EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT 10/03/05 Welcome to EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT for the week of October 3, the weekly e-mail of essential business travel news! To sign up for the e-Alert, click here. Post-hurricane fuel prices threaten airlines' fall schedules Independence Air to slash flights, cut 600 jobs American introduces confirmed same-day flight changes New transatlantic airline moves up launch date US Airways/America West reveal frequent flyer plan details "Registered traveler" test program ends at five airports October 29 set for American's move into DFW's Terminal D Chicago finally wins FAA approval for O'Hare expansion plan AIRLINES Post-hurricane fuel prices threaten airlines' fall schedules The loss of oil refining capacity following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has sent jet fuel prices soaring, to the point where airlines' fall schedules may not be maintained at previously planned levels. Just last week, for instance: • American Airlines said it was "forced" by rising fuel costs to temporarily cancel 15 flights a day from October 5 through October 29. The airline said future fuel costs will determine if the service will be reinstated. All the canceled flights are in or out of American's DFW and O'Hare hubs, in markets with multiple daily departures. American also announced that at the end of October, it will terminate its service between Chicago O'Hare and Nagoya, Japan, again citing fuel costs. • A Continental Airlines spokesman told Reuters that the company "may suspend some flights in select markets" during October due to spiking fuel costs. He also said Continental raised domestic and U.S.-Canada fares by $10 each way last week to offset the higher fuel costs. • On Sunday (October 2), Northwest Airlines terminated its non-stop New York JFK-Tokyo non-stops, a decision the bankrupt company also attributed to higher fuel costs. • Transmeridian Airlines, a public charter carrier, stopped operating last week and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The carrier flew from several Midwestern and eastern cities to Las Vegas and destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean, serving mainly leisure travelers. An American Airlines official noted that at the end of August 2005, a barrel of jet fuel was selling for $78; last week, the same barrel cost more than $109. The price spike was attributed to a loss of refining capacity along the Gulf Coast; the duration of the current high prices will depend on how long it takes the refining companies to restore their damaged facilities. Independence Air to slash flights, cut 600 jobs In another example of the impact of skyrocketing fuel costs, troubled Independence Air - at the top of most analysts' list of airlines most likely to enter bankruptcy - last week announced plans to get a lot smaller. By the end of October, Washington Dulles-based Independence Air plans to slash its schedule from the current 350 daily flights to just 230; that compares with 600 flights a day that the airline operated last winter. Independence was already phasing out its West Coast service - Los Angeles flights stopped last week, to be followed by San Diego November 1 and Seattle and San Francisco December 1. It will use the larger Airbus A319s from those routes on flights from Dulles to Chicago O'Hare, Jacksonville and Pittsburgh, and on new service to San Juan starting December 16. The carrier will also begin two daily Airbus roundtrips on October 31 between Dulles and New York LaGuardia. On October 30, it will discontinue its regional jet flights between Dulles-JFK and Dulles-Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, N.Y. On the same date, the airline will end its regional jet service from Dulles to Cleveland, Indianapolis and Louisville. "Frequency adjustments will be made in a number of other markets to decrease the total number of (regional jet) departures system-wide," a spokesman said. The cutback will reportedly mean the loss of 600 jobs from the airline's current workforce of 3,400. American introduces confirmed same-day flight changes American Airlines is the latest carrier to offer passengers confirmed space for a different departure on the same day, for a $25 fee. The company will still let passengers stand by for a different flight the same day at no cost. American said the $25 confirmed flight change applies to flights within the U.S. and to Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean. "The new flight must be scheduled to depart within three hours," American said. "Flights outside of three hours do not qualify...Those flights will continue to require a change fee - generally $50-$100 - for a confirmed seat." For a confirmed seat on a flight later than the one you're ticketed on, you have to cancel your original reservation before that flight departs. American said the confirmed flight change can be handled by a self-service machine at the airport, through the reservations number or at a ticket counter. New transatlantic airline moves up launch date Eos (www.eosairlines.com), a new premium airline planning to fly between New York JFK and London Stansted, has moved up its starting date from November 1 to October 18. The airline will be based at JFK's Terminal 4. Eos will begin with one daily roundtrip, adding a second in January 2006. Eos will fly a 757 configured to hold 48 passengers instead of the usual 210; its passenger cabin "blends the exclusive feel of a top-tier international first class cabin with the privacy of a corporate jet," the company said. Eos' unrestricted roundtrip fare will be $6,500, although it will have introductory fares of $5,000 roundtrip for tickets bought by October 16. US Airways/America West reveal frequent flyer plan details The newly merged US Airways and America West last week came out with more details about their frequent flyer programs, which will be combined into a single plan in the spring of 2006, retaining the US Airways program name, Dividend Miles. But there are some more immediate changes coming into effect October 5. Starting on that date, members of either program will be able to claim award travel on both airlines, and there will be no more Dividend Miles Saturday night stay requirement for free travel. The two programs will also use a single awards chart, so mileage requirements will be standardized for both. Also starting October 5, Preferred and Elite members of FlightFund or Dividend Miles can get complimentary first class upgrades on eligible flights of either airline. For all the details of the program changes, go to www.usairwaysinfo.com and click on the Frequent Flyer tab. FAA/SECURITY "Registered traveler" test program ends at five airports The Transportation Security Administration last week ended most of its "registered traveler" test programs, designed to speed frequent flyers through security by submitting them to one-time background checks. The year-long test programs that ended - which had been limited to very frequent customers of specific airlines at each airport - were at Boston Logan, Houston Bush Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Washington Reagan National. The test program at Orlando, which is still operating, is the only one being conducted by a private vendor rather than the TSA. Government officials will now review the results of the tests and determine if, when and how to resume the program on a wider basis, including additional airports. At least one of the test airports - Boston - is said to be considering a plan to develop its own new registered traveler program, to be operated by a private vendor with TSA approval. AIRPORTS October 29 set for American's move into DFW's Terminal D Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport said last week that American Airlines will move its international flight operations into the new Terminal D on Saturday, October 29. "American will operate 78 flights a day on its first day of service from International Terminal D, including all international flights and some domestic flights whose aircraft are routed to or from international flights," an airport spokesman said. Eventually, American's Terminal D operations will include 114 daily flights. The airline is also planning to add American Eagle flights out of Terminal D. Together, American and Eagle will fly to 32 international destinations from the terminal, where American controls 19 of the 28 gates. Chicago finally wins FAA approval for O'Hare expansion plan Chronic delays at Chicago's O'Hare Airport could be relieved through a $7.5 billion expansion and improvement plan that won final approval last week from the Federal Aviation Administration. However, the plan was temporarily blocked by a federal court; it is being challenged by suburbs next to the airport. If and when it gets under way, the massive overhaul will involve a significant reconfiguration of O'Hare's runways - shutting some down, building some new ones, lengthening others. A new passenger terminal on the western edge of the airport is also envisioned. The project will take many years, with full completion not likely until 2018. It also took several years to win necessary government approvals, including more than three years of environmental reviews. "The city's proposed plan delivers the airport capacity to handle a forecasted 1.2 million take-offs and landings annually (300,000 more than current capacity), reduces delays by two-thirds, and improves safety by cutting active runway crossings by more than half," the FAA said. AIR ROUTES BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON (BWI). Southwest Airlines has added a fourth daily flight between BWI-St. Louis and a seventh between BWI-Tampa Bay. DALLAS/FT. WORTH (DFW). American Airlines last week resumed service between DFW and New Orleans, with three daily roundtrips. CHICAGO MIDWAY (MDW). Southwest Airlines has launched new service between Midway and San Antonio, with one daily roundtrip. LAS VEGAS (LAS). Southwest has boosted service between Las Vegas and Portland from two flights a day to three. DEALS AND SPECIALS FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS Members of British Airways' Executive Club will get fat mileage bonuses this fall and early winter for buying transatlantic tickets in first class or Club World business class. BA said that for each roundtrip transatlantic flight taken between now and December 31, members will earn a minimum of 50,000 miles - a bonus of 40,250 miles over the actual mileage flown. That's enough for two free domestic tickets on partners American Airlines or Alaska Airlines. But members have to register for the bonus before they book their transatlantic flights. To do so, go to www.ba.com/freeflights2005. To show off its new and improved web site, Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com/USA) is offering special web-only sale fares with a purchase deadline of October 14. Providing discounts of 20 to 50 percent, the fares are good for outbound travel through November 20, with all return travel to be completed by November 30. Sample roundtrip fares: San Francisco-Hong Kong, $509; Los Angeles-Tokyo, $463; New York JFK-Frankfurt, $409. Marriott has cut the ribbon on the new 220-unit SpringHill Suites Atlanta Buckhead, and is offering a grand opening introductory rate of $149 a night through December 31. Ten minutes from downtown in the city's trendy Buckhead section, the hotel's suites all have new Marriott beds, work desks with ergonomic chair, free wireless Internet; the hotel provides free hot breakfast buffet, a fitness center and more. Call 888-287-9400 or visit www.marriott.com/ATLAB. 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.