EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT 10/31/05 Welcome to EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT for the week of October 31, the weekly e-mail of essential business travel news! To sign up for the e-Alert, click here. Delta will fold Song into mainline domestic operations Denver service expansions by Southwest, Frontier detailed JAL plans to join Oneworld alliance AirTran parts ways with Expedia Atlanta debuts airport-wide Wi-Fi access Minneapolis-St. Paul gets new runway; expansion plan delayed AIRLINES Delta will fold Song into mainline domestic operations Delta Air Lines' low-cost affiliate, Song, will be phased out as a separate entity next year, but some of Song's features will be phased into a new domestic long-haul operation for mainline Delta service, the airline said. Song, which got its start in spring of 2003, has been flying a fleet of 48 all-economy-class 757s, mostly in domestic leisure markets. By converting those planes to two cabins, with the addition of a 26-seat first class section, Delta said it will be "making the service more attractive to business travelers and significantly enhancing revenue opportunities." Besides those 48 planes, Delta plans to convert another 50 or so aircraft to two-class, Song-style configurations, with all-leather seats and new interiors. All 100-plus planes will have Song's individual seatback entertainment systems, with 24 TV channels, 10 on-demand video channels, interactive video games and a list of 1,600 digital MP3 songs so passengers can create their own play-lists. "Song will continue to fly as a separate brand and customers will be able to book flights on Song until May 2006," a spokesman said. "The aircraft will then be scheduled on high-demand routes throughout the Delta network during the transition, replacing wide-body aircraft that will be redeployed from domestic to international destinations." The former Song aircraft will first be introduced on transcontinental routes in the fall of 2006, then expanded over the next couple of years to all routes over 1,750 miles. Delta has already said it will significantly expand international operations to Europe and Latin America as a key part of its long-term plan to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Denver service expansion by Southwest, Frontier detailed Denver-area travelers will have more low-fare options this winter: Not only did Southwest Airlines last week reveal specific route plans for its return to the Denver market in January, but Denver-based Frontier Airlines unveiled news of its own expansion plans. Southwest said its new Denver service will include four daily non-stops to Chicago Midway, five to Las Vegas, and four to Phoenix. Its flights will operate from two gates in C Concourse at Denver International Airport, starting January 3, 2006. As usual, the company is promoting low introductory fares on the new route, including $59 each way to Las Vegas and Phoenix, and $79 to Chicago. The fares require a 21-day advance purchase and are good for travel through March. Southwest has a fast-growing operation at Chicago Midway, including more of its own flights as well as code-sharing options on ATA. Meanwhile, Frontier Airlines said it will respond to "strong demand" by increasing service in five of its markets out of Denver. On November 6, Frontier will add a fifth daily flight to Salt Lake City, followed on December 18 by a sixth daily roundtrip to Dallas/Ft. Worth. On January 4, Frontier's Denver-Phoenix schedule grows from six flights a day to seven, and it will add a seventh daily roundtrip to Las Vegas and a fifth to Chicago Midway. JAL plans to join Oneworld alliance For years, Japan Airlines has maintained bilateral code-sharing and frequent flyer partnerships with several carriers that belong to the Oneworld global alliance, including American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, Qantas and LAN -- leading many to wonder why the Japanese carrier didn't simply join the alliance. Last week, JAL said it hopes to do just that. Oneworld said it "warmly welcomed" JAL's plans, indicating that membership should be a shoo-in. Oneworld noted that JAL is the only one of the world's 20 largest international carriers that does not belong to one of the three big global alliances. Competitor All Nippon Airways is a member of the Star Alliance. Other Oneworld members-in-waiting include Hungary's Malev and Royal Jordanian. AirTran parts ways with Expedia If you're a frequent AirTran passenger who likes to book flights on Expedia (www.expedia.com), you can't any more. AirTran said last week it has "mutually agreed" with the big online travel agency to discontinue the sale of AirTran tickets through Expedia, effective immediately. "Today's economic environment in the airline industry requires us to look at every line-item as we continue to focus on reducing costs in order to keep our fares low," an AirTran spokesman said. "Our customers can continue to rely on airtran.com, where you will always find our lowest fares with no booking fees." AIRPORTS Atlanta debuts airport-wide Wi-Fi access Using infrastructure technology supplied by SITA Inc., Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport last week opened up a wireless Internet access network that spans the entire facility, including its undergrounds transportation mall, officials said. The project also included a distributed antenna system that gives passengers "high-quality cell phone coverage throughout the airport and transportation mall, regardless of the cell phone carrier," a spokesman said. The Wi-Fi Internet access is provided through a neutral host, so that passengers can select their own wireless Internet Service Provider. Concourse Communications and Boingo Wireless both said that users can sign up for their service once they are connected to the airport-operated network by clicking on "Wi-Fi Zone." Boingo is offering new users who sign up through the airport site a two-for-one deal, giving them two one-day connections for $9.95, the usual cost for a one-day link. Minneapolis-St. Paul gets new runway; expansion plan delayed At Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, a new 8,000-foot runway went into operation last week. The extra landing strip, built at a cost of $700 million, will allow the airport to handle 25 percent more takeoffs and landings, airport officials said. The facility was built despite legal opposition from surrounding suburban communities concerned about an increase in aircraft noise. The new runway was part of a long-term expansion plan at MSP, but the next phase of that plan is likely to be delayed for at least a year due to the bankruptcy of Northwest Airlines and its regional partner Mesaba. The plan called for Northwest and its SkyTeam alliance partners to have exclusive use of the Lindbergh Terminal, while all other airlines would be moved to an expanded Humphrey Terminal. The first phase of that changeover was due to start in 2007, but now will be pushed back. AIR ROUTES ATLANTA (ATL). Delta on November 1 will increase service between Atlanta and Belize City, Belize from once a week to once a day. BOSTON (BOS). JetBlue adds a tenth spoke out of its growing Boston mini-hub on November 3, when it is due to start one daily non-stop between Boston and Seattle. On November 1, Delta's Song is slated top boost Boston-Orlando and Boston-Ft. Lauderdale service from four flights a day to six, and Boston-Ft. Myers from two to three. CHICAGO O'HARE (ORD). United's Ted affiliate gets into the Chicago-Miami market starting October 31, with two daily roundtrips. DALLAS/FT. WORTH (DFW). American Airlines on November 1 is due to launch new daily non-stop service between its DFW hub and Japan's Osaka Kansai Airport. KANSAS CITY (MCI). Midwest Airlines on October 31 begins new non-stop service between Kansas City and San Diego, Pittsburgh and Orlando, with one daily roundtrip in each market. LOS ANGELES (LAX). Effective November 1, Delta's low-cost partner, Song, said it will add a second daily LAX-Ft. Lauderdale roundtrip ... Alaska Airlines has added a second daily LAX-Mexico City roundtrip; the flight originates in Portland. NEW YORK KENNEDY (JFK). Delta's Song affiliate on November 1 plans to boost frequencies between JFK and Florida, increasing Ft. Lauderdale service from five roundtrips a day to eight; Orlando from five to eight; Palm Beach from two to four; and Tampa from three to four. NEW YORK LAGUARDIA (LGA). Delta Connection/Comair plans to begin new service November 1 between LaGuardia and Ft. Myers, Fla., with two daily regional jet roundtrips. NEWARK (EWR). Continental launches its new non-stop service between Newark and New Delhi, India, October 31, operating the 7,323-mile route once a day with a 777. That's just under 14 hours eastbound, a little les than 16 hours westbound. ORLANDO (MCO). Delta Connection carriers Atlantic Southeast and Freedom Airlines on November 1 will begin new regional jet flights from Orlando to Charlottesville, Va.; Jackson, Miss.; Baton Rouge; Oklahoma City and Tulsa (each once a day); and to Dallas/Ft. Worth (twice daily). SALT LAKE CITY (SLC). On November 1, Delta begins new daily non-stops between its Salt Lake City hub and Puerto Vallarta, on Mexico's Pacific coast. SAN FRANCISCO (SFO). On October 31, United Express launches new daily non-stop regional jet service between San Francisco and Tucson. Delta's low-cost affiliate, Song, kicks off new San Francisco-Orlando service November 4, initially operating three days a week (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). It will increase to five times a week on January 30 and to daily service on March 1, 2006. WASHINGTON DULLES (IAD). United on October 31 adds a second daily roundtrip between its Washington Dulles hub and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Independence Air is due to terminate its Dulles-San Diego flights November 1. DEALS AND SPECIALS FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS The SkyTeam global airline alliance (www.skyteam.com) - which includes Northwest, Delta, Continental, Air France/KLM and Korean Air - has introduced a new SkyTeam Asia Pass. Designed for travelers going to multiple destinations within Asia, it offers considerable savings off standard fares. The Asia Pass, which consists of three to eight flight coupons for intra-regional travel, is only sold in conjunction with an international ticket to Asia on a member airline. SkyTeam cited the example of someone going to Beijing and continuing on to Seoul, Tokyo, Noumea (New Caledonia), Osaka, Taipei, Bangkok, Saigon and Seoul again; with eight Asia Pass coupons, the price would be $2,310, vs. more than $7,000 for regular fares. Thrifty Car Rental (www.thrifty.com; 800-THRIFTY) has extended its "double credits" promotion through December 15 for members of its Blue Chip Rewards program. The double credit applies only to rentals that are booked through the company's web site. The program awards one free rental day for each 16 days of paid rentals; with the bonus, each paid rental day earns two days' credit instead of one. 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.