EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT 04/03/06 Welcome to EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT for the week of April 3, the weekly e-mail of essential business travel news! To sign up for the e-Alert, click here. Northwest sets plans for regional unit as labor woes continue Fares keep going up, up, up Venezuela puts off ban on U.S. airlines for at least a month Delta improves passenger facilities at Atlanta Boingo adds five U.S. airports to roaming network International news briefs: New Virgin Clubhouse at Heathrow THIS WEEK'S QUESTION FOR READERS: Do you ever use a wireless device (other than voice calls on a cell phone) in connection with air travel? If so, what function do you use most often - checking schedules? Checking in for flights? Finding destination information? Getting schedule change alerts? Send your reply to skyguide@aexp.com. Last week's question, about whether cell phone calls should be allowed in-flight, brought a barrage of almost entirely negative responses - with exclamation points, e.g. "Hell no!" "definitely not!" "absolutely not!" "Won't people have to speak loudly to be heard over the engine noise?" asked Steve McKenzie. David Mack suggests that his support team can handle anything that might come up while he's on a plane, so cell calls aren't needed - except for "some blowhard trying to impress his fellow passengers" with "how important he thinks he is." "I can see fights breaking out!" worries one unnamed reader. "If your time is so precious that you cannot be out of touch for a two to four-hour flight, then you should charter your own aircraft," says Steve Terry. Others suggest that cell phones be allowed for emergency use only, or that airlines create designated seating areas for cell callers. AIRLINES Northwest sets plans for regional unit as labor woes continue Northwest Airlines said in a Transportation Department filing last week that it hopes to start operations of its newly created regional subsidiary as soon as June. The company still needs government approval for the carrier; it acquired the operating certificate of defunct FLYi Inc., parent of Independence Air, to speed up the process. Northwest said the new unit will be called Compass Airlines; its CEO will be Northwest's current CFO, Neal Cohen, but several other executives will be from Independence Air. Northwest hopes to begin Compass service in June, with a 50-seat regional jet flying between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Washington Dulles. In April, Northwest said, it will decide whether to acquire either the CRJ-900 from Bombardier or Embraer's WMB-175 for the Compass fleet. The plan calls for Compass to fly mostly 76-seat aircraft, building up a fleet of 36 planes over five years and feeding traffic to Northwest's hubs at MSP, Detroit and Memphis. Meanwhile, Northwest continues to hope for the best in ongoing efforts to cut its labor costs. Pilots will vote over the next month on a tentative agreement that union leaders worked out with management, but observers said it is uncertain if the rank and file pilots will go along. And a May 15 court date is scheduled for Northwest's request to void its union contract with 5,600 ramp workers and baggage handlers represented by the International Association of Machinists. That union has voted to strike if its contract is unilaterally dumped, and there are no new contract talks currently under way. Fares keep going up, up, up On the heels of a fare increase led by Southwest Airlines two weeks ago, another one is in the works this week courtesy of United Airlines. Meanwhile, policy changes by Delta and American are also pushing passenger prices higher. United's fare hikes range from $2-$4 each way in markets where it competes with low-cost carriers, to $5 one-way on other leisure fares. But the biggest boost came on walk-up, same-day business fares, which United increased by $50 one-way. Delta matched United's fare hikes, thereby tossing out the $599 one-way fare cap that it had adopted under its "SimpliFares" plan. At the same time, both Delta and American last week decided that they will separate out airport passenger facility fees from their fares instead of including them, thus tacking on an extra $3 to $4.50 per segment in markets where the fees apply. The sustainability of both the United-led fare increase and the policy change on passenger facility charges will depend, of course, on whether other airlines go along. That should become evident this week. ADVERTISEMENT Travel Medical Protection - exclusively for American Express® Cardmembers. Most U.S. health insurance plans don't cover travel medical expenses like being evacuated whether traveling in the U.S. or a country thousands of miles away due to a medical emergency. Travel Medical Protection*, provides emergency medical benefits while on a Covered Trip, for eligible expenses, including an emergency evacuation. Call 1-800-297-2900 and mention offer code RPJ to learn more. Enroll today, and your coverage will travel with you. FAA/SAFETY/SECURITY Venezuela puts off ban on U.S. airlines for at least a month Travelers to Venezuela can breathe easier - for a few weeks, at least. The Venezuelan government has put off from March 30 until April 25 its proposed ban on flights by Delta and Continental into the country, and its sharp curtailment of schedules by American Airlines. And by late April, the threat may be rescinded based on the outcome of a new audit of the safety of Venezuelan carriers by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA has had inspectors in Caracas since last week to review Venezuelan airlines. If the FAA decides to rescind the restrictions it has imposed on Venezuelan carriers' flights to the U.S. since 1995, the Venezuelan government is expected to allow U.S. airlines to continue operating there with no interruption in current service levels. AIRPORTS Delta improves passenger facilities at Atlanta At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Delta said it is making significant improvements for passengers. By early April, the airline said, it will open a new Crown Room Club on Concourse C, its seventh Crown Room at ATL. It will also expand the number of self-service kiosks for passengers to a total of 80, including 24 that will be capable of handling check-ins for international flights; deploy a "newly-designed queuing system for First Class, Medallion and BusinessElite passengers;" and open 14 new lower-level, full-service check-in positions close to customer drop-off points. By summer 2007, the work will include a renovated lobby with 50 percent more space; redesigned gate-area seating and new carpeting in Concourses A, B and T. Boingo adds five U.S. airports to roaming network Boingo Wireless (www.boingo.com) said it has added six major U.S. airports to its roaming network through its partner WiFi service providers. Through its partnership with Concourse Communications, Boingo now offers airport-wide service at Chicago O'Hare and Chicago Midway; and through the AT&T Wi-Fi Network, it now offers coverage at Philadelphia International, Raleigh-Durham and Indianapolis International. Meanwhile, Boingo also has expanded its international coverage to include Montreal-Trudeau Airport as well as Thailand's Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai airports and Jakarta, Indonesia's Soekarno-Hatta Airport. INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS New Virgin Clubhouse at Heathrow • Virgin Atlantic has opened a newly renovated Clubhouse for Upper Class passengers at London Heathrow. Passengers can get a haircut or a spa treatment, play pool, use the club's spa pool or sauna, eat a meal at the Brasserie, or watch a movie. Meanwhile, Virgin has also launched its first Middle Eastern route, operating four times a week between Heathrow and Dubai, increasing to daily by June 1, with an Airbus A340. • British Airways said that effective April 25, passengers on all its domestic flights within the U.K. will have to check in online at www.ba.com or with airport kiosks. Staff will be on hand to help with luggage check-in. • Korean Air now offers live TV for passengers' laptops on its flights from New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington Dulles. Channels available on the upgraded Connexion by Boeing service include BBC, EuroNews, Eurosport News and CNBC/MSNBC. AIR ROUTES ATLANTA (ATL). On April 3, Delta will begin new 767-300 service between Atlanta and Dusseldorf, with one daily roundtrip. April 5 is the launch date for new Delta 737-800 non-stops between Atlanta and Acapulco, operating Wednesdays and Saturdays. BOSTON (BOS). Delta Connection/Comair will expand at Boston on April 3, starting one daily roundtrip between Boston and Nashville, and one between Boston and Savannah. Ga. Meanwhile, JetBlue Airways continues its ongoing expansion at Boston on April 6 when it begins twice-daily service between Boston and Richmond, Va. American Airlines on April 3 adds seasonal daily service between Boston and Manchester, U.K. CHICAGO O'HARE (ORD). From April 3 through October 27, American Airlines resumes seasonal daily flights between O'Hare and Rome Fiumicino. Also on April 3, American Eagle begins service between O'Hare and Omaha with five daily roundtrips; and between O'Hare and Providence with three. DALLAS/FT. WORTH (DFW). American Eagle set an April 3 start-up date for new twice-daily roundtrips between DFW and Charleston, S.C., using 50-seat regional jets. On the same date, Eagle will begin three daily turboprop flights between DFW and Louisiana's Lafayette Regional Airport. LOS ANGELES (LAX). American Eagle begins new service April 3 between LAX and Las Vegas. MIAMI (MIA). El Al has started twice-weekly (Tuesday and Thursday) non-stops between Miami and Tel Aviv. On April 4, American Eagle begins three daily flights between Miami and Charlotte. NEW ORLEANS (MSY). On April 3, a mainline American Airlines MD-80 will replace one of the two daily AmericanConnection flights operating between St. Louis and New Orleans. On the same date, American will add three daily flights between New Orleans and Dallas/Ft. Worth, one to Chicago O'Hare and one to Miami, bringing American's New Orleans schedule up to 15 jet flights per day, vs. 15 before Hurricane Katrina. NEW YORK KENNEDY (JFK). American Airlines on April 3 will kick off seasonal daily service between JFK and Rome Fiumicino, continuing through October 27. Delta will begin weekly (Saturday) non-stops between JFK and Los Cabos, Mexico on April 8. NEW YORK LAGUARDIA (LGA). American Eagle will use 37- and 44-seat regional jets for its new service between LaGuardia and Pittsburgh, starting April 3, with four daily roundtrips on weekdays, three on weekends. April 3 is also the start-up date for Delta's new service between LaGuardia's Marine Air Terminal - where its Delta Shuttle flights operate - and Chicago O'Hare. The five daily roundtrips will be operated by Delta Connection partner Shuttle America with 70-seat regional jets. SEATTLE (SEA). Korean Air has added a Monday departure from Seattle to Seoul, supplementing its existing Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday schedule. For July and August, it will also add a Sunday flight on the route. WASHINGTON DULLES (IAD). April 3 is the launch date for MAXjet's new service between Washington Dulles and London Stansted. It's the second route for the carrier, which operates 102-seat, all-business-class 767s. MAXjet will fly five times a week on the route(Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday). WESTCHESTER COUNTY (N.Y.) AIRPORT (HPN). On April 4, AirTran Airways adds New York's Westchester County Airport in White Plains to its network, beginning two-class 717 service to Atlanta twice a day (with a third frequency starting May 9), to Orlando once a day and to West Palm Beach once a day. DEALS AND SPECIALS FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS Eos, the new all-premium-class airline between New York JFK and London Stansted, is seeking to lure business from its larger competitors with a special offer: A roundtrip fare of $3,500 for travel through May 26 to anyone who has flown at least two roundtrips in the past six months on British Airways' Club World or First Class, or Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class. For details, visit www.eosairlines.com. From now through June 30, Delta SkyMiles members can earn triple miles - 150 miles per day - when they rent a compact or larger car from Dollar Rent A Car; use promotion code DL12 to book (www.dollar.com). And from now through May 31, they can earn 250 bonus miles per rental, in addition to the usual 50 miles a day, when they rent from Dollar's sister company, Thrifty Car Rental. Use PC Code TH25 (www.thrifty.com). Got business in Australia? If you book by April 13 (for travel through June 30), you can take advantage of a special sale price of $999 on Qantas' Aussie Airpass (800-227-4691; www.Qantas.com/us). It's good for roundtrip travel to Australia from LAX or San Francisco, and for flights within Australia to three more cities. You can pick from a list of 20. Add-on fares are available from other U.S. cities via Qantas' partner American Airlines. United Airlines (www.united.com) set an April 11 purchase deadline for special sale fares from the U.S. to Asia and Australia, for travel through May 18. Sample roundtrip fares: $620 from Atlanta to Osaka or Tokyo; $730 from Chicago to Beijing; $750 from Denver to Bangkok; $680 from Seattle to Hong Kong. For links to other websites where you can search for bargains, click here: www.executivetravelonline.com/reference/deals.html For in-depth analysis, news, features and opinions about the current business travel scene, check out Joe Sent Me (www.joesentme.com), produced by veteran traveler advocate/journalist Joe Brancatelli and a team of contributors. ADVERTISEMENT * Specific coverage requirements apply. Please see the Plan documents for complete details. Travel Medical Protection is underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company, Administrative Office, De Pere, WI. Coverage is subject to the terms, conditions, and exclusions of Master Policy AX0916, AX9050, TMP-IND, or Master Policy AX0124, depending on state of Permanent Residence and is subject to change with notice. This document does not supplement or replace the policy. Premiums vary based on level of coverage selected. Premium will be billed to your American Express Card account until your enrollment is terminated. By Jim Glab Have a question or comment? Send it to skyguide@aexp.com. To sign up for the e-Alert, click here.