EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT 01/09/06 Welcome to EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT for the week of January 9, the weekly e-mail of essential business travel news! To sign up for the e-Alert, click here. Northwest flight attendants threaten strike; pilots also angry Southwest, Frontier plan expansion at Denver US Airways starts to phase out America West identity Toddler 'terrorist' barred from boarding plane with his mom Air Canada simplifies fares to the U.K. Mexican carriers to abandon DFW routes Reader Question of the Week: As our lead story indicates, bankrupt carriers often risk union walkouts by asking courts to cancel their labor contracts. Do you keep a close watch on such threats in order to protect your travel plans; and if so, how do you keep track of these developments? Send your reply to skyguide@aexp.com. AIRLINES Northwest flight attendants threaten strike; pilots also angry Last month, Delta's pilots were threatening to strike if management and the bankruptcy court imposed unilateral wage cuts on them; this month, it's Northwest Airlines' flight attendants. The Delta pilots came to terms with management on temporary wage reductions while they work toward a longer-term revised contract by spring. But Northwest is heading toward a January 17 court hearing where it will ask the bankruptcy judge to terminate its existing labor contracts. It is still in talks with pilots, ground workers and flight attendants as that court date approaches, but the latter union said in its own court filing last week it reserves the right to walk off the job if its contract is canceled unilaterally. Northwest's recovery plan calls for the use of more foreign-based flight attendants, a change that the flight attendants' union said could cost thousands of its members their jobs. Meanwhile, Delta's pilots are fuming over another part of the airline's recovery plan - a proposal to create a new regional carrier that would operate 70- to 100-seat jets in markets that don't have the traffic to justify larger aircraft. However, Northwest's mainline pilots say their existing contract gives them the right to fly all jets with 70 or more seats, and the planned spin-off company would deprive their members of jobs. The union warned the bankruptcy court that Northwest's plan is "risking labor peace with its pilots." And remember the ongoing strike by Northwest's mechanics union? Members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association voted recently to continue their walkout against Northwest - but not many people noticed. The airline installed replacement workers to take over the jobs of the striking mechanics, and despite some rough going in the early days, the tactic apparently worked. A recent analysis by the Chicago Tribune concluded that the strike has totally failed. A big part of the reason, the report suggested, was the failure of other Northwest unions - including pilots and flight attendants - to honor the mechanics' picket lines. Southwest, Frontier plan expansion at Denver Low-fare competition is heating up at Denver International Airport as Southwest Airlines, which started flying at DIA last week, and Denver-based Frontier Airlines are both planning an expansion of their operations there. Southwest, which inaugurated its Denver presence with multiple daily non-stops to Phoenix, Chicago Midway and Las Vegas, said that on March 4 it will begin flying one daily roundtrip between Denver and Baltimore/Washington International and four flights a day between Denver and Salt Lake City, giving it a total of 20 daily departures at Denver. Meanwhile, in what is said to be a test of market demand, Southwest will also begin once-a-week Saturday service February 11 between Denver-Oakland and Denver-San Diego. The California service could be temporary depending on how the market responds - or it could be expanded. Frontier Airlines has already put extra frequencies on its Denver-Phoenix, Denver-Chicago Midway and Denver-Las Vegas routes in response to the new Southwest challenge. And Frontier CEO Jeff Potter told the Rocky Mountain News last week that his airline has more growth in store for 2006. He said Frontier has applied for government approval to fly to Canada, although he declined to name specific destination cities yet. Potter said Frontier will also add new routes to at least three more U.S. cities in 2006, also still undecided, and will increase frequencies by more than 20 a day to existing Frontier destinations out of Denver, including Portland, Seattle, San Diego, Salt Lake City and Tulsa. Potter said Frontier is looking for more gates at Denver International to accommodate the 12 new planes it expects to add in 2006. US Airways starts to phase out America West identity The "new" US Airways - i.e., the merged US Airways/America West - has started to slowly phase out the identity of the latter airline, as the two will gradually combine their operations under the US Airways name. Former America West reservations agents are answering the phone "US Airways" now, and many items carrying the America West logo - from ticket jackets to cocktail napkins - are starting to be replaced with US Airways materials. The two airlines will continue to maintain separate web sites for several months, however, and it will reportedly take until the end of this year before all of America West's aircraft can be repainted with new livery, according to press reports. The company is expected to roll out a national ad campaign in a few months touting the merger. FAA/SECURITY Toddler 'terrorist' barred from boarding plane with his mom A four-year-old boy checking in with his mother for a flight from Houston to New York was stopped by Continental Airlines employees because his name was on the government's "no-fly" list, according to the Associated Press. The incident happened a few days before Christmas, when four-year-old Edward Allen was going to visit his grandmother. According to the wire report, his mother said it took "several minutes of pleading and a phone call by the ticket agent" before the child was allowed to board. The story quoted his mother as saying the boy also had trouble getting past check-in at LaGuardia for his December 26 return flight. The Transportation Security Administration reportedly tells airlines not to deny boarding to anyone under 12, even if their names are on the mysterious list. INTERNATIONAL Air Canada simplifies fares to the U.K. Air Canada last week said that its simplified domestic fare structure has been extended to its transatlantic routes to London Heathrow and Manchester, with more to follow. The change means that the airline will now offer just four fare categories on these routes: • Deeply-discounted Tourist fares, non-refundable, non-changeable and requiring a Saturday night stay but no advance purchase; these fares don't earn frequent flyer miles. • Discounted Leisure fares, also non-refundable and requiring a Saturday night stay, but with no advance purchase rule and changes permitted for $200 (same-day changes for $100); these fares do earn miles. • Latitude Plus one-way fares that are fully refundable and changeable for no fee, with unlimited stopovers and eligibility for Aeroplan upgrades. • Executive First fares for front-cabin travel. "Air Canada plans to convert more international destinations to its simplified fare structure in the near future," a spokesman said. Mexican carriers to abandon DFW routes The Dallas Morning News reported last week that both AeroMexico and Mexicana Airlines are planning to halt their service to Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport. Both cited a lack of profitable traffic. Mexicana reportedly plans to stop flying at DFW on January 10, terminating its routes from there to Guadalajara, Zacatecas and Morelia; the carrier had returned to DFW last summer after a 13-year absence, the newspaper noted. AeroMexico reportedly lost interest in its DFW-Mexico City route after its code-share partner, Delta, abandoned its Dallas hub last year, the paper said. AeroMexico's service is due to end February 5. AIR ROUTES AKRON/CANTON (CAK). AirTran Airways set a January 12 start for daily seasonal 737 service between Akron/Canton and Fort Myers, Fla.; the service continues through May 3. CHICAGO MIDWAY (MDW). January 10 is the date when ATA Airlines terminates its daily Chicago Midway-Denver flights DALLAS/FT. WORTH (DFW). Spirit Airlines will begin flying between DFW and its Fort Lauderdale hub on January 10, using a two-class Airbus A319. DENVER (DEN). January 10 marks the end of ATA Airlines' Denver service; the carrier operated four times a day between Denver-Chicago Midway and twice a day between Denver-Phoenix. Code-share partner Southwest Airlines has moved into both routes. Meanwhile, Frontier Airlines a seventh daily Denver-Phoenix flight, a seventh daily Denver-Las Vegas roundtrip and a fifth daily Denver-Chicago Midway departure. INDIANAPOLIS (IND). ATA Airlines will stop flying at Indianapolis January 10, ending its non-stop service to Orlando, Fort Myers and Las Vegas as well as its direct service to Honolulu, Maui and San Juan. NEW YORK KENNEDY (JFK). Effective January 12, JetBlue will add a second daily JFK-New Orleans roundtrip. SAN JUAN (SJU). ATA Airlines on January 10 will end its San Juan-Orlando and its San Juan-Chicago Midway service. DEALS AND SPECIALS FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS MAXjet (www.maxjet.com; 888-435-9629), the new all-business-class airline operating a 102-seat 767 between New York JFK and London Stanstead, is having a New Year's sale. The carrier is offering roundtrip tickets at $999 for travel through March 31, although the purchase deadline is January 17. Use promotion code NEWYR1 to book. Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com) is having a web-only fare sale for travel from the U.S. through March 31, with a purchase deadline of January 31. You'll find the special deals - which all earn frequent flyer mileage on Singapore or its partner airlines - by going to the "Fare Options" page and clicking on "Flexi-Saver." Sample roundtrip economy fares include San Francisco-Seoul, $760; Los Angeles-Tokyo, $680; New York JFK-Frankfurt, $530; JFK-Singapore, $1,160. New York City's Kitano Hotel (www.kitano.com; 800-548-2666), a Japanese-owned, AAA four-diamond property at 38th Street and Park Avenue, has a Winter Special package for visits through March 5. The rate includes breakfast and a cocktail at the Kitano Bar Lounge. Single-occupancy prices start at $240 a night, a savings of up to 50 percent off rack rates. 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. FAMILIES: Research by the Travel Industry Association found that on about one in every six business trips, the traveler is accompanied by his/her spouse; and on one in 10 trips, kids under 18 come along. Do you ever ask your family along on business trips? The March issue of Executive Travel magazine will give you some tips on how to make such trips less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone involved. By Jim Glab Have a question or comment? Send it to skyguide@aexp.com. To sign up for the e-Alert, click here.