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Current Southwest Airlines Route Map

Today Southwest Airlines announced that members of AirTran A+ Rewards and Southwest Rapid Rewards can now transfer points between the two programs.

Key points to remember:

>Members of both programs now have access to a total of 97 destinations in the two airlines’ combined networks. (See above for all Southwest destinations. Click here for AirTran route map.)

>The two programs remain separate for now—today’s announcement is about point conversion between the two programs. It’s not about a merger of the two programs. Eventually, the AirTran program will disappear, but Southwest would not commit to any specific date for this. (Last we heard, AirTran will be around until at least 2015!)

>In order for the conversion to work, you’ve got to be a member of Southwest Rapid Rewards—if you’ve not joined yet, here’s how.

>Southwest says that the new conversion site is similar to online banking sites where users can transfer money between multiple accounts online and in real time.

>Unfortunately, transferring AirTran points to the Southwest program won’t extend their life. Southwest says, “When transferring A+ Rewards Credits into Rapid Rewards Credits, the expiration date of the newly created Rapid Rewards credits will remain the same as the original expiration date of the A+ Rewards Credits converted.”

>Points transfers will not count toward elite status in either program. Points or credits earned by qualifying flight or partner activity will count toward elite status in the program in which they were earned.

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>While Southwest would not reveal specific membership numbers, it’s safe to say that the Rapid Rewards membership base is exponentially larger than AirTran’s. All those Southwest Rapid Rewards members will (for the first time ever) be able to redeem points for international flights—meaning AirTran flights to Mexico and the Caribbean. With that in mind, AirTran members with plans to redeem A+ points for trips to these destinations should act fast—there is going to be a run on award flights by the zillions of members of Rapid Rewards, and the award seats are capacity controlled.

>Along the same lines as the above blurb, the zillions of Southwest Rapid Rewards members will now have access to those nice AirTran business class seats using their converted points for upgrades or awards…so it’s going to get tougher to sit up front on the dwindling number of AirTran business class seats out there…

>The points conversion site will live on Southwest.com—AirTran members will find links to the new conversion site from the AirTran.com A+ Rewards page.

>One A+ Rewards credit will convert into one Southwest Rewards credit, which means it will take 16 AirTran A+ Reward credits to equal one standard roundtrip award on Southwest.

>In the Southwest program, once your account reaches 16 credits, one standard roundtrip award credit is automatically generated, which expires in one year. So if you transfer 16 A+ Rewards into Southwest credits, a standard roundtrip award is automatically generated, which is valid for one year. (Note: Southwest’s Standard Award can be split into two in order to use for two separate one-way flights.  But you cannot generate a one-way award with only eight credits, as you can now do on AirTran.)

Got questions? Comments? Please leave them below and we’ll do our best to get them answered!  

Dear TICKET readers:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click here to access the reader survey

Sincerely,

Chris McGinnis, editor and publisher, The TICKET

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

Delta's true lie-flat seat on 767-400

Delta clocked another milestone in progress toward a fleet of truly lie-flat business class seating this week.

It completed the installation on ALL its 777 aircraft and ALL its 767-400 aircraft. The last of 18 Boeing 777 aircraft, each with 45 BusinessElite seats per plane, and all 21 Boeing 767-400ER aircraft with 40 BusinessElite seats per plane have been retrofitted with full flat-bed seats. Each seat includes direct aisle access.

Currently, 25 percent of Delta’s international fleet has true lie flat (versus the old-school cradle or the “fake” lie-flat– those that do go flat, but at an uncomfortable angle.) Delta says that its entire widebody international fleet of more than 140 aircraft will be flying with true lie-flat seats in BusinessElite by the end of 2013

Despite the progress, it’s still tough to know for sure if you are buying a true lie-flat seat on Delta. (See the popular TICKET post about this from last year: 31 flavors of Business Elite)

So, now, when booking, you know you are buying a true lie-flat seat if you see that your aircraft will be a Boeing 777 or a Boeing 767-400.

Look for this icon when booking on Delta.com: 

This icon means you’ll get a cradle seat: 

Delta’s web site says true lie-seats are currently available on the following routes: Dubai, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Tokyo, and Sydney.

Delta tells The TICKET that you’ll also get true lie-flat on ALL Delta flights (from ATL or elsewhere) to London-Heathrow. From Atlanta, they are on ALL flights to Munich and Frankfurt. They are also on Detroit-Frankfurt and JFK-Milan flights.

Have you paid the big bucks for a seat up front on a transoceanic flight lately? Did you get TRUE lie-flat or fake lie flat? Would you move to another carrier in order to get a true lie-flat seat? Please leave your comments below.

How many times have you flown across the country, then rushed from the airport to your hotel only to find a long line and lengthy wait just to check in? (Seems to happen to me almost every time I go to Las Vegas…)

Two Holiday Inn hotels are now testing technology from a company called Openways that allows guests to bypass the front desk entirely, proceed straight to their rooms, and unlock the door using their cell phones. That’s pretty cool.

Here’s how it works: You make a hotel reservation by phone or online and provide your cell phone number. On the day you are scheduled to arrive, the hotel sends a message to your phone, including your room number. When you arrive at the hotel, you go directly to the door of your room and call a special toll free number. When it answers, it recognizes and validates your phone number, and responds with a tone. When you hear the tone, you place your phone over the door lock, and voila! Open sesame! It opens. (See video above, or go to IHG’s Innovation Center blog)

Beta tests started last month at two hotels, The Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago O’Hare Rosemont and The Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown Convention Center. Based on the results of these tests, the service could roll out among other hotel brands under the IHG umbrella, which include InterContinental, Indigo and Crowne Plaza hotels, among others.

So what do you think? Would you be comfortable using a cell phone as a room key? Please leave your comments below.

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Just click here:

airtran.com | delta.com | Hotwire

The World Trade Center, pre 9/11 (photo: WallyG / Flickr)

Below are a series of NewsBite alerts we sent out on the morning of Sept 11, 2001. I get chills just reading them.

<< **NewsBite from: THE TICKET Newsletter**>>

>DATE: Tuesday, September 11, 2001, 10:00 am

FROM: ticketatl@travelskills.com

RE: Terrorist Attack Halts ALL Air Travel

Dear TICKET Readers:

Due to the alleged terrorist attacks, including hijackings, in New York City and Washington this morning, the FAA has suspended ALL FLIGHTS at ALL AIRPORTS across the country, according to CNN.

If you have travel plans today, expect lengthy delays, cancellations, and other interruptions.

>DATE: Tuesday, September 11, 2001, 12:00 noon

FROM: ticketatl@travelskills.com

RE: Delta Reports All Planes Safe and Accounted For

Read the rest of this entry »

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

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

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

Here’s a snapshot of the new page:

Air Force One

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

airtran.com | delta.com | Hotwire

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.

Hey Folks: Based on our most recent poll (<<LOOK LEFT!<<), most TICKET readers have NOT tried in-flight wi-fi yet. What are you waiting for? If it’s cost, we’ve got a deal for you. TICKET readers can give the new Gogo inflight internet service a go FOR FREE now through January 7, 2010.

Here’s how: When you get on a wi-fi equipped plane (all AirTran jets and most Delta 757’s have it now. It’s also on United and American) fire up your laptop or PDA and log on the internet. You will automatically arrive at the Gogo site. Then enter this code:

2285274562xbf

(copy and paste this into a doc or write it on a slip of paper and put in your wallet to access on the plane)

And Voila! Free internet! Let us know what you think.

UPDATE: Let’s just say that anyone who pays for in-flight wi-fi this winter is a dummy! This just in: Delta and eBay have teamed up, with eBay sponsoring FREE inflight wi-fi on Delta during Thanksgiving.

UC Berkeley Grad Student Gabriel Leigh

Okay all you mileage-obsessed mileage mavens, mileage junkies, travel addicts, road warriors or anyone who has ever held an elite level membership with a frequent flyer program. You know who you are. This video is for you.

This 20-minute documentary (titled “Frequent Flyer”) is actually the master’s thesis of Gabriel Leigh, journalism grad student at UC Berkeley. I don’t normally have 20 minutes to devote to an online video, but this was time well spent. (The video is very professionally made and easy on the eyes…)

So sit back, relax, hit the full-screen button and enjoy this….it will be like looking in the mirror for many of you!

Frequent Flyer from Gabriel Leigh on Vimeo.

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