Travel Industry News |
United
Airlines Announces Preferred Hotels?& Resorts Worldwide Joins Ameniti
July 13 - Ameniti, a new, exclusive luxury travel club whose partners include
United, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Cunard Line, Condé Nast
Traveler and IMG, today announced that Preferred Hotels® & Resorts Worldwide
has joined the Ameniti club.
United
Supplements Its Focus on Travel Agencies with Discover the World Marketing
July 14 - United has engaged Discover the World Marketing to help supplement
its sales efforts to travel agencies in the United States. Discover the World
Marketing, headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., will help strengthen United's
commitment to, and ongoing focus on, the travel agency community.
United
Airlines Launches Full-Service Cruise Website
July 15 - United launched its new cruise website, united.com/cruises, where
visitors can purchase cruise packages from more than 20 different cruise operators,
and earn and redeem United Mileage Plus miles for cruises. United is the only
major airline to offer its frequent fliers the opportunity to both earn and
redeem miles for cruises.
US Airways
Added 4 More Washington GoFare Cities
July 14 -- US Airways added four new GoFares® markets for Washington, D.C.-area
customers, offering simplified fares as low as $89* each way, available immediately,
to and from Albany, Buffalo and Rochester, N.Y., and Charleston, S.C.
Continental
Airlines Offers Free Wireless Internet Access in All Presidents Clubs in the
U.S.
July 12 -- Continental Airlines is offering free wireless Internet access in
all of its Presidents Clubs in the United States, except at Chicago where it
shares a club with Northwest Airlines. The company expects to expand the service
to its international clubs by the end of 2004.
Delta
Air Lines Offers Customers New Flight Between Atlanta and Reno; Second Daily
Flight and Low Sale Fare Between Atlanta and Honolulu
July 19 -- Delta begins new service between Atlanta and Reno, Nevada, and a
second daily flight between Atlanta and Honolulu, Hawaii, on Dec. 1, 2004.
Southwest
Asserts Hegemony: Low-Fare Carriers Lead, Majors Match Systemwide Fare Sales
July 19 -- Southwest Airlines this month began a systemwide fare sale, reinforcing
its position as the industry's pricing leader and prompting financially troubled
competitors to reduce already depressed airfares. Other low-fare carriers, including
AirTran, ATA, Frontier and JetBlue, also launched widespread fare sales for
post-Labor Day travel, which analysts said are aimed at filling excess capacity
but do not differ much from previous years.
Cos.
Find Hotels Increasingly Taxing
July 19 -- Nightly hotel taxes in the United States last year generally increased
by less than three percentage points, though the number of cities where the
total tax approached 15 percent to 17 percent reached a new high. According
to one taxation expert, this is the tipping point at which the hospitality industry,
as well as business travelers and the companies picking up their tabs, start
to object to the heavy tax bite.
San
Diego International Airport Is TSA Test Bed For Explosives Trace Detection Portals
July 14 -- The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) today announced
it will begin an operational test and evaluation of an explosives trace detection
portal at a passenger security checkpoint at San Diego International Airport,
Lindbergh Field.
Possible New Tax on New York City Airport Car
Rentals
A New York State Assembly bill that proposes a five percent tax on airport car
rentals in New York City to help finance expansion of the Javits Convention
Center has the backing of Governor George Pataki. The proposed $1.4 billion
Javits Convention Center renovation is part of a larger redevelopment plan for
the West Side of Manhattan.
Statue
of Liberty to reopen Aug. 3
The Statue of Liberty, including the observation deck, will reopen to visitors
Aug. 3.
BA could
see more strikes as contract talks break down
July 19 -- British Airways could face a repeat of last summer's strike action
by its ground staff after pay talks between management and baggage handlers
and check-in staff broke down Friday.
American
to furlough 123 more pilots; tests inflight cellphone
July 19 -- American Airlines will furlough 123 more pilots Oct. 1 in a final
round of cutbacks related to the restructuring agreement reached in April 2003.
LCCs capturing significant US business travel
share (Source ATW)
July 15 -- A survey of business travelers at US-based companies reveals that
23% of respondents use primarily low-cost carriers for business travel while
46% place quality of customer service above loyalty programs in terms of influencing
their purchase decision, a percentage seemingly at odds with continuing service
reductions by US legacy airlines.
Furthermore, 71% said their use of LCCs for business travel will remain the
same or increase over the next six months. The survey of 429 travelers, conducted
by Accenture, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3%. Twenty-one percent
of those surveyed said they had taken at least six flights in the past six months
and 34% had taken 3-5 flights.
Also, 41% of travelers experienced at least one maintenance-related delay or
cancellation within the past six months while 5% experienced 3-5 such incidents.
The survey also confirmed widespread use of the Internet for travel arrangements,
with 75% purchasing tickets online and 48% using Internet check-in.--PF
Boeing to offer enhancements for 777-300ER in
2005 (sources ATW)
Boeing will begin offering range and payload enhancements for 777-300ERs in
the 2005 fourth quarter. The enhancements will be offered on new aircraft and
for retrofit. With the improvements, maximum range will increase by 175 nm to
7,880 nm. Center-of-gravity limits also will rise, "providing greater cargo
loading capability when the aircraft operates at its highest gross weight."
Specifically, the enhancements include improved fuel efficiency from the GE90-115B
engines powering the aircraft, drag-reducing aerodynamic improvements such as
wing vortex generator changes and ram air system modifications, and interior
changes that reduce weight. Additionally, as part of the package airlines can
choose an "innovative option that stores food and beverage carts directly
above the passenger cabin rather than on the main deck," providing more
main-deck space for revenue-generating seats. Boeing said it is applying several
of the enhancements to the 777-200LR currently under development as well. The
first 777-200LR will be delivered during the 2006 first quarter.
Tajikistan Public Announcement