EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT 01/30/06 Welcome to EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT for the week of January 30, the weekly e-mail of essential business travel news! To sign up for the e-Alert, click here. ATA adds routes, expands Southwest code-sharing Delta, AirTran plan new service in key markets Northwest's labor situation still unresolved Southwest debuts wireless check-in Ryanair will charge for checked bags Airlines oppose government's Registered Traveler program United eyes Washington Dulles growth with Independence Air gates Reader Question of the Week: A leading European low-cost airline is cutting fares but starting to charge for checked baggage (see below). Do you think cash-strapped major airlines in the U.S. ought to do this? Send your reply to skyguide@aexp.com. Last week, we asked if readers were concerned about the privacy of their personal data if they signed up for a Registered Traveler program. They weren't. "I would welcome any means to expedite my clearance through security," said one. Another called it a "low-risk" possibility. "If my personal data gets out, I'll have to deal with that, just as if my personal data at my bank or broker gets out," said another. AIRLINES ATA adds routes, expands Southwest code-sharing During its many months in Chapter 11, ATA Airlines had become the incredible shrinking carrier, dropping routes right and left; it stopped flying altogether at its former home base of Indianapolis and turned over most of its Chicago Midway gates to code-share partner Southwest. But now, as it nears its exit from bankruptcy, ATA is starting to grow again. The company said last week it is adding several new routes to Hawaii as well as new Houston-New York service - all of it from airports served by Southwest, and much of it to be code-shared. ATA will code-share with Southwest on new twice-daily non-stops between Southwest's stronghold at Houston Hobby and New York LaGuardia, starting April 2. The two will also code-share through Oakland for ATA's new once-daily service between Oakland-Hilo and Oakland-Maui and twice-daily flights between Oakland-Honolulu, all starting April 27. ATA said the new flights from Oakland will replace its existing San Francisco service. On April 28, ATA will begin daily non-stop service between Ontario, Calif. and Honolulu. Delta, AirTran plan new service in key markets Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways have both announced plans to add service in several key markets in the weeks ahead - including some interesting routes that don't include their hub airports. Delta said that it will begin new service April 3 between New York LaGuardia and Chicago O'Hare, with five daily roundtrips; and between LaGuardia and Dallas/Ft. Worth with two flights a day, increasing to three on May 1. The new services will be operated by Delta Connection/Shuttle America with 70-seat, two-class Embraer regional jets. And the LaGuardia-O'Hare flights will depart not from Delta's main terminal at LGA, but from the Marine Air Terminal, which handles its Boston/Washington shuttle flights. Meanwhile, Delta set a June 8 start for a new non-hub transcontinental route: Raleigh/Durham to Los Angeles, with one daily 737-800 roundtrip; it will be the only non-stop service in that market. AirTran, meanwhile, announced that it will soon begin flying 717s out of the Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y., just north of New York City. The airline didn't give a starting date yet, but said it will fly from Westchester County Airport to Atlanta, Orlando and West Palm Beach. From its Atlanta hub, meanwhile, AirTran unveiled plans for a new transcontinental route of its own. On May 25 it will start Atlanta-Seattle service, with two daily 737 roundtrips. This will be a seasonal route, however, operating through Labor Day. Northwest's labor situation still unresolved Arguments will continue in a New York bankruptcy court this week over Northwest Airlines' request to terminate its key union contracts if it can't reach new cost-saving agreements with its pilots and flight attendants. Both unions have threatened to strike if the court voids their contracts, and a Northwest executive testified last week that the carrier has no contingency plans in place for a walkout - as it did last year when it successfully rode out a mechanics' strike. If Northwest is hit with a major strike, the official said, it will mean liquidation. The pilots' union, meanwhile, said last week that its members have pledged to commit up to $10 million to a strike contingency fund. Outside the courtroom, Northwest management continues to negotiate with both unions in an effort to hammer out agreements acceptable to both sides. Southwest debuts wireless check-in Southwest Airlines has added new wireless capability for web-enabled mobile devices. By directing their device to http://mobile.southwest.com, passengers can check in for their flights; cancel boarding passes; and see the airline's contact information as well as its terms and conditions and its privacy policy. For wireless check-ins, passengers will enter a confirmation number and the first and last names of one of the passengers listed on the reservation. However, at the airport they will still have to use a check-in kiosk to print out their boarding passes. INTERNATIONAL Ryanair will charge for checked bags Will this be the next step for cash-starved U.S. airlines looking for a new source of revenue? Ryanair, one of Europe's largest low-cost airlines, said it plans to reduce its already-low fares, but also to start charging passengers for each bag they check. The nine percent fare reduction will take effect in mid-March, and at the same time Ryanair will begin to assess fees of around $4.40 per bag for passengers who take advantage of online luggage check-in, or about $8.40 per bag for persons who just show up at the airport to check them in. A smaller low-cost European carrier, FlyBE, already charges for checking bags. No U.S. airlines have yet altered the long-standing industry practice of a free checked-bag allowance for up to two pieces, although many have boosted their fees for excess or oversized checked luggage, and some have started charging a $2 fee for each bag checked at curbside at some airports. FAA/SECURITY Airlines oppose government's Registered Traveler program The Air Transport Association, a trade group representing the nation's major airlines, told the Transportation Security Administration it doesn't think TSA's planned Registered Traveler (RT) program is a good idea. TSA said it hopes to have a national program up and running by June, with private contractors handling the operation of the plan at individual airports. Registered Travelers would pay a fee to be pre-screened and would carry smart cards with embedded fingerprint scans to speed them through airport security. In a letter to the TSA, ATA president James May argued that such a program "might have been valuable several years ago," but since then, "checkpoint screening has improved to the point that a continued investment of resources in RT is not advisable and the program should be discontinued." He said the plan as currently proposed seems to be more of "a revenue-generating scheme" than something that benefits travelers, and that it could create "a multi-tiered process at security checkpoints that would reduce efficiency." Instead, May said, TSA should concentrate on "a properly designed Secure Flight program, one that integrates both international and domestic passenger pre-screening functions into a single program." AIRPORTS United eyes Washington Dulles growth with Independence Air gates The Washington Post reported last week that United Airlines has reached an agreement with Independence Air - which stopped flying January 5 - to take over the latter's gates in Washington Dulles's Concourse A. United reportedly plans to use the facilities to expand regional short-haul flights at Dulles to feed its transcontinental and international routes. The transfer is subject to bankruptcy court approval. Independence Air's parent, FLYi, is in the process of a court-supervised liquidation; it reportedly told the court that United offered the highest bid for the Dulles gates. In an interview with the Post last week, United Chairman Glenn Tilton said the company has ambitious long-term expansion plans for Dulles, not only for regional flights but also for long-haul international services and for leisure-oriented Ted routes. Some expansion will begin next month (see Air Routes, below). AIR ROUTES BOSTON (BOS). JetBlue on February 2 will kick off new daily non-stop service between Boston and Nassau, Bahamas. CHICAGO MIDWAY (MDW). On February 5, Southwest Airlines will add an eighth daily flight between Midway and Philadelphia, a second daily MDW-Sacramento roundtrip, and a sixth and seventh daily frequency between Midway and Long Island/Islip. DALLAS/FT. WORTH (DFW). Starting February 3, American Airlines will launch new daily non-stop service between DFW and Montego Bay, Jamaica; and a daily roundtrip between DFW and Guanacaste, Liberia in Costa Rica. On February 5, AeroMexico will eliminate its daily DFW-Mexico City service. NASHVILLE (BNA). On February 5, Southwest will add a number of flights at Nashville, including a third daily roundtrip to Austin, a second to Ft. Lauderdale, a fourth to Jacksonville, a fourth to Las Vegas, a fifth to Orlando, a second to San Antonio and a fifth to Tampa Bay. NEW YORK KENNEDY (JFK). American Airlines plans a February 4 start for new twice-weekly non-stop 757 flights between JFK and San Jose del Cabo on Mexico's Baja Peninsula. NEW YORK LAGUARDIA (LGA). American Airlines said it will resume service between LaGuardia and New Orleans on February 3, with one daily roundtrip. PHILADELPHIA (PHL). Southwest Airlines will expand its growing Philadelphia operation on February 5, adding a second daily flight to Houston Hobby, an eighth to Chicago Midway, a second to Jacksonville, a second to Las Vegas, a second to Phoenix and a seventh to Pittsburgh. SALT LAKE CITY (SLC). Effective January 31, Delta Connection/Atlantic Southeast Airlines will begin new non-stop service between Salt Lake Cit and New Orleans, with one daily roundtrip. SAN DIEGO (SAN). Southwest will begin new daily non-stop service February 5 between San Diego and San Antonio. On the same date, Southwest will add a second daily San Diego-Austin flight and a second daily San Diego-Kansas City roundtrip. WASHINGTON DULLES (IAD). United Airlines will continue to grow its Dulles hub in February, with added frequencies in several markets and new twice-daily non-stops via United Express between Dulles and Daytona Beach. The carrier will offer a total of 14 daily United or United Express flights between Dulles and Boston, up from nine; and will add a second daily flight to Phoenix, a second to New Orleans, an eighth to Denver, a second daily Ted flight to Ft. Lauderdale, a seventh daily Ted flight to Orlando, a third United Express roundtrip to Myrtle Beach and a fourth United Express frequency to St. Louis. DEALS AND SPECIALS FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS Both American (www.aa.com) and United (www.united.com) - the latter in conjunction with partner Lufthansa (www.lufthansa-usa.com) - are having international fare sales for winter travel. American's fares must be purchased by February 6 for travel through March 2 (last outbound date: February 25). United/Lufthansa's sale prices can be bought until Februar7 and used for travel through March 31. Sample roundtrip fares on American: Chicago-Frankfurt, $426; DFW-Paris, $429; Miami-Madrid, $462; New York JFK-Zurich, $403. Sample fares on United/Lufthansa: Chicago-London, $344; San Francisco-Rome, $668; New York-Tel Aviv, $644; Washington D.C.-Munich, $452. Alitalia has become the newest airline partner in the Marriott Rewards program (www.marriottrewards.com). Members who designate the airline's MilleMiglia program for their earnings will get two miles per dollar spent at Marriott, JW Marriott and Renaissance hotels, or one mile per dollar spent on room rates only at Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites and SpringHill Suites properties. Members can also convert Marriott Rewards points to MilleMiglia miles at 1,500 miles for 10,000 points; 3,500 for 20,000 points and so on. 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. DANISH MODERN: A study by Boston Consulting Group found that Danish companies ranked number one worldwide over the past five years in terms of the return to shareholders from rising stock prices and dividends. If Denmark is in your travel plans, read our update on Copenhagen in the March issue of Executive Travel. By Jim Glab Have a question or comment? Send it to skyguide@aexp.com. To sign up for the e-Alert, click here.