EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT 12/05/05 Welcome to EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT for the week of December 5, the weekly e-mail of essential business travel news! To sign up for the e-Alert, click here. Love Field battle intensifies as STL, MCI service begins United plans expansion at Dulles in 2006 Aloha could exit Chapter 11 this month Continental starts online travel club TSA will allow some tools to be carried onboard San Jose eyes early Registered Traveler debut American to charge for curbside bag checking at DFW Westin bans smoking in most hotels; Hyatt buys Summerfield Suites AIRLINES Love Field battle intensifies as STL, MCI service begins The President last week signed legislation opening up new service at Dallas' close-in Love Field, which had previously been limited mainly to flights operating intra-state or to the states adjoining Texas under a 1979 law called the Wright Amendment. But the new exemption is limited only to the state of Missouri - a far cry from the full elimination of Wright restrictions that Southwest Airlines has been demanding for many months. Southwest immediately announced plans to begin service between Love and St. Louis and between Love and Kansas City starting December 13, with four flights a day in each market and unrestricted walk-up fares of $129 each way - "compared to fares as high as $599 each way on American Airlines" from DFW, Southwest noted. American, which has opposed any loosening of the restrictions on Love Field, said last week it has formally notified Love Field officials that it intends to begin flying out of that airport "as soon as it can obtain and prepare appropriate facilities." American said it would announce schedules for its Love Field operation as soon as possible. Southwest has adamantly refused to start flying out of DFW, where American is more entrenched than ever following the closure of Delta's hub there several months ago. American is understood to be especially concerned about staying competitive with new flight opportunities out of Love Field because a significant number of its AAdvantage elite members reportedly live close to the airport. United plans expansion at Dulles in 2006 United Airlines said it will boost service at its Washington Dulles hub early next year, adding frequencies on a number of domestic routes as its bankrupt competitor, Independence Air, scales back its Dulles operation. United said it also plans international expansion at Dulles, beginning new service to Vancouver in May 2006, and adding a third daily Frankfurt flight in April. On the domestic side, United said that in February, it will boost IAD-Boston service from nine flights a day to 14, using both mainline and regional jets; and add a second daily flight to Phoenix, a second to New Orleans, an eighth to Denver, a second Ted flight to Ft. Lauderdale, a seventh Ted flight to Orlando, a third United Express flight to Myrtle Beach, and a fourth to St. Louis. United Express will also begin new IAD-Daytona Beach service in February. Aloha could exit Chapter 11 this month Bankrupt Aloha Airlines said its reorganization plan has been cleared by a bankruptcy judge in Honolulu, clearing the way for the company to come out of Chapter 11, perhaps by December 15. The airline went into bankruptcy on December 30, 2004. Last week, the airline's flight attendants ratified a new contract that runs through April 2009, and Aloha's pilots union reached agreement with management on their own new contract, subject to ratification by members. Earlier, the airline settled on new contract terms with the machinists union and with its dispatchers and crew schedulers. Continental starts online travel club Continental Airlines has launched a new program called The Travel Club @ Continental.com, which costs $10 to join and provides members with a $5 credit for every Continental ticket they buy online. The credits can be applied toward future ticket buys; persons who join before January 31 will get a $25 bonus credit in their account. Members must also belong to the airline's OnePass frequent flyer program. Continental said members will also benefit from occasional special offers. For details, go to www.continental.com, and click on "programs and services" and then "The Travel Club." FAA/SECURITY TSA will allow some tools to be carried onboard The Transportation Security Administration last week announced some changes in screening rules and procedures, including a decision that some banned items will be allowed in carry-on luggage starting December 22. "Scissors with a cutting edge of four inches or less and tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches and pliers smaller than seven inches will be permitted on board," TSA said. "Scissors longer than four inches and tools such as crowbars, drills, hammers and saws will continue to be prohibited from carry-on bags." The agency said it is shifting its efforts at airport checkpoints away from these small objects to detection of explosives. As a part of that shift, TSA said passengers can expect to see "more random screenings" of themselves and their bags, "using a variety of methods selected at random...By incorporating unpredictability into our procedures and eliminating low-threat items, we can better focus our efforts on stopping individuals that wish to do us harm." AIRPORTS San Jose eyes early Registered Traveler debut Although the Transportation Security Administration said it hopes to have a national "registered traveler" program up and running by the middle of 2006, allowing pre-cleared frequent travelers to access speedier security inspections, officials at California's San Jose International Airport say they don't want to wait that long. SJC has already hired a company called Verified Identity Pass (Verified ID) to design and manage its own registered traveler procedure - called Clear - and airport officials said last week they are "confident that the program, once presented to the TSA, will be quickly approved. Verified ID will begin enrolling passengers at SJC in Clear within 30 days of TSA approval, and will begin operating the Clear security lanes within 90 days." American to charge for curbside bag checking at DFW In mid-December, according to the Dallas Morning News, American Airlines passengers who check luggage curbside at Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport will have to pay a fee of $2 per bag. That's in addition to any tip that passengers choose to give to the skycaps. The DFW fees mark the latest expansion of paid curbside bag check-ins by American, which levies a similar charge at some 20 other airports. Several other major airlines have started to impose a similar fee at select airports. HOTELS Westin bans smoking in most hotels; Hyatt buys Summerfield Suites Westin Hotels said that effective in January, its 77 properties in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean will ban smoking in all guest rooms and public areas. The chain has a total of 121 hotels in 31 countries. Westin said its decision was based on customer and consumer surveys that showed overwhelming support for a smoke-free environment ... Global Hyatt Corp., the parent of Hyatt Hotels, has agreed to acquire the Summerfield Suites chain, formerly a part of Wyndham Hotels. The group has 21 all-suite properties around the U.S. Previously, Hyatt purchased the AmeriSuites brand and the rights to the Hawthorn Suites brand. AIR ROUTES ATLANTA (ATL). Delta plans a December 8 start for new non-stop service from Atlanta to Barbados, operating Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON (BWI). Mexicana de Aviacion has kicked off new service between BWI and Mexico City, with one daily roundtrip using a two-class A318. CHICAGO MIDWAY (MDW). AirTran will jump into two new market December 6 when it launches four flights a day from Chicago Midway to Minneapolis/St. Paul and three a day between Midway and Boston, picking up the service that was abandoned by ATA. AirTran will use Boeing 717s on both routes. DALLAS/FT. WORTH (DFW). AirTran has discontinued its DFW-Los Angeles service. FORT LAUDERDALE (FLL). On December 10, Spirit Airlines is due to begin daily non-stop service between Ft. Lauderdale and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. DEALS AND SPECIALS FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS Singapore Airlines is having a web-only fare sale (www.singaporeair.com) for tickets purchased through December 31, for travel from the U.S. between January 9-March 31, 2006. Sample roundtrip sale fares include $530 from LAX to Tokyo, $430 from New York JFK to Frankfurt, $610 from San Francisco to Seoul, $790 from LAX to Singapore. Meanwhile, persons who fly Singapore Airlines now through December 31 to Bangkok, Dhaka, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Yokohama can get a 50 percent discount off rack rates at Pan Pacific Hotels in those cities (www.panpacific.com). Advance booking is required, and passengers have to show a Singapore Airlines boarding pass dated within seven days of check-in. United Airlines (www.united.com) and Star Alliance partner Lufthansa are teaming up to offer an international fare sale to 300 destinations when tickets are purchased by December 13, for travel December 6-15 or December 26-March 31, 2006. Sample roundtrip fares include $368 from Chicago to London, $568 from Los Angeles to Amsterdam, $614 from San Francisco to Rome, $484 from Washington D.C. to Paris, $1,218 from Chicago to Jeddah, $842 from LAX to Cairo. 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.