Archive for the ‘Airport News’ Category

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 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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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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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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BIG LINE AT THE MAIN AIRTRAN COUNTER? Then head over its recently remodeled and expanded secondary counter on the near north side of the MARTA station. The airport moved the WWII artifacts and history exhibits so AirTran has more room to operate its expanded ticket counter and kiosk operation.  And, celebrating its partnership with the Atlanta Falcons, the backwall is now a photo of its specially painted “Falcons 1″ in air.

EARLIER IS BETTER. AirTran’s made it a lot easier for business travelers to make day trips—out early in the morning and home in time for supper. Okay…home in time for the 11 o’clock news.. Anyway, flights to the following cities now depart in the 7 am hour – Boston, New York-LGA, Baltimore/Washington, Washington National, Orlando, Tampa, Dallas, Chicago-Midway and Fort Lauderdale.

SAVE 5 PERCENT ON ALL AIRTRAN FLIGHTS. Did you know that AirTran is now the only airline partner in the American Express OPEN Savings program? This means you get an automatic 5 percent discount on all AirTran flights purchased with the card. 5 percent is not huge, but it adds up over time if you’re flying a lot. Details:  http://www.airtran.com/opensavings/

AIRTRAN AND FRONTIER PART WAYS. On July 16, AirTran and Frontier will terminate their four-year old frequent flyer program partnership. That’s too bad for AirTran A+ members who redeem their miles for Frontier flights to western cities like Portland, OR where Frontier flies but AirTran does not. But AirTran officials tell The TICKET that this is a much bigger deal for Frontier’s EarlyReturns members because they were booking eight times as many AirTran flights as A+ members were booking on Frontier.

DRINK YOUR MILK. AirTran now serves milk – it offers NesQuik chocolate and regular milk for $2 onboard in coach (free in business class). AirTran tells The TICKET that good old milk’s been a much bigger hit than expected.

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photo: StGundy / Flickr

On July 1 on-airport parking rates will rise for the first time since January 2006. ATL officials tell The TICKET that this brings its rates closer to those at comparable airports across the country. Daily rates at the Park-Ride lot ($9) and the Park-Ride Reserve lot ($12) will remain the same, but hourly rates are doubling in many cases.

Rate increases will go into effect July 1 for the following lots:

For more information about Airport parking, please visit www.atlanta-airport.com/Parking/.

RELATED: ANOTHER “BESTFEST?”

Here’s an interesting video story from CBS Atlanta news about outgoing airport chief Ben DeCosta’s $25,000 farewell party which unfortunately took place on the eve of layoffs at the airport. In the segment, Mayor Kasim Reed acknowledged the appearance of impropriety, but said that no taxpayer dollars were used. The $25,000 tab was picked up by companies that do business with the airport. (This reminds me of another overly lavish airport party scandal in the early 90’s….remember when the airport got caught throwing a $700,000 party called “BestFest” to celebrate the airport winning “Best Airport” from an obscure travel magazine.) Thoughts please! Click on COMMENTS below and let her rip!

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Asia’s got us beat when it comes to the world’s best airports.

Hong Kong is one of three “Five-Star” airports in the world according to SkyTrax, a well-respected international organization that ranks both airlines and airports based on surveys of thousands of frequent international business travelers from around the world.

For 2010, the only three airports to get “five star” status are Singapore-Changi, Seoul Incheon and Hong Kong Kong International. (Full report here)

On this side of the Pacific,  San Francisco International placed second in North America after Vancouver. SFO’s also the ONLY U.S. airport to place in the top 25 worldwide.

Have you ever flown through one of these “Five Star” airports? What did you think? How do they compare to other international or U.S. airports? Please leave your comments below.

FLIGHT CHECK: On a recent business trip to Asia, I flew via SFO to Seoul’s Incheon Airport on Korean Air and was VERY impressed with both airports. I made a two-minute video about that journey which included coverage of Incheon Airport. (See video below and note that Korean Air business class seats on 777s out of SFO are identical to the ones offered on its 777 nonstop from ATL to Seoul-ICN. They are nearly flat, but not completely flat. However, KAL says that it plans to have fully flat “Prestige Sleepers” on the ATL-ICN route in August.)

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FREE WI-FI ON AIRTRAN MAR 13-27. To draw attention to its new partnership with AirTran (see below), American Express is sponsoring free Wi-Fi on all AirTran flights for two weeks: March 13-27. Sweet! That’s an immediate savings of $5 to $13 depending on flight length.

AIRTRAN MEANS BUSINESS. AirTran has recently teamed up with American Express to offer some really nice bennies and discounts to business travelers.  Thanks to TICKET reader NHK for tipping us off to this with the following email: “Have you seen the new promo from American Express? They are offering 5 percent cash back to cardholders on all AirTran ticket purchases using the OPEN Business Platinum card. Since Delta ceased to offer the rebate on its branded and platinum cards last May, this may change travelers’ loyalty. What do you think and what are you hearing from other travelers? P.S. Before Delta canceled the benefit last year, I received more than enough in cash savings to cover the card fees.”

We looked into this and NHK is right on. Those who charge their AirTran tickets on any American Express OPEN Business card now get an automatic 5 percent discount. What’s even better for travelers is that the card offers the same automatic 5 percent discount at several Marriott brands, and with Hertz. (With Hyatt, you get a 3% discount.)  The annual free for an Amex OPEN Business card is $125, but the fee is waived for the first year. No coupons, no special codes…just sign up for the card, use it,  and you get the discount. Not bad!

BIZ TRAVEL IS BACK? Delta raised its profit forecast for this quarter citing a 34 percent jump in corporate travel ticket volume and a 32 percent rise in corporate travel revenue in February versus a year earlier. What about YOU? Are you flying more than this time last year? LET US KNOW! Leave your comments in the box below.

AIRTRAN ADDING NEW FLIGHTS. But not in Atlanta. According to this article in the AJC, AirTran has scaled back its expansion in Atlanta and is instead focusing on smaller cities such as Des Moines, Tunica and Huntsville, AL. And instead of routing those flights through Atlanta, they are adopting the Southwest Airlines strategy of going point-to-point. Interesting stat: Two years ago, AirTran had 260 daily flights out of ATL. Now it’s got closer to 200.

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Exuma, Bahamas (Photo: Vixix/Flickr)

DELTA DOWN UNDER. In addition to its daily ATL-Sydney flight (via LAX) Delta will add a new JFK-LAX-SYD flight on June 1.

EXUMA ANYONE? Delta is launching new twice-weekly flights between ATL and Exuma in the Bahamas on June 13. Talk about a pretty place! Not a bad idea for SkyMiles redemptions. Intro fares are just $129 each way.

IN-FLIGHT WI-FI UPDATE. As you know by now, AirTran has in-flight Wi-Fi on 100 percent of its fleet. Delta’s scrambling to be able to say the same thing, and it’s getting close. As of now, Delta’s got it on 73 percent of its mainline fleet—nearly 400 of its 528 aircraft. It says it will be on 100 percent of mainline fleet by end of summer. Right now,  it is on ALL MD88, MD90 and B737 jets. It’s also on most (120) B757s and on 37 Airbuses. Nice!

IT HURTS TO BE DEMOTED. From TICKET reader TM: “My business travel severely declined last year and I lost my Medallion status as of 3/1. I purchased a ticket last night for travel ATL-DFW this Sunday in category ‘Y’ – full fare for the outrageous sum of $1,141! When I went to the Delta website and attempted to choose seats, the outbound flight showed four seats available – all on the exit row and they were marked ‘Preferred.’ I selected one and answered all of the questions and the page refreshed and I didn’t have a seat. I tried that a few times and gave up and called Delta. I was told that they couldn’t assign a seat at this time since the only seats available were Preferred seats. It didn’t matter to Delta that I paid for a full fare coach ticket – they told me that only their Elite members may choose those seats.”

FLAT BEDS TO TOKYO? We’ve heard rumors that the next Delta route to get those nice new “herringbone” style lie flat business class seats on a B777 will be ATL-Tokyo starting in June. We’ve tried unsuccessfully to get Delta to confirm. This is great news for travelers headed to Asia and then beyond from Delta’s hub at Narita. Starting in August, SkyMiles partner Korean Air will offer its brand new lie-flat “prestige” sleepers (click for video) on its nonstops to Seoul and beyond. (And we think a connection in the amazingly serene Seoul-Incheon airport is going to be a lot easier than in congested Narita.)

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IT’S GETTING CROWDED IN HERE. Business Travel News posted an enlightening nugget about something we’ve known all along. “Domestic airlines last year served the fewest passengers since 2004, but recorded the most crowded planes ever, according to data released this week by the DOT. Nearly 40 million fewer domestic and international passengers took to the skies on U.S. carriers last year than in 2008, marking the lowest annual total since 2004. However, thanks to dramatic year-over-year capacity cuts of 6.3 percent in 2009 for domestic and international services, the U.S. industry’s aggregate 81.1 percent annual load factor is the highest on record.”

Note the Hawaiian Lei on the Eskimo!

NORCAL: NEW GATEWAY TO HAWAII. If you’ve had trouble earning and burning SkyMiles on flights to Hawaii, a new gateway to the islands has opened up in the Bay Area. SkyMiles partner Alaska Air is aggressively expanding in California, and has recently added a slew of new 737-800 nonstops to Kona and Maui from Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento. Since these Alaska Air flights depart California cities in the early morning, you might have to fly in the night before and stay over. But hey…it might be worth it. (Delta’s got nonstops between ATL and Sacramento and San Jose; one stops to Oakland.)

GO ON AIRTRAN. Have you taken a look at Go, AirTran’s in-flight mag lately? It’s just won the big prize in the “best inflight magazine” category from the North American Travel Journalists Association. This year, the magazine celebrates its five-year anniversary. Interesting stat: Go snags TWO MILLION readers a month! Compare that to Fortune magazine, which gets about 850,000 readers per month. What do YOU think of GO? How does it compare to Delta’s SKY or other in-flight magazines you read? Please leave your comments below!

FLYING BRITISH AIRWAYS THIS SPRING? Then you need to see this video regarding the possible strike by flight attendants, starring BA CEO Willie Walsh.

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This just in from AirTran about a big schedule re-do coming in late May which should help make day trips easier…and help improve on-time performance.

“As TICKET readers know, AirTran Airways operates a hub in Atlanta and that hub is built with banks of flights.  Traditionally we would have flights come in from the outstations to the ATL hub and then have departures going out to all the stations. While this can be very efficient in collecting passengers and connecting them, it can leave holes in the local Atlanta schedule.

For example, with the first bank at 8 a.m., arrivals are coming in around 7:30 a.m. and then they start departing around 8:30 a.m.  So, for example, the first flights on AirTran to the major business centers from ATL occur between 8:30 and 9:30 – which could be too late to get to a major city for a mid-morning meeting.  Right now, ATL-BOS gets you in by lunch time.

After listening to our corporate fliers, we have decided to add early morning originators (EMOs) from ATL to key business destinations in the East and Midwest. We have also added later returns so it is perfect for an Atlanta business traveler to go out and back the same day.”

Airport most affected: Boston, Baltimore, Washington Reagan-National, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Ft Lauderdale, New York-La Guardia, Orlando, Chicago-Midway and Tampa.

Those tired old "Mobile Lounges" are history! (Photo: Kumokasumi/Flickr)

DULLES AEROTRAIN IS OPEN. R.I.P. “MOBILE LOUNGES.” Finally, those awful, awkward “mobile lounges” that travelers to and from Washington, DC’s Dulles Airport had to endure to get to their gate…are history (for the most part)! The airport’s new underground AeroTrain system commenced service last month. Every two minutes, shiny new trains whisk passengers along a central spine connecting the main terminal with distant concourses. (Sorta similar to train systems at airports in Atlanta and Denver…) Delta and AirTran operate out of the “B” gates at Dulles. Note: For the time being, United passengers traveling to/from the airport’s “D” gates still have to board the mobile lounges. Luckily, most Atlanta-based travelers can choose Washington-Reagan-National airport when their destination is D.C. proper and only choose Dulles when fares are cheaper or when they’ve got business in northern Virginia and the surrounding region,

As of today, Canadian authorities have relaxed the onerous ZERO carry-on bag policy enacted after Christmas Day bombing attempt over Detroit. Passengers on flights bound for the U.S. from Canada can now carry on a single bag, plus a personal item like a purse, briefcase or laptop bag.

This is more or less a return to the rules in force before the Dec 25 incident, but a spokesperson at Transport Canada told The TICKET that travelers should expect tighter enforcement of the one-bag rule.

This is VERY good news for Vancouver Winter Olympics-bound travelers headed north in February.

Frequent international travelers must rely on “pictograms” to find bathrooms in countries where they may not speak the local language. I know I have. But what I did NOT know is how these images can vary so widely. Atlanta artist (and long-time TICKET reader) Gregor Turk has actually studied this phenomenon, collected a sampling, and made it into a unique public art display at Jacksonville (FL) International Airport. VERY interesting!

Turk notes that even the most standard pictograms vary in their width, cut of the arms, broadness of the shoulders, and distance or connectivity of the head to the body.  At facilities that employ a greater sense of design, highly stylized pictograms reflect a much greater range in variations of body types, shapes, proportions, and activities. When the images of the respective figures are shown collectively, their typological differences become apparent, even amusing.  The pictograms used as a source for this installation come from Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Israel, Lebanon, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Syria, and the United States.

If you come across unusual pictograms, he’d appreciate it if you’d take photos and email them to him: info@gregorturk.com More info at www.gregorturk.com

Since the attempted bombing of Delta/Northwest flight 253 over Detroit on Christmas Day, airport security has been turned on its head (once again).

While we expect changes, here’s what you need to know right now:

1>Most increased security is on inbound-to-U.S flights. As far as we can tell, the only changes you may notice for domestic U.S. flying are more frequent pat-downs at airport security and the possibility of a random screening of your carry-on bags at the gate. (If you were traveling post 9/11 you may remember this procedure where a handful of passengers, usually those near the front of the boarding line, were chosen “randomly” to have the contents of their carry-ons displayed to everyone boarding the plane…)

2>Canadian authorities have  lifted the onerous complete ban on carry-on luggage (except for personal items like purses or laptops) for flights departing Canada for the U.S. Updates here. British Airways tells The TICKET that travelers inbound to the U.S. from the U.K. are currently restricted to a SINGLE carry on that must conform to normal size standards (one bag only…which means you need to put your purse or briefcase INSIDE your carry on suitcase)

3>When returning from another country to the U.S., you will go through at least TWO security checks: First, when checking in for your flight at the airline counter, you will face possible frisking, baggage inspection and questioning BY THE AIRLINE. Second, local authorities at airport security checkpoints will screen you as you make your way to the departure gate. There is also the possibility of random checks at the departure gate.

4>REMEMBER: We are entering the “dead weeks” or the SLOWEST travel period of the year, so don’t expect ongoing huge delays or long lines. Despite media reports, you should not expect chaos at the airport. As a matter of fact, you could probably roll a bowling ball through airport concourses this week and not hit anyone!

5>Expect to see more frequent use of the full-body scanners at the 19 U.S. airports where they are in operation.  More international airports are said to be fast- tracking installation of these devices. Check out the 6 month stock price chart below that shows the jump of OSI Systems, which owns Rapiscan, the manufacturer of such devices.

6>Restrictions on on-board activities (such as getting out of your seat or using electronics during the last hour of the flight) that were mandated last week are now left up to cabin crew—and from what we’ve heard, are essentially no longer in effect. In his speech yesterday, President Obama did not announce any new rules or procedures that will affect travelers.

Bottom line: Terrorist incidents, like airplane crashes, happen. No matter how hard we try to prevent them, they are going to happen. No airplane is 100% safe. No airport is 100% secure. We should do our best to be vigilant, but not make long term decisions based on reactive fear.

DID YOU FIND THIS POST HELPFUL? If so, please forward this link to your frequent traveling friends and colleagues and urge them to sign up for THE TICKET. Copy and paste this link into your email:

www.theticket-atlanta.com

THANKS!

Traveling this week or next? NOTE! PLEASE leave comments below based on your experiences at airport security over the next few weeks! By doing so, you will help The TICKET and fellow frequent travelers know EXACTLY what to expect. THANKS!

Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA LINKS FROM THE TICKET!

airtran.com | delta.com |  Hotwire

SKY CLUB AT RALEIGH OPENS. Delta has finally opened a snazzy new 4000-sq-ft Sky Club at RDU’s brand new Terminal 2 offering complimentary Wi-Fi, beverages and snacks, personalized flight assistance, a full-service bar and satellite TV.

NO MORE THAN THREE. Lengthy tarmac delays are a rarity at ATL thank goodness! But they do happen (but mostly up north due to snow and ice or de-icing.) Nonetheless, the feds have enacted new rules (effective later this winter) that will force airlines to provide food and water after two hours on the tarmac and a mandated return to the gate if they’ve been on the tarmac for more than three hours. If they don’t, they are fined $27,000 per passenger (that’s $5.5 million for a planeload of 200 pissed off passengers). Ouch! While the airlines are saying that the new rule will do more harm than good, the reality is that when faced with a fine like that, they will be forced to make operational changes that, in the long run, will prevent the horror stories we’ve all heard about folks stuck in stinky planes for hours on end. Your TICKET editor has a comment about the whole brouhaha in this ABCNews.com article.

Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA LINKS FROM THE TICKET!

airtran.com | delta.com |  Hotwire

Chicago O’Hare Airport Map

BIG DELTA CHANGE AT O’HARE. In case you’ve not heard, Delta has moved from Terminal 3 to the recently remodeled Terminal 2 in the E Concourse at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. Now all Delta and Northwest flights arrive and depart from Terminal 2. The Sky Club is located in Concourse E across from Gate E4. As part of the remodel, two new security lanes were added to accommodate the increased traffic.

ATL CAR RENTAL CENTER OPENING IS DELAYED. (UPDATE 12.15.09: THE CAR RENTAL CENTER IS NOW OPEN!!) The much ballyhooed opening of the ATL Consolidated Car Rental Center (CONRAC) which will be accessed via a new light rail system that crosses I-85 has been delayed. Stay tuned for updates. As of today, the car rental shuttles are still transporting passengers to car rental lots and the consolidated center remains closed.

Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA LINKS FROM THE TICKET!

airtran.com | delta.com |  Hotwire