High-tech takeoff: All of Delta's mainline aircraft have WiFi. Credit: Cubbie Vegas.
By Mark Chesnut
Not everyone wants to stay connected when they’re in the air. But for those who do want to surf the Web while flying, the highly inconsistent connectivity offered today can be a bit frustrating. To help you sort out who offers what and when, here’s a roundup of the latest onboard WiFi offerings. (more…)
Sweet dreams: Delta's lie-flat business class seat.
By Mark Chesnut
The competition for business travelers is always fierce — and now, as business travel rebounds, airlines are introducing comfy new seats and amenities to lure you to the front of the cabin.
United Continental Holdings, which owns the recently merged United and Continental Airlines, is working to make the flight experience more consistent on both of its brands. In May, both carriers introduced Premier Access, a new package of airport services that includes designated check-in counters, priority security screening, “front of the line” boarding through special Premier Access lanes and priority baggage handling, all available to elite-level frequent flyers and people flying in business and first class. The new feature will debut throughout the system over the next several months. In addition, United is introducing lie-flat business class seats on many of its international routes, and Continental has installed similar seats in its 757-200 aircraft.
Delta Airlines, meanwhile, has directed some of its $2 billion upgrade investment toward business travelers as well. The company has introduced flat-bed seats on more than 25 percent of international flights, including all 777 and 767-400 aircraft. By 2013, all of the company’s transoceanic flights with Business Elite service will have these seats. The company has also added some 2,000 premium seats with the debut of first class on 228 of its regional aircraft. US Airways is also adding first class to 110 of its own regional jets.
Across the Pacific, Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways has launched a new business class product, with 82-inch flat-bed seats, side storage compartments and 15-inch personal TVs. The new business class is being progressively introduced on the company’s 777-300ER aircraft.
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Mark Chesnut is a travel writer, editor and publisher of LatinFlyer.com, which focuses on business and leisure travel to Latin America.
Credit: Larry Johnson.
By Joe Brancatelli
The first details of the merger of United’s Mileage Plus and Continental’s OnePass have been released. A new, combined program will begin in January, 2012, with combined frequent flyer activity on the two airlines during 2011 contributing to a 2012 elite status.
Credit: Cordey.
Contintental and United airlines cleared another hurdle on their way to a merger when the U.S. Department of Justice signed off on the deal. But to win approval, United and Continental had to reduce its presence at Newark Airport. And the winner in the cutback? Southwest Airlines, the most feared competitor in the skies.
A deal struck between Continental and United and Southwest will “lease” 36 take-off and landing slots at Newark, Continental’s major hub, to Southwest. That’ll allow Southwest to launch 18 roundtrips a day. Southwest expects to begin flights in March and have a full schedule from Newark by June. Expect Southwest to target key business markets. Continental and United currently operate about 450 flights a day from Newark. And you may think that 18 roundtrips hardly count as a challenge from Southwest, but watch what happens. Whenever Southwest enters a market, fares fall dramatically.
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Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2010 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.
Delta Airlines is updating its seat configurations. Credit: SpecialKRB.
By Joe Brancatelli
Delta Airlines has announced what it claims is a “major enhancement” of its domestic schedule: “first-class service on flights longer than 750 miles.” But the supposed enhancement is less than business travelers could wish for. What Delta is actually doing is creating first-class cabins on the tiny regional jets (RJs) that the airline’s commuter carriers operate.
Delta isn’t alone. American Airlines announced first-class service for some of its RJs in March and both carriers are merely mimicking United Airlines, which has been flying RJs with a supposed first-class cabin for several years. But Delta’s first class will be even more restricted than United and American. The carrier’s current RJs kitted out with first offer seats with just 35 inches of legroom. That’s just an inch more than JetBlue offers in coach on its Airbus jets. Delta says there are at least 50 routes where the new cabins will be available by the fall.
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Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2009 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.
By Joe Brancatelli
Credit: contraption.
Since United Airlines has had some limited success selling travelers “bonus” Mileage Plus credit on a per-flight basis, American AAdvantage has decided to do the same. The airline’s so-called Mileage Multiplier Option will appear when you check in for your flight at airport kiosks. For the outrageously inflated price of about 3 cents a mile (plus tax), you can buy double or triple flight miles.
Delta Air Lines has eliminated the annoying redemption fees for SkyMiles awards claimed within 21 days of departure. The fees ranged as high as $150 for tickets booked within three days. Why roll back the fees? Delta insiders say the strange new world of frequent flyer accounting actually makes it beneficial to the airline when travelers claim awards.
Moreover, customers who successfully claim awards are more likely to continue to book Delta, thus creating more revenue than the fees generated. But nothing is totally free of bad news, of course. While it drops redemption fees, Delta has hiked the charge it imposes if you redeposit miles to $150.
Stash Hotel Rewards is the name of a new frequent-guest program that claims to be a loyalty plan for “fiercely independent hoteliers,” about 65 of whom are currently participating. But “independent” is in the eye of the beholder. Among the properties in Stash Rewards are the Hotel Sierra chain, run by LodgeWorks, and a handful of lodgings operated by Greystone Hotels of San Francisco.
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Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2009 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.
By Joe Brancatelli
The progress of travel WiFi continues to be a an erratic one. On the plus side, Alaska Airlines has begun installing in-flight WiFi on its aircraft. Six of the carrier’s Boeing 737s now offer GoGo Inflight connections. And Delta Air Lines says 500 of its domestic aircraft are now wired for Gogo’s WiFi service.
On the flip side, however, it looks like Continental Airlines won’t be installing Gogo’s in-flight WiFi service any time soon. The airline announced a test of the WiFi system in January and said it would wire 21 Boeing 757s by the second quarter. But an internal memo claims the service has been delayed until Continental can work through “connectivity solutions in the context of a merged carrier.” Continental is due to merge with United Airlines, which uses Gogo on its transcontinental p.s. flights.
Oh, one more bit of news: Amtrak says the three-month test of WiFi on its Acela Express East Coast Corridor trains has convinced the rail system to expand the availability of the service. WiFi will continue to be free on Acela trains, it will be added to the slower “regional” trains on the runs between Boston and Washington and will also be installed on trains in California.
Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2009 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.
By Joe Brancatelli
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Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2009 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.
Five major airlines have pledged not to charge for carry-on baggage, Sen. Charles Schumer told CNN. His announcement follows Spirit Airlines’ decision two weeks ago to begin charging up to $45 to stow luggage in overhead bins.
Schumer was able to personally secure commitments from American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, United Airlines and US Airways, according to the network.
“We have begun to put the brakes on runaway and out-of-control airline fees,” Schumer told CNN. “I am pleased some of the major carriers have responded to our efforts and have agreed not to charge for something that has always been free.” Check out CNN.com for the full story.
By Joe Brancatelli
MILEAGE METER
Delta and US Airways Bow to Their Most Frequent Fliers: Faced with an unprecedented blowback from its elite SkyMiles customers, Delta Air Lines has changed the rules on its new Coach Choice program, which charges $5-25 for a seat assignment in supposedly preferred coach seats. Elite SkyMiles members will once again be able to select any coach seat at the time of booking without charge. Delta will continue to charge travelers without status, however. Meanwhile, US Airways has restored bonus miles for its elite fliers after months of criticism from its best customers. Effective immediately, silver members will receive a 25 percent bonus per flight; gold members receive a 50 percent bonus; platinum fliers receive a 75 percent bonus; and Chairman’s Preferred members receive 100 percent bonuses. Elites will also receive the bonuses retroactively for any flight taken after August 6, when US Airways first eliminated them. At the same time, US Airways announced that it is restoring the 500-mile minimum per flight for all Dividend Miles customers. … United Airlines has a new partner for Mileage Plus: Jet Airways of India. Effective December 15, Mileage Plus members can earn and burn on the respected private Indian airline, except for its soon-to-be-discontinued flight from San Francisco to Shanghai.
INTERNATIONAL ITINERARY
Suddenly, Everyone Wants to Fly to Geneva: The French-speaking crowd that dominates Geneva has always resented that Switzerland‘s main hub is in German-speaking Zurich. They hated it when now-defunct Swissair ended most of its international service at Geneva in the mid-1990s. And they even supported a Geneva-based carrier called Swiss World Airways, which lasted less than 90 days in 1998. So it’s notable that both Air Canada and United Airlines this week said they would launch new service into Geneva. United said it would launch flights from its Washington/Dulles hub on April 19 with a Boeing 767 configured with first class, United’s new business class and coach. And Air Canada says it will launch a Toronto-Montreal-Geneva route on June 2 using a Boeing 767. United has also announced that it will revive its Denver-London/Heathrow route on a seasonal basis between March and October. The airline launched Denver-London service earlier this year and killed it six months later. Travelers to India take note: Jet Airways is dropping its Brussels-Bangalore nonstop on January 12.
COCONUT WIRELESS
Oh, Those Wacky Hawaiian Skies: It’s never boring on the Hawaii inter-island routes. After Aloha Airlines folded earlier this year before the courts could consider its lawsuit against mainland interloper go! and Hawaiian Airlines won a big settlement from go!, things settled down a bit. Fares jumped up and it looked as if Hawaiian and go! would dominate the primary routes. But Mokulele Airlines launched 70-seat regional jet flights on a major inter-island route late last month and has announced its intention to go head-to-head with Hawaiian and go!. The flights will be operated for Mokulele by Republic Airlines, a well-known mainland commuter carrier. What’s odd there? Mokulele has been operating as the commuter partner of go!, which is owned by Mesa, itself a large mainland commuter carrier. Naturally, Mokulele and Mesa are now suing each other, alleging everything from non-payment of bills to anti-competitive activity.
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Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2008 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.
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