Fall is the time when you just might find a few empty seats on planes.

SIGH OF RELIEF. Ah, fall! If the madding crowds of tourists have knocked you around this summer, relief is on the way. Over the next few weeks, packed planes, sold out hotels, lines at the breakfast bar and shrieks and squeals in the hotel pool area should subside. Airlines and hotels are already rolling out the fall deals and discounts, which is a signal to me that they’re a little skittish about declining demand. That means lower prices, more deals and some welcome breathing room for travelers.

Delta's new 747 BizElite seat

NEW BIZ ELITE SEATS AT DELTA. Delta announced that it will introduce yet another version of BusinessElite when it re-vamps interiors on it’s fleet of Boeing 747 starting next year. (I don’t know about you, but I get excited every time I see a big ole Delta 747. There’s just something about that plane that makes me feel great about flying!) Anyway, the new seat appears to be a cross between Delta’s herringbone BizElite pattern on its 777’s and the boxier 1-2-1 configuration on its 767’s and 757’s. Can’t wait to hear what TICKET readers think once the seat’s installed— but it won’t be here until next summer. In the meantime, if you ride on a Delta 747, you’ll get an old Northwest recliner in business class. (More photos here)

TRIPLE A+ CREDITS ON AIRTRAN. Buy a round trip between now and September 6 and you’ll earn triple A+ Rewards credits on AirTran. This means you’ll earn six A+ Rewards credits for every nonstop round trip originating in Atlanta and flown by November 17, 2010, instead of the standard two A+ credits. (PLEASE buy your ticket via links from here on The TICKET! Look down or to the right!>>)

$800+ ATL-NEWARK? Guess what’s happened since AirTran left the ATL-Newark market in the hands of Delta and Continental? Midweek trips ATL to EWR are now $800+! Stay over a weekend, or fly to La Guardia (where they compete with AirTran and American) and you’ll pay only $200-$300. Amazing! Check for yourself. (Below is a screenshot from a mid-October, Monday-Wednesday itinerary.) Make us wonder what will happen to ATL-Miami nonstop fares when AirTran exits that market on Oct 7. We’ll see….

COMP UPGRADES FOR SOME. SkyMiles Gold, Platinum and Diamond Medallion members (sorry, Silvers!) are now eligible for complimentary upgrades when traveling on frequent flyer award tickets. (Keep in mind that those who’ve actually paid for tickets get first priority, so it’s probably going to be tough to get at upgrade to/from ATL…but you never know…)

NEW WAY TO PAY AT ATL. The West economy lot has always been my favorite place to park at ATL. For a while there, it was almost a secret. But that cat got out of the bag long ago. Anyway…the airport is experimenting with a new credit card in/out payment system at the West lot. It’s a fully automated system where you enter the same credit card when you arrive and when you exit the lot—no need to collect and keep track of a paper ticket anymore. Expect to see the new system roll out airport wide sometime next year.

Delta's iconic, but dilapidated Worldport at JFK will soon disappear

DELTA TO DEMOLISH JFK WORLDPORT. Most ATL-based fliers only use JFK as a last resort— and for good reason. Delta’s dilapidated, ex-Pan Am Worldport facility there is a disgrace.  Good news: it will soon be demolished and Delta will move international flights to an updated Terminal 4. Not so good news: Delta’s holding on to its mediocre Terminal 2 for domestic flights. The two terminals will be connected by a very long enclosed walkway. (Note: Your TICKET editor arrived at JFK at Terminal 4 last week and found the immigration and customs process and facilities outstanding—truly set to international standards.)

FREE WI-FI ACROSS THE BAY. San Francisco International has finally joined Oakland and San Jose airports offering FREE Wi-Fi throughout the airport. Log on and look for the “sfo free wifi” network.

(Many of these items come from my Twitter feed. You’ll get more frequent updates by following me on Twitter.)

ICELAND ANYONE? Delta adds new 757 nonstops JFK-Reykjavik Iceland starting June 1, 2011. This is a great SkyMiles redemption idea! I’ve always wanted to go there…and hope that they can keep the volcanoes at bay until I do!

AIRTRAN EXITS QUAD CITIES. AirTran will eliminate nonstops between ATL and Quad Cities/Moline on November 30.

BUY ELITE SEATS. No longer an elite level on American Airlines? Now you can buy many elite privileges per flight with its new “Express Seats” plan. Example: Pay $29 extra when you check in for ATL-DFW and you’ll get a coach seat near the front and early boarding. Details. Worth it?

AIRTRAN UPS BAG FEE. Starting this month, AirTran will now charge $20 for the first checked bag, up from $15. Not such great news for travelers, but it’s good news for AirTran— the higher fee is expected to net the carrier an additional $63 million per year!

(photo: Riptheskull / Flickr)

HOLIDAYS ALREADY? Yep. Time to pull out the calendar and make those reservations. Based on previous peak seasons, we expect the lowest Thanksgiving fares on Monday, Nov 22 and Friday, Nov 26. You’ll get the lowest Christmas fares on Tuesday, Dec 21 and Tuesday, Dec 28. Other days around the holidays are going to be expensive this year, so don’t lolly-gag– when you see a fare that seems fair, book it!

GETTING TOUCH-FEELY. Most travelers know by now that they can opt for a pat down instead of going through those new full-body scanners. Now the TSA says that it’s “enhancing” the procedure to allow screeners to use their hands where they previously used just the backs of their hands. Sounds fun! Details

DELTA IS HIRING. Delta recently said that it’s hiring up to 1000 new workers to help cope with near record loads and it’s rapid expansion.

GOOD GRUB HUB. Sometimes I get tired of all the fancy meals on the road and long for a good, simple, cheap meal. The new Taxi Gourmet blog helps me do just that: the blogger interviews taxi drivers in NYC and elsewhere to get the skinny on good local eats.

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(Photo: Nhanusek / Flickr)

IHG HOTELS PAYING BAG FEES. Here’s a deal that should be music to the ears of non-elite air travelers forced to pay those dastardly new fees for checked bags. IHG Hotels (which include Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Staybridge Suites, Indigo among others) is offering to rebate $50 to travelers who book two or more weekend nights now through Dec 30. Must use Visa card to pay for your stay. Details.

MARRIOTT FALL DEAL. Marriott hotels kicked off the slower fall travel season with a pretty nice offer: Stay twice between September 15 and January 15 and get one free night. Must pay with Visa. Details

NEW HYATT CARD. Hyatt has unveiled a new Chase card with some nice bennies: You get two free nights and any Hyatt worldwide with first purchase. You get three Gold Passport points for every dollar spent at Hyatt. And they’ve eliminated those pesky foreign transaction fees. Annual fee is $75. Details

ARE YOU INDEPENDENT? Do you love independent, non-chain, upscale or luxury hotels, but miss the free nights you earn with big chain frequent stay programs? A new program called Stash Hotel Rewards offers five points per dollar spent at over 80 hotels, like the Affinia Dumont hotel in Manhattan, or the hotel Andra in Seattle, two of your TICKET editor’s top picks in those cities. Stash estimates that the average traveler could earn one free night after about five stays. Here’s a current and rapidly expanding list of the hotels that participate in Stash. To get points, you must book directly with the hotel’s web site, not via third party channels. Worth a look! Details

PICK YOUR ROOM. Did you know that Hilton’s Homewood Suites now allow travelers to choose their exact room 36 hours prior to arrival? Now that’s something I’d like to see across the hotel industry! Details

MORE FREE WI-FI. Slowly but surely, hotel chains are getting the message that frequent travelers  really REALLY want Wi-Fi charges included in their room rates.  Hilton recently joined a trend among several chains by offering free Wi-Fi across ALL its brands to elite level members of its HHonors program.  Details.

NICE IDEA! Hyatt’s new upscale Andaz chain offers free mini bars (alas, no booze…but still) Details. Have you stayed at an Andaz yet? If so, please leave your comments below.

STARWOOD CARD FEE. The popular Starwood/Amex card recently hiked its annual fee for the second time in two years to $65. Still worth it? (Maybe they felt they were leaving money on the table considering Hyatt’s new card fee of $75…)

COOL POOL. Singapore may now have the coolest rooftop hotel infinity pool ever. You’ve gotta see these photos to believe your eyes. It’s located at the brand new Marina Sands hotel there.

HOTEL HOUSEKEEPING TRENDS. We recently posted an interesting item about certain Starwood hotels that offer guests 500 Starpoints for opting out of hotel housekeeping. We heard from many of you who thought that was a dandy idea. Now there’s more. Best Western says that when asked, about 40% of it’s guests now opt for limited or no housekeeping. Hmm. I sorta like the idea of having my room cleaned each day. I don’t necessarily need linens changed, but a quick clean up is nice. What about you?  Leave your comments below.

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The weak, plasticky and unsatisfactory in-room coffee experience

As you may have read in previous issues, The TICKET has partnered with Starbucks to get the word out about VIA, its new line of instant coffee, among frequent travelers like YOU!

Starbucks VIA is perfect for those times you find yourself deprived of good coffee on the road. You know what I mean…like when your only option is that weak tea-like brew you find on hotel breakfast bars. Or worse, when you don’t have time (or money!) for room service and the stuff produced by the “coffee” maker in your hotel room is your only option. Ick! Then there are also those times when the coffee urn runs dry at that all-morning meeting…

With Starbucks VIA, just keep a pack in your briefcase or carry-on bag to ensure a really good cup of coffee no matter where you are. All you have to do is add hot or cold water. The taste is amazing—I honestly have a tough time telling the difference between VIA and the real thing. (>>>Click on the ad to the right for more info about VIA>>>)

How would you like to give Starbucks VIA a try for a month, for free?

Here’s all you have to do:

Leave a comment below or send me an email describing a travel situation where you WISHED you had a pack of Starbucks VIA to get your day off to a good start with a REAL cup of coffee. THAT’S IT!

Just two or three lines are all I’m looking for. But if you are feeling especially creative, send it along as a poem…or haiku*…or a photo. If you are already a fan of VIA, tell us why.

I’ll pick what I feel are the top three entries, and those folks will get a one-month supply of Starbucks VIA and a nice new mug sent to them. Easy!

I look forward to hearing from you!

*HAIKU: a 3 line, one stanza poem with a syllable count of 5, 7, 5.

Last week I attended the National Business Travel Association convention and exposition in Houston, Texas. This is an annual gathering of about 6000 corporate travel buyers and sellers.

I attended the same conference last summer in San Diego, where the mood was a lot different. Last year, attendees were searching for ways to deal with “the new normal,” pondering which airline or hotel chain would file for bankruptcy next, and wondering if they’d still have their jobs and be back again for this year’s conference.

Check out my two-minute video from the trade show floor in Houston last week to learn how eight business insiders responded when I asked if business travel was back. Their answer was crystal clear.

At the conference, American Express released some statistics that back up the optimism you’ll see in my video. It reports that global business travel spending contracted 9 percent last year. But this year, it’s expected to grow 6 percent (for a total of $895 billion!); next year it will increase 8 percent, and then 9 percent in 2013.

How would YOU respond if I asked you the same question? Have you noticed much change from last year when it comes to your inclination to hit the roads and skies this year? Please leave your comments below.

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Delta rolled out a new design for its homepage at delta.com today. It looks great and focuses on the functions frequent travelers use most.

Note that for now, it’s ONLY the homepage that has changed. The guts of the site are the same, but Delta says the redesign will eventually work its way throughout the entire site. Stay tuned.

Take a look delta.com and LET US KNOW what you think. Is this just “lipstick on a pig” or a meaningful move in the right direction?

Here’s a snapshot of the new page:

AIRTRAN AND DELTA REPORT PROFITS. The two largest carriers at ATL reported second quarter profits, which is great news for the ailing airline business. But it’s not such great news for travelers who are paying substantially more than they were this time last year. For example, AirTran says that its average one-way fare in the second quarter increased 10 percent to $97. Overall, summer airfares are 24 percent higher than last summer according to Bing Travel.

FEES HERE TO STAY. Airline revenue from ancillary fees totaled $7.8 billion in 2009, a 42 percent increase from 2008. That fat number includes $2.7 billion in checked bag fees, $2.4 billion from reservation change fees and $2.7 billion from miscellaneous fees. Delta alone raked in  $1.6 billion from ancillary charges in 2009.

MORE AIRPORT PERKS FOR AMEX PLATS. If you fork over $450 per year for your American Express Platinum card, your benefits just got better– cardholders now get access to US Airways airport clubs, as well as those from American, Delta and Continental airlines.

DELTA BEEFS UP IN NYC & DC. Stung by the feds disapproval of its slot-swap scheme with US Airways, Delta is nonetheless charging forward toward its goal of “dominating the New York market.” Beginning Sept. 7 it planes to add flights from New York (either LaGuardia or JFK) to  Nashville, St. Louis, Norfolk, Richmond,  Kansas City, San Antonio, Cleveland, Charlotte, Orange County, Baltimore, Montreal and Toronto. More details. And don’t forget that Delta recently expanded its Delta Shuttle operation with 11 new daily flights (and fat mileage bonuses) between New York-LaGuardia and Chicago O’Hare. Delta’s also expanding at Washington Reagan National airport with a total of 22 destinations served, up from the current 16.

GET DELTA HELP VIA TWITTER. If you are one of those whose eyes glaze over at the mention of Twitter, consider this: Delta has wrangled a team of social media and customer service reps to try and solve problems via Twitter. Delta asks that users to “tweet your questions, comments, concerns, praise – we love praise ; ) – etc. to @DeltaAssist.” And as long as you are on Twitter, be sure to follow my updates! @cjmcginnis

TIRED OF BAD COFFEE IN THE SKY OR ON THE ROAD? Our new sponsor Starbucks VIA plans to help out good-coffee-starved TICKET readers with an exclusive giveaway in a coming issue. Stay tuned!

Virgin America A320 Interior (Photo: Crucially / Flickr)

VIRGIN AMERICA TO ATLANTA? Don’t get your hopes up yet, but sassy California startup Virgin America just picked up 40 new Airbus jets at the Farnborough Air Show and is looking to expand to several major business travel markets over the next year. For example, it just announced new flights between SFO, LAX and Orlando. “Atlanta is definitely on our prospective cities list,” said Virgin spokesperson Abby Lunardini when contacted by The TICKET. If Virgin jumped into the Atlanta market, it would likely add flights to both San Francisco AND Los Angeles (LAX) where it operates nearly as many flights as it does at its home base at SFO. Would YOU fly Virgin America if it came to Atlanta, or would you stick with Delta and/or AirTran? LET US KNOW! Leave your comments below.

APPLE TO THE RESCUE. There’s a very helpful new iPhone application from the TSA that allows users to check airport security wait times and flight delays in real time.

FREAKISH FEES? While Congress and the airlines battle it out on Capitol Hill over new fees and transparency, the smart folks over at TripAdvisor have fashioned a very helpful “fees estimator” to its search engine– allowing users to enter the number of bags they plan to check as well as their frequent flyer program affiliation and status. Then the site calculates the TOTAL fee you’d pay and presents it for comparison on a matrix. Nice! See www.tripadvisor.com/flights and try it yourself.

AMERICAN BACK ON ATL-LGA. Earlier this month, American Airlines launched five daily roundtrips between ATL’s Concourse T and New York’s close-in La Guardia airport. It’s using smaller CRJ-700 “Barbie jets” on the route, but they all have first class sections, which helps. From now through September 30, AAdvantage members earn double miles. Register at www.aa.com/offers

HEATHROW EXPRESS DISCOUNTS. The fast and easy rail link between London’s Heathrow airport and Paddington station is half price (9 pounds instead of the normal 18) for groups of two or more through Sept 5. Details here.

EASIER SEAT SEARCHES. We love us some Seatguru.com when trying to pick the perfect seat for a long international or transcon flight. In the past it was tough because there are so many different configurations flying around out there. Seatguru’s solved that by letting you enter your airline flight NUMBER first, which means you’ll always see the exact layout of your flight.

THE TICKET GOES TO NBTA. Your TICKET editor will be hitting the tradeshow floor and checking out all the latest news and trends at the annual National Business Travel Association convention in Houston this August. Stay tuned for reports and videos! Interesting: I booked a standard car from Enterprise for three days in Houston via Hotwire for just $104 all in. Not bad, considering Hertz wanted a whopping $375 for the same car class!

RADICAL DESIGNS ON COACH CLASS. Check out this well done CNN video report on Air New Zealand’s radical designs on coach class seating for long haul flights.

WATCH THOSE VALUABLES. A 47-year-old Air France flight attendant is facing 10 years in jail after pleading guilty to stealing from business class passengers sleeping on long haul flights. She targeted passengers who would fall asleep after a big meal with lots of alcohol.

AIRTRAN TO THE D.R. AirTran will fly to another warm-weather destination, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, starting February 16. Punta Cana is closer to the D.R.’s increasingly popular all-inclusive resorts and is easier to navigate than Santo Domingo, the capital. And in case you are geographically challenged, the D.R. shares the island if Hispaniola with Haiti. It’s located between Cuba (to the west) and Puerto Rico (to the east). It’s AirTran’s fifth Caribbean destination. No word yet on fares.

NEW AIRPORT IN INDIA. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport just opened Terminal 3, a much needed 6.4 million square foot addition that includes 78 gates and 168 check in counters.

Delhi's new Terminal 3 welcomes travelers this week. (Photo: AP)

DELTA + GOL. Delta and Brazil’s GOL Airlines have linked the SkyMiles and SMILES programs allowing members to earn miles on both carriers. Redemptions are expected later this year.

SADNESS OF THE SILVERS. We received quite a lot of responses to our post about Silver status with SkyMiles. Check them out here—by far the longest list of comments we’ve EVER seen on The TICKET.

DOUBLES AT HILTON. HHonors members earn double points OR double airline miles for each stay between now and September 30, but you must register first.  (As always with Hilton, you earn both airline miles and HHonors points at qualifying rates, but in the case of this promo, you must choose which one you want to earn the bonus.)

VACATION BARGAINS? If you are still wondering where you’d like to go for a summer break, consider Florida where hotel prices have crashed due to the oil spill, even though most beaches remain unaffected. Expedia reports that average daily rates crashed nearly 30 percent in popular summer destinations such as Miami, the Florida Keys, Ft Lauderdale and New Orleans. On the other hand, don’t expect the place to be deserted. Smith Travel Research reports that hotel occupancy in the region was up 7 percent in June year-over-year and will be up around 4 percent in July.

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Air Force One

On Tuesday, President Obama urged federal government employees to cut back on business travel in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The president wants the federal government, now the largest energy consumer in the country, to cut its emissions from indirect sources like commuting and business travel by 13 percent by 2020.

That sounds fair enough, but the announcement did not sit well at all with the travel industry.

On Wednesday the U.S. Travel Association fired back, calling Obama’s effort to curb government employee travel “short-sighted and counter-productive…. and will further economic decline at precisely the wrong time for the more than two million Americans whose jobs depend on business travel.” (Read the full statement here.)

Michael McCormick, executive director of another travel trade organization, the National Business Travel Association stated, “President Obama’s recent statements calling for a reduction in government travel are troubling for two reasons. First, they are part of a pattern of negative and misguided comments from the Administration that hurt the travel industry at an incredibly challenging time. Second, they seem to imply that cutting travel is the goal. The goal should be to use travel as cost-effectively as possible to meet the needs of the United States…”

On Thursday, perhaps as a way to hold out an olive branch to the beleagured travel industry, the President announced the he and his family would be vacationing on the Florida Gulf coast in August.

Who is right here? Should we be cut back on business travel to reduce emissions? Or should we encourage business travel to aid an ailing travel industry that’s just now starting to recover? Please leave your comments below!

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I’m still a little bit star struck.

Last week, on the first leg of my journey home from my summer vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., I traveled with one of my all-time favorite singers and songwriters, Carly Simon.

Here’s what happened: As we were walking along the pier to enter the queue for the ferry back to the mainland, a woman in a billowy white dress, a big handbag, blonde hair and a very familiar face walked up behind us in line.

Carly Simon looking and sounding great at 65 on the ferry between Martha's Vineyard and Woods Hole, Mass. (and me!)

I looked at her and smiled, then looked away, and then a little bell went off in my head. I turned and looked again, and she smiled back at me, and I stuttered something like, “Did anyone ever tell you that you look like. . . um wait a minute. . . are you Carly Simon?” As a long-time fan, I knew that she lived on Martha’s Vineyard, so the possibility was not completely far fetched.

She smiled and said, “Yes, I am,” and seemed eager for a friendly chat, so I engaged. Read the rest of this entry »

Singapore Air's business class "seat" looks more like a sofa!

Remember last year when everyone thought that no one would fly in the front of the plane again…forever? Times they are a changin’! And for the better if you are a frequent international business traveler.

Check out what American Express found when looking at its first quarter data:

Historically there has been close to an even split of passengers flying businesses class versus economy for International travel.  However during the heart of the recession last year – particularly in the second quarter of 2009 – the percentage of tickets booked in business class hit its lowest rate at 36%.  As the trending now shows, percentage rates are on the rise, indicating travelers are moving back to the front of the plane.

>  Q1 2010 International Business Class – 41%

>  Q1 2009 International Business Class – 39%

>  Q1 2008 International Business Class – 51%

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Remember the CLEAR registered traveler program? Those who shelled out $179 per year got a special bio-metric membership card, which provided access to exclusive, shorter security lines at 21 airports across the country.

While CLEAR won the hearts and wallets of its customers, it struggled with debt and demand and abruptly shut down last June.

In recent months, a new company called Alclear announced an agreement to purchase the assets of the old company (Verified Identity Pass) and crank the operation back up.

Alclear’s first move was to update the www.flyclear.com web site, which had been dormant. The revived site encourages previous, new, or just curious travelers to fill out a form and vote on which airports where they’d like to see the service.

However, it does NOT state which airports it intends to target for the re-launch. (Prior to shut down, CLEAR operated at ATL.) Don’t get your hopes up yet. The new company has to sign all new airport agreements, a process which could take quite a while. The site says, “We are in discussions with multiple airports to re-introduce CLEAR,” but does not mention any airports by name. However, Denver is rumored to be the re-launch airport sometime this fall.

The site’s FAQs also state that the new company will honor previous members’ remaining membership terms as of June 2009. (For example, those who had three months left in their term will get three months free membership.)

In what appears to a bungled first step, this week Alclear sent out a confusing and unwieldy email (two full pages, 1200 words) to former members. The gist of the tome was to ask those former members who DO NOT want back in to send the new company a letter (via snail mail) asking to “opt-out” of the new program and have their data destroyed. (Here’s the full email.)

Anyway… I was a former member of CLEAR and must admit that the service paid for itself, but not because it actually saved me all that much time. As an elite level member of several frequent flyer programs, I already had access to shorter, faster security lines.

What CLEAR did was remove the uncertainty from the airport screening process– at ATL as well as in other airports that don’t have special elite lines, or those that have unpredictable wait times. To me, as a frequent business traveler, that kind of peace of mind was worth $179.

So, frequent travelers, what do you think? Would you sign up again or for the first time?

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YEAH! BURGER

1168 Howell Mill Road, Suite E

404-496-4393

www.yeahburger.com

The burger craze has certainly hit Atlanta in the past year as several burger-focused eateries are popping up all over town.  I decided to see what the buzz was all about and visit the latest modern-day burger joint, YEAH! BURGER.  The restaurant is owned and operated by Chef Shaun Doty of Shaun’s in Inman Park and entrepreneur Erik Maier.  Since Doty is normally known for his upscale fare, I was curious to see how his casual burger joint would pan out.

We arrived at YEAH! BURGER on a Monday evening right around 6 p.m. and the restaurant was fairly busy with a nearly full house inside and a few couples enjoying their meal on the patio. I liked that YEAH! BURGER was designed as a fast-casual restaurant where customers place their order at the counter and their food is delivered to the table.  I think this offers a certain convenience for this type of restaurant. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Stenz / Flickr

Ever since Delta announced its new “Sky Priority” recognition program (for gold, platinum and diamond members of SkyMiles), I’ve been hearing from long-time silver medallion status members complaining about their rank at the bottom of the medallion totem poll.

But really now, has something changed? Or is it perception and a nagging inferiority complex on the part of silvers? We’ve got both sides of the story (a reader letter and a response from a Delta exec) so let’s take a look:

Speaking for many, TICKET reader “Nancy” submitted the following, which we forwarded to the head of Delta’s SkyMiles program, Jeff Robertson, requesting a response:

Dear Chris:

Last year, my company cut back travel substantially (and is doing so again this year).  I missed Gold by about a thousand miles — silly me, I should have flown somewhere on my own to have gotten to Gold.  So I’m Silver Medallion now and feeling the pain.  I’m a Million Miler with Delta and purchased the Sky Club membership for 3 years, but now due to Sky Priority and the new signage, I can’t go through the dedicated security lines (they removed club membership as a qualifier).

Photo: M. Fullmer

I’ve never felt so under-appreciated until I read the CEO’s article in Sky Magazine this month.  He states, “Delta continues to take steps to offer our MOST VALUABLE customers added travel conveniences.  To this end, we recently launched Sky Priority, …” (emphasis mine) So as a Million Miler, I’m not considered one of the “most valuable” customers — though my loyalty is indicated by how I’ve consistently flown Delta for years and I’ve been Platinum for many of those years.

I understand Delta needs to influence their customer base to fly more now and the past is the past, but I think there is some recognition due to those who’ve reached milestones with Delta that demonstrate strong customer loyalty.  For example, simply indicating the MM [Million Miler] status on the ticket and providing a few free drink coupons now and then would be a nice gesture.

Thankfully, due to the Rollover Miles feature, I’m close to achieving Gold status.  That was a nice addition to the program.

Thanks for giving a forum to share our thoughts.

Delta's Jeff Robertson

Here’s what we heard back from Jeff Robertson:

Thanks for the note.  Are these customers being specific as to what benefit has been taken away?  I’m confused.  We did add incremental benefits referred to as SkyPriority for our highest tiers (Diamond, Platinum and Gold) that includes the highest boarding priority, priority baggage, security access and a better phone line, but Silvers had no takeaways or changes to their existing benefits and never had access to priority baggage, these new phone lines or preferred security access.

I want to answer, but I guess I’m not sure what the takeaway is?  When a customer hits a Million Mile threshold, they are awarded with lifetime elite status at various levels and generally a set of Hartmann luggage.  That hasn’t changed, nor has the gifting of Silver elite status to these 1M miler levels.

–Jeff

So Silvers, to warp a phrase from Janet Jackson: What has Delta NOT done for you lately? Is there a specific take-away you can point to as a reason for all the scorn? Please leave your comments by clicking on the COMMENTS tab below.

Here are a few snippets from other slighted silvers:

• I actually saw this Sky Priority “thing” in action this past Wednesday in Boston, when all Gold, Platinum, Diamond, SkyTeam Elite Plus, and Business/First Class passengers formed a long line to pre-board.  The Silver Medallion members, of course, waited until all these important people boarded and then were allowed to board. –JL
• I have been Gold/Silver for over 15 years. Last year, I only flew 23k miles. I thought that the carryover would get me back into at least Silver, but after re-reading the rules, the carryover is only after you reach a medallion level. So now it’s to the back of the bus. Now that I’m starting to travel again, it sucks. —WL
• Silver level is now practically worthless since Diamond and partners were added to priority boarding, one does not board with other Medallions and is lucky to be in Zone 2. Sometimes SILVER status isn’t even mentioned… –DC
• Yes, it would suck to be a Silver Medallion, Especially in Atlanta.  You have to put up with all of the uppity Diamonds, like me! –PB
• Due to travel cutbacks related to the economy, I went from Gold to Silver to No Medallion status at Delta. Apparently, having maintained either Gold or Silver for the past 15 years means nothing to Delta.  Compare that to Marriott.  I went from Gold to Silver.  Their response:  An upgrade back to Gold!   My response:  All of my hotel stays this year have been at Marriott properties. — EH
• Last year, as a Silver Medallion, you called 800 325 6330. You put in your Medallion number. Within 2 to 3 minutes, you got “Special Member Services”. I’ve booked/called 5x times this year. I’ve waited MORE THAN 30 MINUTES on the weekend. And then when I ask is this the “silver medallion’ line, they say ‘no’. –JT
• Not only am I silver medallion for over 14 years running, with some years making gold o platinum I’m a million miler as well. What does this get me? Nada. I have to board with everybody else. Hmmm, silver translates to so what suckers.—Ivan
• I’m a million miler and silver medallion for life…A few weeks ago I entered the premium security line with my Platinum AMEX card (not platinum Skymiles). This card allows you free entry into the Crown Rooms, Continental’s clubs and American’s clubs and usually was good enough for entry into the premium security line given that club room members can use this line as well. Delta’s agent very nastily informed me it was no good to them any longer. RJS
• Delta makes those of us who start at Silver Medallion earn it all over again (yes 25k) every year before they will use our miles to advance to Gold status. They also do not carry over these miles to the next year for us to use to advance our status. –RJC

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzRKw567GVo

Remember last Christmas when the “underwear bomber” almost brought down a Delta jumbo-jet over Detroit?

That prompted the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to grab a big pile of federal stimulus money for about 150 more full body scanners– you know, the ones that produce images like the one you see below.

There are currently 97 of the so-called “advanced imaging units” in use at airports across the country  but TSA says that number will soar to around 500 by the end of this year– with nearly 1000 in place by the end of 2011.

There are currently three full-body scanners in use at ATL. Two are located at the main terminal checkpoint and one is at the international arrivals checkpoint in Terminal E. When the additional machines are deployed there will be machines at all of the airport’s checkpoints.

Earlier this month, The TICKET  was invited to San Jose Mineta International Airport to check out the first batch of four new “backscatter” scanners. These are different than the “millimeter wave” units you may have seen at ATL and elsewhere, but represent the latest technology. This means that you’ll see more backscatter machines appear at ATL and 28 other airports (see list) between now and the end of the year.

(See video for a look at the new generation units.)

Here’s what you need to know:

>WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE? The newer backscatter machines look like two big blue boxes with a small open alley down the middle. (Millimeter wave units are rounder looking with the passenger surrounded by Plexiglas for the scan.)

>HOW DO I GET SCANNED? You walk into the scanners, turn sideways, place feet in square boxes marked on the rubber floor, hold hands up and wait for the TSA agent to tell you to exit. The whole process takes about five seconds. (See video for a real-life walk through.)

>WHAT IS DIFFERENT? As usual, you must remove shoes and belts and place them with carry-on luggage in bins. But when getting a full body scan, you must also remove your wallet or any other non-metallic objects from pockets. (Wallet removal is not necessary with the standard magnetometers.)

>WHAT ABOUT RADIATION? The TSA says that the radiation emitted by these machines is equivalent to what you are exposed to during about two minutes aboard at aircraft at altitude, and far less than what the government permits for cell phones.

>WHAT DO SCANNERS SCAN? Body scanners only expose what’s between your skin and the clothes you are wearing. They are NOT like x-rays, which penetrate your skin and show internal organs and bone. (This is a plus for travelers with artificial joints or other metallic implants who’ve been slowed down and forced to submit to pat downs at traditional magnetometers.)

Dummy image provided by TSA

>WHO SEES MY PRIVATES? The TSA agent directing you into the full body scanner never sees your image. This officer is wearing an earpiece and is in radio contact with another TSA officer viewing your image in a remote area. Once your image has been checked, this officer then tells the attending officer to allow you to pass, or to subject you to secondary screening if he/she sees any anomalies. (See video for a behind the scenes look at the remote viewing room.)

>WHAT HAPPENS TO THE IMAGES? The TSA emphasizes that these images cannot be stored, saved or transmitted. In addition, they do no allow officers to bring cameras, cell phones or PDA’s in rooms where images are viewed. (Except for ours, of course, but that was just for the media…)

>WHAT ABOUT ADULT DIAPERS OR SANITARY PADS? Citing confidentiality, the TSA officer at San Jose Airport would not tell me how or if the machines can tell the difference between a sanitary pad and contraband placed in the crotch area.

>WHO IS PAYING FOR ALL THIS? You are. The units cost about $150,000 a pop, which means that the TSA spent nearly $75 million on this latest round of full body scanners. (Check out how the stock of OSI Systems, parent of scanner manufacturer Rapiscan, has soared since Christmas when this order was placed)

So, what do you think, folks? Is this an invasion of your privacy, or a necessary evil for safety’s sake?

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A Delta Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ700) Photo: Kevin Boydston / Flickr

Delta Air Lines plans to make First Class service available on all domestic flights longer than 750 miles, or about two and one-half hours of flight time, beginning this fall.

Delta says, “The enhancement means Delta customers can enjoy the benefits of First Class service on more domestic flights, and SkyMiles members will have more opportunities for upgrades to First Class seating. With its June schedule, Delta already leads the industry in availability of first-class seating, with 11 percent of the carrier’s domestic seats in First or Business class.”

This will add two-class service to 50 more of these longer routes where Delta only offers coach class service on these so-called Barbie Jets (its fleet of smaller, thinner Delta Connection CRJ700s).

The following routes from ATL are scheduled for the upgrade:

Here’s the full release from Delta.

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NOTE: In the June issue, we’ve got SEVEN different posts– please be sure to scroll through all of them! And click on the “COMMENTS” link at the bottom of each post to let us know what you are thinking.

• Airline News
• Delta News
• AirTran News
• ATL Airport News
• The TASTE of the TICKET
• Summer Travel Tips
• Special post about winners of of 4 business class tickets

Happy Reading!

–Chris McGinnis

FARE SALES. FARE SCHMALES. Don’t be fooled by fancy marketing techniques…while airlines continue to churn out and promote summer fare “sales,” have you actually checked out the fares? For summer travel at convenient times, fares are getting much higher than we’ve paid in recent years—especially if you are trying to fly from ATL non-stop on a route not served by AirTran or another low-fare carrier. The only other way to save money during peak summer travel season (roughly June 20-Aug-20) is to take one-stop flights, or early morning or late night flights. Many of the decent fares are gone for convenient morning and afternoon flights favored by business travelers. Advice: If you see a fare that feels right, go ahead and buy it because fares are not coming down any time soon. Silver lining? Hotel rates are at about the same very low level they were last summer. Car rental rates have come down, too. And gas is expected to remain at about $3 per gallon on average all summer.

FARE EXAMPLES: Roundtrip fares between ATL and Europe during July and August are already well over $1200 and moving higher, fast. The cheapest nonstops to Portland, OR are now $600 roundtrip. Nashville nonstops are now over $400. El Paso, TX, $500 round trip. Jackson, WY, $420. More competitive business travel routes are still reasonable for July flights, but the lowest fares are found on slow days or inconvenient times: for example, you can still fly to Boston or Denver for about $250 round trip. July roundtrip flights to San Francisco and LAX are in the $300 range. New York (LGA) and Chicago (ORD) are still relative bargains with fares dipping below $200 in some cases. Do you have any examples of freakishly high summer airfares? If so, click on the COMMENTS link below and LET US KNOW.

BIG GOVERNMENT ON YOUR SIDE? Even those frequent flyers who think we’ve got a socialist in the White House might appreciate the strong pro-consumer stance the administration has taken when it comes to airline abuses. Over the last week, it’s proposed more fair and sensible new rules for airlines to follow:

• Higher penalties paid to flyers who are involuntarily bumped from flights.
• A 24-hour grace period after purchasing a ticket in which you can get a full refund.
• Inclusion of all taxes and fees in airfare advertising.
• Refunding of checked baggage fees if bags are lost or late.

Earlier this year, the administration took a very tough stance on tarmac delays, imposing a new three-hour limit, which is forcing airlines to adopt new ground-handling procedures to avoid unusually stiff fines. Despite loud protests from the airline industry, the administration has not backed down. According to this ABCnews.com article by emerging travel-writing star Scott Mayerowitz, this new “get-tough” stance is in marked contrast to previous administrations that preferred to let airlines police themselves— something that clearly did not work. What do you think? Please click on the COMMENTS link below and LET US KNOW.

ITA SOFTWARE SEARCH. When it comes to searching for airfares, I’m a big fan of the meta-search sites like Kayak.com and Fly.com. But there’s another one that flies under the radar that’s even better called ITA Software. (It’s not heavily marketed and PR’d because it’s mostly a development site that provides the backbone for other search engines.) Anyway, it’s always been a little bit unwieldy, but they’ve come out with a much cleaner, easier matrix display interface that you should check out and use when you can. Overall, it seems to provide the most comprehensive list of available fares, and now has easy-to-use filters and charts to help you make a good decision. http://matrix2.itasoftware.com

BUH-BYE TO LIQUIDS BAN? In his recent MSNBC post colleague Chris Elliott surmised that the TSA has quietly stopped enforcing the ban on liquids and gels in carry-on bags. Based on a lot of frequent flying over the last six months, I’ve noticed the same thing…I never take my toilet kit out of my bag any more. I don’t separate 3-oz. toiletries and place them in the one liter plastic bag. And the TSA does not stop me. I was even in London last week and packed two 5 oz tubs of shaving cream in my carry on…and just carried on. What’s been your experience? Please click on the COMMENTS link below and LET US KNOW!

WATCH YOUR TICKET EDITOR CHRIS MCGINNIS on GOOD MORNING AMERICA talking about summer airfares. (Short but sweet!)

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