Airlines

Free Upgrades to Disney World For a Limited Time Your 6-night night Disney Resort Vacation now comes loaded with free upgrades:. Free Park Hopper Upgrade - With so much to see and do there, you'll love the ability to come and go from theme park to theme park Free Water Park & More Upgrade - Enjoy a total of up to 6 visits to your choice of Disney Water Park or DisneyQuest theme park. That is a savings of over $300! Summit Travel Group is a designated Disney Earmark agency. So, you can always count on the best accommodations, the best prices and the expert advise for Disney Vacation Specialist. Call today for your fabulous Disney family vacation 800-638-0600  Send to a Friend Forward this issue of Business Travel Footnotes to a friend. Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa Discover the perfect blend of luxury and resort value at the legendary Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, located in the heart of Kaanapali Beach. Situated on 40 beachfront acres, this world-class vacation destination features six tennis courts, tropical streams and waterfalls, a half-acre pool, four restaurants, an outdoor luau theater and Hawaii's first oceanfront full service spa. Spend 6 spectacular nights in a deluxe oceanview room and enjoy daily breakfast for two, fresh flower lei greeting and a complimentary bottle of wine - all for the limited time price of $1529. To plan your Maui getaway, call 800-638-.0600    Newsletter Sign Up Sign up another email address for Business Travel Footnotes. Email Address:

FAA Head: Nation Needs to Improve Airport Funding

The number of U.S. air travelers will top one billion by 2015, but the aviation system’s ability to handle those numbers will depend on finding a better way to pay for airport construction and safety, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said during the Federal Aviation Administration’s annual forecast hearing. Mineta said that the number of travelers flying has steadily increased over the past three years, surpassing record levels recorded before 9/11. While he called the forecast “sunny,” he also warned the picture could turn bleak without reform of the federal Aviation Trust Fund. Currently, trust fund revenues are collected based on a percentage of the cost of airline tickets, and have dropped in recent years due to cheaper airfares. The solution, he said, is expanding capacity to handle traffic. (Source: DOT press release).

Airlines Remove Galleys, Add Seats

American Airlines announced that it would remove the rear galleys from its MD-80s and replace them with four seats in September, giving the airline about 1,300 extra seats to sell each day, a move that the airline estimated will be worth $34 million a year. It said it had not plans to remove the kitchens in the front of the plane. Delta Air Lines said that it is reviewing its seating layouts and considering removing galleys as well (Source: Washington Post).

JetBlue Adds Service to Maine, Bermuda, the West and South

JetBlue is adding four non-stop daily flights between New York and Portland, Maine, starting May 23. It’s starting two daily non-stops between New York’s JFK and Bermuda starting May 4. And the carrier is introducing new service, effective May 3, between: Washington, DC/Dulles and Las Vegas; Boston and Phoenix; and New York City/La Guardia and Orlando. Additionally, during the busier summer travel months, JetBlue will increase flights to and from several other JetBlue destinations. (Source: Jet Blue press release).

DOT Considers Changing Air Fare Advertising Rules

The Department of Transportation’s is asking for comments on a proposal to change the One Price Policy established in 1984, which require all components of a ticket price, including fuel charges but not including taxes, to be published in its advertisements. Big airlines are lobbing to loosen advertising regulations, meaning they could advertise a ticket fare without including fuel surcharges. The American Society of Travel Agents is opposing any relaxation of the rule and suggests that now is a golden opportunity to produce a one-price policy that everyone –consumers, travel agents and airlines—can understand. (Source: ASTA press release).

Airline On-Time Performance Improves

The on-time performance of the nation's largest airlines improved in January, according to the Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report. The 19 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 78.8 percent in January, an improvement over both January 2005's 71.4 percent and December 2005's 71.0 percent. (Source: DOT press release)

United Considers Acquisitions

United Chairman and President Glenn Tilton told JP Morgan analysts to expect consolidation in the airline industry. The airline, which has just emerged from bankruptcy, will look at all of its options, he said, including acquisitions that could help its bottom line. He was not specific, but did say that analysts should not expect UAL Corp. to sit by quietly and watch. One region of the world it will look toward to strengthen its revenues is Asia/Pacific, he said, especially Japan and China. (Source: UA press release)

Hotels

Intercontinental Continues to Expand

Nine new InterContinental Hotels will be opening around the world this year in the U.S., Europe, China and the Middle East. The InterContinental Boston, which will also have private residences, is scheduled to open in October. The InterContinental Harbor Court Baltimore, Md., and the InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza both opened in January. Two InterContinentals are opening in China, one in Chongqing, the other in Shenzhen. (Source, InterContinental press release).

Cars

Car Rentals Shift to Neighborhoods from Airports

For the first time in the industry’s history, the non-airport car rental market passed airport rentals in yearly revenue, according to Auto Rental News. Both Enterprise and Hertz have confirmed this shift. Fifteen years ago, airport rentals dominated the car rental market. The car rental industry has grown by 65 percent over the past 13 years and off-airport rentals have driven much of that growth, tripling in size, while on-airport rentals have stayed relatively flat. (Source: Auto Rental News).

Spotlight on . . .

Aviation’s Future

The Federal Aviation Administration is optimistic about the future of the airline industry. In its just-released forecast for 2006 through 2017, the FAA noted that since 2000, the industry has been battered by 9/11, the spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and record high fuel prices. An important yardstick, though, remains the number of passengers that traveled. Last year, that number was a record 739 million, up from 690 million the previous year. U.S. commercial aviation remains on track to carry one billion passengers by 2015. The one hurdle: oil prices. However, the FAA believes that in the long run, inexpensive tickets, a strong national economy, and increasing demand for seats aboard aircraft bodes well for the industry and consumers. Other trends the forecast noted: Planes will get smaller as legacy carriers continue to replace their wide-body and larger aircraft with smaller, narrow-body planes. And, relatively inexpensive twin-engine microjets, are redefining “on-demand” air taxi service. Next year, 100 microjets will join the fleet, growing to 400-500 per year through h 2017. (Source: FAA Aerospace Forecast Fiscal Years 2006-2017).

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

TOP OF PAGE