Last Chance! Receive a $50 Amex Gift Cheque with your next vacation.
Don’t miss this final opportunity to enjoy a fabulous vacation and receive our special gift of a $50 American Express Gift Cheque.
Just mention that you are a corporate travel client when you book your cruise or land package vacation of 5 days or more with Summit and receive a $50 gift cheque at time of final payment.This offer is valid for current corporate travel clients and their accompanying guests only. (Offer does not apply to air-only reservations. )
Hurry! This special offer expires in just 16 days! Don’t wait another moment to call Summit Travel Group's Vacation Service at (800) 950-2030 or (650) 373-4400 and book your dream vacation.
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The Transportation Security Administration is suspending the security directive that required all passengers flying into and out of Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport to remain seated for 30 minutes after departure or before arrival. The rule was instituted after 9/11. A TSA statement said its security web is far more sophisticated today with multiple layers of security including hardened cockpit doors, advanced screening procedures and air marshals on flights. (Source: TSA press release).
Last month, the National Mediation Board (NMB) released Northwest Airlines from mediated talks with the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) union, beginning a thirty-day "cooling off" period. Plans call for both parties to continue negotiating with the goal of reaching a new agreement by midnight August 19. Northwest says it needs to save at least $1.1 billion in annual labor costs in order to restructure successfully. AMFA's share of this total is $176 million annually. In preparation for any possible job action, Northwest has developed comprehensive contingency plans, including expanded vendor relationships and augmentation of airline staff to ensure that Northwest continues to operate reliably and fly its full schedule. Northwest remains in federal mediation with The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and The Professional Flight Attendants Association (PFAA). In addition, it is continuing agreement negotiations with representatives of its other unions. For updated information regarding Labor Updates at Northwest, please visit the About Northwest section of nwa.com. (Source: Northwest Airlines)
The nation's aviation chief warned last month that travelers could expect a "rough summer" for flight delays, largely because of a surge in air traffic. The Federal Aviation Administrator said that after a "good spring," flight delays shot up in July and are exceeding the number of delays in July 2004 by 31 percent. A flight is considered delayed if it reaches a gate 15 minutes after it is scheduled to arrive. Hurricane Dennis tangled air travel when it hit the Southeastern U.S. in July and sent thunderstorms across other parts of the country. On July 13, the FAA counted a record 3,657 delays, or about three percent of the day's 110,000 flights, the agency said. Bad weather, which is a major cause of flight delays, is something the industry has always had to contend with. This year, delays are a result of more people flying. (Source: USA Today)
In today's struggling airline industry, some carriers are hoping to increase business by actually cutting the number of seats on certain flights. The concept is to create a roomier, more comfortable flight that appeals to business travelers willing to pay for the enhanced experience. Last December, United Airlines launched its Premium Service on six daily flights between San Francisco International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The airline also offers the service on seven flights between Los Angeles International Airport and JFK. Some of the airline's Boeing 757 planes were gutted, cutting overall capacity by 57 seats. The result is two more first class seats, a few less business class seats and reducing economy class from 125 seats to 72. (Source: San Francisco Examiner).
Delta Air Lines Thursday raised its highest coach fares $100, indicating that domestic airfares finally have hit bottom and are rising. The 20 percent increase in the key business fare by No.3 Delta came the same day that discount giant Southwest Airlines said higher fares helped drive a 41 percent increase in its second-quarter profit. The two developments suggest that keen competition in the industry is no longer the impediment it was to airlines' ability to raise their fares. Delta blames fuel price increases for having to boost its maximum coach fare within the U.S. (Source: USA Today)
Room rates and occupancy levels may be up, but customer satisfaction with the hotel industry is up, according to the latest J.D. Power and Associates 2005 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Survey. The study, now in its ninth year, rates hotels on six criteria: check-in/check-out, guest room, food and beverage, hotel services, hotel facilities and costs and fees. Consumers appear to appreciate the value of new product and service offerings that many hotel chains are introducing. Food and beverage improvements and other hotels services appeared to drive guest satisfaction. Basics such as complimentary breakfast, in-room refrigerators and coffee makers, pillow-top mattresses and high-speed Internet access seem to count as much as innovations such as satellite radio or Internet check-in. (Source: J.D. Powers press release)
A growing number of rental car vehicles come equipped with satellite navigation systems and satellite radio. It’s the industry’s first widespread technological breakthrough since compact disc players became standard in cars about five years ago. Many business travelers welcome the navigational systems’ ability to guide them through unfamiliar cities. (Source: USA Today)
Nearly half of employees polled said they travel less for business than they did a few years ago, according to a study by Robert Half Management Resources, a placement firm for senior level accountants and financial professionals. Twenty-one percent said they were traveling somewhat less frequently for business than five years ago; 27 percent said they travel much less frequently than five years ago. Fifteen percent said they travel more frequently. Many companies continue to scrutinize expenses, and use alternatives such as web casts and videoconferences, according to Robert Half Management.
At the same time, a Deloitte & Touche survey found that business travelers frequently extend their trips by tacking on a bit of vacation. More than half reported taking at least one combined business/pleasure trip last year and 70 percent brought a family member or friend. Fifty-four percent stayed at least one extra night at the same hotel. Most respondents said that they spend more on hotels when they travel for business than when they travel for pleasure, even among upper income groups. Twenty-three percent said their companies’ travel guidelines have become tighter in the past year.
The study also found that most respondents spent more nights away from home for business travel (15) than for leisure-only trips (9.3 nights). Source: (Robert Half Management Resources, Deloitte & Touche press releases).
Summit Travel Group is committed to providing you with useful information on the latest developments in the travel industry. The preceding information has been compiled from a variety of sources and is updated monthly.
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