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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airtran.com | delta.com | Hotwire

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