EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT 06/12/06 Welcome to EXECUTIVE TRAVEL SKYGUIDE E-ALERT for the week of June 12, the weekly e-mail of essential business travel news! To sign up for the e-Alert, click here. Northwest flight attendants reject new contract Denver flyers win as low-cost competition heats up JetBlue will add two more cities from its JFK base in August American expands remote baggage check-in program House rejects bid to boost security fees for passengers Oneworld to consolidate at Narita, SkyTeam at Heathrow Hotels: Boston gets a Westin, Park Hyatt reopens in D.C. Executive Travel magazine invites you to cast your ballot for the 2006 Leading Edge Awards. Tell us what you think is the best of executive travel, from the airlines and hotels that win your loyalty, to your favorite places to unwind, to your preferred financial services companies and technology products to your favorite brands of liquor and luggage. Results will be revealed in the September 2006 issue of Executive Travel magazine. Cast your ballot today! To vote, click here to access the fax ballot form, or email skyguide@aexp.com to request a ballot via email. We look forward to hearing from you! THIS WEEK'S QUESTION FOR READERS: When you flew a connection between a U.S. airline and one of its global alliance partners, did you have trouble getting mileage credit in your primary program? Or have you had trouble claiming an award flight on a foreign partner airline? Send comments to skyguide@aexp.com. Last week, we asked if first class still served any useful purpose. Responses tended toward the negative, especially regarding domestic first class. "I do not believe that travel within the U.S. requires first class seating," said Bob Smith. "Other than a wider seat and free cocktails, the service is now reduced to a minimum; the food is of the quality they used to serve in economy." "A more spacious section of economy would be better than the present system," replied Lynn Camp; "In order to get an upgrade, it is best to try three to six months in advance." "Would we pay more for first class over business class where both are available on the same flight? No!" said Peter Eschweiler. According to Ricky Costa, "Domestic first class is obviously nicer than cattle class, but not worth the substantial difference in fare." AIRLINES Northwest flight attendants reject new contract Just when Northwest Airlines thought it had all its unions in agreement on a new round of wage and benefit cuts, members of the Professional Flight Attendants Association threw a monkey wrench into the works by voting down a tentative pact that their representatives had worked out with management. As a result, Northwest is expected back in bankruptcy court this week to ask that the flight attendants be barred from striking - something they have threatened to do if the judge endorses Northwest's request to throw out their current contract and impose new wages and work rules unilaterally. There is apparently no immediate threat of a strike, but the airline nonetheless has asked for a preliminary injunction against such an action by the flight attendants. "We are taking this action to reassure our customers that they can continue to book Northwest with confidence for their future travel needs," said a Northwest official. The airline has already secured agreement on new contracts from its pilots and several other union groups. Last week, members of the International Association of Machinists - representing more than 12,000 Northwest equipment service workers, office and clerical staff and passenger service personnel - ratified a new contract. However, the new pilots' contract won't take effect until the flight attendants fall into line with permanent pay cuts of their own. Northwest argued that even with the temporary pay cuts now in place, it will still lose about $30 million a month until permanent new contracts are approved by all union groups - something that could force the company to cut back on flight operations this summer. Denver flyers win as low-cost competition heats up Denver travelers will be the beneficiaries of a significant service expansion in the coming months. In addition to United Airlines' plans to increase frequencies on many spokes from its Denver hub, low-cost competitors Southwest and Frontier Airlines both announced expansion plans last week. Southwest said it will add a dozen more Denver flights. Effective July 17, it will begin a new daily non-stop from Denver to Houston; a second daily roundtrip to Baltimore/Washington; a fifth to Chicago Midway; and a sixth to Phoenix. On August 4, Southwest kicks off new Denver-Kansas City service with four daily roundtrips; and between Denver-Orlando and Denver-Nashville, each with one daily flight. On the same date, Southwest will add a seventh daily flight from Denver to Las Vegas and a second from Denver to Houston Hobby. Frontier, meanwhile - which recently won access to six more gates at DEN - said it will add capacity to seven domestic destinations, including a July 31 boost of its Denver-DFW schedule to seven daily mainline flights; the addition of a sixth daily Denver-Chicago Midway flight on August 20; a seventh daily Denver-Phoenix roundtrip starting August 31; and the extension of a sixth daily seasonal mainline flight between Denver-San Diego to year-round status effective November 17. On August 20, Frontier will upgrade from regional jets to mainline (A318/319) service on both its Denver-Tucson flights and one of its Denver-Dayton flights. This coming fall/winter, Frontier said, its schedule from Denver to seven cities in Mexico will see an overall increase of 30 percent. JetBlue will add two more cities from its JFK base in August JetBlue Airways said last week it plans to add two more destinations from its base at New York's JFK Airport in August: Washington Dulles and Nashville. Service on both routes will use JetBlue's new 100-seat Embraer 190 aircraft. On the JFK-Dulles route, which begins August 17, JetBlue will operate six flights a day on weekdays and five on Sundays, departing JFK at times ranging from 7 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. The JFK-Nashville route is set to launch on August 31 with three daily roundtrips. Introductory fares, available for purchase through June 30, are $39 each way for JFK-IAD (valid for travel August 17-September 30); and $69 each way for JFK-Nashville flights (valid for travel August 31-October 31). Regular JetBlue one-way fares on the routes will range from $50-$145 for JFK-Dulles, $89-$299 for JFK-Nashville. American expands remote baggage check-in program American Airlines, which has been tinkering with baggage and flight check-in from remote locations for more than a year - mainly with Florida-based cruises - has expanded the program and has formalized it under the name AAdvance Bag Check. The company said that in addition to the cruise line advance check-in locations, it now offers the service in more than 34 other locations, including Chicago's McCormick Place Convention Center, the Moscone Center in San Francisco, 19 Disney hotels and resorts in the Orlando area, and the Hilton Grand Vacation Club in Honolulu, among others. For a full list of locations where the advance bag check-in service is available, go to www.aa.com/aadvancebagcheck. The service costs $10 per person at hotels and convention centers, or $10 to $20 at cruise lines. It allows passengers to check in their luggage and get their boarding passes up to 24 hours in advance, allowing them to proceed directly to the security lines at the airport. American works with Orlando-based Baggage Airline Guest Services Inc. to provide the program. FAA/SECURITY House rejects bid to boost security fees for passengers The U.S. House of Representatives last week dumped a proposal by the Bush Administration to increase the fees that airline passengers pay to cover the costs of security inspections. The administration's 2007 budget plan had included a proposal to charge a security fee of $5 per one-way ticket. The current fee is $2.50 per flight segment, with a maximum charge of $5 per one-way trip. The proposed change would have doubled the cost for persons on non-stop flights. But the House decided not to include the requested change in its appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security. INTERNATIONAL Oneworld to consolidate at Narita, SkyTeam at Heathrow Following last week's inauguration of consolidated terminal facilities for Star Alliance airlines at Tokyo's Narita Airport, two more global alliances have unveiled plans for their own consolidation of facilities at a pair of major airports. The Oneworld alliance, which last week formalized its previously announced intention to take on Japan Airlines as a member, said it expects to have its own consolidated facilities at Narita early next year, by which time JAL should be fully integrated into the Oneworld family. The airport is spending $170 million on upgrades to Terminal 2, JAL's home base, where Oneworld members will bring their operations together. Qantas is already in Terminal 2, and so are JAL affiliates JALways and Japan Asia Airways, which will become Oneworld affiliate members. Other member airlines at Narita, including American, Cathay Pacific and Finnair, will more from Terminal 1 next year into Terminal 2. JAL plans to upgrade lounges for premium passengers in Terminal 2, while American, Cathay and Finnair are expected to build new ones there. The terminal will also get new check-in counters and self-service kiosks as well as easier-to-read flight information displays in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. Shopping facilities will also be expanded. At London Heathrow, meanwhile, the SkyTeam alliance said it expects to consolidate operations for its member airlines in Terminal 4 by 2008. Terminal 4 is currently the Heathrow base for KLM. It will be joined by member carriers Aeroflot, Air France, Alitalia, Czech Airlines and Korean Air following an upgrade that will provide extra check-in space, more bag drop-off locations, additional lounges and self-service kiosks. SkyTeam said that other members, including Aeromexico, Delta and Northwest, "will have the option to operate in this terminal should they serve LHR in the future." HOTELS Boston gets a Westin, Park Hyatt reopens in D.C. The Park Hyatt Washington in the nation's capital is due to reopen this month following a months-long, $24 million renovation and restyling by designer Tony Chi ... On June 21, the new, 793-room Westin Boston Waterfront is due to start taking guests; it's in South Boston, less than three miles from Logan Airport, and connected to the new Boston Convention & Exhibition Center ... Marriott's newest property in New York City is the Courtyard New York Manhattan/Upper East Side, located at 410 East 92nd Street ... InterContinental Hotels Group is adding a couple of New Jersey properties: the former Hilton in Cherry Hill, six miles from downtown Philadelphia, will become a Crowne Plaza this month; and the group just opened a 150-unit Staybridge Suites hotel in Parsippany, 25 miles west of New York City ... In Florida, a late June opening is slated for the Hilton St. Petersburg at Carillon Park ... There's a new Hilton Garden Inn in Greenbelt, Md., outside Washington D.C. ... A new Homewood Suites Houston has opened near The Galleria (and near Chevron/Texaco, Duke Energy, and Halliburton) ... The former Wyndham hotel at Dallas' Market Center is now a Doubletree. AIR ROUTES BOSTON (BOS). Effective June 15, Delta Connection/Comair will begin non-stop service between Boston and Quebec City, with one daily roundtrip. CHICAGO O'HARE (ORD). Need to get to Jackson Hole? American Airlines will offer daily, non-stop service from O'Hare to Jackson Hole from June 17 until September 2. And from June 15-September 5, American will fly non-stop from O'Hare to Anchorage. DALLAS/FT. WORTH (DFW). American Airlines will operate daily summer service between DFW and Jackson Hole, Wyo., from June 15 through September 30. Also on June 15, American Eagle kicks off new turboprop flights between DFW and Monroe, La., with three roundtrips a day. HONOLULU (HNL). The new inter-island airline called go! (spelled with a lower-case g and an exclamation point), a division of Mesa Air Group, started flying last week. The carrier offers multiple daily departures between its Honolulu base and Lihue, Kauai; Kahului, Maui; and Kona on the Big Island. The airline will add Honolulu-Hilo flights on June 30. LOS ANGELES (LAX). Fiji-based Air Pacific, which currently flies between LAX and Nadi, Fiji on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, will add a Sunday flight starting June 18 and a Monday service the following day. NEW YORK KENNEDY (JFK). Delta will add a new South American spoke June 15 to its international hub at JFK, with daily 767-300 service to Sao Paulo, Brazil ... From June 15 through September 5, American Airlines will offer daily service between JFK and Kingston, Jamaica. Meanwhile, JetBlue Airways plans a June 15 start for three new daily non-stops between JFK and Jacksonville, Fla. NEW YORK LAGUARDIA (LGA). American Eagle will start flying one daily roundtrip (except Sundays) June 15 between LaGuardia and Des Moines, Iowa, using a 37-seat regional jet. SAN FRANCISCO (SFO). Want to sample Qantas service without flying to Australia? Qantas will offer seasonal service between San Francisco and Vancouver three days a week (Wednesday, Friday, Sunday) from June 14 to August 6 and again December 1-January 31. DEALS AND SPECIAL OFFERS FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS Got business in India? Trident Hilton Hotels (800-445-8667; www.hilton.com) has summer packages through September that include breakfast; 1,000 HHonors bonus points per stay; room upgrade; early check-in and -out; and all taxes. Rates range from $75-$90 a night in Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur; $130-$238 for the Trident Hilton Cochin, Hilton Towers Mumbai and Trident Hilton Gurgaon, near Delhi International Airport. TAP Portugal (800-221-7370; www.flytap.com) is offering a special business class fare sale for trips from Newark to Lisbon, Porto or Faro. The roundtrip fare of $1,750 is good for travel through September 15, with a purchase deadline of June 30. Connections to Madeira are available for an extra $150, or to the Azores for $217 extra. If golf is your game, you can play for free at one of 330 courses nationwide when you stay at a Hilton Garden Inn on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday night through October 22. To get a voucher good for greens fees for two at a local course, you have to book your stay online through www.StayHGI.com/golf. British airline bmi (www.flybmi.com; 800-788-0555) is marking its fifth anniversary of Chicago-Manchester service with a fare sale, good for travel during September and October, as long as tickets are purchased by June 16. The sale fares for Chicago-Manchester flights are $239 each way in economy, $489 in premium economy and $1,489 in business class. For an additional $16 each way, passengers in any class can connect to London, Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Glasgow. 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 Have a question or comment? Send it to skyguide@aexp.com. To sign up for the e-Alert, click here.