EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT 06/27/05 Welcome to EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT for the week of June 27, the weekly e-mail of essential business travel news! To sign up for the e-Alert, click here. America West, US Airways merger gets Justice Dept. OK Fares go up again Odd new federal rule adds to airlines' costs DFW phases out Airport Train, gets new Grand Hyatt Orlando starts registered traveler test program European rail tickets now easier to buy online AIRLINES America West, US Airways merger gets Justice Dept. OK Four years ago, United Airlines' plan to merge with US Airways was blocked by the Justice Department on the grounds that it would hurt competition. But last week, US Airways' planned combination with America West Airlines sailed through a Justice Department review with a big green light. DOJ said the merged airline would provide consumers "more and better service to more destinations throughout the country." The Justice Department approval was widely expected, considering that the two airlines' route systems don't overlap much, and that a merger could be US Airways' only chance for survival. Meanwhile, US Airways has also come to terms with General Electric on refinancing of aircraft leases, and with Republic Airways Holdings for that company to take over the leases on 28 regional jets along with gates and slots at New York LaGuardia and Washington Reagan National. Republic will operate the jets on US Airways Express routes. Fares go up again For the eighth time in the past few months, most major airlines increased their fares last week. In some cases, it was an across-the-board three percent price hike; in others, it was an increase of $5 one-way or $10 roundtrip. The latest round of increases was initiated by United Airlines, which cited the increased cost of fuel, as crude oil prices hovered near a record $60 a barrel. "Sale fare levels along with some specialty and contracted pricing are not impacted by the increase, but nearly all other fares to and from domestic and most international destinations are affected," a United spokesman said. Odd new federal rule adds to airlines' costs Here's one of those things that just makes you wonder about our elected leaders - how they got there and how they stay there. Bloomberg News reported on a new federal rule that quietly took effect last week: It requires U.S. airlines to put stickers on those plastic safety cards in the seat backs, informing passengers where the airplane they are flying on was manufactured. According to Bloomberg, this rule was tacked onto some other federal legislation by Florida Rep. John Mica, head of the House aviation subcommittee, to show his "concern that so many aircraft are being manufactured outside the country." In case passengers don't already know it, they'll now be able to see that an Airbus plane was built in Europe, and a Boeing plane in the U.S. (although parts for both are made all over the place - a fact that didn't seem to phase Rep. Mica when he introduced the rule, which is costing the airlines an estimated $522,000 to comply with). AIRPORTS DFW phases out Airport Train, gets new Grand Hyatt At Dallas/Ft. Worth International, inter-terminal transportation took a big step forward last week as the 31-year-old Airport Train system was formally retired, now that it has been replaced by the new Skylink network. During their long history, DFW's Airport Trains carried more than 250 million passengers and traveled 97 million miles. The new Skylink system connects the airport terminals via an overhead track, with an average waiting time of less than two minutes, and an average ride time of five minutes. Operating at speeds of up to 35 mph, the Skylink trains can handle up to 10,000 passengers per hour; they operate in both directions around the airport. As DFW continues to move toward the main event in its expansion - the scheduled July 23 opening of its new international facility, Terminal D - it takes another step forward on July 1, when the new Grand Hyatt opens at the airport. Located next to Terminal D, the 298-room hotel will be linked to the rest of the airport by Skylink. Orlando starts registered traveler test program Orlando International Airport last week became the latest to kick off a "registered traveler" test program for business flyers who want a faster track through security. Unlike the other airport test sites, this one is being run by a private contractor called Verified Identity instead of the Transportation Security Administration. It costs $79.95 to participate in the program. Those who do can sign up at airport kiosks, entering personal information (which will be checked by the TSA against its security databases) and giving a fingerprint and iris scan. Once a traveler is cleared by TSA, he'll get a computer-coded plastic card in the mail and can use it in a special scanner at the airport to avoid the long security lines. Participants will still have to go through metal detectors and have carry-on bags checked, but airport officials estimate the program will save them five to 10 minutes waiting time. RAIL European rail tickets now easier to buy online Rail Europe, the U.S. distributor of rail tickets and passes for Europe and the U.K., has overhauled its web site (www.raileurope.com) to make the purchase of point-to-point rail tickets similar to airline ticket buying. Previously, ticket-buying and seat reservations were separate functions on the site, but now they've been combined. "The new booking engine shows available trains at available fares, just like airline booking engines," a spokesman said. "The new system also makes it easy to compare different prices throughout any travel day." Users are now able to compare first class and second class fares side by side, he added. Ticket purchases and seat reservations are confirmed immediately, and tickets are sent directly to buyers via second-day delivery. AIR ROUTES CHICAGO O'HARE (ORD). The newest spoke at American's Chicago hub will be O'Hare-Savannah/Hilton Head, with American Eagle operating twice-daily regional jet service starting July 2. DALLAS/FT. WORTH (DFW). American Eagle will start flying between DFW and Fort Walton Beach, Fla. on July 2, with four daily regional jet roundtrips. DENVER (DEN). Frontier Airlines has added new daily service between Denver-San Antonio, as well as a second daily flight between Denver and Reno, and added a third daily mainline flight between Denver and San Jose. NEW YORK KENNEDY (JFK). North American Airlines will kick off the only non-stop service between the U.S. and Ghana on July 1, offering one weekly JFK-Accra roundtrip operating eastbound on Friday and westbound on Sunday. NEWARK (EWR). July 1 is the launch date for Continental Airlines' newest European non-stop route, linking Newark with Berlin's Tegel Airport. The daily service will use a 757 with BusinessFirst and economy seating. NORFOLK (ORF). Delta Connection/Comair is expanding at Norfolk on July 1, launching twice-daily non-stops to Boston as well as one new Norfolk-Orlando fight and an eleventh daily roundtrip between Norfolk and Atlanta. RICHMOND (RIC). Delta Connection on July 1 will add a third daily roundtrip between Richmond and Ft. Lauderdale, and a fifth between Richmond and Orlando. ST. LOUIS (STL). AmericanConnection/Chautauqua Airlines will start flying between St. Louis and Fort Walton Beach, Fla. on July 2, with one daily regional jet roundtrip. SALT LAKE CITY (SLC). Effective on July 1, Delta Connection/SkyWest will begin twice-daily regional jet service between Salt Lake City and Bakersfield, Calif. WASHINGTON DULLES (IAD). South African Airways on July 2 will begin new 747-400 service between Dulles and Johannesburg, operating southbound on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, via a fuel stop in Accra, Ghana. THIS WEEK'S DEALS AND SPECIALS FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS Spirit Airlines (www.spiritair.com) is offering reduced business class fares to promote its front-cabin service to and from Fort Lauderdale. The fares are good for travel from July 12 to November 15, and a six-day advance purchase is required. Depending on the day of the week when you travel, roundtrip Ft. Lauderdale fares range from $262-$382 roundtrip for Atlantic City, $242-$362 for Washington Reagan National, $262-$362 for Detroit, $242-$362 for LaGuardia and $242-$362 for Chicago O'Hare. InterContinental Hotels has come out with its annual Luxury Escapes summer rate promotion (800-327-0200; www.intercontinental.com/luxuryescapes), good for stays through September 6 at more than 100 properties worldwide. Sample nightly rates in the program include $109 in New Orleans, $131 in Rio de Janeiro, $158 in Budapest, $145 in Shanghai, $169 in San Francisco and $165 in Istanbul. Want to try private jet service, but so far it hasn't been in your budget? That's probably because the major providers generally require a minimum purchase of 25 flight hours per year. But Bombardier Skyjet (888-275-9538; www.skyjet.com) has come out with a "Skyjet Demo Card" priced at a flat rate of $10,000, with deductions made based on your flying time and aircraft choice (starting at $2,650 an hour for a light jet, plus tax, fuel surcharge and landing fee). Use is restricted to the continental U.S., and a 24-hour advance booking is required. 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.