Southwest Airlines route map showing new nonstops from ATL

Stay tuned to The TICKET for AirTran/Southwest news (and our commentary and advice) as Southwest enters the Atlanta market over the next few months. Here’s what we’ve got now…stay tuned for more…

HERE COME THE RED BELLIES! This time next month, travelers at ATL will notice a new bird buzzing around the airport— Southwest’s Canyon Blue (upper fuselage) red (undercarriage—the “belly”– and tail) and orange (tail) Boeing 737’s. Empty planes will be ferried in from Dallas on Saturday, February 11, and the first scheduled Southwest flight will depart ATL on Sunday morning, February 12 at 6 a.m. destined for Baltimore. Later that day, flights will depart for Chicago MDW, Denver, Houston Hobby and Austin. On March 10 Southwest will add nonstops flights to Las Vegas and Phoenix. On June 10, it will add one daily nonstop between ATL and LAX in addition to AirTran’s three daily flights. Southwest flights will, at least for now, arrive and depart from Concourse C at ATL.

AIRTRAN DOWNSIZING. As Southwest moves in and re-arranges things to its liking, ATL will be losing some nonstops to smaller cities currently served by AirTran. Starting August 12, AirTran will stop flying to Allentown, Lexington, Harrisburg, Sarasota, Huntsville, and White Plains. Southwest will not deploy its aircraft on these routes leaving the nonstop market to Delta (only) so you can expect to see higher fares and more restrictions on those tickets. (See below…)

KEEP AN EYE ON SEATTLE. On August 12, those loooong flights between ATL and Seattle will changeover from AirTran to Southwest aircraft… meaning no more business class, and no more guaranteed Gogo wi-fi. (Southwest offers wi-fi on only 150 out of 500 jets now…so there’s no guarantee you’ll get it on the ATL-SEA flights.) Keep an eye on Seattle fares… it’s going to be interesting to see how Delta and Alaska Air respond as the only two carriers with nonstops with premium class service between ATL and SEA—and will help us predict how Delta will respond when Southwest no longer offers AirTran business class between ATL and other long haul west coast routes like Los Angeles or San Francisco.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES ROUTE MAP. (See map above) If you are interested in watching how Southwest takes over AirTran’s hub at ATL…keep an eye on its route map. Right now, AirTran and Southwest offer two separate maps, and will continue to do so until they get a “single operating certificate” (SOC) from the FAA—expected this March. Southwest told The TICKET, “The Southwest route map shows what Southwest is currently selling; the AirTran route map shows the same for AirTran.  Until we obtain SOC from the FAA, the carriers continue to fly separately and have not published any schedules where the networks are connected. When Southwest launches ATL service on February 12, we’ll do so with the nonstops and published schedules we’ve already announced:  Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago Midway, Denver, Houston (Hobby), Las Vegas Los Angeles, Seattle and Phoenix.  The Southwest map references those nonstop options and additional, published connecting services. AirTran continues to offer its schedule and, as the integration progresses, it will have fewer flights and Southwest will have more – more routes, more Employees, more aircraft, etc.”

ATL-DFW: A TASTE OF THINGS TO COME? As most TICKET readers know by now, AirTran/Southwest was forced to abandon its nonstops between ATL and Dallas Ft Worth due to the Wright Amendment. We predicted that fares would increase on the nonstop route dominated by only Delta and American. Today we got this email from TICKET reader RP: “Wow, what is up with prices from ATL to DFW on Delta? Pricing out three and four weeks in advance and its $700 round trip. I’ve been traveling from ATL to DFW for 11 years and have never seen prices like this outside of the 14-day window and plenty of seats are unsold.  Just for fun, I priced out a ticket for next week and it’s not much more.”

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION TO JUMP INTO SOCIAL MEDIA?? Start with The TICKET! You’ll love our travel newsfeeds, blurbs and comments on TWITTER and FACEBOOK! Come on a follow, like or join us!

AIRPORTS TRIM THE FAT. Eating healthy on the run has always been a challenge that road warriors must face, but the nation’s airports are beginning to take notice. According to the latest report from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which assesses the fare on offer at restaurants in 15 major airports, Delta’s Detroit hub offers some of the healthiest food option in the country. Other airports that ranked high include Washington Dulles and San Francisco. Airports are ranked based on the percentage of their restaurants that have at least one healthy option on the menu including a low-fat, high-fiber, cholesterol-free vegetarian entrée. Charlotte scored as the most improved in the country. Other top choices included Minneapolis/St. Paul, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, and Miami. Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson and Washington Reagan National ranked at the bottom of the pack. (You know you’ve been sneaking in too much of that fried chicken and waffle fries at Popeye’s and Chick-fil-a.) Regarding Atlanta, the report offered this advice: “But travelers looking for healthful meals can find a few choices, including spicy tofu made with vegetarian broth at Asian Chao, burritos or tacos with black beans, pinto beans, or tofu crumbles and grilled veggies (hold the cheese) at Moe’s Southwest Grill, or Bistro Del Sol’s Mediterranean Trio: hummus, tabouli, and stuffed grape leaves.” Gosh, imagine what’s going to happen to the score when the Varsity arrives at ATL…What’s YOUR favorite food at ATL?? Leave your comments below.

DELTA SKY PRIORITY GOES GLOBAL. The Sky Priority branding familiar to Delta SkyMiles Gold, biz and first class passengers that provides expedited boarding, ticket counter assistance, and other preferred travel benefits in the US will now be adopted by the entire SkyTeam alliance. This means that eventually, the Sky Priority features will be available on all SkyTeam flights including the popular separate boarding lane allowing customers to bypass the line. It will take some time to implement this at all SkyTeam airports, but major hubs in the alliance network will see it first including Amsterdam, Nairobi, Shanghai, and Taipei. In 2013, the premium airport program will be rolled out at nearly 1,000 airports worldwide. SkyTeam is the first alliance to adopt such a program for its premium travelers.

DO BIZ TRAVELERS LUV SOUTHWEST? A Travel Leaders travel agent network survey found that many AirTran clients are seeking alternatives that offer a premium cabin now that Southwest has announced it will eliminate Air Tran’s business class offering. Southwest does offer two free checked bags and does not assess those awful $150 change fees, but many travelers have come to love their Delta upgrades and see them as the only solace left in today’s travel environment. Delta is bound to be the prime beneficiary of defectors, but other airlines may also take notice and offer competitive fares and frequent flyer promotions to lure away AirTran loyalists. What about you? Will you give Southwest a chance when it arrives on February 12? Please leave your comments below.

TECHNO-DELTA. PC World magazine named Delta the top tech-friendly airline in the US. Delta has been a leader in this category with amenities like recharging stations in the top 19 airport gate areas, a clever smart phone app, and more wi-fi equipped aircraft than any other carrier. A favorite of many passengers is the smart phone app’s baggage tracking feature and the ability to view upgrade lists in real time. The @DeltaAssist Twitter program also has earned instant respect from travelers who reach out for assistance during their travels and receive on-the-spot assistance. Do you agree? Please leave your comments below…

SKYMILES UP NORTH. Delta has signed a codeshare agreement with Canadian airline WestJet allowing travelers to earn SkyMiles, through check their bags, and book connecting itineraries with ease. In the partnership’s first phase, the Delta code will be placed on WestJet flights to 15 cities including flights between Toronto and Edmonton, Halifax, Kelowna, Ottawa, Regina, and Vancouver; between Calgary and Las Vegas, Vancouver, and Victoria; and between Vancouver and Honolulu, Kelowna, and Las Vegas. The WestJet code is being placed on flights to five Delta city pairs including between Detroit and Montreal, Quebec City, and Ottawa; and between Boston and Toronto.

AIRTRAN DUMPS XM. Atlanta is preparing for Southwest’s arrival, which will bring many positive changes for travelers like no baggage or change fees. However, one change will not be so exciting. Southwest has opted to remove XM satellite radio from Air Tran planes to standardize its entire fleet. The free amenity will be removed from planes progressively beginning immediately. What do you think? Did you use the XM service? Will you miss it? Leave your comments below.

NEW FLIGHTS TO HAITI. Delta will launch new Saturday-only flights from Atlanta to the Haitian capital Port Au Prince April 7. This new flight follows a two-decade hiatus for nonstop service from Atlanta. Delta also flies daily from JFK to Port Au Prince to serve the large Haitian community living there. After the massive earthquake in Haiti two years ago, Delta was among the first airlines to fly relief aid to the country.

(Photo: Jorge Quinteros / Flickr)

Did you get a shiny new iPhone or smart phone for Christmas? Are you worried that it might cost you a fortune if you dare to turn it on overseas? In this guest post, longtime TICKET reader Jim Braude offers some excellent tips for staying connected when overseas– whether you use an iPhone or an Android device. Braude divides his time between Atlanta and Paris managing a delightful collection of guest apartments in both cities that he rents to travelers.

Learn From My Mistakes!

The first time I came here [to France] with my iPhone I didn’t pay attention to details or warnings, resulting in an $1800.00 bill after just two weeks. Now I’ve learned the tricks and happy to share them with you. — Jim Braude, ourhomeinparis.com

1 – Use the wi-fi! Most hotels and all of our apartments have unlimited wi-fi use. Of course, it makes sense to do as much data transfer as possible using the wi-fi network, as it’s the 3G that nails you if you go over your limit (see next point). More coffee houses are adding wi-fi too as a free perk, but be careful if non secured.

2 – AT&T has three features that greatly reduce the bill:

>Global messaging – 200 international text messages for 30.00

>International roaming – data – 125MB for $49.99 – this is greatly reduced recently. If you use it with ONAVO (see below) it’s more than enough for a once-an-hour check of emails for a full month.

>International roaming – voice – $5.99.   Cheaper long distance to the US.   But I use SKYPE when on wi-fi instead, which is even cheaper.

3 – SKYPE – nothing beats Skype to Skype video calls, free and with the newer Macs you get really clear sound and picture.

4 – ONAVO is a free app for iPhone that compresses data and greatly reduces the amount of data transmission– it literally halves your incoming data bill.

5 – PHONE TAG – for $9.99/month.  I forward my incoming voice calls to my phonetag number, it then computer-generates a voice to email message, and sends me an email. This also makes it unnecessary to check voice mail which I prefer. It’s not perfect– occasionally the computer will make some odd choices in its translation from voice to text– but it includes an attachment of the actual voice message that you can listen to if needed as a back up.

6- CHANGE SETTINGS. Change how often your phone checks for email from every fifteen minutes to every hour during the day and change to MANUAL setting at night unless you have wi-fi setting and wi-fi remains on 24/7.

7- WHATSAPP - an almost free app (99 cents) for international texting, works great [across iPhone, Android and Nokia platforms].

8 – GET AN APARTMENT - when a homeowner gets cable service in France, it costs only 5 euros more per month for the owner to add unlimited free calling to the US or Canada from a fixed line.  Warning: some carriers do NOT allow free calls to mobile phones–only to fixed lines–  so confirm that first. And confirm whether the country you are calling is on the free list.  When you install cable (and wi-fi and phone) in your apartment, calls to the US and Canada are almost always free, from both both fixed line and mobile.

9 – PICKPOCKETS – the number one most stolen item in France is the iPhone. DO NOT leave it on a table top at a cafe. A young man covered mine with a newspaper as he asked me a question and took my iphone away in seconds, but I caught him in the act. Avoid using on the subway as you are alerting those around you that you are a prime target. Never leave your iphone in backpack or purse that is behind you rather in front of you.

Do you have any other money-saving or hassle-reducing tips on using your mobile phone overseas? If so, please leave your advice in the comments box below!

Construction updates from ATL regarding the new Maynard Jackson International Terminal F are fast and furious as opening day approaches in April or May (no hard date set yet). The latest “January Update” video (below) shows a nearly completed terminal— it looks like all they need to do is add the potted plants and passengers.

Won’t it be exciting to see a big A380 lumber up to the gate? Our bet is that Korean Air may be the first with the big bird…but who knows? Maybe Air France or Lufthansa will run one in here next summer.

Best part about the new Terminal F? Atlanta-bound passengers (ie TICKET readers!) will no longer have to re-check bags and pass through security in order to leave the airport (as they do when arriving at Terminal E). Also, the Terminal’s new parking deck will include a special GOLD RESERVE parking lot.

What are your thoughts about the new International Terminal? Please leave you comments below.

Enjoy this video. And THANKS for reading The TICKET! Be sure to tell all your friends about it!

HELP US HELP YOU!  Fwd our URL to friends or share The TICKET via social networking! Tell all your friends to sign up for The TICKET.

>>>Have you signed up for The TICKET via Feedburner yet? If not, do it right now! Email in the box to the right, please!>>>

>>>Have you signed up for The TICKET via Feedburner yet? If not, do it right now! Email in the box to the right, please!>>>

It’s that time of year again, when travel pundits and prognosticators do their best to predict what may or may not happen in the coming year. Here’s what I see on the horizon for frequent travelers in Atlanta and around the worlds in 2012.

Apart from uncertainty about the eurozone, the global economy is slowly improving, meaning individuals and companies are likely to increase their budgets for both business and leisure travel. But just like improvements in the global economy, any expansion in travel budgets is going to be slow– very slow. Atlanta seems to be emerging from the great recession at a slower pace than many other US cities– but nonetheless, we are still traveling, still out there working hard and helping our companies recover.

Increased demand for travel in 2012 will mean higher prices for transportation, fuel, lodging and food, with the biggest jumps in fast-growing regions such as Asia, India and South America. Business travel to and from Japan should continue to improve, but leisure travel there will stay slow — forcing down rates for what has long been one of the most expensive countries in the world.

In the US, hotel prices will continue to increase in big coastal cities such as New York, Boston, Washington DC, Los Angeles and San Francisco where business is brisk, but will remain mostly flat in the heartland where economic recovery is slower. Airfares in the US are currently 10% to 20% higher than two years ago, and should remain high as airlines continue to reduce capacity, consolidate, or, like bankrupt American Airlines, shrink their way to profitability.

In Atlanta, Delta has already announced several cuts to its transatlantic schedule and AirTran/Southwest is trimming away at its domestic schedule from ATL and elsewhere. We are seeing some decent fare sales, but the restrictions around them make it tough for business travelers to use– for example, the current AirTran sale for January is only good for those who can travel on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

>>>Have you signed up for The TICKET via Feedburner yet? If not, do it right now! Email in the box to the right, please!>>>

With Europe’s economic woes, demand and prices for travel in the region could flatten, but this will not be by much. European companies are likely to crack down on extravagant spending by cutting back or eliminating business class air travel, enforcing the use of midrange hotels and asking travellers take trips by car or train instead of flying. In the unlikely event Greece reverts back to the drachma, prices could take a tumble there, opening up opportunities for bargain-focussed vacationers.

Click here on my BBC.com column for a full round up of what to expect regarding… Airfares, hotel rates, travel deals, gas prices, wi-fi, mobile and meetings & conventions…

***

HELP US HELP YOU!  Fwd our URL to friends or share The TICKET via social networking! Tell all your friends to sign up for The TICKET.

>>>Have you signed up for The TICKET via Feedburner yet? If not, do it right now! Email in the box to the right, please!>>>

(Photo: FatMandy / Flickr)

Dear TICKET Readers:

Happy New Year and thanks very much for taking the time to respond to our recent survey, which revealed some interesting traits when it comes to you and your travel habits.

Thanks also for all the unsolicited kudos that came through in your comments… Awww shucks…. we were surprised and heartened by all the warm fuzzies. Thank you.

When we decided to create this survey, we thought we’d be lucky to get 100 responses… but a whopping 620 of you took the time to participate, which means we spent hours happily pouring through and tabulating all the responses.

Here’s a round up of the results:

How long have you been reading The TICKET?

Whoa! Check out the number of loyal readers who’ve stuck with us over the eons. Many of you harkened back to the days in the 90’s when subscribers happily paid $39 a year for a monthly newsletter sent via US Mail!

• 48% have been reading for one to five years (we appreciate the biz!)
• 40% have stuck with us for more than five years! (Gee tanks, folks!)
• 12% discovered The TICKET less than one year ago (welcome, newbies!)

Who decides which travel suppliers you use?

TICKET readers are clearly an independent group—83% said that they decide for themselves which suppliers to use while just 10% said that their boss or corporate travel department told them what to do. Many also said that their buying decisions are frequently influenced by ads and editorial in The TICKET.

How much do you fly?

The big surprise here was that 17% of you take more than four round trips per month—or 40 trips per year. That’s a lot of time on a plane! The average TICKET reader takes around two trips per month, or 24 in a year.

Where do you sleep?

Two thirds of TICKET readers spend the night at hotels between one and six nights per month. But get this, nearly 20% spend more than 10 nights per month in hotels—that’s 120 nights per year!

What type of metallic status do you have?

Nearly everyone said that they hold medallion status on Delta– no surprise there!

• 23% are platinum
• 21% are gold
• 17% are long suffering silvers
• 15% are diamonds (and get all the upgrades!)

Some of our long time readers are now retired, which means that 23% no longer have any status at all—or they spread their biz around among several carriers.

Where do you cheat on The TICKET?

TICKET readers are a well-read bunch, but when they don’t get what they want from us, they most often turn to: Joe Brancatelli, Chris Elliott, The Points Guy, FlyerTalk, Milepoint, USA Today, AJC and Clark Howard.

Do you fly much over water?

Two-thirds of TICKET readers jet off to international destinations one to three times per year. 11% go overseas four to six times per year and 5% go beyond borders seven or more times per year. 26% stick closer to home with no international hops.

No surprise here: TICKET readers are big spenders!

• 33% shell out between $20,000 and $50,000 per year on travel
• 14% spend between $50,000 and $100,000 per year
• 6% spend more than $100K per year

Another interesting stat: TICKET readers collectively spent nearly $60,000 year last year on Delta tickets purchased via links from the site. THANK YOU!

TICKET readers’ households are very comfortable financially.

• 18% earn between $100,000 and $150,000 per year
• 17% earn more than $250,000 per year
• 14% earn from $150,000 to $200,000 per year
• 9% earn between $200,000 and $250,000 per year

You all are also very discreet—26% chose not to disclose their annual household income—which leads us to believe that there are many more in the top income brackets.

How old are you?

We knew that many of our readers were “mature” but we were surprised how few of them are very young—only 1% are less than 30 years old.

• 32% are from 30-50
• 31% are from 51-60
• 27% range from 61-70
• 5% are older than 70

Any suggestions on how we can pull in some of those young bucks?

Are you a media socialite?

When it comes to social media, TICKET readers are mixed—about 40% of you are very active, checking in on Facebook, Twitter or Linked In once or more per day, and another 40% check in a few times per month. But a surprisingly large contingent—23%– say that they never check in on social media sites. (If you are not following us on Twitter or Facebook, COME ON and join the fun. By following us, you are likely to get more money saving travel news faster…)

Do you have any more feedback, comments or suggestions for about The TICKET? Any ideas on potential advertisers or other sources of funding? Please leave your comments below, or email Chris!

*******

>>>Have you signed up for The TICKET via Feedburner yet? If not, do it right now! Email in the pink box to the right, please!>>>

HELP US HELP YOU!  Fwd our URL to friends or share The TICKET via social networking! Tell all your friends to sign up for The TICKET.

Book your trips here:

AIRTRAN: Get the latest, greatest airfare deals from AIRTRAN.COM

DELTA: Click here for the latest fare sales and deals at Delta Air Lines

HOTWIRE: Great hotel deals and $13.95 per day rental cars with low Hotwire Hot-Rates!

Sugo

408 South Atlanta Street

Roswell, GA 30075

770.641.9131

www.sugorestaurant.com

After years of living in Atlanta and dining out in the city, I’m discovering what a pleasant change it can be to drive out of my comfort zone and explore restaurants outside of the perimeter. On a Friday night, my friend and I decided to do just that and made a reservation at Sugo in Roswell. A little background on Sugo – it’s a part of the Castellucci Hospitality Group of restaurants, which includes Double Zero Napoletana in Sandy Springs and The Iberian Pig in Decatur.

When we arrived for our 8 p.m. seating, the restaurant was full of couples having intimate dinners as well as groups celebrating special occasions. The dining room was dimly lit creating a cozy atmosphere in the open space. Sugo seemed to be a popular place to celebrate milestone events that night, and I suspect one particular employee may have something to do with that. While candles are waiting to be blown out, a member of the kitchen serenades lucky guests with his impressive operatic version of “Happy Birthday” or “Happy Anniversary.”

To start off our dinner, we each chose a glass of wine. I had a glass of the Frescobaldi Castiglioni Chianti Sangiovese ($9) after hearing it was the owner’s favorite. My guest ordered the Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon ($12). The wine list was extensive and I appreciated the various price ranges offered, “Easy & Enjoyable,” “No Expense Account Required” and “The Good Stuff.”

Sugo’s menu is a mix of Greek and Italian food. For starters, we chose the baked stuffed calamari ($6) and the Parma flatbread ($14). The calamari was stuffed with sautéed onions, spinach and artisan cheeses in a tomato basil sauce. This was definitely not the fried calamari I’m used to seeing at restaurants. The cheese and tomato sauce were the stars of the dish, and it almost made me forget I was eating squid. The Parma flatbread was topped with prosciutto, provolone, asparagus, roasted red peppers, poached egg and black truffles, which had a fresh taste. It’s important to note that it’s a Sardinian flatbread, which is thin and more cracker than bread. I enjoyed the flatbread a little more than my dining partner who was expecting a pizza-like flatbread.

Any slight disappointment my companion might have experienced with the flatbread disappeared completely during our entrée course. I ordered the Capesante ($28), a scallop dish served atop fresh basil pasta, tomato, red pepper pesto and grilled asparagus. While my diver scallops were cooked perfectly, I have to say my fork kept hovering over my friend’s Pork Shank Milanese ($25). The pork shank was our server’s recommendation and we both did a double-take when she brought it to the table. The menu describes it as a slow braised pound of pork shank, but even our server had to admit that was a definite underestimation. The shank looked like it would have been right at home with the Flintstones in Bedrock. Also worthy of a mention was the rich and creamy parsnip puree that accompanied the shank.

While we could have stopped there and gone home dessert-less, we decided to challenge our waistbands and sample the Spartan Cheesecake ($7) and the Zucchini Cake ($7). The Spartan Cheesecake was the ultimate fusion of Greek and Italian with a baklava crust filled with Italian crème cheesecake. I had no complaints about the delicious Zucchini Cake either, which was similar to a carrot cake.

(Photo: Skampy / Flickr)

NOT TOO LATE FOR MQM PROMO. Delta has extended the time in which SkyMiles members can buy their way into Medallion status with MQMs next year. When the news about the promo broke in The TICKET last month, Delta said it would end on Dec 14. But last week it extended the deadline to Dec 30. (Why would Delta put limits around a nice revenue stream like that?) Did you take Delta up on this offer? LET US KNOW! Leave your comments below.

FREE WIFI AT ATL! Skype is sponsoring one hour of free wi-fi at ATL (and many other big airports) during the holidays– Dec 21-27! Details here.

MORE FREE HOLIDAY WI-FI. eBay is sponsoring a half hour of free Gogo inflight wi-fi on Delta flights now through Jan. 2. The move should help  spur online shopping purchases for the holidays and post-holiday sales—you can shop on eBay as long as you want, but access to the web ends after 30 minutes. Has anyone experienced difficulty logging on or staying online as a result of heavy usage by others? Please leave your comments below!

DELTA BUMPS UP BRAZIL. With business booming in Brazil (and demand soaring for flights there), Delta has placed its 767-400ER aircraft (with true lie-flat seats in biz class) on all nonstops between New York and Atlanta to Sao Paulo. Delta now offers daily service between Detroit and Sao Paulo and Atlanta and Brasilia. These latter two flights, however, are not part of Delta’s all-flat announcement just yet since they do not operate with the 767-400ER aircraft. In addition, Delta recently announced that it would make a $100 million investment in Brazil’s Gol Airlines, a SkyMiles partner.

A Virgin America A320 touches down in Palm Springs, the carriers's newest destination (Photo: C McGinnis)

VIRGIN AMERICA TO ATL? “We want to be flying to every major business travel destination, and Atlanta is in the top five cities we are targeting for expansion,” said Virgin CEO David Cush in a recent interview with TICKET editor Chris McGinnis. “But we’ve got Delta, the 800-lb gorilla, to deal with there, and we want to see how the AirTran-Southwest integration plays out before we make a move. We won’t fly there unless it is profitable for us, especially since it is a long haul route.” I asked, “Do you think there would be an opportunity for you to capitalize on Southwest’s decision to eliminate AirTran’s business class on the route, leaving Delta as the only carrier offering premium seats on those long hauls to San Francisco and Los Angeles?” After a long thoughtful pause, Cush grinned and said, “Yes, that is something we are taking into consideration. Our first class, and even our coach class is like something Atlanta’s never seen before.” What new carrier would YOU like to see at ATL? Please leave your comments below!

WE [HEART] PRE-CHECK. We continue to get plenty of love letters (and comments on our recent post) from users of the nifty new TSA Pre-Check lines at ATL. TSA recently has or will soon expand Pre-Check to three more airports: Las Vegas, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles. Will it last forever?

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION TO JUMP INTO SOCIAL MEDIA?? Start with The TICKET! You’ll love our travel newsfeeds, blurbs and comments on TWITTER and FACEBOOK! Come on a follow, like or join us!

TICKET SURVEY! Thanks VERY much to our loyal TICKET readers. We were heartened at the HUGE response we got to our recent rader survey—620 of you took the time to tell us a bit more about you and your travel habits. Stay tuned for a full report on exactly who you are! So far, we’ve been super surprised and delighted. Thank you again.

SORRY SILVERS. Delta quietly instituted another sleight to Silver Medallions last week by cutting their allotment of free checked bags from two down to one (but with the more generous max weight of 70 lbs).  Of course, if the Delta Gold, Platinum or Reserve AMEX is in your wallet, you still get that second free checked bag!

Delta tail and La Guardia's new control tower (Photo: Pro-Zak / Flickr)

DELTA’S MARCH ON NYC CONTINUES. Delta’s long-sought “domination” of the New York market is getting closer… With its slot transfer deal with US Airways complete, Delta has announced more than 100 new flights from its rapidly expanding La Guardia hub, pushing it to near top of the heap in the NYC market. By next summer, Delta says it will be serving 60 cities from LGA, up from the current 35. The majority of flights will be operated by Delta Connection and fly to cities along the East Coast, replacing those that were operated by US Airways prior to the slot swap. While the addition of flights for Delta customers into the New York area is great news, passengers in many communities on the East Coast are actually losing flights because US Airways operated to LGA with heavier frequencies than Delta is planning. Delta will soon expand into US Airways Terminal C in addition to its Terminal D, and continue to operate its shuttle flights between LGA and Chicago, Boston and DC from the Marine Air Terminal.

CITIES getting additional or new Delta service to LGA include Burlington VT, Denver, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Norfolk, Richmond, and Roanoke, Charlotte, Greensboro/High, Point/Winston-Salem, Raleigh/Durham, Wilmington, NC, Jacksonville, Ft. Myers, Miami, Cleveland, and Dayton among others.

MORE JFK, TOO. Delta is also boosting its capacity at JFK by adding new flights to Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, New Orleans, and Kansas City. Other existing JFK network cities like Buffalo, and Richmond will see additional frequencies.

SKTEAM BEIJING. All SkyTeam carriers now fly from under the same roof at Beijing Capital International Airport’s sprawling Terminal 2. Speaking of SkyTeam, check out my recent BBC.com biz travel column about the best airline alliances and see how it stacks up to the competition.

ATL TO LOSE “BUSIEST AIRPORT” CROWN. According to a variety of sources, Beijing Capital airport is set to overtake ATL as the world’s busiest next year. Too bad it will lose the title in the same year it opens the shiny new International Terminal F.

VOUCHER? SCHMOUCHER! Do you have any Delta electronic travel credits in your account that need to be used? Be careful. Delta has quietly implemented a policy that limits the number that can be used per ticket to just one. This means that if you have only one ticket to book before two vouchers expire, you will need to choose the one with higher value to use. If you received these vouchers (denied boarding, remaining credit from unused ticket, etc) before Dec. 15, you can still use more than one at a time, but only one post-12/15/11 voucher will be applied per ticket going forward.

WORLD’S LARGEST CARRIERS. A series of mergers over the last decade has created a group of mega-airlines that reach almost every corner of the globe. Here are the world’s largest airline companies based on the number of miles their passengers flew in 2010:

1. United Continental: 181,939 million
2. Delta Air Lines: 165,900 million
3. American Airlines: 125,443 million
4. Air France, KLM: 125,043 million
5. Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian: 108,811 mm
6. British Airways, Iberia: 97,384 million
7. Southwest, AirTran: 97,360 million
8. Emirates: 89,266 million
9. China Southern Airlines: 68,689 million
10. Qantas Airways: 62,082 million

Source: AP calculations on International Air Transport Association data

NEED A NEW BAG? I’ve dragged around the same black, two-wheeled Briggs and Riley carry-on bag for at least 10 years, and it’s still going strong. But when I’m at the airport and see travelers toting four-wheeled “spinners” or shiny polycarbonates in a rainbow of colors, I get luggage envy. To help me decide if it’s time to bag my old bag and try something new, I asked the experts for some advice on what to look for, and wrote the results up here in a recent BBC.com column.

How do you define business casual? (Photo: Tink20seven)

DEFINING BUSINESS CASUAL. “Two of my least favorite words in the English language are ‘business casual’ as it means different things to different people,” said Joyce Newman, president of the Newman Group, which offers high-level speaker, media and image consulting to global executives. “The definition varies widely between cities, countries, cultures – even industries – and it’s a real dilemma for travelers because you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” Are you vexed by invitations to business casual event in the US or abroad? Then check out my recent BBC.com column “Defining Business Casual” which offers some great tips and advice.

>>>Have you signed up for The TICKET via Feedburner yet? If not, do it right now! Email in the pink box to the right, please!>>>

HELP US HELP YOU!  Fwd our URL to friends or share The TICKET via social networking! Tell all your friends to sign up for The TICKET.

Book your trips here:

AIRTRAN: Get the latest, greatest airfare deals from AIRTRAN.COM

DELTA: Click here for the latest fare sales and deals at Delta Air Lines

HOTWIRE: Great hotel deals and $13.95 per day rental cars with low Hotwire Hot-Rates!

THIS JUST IN: eBay, Gogo Give Passengers 30 Minutes of Free Wi-Fi on Delta thru Jan 2

Now, back to our regular programming….

About this time of year, frequent and infrequent travelers alike are faced with the hassle, uncertainty and expense of checking bags for trips home for the holidays.

Most frequent travelers reading this rarely check bags when on the road for business– and if they do, fees are likely waived due to elite status. But for holiday trips home, bag contents frequently expand to include winter coats, formal wear, gifts and plenty of other extraneous items– especially if kids are involved.

Shipping bags via FEDEX or UPS sounds like a great idea until you look at rates. Shipping luggage is not cheap– or fast. To get rates that meet or beat airline fees, you must ship via ground which can take four or five days to get across the country. And distance makes a big difference when it comes to rates. Plus there’s the time cost of schlepping bags to a FEDEX or UPS facility.

I checked with FEDEX to determine how much it would cost to ship a standard carry on-sized piece of luggage (10″x14″x22″) weighing 35 lbs. from the FEDEX store in Atlanta to New York City, Boulder, Colo. and San Francisco.

Atlanta to New York:

$198 each way – Standard overnight delivery

$106 each way – Two-day delivery

$28 each way — end of second day home delivery

Atlanta to Boulder, Colo.:

$213 each way – Standard overnight delivery

$167 each way – Two-day delivery

$35 each way – Three-day (ground) home delivery

Atlanta to San Francisco:

$228 each way – Standard overnight delivery

$182 each way – Two-day delivery

$48 each way- End of fourth day (ground) delivery

Keeping in mind most airlines charge $25 for the first checked bag (except Southwest and JetBlue) and $35 for the second, each way, would you pay to ship or just check it with the airline and hope for the best?

___ ___ ___

>>>Have you signed up for The TICKET via Feedburner yet? If not, do it right now! Email in the pink box to the right, please!>>>

HELP US HELP YOU!  Fwd our URL to friends or share The TICKET via social networking! Tell all your friends to sign up for The TICKET.

Book your trips here:

AIRTRAN: Get the latest, greatest airfare deals from AIRTRAN.COM

DELTA: Click here for the latest fare sales and deals at Delta Air Lines

HOTWIRE: Great hotel deals and $13.95 per day rental cars with low Hotwire Hot-Rates!

Dear TICKET readers:

As the year draws to a close, we’d like to thank you for your support and attention!  The TICKET has been getting bigger and better all year, adding helpful new content and also bringing on a load of new readers.

Looking into 2012, it’s time for us to approach potential advertisers. As you know, The TICKET is supported by advertisers, and we need to be able to show them just who TICKET readers are.

The link below will take you to a very brief online survey about you and your travel habits. It’s just 12 quick questions that you can answer with the click of  your mouse. It should take no more than two minutes to complete.

PLEASE help us by participating in this survey. The more readers that respond, the better the data we’ll get to present to potential advertisers.

Important: This is an anonymous survey… the information you provide is not associated with your name. It will not be used for anything other than to create a report on our reader demographics– which we are happy to share with you upon request.

Thanks again for your time and your support. Happy holidays!

Click here to access the reader survey

Sincerely,

Chris McGinnis, editor and publisher, The TICKET

PS: This survey will close at the end of the day, Weds, Dec 14.

ATL's train...or a four-door Porsche Panamera? (Photo: SocialisBetter)

Delta is being uncharacteristically coy about a flashy new program underway at ATL since early November. Several TICKET readers report being pleasantly surprised by  new chauffeur service (via Porsche no less) from the jetway to their cars upon arrival at ATL.

Here’s what we are hearing:

From reader Eason Jordan:

As I disembarked from my LGA-ATL Delta flight last night, I was surprised to see in the jetway two young men holding up signs with the names of six passengers – my name included.  When I asked the fellow holding the sign with my name on it what he wanted, he escorted me down the jetway stairs to the tarmac and ushered me into the front passenger seat of a new Porsche Cayenne SUV.  He told me Delta recently embarked on a trial program in partnership with Porsche to show their love for top-tier Delta frequent fliers.  Two fellow frequent fliers hopped in the back seat, after which we were whisked not to the main terminal but directly to our cars in separate parking lots at opposite sides of the airport. What a ride!

I quizzed the gregarious driver about the program.  He said the unpublicized program was the brainchild of Delta’s CEO.  Why Porsche’s involvement?  Porsche is moving its North American headquarters to a new site adjacent to the airport, and Porsche wants to impress Delta’s most elite passengers – potential Porsche customers.  The ATL Delta-Porsche program fields eight always-working passenger-shuttling Porsche vehicles – six SUVs and two sedans.  Two vehicles work each select inbound flight.  Sometimes the Porsche team shuttles late arriving connecting elites to a far-flung terminal connecting flight, while other times the Porsche team shuttles incoming elites directly from the arriving tarmac to their cars in airport parking lots.  My driver said the program caters to medallion fliers – mostly Diamond, but others, too.  I’m a three million miler with Delta, and at times I’m among Delta’s most vocal critics.  I pleased to say this surprise reward program is a big-time winner, leaving me grateful and dreaming of owning a Porsche SUV.

Here’s another from Reader JK:

Have you heard about the DL/Porche customer appreciation program that started Nov. 1 (I’m sure you have…you know everything!).  We landed this morning at ATL, B24.  As the door opened, my name and another passengers were announced to proceed to the plane door where we were met by a member of DL’s Elite Service Representatives.  He briefly explained that as Diamonds, we were to follow him down the jetway stairs where a Porsche Panamera was waiting.  He told us that DL and Porsche were partnering to provide a special customer service for Delta’s best customers.  We loaded into the car and he drove us from the tarmac to our cars in the Daily Parking lots!  What a thrill!!!!  Way to go Delta!  Way to go Porsche!

**Porsche because, as you know, it will be building its NA HQ on the site of the old Ford plant adjacent to I-75 and end of runway.

Interestingly, Delta’s being very tight lipped about this. We asked for more details, but Delta would do nothing more than just confirm that the program is indeed in effect. Delta’s only made one public comment about the program over on the FlyerTalk boards:

I see that you’ve noticed a few of the spanking new vehicles trolling around ATL. It’s true that we have a team dedicated to transporting our highest value customers around the Atlanta hub and they’ve got a fleet of several vehicles with which to do so. As part of our partnership with Porsche (which includes shipping cars from Germany to Atlanta), they’ve provided us with a few fancy new rides to add to our VIP fleet. A couple of things to clarify:

1. Delta didn’t pay for these cars.
2. You won’t see any of our executives in these cars – they’re for HVCs ["High Value Customers"] only.
3. The Porsches are quite literally a new toy we get to play with so we’re testing out how to best use them. Right now, and for the foreseeable future, they’ll be used as a “surprise and delight” for some of our best customers.

Have you been picked up in a Porsche yet? Why do you think Delta’s being so coy about this? Perhaps they don’t want to be seen catering to the recently maligned 1%? Maybe they don’t want Medallions to start to expect the service, and complain if they don’t get a ride? Please leave your comments below! And if you get picked up in a Porsche, take a picture and send it to us… we’ll post it right here!

___ ___ ___

>>>Have you signed up for The TICKET via Feedburner yet? If not, do it right now! Email in the pink box to the right, please!>>>

HELP US HELP YOU!  Fwd our URL to friends or share The TICKET via social networking! Tell all your friends to sign up for The TICKET.

Book your trips here:

AIRTRAN: Get the latest, greatest airfare deals from AIRTRAN.COM

DELTA: Click here for the latest fare sales and deals at Delta Air Lines

HOTWIRE: Great hotel deals and $13.95 per day rental cars with low Hotwire Hot-Rates!

>>>Have you signed up for The TICKET via Feedburner yet? If not, do it right now! Email in the box to the right, please!>>>

A HOLIDAY GIFT FROM DELTA. TICKET readers have been waiting with baited breath for this one: Today Delta rolled out a short-term program that helps busy SkyMiles members avoid those time-consuming end-of-year mileage runs and instead buy their way into Medallion status in 2012.

Here’s how it works: Between now and [UPDATED) December 30, you go to www.delta.com/buymqms and top off your account by buying bundles of Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQM’s) at the following rates:

• 2,500 miles for $295
• 5,000 miles for $495
• 7,500 miles for $695
• 10,000 miles for $895.

Delta SkyMiles head Jeff Robertson told The TICKET: “We know that many of our customers are just one trip short of the next Medallion tier toward the end of the year, so hopefully this will make it easier for them to get there.”

>>>Have you signed up for The TICKET via Feedburner yet? If not, do it right now! Email in the box to the right, please!>>>

This program is similar to the one Delta ran last December, which offered MQM’s to SkyMiles members who donated to a variety of charities. Sources tell us that the charities (such as AID Atlanta and Grady Hospital) brought in about $800,000 each as a result of the promo. This year, the promo’s similar in terms of the quantity of MQM’s you earn per dollar spent, but the charities are left out.

What do you think? Will you plunk down the cash to earn or maintain status, or take a mileage run? Please leave your comments below.

Have you subscribed to The TICKET?? If not, why not! Get crackin! Just type your email address in the GET THE TICKET pink box–>> look right, then up! Sign up today!

DELTA CUTS DEEP AT ATL. As we near the ribbon cutting in spring of 2012 of Atlanta’s new international terminal F, several flights will be missing from the departure boards. They include Athens, Copenhagen, Guayaquil, Moscow, Prague, Shanghai, and Tel Aviv. The routes, most of which were already seasonal, will not be restarted in 2012 due to the economic slowdown. Delta is not cutting ties with any of these cities. In fact, all of these cities (minus Guayaquil) see nonstop service from JFK with the exception of Shanghai, which keeps its nonstop service from Detroit. JFK-Copenhagen will get an upgrade from a skinny B757 to a wider B767 in the summer.  It is sad to see fewer destinations at ATL with the new terminal opening, but markets are cyclical and many could return in the future.

DELTA BIGGER IN BIG APPLE. Additional frequencies will beef up Delta’s schedules at JFK to Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Juan, and Santo Domingo and Santiago, Dominican Republic. The network also expands with new flights from JFK to Austin, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Fla., and Milwaukee. LaGuardia will also see new, nonstop service to Nassau, Bahamas.

>>>Have you signed up for The TICKET via Feedburner yet? If not, do it right now! Email in the box to the right, please!>>>

SKYTEAM FOCUSES INWARD. SkyTeam CEO Michael Wisbrun (yes, airline alliances have their own CEOs who manage the grouping) spoke at London’s World Travel Market and outlined that the Delta-led alliance is nearing completion of its network. While this does not rule out the addition of carriers to the alliance (especially in places like India and Brazil), it does indicate that the alliance is finished with its major growth phase. Wisbrun stated that the next phase is focusing more on customer benefits with improved IT infrastructure (sorely needed since many airlines’ reservation systems still cannot “talk” to each other) and opening additional SkyTeam-branded lounges in places like Beijing and Tokyo. Already on the books to join the alliance in the coming couple of years are Aerolineas Argentinas, Middle East Airlines (MEA), Saudi Arabian Airlines, and Garuda Indonesia.

SKY CLUB UPDATES IN MOTOWN. Delta’s got big plans for Sky Clubs around the system refurbishing and overhauling them to a stylish, new concept. However, the Detroit clubs have a cozy, residential feel left over from their Northwest days that many travelers have come to love. In a previous version of The TICKET, we incorrectly reported that these clubs will be overhauled to the new club decor. However, travelers will be happy to know the Detroit clubs will keep their same homey aesthetic with fireplaces and cozy sitting nooks. The central Sky Club in Detroit’s terminal A will be reconfigured to provide more space for customers by removing conference rooms and adding more seating. Swiveling tables over the chair’s armrest and convenient electrical outlets will continue to be one of the club’s most popular features. It is not clear when these clubs will have the full makeover like the swanky new style in Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Miami, or the A-17 and D clubs in Atlanta. But, for now, these clubs are holding up well and are perfect on those chilly and snowy Detroit travel days.

BIG BONUS FOR LONDON FLIGHTS. Fly round-trip between London Heathrow and the US in paid BusinessElite (Fare Classes: J, C, D, I, or S), now through December 31, 2011, and earn 25K to 150K bonus miles.  To get the miles, you must register by December 15, then book and fly now through December 31, 2011.

WELCOME XIAMEN AIRLINES. SkyTeam is already the largest airline alliance in China, and it just got bigger now that Xiamen Airlines has announced plans to join by the end of 2012. Critics are quick to point out that SkyTeam is bringing in airlines of lesser quality than other alliances, but there is no doubt the network in China is the strongest available. Xiamen operates a mostly domestic route network with a fleet of 737 aircraft. It has placed an order for six Boeing 787 Dreamliners with plans to fly long haul to Australia, Europe, and North American in the future.

ATL’s TERMINAL F nears completion…By May 2012, international travelers will have a whole new world to discover at Atlanta airport when terminal F goes into full operation. Together with Terminal E, there will be a total of 40 gates for international flights. This new terminal will also eliminate the need for ATL-bound travelers to recheck their bags and clear TSA security again to leave the airport making it easier for arrivals. Keep an eye on http://www.atlanta-airport.com/InternationalTerminal/index.html for photos and more information on Terminal F.In case you have not been watching, here’s a very cool time lapse video of terminal construction from groundbreaking until now:

>>>Have you signed up for The TICKET via Feedburner yet? If not, do it right now! Email in the pink box to the right, please!>>>

HELP US HELP YOU!  Fwd our URL to friends or share The TICKET via social networking! Tell all your friends to sign up for The TICKET.

Book your trips here:

AIRTRAN: Get the latest, greatest airfare deals from AIRTRAN.COM

DELTA: Click here for the latest fare sales and deals at Delta Air Lines

CHEAPO AIR: Air, hotel car rental and package deals galore from CheapOair.com

HOTWIRE: Great hotel deals and $13.95 per day rental cars with low Hotwire Hot-Rates!

Calamari Salad at Briza in Midtown

Briza Restaurant

866 West Peachtree Street NW (inside the Renaissance Midtown Hotel)

Atlanta, Georgia 30308

678-412-2402

www.brizarestaurant.com

I had wanted to visit Briza for a while, and as a huge Top Chef fan, as soon as I heard the executive chef (Janine Falvo) was going to be on the show I knew the time had come to finally check it out.  I brought along my sister and we made our way to Briza on a particularly dreary Tuesday evening.  It was cold and rainy, but the minute we ducked inside out of the rain we felt warm and cozy.  The rich colors and soft glow of the overhead silver globes set a very cool and chic mood and I was immediately excited for the meal ahead!  All the seats feel tucked away, like you’re in your own little nook.  We were seated in a circular booth, which despite being in the center of the restaurant, felt very private and exclusive.

We decided the atmosphere called for drinks, and we started browsing the drink menu.  I settled on the Passion Royale with prosecco, grand mariner, and passion fruit ($12) and my sister went with the Nectar Margarita ($11) featuring cuervo traditional reposado tequila, fresh lime, and agave nectar.  Our drinks quickly arrived and after our first sips, the strong (but not overpowering) drinks were exactly what we needed to start warming up on that cold night. Read the rest of this entry »

Why wait in a long holiday taxi queue? Reserve a car instead! (Photo: Enrico Salad / Flickr)

As the peak holiday travel season approaches, everyone’s looking for a deal or a steal. But the truth of the matter is that bargains are difficult to come by during the Thanksgiving and Christmas peak travel season.

And if you snag what you think is a bargain, you might end of  “getting what you pay for.”

As a matter of fact, paying a little more at this time of year usually translates into more peace of mind, more quality time with friends or family, and the increased likelihood of a low-hassle trip home for the holidays…. which is what we all want.

Here are six examples to illustrate what I mean:

1> Take a nonstop flight. While you might be tempted by the price of a one-stop flight, by choosing one, you are increasing your chances of a delay or cancellation by 100%! Why take that chance, especially if you are headed home for just a few days, and a delayed or canceled flight could spoil the entire trip?

Cost: $50 to $200 depending on flight length

Example: Flying during peak Christmas week between Atlanta and San Francisco, you’ll pay $660 (ouch!) for a six-hour one-stop journey on Frontier connecting in Denver. On the other hand, fly four hours nonstop on Delta or AirTran and the fare is $730 (ouch again!)– $70 more. Worth it to fly nonstop? I think so. (Fares checked Nov 13 for flights departing Dec 23, returning Dec 27 and are subject to change.)

2> Book your trip via a real, live travel agent. Most budget-conscious travelers shy away from travel agents who charge fees. But as the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) likes to say, “Without a travel agent, you’re on your own.” Most travel agents can use their experience, connections and clout to help get you out of sticky situations, plus they’ve got knowledge and experience to offer you the best alternatives when or if you get stuck.

Cost: $20-$50 or negotiable

Example: ASTA’s motto surely rang true last year when a monster storm blew up the East Coast on Christmas day, stranding travelers across the country. Most of those who booked trips via travel agents were able to get through to them by phone and adjust travel plans faster than those who only had airline 800-numbers. (Note: Be sure the travel agent you choose has an after hours emergency number.)

Rooms dip as low as $80 over Xmas at a brand new Best Western near Dallas, TX

3> Stay at a hotel. Why burden the in-laws with the stress of houseguests during the already stressful holidays? Instead of bunking on that lumpy sofa bed or stuffy guest room, book a nearby hotel. Tip: Due to lack of demand from business travelers, most hotels are dirt-cheap during the holidays, especially those located in suburban office parks. Travel expert John DiScala, who edits the popular johnnyjet.com website suggests that the holidays are a great time to consider redeeming loyalty points for nicer hotel digs, saying, “For example, Hilton HHonors points can also now be used to upgrade an existing reservation to a premium room or suite at hotels worldwide, with no blackout dates.”

Cost: $50 to $100 per night, depending on location.

Example: Thinking you might want your inlaws to stay at a hotel? A nice, newish Hilton Garden Inn in the northern Atlanta suburbs costs only $67 per night during Christmas week—but book it two weeks later when business travelers are back on the road and you’ll pay nearly twice that much– $127.

4> Review your charge card benefits. Most banks have added a slew of new benefits to charge cards in recent years to woo free-spending, credit-worthy frequent travelers, so you might be packing more power in your pocket than you know. While annual fees are higher for such cards, many now offer benefits that come in handy for holiday travel such as waived baggage fees, access to airport lounges, early boarding privileges, early check in/late check out or upgrades at hotels, concierge services and more.

Cost: $100-$500/year

Example: While the American Express Platinum card sounds expensive at $450/year, the benefits can pay off big time when it comes to peak travel season. For example, the card gets you out of the airport holiday mayhem and into 600 airport lounges (gratis) around the world, covers up to $200 airline fees from checked bags to in-flight food or cocktails, and Global Entry membership, which gets you to the front of the line US Customs and Immigration. The $95/year Delta SkyMiles Gold card now offers a free checked bag and early boarding privileges, regardless of your Medallion level.  Many high-end cards also offer concierge services that can help get you out of travel jams—worth a call if you get stuck!

5> Book roomier airline seats. While you can always pay a lot more to sit in first class, you can now pay a little bit more, and get a more comfortable coach seat. During the busy, crowded holidays, that’s money well spent. While getting a few extra inches of room always helps, the real benefit of paying for a better economy seat is that you usually get to board early—with elite level flyers—which means you get first dibs on scarce overhead bin space.

Cost: Varies based on carrier and flight duration– $10-$100 per segment

Example: Delta is expanding its popular, roomier “Economy Comfort” seating from just international flights to domestic ones, too. For example, it’s now available on transcons between New York and San Francisco or Los Angeles.

6> Hire a car service to/from the airport. There are lots of reasons why you should use a car service for a ride to or from the airport during the holidays. First, don’t burden friends or family with the chore of driving to the airport during rush hour traffic to pick you up or drop you off. Second, when arriving, you walk straight to your waiting car instead of waiting in those long, cold taxi queues at airports that form during peak holiday season.

Cost: 10%-20% more than cab fare

Example: Last month I was greeted by a taxicab queue at SFO at least 100 people deep after a loooong transcon flight. Wish I had booked a car service! In New York, I always use the economical Dial 7 car service (212-777-7777) which costs $5 or $10 more than a cab, but offers a comfortable sedan ride to/from Manhattan versus the tight squeeze, bumpy ride, and possible wait for a NYC Taxi.

Where are YOU headed for the holidays? Please leave your comments below.

A few inches makes a difference! (Photo: Dipdewdog / Flickr)

ECONOMY COMFORT EXPANDS. Good news for sore knees! Following in the footsteps of rival United Airlines (and its Economy Plus seating), Delta is expanding its popular Economy Comfort seating from just international flights to nearly all aircraft fleet wide—including domestic flights. The first three to five rows of the main cabin on all Delta mainline and regional jets (except CRJ-200′s) will soon feature three more inches between rows. Passengers seated in this section will enjoy priority boarding—but there will be no free booze in domestic Economy Comfort. The first domestic 757 with Economy Comfort will enter service this month, and Delta says all aircraft will be equipped with the seating by late 2012. Diamond, Platinum, and Gold Medallions can select these seats at time of reservation free of charge. Silver Medallions may request them 24 hours prior to departure free of charge or reserve them at a 50% discount at time of reservation. All other passengers may purchase these extra legroom seats for a fee of $19-$99 depending on the length of the flight. Note: With Southwest doing away with AirTran’s popular business class seating, Economy Comfort will be a welcome option on those long transcons out to the west coast. What do you think about Economy Comfort?

HOLIDAY FARE SHOPPING? AirTran and Southwest launched another winter fare sale today (must book by Nov 14), but as usual the fine print reveals multiple blackout dates around Thanksgiving or Christmas. That’s not great news for holiday travelers, but if you’ve avoided business trips due to high fares, you’ll find some great deals for flights during the first three weeks of December, and much of January. So get out there and see some clients you’ve been avoiding! Here’s more advice on holiday travel peaks and valleys.

FREE BLURBS ON DELTA/GOGO PORTAL. Gogo wi-fi users will notice a new landing page when they launch their web browser on Delta flights. It includes details for your flight including the remaining flight time. Additional free content will include select news stories, PEOPLE magazine content, destination information and events, and shopping opportunities.

MORE SOUTHWEST CHANGES COMING. Bloomberg reports that Southwest plans to cut back on AirTran flights from ATL to smaller cities and focus on adding more nonstops to larger cities that are more profitable. Southwest’s first flights to/from Atlanta (with no biz class…and no bag fees) begin in February. Stay tuned! Have you decided whether you’ll give Southwest a go when it comes to town? Leave your comments below.

FLAT BEDS AT 30%. Delta updated its progress page last month showing that 30% of its international fleet now has true (vs fake) lie-flat seats, up from 25% in August.

SNACK BASKET CHANGES. First class loyalists have learned to love the famous Delta snack basket on flights without a meal (increasingly common). First class customers now get Walker’s shortbread cookies, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, fun size Snickers, Chewy granola bars, and the traditional peanuts, pretzels, Twix and M&Ms. What is noticeably missing, however, are Delta’s famous Biscoff cookies (oddly still available in coach) and those puffy bags of SunChips. Delta confirmed the case of the disappearing Biscoff from the first class basket during afternoon and evening flights, but said that they are still offered on morning non-meal flights.  Thoughts on the new snack additions (and deletions)? Is Walker’s shortbread a suitable substitute for the beloved Biscoff? Please leave your comments below.

>>GET SOCIAL WITH THE TICKET!! Are you signed up for our Facebook page or Twitter feed? If not, why not? We’d love to have you AND you’ll get more breaking news faster. Also, if you like a post, please use the buttons that you see above or below to share The TICKET with your social networks.<<

LAST MINUTE MQMs? Remember when Delta teamed up with certain SkyWish charities last December offering valuable MQM’s to those who gave generously? AID Atlanta hauled in a tidy $745,000 as a result of the promo. Generous SkyMilers were able to avoid those pesky end-of-year mileage runs. Delta built a lot of goodwill. Everybody won! We are now trying to determine if Delta will offer something similar this year for those hoping to snag or maintain Medallion status by the end of the year. So far our Delta sources say there’s nothing in the works, but that could change. Another reason to stay tuned to The TICKET!

DELTA IN THE BLACK. Delta reported its financial figures for the third quarter of 2011 and continues to stay in the black partly due to wise fuel hedging, growth in ancillary fee revenue (ya know, those change fees, baggage fees, etc), and a slight decrease in capacity to adjust to travel demand (that’s why flights are fuller these days). In the end, when Delta succeeds, it can spend more to invest in a better product…right?

DELTA #1 FOR FEES. Delta collected more baggage fees and reservation change fees than any other airline in the second quarter of 2011, according to the DOT. In the second quarter, it brought in $226 in baggage fees and $201 million in reservation change fees. American Airlines ranked #2. Overall, airlines brought in an extra $1.5 billion in fee revenue in the second quarter.

DELTA EXPANDS AT LGA. In case you were wondering what happened to the slot exchange at New York LaGuardia (LGA) and Washington Reagan National (DCA) between Delta and US Airways, well, it’s back on. The Department of Transportation has approved the exchange, allowing Delta the right to the majority of US Airways’ landing and takeoff slots at LGA in exchange for a major chunk of Delta’s slots at DCA. The move will allow both airlines to strengthen their position in the marketplace. Delta plans to use the neighboring US Airways’ terminal at LGA, build a connecting bridge between the two terminals, and add an additional Sky Club in the new terminal. A specific timeline has yet to be announced, but this swap will certainly mean more nonstop destinations for Delta passengers at LaGuardia.

HOW TO TRAVEL LIKE A FLIGHT ATTENDANT. Delta’s new Sky Store (www.deltaskystore.com) offers a selection of travel items including luggage, bag tags, apparel, and electronics. Many of the products come recommended by Delta employees themselves who provided the suggestions and inspiration to include certain items in the store. This new venture is designed to showcase the expertise of Delta’s own employees to help travelers find the best, most durable gear for their own travels. A special introductory offer includes a free Gogo wi-fi pass with your first purchase. NOTE: This is different than the Delta Shop (www.deltashop.com), which sells Delta-branded gear, apparel, and merchandise.

TICKET READERS RAVE: Did you see all the positive comments regarding the TSA’s new Pre-Check trusted traveler lanes at ATL? Who knew the much maligned TSA could provoke that kind of praise from jaded biz travel vets like TICKET readers? The program’s still in beta-testing, but let’s see what happens.

MCGINNIS ON BBC.COM. Have you read TICKET editor Chris McGinnis’s recent business travel columns on BBC.com? Here’s a sampling of his most popular recent posts:

>Business Trip: Atlanta (Lemme know if I got it right!)

>What to check out before you check into a hotel

>Avoid paying for overweight bags

>International travelers: 9 must-learn local phrases

>Good idea: Hire a tour guide on your next business trip

ATL’S TERMINAL F. Have you been watching the construction and wondering what ATL’s newest terminal will look like on the inside? Then see this very cool virtual “fly through” of the new International terminal. Well done. Can’t wait to give it a try when it opens this spring…

HELP US HELP YOU!  Fwd our URL to friends or share The TICKET via social networking! Tell all your friends to sign up for The TICKET.

Book your trips here:

AIRTRAN: Get the latest, greatest airfare deals from AIRTRAN.COM

DELTA: Click here for the latest fare sales and deals at Delta Air Lines

CHEAPO AIR: Air, hotel car rental and package deals galore from CheapOair.com

HOTWIRE: Great hotel deals and $13.95 per day rental cars with low Hotwire Hot-Rates!

Here’s one of several first-person accounts among TICKET readers who have been selected for the TSA’s special “PreCheck” expedited security line at ATL.

So far, it seems like the frequently maligned TSA has knocked one outta the ballpark with this test. Time will tell if or when we see how far it expands beyond the testing stage. By the time the holiday crowds appear at airports later this year, everyone’s going to want to get into this special program! (Currently only at airports in Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit and Miami.)

>>GET SOCIAL WITH THE TICKET!! Are you signed up for our Facebook page or Twitter feed? If not, why not? We’d love to have you AND you’ll get more breaking news faster. Also, if you like a post, please use the buttons that you see above or below to share The TICKET with your social networks.<<

Here’s how TICKET reader DW described his recent trip through the super special line:

I flew to Ohio this past weekend to visit family and tested the new expedited screening line at Atlanta.  From what I had read, I would qualify because I’m enrolled in Global Entry, but I wasn’t clear how they would verify that – so I brought my passport just in case.  Turns out I didn’t need it.

The location is at the end of the Delta ticketing area (the “T-South” screening area).  They have two lines there, one for regular travelers and one for the expedited line.  They scan boarding pass as you approach, so my Global Entry status must have been captured on the Delta boarding pass because they directed me into the expedited line.  There was one person in front of me at the ID check station and by the time the agent had confirmed my boarding pass and ID, that person was walking through the metal detector.  I walked in, put my bag on the belt and walked through.  No hassle.  From the time I approached the line to the time I was through the security screening it took a total of less than three minutes.

They don’t need liquids or laptops to be removed from cases, so bags can go direct on the belt and through.  And they don’t require that we remove shoes, belts or blazers so I kept all three on.  Really very easy – and if they do roll it out and the crowds increase, it’ll still go much faster without all the jockeying at the metal detector to remove shoes and laptops.

The experience was positive enough that my partner and his son are both going to enroll in Global Entry* – not because they travel so much internationally, but because it qualifies them for this lane . . . .

*Note that American Express Platinum card holders get Global Entry free as part of the card’s new benefit package.

What do you think…Are YOU one of the chosen few who’ve tested the new PreCheck line? Please leave your comments below!

***

HELP US HELP YOU!  Fwd our URL to friends or share The TICKET via social networking! Tell all your friends to sign up for The TICKET.

Book your trips here:

AIRTRAN: Get the latest, greatest airfare deals from AIRTRAN.COM

DELTA: Click here for the latest fare sales and deals at Delta Air Lines

CHEAPO AIR: Air, hotel car rental and package deals galore from CheapOair.com

HOTWIRE: Great hotel deals and $13.95 per day rental cars with low Hotwire Hot-Rates!