EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT 07/18/05 Welcome to EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT for the week of July 18, the weekly e-mail of essential business travel news! To sign up for the e-Alert, click here. New obstacles emerge for in-flight cell phone use Newspaper calculates security line waiting times Feds drop 30-minute rule for DCA Delta boosts the cap on 'SimpliFares' by $100 New Florida service: JetBlue from Newark, Southwest from Ft. Myers American jumps on India bandwagon with new non-stops Qantas overhauls fare structure Limited Acela service resumes FAA/SECURITY New obstacles emerge for in-flight cell phone use Although there's been a lot of buzz in recent months about the prospect that passengers will soon be able to make and receive cell phone calls in the air, comments from federal officials at a House aviation subcommittee last week made that seem less likely - in the immediate future, at least. The Federal Aviation Administration's associate administrator for safety told the committee that even if the Federal Communications Commission eliminates its ban on in-flight cell phone use - something the FCC is currently considering - the FAA has no plans to do so. The only way an airline could get approval to permit cell phone use, the FA's Nicholas Sabatini said, is if the airline itself carries out sufficient testing to verify that a particular model of cell phone will not interfere with an aircraft's flight navigation systems. And each model of cell phone would have to be proved to be compatible with each aircraft type in a carrier's fleet, he added. He said that with the airline industry moving toward satellite navigation, and cell phone technology becoming increasingly complex, this could be a tall order. At the same hearings, a Justice Department official said that if in-flight cell phone use does become a reality, her department wants the right to monitor and tap air-to-ground cell calls for security reasons. The DOJ lawyer said the department worries that terrorists could conceivably use cell phones in aircraft to coordinate attacks, or even to trigger explosives. Newspaper calculates security line waiting times In an analysis of security checkpoint waiting times at the nation's 100 busiest airports, USA Today found that the size of the facility has little or no relation to the problem of slow-moving lines. The nation's worst waiting times - measured in terms of how often the line time exceeds the Transportation Security Administration's standard of 10 minutes - were at North Carolina's Piedmont-Triad Airport, with 23.1 percent. In descending order, other airports near the top of the list included Philadelphia (17.1 percent), Cleveland (15.8 percent), Long Beach (15.4 percent), West Palm Beach (15.3 percent), Raleigh-Durham (14.5 percent) and Miami (14.2 percent). The newspaper's analysis found that waiting times can vary considerably from one terminal to another at the same airport. It noted that airports often have physical constraints that contribute to the problem - e.g., there's no room to add more security lanes - and that waiting times have generally dropped when a major airline at a hub airport "de-peaks," or spreads out, its arriving and departing flight schedules. Feds drop 30-minute rule for DCA The Transportation Security Administration last week eliminated a controversial rule that required all passengers flying into Washington Reagan National Airport to remain in their seats for 30 minutes prior to landing. According to Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff, the rule was made unnecessary by other measures, like the hardening of cockpit doors and the addition or air marshals to DCA flights. The TSA also said that effective in mid-August, private aircraft will once again be allowed to operate into Reagan National, but only if they meet stringent rules, like background checks for flight crews and the presence of law enforcement officers on the planes. ADVERTISEMENT Save 10% now at Choice Hotels® With more than 3,500 locations across America, Choice hotels are virtually everywhere you travel. Save 10% now at Comfort Inn®, Comfort Suites®, Quality®, Sleep Inn®, Clarion®, MainStay Suites®, Econo Lodge® or Rodeway Inn® by calling 800.4CHOICE or visiting choicehotels.com and using discount number 00062611. Advance reservations required. Offer cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions. AIRLINES Delta boosts the cap on 'Simplifares' by $100 United, US Airways and Continental were quick to match last week after Delta announced that it was forced to increase the maximum price of its seven-month-old 'SimpliFares' by $100 each way. The increase pushes the cap on economy class SimpliFares from $499 to $599; Delta also boosted the first-class fare cap from $599 to $699 each way. Delta said its decision to increase the fares, which it introduced nationwide in January, was "a direct result of the volatile and unprecedented increases in jet fuel costs." The company noted that crude oil prices went from $43 a barrel when the fare program came out to around $61 today. It also said that the increase in fares will not affect the other changes brought about with SimpliFares, including the end of the Saturday night-stay requirement and a reduction in service fees for changes. "The SimpliFare caps only apply to a small percentage of SimpliFares," one Delta official noted. Whether the increase remains in place, of course, depends on whether or not all of the other major carriers follow Delta's lead. New Florida service: JetBlue from Newark, Southwest from Ft. Myers Travelers heading to and from Florida have some major low-fare opportunities heading their way this fall, as JetBlue announced plans to start flying to the state from Newark and Southwest unveiled details of its new service at Ft. Myers. JetBlue, which already has substantial service into Florida from its main base at New York JFK, said it will begin flying to the state October 5 from Newark Liberty International Airport. Plans call for JetBlue to operate to Ft. Lauderdale with five roundtrip flights a day; Orlando, also with five a day; West Palm Beach and Tampa, each with two flights a day; and Ft. Myers, with one daily roundtrip. The West Palm, Tampa and Ft. Myers service will begin October 19. In addition, JetBlue said it will begin one daily Newark-San Juan flight November 17. The news from JetBlue drew an immediate response from Continental, which has a major hub at Newark. Continental said it will match JetBlue's introductory Florida fares - which start at $69 each way - and will offer them to eight Florida cities instead of only on the new JetBlue routes. In addition, Continental said that effective October 1, it will increase frequencies from the current six a day to nine between Newark-Ft. Lauderdale; from eight to 10 between Newark-Orlando; from five to six between Newark-Tampa and Newark-West Palm; and from three a day to four between Newark and Ft. Myers. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines released schedule details for the planned addition of Ft. Myers to its route network this fall. Starting October 2, Southwest said, it will start flying nine times a day out of Ft. Myers, with two flights to Baltimore/Washington, two to Chicago Midway, one to Long Island/Islip, three to Orlando and one to Philadelphia. INTERNATIONAL American jumps on India bandwagon with new non-stops American Airlines last week became the latest U.S. carrier to announce plans for new service to India, following the signing of a more liberal air services agreement between the two governments this past spring. American said it plans to launch daily non-stop 777 flights between Chicago O'Hare and Delhi on November 15. The 7,500-mile route would be the longest in American's system. American also said it has signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at creating a code-share and frequent flyer pact with Delhi-based Air Sahara, which flies to 23 cities in India. Continental Airlines is planning to start Newark-Delhi non-stop service on November 1; Delta recently began New York JFK-Chennai, India service via Paris, and United has forged a code-share deal with Jet Airways of India, permitting new connections via London to Mumbai and beyond. Qantas overhauls fare structure Largely matching recent changes by Air New Zealand, Qantas last week said it is simplifying its fare structure, with fewer fare categories and relaxed restrictions. Qantas trimmed annual pricing periods from four seasons to three, and offers free stopovers with its fares. In addition, "passengers are no longer subject to advance purchase requirements, and ticketing time limits have been further relaxed," a spokesperson said. "All weekend surcharges have been eliminated. Minimum and maximum stays have been adjusted to provide more simplified options." There are no minimum stays for Super Saver and Flexi Saver fares, and all fares now permit a one-year maximum stay. Passengers can also purchase different types of fares for the inbound and outbound portions of their trip. RAIL Limited Acela service resumes After a three-month hiatus due to cracks in their brake parts, Amtrak's high-speed Acela trains started going back into service last week. But the service is limited to just two Acela roundtrips per day between New York and Washington. There was no word from Amtrak as to when Acela service might resume between New York and Boston. Repair work is continuing on another 18 Acela trains, and they will be gradually phased back into service once the brakes are fixed, Amtrak said. AIR ROUTES DALLAS/FT. WORTH (DFW). On July 19, Alaska Airlines will begin twice-daily non-stops between DFW and Seattle, continuing on to Anchorage. DENVER (DEN). Effective July 24, Frontier Airlines will increase frequencies between Denver-Milwaukee from two flights a day to three; between Denver-Minneapolis/St. Paul from three flights a day to four; and between Denver and Sacramento from three flights a day to four. LOS ANGELES (LAX). Starting July 18, Qantas will increase service on its non-stop Los Angeles-Brisbane route from three flights a week to four, adding a westbound departure on Mondays to its existing schedule of Wednesday, Friday and Sunday flights. THIS WEEK'S DEALS AND SPECIALS FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS Both United and American have come out with limited-time offers of reduced mileage costs for short-haul award travel, i.e. on flights of 750 miles or less one-way within the U.S. and Canada. Both airlines will provide Saver awards in coach for 15,000 miles instead of the usual 25,000; and in first or business class for 30,000 miles instead of the normal 40-45,000 miles. United's offer (www.united.com/reducedawards) is good for travel now through December 31; American's (www.aa.com/aadvantage) applies for trips from September 1 through February 28, 2006. Got business in Bangkok? The Metropolitan Bangkok (www.metropolitan.como.bz) has a special offer through August - a Best Business Deal package with nightly rates for a single room starting at $150 instead of the hotel's usual minimum rack rate of $240. It includes breakfast, a one-way airport limo transfer, Internet access in your room, welcome drink, use of the fitness facilities, daily newspapers and fruit plate. For bookings, call 011-66-2-625-33224 or email res.bkk@metropolitan.como.bz. Through September, 40 Asian properties that belong to The Leading Hotels of the World (800-745-8883; www.lhw.com) have special "Leading Offers" rates that are up to 70 percent off normal prices. Savings under this promotion amount to $160 a night at the Langham in Hong Kong, $115 at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai and $144 at the Banyan Tree in Bangkok, for example. Ask for booking code LOFF16. For links to other websites where you can search for bargains, click here: www.executivetravelonline.com/reference/deals.html For in-depth analysis, news, features and opinions about the current business travel scene, check out Joe Sent Me (www.joesentme.com), produced by veteran traveler advocate/journalist Joe Brancatelli and a team of contributors. By Jim Glab To sign up for the e-Alert, click here.