EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT 03/28/05 Welcome to EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT for the week of March 28, the weekly e-mail of essential business travel news! To sign up for the e-Alert, click here. United's Ted sets sites on Southwest's new stronghold United switches meal sales from sandwiches to snacks Limits on O'Hare peak arrivals extended for six more months New parking payment system coming to Detroit Metro Paris CDG to rebuild terminal roof Lufthansa's purchase of Swiss airline is approved Hilton group adds several new hotels AIRLINES United's Ted sets sites on Southwest's new stronghold Southwest Airlines has always tried to avoid head-to-head competition with the major carriers at their hub airports - like United's Chicago O'Hare base, for instance. But apparently that doesn't work both ways: United's low-cost affiliate, Ted, said last week that it plans to begin service on April 3 at Chicago Midway airport, where Southwest has been steadily building up its presence since it acquired a number of former ATA gates there as part of its code-sharing partnership with that financially troubled airline. United said that Ted will break into Midway with new non-stop service to its hubs at Denver and Washington Dulles, where passengers would have all kinds of connecting possibilities. Ted's introductory fares on the new routes through June will be as low as $69 each way between MDW-IAD and $94 between MDW-DEN. United recently unveiled plans for a significant expansion of Ted's A320 fleet this year. Meanwhile, Southwest continues its own inexorable growth at Midway on April 3, when it will add new daily non-stop service between Chicago and Portland, Ore., as well as a third daily non-stop to Hartford; a seventh and eighth daily flight to Phoenix; and a third daily departure to Seattle. United switches meal sales from sandwiches to snacks Following the recent example of Delta, United Airlines said last week it plans to discontinue the sale of $10 in-flight boxed meals in domestic economy cabins -- sandwiches and salads, with side items - and replace them with a variety of snacks. Unlike Delta, however, United will sell its snack boxes for $5. The changeover, starting April 3, affects United mainline flights of three and a half to five hours. The snacks are also available on Ted flights longer than two and a half hours. In fact, United said it was the popularity of the snack boxes on Ted that convinced it to move them over to the parent carrier. The snack boxes will come in four varieties, with details to be available on United.com. FAA/SECURITY Limits on O'Hare peak arrivals extended for six more months Don't look for any big schedule enhancements at Chicago O'Hare any time soon. The Federal Aviation Administration said last week that the "voluntary" agreement among airlines at O'Hare to limit domestic flight operations during peak hours - which was due to expire at the end of April - will now be extended through October. The agreement, which airlines created during meetings overseen by the government and held at the request of the FAA, are intended to reduce delays at the busy Chicago airport, which is a major connecting hub for both United and American. In fact, the FAA said it might extend the agreement for three more years, although it will review the situation every six months. The pact limits scheduled domestic arrivals to 88 per hour from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; previously, up to 110 arrivals per hour were on airlines' schedules. The government claims that maintaining the controls for three more years will cut delays at O'Hare by 42 percent. AIRPORTS New parking payment system coming to Detroit Metro At Detroit Metropolitan Airport, plans are underway to install a new parking payment system this summer. The $5.8 million system is intended to speed up departures from the parking areas by permitting persons with credit cards to bypass the regular payment booths. Drivers would have to insert their credit card into a reading device before they entered the parking area, and the card number and time would be automatically stored. Then when the driver exited the lot and inserted the credit card again, the system would calculate his total parking time, charge the proper amount to the credit card and print out a receipt. Paris CDG to rebuild terminal roof After spending nearly a year studying the cause of a fatal roof collapse in its new Terminal 2E, officials at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport said that the entire roof of the terminal's departure area will have to be torn down and rebuilt. Studies determined that the partial roof collapse in May 2004 - in which a 100-foot section fell down and killed four people - was caused by structural weaknesses. The $1 billion terminal had only been open less than a year when the collapse occurred, and it has been closed since then. With the new construction job required for the terminal roof, it looks like 2E won't be back in business until sometime late in 2007, airport officials said. INTERNATIONAL Lufthansa's purchase of Swiss airline is approved The boards of Lufthansa and of Swiss International Air Lines last week both approved the planned purchase of the latter carrier by the former. The two boards said that Lufthansa's strategy calls for Swiss to remain a "mostly independent" airline, keeping its current management and operating within Lufthansa as a separate profit center. Swiss will keep its brand identity and its intercontinental hub at Zurich, which will now be "developed on an equitable basis with the Lufthansa hubs in Frankfurt and Munich," the companies said. The combination will provide customers of both airlines with "more destinations, better connections, comprehensive frequent flyer programs and mutual lounge access," they added. HOTEL UPDATE Hilton group adds several new hotels Hilton Hotels Corp. has opened a spate of new properties across its various brands lately, including some near airports. Outside of Washington D.C., the company cut the ribbon on two new properties in Dulles, Va., not far from the airport: The Embassy Suites Hotel Dulles-North at 44610 Waxpool Rd., and the Homewood Suites by Hilton Dulles-North at 44620 Waxpool Rd. In Chicago, there's a brand new Hilton Garden Inn Chicago/Midway at 6530 South Cicero Ave., near Midway Airport. In St. Louis, the historic Merchants Laclede Building has been restored and transformed into the new Hilton St. Louis Downtown. And in Washington D.C., there's a new Hampton Inn two blocks from the D.C. Convention Center. Hilton also announced that San Francisco's Holiday Inn Downtown will close June 1 for six months, reopening as a Hilton late this year. AIR ROUTES ATLANTA (ATL). Delta Connection/Atlantic Southeast Airlines on April 1 will begin daily non-stop regional jet service between Atlanta and Kinston, N.C. CHICAGO O'HARE (ORD). American Airlines' newest international route begins April 3, when it introduces daily non-stop flights between Chicago O'Hare and the new Central Japan Airport near Nagoya. HOUSTON HOBBY (HOU). Effective on April 3, Southwest Airlines will boost frequencies on the Houston Hobby-Los Angeles International route from two daily roundtrips to four. HOUSTON BUSH INTERCONTINENTAL (IAH). As announced earlier, Southwest Airlines will discontinue operations at Houston Bush Intercontinental on April 2, concentrating instead on expanding its larger base at Houston Hobby. LAS VEGAS (LAS). April 3 is the launch date for new America West non-stop service between Las Vegas and Pittsburgh, with one daily A320 roundtrip. The eastbound flight is a redeye. On the same date, America West Express/Mesa Airlines will begin daily regional jet service between Las Vegas and Bakersfield, Calif. ORANGE COUNTY, CA (SNA). Aloha Airlines will add a second daily flight to Honolulu and a second daily departure to Maui from John Wayne Airport effective April 3. PHOENIX (PHX). Southwest Airlines on April 3 will add a third daily roundtrip between Phoenix and Portland, Ore. SALT LAKE CITY (SLC). From April 3-October 16, Delta will add a third daily non-stop between Salt Lake City and Anchorage. SAN ANTONIO (SAT). United Express/SkyWest on April 3 kicks off new regional jet non-stops between San Antonio-San Francisco and San Antonio-Los Angeles International, with one daily roundtrip in each market. SAN DIEGO (SAN). On April 3, Aloha Airlines will begin daily non-stop service between San Diego and Honolulu; the airline already flies daily between San Diego and Maui. THIS WEEK'S DEALS AND SPECIALS FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS If you have business that requires a long-term stay in New York City this spring, corporate housing specialist Bridgestreet Worldwide (www.bridgestreet.com) has some special rates for you. For minimum stays of 30 days with check-in before April 30, the company has studio apartments in the Wall Street area from $105 a night, one bedrooms from $115 a night; in midtown around Herald Square, studios start at $105 a night and one bedrooms at $120. Call 866-594-7744 or 212-594-7744 for more information. Through April 15, holders of the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express can obtain double miles on all purchases, or two miles for every dollar charged. But you have to sign up for the promotion by calling 800-227-7081 or visiting www.americanexpress.com/deltaoffers. Qantas (800-227-4500) is now offering free stopovers in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane to travelers who fly the Australian carrier from the U.S. beyond Australia to Bali, Jakarta, Mumbai or Johannesburg. Visit www.QantasUSA.com and click on "web deals." For links to other websites where you can search for bargains, click here: www.executivetravelonline.com/reference/deals.html By Jim Glab To sign up for the e-Alert, click here.