{"id":364,"date":"2008-06-09T07:27:42","date_gmt":"2008-06-09T12:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/06\/brancatelli-british-airways-launching-new-airline\/"},"modified":"2016-12-17T19:44:20","modified_gmt":"2016-12-18T01:44:20","slug":"brancatelli-british-airways-launching-new-airline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/06\/brancatelli-british-airways-launching-new-airline\/","title":{"rendered":"Brancatelli: British Airways launching new airline"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ontheroad\"<\/a>
\nJoe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com<\/a><\/strong>, a
\nnon-commercial Web site for business travelers.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em>ROUTE MAP<\/strong><\/p>\n

Southwest steps it up in Denver:<\/strong> Southwest Airlines continues
\nto up the pressure on United and Frontier in Denver. Beginning
\nSeptember 2, it will add daily round trips to San Francisco and Omaha.
\nThe carrier had previously announced it would launch flights to
\nPortland, Oregon, and Indianapolis (June 4) as well as service to
\nSacramento, Fort Lauderdale and New Orleans (August 4). That means
\nSouthwest will operate 95 flights<\/a><\/strong> a day from Denver to 30 cities.<\/p>\n

Alaska Airlines<\/strong> is adding two new routes from its Seattle hub. Flights
\nto Minneapolis begin on October 26; service to Kona launches on
\nNovember 17. \u2026 On the flip side, be prepared for some huge service cuts
\nlater this year. American Airlines has already announced a 10 percent
\ncapacity reduction in the fourth quarter. Other airlines<\/a><\/strong> have already
\nplanned 5-10 percent cuts and make reduce more service as the economy
\nfalters. <\/p>\n

INTERNATIONAL AGENDA<\/strong><\/p>\n

BA gets OpenSkies up and running for June 19 launch:<\/strong> British
\nAirways has received approval to launch its new-wave carrier called
\nOpenSkies. The airline begins June 19 with nonstop flights<\/a><\/strong> between New
\nYork\/Kennedy and Paris\/Orly and has even struck a code-share deal with
\nL’Avion, the all-business-class start-up that flies between Newark and
\nOrly. OpenSkies has configured its Boeing 757 with three classes: a
\n24-seat business class equipped with BA’s first-generation lie-flat
\nbeds; a 28-seat premium economy class called "prem+," which features
\nseats with 52-inch pitch; and 30 coach seats.<\/p>\n

Singapore Airlines<\/strong> now
\noffers iPod and iPhone connectivity on some of its flights<\/a><\/strong>. It allows
\ntravelers to run their own media on the airline’s seatback monitors and
\nthrough the sound system. \u2026 Delta Air Lines<\/strong> says it will launch flights
\nbetween its Atlanta hub and Kuwait on November 7. The route will be
\noperated with Boeing 777-200ERs.<\/p>\n

LOBBY LIFE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Labor woes at the Greenbrier Resort:<\/strong> The fancy, clubby
\nGreenbrier Resort in West Virginia is losing meeting and conventionbusiness due to a simmering labor dispute. The resort’s master labor
\ncontract expired at the beginning of the year and that has frightened
\nmeeting planners, who are reluctant to book at a property where a
\nstrike could begin at any time. Groups have shifted meetings elsewhere,
\nnotably to The Homestead, a Virginia resort about 40 miles away.<\/p>\n

Doubletree has put its flag on the former Hotel LaBella, a 151-room
\nproperty in Jefferson City, the capital of Missouri. Another Doubletree
\nconversion: the 183-room former Radisson Northlake in Tucker, Georgia,
\nan Atlanta suburb. \u2026 A $10 million renovation has converted the
\n289-room Sheraton in Billings, Montana, into a Crowne Plaza hotel. \u2026
\nThe Westin Princeville Ocean Resort<\/a><\/strong> has opened on Kauai in the
\nPrinceville complex near Hanalei, Hawaii. The property features studio
\nand one- and two-bedroom suites. Prices start at $600 a night.<\/p>\n

Read more "On the Road with Joe Brancatelli" at
\nroadwarrior.orbitz.com<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Related Orbitz resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n