Archive for the ‘Airport News’ Category

TICKET Editor Chris McGinnis doles out holiday travel tips on FOX News (BEFORE all bad weather hit!)

Happy Holidays! It’s that time of year again…when travel pundits and prognosticators do their best to gaze into the future and predict what may or may not happen in the big wide world of travel in the coming year.

Here are The TICKET’s top ten predictions for frequent travelers in 2011:

1-RISING PRICES. Business travel prices will continue to rise, but not enough to dampen renewed demand.

2-AIRFARE. Fares will continue to rise sharply, especially for flights between cities where only one or two legacy carriers operate. From Atlanta, all you have to do is follow the route map of AirTran (and soon, Southwest) to know where the deals are (or aren’t). We do not expect much change in AirTran operations in 2011– 2012 will be the big year for full integration with Southwest. Also, prepare for more fuel surcharges as oil nears $100 per barrel– it’s currently about $89 and rising.

3-TRAVEL DEALS. In terms of travel deals, there will be a wider gap between peak season and off-season prices. Those with flexibility to travel outside the peak travel dates will continue to find good deals and more short-term “flash” type sales. (Think Jetsetter or Sniqueaway) Those who must travel during peak periods will face sticker shock. (Peak periods generally run when school is out: Holidays, long weekends, July and August.)

Rates in NYC will rise, but remain in check due to an abundance of new rooms coming online. Pictured: The swank penthouse suite at the brand new 6-7-room InterContinental Times Square.

4-HOTEL RATES. Due to continued overcapacity, hotel rates should remain about the same or slightly up, on average, over the next year. Hotel rates in New York City will rise, but a steady supply of new hotels opening there should keep rate inflation to acceptable levels, especially among mid-tier properties.

5-FREE WI-FI. More upscale hotel chains will join their midscale counterparts to offer free in-room Wi-Fi. We’ll also see hoteliers pay more attention to bandwidth issues on their existing systems. What good is free Wi-Fi if it doesn’t work? In-flight Wi-Fi prices could moderate as Southwest’s $5 flat fee for inflight Wi-Fi expands to more flights.

(Like what you are reading? Then or TWITTER)

6-LONGER STAYS. Hotel chains will offer more loyalty program promotions designed to get travelers to increase the duration of their stays. (Such as “buy two nights, get the third free.”)

7-DRIVING VS. FLYING. Due to recent changes in security screening, the airport hassle factor could return, and more frequent travelers will consider driving instead of flying. The “five hour rule” might change to the “six hour rule.”

8-MOBILE DEVICES. We’ll see more focus on business travelers’ smart phones, which will soon be used to open hotel room doors and will be accepted as payment instead of credit cards. There will be more promotions designed to encourage the use of mobile devices to book and manage travel reservations

9-IN-FLIGHT PHONING. In-flight phone calling, now available on several non-U.S. airlines will become more prevalent and might even be considered by a domestic carrier. High per-call rates and peer pressure should keep abuse in check– remember those pricey GTE Airfones that no one ever used because they were too expensive? I expect the same with in-flight cell phone use.

10-MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS. More of us will attend large annual trade shows and conventions this year as pent up demand is released. Many companies banned non-essential travel over the last two years and business travelers are eager to get out of the office and re-establish face-to-face contact with customers and colleagues. However, I think small and medium-sized meetings will face more competition from virtual alternatives.

(ONE EXTRA PREDICTION: 11- Better airline coverage in The TICKET! We’ve brought on a new airline correspondent, Ramsey Qubein! Ramsey,  a Diamond Medallion on Delta, has been enhancing our airline coverage with great insider news and tips over the last month. Stay tuned for more from him and The TICKET in 2011.)

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How’s that free holiday in-flight Wi-Fi working out for ya?

As many frequent travelers know by now, Google is sponsoring free in-flight Wi-Fi on AirTran, Delta and Virgin America through January 2. That’s a great thing!

However, as often happens when something is free, you end up getting what you pay for.

Over the last several days I’ve heard from several readers experiencing frequent outages or poor connections when using in-flight Wi-Fi. This sounded unusual to me because, as a frequent user of the Gogo system, I’ve been very impressed with its ease of use, great connections and lack of any technical difficulties at all.

But it sounds like that’s not the case this month. Here’s a sampling of emails I’ve received:

>“Just flew Denver-Atlanta. Bumped off three times.” -R.S.

>“I had lots of outages on a flight to Las Vegas two weeks ago. I would have rather paid and had it work.” -J.B.

>“Last week I flew up to Charlotte from Atlanta and to Miami this week. Gogo fails constantly and is unreliable now. I would rather be given an option to pay for the connection, versus what I experience now.” –D.O.

The TICKET contacted a spokesperson for Aircell/Gogo to inquire about the outages. Here’s her response:

Anytime we give away Gogo access for free, we see the usage soar through the roof.  This holiday promotion has been no different and almost every day is a new usage record for us.  Pushing the boundaries certainly makes the system run a bit slower, and there are some situations in which we’re limiting the number of users who can get on the web on a given flight.  Though a passenger might perceive that we’re having a technical issue, the reality is that we’re managing the network such that we permit the maximum number of passengers to use Gogo without degrading the experience too much.  As you can imagine, that’s a tricky balance to strike – and while it has the potential to leave a few travelers unhappy, we think most are pretty pleased.

I’ve also heard from other airline insiders that the problem is especially acute when flying around the Atlanta area. This of course is due to the fact that both AirTran and Delta are the two carriers operating the most flights in the world with in-flight Wi-Fi—and the pipe is just not fat enough. Apparently, recent usage levels are close to 50 percent of passengers, up from the normal 5-10 percent.

So enjoy it while it’s free—if you can get on.  Connections should improve when the freebie is over on January 3.

Have YOU experienced any recent connectivity issues lately when using Wi-Fi on AirTran, Delta or Virgin America? LET US KNOW what happened! Leave your comments below.

DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU ARE READING? PLEASE HELP THE TICKET INCREASE READERSHIP! Think of it as your holiday gift to us! Just copy and paste the following message into an email to your frequent traveling family and friends: >> Hey there: You should check out The TICKET, a blog I always take the time to read and one that always provides a tip or two I have not read anywhere else. It’s free. There’s no spam. You’ll get 2-3 emails a month from them. Check it out and subscribe here: http://www.theticket-atlanta.com <<

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(VIDEO: Television interview with Chris McGinnis on best/worst days for Christmas/New Years trips.)

Despite the abundance of dark and scary warnings about a Thanksgiving travel meltdown, most of those hitting the skies last week found smooth sailing. There were no major meltdowns at airport security, the weather cooperated for the most part, airlines and airports were hyper-prepared. To the surprise of many, it all went off without a hitch. That’s a good thing.

Now it’s time to focus on round two of the holiday travel season: Christmas and New Year’s. Here’s hoping that we’ll be just as surprised by a smooth peak travel season! But in any case, here are a few points to keep in mind:

1> With Christmas and New Year’s Day both falling on Saturdays this year, the holiday season is going to be very compact. A shorter season means peak travel days are going to be more crowded and more expensive than what we saw over Thanksgiving.

2> Travelocity says that the average Christmas/New Year’s fare this year is $457. That’s 21 percent higher than the $380 or so we paid, on average, for Thanksgiving week travel. If you are planning to travel during this week, you’ve probably already missed out on the best deals and the most convenient flights. Sorry!

3> The best days for holiday travel in terms of crowds and pricing will be the Tuesday before Christmas (Dec 21), Christmas Day (Dec 25) and New Year’s day (Saturday, Jan 1). Keep in mind that even though these days will be slower than others, we are still talking about PEAK season travel, so it’s going to be more expensive and more crowded than almost any other time of year.

4> The worst (most crowded, most expensive) days to be flying will be the Wednesday and Thursday before Christmas (Dec 22 and 23), the Sunday and Monday after Christmas (Dec 26 and 27) and then the Sunday and Monday after New Year’s (Jan 2 and 3). Christmas Eve (Friday, Dec 24) is always relatively a relatively light day– but since it’s on a Friday this year, I’m thinking it might be busier than in previous years.

5> Don’t forget about the so-called “dead weeks.” These are the first two weeks of December and the first two weeks of January. Travel demand plummets during these weeks, so if you are a tough bargaineer and have a lot of flexibility, check out last minute deals on sites like Hotwire.com or Priceline.com during the dead weeks. You’ll be surprised by what you’ll find. (Exception: New York City is at its most crowded and expensive during the first two or three weeks of December due to holiday shopping.)

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(Photo: USWGO / Flickr)

The peak holiday travel season is upon us. At the same time, the media frenzy surrounding new airport security measures has hit a peak. At The TICKET, we’ve cut through the hype and come up with five tips (and pics!) travelers need to know about airport screening. If you are looking for anger, venting or hyperbole, there are other places for that. We are providing advice on dealing with the situation as it stands right now:

1) RELAX! Despite the media hullabaloo, chances are that you won’t face a full body scan or pat down at all in coming weeks. Full body scanners are currently deployed at only 68 of 450 airports across the country. (See a list) At those 68 airports, most security lanes are using more good old-fashioned magnetometers (metal detectors) than the newer (and more controversial) full body scanners. Also, know that every single passenger does NOT get the new enhanced pat down. Only those who set off the metal detector, appear to have an anomaly on their body during a full body scan, or those who refuse a full body scan are subject to a pat down.

2) IN ATLANTA. At Atlanta airport, there are 14 millimeter wave scanners scattered across 43 security lanes at the four checkpoint entries (three in main terminal, one in International terminal). Full body scanners are similarly dispersed at other big airports. For example, San Francisco International has nine full body scanners across a total of 44 lanes. This means you are much more likely to walk through a magnetometer than a full body scanner.

Read the rest of this entry »

(Photo: testpatern / flickr)

WORD OF WARNING: If you think you’re beating crowds by taking off for Thanksgiving this weekend, beware. Airlines and online travel agents report that some of the holiday’s busiest days will be this Friday and Saturday. In another new twist, the TUESDAY before Thanksgiving is expected to be busier than Wednesday, a traditional peak day. And as always, be prepared for tough days at the airport on the Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving— be particularly wary of Monday morning back ups at airport security checkpoints. Add to that a high level of angst about new security screening procedures and we are ripe for disruptions this week. Plan accordingly.

BODY SCANNERS. In case you’ve not been to ATL lately, there are now 14 of the controversial new full-body scanners scattered across all four security checkpoints. Some good news: The scanners in use at ATL are “millimeter wave” machines instead of the newer “backscatter” ones now being rolled out across the country. I’m no expert on radiation, but from what I’ve read, the millimeter wave scanners use radio waves which sounds less threatening than the low-dose X-rays used by the newer backscatter machines. There’s a lot of hyperbole surrounding the machines this week, so if you are interested in reading a well researched and informative article, check out this one from Bloomberg (written by a fellow TICKET reader Mary Jane Credeur!) One good nugget from the article: A radiology professor at the Mayo Clinic says, “You would need 1000 or 2000 airport scans to equal just one dental X-ray.”

AIRTRAN+SOUTHWEST CLOSING DATE? Closing date for the sale is expected to be this coming spring and then full integration of the two carriers will take about two years. Currently, the deal is under government anti-trust scrutiny which most observers don’t expect to significantly slow down the integration time line. So far, no date has been set for the first Southwest “redbelly”  (see photo below) to touch down at ATL.

SOUTHWEST’S BIGGEST CITY? Right now, it’s Las Vegas, but guess what? Once Southwest gobbles up AirTran, Atlanta is going to be its largest city in terms of daily flights. So in ATL, we’re Delta’s biggest city AND soon, Southwest’s biggest. Go figure…

COKE…NO PEPSI. Just in case Atlantans are wondering or worried…Southwest Airlines is a COCA-COLA airline. However, its selection of in-flight beverages is not as robust as AirTran’s.

SEARCHING FOR SOUTHWEST. One thing Atlanta-based travelers are going to have to get used to when Southwest moves into town:  more time devoted to searching for low fares. Unlike AirTran, Southwest Airlines does not participate in systems that allow its flights to appear on online travel agency sites like Expedia or Travelocity. They don’t show up on meta-search sites like Kayak, either. To compare, you are going to have to check southwest.com, the only site that lists all of Southwest’s flight and fare info.

HOW DO TICKET READERS FEEL ABOUT SOUTHWEST? Be sure to read the COMMENTS section of our post, 10 Things you need to know about Southwest + AirTran. Very revealing!

MORE AWARD SEATS. Delta announced a fatter international summer travel schedule this week, which could help out if you’re having trouble redeeming your SkyMiles. From Atlanta, Delta is re-launching B777 nonstops to Shanghai. From NYC there are new flights to Iceland. Boston and Miami get nonstops to London Heathrow. Paris gets new or more nonstops from Boston and Pittsburg (via a skinny B757…not so sure about that!)

DELTA SKY CLUB RE-DO. Delta’s opened a new SkyClub at Indianapolis’s flashy new airport terminal. The new look for this Sky Club is expected to carry over to new Sky Clubs in Philadelphia and Seattle and in others where renovations are in the works such as ATL and LAX. Here’s a short video tour of the club at Indy.

premium economy on British Airways

PREMIUM ECONOMY ON DELTA? Our contacts at Delta won’t confirm it, but several sources point to a leaked internal Delta memo that shows plans underway for a new class of international service between coach and business class. This is good news for travelers at companies that forbid business class travel, but might turn a blind eye to a product called “premium economy.” If Delta’s product is anything like competitors such as British Airways, the premium economy cabin will be separated from standard economy and offer a slightly larger seat with slightly more legroom and better food and beverage service.  It’s a poor substitute for a nice flat business class bed, but a welcome step up from the horrors of eight-plus hours in coach. For transatlantic flights from the East Coast, I would expect Delta’s premium economy fares to run in the $2500 round trip range.

DELTA READY TO RUMBLE WITH SOUTHWEST. In an interview with Business Travel News, Delta CEO Richard Anderson sounds confident that Delta’s product will beat Southwest’s when it comes to business travelers. Here’s what he said: “AirTran had first class, they had assigned seats, and Southwest has no first class, no assigned seats, doesn’t sell through global distribution systems—a very different product than what AirTran offered in the market. It’s very distinguishable. If you want international service, if you want high frequency all around the world, a club, business class, first class, don’t have to stand in a line to get on airplanes when you’re a business traveler—that’s the product Delta offers.” What do you think? Will you be giving Southwest a try? LET US KNOW!

REGIONAL JETS BECOMING…REGIONAL! Delta and its subsidiaries are dumping Barbie jets like crazy these days. Seems they’ve finally figured out that RJ’s don’t make much economic sense, they tend to clog up airspace and runways, and travelers don’t like them. All this means that on Delta you will no longer find regional jets used on flights longer than 750 miles (or about 2.5 hours).

At the CLEAR sign up kiosk at MCO

CLEAR IS BACK. But only in Orlando for now. The airport security line by-pass lanes reopened on November 9 at MCO’s Main terminal East and West.  Plans to open up lanes in Denver this month have been stymied, but stay tuned. If you had a CLEAR card before, new owners are honoring membership terms. Have a minute? Check out the new company’s clever new video describing how CLEAR works. Cost: $179 per year.

DELTA + MARRIOTT = 5000 MILES. From now through January 31, SkyMiles members will earn a 5000-mile bonus when Delta flights coincide with Marriott stays. Not bad! Details.

DELTA NOT SO DREAMY. Delta has pretty much thrown in the towel on the Boeing 787 “Dreamliner,” delaying delivery for TEN YEARS (to 2020). It had inherited an order of 18 of the new fuel-efficient but delay-plagued wide bodies from Northwest. This means that at least the next decade, Delta’s wide body fleet will remain 777, 767, 747 and A330. United hopes to be flying the 787 sometime next year…

DILUTING MQM’s? As you know, it’s getting harder and harder to travel on award tickets. I’m writing to tell you that I’m really disappointed to see the newest oncoming freight train – the awarding of MQMs by someone other than Delta.  I’m sure that the new Hilton promotion is going to be great for Delta, otherwise you wouldn’t have  written about it in The TICKET.  BUT it makes the Medallion Qualifying Miles worth far less to us Delta fans and that’s at a time when Delta need all the friends it can get. I’m a friend!  And I’m a Hilton Honors Gold level but I’m still annoyed by what I see happening: the demise of the value of the MQM.  I know there’s a segment qualifier, but the MQM devaluation is really a disaster.  I wonder if you’ve heard about this from others or am I the only crab in town? –JL from Atlanta. Is he? LET US KNOW! Leave your comments below.

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That’s me getting scanned by a new backscatter machine at San Jose Airport last May

Over the last week, a storm has erupted around new airport security procedures and devices. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just google “airport body scanners” and you’ll get half a million results. (Here’s a good round up article from Bloomberg.)

On one hand, we’ve got new “enhanced pat downs” from TSA officers that include touching breasts and genitalia, full-naked-body scans, and no clear answer about radiation risks from new backscatter machines.

On the other hand, we’ve got a very recent incident in which terrorists were able to pack explosives in a printer cartridge and get it on a plane. We are less than a year past the infamous “underwear bomber” incident in which a terrorist nearly brought down a Delta jet over Detroit.

I don’t like the frisky frisking. I worry about radiation. I’m concerned about our right to privacy.

But what’s the solution?

Do we get rid of the scanners (that cost $75,000 each) and go back to magnetometers only?

What will we all be saying if an “underwear bomber” gets through a magnetometer and succeeds in blowing up a plane?

I know the readers of this blog are smart, frequent travelers who know the system well. Can you all suggest any solutions? I look forward to hearing from you. I will forward your suggestions along to my TSA contacts.

And please, let’s just talk SOLUTIONS here and avoid hyperbole and venting. There’s enough of that out there already.

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TICKET reader Ramsey Qubein (far left) spent a day working behind Delta's gates at ATL

(Ramsey Qubein is a young buck frequent traveler and blogger and says he has long read and admired The TICKET. He reminds me of me when I was 31– eager to jump on any plane at any time no matter what, and a sponge for every tidbit of travel information I could get my hands on. Ramsey and I met at a media event in London recently and he told me about his turn behind Delta’s gate counters at ATL. I asked him to share a little bit of his experience with The TICKET.  –Chris)

Spending an entire Sunday at the airport is not ideal for most people, but I jumped at the chance to learn what takes place on the other side of the mysterious counter as a Delta gate agent in Atlanta. Delta invited a group of about 40 frequent flyers and Internet bloggers to undergo this unique exchange with its frontline employees. With 300,000 annual miles and over 4 million lifetime miles at Delta, I know the airline well. This experience, however, was an eye opener.

Gate agents have multiple tasks including driving the jetway, opening the door, arranging wheelchairs, directing passengers to connecting gates, clearing standbys, boarding new passengers, gate checking bags, and getting the flight out on time. If the flight delays by even one minute, they are held accountable and must face their supervisors.

I was shocked when people approached my clearly marked gate to ask if this was the gate for some other city. Or ask me to look up their gate despite information screens 50 feet away. Finding a bathroom, getting directions to the escalator, locating an electrical outlet, and asking what time boarding begins pummeled us all day even though signs are plastered all over the airport.

You can be as efficient as possible, but one mistake causes the house of cards to crumble…>>

Read the rest of this entry »

(From Atlanta Airport:)

Credit card in/out system goes into effect today

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has implemented a quick, convenient and secure ticketless parking system. The west economy, Park-Ride Reserve and Park-Ride B lots are now on an automated, credit card in/out system. No more parking stubs will be issued, and cash no longer will be accepted at these lots.

Credit card in/out allows a customer to insert a credit card into the card reader upon entering the lot and insert the same credit card upon exit. The system computes fees based upon length of stay and charges the credit card.

On-airport parking provides convenient access to the Airport’s main terminal. For more information about Airport parking, please go to www.atlanta-airport.com/Parking/.

(This new arrangement got a big thumbs down from TICKET readers who have used it over on our Facebook page: Look for the parking post here.)

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airtran.com | delta.com | Hotwire

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.

Like what I’m doing here? Then follow me on Facebook!

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airtran.com | delta.com | Hotwire

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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