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SKYGUIDE E-ALERT 11/03/03
Welcome to SKYGUIDE E-ALERT for the week of November 3, the weekly e-mail of essential business travel news!
To subscribe to the e-Alert, click here.
Southwest Airlines will come to Philadelphia in 2004
Midway Airlines bites the dust
Mesaba/Northwest Airlink pilots vote in favor of a strike
United starts code-shares, frequent flyer tie-in with Air China
Delta enhances airport options for rebooking during cancellations
This week's deals and discounts for business travelers
AIRLINES
Southwest Airlines will come to Philadelphia in 2004
Struggling US Airways already had some problems. It is continuing efforts to cut costs after recently emerging from Chapter 11. A former chairman of America West recently announced plans to launch a new low-fare airline at US Airways' Pittsburgh hub. And now Southwest Airlines has announced plans to invade US Airways' Philadelphia hub in 2004.
Southwest has not yet revealed where it will be flying from PHL, but it did say it will begin service in May 2004, using four gates to operate an initial schedule of up to 14 flights a day "to a variety of short and long-haul destinations." Southwest said it will use five newly-delivered Boeing aircraft for the Philadelphia service.
Historically, Southwest has avoided operating into the primary hubs of major carriers, but the company obviously sees US Airways as vulnerable. Southwest Chairman Herb Kelleher told reporters last week that Philadelphia has been "overpriced and under-served."It will be the newest incursion into the northeast for Southwest, which now serves a number of points there including Baltimore/Washington; Providence; Islip, N.Y.; Hartford; and Albany.
Midway Airlines bites the dust
Midway Airlines, which had been trying to make a comeback in Chapter 11 as a feeder carrier for US Airways at Raleigh-Durham, has gone out of business. The company switched its bankruptcy status to Chapter 7 last week, which means its assets will be liquidated.Midway grounded its fleet of eight regional jets, and US Airways said its routes will be taken over by other US Airways Express affiliates effective Monday (November 3). Midway, which had been operating some 30 flights a day at RDU, went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2001.
Mesaba/Northwest Airlink pilots vote in favor of a strike
Pilots at Mesaba Airlines, a Northwest Airlink affiliate operating 800 flights a day at Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit and Memphis, have voted to authorize a strike. Mesaba's union, the Air Line Pilots Association, has petitioned the National Mediation Board for a release from mediation; if approved, that could start the clock on a 30-day cooling-off period after which pilots would be free to strike. Mesaba and its pilots have been in contract negotiations since June 2001. The pilots said their starting salary at Mesaba is less than $17,000 a year.
United starts code-shares, frequent flyer tie-in with Air China
United Airlines has started code-sharing with Air China. United's code now appears on Air China's services between Los Angeles-Beijing, New York JFK-Beijing and San Francisco-Beijing. Customers connecting between the two airlines will now receive a single boarding pass, and United Mileage Plus members can now earn and spend miles on the Chinese airline.
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As an enrollee in the Membership Rewards® program from American Express, you can earn earn a 15% mileage bonus when you transfer Membership Rewards® points to your Delta SkyMiles account between now and December 15, 2003.
Here's how it works:
Register your SkyMiles number at www.delta.com/amexbonus.
Then go to www.americanexpress.com/rewards, or cal 1-800-AXP-EARN (297-3276) to transfer points tomiles.
With the bonus miles you can earn, you could be closer to your next departure on Delta, Delta Connection®, Song™, Delta Shuttle or any SkyMiles airline partner.
See below for terms and conditions.*
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AIRPORTS
Delta enhances airport options for rebooking during cancellations
Delta Air Lines said it has made enhancements to its airport services that will make it easier for customers to check flight status and to get rebooked during irregular operations like major delays and cancellations. Customers who use self-check-in kiosks at airports will be notified of flight interruptions by the device, and will be able to select a new flight from a list of options. Enhanced Gate Readers will let customers scan their previous boarding document to get an updated itinerary that will serve as their new boarding document for the next flight. And by year's end, Delta said, it will expand its Delta Direct phone service to include 550 phones in airport lobbies and concourses that customers can use to rebook themselves by talking to a Delta agent. New self-scanners placed near the phones will update customers on their flight status.
AIR ROUTES
BOSTON (BOS). Starting November 4, AirTran Airways will add a third daily roundtrip between Boston and Philadelphia.
CHARLOTTE (CLT). On November 8, US Airways will begin Saturday-only non-stop service between Charlotte and San Jose, Costa Rica, with an A319.
CINCINNATI (CVG).Delta has started new daily non-stop service between Cincinnati and Honolulu, with a 767-400. Delta also announced it plans to begin Cincinnati-Rome and Cincinnati-Amsterdam service on May 1, 2004.
DALLAS/FT. WORTH (DFW). American Airlines on November 1 increased service at its DFW hub by 43 flights a day. In addition to new non-stop service to Providence and to Buenos Aires three days a week, American resumed seasonal service to Acapulco, added a third daily flight to London Gatwick, and increased frequencies to Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, Phoenix, St. Louis, Tulsa and Washington D.C.American Eagle boosted regional jet frequencies to Amarillo, Corpus Christi, Little Rock, Lubbock, Tulsa and Wichita.
DENVER (DEN). Frontier Airlines has started new service between its Denver hub and St. Louis, with three daily roundtrips. Frontier also has started once-a-week non-stop service on Saturdays between Denver and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. On November 22, it will add Wednesday and Sunday flights on that route as well.
FORT LAUDERDALE (FLL). AirTran Airways has added a Saturday non-stop roundtrip between Fort Lauderdale and Flint, Mich., using a 717.
NEW YORK KENNEDY (JFK). JetBlue Airways has added a third daily flight between JFK and Burlington, Vt.
PHILADELPHIA (PHL). US Airways begins Saturday-only non-stop service between Philadelphia and San Jose, Costa Rica effective November 8.
ST. LOUIS (STL). As reported earlier, November 1 was the effective date for American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection to cut back their operations at St. Louis by almost 50 percent.With the new schedule, the three carriers offer a combined total of 209 flights a day to 68 markets. American said that by February, all jet and regional jet service will operate from Concourse C, while AmericanConnection turboprops will operate from the B Concourse.
DEALS AND SPECIAL OFFERS FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS
This week's deals and discounts for business travelers
Loews Hotels(800-235-6397; www.loewshotels.com) is offering low promotional rates called Fall in Love now through December 28 (ask for promotion code PROLOV), and is sweetening the pot by also offering a free companion airline ticket to anyone who stays two nights at the special rates. The companion ticket is good for travel from 99 U.S. airports to any Loews Hotels destination city. Other rules apply. Sample nightly promotional rates: $155 in Beverly Hills, $129 in Denver, $135 in Washington D.C., $125 in Philadelphia.
Pan Pacific Hotels (800-327-8585; www.panpacific.com) has a special offer for American Express Cardmembers through December 31: Book a Pan Pacific Business (or Leisure) stay for two nights, pay with the Card, and get a third night free. Pan Pacific has hotels throughout the Pacific Rim. Business rates include breakfast, late check-out, free local calls, use of the fitness center, free in-room high-speed Internet access, use of the business center for two hours a day, and free clothes pressing.
Southwest Airlines has set a December 31 deadline for its offer of double Rapid Rewards credit for flights booked online (www.southwest.com). After January 1, 2004, Southwest said, customers will get one bonus credit for each roundtrip booked on the web site, or a half-credit bonus for a one-way segment.
For links to other websites where you can search for bargains, click here: www.skyguideonline.com/reference/deals.html
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*Registration between 11/1/03 and 12/15/03 is required for this promotion at www.delta.com/amexbonus.Please allow 3-5 business days for Membership Rewards points to be transferred into your Delta SkyMiles account.A 15% mileage bonus will be applied to the number of points transferred into your SkyMiles account as a result of all Membership Rewards transfers from 11/1/03 to 12/15/03.You will receive bonus miles approximately 6-8 weeks from expiration date of offer.All standard Delta SkyMiles program rules and conditions apply.Offer is available to Membership Rewards enrollees and SkyMiles members living within the 50 United States.
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By Jim Glab
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