Airlines

Major U.S. Carriers Fall Short Of Cost Reduction Target

U.S.-based legacy carriers fell short of the targeted $19.5 billion cost reduction necessary to restore profitability through last year despite a $12.7 billion cut in operating costs since 2001, according to a Government Accountability Office report. The expansion of low-cost airlines since 1998 has exacerbated the condition of the legacy carriers. Although legacy carriers maintained service in those markets, they were met with dwindling capacity, surrendering marketshare to low-cost carriers. (Source: Business Travel News)

Northwest Adds Fee for Traditional GDS Bookings

Northwest has introduced ticketing fees for all tickets booked directly with their telephone or airport ticket services. Consumers who book through Northwest’s call center pay a $5 fee; those who book at an airport pay $13. Consumers booking through travel agencies will not pay any additional fee – we continue to work on your behalf.

Air Travel Delays Mount

More than a quarter of U.S. flights were late in June, with 73% of flights landing on time, according to the latest Department of Transportation Air Travel Consumer Report, issued in August. That was up from one in five flights being late in May, when 78% of flights landed on time. A year ago, more flights were on time—82%. Mounting traffic is one reason for delays, weather, another. The Federal Aviation Administration estimates that weather is behind two-thirds of air travel delays, with summer thunderstorms a major culprit. Such storms were unusually bad in May, June and July of this year. To minimize delays, the DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division recommends that travelers book flights that leave early in the morning (delays build throughout the day as weather and other factors develop) and use alternative airports when possible. You can monitor airlines’ on-time performance at http://www.bts.gov.

Delta Introduces SimpliFares

Delta Air Lines has introduced SimpliFares at the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport. The new fares cut prices by as much as 60% on earlier non-restricted fares. These fares have no Saturday night stay requirement, and have a $50 change fee instead of $100. Differences are dramatic. The old walk-up fare to Los Angeles was just over $1,200. The SimpliFare walk-up fare is $399, the SimpliFare discount fare is $349 and the 14-day advance purchase fare is $149. The new fare is a response to competition from carriers in neighboring airports.

Reap Frequent Flyer Rewards Sooner

American and United airlines have dropped the bar for frequent flier rewards. Now their members can ‘spend’ 15,000 frequent flier miles on trips of 750 miles or less. American‘s program is called Short-haul MilesSAAver and is available through Feb. 28, 2005. United is offering these rewards for the third time; its offer is good until Dec. 31. America West’s Flight Fund already had made travel awards starting at 15,000 miles a permanent part of its frequent flyer.

Hotels

High-Tech Hotel Amenities on the Rise

Most hotels have cable or satellite television today—98%, compared to 69% in 1998, according to a new survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Voicemail is growing fast, too, up from being available in 4% of hotels in 1990 to 78% this year. And high-speed Internet access has rocketed from 7% of hotels in 1999 to 50% this year.

Air Travel Security Update

TSA Replaces CAPPS II with ‘Secure Flight’ Program

The Transportation Security Administration said it will begin checking airline passenger names against terrorist watch lists under a modified version of the computer-assisted passenger prescreening system it dubbed "Secure Flight." Once phased in, the program will allow the government to check passenger information against records currently not available to airlines, which do their own screening, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a news release. It also will allow checks against databases maintained by the Terrorist Screening Center. The new program will be limited to trying to find terrorists in a bid to sidestep criticism of CAPPS II, which would have been used for other law enforcement purposes, TSA said. The program also includes a mechanism for passengers who feel unfairly singled out to seek redress. (Source: Business Travel News)

Foreign Currency Buy/Sell now Available at Ethan Allen Travel

Currency Exchange

In our continuing search in improve service, Ethan Allen Travel now provides foreign currency exchange buy and sell services. Our rates are among the most competitive in the industry. Ask us for details next time your planning to travel abroad.

Wi-Fi

Sprint Broadens 'Hotspot' Footprint

Sprint and SBC Communications have made a reciprocal coverage deal. Customers of each network will be able to roam on the Wi-Fi networks of the other company using their same ID and password. Sprint has Wi-Fi networks in some airports, convention and shopping centers; SBC has 2,300 hotspots nationwide, in hotels, airports and other locations.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2004 Wireless Call Quality Performance Survey found that three of the six major nationwide operators posted high scores in at least two of the six regions the marketing company included in the study. Sprint PCS, T-Mobile USA and Verizon were leaders, with Verizon Wireless tops in the mid-Atlantic and tying for first with Sprint in the Northeast. Sprint was tops in the West as well and T-Mobile was rated the best in the Southwest and Southeast. Cingular Wireless and AT&T were at the bottom of the charts.

Ethan Allen Travel is committed to providing you with useful information on the latest developments in the travel industry. The following information has been compiled from a variety of sources and is updated monthly.

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