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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Silver Airways routes from ATL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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