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Sailing
roundtrip from
San Francisco
October 11 -31 departures
Warm up
this Fall to the ultimate 10-day Mexican Riviera cruise sailing
roundtrip from San Francisco. Mexico is a cruiser's paradise,
with intimate beaches, ancient ruins, desert landscapes, colorful
cities and modern resorts. The Dawn Princess brings the best
of Mexico right to your doorstep as she call on the fabulous
ports of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, as
well as Catalina Island and San Diego.
(800) 638-0600
Including roundtrip airfare
from San Francisco
Enjoy 6 unforgettable nights at the dazzling Ritz-Carlton
Kapalua and receive one FREE night, guaranteed room upgrade,
daily breakfast for two, rental car fresh flower lei greeting
and more! Valid for travel through 12/10/05.
Some restrictions apply. Call for details.
(800) 638-0600
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Although both airlines insist that they will keep flying and will
continue to maintain their frequent flyer reward program, here are
some tips that you should consider when flying an airline in bankruptcy:
- Use a Credit Card. Credit card customers have the right to refuse
paying for charges for services not rendered.
- Remember Section 145. Section 145 of the Aviation and Transportation
Security Act entitles consumers who have purchased a ticket on an
airline that ceases operations to fly on other airlines. The maximum
fee that an airline can charge for providing standby transportation
cannot exceed $50 each way.
- Use a travel agent. We have the resources to search alternative
air schedules and routing to help stranded travelers reach their
destination. Without an agent, travelers are on their own.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced Sept.
8 that there has been some restoration of service to the Gulf Coast’s
hurricane-ravaged transportation infrastructure. Commercial flights
began serving the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport on September
8th with roundtrip flights from Memphis. In addition, the FAA will
begin operating the Lafayette Regional Airport 24 hours per day
to accommodate air cargo operations from New Orleans that had been
disrupted by Hurricane Katrina. Meanwhile, ripple effects from Katrina
continued to roil the travel industry. British Airways and Virgin
Atlantic both announced increases to their passenger fuel charges
due to rising fuel costs in the wake of the hurricane. Northwest
also cited fuel costs in its suspension of New York JFK-Tokyo service
effective October 2. (Source: DOT press release, Business Travel
News).
American Airlines said it plans to add "lie-flat" seats
to its business-class cabins, the first United States airline to
do so. Though the seats are flat, they aren't horizontal -- they
are angled lie-flat, which some passengers complain are uncomfortable
because you slide down midslumber. Seats that realistically approximate
a bed are a key feature for frequent business travelers, who are
willing to pay a premium price for a good sleep in-flight. British
Airways has offered a flat and horizontal seat in business class
for several years. This month Air New Zealand is to begin offering
a flat and horizontal seat in its business class on trans-Pacific
flights. American Airlines said it will begin re-fitting the planes
in 2006 and will continue into 2007. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)
Responding to passengers' unhappiness with long flights on 50-seat
regional jets, United Airlines is boosting the number of 66- and
70-seat planes in its commuter affiliates' fleets to 100 by next
summer -- all with first-class cabins, leather seats and bigger
overhead bins. United said its four partners that fly as United
Express already operate 74 of the larger regional jets, most of
which are configured with first class and the airline's signature
Economy Plus -- roomier seating in the front of the coach cabin
for elite frequent-fliers. But the UAL Corp. unit is branding this
service as "explus" and focusing on upgrading additional
flights out of its largest hub, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
(Source: The Wall Street Journal)
As the number of air travelers continues to rise, airlines are
providing more conveniences to business customers through technology,
expanded facilities and special services. A focus on self-service
technology, in particular, has resulted in the deployment of thousands
of kiosks at airports around the nation, featuring functionalities
that seem to be enhanced annually. Carriers also continue to improve
airport clubs by adding wireless Internet connectivity and refurbishing
facilities, and still offer special services to top corporate accounts
and VIPs. A combination of factors, however, has led to mounting
traveler frustration at many airports. For starters, delays and
deteriorating on-time performance again are plaguing the air traffic
control system. After dipping in the few years following the September
2001 terror attacks, passenger enplanements at domestic airports
during 2004 totaled just fewer than 700 million and exceeded 2000
levels, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. FAA now
forecasts enplanements to rise another 24 percent to 865 million
by the end of the decade. (Source: Business Travel News)
Last month, for the first time in its 80-year history, Hilton
Hotels began making its in-room items available for purchase. The
new Hilton to Home(TM) program provides a vehicle for consumers
to purchase, via the Internet and printed in-room collateral, plush
Hilton guestroom items, including the ultra-comfortable Hilton Suite
Dreams(R) mattress and box spring, luxury Hilton Serenity Collection(TM)
bedding items, Crabtree & Evelyn La Source(R) bath product line
and the exclusive Hilton Family clock radio. (Source: Internet Travel
News)
Amtrak upped its Acela Express service once again, adding more
roundtrips between New York and Boston and New York and Washington,
D.C. That brought the total up 12 weekday roundtrips between Washington
and New York and three weekday roundtrips between Boston, New York
and Washington. (Source: Amtrak press release).
Despite its seeming ubiquity, WiFi is used by just 25 percent
of American business travelers, according to a survey of U.S. and
U.K. business travelers. And just 17 percent of British travelers
use it. Despite WiFi’s growing availability both in transit
and in airport terminals, a Gartner, Inc., survey found that users
are abstaining from use of the technology for educational, cultural
and financial reasons rather than technological apprehension. Still,
Gartner, a leading provider of research and analysis about the global
information technology industry, believes that WiFi could prove
to be a critical differentiator in a competitive travel market,
because it could be less expensive than other amenities for airlines
to introduce.
Hotels remain the major WiFi provider in travel. And, even as airlines
work to add WiFi, 78 percent of U.S. travelers and 75 percent of
U.K. travelers said they welcomed the respite that airline flights
offer from 24x7 connectivity. In addition, they said physical comforts
such as more personal space, more room for baggage and entertainment
were more important than WiFi.
The business travelers who do use WiFi said they were happy with
connective speeds, ease of use and overall value. But sometimes
price was a problem, as well as the limited availability of hot
spots in usable locations. Additionally, many companies do not reimburse
business travelers for use of these services because they’re
not included in corporate telecom contracts, according to Gartner.
Few travelers were concerned about security and non-users were interested
in WiFi. Half of non-users said that they would be interested in
sending and receiving e-mail. Sixty-eight percent of U.S. travelers
and 57 percent of U.K. travelers would be interested in accessing
the Internet for reasons other than work. And many respondents saw
WiFi as a way to utilize down time in between flights in order to
touch base with the office. (Source: Gartner press release).
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.
www.summittravelgroup.com
www.ethanallen.net
www.meridianworldtravel.com
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