and Aer Lingus (Chris McGinnis)

These very special solo seats in Mint class on JetBlue now on SFO-BOS (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In new domestic route activity, JetBlue’s first Mint-equipped aircraft starts flying between San Francisco and Boston, and the airline plans more flights out of Long Beach; Alaska Airlines adds a pair of new markets from Orange County Airport; Delta will soon kick off a new transcontinental route; United is about to add an East Coast spoke from its Denver hub; and Spirit Airlines jumps into a busy West Coast city pair.

JetBlue on Thursday (March 24) put an Airbus A321 equipped with its premium Mint cabin into service on one of its three daily flights between San Francisco and Boston. Mint service provides flat-bed seats, a small number of private suites, tapas-style dining, 15-inch flat screen monitors with DIRECTV, and free Fly-Fi Wi-Fi. A Mint-equipped A321 will be deployed on a second SFO-BOS flight starting April 20 and will be on all three effective September 20. The latest update on JetBlue’s plans for Los Angeles-Boston Mint service calls for one daily Mint flight to begin October 30, with all three daily flights on that route offering the premium cabin by November 17. (Here’s our Trip Report from JetBlue’s Mint service when it debuted last winter.)

Meanwhile, JetBlue also announced that it obtained some additional slots at Long Beach, California, which will enable it to begin new Long Beach-Reno/Tahoe flights starting August 15, and to add one more daily roundtrip to both its Long Beach-San Francisco and Long Beach-Oakland schedules effective August 15 and 16 respectively.

DONT MISS! A full week’s worth of helpful TravelSkills posts!

Delta & Alaska Air battle for Seattle (Photo: Jim Glab)

Delta & Alaska Air battle for Seattle (Photo: Jim Glab)

Speaking of Boston, we’re getting close to the launch of a new Delta transcontinental route between Boston and its fast-growing operation at Seattle-Tacoma International. April 4 is the scheduled starting date; Delta will use a 737-800 for the single daily roundtrip.

United Airlines plans an April 5 start for new service from its Denver hub, adding one daily roundtrip to Richmond, Virginia. The airline will use a 76-seat Embraer 175 with first class, Economy Plus and regular economy seating on the route, which at 1,482 miles will be the longest flight available out of Richmond.

Alaska Airlines continues to expand at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California. Last week, it started flying from Orange County to Reno/Tahoe and to Santa Rosa, California, using 76-seat Q400 turboprops to operate one daily roundtrip in each market.

Spirit Airlines added a new point on its route map Thursday (March 24) with the beginning of service at Seattle-Tacoma. The airline’s first route there is to Los Angeles International, with two flights a day. In mid-April, Spirit will add a pair of daily Seattle-Las Vegas flights.

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Uber/Lyft at airports: Seattle, San Diego, Milwaukee, New Orleans

Uber and Lyft pick-ups at Seattle-Tacoma cold start in a few days. (Image: Port of Seattle)

Uber and Lyft pick-ups at Seattle-Tacoma could start in a few days. (Image: Port of Seattle)

Ridesharing has changed the business trip more than just about anything else in recent memory (except maybe PreCheck!). Luckily, the phenomenon is now pervasive in most cities around the world. But, when it comes to highly regulated airports, it’s still hit or miss. You never really know if you can or can’t legally use your app when you step off the plane.

So we try to keep TravelSkills readers up to date on that front…

In airport ride-sharing developments, passenger pick-ups could start next week at Seattle-Tacoma, a new competitor starts up at San Diego, UberX and Lyft lift off at Milwaukee, and approval moves ahead for New Orleans.

March 31 is the launch date for ride-sharing services to begin passenger pick-ups at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, assuming that operators like Lyft and Uber can sign agreements with the Port of Seattle by then. The port authority has authorized the use of ride-sharing firms, which it calls Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), for a one-year test period. The airport designated an area on the third floor of its parking garage for arriving passengers to meet drivers, and it will assess a fee of $5 per pick-up. One innovative requirement set by the port authority is a “green standard” for ride-sharing services. That standard “establishes a threshold for emissions based on fleet weighted average MPG, deadheading, and pooling or ridesharing for unrelated passengers,” the airport said. “If TNC’s do not meet the environmental performance standards after six-month and nine-month periods, an additional $5 per trip fee will be incurred until standards are reached.”

Inside San Diego's snappy new Terminal 2 West (Chris McGinnis)

Inside San Diego’s snappy new Terminal 2 West (Chris McGinnis)

After running a limited pilot program for a few months, ride-sharing service Wingz has officially started operations at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field, taking on Uber and Lyft with a slightly different concept. Like those two operators, Wingz uses app-based bookings via iPhone or Android, and its drivers use their own vehicles, but it quotes a flat price. The rate may be slightly higher than the lowest rates of Uber or Lyft, but it will not change based on levels of demand. A Wingz ride from Lindbergh Field to downtown San Diego is estimated to cost around $25. With San Diego, it now operates at 16 airports, mostly in California.

Passenger pick-ups by UberX and Lyft started last week at Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Before that, only Uber Black and Uber SUV pick-ups were permitted. The approval of UberX and Lyft is for a 90-day pilot period, the newspaper said, and the airport will collect a $3 fee per passenger for pick-ups. The airport has designated a pick-up area between baggage carousels 1 and 2, through doors marked “Exit to Ticketing.”

Approval for ride-sharing services to pick up passengers at New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport moved ahead last week, but no start-up date has been set. Last week, the Aviation Board that oversees the airport approved a resolution to authorize ride-sharing pick-ups and to develop a new fee structure that will cover Uber and Lyft passenger pick-ups, but the actual fee levels still have to be determined. According to the website nola.com, the airport’s general counsel said that the ride-sharing companies have “an unequivocal constitutional right” to pick up passengers, but the city’s taxi drivers are challenging that notion: They have filed a lawsuit to block UberX and Lyft, and a court hearing is slated for April 1.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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Delta eyes a big new China route

Delta plans to use a 777-200 for new LAX-Beijing non-stops. (Image: Delta)

Delta plans to use a 777-200 for new LAX-Beijing non-stops. (Image: Delta)

The expansion of new air routes between the U.S. and China just keeps growing, and the latest proposal for new daily non-stop service comes from Delta.

Delta said this week it has applied for U.S. and Chinese government approvals to kick off daily non-stops between Los Angeles and Beijing starting December 16. It would be the airline’s second China route from LAX, following its introduction of Los Angeles-Shanghai flights last summer.

Currently, the only carrier to operate LAX-Beijing non-stops is Air China, which has two to three 777-300 flights a day. Those flights are also offered through United Airlines as code-shares.

Delta said it will serve the proposed LAX-Beijing route with a 291-seat 777-200ER, with 37 flat-bed seats in Delta One, 36 seats in Delta Comfort+ and 218 in regular economy. Through its SkyTeam partners China Southern and China Eastern, Delta will offer connections at Beijing to 39 other cities in China.

Besides LAX-Shanghai, Delta’s existing non-stop routes to China include Detroit-Beijing, Detroit-Shanghai, Seattle-Beijing and Seattle-Shanghai. The airline also flies from Seattle to Hong Kong twice a week – service that will return to daily frequencies March 28.

Delta is using a double-gateway strategy to develop its transpacific network from the West Coast, expanding services from both Seattle and Los Angeles. In addition to Shanghai, its other transpacific flights from Los Angeles include Sydney, Tokyo Narita and Tokyo Haneda.

Just last week, three other new China routes were announced, including United’s plans to fly from San Francisco to Hangzhou; American’s proposal for Los Angeles-Hong Kong service; and China Eastern’s new Chicago-Shanghai flights.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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New hotels: Minneapolis, New York, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Seattle

A standard king guest room at the new Hyatt Regency near Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. (Image: Hyatt)

A standard king guest room at the new Hyatt Regency near Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. (Image: Hyatt)

The latest U.S. hotel openings include a Hyatt Regency near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, a New York City debut for a leading European chain, an all-suite property in downtown Pittsburgh, a Marriott affiliate in the heart of San Diego, and a Starwood location at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

A few months ago, we reported on the opening of a new JW Marriott Hotel in Bloomington, Minn., near Mall of America and Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. And now there’s a new Hyatt there as well. The Hyatt Regency Bloomington-Minneapolis is in the Bloomington Central Station mixed-use development just east of the mega-mall and just south of the airport. It’s along the Blue Line light rail, two stops from MSP. It has 289 guest rooms and 14 suites, all equipped with Hyatt Grand Beds, 55-inch HDTVs with plug-and-play capabilities for personal devices, and free Wi-Fi. The hotel offers a Regency Club Lounge with free breakfast; an indoor pool; and a fitness center. The restaurant has locally-sourced ingredients, and there’s also a market with grab-and-go food items. Rates start at $239.

Melia International's INNSIDE New York NoMad on West 27th Street. (Image: Melia)

Melia International’s INNSIDE New York NoMad on West 27th Street. (Image: Melia)

European hotel giant Melia International is slated to cut the ribbon on its first New York City property in March – the 313-room INNSIDE New York NoMad, at 132 W, 27th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenue. Rooms come with floor-to-ceiling windows and are equipped with Nespresso machines, 42-inch TVs with USB and Bluetooth connectivity, and complimentary minibars. Its Impero Caffe restaurant will serve bistro-style Italian cuisine both inside and on an outdoor garden terrace. Conference rooms can handle meetings of up to 95 persons. Rates start at $249.

The Embassy Suites in downtown Pittsburgh has plenty of living space. (Image: Embassy Suites)

The Embassy Suites in downtown Pittsburgh has plenty of living space. (Image: Embassy Suites)

Pittsburgh’s 106-year-old Henry W. Oliver Building, in the heart of downtown at 535 Smithfield Street, now has a new Embassy Suites by Hilton occupying its top 11 floors. Claiming to be the only full-service all-suite hotel in downtown Pittsburgh, the Embassy Suites  by Hilton Pittsburgh Downtown has 225 two-room units equipped with a wet bar, microwave, mini-fridge and two TVs. The hotel offers free made-to-order breakfast and a free two-hour evening reception with drinks and snacks, as well as a 24/7 fitness facility and indoor pool. Check-in is in the hotel’s 25th-floor Sky Lobby, and the property has a full-service restaurant called Elevation with American comfort food. Rates start at $169.

Marriott's new Residence Inn in downtown San Diego's Bayfront district. (Image: Marriott)

Marriott’s new Residence Inn in downtown San Diego’s Bayfront district. (Image: Marriott)

Another new all-suite property – this one in San Diego – is Marriott’s Residence Inn San Diego Downtown/Bayfront, at 900 Bayfront Court. It’s close to the water just west of the city’s famous Gaslamp District, around the corner from both the Amtrak station and the Coronado Ferry, and just minutes from the airport. The hotel has 147 studio, one-, and two-bedroom suites, all equipped with spacious work areas, free high-speed Wi-Fi and full kitchens, and guests can get free hot breakfasts. Rates start at $249.

This new Four Points by Sheraton is five miles south of Sea-Tac. (Image: Starwood)

This new Four Points by Sheraton is five miles south of Sea-Tac. (Image: Starwood)

Just off Interstate 5 five miles south of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in suburban Des Moines, Wash., is the newly opened Four Points by Sheraton Seattle Airport South; it’s also convenient to Boeing’s Renton plant, Amazon’s HQ, and the Link light rail station into downtown Seattle. Its 225 rooms include some two-story loft suites with views of Puget Sound. Northwestern cuisine is served up at the hotel’s Olympus Grille, and the lounge offers local beers and BBQ-style appetizers. There’s an outdoor pool, 24/7 fitness center, business center, and free Wi-Fi throughout. Rates start at $131.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Should I tip my Uber driver? + Boeing 747 nearing its end? + Bargain hunters travel guide for 2016 + World’s best airline lounge? + Fares to Europe tumble 

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American steps into the battle for LAX

Uber and Lyft pick-ups at LAX could start soon. (Image: Thomas Hawk/Flickr)

Another major player wants a bigger slice of the LAX pie (Image: Thomas Hawk/Flickr)

Just a week after word got out about Delta’s plans to accommodate growth at Los Angeles International Airport by moving out of newly-renovated Terminal 5 to larger quarters at Terminals 2 and 3, American Airlines has unveiled a growth spurt of its own at LAX.

American said that it will add 20 more daily flights out of LAX starting June 2, serving nine destinations, and will beef up frequencies on some existing routes. The airline said it is building two new gates at LAX to accommodate the increase, which will give it a total of 220 flights a day at LAX to 70 destinations worldwide.

On June 2, American will jump into the busy LAX-Seattle market with five daily roundtrips. We say “busy” because LAX-Seattle is already served with multiple daily flights by Alaska, Delta, United, Southwest and Virgin America. In addition, Southwest flies from Burbank and Ontario to Seattle, while JetBlue serves Seattle from Long Beach.

American will also kick off three daily roundtrips from LAX to Portland, a route already well covered by Delta, Southwest and Alaska. Other new LAX markets for AA in June will include Minneapolis-St. Paul with two daily flights, and New Orleans, Kansas City, Omaha and Hartford, each with one flight a day.

At the same time, American will debut seasonal service every day from LAX to Anchorage and on weekends from LAX to Durango, Colorado. New summer service out of LAX will include daily flights to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and weekend-only service to Montrose and Vail/Eagle, Colorado.

The new domestic growth comes on top of American’s ongoing international expansion at LAX, including new daily service to Sydney that started last month, and plans to begin flights to Tokyo Haneda in February and Auckland, New Zealand in June.

 

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Uber gets OK to pick up at Las Vegas McCarran

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

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

After several weeks of back-and-forth with the Clark County Commission, which oversees Nevada’s Las Vegas McCarran Airport,  UberX drivers this week finally got clearance to begin passenger pick-ups at the airport effective immediately.

Competitor Lyft had reached agreement with regulators earlier, and began to serve the airport last month.

Some Uber drivers apparently took matters into their own hands before the agreement was reached, according to the Las Vegas Sun; the newspaper said that by December 1, airport authorities had issued some 1,600 tickets to Uber drivers for unauthorized rides at McCarran.

It’s another big win in airport access for the ride-sharing apps, which are steadily adding more legal authority to pick up arriving passengers. Last month, they started pick-ups at Chicago’s busy O’Hare and Midway airports.

At Raleigh-Durham International Airport, officials are expected to formally approve an agreement next week that will permit ride-sharing pick-ups, although according to the Triangle Business Journal, those drivers have already started making pick-ups there, using special zones dedicated to their services.

In Atlanta, an Uber official told local station WABE that the company has started car-pool pickups at Hartsfield-Jackson International — a service it calls uberPOOL — even though the airport still does not allow any Uber pick-ups there. Uber will also offer the uberPOOL service in downtown Atlanta, Midtown, and Buckhead.

Uber is testing a light bar that makes its cars easy to find. (Image: Uber)

Uber is testing a light bar that makes its cars easy to find. (Image: Uber)

In other news, the Washington Post reports that Uber has started testing a new feature in the Seattle market: a colored light in the windshield that will help passengers find the Uber car that has come to pick them up. An enhanced app lets the passenger select a color while he’s waiting for pick-up and the approaching driver activates the light in the windshield to glow in that same color, making it easy to spot in areas with lots of traffic.

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Lovely new lounges; Seattle, Orlando, Hong Kong

Orlando's new Club at MCO is open to all n a day pass basis. (Image: Airport Lounge Development)

Orlando’s new Club at MCO is open to all on a day pass basis. (Image: Airport Lounge Development)

Delta plans a second Sky Club to serve its growing Seattle operations; a new independent lounge opens its doors at Orlando International; and the SkyTeam global alliance cuts the ribbon on a new Hong Kong facility.

Delta unveiled plans to develop a second Sky Club lounge at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, with opening tentatively set for late next year. The airline said the 21,000 square foot facility — one of its five largest systemwide — will be located between Concourses A and B, offering views of the runways and of Mount Rainier in the distance. Every seat in the lounge will have power outlets nearby, and the facility will offer “a unique spa space” and a rotating selection of art from local galleries. Free menu selections will focus on local cuisine.

At Orlando International Airport, there’s a new 8,000 square foot private passenger lounge open to anyone on a pay-as-you-go basis. Called The Club at MCO, it’s the 11th airport facility created by Airport Lounge Development, Inc. Day passes cost $35, and the club is also available to members of the Priority Pass, Priority Pass Select and Lounge Club membership programs. Located at Airside 4 near Gate 91, the lounge has a Productivity Zone with a laptop bar, printer, and two private rooms for conferences calls; restrooms with showers; a children’s zone; high-speed Wi-Fi; bar service; and a selection of free snacks and beverages.

The new SkyTeam loun ge at Hong Kong's airport is anything but dark. (Image: SkyTeam)

The new SkyTeam lounge at Hong Kong’s airport is anything but dark. (Image: SkyTeam)

The SkyTeam global alliance — Delta, Air France/KLM, China Eastern, China Southern, China Airlines etc. — has opened a new premium lounge for all its member carriers at Hong Kong International Airport. Called the SkyTeam Exclusive Lounge, it’s in Terminal 1, open from 5:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. Amenities include a noodle bar with cooked-to-order dishes; a yoga room; charging stations for electronic devices; free Wi-Fi; showers and a bar. The lounge can seat up to 230 persons, and it’s available to first and business class travelers and Elite Plus members of the 12 SkyTeam airlines that serve the airport.

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Routes: Delta mini-hub? + Alaska Air in Calif + Spirit in Seattle + More

Is Delta creating a mini-hub at Mineta San Jose? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Is Delta creating a mini-hub at Mineta San Jose (pictured)? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In domestic route news, Alaska is growing at Orange County Airport; Delta starts a non-hub route in the West; Spirit Airlines adds a new city to its network; Southwest eyes new service at Minneapolis/St. Paul; and American will add a Memphis route.

Delta doesn’t often schedule new service on non-hub routes, especially in the domestic market, but that’s what it will do on December 30 when it adds Las Vegas-San Jose flights to its schedule. Delta Connection partner Compass Airlines will fly the route three times a day with 76-passenger E175s. San Jose-Las Vegas is currently a monopoly route for Southwest, which offers multiple daily fights. In addition to this new flight, Delta also operates nonstop flights between SJC and Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minneapolis St. Paul, Salt Lake and Seattle. Starting to sound like a mini-hub to us!

Alaska Airlines plans to boost its presence at California’s Orange County Airport next year with a pair of new routes. Effective March 16, Alaska will start once-a-day service from Orange County to Santa Rosa/Sonoma County, California and to Reno/Tahoe, Nevada. The flights will be operated by Horizon Air with 76-seat Q400 turboprops. Meanwhile, Alaska this month started flying four new previously announced routes. Daily Portland-Austin flights are operated for Alaska by SkyWest with a 76-seat Embraer 175; the other three routes — Eugene-San Jose, Los Angeels-Monterey and Boise-Reno —  are flown by Horizon Air with 76-seat Q400s.

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Low-cost Spirit Airlines will add Seattle-Tacoma International to its route map next year, making it the first new U.S. airline to start flying there in eight years. The carrier plans to start flying twice a day between SEA and Los Angeles in March, followed by twice-daily SEA-Las Vegas flights in April.  Spirit Airlines commenced two daily non-stop flights between Oakland International Airport (OAK) and LAX this week, and has a name for the new route: the “Bay-to-Basin” corridor.

Southwest Airlines will grow at Minneapolis/St. Paul on April 12, 2016, when it adds two daily roundtrips to Baltimore/Washington International.

American Airlines will add new non-stop service on March 3 between Phoenix Sky Harbor and Memphis, a route that currently has no non-stop service. The daily American flight will be operated by Mesa Airlines under the American Eagle banner.

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Delta-Alaska Airlines ‘partnership’ getting colder

Alaska and Delta are battling for the Seattle market. (Image: Jim Glab)

Alaska and Delta are battling for the Seattle market. (Image: Jim Glab)

Although Alaska Airlines and Delta are engaged in a battle for passengers and market share at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, they still remain partners on one level. But that partnership seems to be getting increasingly frayed as Delta adds more routes at Alaska’s SEA hub.

In the latest development, members of Alaska’s Board Room airport lounge program will no longer have access to Delta Sky Clubs after the first of the year, according to information on Alaska’s website. (When we looked at Delta’s website, it still showed Alaska Board Room locations as being available to Sky Club members with no cutoff date. But we have to believe this change is reciprocal. Maybe Delta just hasn’t had time to update its website yet.)

Alaska’s members may not need Delta’s lounges any more anyway; in August, Alaska started a reciprocal lounge-use relationship with American’s Admirals Clubs, and it just announced an expansion of its partnership with United, giving Alaska Board Room members access to United Clubs in Philadelphia and Minneapolis-St. Paul as well as Phoenix effective December 1.

Delta is busy constructing one of the largest Sky Clubs in its network in the main terminal at SeaTac, which is expected to open next year. But Board Room members won’t get reciprocal access to it.

alaskaweb

Speaking of Alaska Airlines Board Rooms, the carrier announced it will open a new one November 7 in Sea-Tac’s North Satellite terminal. It will offer work stations, free Wi-Fi, and big-screen TVs, along with free snacks, beverages and cocktails. On the same date, it will offer expanded hours at Board Rooms in the Seattle, Los Angeles, Portland and Anchorage airports.

Related: Alaska Air now using stunning Cathay Pacific lounge at SFO

Alaska and Delta do still maintain a frequent flyer program partnership — for now, at least.

On the route competition front, Delta just announced it will begin four daily flights between Seattle and Orange County, California on May 1 — a market currently dominated by Alaska and Southwest. Delta noted that with this latest addition, it plans to add new service to 10 destinations from SEA between November 2015 and May 2016. The other markets, previously announced, include Billings, Boston, Cancun, Edmonton, Kona, Missoula, Orlando, Pasco (Wash.) and Victoria, B.C.

Alaska keeps growing at SEA as well. It just started new service to Raleigh-Durham, N.C. this month; last month, it added new flights to Nashville and New York JFK.  

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JAL back at DFW, Emirates in Orlando, Delta to UK, Copa at SFO, more BA

Japan Airlines will use a 787-8 on its new Dallas/Ft. Worth-Tokyo route. (Image: Japan Airlines)

Japan Airlines will use a 787-8 on its new Dallas/Ft. Worth-Tokyo route. (Image: Japan Airlines)

In international airline route developments, Japan Airlines plans to resume service to Dallas/Ft. Worth; Emirates starts flying to its newest U.S. gateway; Delta adds a pair of transatlantic routes next year; Copa is about to begin San Francisco flights; British Airways will boost schedules to two U.S. cities; and LAN upgrades Lima-New York service.

  • Effective November 30, Japan Airlines will resume service between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Tokyo Narita  — a route it hasn’t flown since 2001. JAL will operate the route four times a week, using a three-class 787-8, and may boost frequencies to seven a week next spring. American Airlines, which is a joint venture and Oneworld alliance partner of Japan Airlines, will put its code on the flights. American already offers twice-daily 777-200 flights between DFW and Narita.
  • Emirates this week started flying its newest U.S. route, making a 16-hour flight from Dubai to Orlando International. Although the inaugural trip was with an Airbus A380 — the first one to touch down at Orlando — the regular daily Emirates service to the central Florida airport will be operated with a three-class Boeing 777-200LR.
  • Delta announced that in May 2016 it will add a pair of new seasonal transatlantic routes in cooperation with partner Virgin Atlantic. On May 1, Delta will begin daily non-stop 767 flights from its Salt Lake City hub to London Heathrow; and on May 26, it will launch daily 757 New York JFK-Edinburgh service.
Copa Airlines

Copa Airlines nonstops between SFO and Panama start Sept 17 (Photo: Bernal Saborio)

  • Star Alliance partner Copa Airlines is almost ready to kick off new service from San Francisco International to its Panama City, Panama hub, with connecting options available from there to 55 destinations in Latin America. The new daily non-stops are set to begin on September 17 with a two-class 737-800; the southbound flight will be a redeye.
  • British Airways has plans to increase capacity on its London Heathrow-Las Vegas route next year, increasing frequencies from seven to 10 a week effective March 16, all with 747-400s. The carrier will also add a new Monday 777 flight from LHR to Seattle, increasing its frequencies in that market from 11 to 12 a week.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Delta’s new Sky Club at San Francisco International + LAX will allow Uber, Lyft pick-ups + British Airways coming to San Jose + Airbnb draws corporate customers 

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Airports: Seattle squeeze + Chicago Midway makeover + DFW duty-free

The battle for Seattle between Alaska and Delta has passenger numbers growing fast -- maybe too fast. (Image: Jim Glab)

The battle for Seattle between Alaska and Delta has passenger numbers growing fast — maybe too fast. (Image: Jim Glab)

In airport news, Seattle is facing some growing pains; Chicago Midway embarks on a major renovation project; and Dallas/Ft. Worth will get a big new duty-free shopping area.

  • That battle between Alaska Airlines and Delta at Seattle-Tacoma international — with both carriers regularly adding new routes — is generating lots of new passenger traffic for the airport. But according to an Associated Press report, the airport is becoming a victim of its own success. AP said that Seattle’s passengers numbers are up a whopping 13 percent year-over-year through June 2015, and the Transportation Security Administration has been adding more officers there, scrambling to keep up with the ever-longer lines. It noted that on one recent morning, passengers spent almost an hour waiting to go through the security check. The 1.5 million TSA screenings recorded in August 2014 are expected to jump to 1.7 million this month. Customs and Border Protection has also added more staffers at SEA, the article said, as the number of international passengers thus far in 2015 is running almost 16 percent higher than last year.
  • Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has unveiled plans for a $243 million makeover of the city’s close-in Midway Airport that should solve one of the facility’s biggest problems: a bottleneck at the security checkpoint. Officials said the redevelopment includes the creation of a new 80,000 square foot security hall. The plan also includes an expansion of the pedestrian bridge over Cicero Avenue and the addition of 20,000 square feet of new concession space — a 50 percent increase in room for passenger services. “Concessions areas, stores, and restaurants will be renovated; shopping, dining, lounge facilities, spa services, and medical services will be added,” a spokesman said. The city will start taking bids on the project in December, and work could begin next year.
  • International travelers in Dallas/Ft. Worth International’s Terminal D will soon be seeing a big expansion of duty-free shopping options. The airport said it is working with a partnership called TRG Duty Free Joint Venture to develop six shopping locations in the international terminal, with a total of 20,000 square feet. The main store will extend over 13,0000 square feet on two levels, in the center of Terminal D between Gates D22 and D23. The new duty-free shops, which should all be ready by the end of next year, will sell major luxury brands including Ferragamo, Gucci, Dior, Chanel, Lancome and Burberry. “The new duty-free operation is part of the Airport’s overall plan for new premium retail, spa and food and beverage concessionaires in the first major update to the Terminal D concessions program since the terminal opened in 2005,” a spokesman said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hilton Garden Inn Seattle Downtown. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton Garden Inn Seattle Downtown. (Image: Hilton)

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

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Upgrades on United + TripAdvsior punked + Hotel resort fees okayed + 80,000 Marriott points + More!


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More 787s for LAX + AA trims first class + Delta to Brazil + Qatar earlier in ATL

American is bringing new 787s to two LAX routes this fall. (Image: American)

American is bringing new 787s to two LAX routes this fall. (Image: American)

In international route news, American will deploy new 787s on a pair of Los Angeles routes this fall, and will end first class on some London flights; Delta eyes new South America service from Orlando; Air China will add capacity at LAX and Icelandair will do the same at Seattle; and Qatar plans to move up its Atlanta debut.

American Airlines unveiled plans to add more new Boeing Dreamliners to its international network this fall, with an October 5 launch date for 787 flights from Los Angeles to Sao Paulo, and a November 5 start for new LAX-Shanghai Pudong 787 service. It currently operates Dreamliners from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Beijing, Buenos Aires and Shanghai, and will begin Chicago O’Hare-Tokyo 787 flights August 18. The 787s are replacing 777-200s.

In other developments, American plans to eliminate first class cabins on two of its three daily New York JFK-London flights on December 17 by switching them from 777-300ERs to 777-200s configured with business class, economy and main Cabin Extra seats. Meanwhile, American plans to change equipment from a 767-300ER to a 777-200ER on its JFK-Milan route September 9, and on its Miami-Paris CDG route starting November 5.

Delta has filed for government approval to move its Atlanta-Brasilia flights to Orlando starting December 1, serving the Brazilian capital city four times a week with a 757-200ER. Delta said the altered route would complement its new Orlando-Sao Paulo service. In other news, Delta plans to switch from a 767 to an Airbus A330-300 for five of its seven weekly flights between Atlanta and Dublin beginning May 26, 2016.

Another airline moves in at LAX Tom Bradley Int'l (Photo: Prayitno / Flickr)

Another airline moves in at LAX Tom Bradley Int’l (Photo: Prayitno / Flickr)

Air China last week relocated its Los Angeles operations from Terminal 2 to the Tom Bradley International Terminal, and also expanded its schedule between LAX and Beijing with the addition of a third daily roundtrip. All three flights use 777-300ERs with first, business and economy classes.

Starting May 5 of next year, Icelandair will boost its Seattle-Reykjavik schedule from seven flights a week to 11. The four additional flights will include “the only two international morning flights from Sea-Tac,” Icelandair said, with 9:15 a.m. departures on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Qatar Airways, which had announced plans to begin Atlanta-Doha flights on July 1, 2016, now reportedly will move up that schedule by a month, beginning the new 777-200LR service on June 1 instead. The airline is on a U.S. expansion binge, which also includes new flights to Los Angeles starting January 1, to Boston March 16, and a second daily New York flight March 1.

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Cute little Amex Centurion Studio pops up at SEA-TAC

Seattle's new Centurion Studio- small but nice (Photo: Amex)

Seattle’s new Centurion Studio- small but nice (Photo: Amex)

American Express’s Centurion Lounge sprouted a mini-me version: the “Centurion Studio” in Seattle this week.

The small space has similar design elements as the popular lounges that you’ve seen on TravelSkills or in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Dallas, Miami and New York LaGuardia.

The Studio is located inside in Sea-Tac’s main terminal Concourse B, opposite gate B3- near Virgin America, Southwest and Frontier gates. It’s open from 5 am until 10 pm daily.

Amex Centurion Map

In addition to its smaller size there are some things about the studio that make it different.

First, to control crowding, access is limited to Platinum and Centurion card holders + one guest ONLY.  No $50 one-day passes for non-platinum Amex card members. Rules here. Crowding has been a big problem at other lounges, so these measures should help.

Second, there’s only beer and wine— no booze. And there’s only one red and one white wine from Columbia Valley and three local craft brews. (Compared to the full-on wine tasting experience you get at the San Francisco lounge.)

While Centurion Lounges are now famous for celebrity chef inspired full-meal buffets, the studio will only offer “lite bites” such as granola/yogurt parfaits for breakfast and grilled veggies or crudite later in the day.

Our first look: Centurion Lounge at SFO

The media wall in Seattle looks identical to the one in San Francisco (Photo: Amex)

The media wall in Seattle looks identical to the one in San Francisco (Photo: Amex)

The Centurion dog and living wall make their debut at Sea-Tac (Photo: American Express)

The Centurion dog and living wall make their debut at Sea-Tac (Photo: American Express)

Related: Centurion Lounge Miami

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Airlines playing games on West Coast

The Alaska-Delta rivalry at Seattle is generating lots of new passengers. (Image: Jim Glab)

The Alaska-Delta rivalry at Seattle is generating lots of new passengers. (Image: Jim Glab)

Just as Delta has been adding a number of new routes at Seattle-Tacoma in a tit-for-tat rivalry with its erstwhile “partner” Alaska Airlines, it has adopted the same tactic following Southwest Airlines’ announcement that it will begin service this fall from Oakland to Delta’s Atlanta hub.

Less than two weeks after Southwest said it will launch daily Oakland-Atlanta flights on November 1 comes word that Delta will start flying the same route effective October 1. Delta already serves the Oakland-Los Angeles and Oakland-Salt Lake City markets.

By the way, Southwest tells us that when its new Oakland-Atlanta route starts, it will discontinue its existing service between San Francisco International and Atlanta.

Don’t miss out! This 50,000 mile bonus flies away on Tues, June 2! 

Meanwhile, ultra-low-cost Spirit Airlines is growing at Oakland as well, with plans to launch twice-daily OAK-Los Angeles service November 12. Spirit already flies from Oakland to Las Vegas, Chicago and Dallas/Ft. Worth.

Getting back to Seattle, Delta just announced four new routes from Sea-Tac, including daily service to Boston starting next April; daily flights to Orlando beginning December 19; three daily roundtrips to Pasco, Wash., as of November 1; and three a day to Victoria, B.C. starting April 4, 2016. In addition, Delta said on August 1 it will increase its Seattle-Bozeman/Yellowstone, Mont,. service from once a week to once a day.

Alaska Airlines’ next round of expansion at SEA comes July 1, when it will begin daily non-stops to Milwaukee and Oklahoma City.

The ongoing rivalry between Alaska and Delta is giving Seattle-area residents dozens of new air travel options as they pile on new routes. In fact, passenger traffic at Sea-Tac is expected to reach 42 million this year, a gain of 8 million from 2014 levels, making it one of the nation’s fastest-growing airports.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: New airline routes + Thousands of airline miles for hotel stays + Hotel chains’ Wi-Fi service ranked + How to get 50,000 miles + Toronto Airport’s new rail link

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

 


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Trip Report: Factory to Hong Kong on a new Cathay Pacific 777

(Photo: Ramsey Qubein)

(Photo: Ramsey Qubein)

Do you ever wonder how an airplane makes its way from the factory to the airport? Well, we found out recently when Cathay Pacific invited TravelSkills aboard the “delivery flight” of its fiftieth Boeing 777-300ER aircraft flying from the factory in Seattle to Hong Kong.

The sneak peek flight was a special experience for invited media, travel agents, and top Cathay customers to sample the carrier’s products while also witnessing an important milestone for both Cathay Pacific and Boeing.

With the largest fleet of 777s among Asian carriers (67 in total), and the second largest in the world (behind Emirates), Cathay Pacific is an important Boeing customer. In fact, Cathay Pacific launched its newest route from Hong Kong to Boston on the day after the delivery flight.

Related: Boston to Hong Kong in 16 hours

The ceremonial handing over of keys from Boeing to Cathay (Photo: Ramsey Qubein)

The ceremonial handing over of keys from Boeing to Cathay (Photo: Ramsey Qubein)

All airlines handle their delivery flights differently, and Cathay wanted to make this a special occasion given this was their fiftieth 777-300ER. Also parked nearby during the ceremony was a Lufthansa Boeing 747-800 aircraft and a Turkish Airlines Boeing 777-300ER. Both planes were making their own delivery flights that day, but with decidedly less fanfare.

It was especially interesting to learn that new aircraft are delivered to airline customers almost daily, sometimes two or three per day. That’s why Boeing built this special Boeing Delivery Center building with two jet bridges, numerous meeting and banquet spaces, and a Boeing collectibles shop. The space is often the location for celebratory events, and full catering facilities are in place.

Before boarding, a Boeing executive thanked Cathay Pacific for a strong partnership over the years and spoke briefly to the crowd waiting to board the plane. With the giant Boeing 777-300ER in the background, Boeing gave Cathay executives a ceremonial key. More like a car or house key, the symbolic gesture signals the official ownership by the airline.

Economy class on Cathay Pacific's new B777 (Photo: Ramsey Qubein)

Economy class on Cathay Pacific’s new B777 (Photo: Ramsey Qubein)

On the tarmac, all those that were traveling aboard the flight gathered around for a ribbon cutting ceremony. Most unique was that all received boarding passes with the city name “Boeing Paine Field” to Hong Kong.

With only about 50 passengers on board a plane designed for 330 people, the delivery flight was like having your own personal plane. Following a tarmac tour of the plane and plenty of photo opportunities, passengers went through a security check.

The Boeing Delivery Center is equipped with two short jet bridges making the experience similar to an airport, but far more festive.

Related: Sadly, 747s are flying away

Business class on a brand new Boeing 777-300ER- with that "new plane" smell (Photo: Ramsey Qubein(

Business class on a brand new Boeing 777-300ER- with that “new plane” smell (Photo: Ramsey Qubein(

All of us were seated in the herringbone-style business class cabin, which features enormous entertainment screens and flat-bed seating. The back of the plane was empty, almost eerie to see, but everyone was free to wander around the aircraft at any time.

Cathay has had strong success with its new premium economy cabin, and after testing it out, it is clear why. The recline is almost double that of the standard economy seat, and since it is situated in its own mini cabin behind business class, it seems quieter and more intimate.

Cathay's premium economy seats are located in a small, intimate section behind business class (Photo: Ramsey Qubein)

Cathay’s premium economy seats are located in a small, intimate section behind business class (Photo: Ramsey Qubein)

Other than the free reign that travelers had on board, everything else was standard procedure. The safety video played as the aircraft taxied to the runway with Boeing employees standing on either side of the taxiway to wave goodbye.

Cabin crew, specially selected to work this important flight, were as gracious and hospitable as can be. And that is not easy on a flight like this one where passengers spend hours wandering up and down the aisles, enjoying cocktails and wine while chatting with other passengers, and poking around all parts of the plane in exploration.

Many passengers donned Cathay’s pajamas distributed prior to take off, which was a special treat since they are typically reserved only for first class passengers.

Cocktail service from two tiered cart (Photo: Ramsey Qubein)

Cocktail service from two tiered cart (Photo: Ramsey Qubein)

Cathay began the first meal service with cocktails delivered from a two-tier cart and warm cashews. This is followed with an appetizer and salad tray. The main course is served from the same two-tier cart with all of the options on display. This is a really nice way to allow passengers to choose their meal since they can see what everything looks like before ordering. A cheese and fruit course follows with cordials and chocolates.

Business class meal on Cathay Pacific delivery flight (Photo: Ramsey Qubein)

Business class meal on Cathay Pacific delivery flight (Photo: Ramsey Qubein)

Throughout the flight, snacks were available from the menu, and two hours before landing another hot meal was served. Many passengers enjoyed themselves so much that the 13-hour flight passed too quickly– with only a few frequent naps and snacks in between.

Since this was a special experience, Cathay allowed us into the cockpit during flight to chat with the pilots and get a birds-eye view of the Pacific Ocean on this mostly daytime flight. Photos were not allowed, but on landing, passengers were permitted to snap photos of the crew bunks. They are located in the back of the plane up a steep climb of stairs. Having to duck down to pass through the narrow corridor, there are nearly a dozen bunks with curtains for privacy.

Cathay's crew rest area located over economy seats at the rear of the B777 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Cathay’s crew rest area located over economy seats at the rear of the B777 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Upon arrival in Hong Kong our shiny new 777 pulled up to a standard gate on arrival, and passengers deplaned like any commercial flight.

Cathay Pacific really impressed us with the detail they took to make this iconic delivery a special experience for everyone involved.

–Ramsey Qubein

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Star Wars invade DEN + United’s new 50,000 mile bonus + Secret stash of hidden hotel deals + Big new carrier for ATL+ Roomier widebodies on domestic flights! 


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Airline cat fight benefits Bay Area travelers

United's spiffy new Club at SEA-TAC (United)

United’s spiffy new Club at SEA-TAC (United)

Hello BATs! We’ve been on the road and in the skies over the last week, so we’ll spend this week catching up on Bay Area Traveler news! Here goes:

DELTA-UNITED CATFIGHT BENEFITS BAY AREA. TravelSkills Readers (BATs!)  are benefitting big time from the Delta vs United cat fight over West Coast airports in the Bay Area, Seattle and Los Angeles.

As we’ve reported, Delta has bulked up on flights between San Francisco/San Jose and Los Angeles. Delta says it will add six new Embraer 175 nonstops between SFO and its rapidly expanding Seattle hub starting next March.

In a move that reminds me of how airlines behaved in the 1990s, United reacted by announcing new flights into Delta hubs like Atlanta, Seattle and Minneapolis.

Seen Atlanta's giant new Ferris Wheel located in downtown's Centennial Park? (Photo: AJC.com)

Seen Atlanta’s giant new Ferris Wheel located in downtown’s Centennial Park? Click to enlarge (Photo: AJC.com)

Starting April 1, United says it will use 737-800s to revive its nonstop service on SFO-ATL, a market already well served well by Delta, Southwest and AirTran.

United also said that it would remove those dreadful CRJ’s on SFO-SEA and convert the route to all-mainline flights —with a whopping 11 flights per day in each direction, which will increase its seat capacity on the route by 50% by next April. United also sports a very nice new 6,100 square-foot United Club at SEA-TAC Concourse A. Have you visited yet?

Alaska Air also competes in this market, and is not sitting idly by… it will add three more nonstops on the route, too, for a total of 11 daily.

With Delta, United, Virgin America and Alaska competing on this route, fares are already low, and should remain low for a while. According to the Centre for Aviation, Alaska currently has a 40% share between Seattle and San Francisco, followed by United at 37% and Virgin America at 23%.

UNITED’S CONVENIENT SFO-ATL SKEDS. United’s new San Francisco-Atlanta flights using Boeing 737-800s are timed to please business travelers.  Starting April 1, they will depart SFO at 8:30 am and 4 pm and arriving at 4:07 pm and 11:37 pm. Returns from ATL depart at 7 am and 4:55 pm and arrive at 9:16 am and 7:11 pm.

DOUBLE MILES. In the latest tit-for-tat, Delta announced this week that it would offer double SkyMiles from now through October 2014 (a full year!) on its SFO-Seattle flights. (You must register and book by Dec 31 2013) While United has not yet matched this offer… stay tuned… I would not be surprised if it does as this catfight continues….

NEW SKY CLUB? We’ve also hear rumors from Delta insiders (currently unconfirmed) that a new Sky Club is in the works at Delta’s Terminal 1, Boarding Area C…The current Sky Club is inconveniently located outside the security screening area. The new club will reportedly replace a luggage store near gate C41.   

 

—Chris McGinnis

>8 things to like about Delta’s new California Shuttle

>Clock is ticking on latest Fall/Winter nationwide fare sale

>United’s newer, thinner seat

>Delta dumps SFO-Tokyo flight

>Slideshow of the swish new Star Alliance lounge at LAX


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Delta staking big claim in Bay Area

Over the last year, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has made some major moves into the Bay Area providing frequent travelers with new options. For example, today Delta announced that it would add seven new daily round trips between San Francisco International and Seattle starting in March 2014.

But it remains to be seen if Delta can tear TravelSkills Readers-BATS away from our allegiance to our United MileagePlus or Virgin Elevate accounts.  Would you switch over to Delta?

Onboard a recent Delta Embraer 175 flight SFO-LAX (Chris McGinnis)

Onboard a recent Delta Embraer 175 flight SFO-LAX (Chris McGinnis)

Delta’s new  SFO-SEA flights will be operated by Delta Connection partner Compass Air using the popular (and surprisingly roomy) Embraer 175 aircraft, with first, Economy Comfort (premium economy) and standard economy seats. These are the same aircraft Delta is using on its new hourly  California Shuttle flights between SFO and LAX (a whopping 15 times per day).

All Embraer flights offer Gogo wi-fi, snacks and full beverage service. And yes, your rollaboard bag can fit in the overhead bin.

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All flights arrive and depart out of Delta’s relatively quiet boarding area C at SFO’s Terminal 1, which now has its own PreCheck line. There’s also a Delta Sky Club (regrettably outside security, but that’s less of an issue now with the new PreCheck line).

Even though you don’t hear much about Delta in the Bay Area, its significance is growing when you consider the volume of its flights on Delta and its code share partners.

For example, Delta flies nonstop from SFO to Tokyo (UPDATE: Only through March 30 2014). Using its new codeshare partner Virgin Atlantic, you can now fly Delta to London. Using code share partner Korean Air, you can fly Delta to Seoul and beyond. Fly Delta to Mexico City on its partner Aeromexico. Code share partners KLM and Air France offer nonstops to Amsterdam and Paris and beyond. Fly Delta using China Eastern to Shanghai.

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On the domestic front, Delta flies nonstop from SFO to: Honolulu, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Detroit, New York JFK, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Seattle (starting in March) and its main hub, Atlanta. 

From Oakland, Delta flies nonstop to LAX and Salt Lake City, and to Hawaii on codeshare partner Alaska Airlines.

From San Jose, it offers nonstops to Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles (5x per day) and Atlanta. Via its codeshare partner Alaska, it offers flights to Hawaii and Portland.

With all this new service, Delta’s clearly trying to gain a foothold in the booming Bay Area, poaching business travelers from United and Virgin America. One big downside is Delta’s SkyMiles program, generally considered one of the stingiest out there, which makes the thought of giving up Mileage Plus or Elevate points that much tougher.

Do you fly Delta much? Would you be willing to fly it more? Please leave your comments about Delta below.

–Chris McGinnis

***

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Delta/Virgin done + pricey summer travel + PreCheck @ SFO + mess at United

Virgin Atlantic's route map

New places to go! Virgin Atlantic’s route map

DELTA AND VIRGIN ATLANTIC INK DEAL. Delta’s recent acquisition of 49% of Virgin Atlantic Airways is now complete, paving the way for the roll out of new benefits for travelers. Immediately, Delta Platinum, and Diamond Medallion members plus business class flyers gain access to Virgin Clubhouses (oases of luxury with restaurant menus, luxury bars, beauty salons, and spas all with Virgin’s compliments). Unfortunately, those of you flying from London-Heathrow to Atlanta (or New York) on Delta will still be using Heathrow’s nice but more prosaic SkyTeam lounge since Virgin flights do not depart from terminal four where Delta flights leave. However, if you are a Delta Platinum and Diamond Medallion member flying back to the states on Virgin, you’ll have access to its super-posh Clubhouse in Heathrow’s Terminal 3. Now there’s a reason to arrive early at the airport! Have you flown Virgin before? What did you think? Please leave your comments below. 

Virgin's super posh, recently renovated Clubhouse at JFK. Seen it yet? (Virgin Atlantic)

Virgin’s super posh, recently renovated Clubhouse at JFK. Seen it yet? (Virgin Atlantic)

DELTA-VIRGIN DEAL BOOSTS NYC-LONDON FREQUENCIES. There are no current plans for Virgin Atlantic to fly to Atlanta, according to a Delta spokesperson. But the key  development of this new partnership is that Delta and Virgin will now offer 9-10 flights daily (depending on the seasonal schedule) on New York – London, one of the world’s busiest and most lucrative routes. In addition to reciprocal lounge access, Delta flyers will earn mileage on Virgin flights and have access to priority check-in and boarding plus increased baggage allowance. Would you fly to London via New York (JFK or EWR), Boston or Washington DC instead of nonstop on Delta from ATL to fly on Virgin Atlantic or to sample its clubhouses? Please leave your comments below.

DELTA FINED FOR IMPROPER BUMPS. This just in from New York Times:  The government has fined Delta $750,000 for bumping some passengers involuntarily, without offering compensation or seeking volunteers first. Airlines sometimes sell too many tickets for a flight, and have to move, or “bump,” them to a later flight. If travelers do not volunteer, the airline has to compensate them. The Transportation Department said Wednesday that in March 2012 it visited the Atlanta headquarters of Delta and reviewed 310 complaints about how it handled overbookings from November 2010 to January 2012. The agency said it found numerous cases where Delta had failed to tell overbooked passengers about their rights to receive payments, failed to provide written notice, or failed to seek volunteers before bumping passengers involuntarily. Full story here. 

PRICEY SUMMER. This is expected to be the busiest summer travel season since before the recession of 2008. The peak of the peak summer travel season, which runs from roughly June 21 through August 10 this year, is now upon us. Airlines say that the busiest days of this summer will be Thursdays and Fridays, so avoid those if you can. Since this is THE most expensive, most crowded time of year to travel, try to postpone trips until late August if you can, and you may get through this summer with your wallet and sanity intact. (Check out my in-person travel tips in the above video, which is part of a summer travel project I’ve been working on with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.)

United flight attendants improvisation when toilet paper ran low. (Credit: Unknown)

United flight attendants improvised when toilet paper ran low on an London-SFO flight (Credit: Unknown)

UNUSUAL TP ON UNITED? By now you’ve likely heard about United flight 931 from London to San Francisco that somehow took off… without enough toilet paper. United uses a 747-400 on the 10-hour daylight flight from Heathrow, which has nine lavatories. Over the last week, the story has gone viral. A quick Google news search using “United Toilet Paper” shows at least 28 stories have run so far.While the story was originally posted on FlyerTalk, here’s our favorite take on it, from the Daily Beast: “Is it us, or does flying keep getting crappier? Every airline seems to be cutting back on something, but United took it to a whole new level by taking off for a ten-hour flight without [enough] toilet paper on board. Some quick thinking flight attendants stocked the bathrooms with cocktail napkins, but the effort didn’t sit well with passengers. In a statement, United said, ‘We apologize to our customers on this flight for the inconvenience and would like the opportunity to welcome them back.’” Another good headline from USA Today: “United is wiping up after a customer service mess.” CNN confirmed that the lavatories lacking TP were in the coach section, not in business or first class. Thoughts please! Leave them below in the comments section.

Precheck logo TMPRE CHECK ARRIVES AT SAN FRANCISCO. Delta flyers soon will have access to the speedy PreCheck lane when traveling on from SFO’s Terminal 1 Boarding Area c used by Delta. The lanes are expected to open in mid-July.

NEW SEATTLE-SHANGHAI SERVICE. Delta continues to bolster its Seattle-Tacoma gateway with international flights and has added nonstop Seattle-Shanghai service using a Boeing 767 aircraft fully equipped with lie-flat beds in BusinessElite and a retrofitted Economy Comfort cabin. Delta’s commitment to growing Seattle is also evidenced by Alaska Airlines’ recent announcement that it will drop all other international codeshare agreements (including Qantas and Emirates) to focus on its partnership with Delta. In the SEA-TAC gate areas, Delta has also added popular charging stations for those needing a power boost. We are hearing rumors about a potential new Delta nonstop between Seattle and London-Heathrow. Stay tuned!

MEMPHIS HUB OFFICIALLY AXED. Delta has finally announced the closure of its hub operation in Memphis, meaning more than a dozen cities lose nonstop flights to the one-time Northwest Airlines hub. Most of these flights used gas-guzzling CRJ-200 50-seat regional jets that Delta is phasing out anyway. This will funnel more traffic through the Atlanta hub, but Memphis will still maintain flights to major cities including Los Angeles, Boston, Washington DC.

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CINCINNATI SAFE, ACCORDING TO DELTA CEO. Richard Anderson publicly announced that Delta’s Cincinnati hub will continue to operate despite speculation that Delta might dump it, too based on the raft of recent cuts there.  For now, Delta still maintains a significant presence including nonstop service to Paris Charles de Gaulle. Anderson was even quoted as saying, “the hub is doing quite well…we feel really good about where are service levels are there.” What do you think… will CVG survive? Please leave your comments below.

Delta CEO Ricard Anderson (Delta Air Lines)

Delta CEO Ricard Anderson (Delta Air Lines)

DELTA CEO HAILED AS A HERO. Richard Anderson grabbed the spotlight in a positive way after quietly giving up his seat to a distressed traveler on her way to pick up her daughter from a diabetes camp. She has had experienced a trail of delayed and canceled flights throughout the day. In a classy move, neither Delta nor Anderson flaunted the act of kindness until the traveler publicly commented about the incident via a thank you letter on Facebook that went viral. Apparently,  Anderson even helped her lift her bag into the overhead, then sat upfront in the jumpseat with pilots for the flight.

UNITED FOLLOWS DELTA IN REVENUE REQUIREMENT FOR ELITES. Delta’s move to establish revenue requirements for flyers looking to maintain elite status  caught the eye of United, which followed suit this month with an even more harsh plan. United’s revenue requirements include similar spending levels and a credit card-spending pathway to avoid the revenue thresholds. However, United’s top-level, Premier 1K, (equivalent to Delta’s Diamond) does not qualify for an exemption no matter how much you spend on a co-branded United credit card. Flyers must spend $10,000 if they wish to maintain that top level of elite benefits. Like Delta, the changes go into effect in 2014 for 2015 elite qualification. Now the big question is whether or not American will join the club. What do you think?

ATL TO GET TOUCH-SCREEN GUIDES. A $2.1 million project to replace existing signage in Atlanta’s terminals with interactive screens is set to begin, pending a final approval from the city. These new signs will be easier to use and allow passengers to look up information about the entire airport such as the location of certain shops or restaurants. The old-school, static signs now are location-specific.

ANOTHER ATL NONSTOP TO SAO PAULO COMING. Delta has received preliminary approval for a second-daily nonstop between ATL and Sao Paulo. If approved, it will feature all lie-flat seating in business, plus several rows of Economy Comfort seats (which are now fitted on all mainline aircraft).

Delta's new Sky Deck at ATL. (Photo: Brad Bell)

Delta’s new Sky Deck at ATL. (Photo: Brad Bell)

SKY DECK OPEN AT ATLANTA TERMINAL F. The long-awaited Sky Deck at the Sky Club has opened allowing al fresco seating for club guests as they await their flights. See photos of JFK deck here. Views of the tarmac and aircraft below are captivating, and they are similar to those found at the newly opened Sky Deck at JFK terminal four. Outdoor seating was designed by Thom Felicia in partnership with Architectural Digest magazine. Have you tried it yet? Or are you waiting for the summer humidity to die down?

The apple-sized Beacon Phoenix wireless speaker in my NYC hotel room (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The apple-sized Beacon Phoenix wireless speaker in my NYC hotel room (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

PORTABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS. Last month Beacon Audio sent me one of their new, fist-sized, Phoenix Bluetooth speakers ($49-$99 depending on where you buy it) for a test drive. I’m no audiophile, but this tough, rubberized, rechargeable and travel-friendly speaker packs a wallop of sound that’s great for jamming on iTunes in the hotel shower—it also adds a deeper dimension to watching videos on my iPad. I plan on bringing it to the beach later this summer. Do you pack a portable speaker for your listening pleasure when on the road? What’s your speaker of choice? Why? Please leave your comments below.

—Chris McGinnis & Ramsey Qubein

*****

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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.

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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.

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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