Travel News August 2005.

France proposes airline tax to fight global poverty. French President Jacques Chirac said France will tax airlines starting next year and use the proceeds to fight global poverty. France chose airline tickets to tax in part because airlines benefit from globalization and paid low tax rates. The International Air Transport Association has criticized the proposal. Several countries are still debating the idea, and France is launching the pilot program to prove the idea can work. Aug 30, 2005

FAA initiatives help reduce summer flight delays. Changes to the way the Federal Aviation Administration controls air traffic during bad weather is alleviating flight delays, writes The Wall Street Journal's Scott McCartney. Controllers now delay flights throughout a region when bad weather strikes instead of just at large airports. The strategy results in many airplanes experiencing short delays instead of a few experiencing delays that last for hours. The FAA has also reduced the required distance between planes from 2,000 feet vertically to 1,000 feet. Aug 30, 2005

Storm forces flight cancellations, delays Airlines canceled flights to southern cities Tuesday and airports in New Orleans and Gulfport, Miss., remain closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Disruptions are expected to persist through Labor Day weekend. Aug 30, 2005

Computer virus stalls processing for international passengers. Thousands of travelers were delayed after a virus struck the U.S. Customs computer system Thursday. The virus shut down the system used to process passengers arriving on international flights. The problem affected airports in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other large cities.

Aug 19, 2005

Controllers union blames staff shortages for California incidents. A union representing air traffic controllers is blaming staffing shortages for several incidents of jetliners flying too close together over California. The Federal Aviation Administration, however, said human error caused the incidents. Two of the incidents occurred in the last five days. Aug 18, 2005

Businesses look for ways to lower travel expenses. Many midsize businesses are trying to stem rising travel costs by using online expense reporting systems, Web booking tools and travel management companies, the Dallas Morning News reports. Thanks to travel management technology, "we're able to track very closely what we spend and use that information to secure the best travel opportunities out there," said Mark Jones of architecture firm HKS, which uses an American Express accounting tool.

Aug 15, 2005

How much of an impact did bombings have on London bookings?. Overseas visitors appear somewhat more hesitant about traveling to London in the wake of the attacks on the city's transit system in July, reports say. Though fears of mass cancellations haven't materialized, experts say future bookings could decline. Many adults in France, Britain and Germany are putting off travel to London, one survey found, but airfare comparison Web site Cheapflights said the city remains the fourth-most popular destination among U.S. users of the cheapflights.com site. Aug 11, 2005

More travelers discovering round-the-world airline tickets. Business travelers and baby boomers are discovering the value of round-the-world airline tickets, which can be cheaper than there-and-back tickets in some cases -- especially in first and business class -- and offer the chance to rack up frequent-flier miles. Experts say it's best to book such tickets through a travel agent because the itineraries can be so complicated. Aug 10, 2005

Ding your way to air travel deals. Ding, a software program pioneered by Southwest Airlines, notifies potential customers via an audio alert on their computer when airfares to and from chosen cities are on sale. With other airlines on the verge of implementing similar programs, some experts worry the software may one day be used to target specific travelers with individualized, and not always the lowest, airfares. Aug 9, 2005

Nearly one in five U.S. flights delayed this year. The U.S. has seen 17% of flights through June delayed at least 15 minutes. Tight schedules that allow little flexibility for crowded skies or bad weather have caused 36,000 more flights to be delayed and 10,000 more flights to be canceled, compared to 2004. Aug 8, 2005

Travel market for disabled underserved, report finds. Hotels, restaurants and transit providers are not doing enough to serve disabled Americans who travel, a new report says. About 21 million adults with disabilities traveled for business or pleasure in the past two years, and many say they encounter physical or customer service obstacles in hotels, airports, airplanes and restaurants. Aug 8, 2005

United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ended the possibility of a change to allow in-flight mobile phones for the time being. The FAA said it disagreed with the Federal Communications Commission's decision to possibly lift the 14-year-old ban. The administration argues that airlines will have to prove that the phones are not disruptive to airline navigation and are safe to use. http://www.faa.gov Aug 5, 2005

Some airlines object to federal plan requiring more data. Several airlines oppose a Department of Transportation plan to boost the amount of sales information carriers must report to the government each month. Under the plan, airlines would report the price, code, booking restrictions and taxes on each ticket sold, among other things. The agency says traffic statistics no longer adequately measure the scope of the travel industry. Airlines say the rules would make the reporting process more burdensome. Aug 3, 2005

New laser scanner may help detect forged passports. British scientists have built a laser scanner to detect forged birth certificates, passports and other documents. The device sweeps across the surface of a piece of paper and records all natural imperfections. The scanner could detect a forged passport by scanning the page at a predetermined spot. The result would be compared with a scan made when the document was issued.

Aug 1, 2005

Distribution systems still in transition from deregulation. Rules that required global distribution systems to give airlines the same prices for the same services expired a year ago today. The distribution systems, including Sabre, still have not felt the full effect of the new rules. One Sabre executive said the company is continuing "our transition from passive distributor of travel products to an active retailer." Aug 1, 2005

AirAsia, the Kuala Lumpur-based budget carrier, has introduced what it claims to be the world's first airline total comprehensive booking system targeting mobile phones and wireless devices. Cellphone and PDA users with any GPRS, 3G, EDGE or wireless facilities are able to view the web pages directly. Users can search for flights, book, use a credit card to pay, and receive flight confirmation and itinerary details from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. Chief executive Tony Fernandes is the one in the brown suit. http://mobile.airasia.com Aug 25, 2005

Alaska Airlines hits industry low for on-time flights. Alaska Airlines has reported the worst on-time performance among 20 major U.S. airlines for the second month in a row, with 49.8% of its flights arriving on time. The airline also reported 3.1% of its flights in June were canceled, ranking third-worst. Officials say they expect July results to be much improved in both areas. Aug 5, 2005

Boeing successfully tests cell phone on 737. Boeing's Connexion unit and Qualcomm successfully tested cell phone service on a 737 last week. The companies used an in-cabin cellular base station to connect the signal to an air-to-ground satellite link. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration has said it will not lift a ban on in-flight cell phone use unless carriers can prove the phones will not disrupt navigation equipment. Aug 16, 2005

U.S. carriers lag behind international airlines in Wi-Fi access. International airlines are adopting in-flight Internet service faster than their counterparts in the U.S. So far, no U.S. carriers have signed on for Connexion by Boeing, a service that uses satellites and Wi-Fi. United Airlines says it will offer Wi-Fi on flights in 2006, and Boeing says it is in talks with several U.S. carriers. Twelve international carriers already offer the service. Aug 5, 2005

Boeing, Intel sign deal for in-flight Internet service. Intel has agreed to help Boeing improve and promote Connexion by Boeing, an in-flight wireless Internet access system. The companies have tested Intel's Centrino chip set for laptops with the Connexion service. Aug 3, 2005

Continental feuds with Boston airport over Wi-Fi: Continental Airlines is arguing with Boston's Logan International Airport over a free Wi-Fi service Continental installed in its frequent-flyer lounge. The airport says the service interferes with communications equipment used by police and the Transportation Security Administration. The airline argues it is acting within FCC guidelines governing airport Wi-Fi and therefore it does not have to pull the plug. Aug 5, 2005

Troubled carriers could affect other airlines. It is unclear if problems at Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines will help or hurt other carriers, including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Observers say American and Southwest could benefit if their rivals go out of business quickly. Other industry watchers note that large carriers rarely go out of business. Aug 22, 2005

Travelers clamor for airport concessions. The move by airlines to end meal service on many flights has created a boon for restaurants and snack shops at Denver International Airport. Concession sales are up 9.5% through June of this year, compared with a year ago. The growth spurt exceeds the airport's 1.9% increase in the number of departing passengers. Aug 18, 2005

EVA Air, Taiwan-based and a Heathrow tenant, has become the latest carrier to offer on-line text messaging, a system developed by OnAir. The service is being introduced to coincide with the arrival of the airline's first Boeing 777ER and will be available to passengers in all cabins costing only US$1.50 per message sent or received. The OnAir service allows travellers to communicate using the in-seat entertainment system to send messages to mobile phones and e-mail addresses, and also to receive replies. The system will be installed on the entire 48 EVA Air fleet over the next few years. In addition, crew members will be able to use the in-flight SMS service to communicate quickly with ground personnel about important flight or passenger-related information or requests. http://www.evaair.com Aug 12, 2005

Lockheed receives contract to secure NYC subway system. A group of companies led by Lockheed Martin received a $212 million contract to heighten security in New York City's subway system. The system will be equipped with 1,000 video cameras and 3,000 motion sensors. It will also enable cell phone service in 277 of the transit system's underground stations. The city hopes the plan will protect the subway system from terrorists. Aug 24, 2005

Travel agents prepare clients for possible Northwest strike. Travelers are flooding agents with calls about what to do if Northwest Airlines' mechanics go on strike as planned this weekend, the Detroit News reports. Many agents say they expect to work through the weekend to ensure clients get to their destinations. Northwest says flights will not be affected in the event of a strike, but many travelers are taking precautions anyway. Aug 17, 2005

Northwest Airlines signs credit card agreement to carry through 2008: Northwest Airlines signed a preliminary credit card deal to ensure it can continue accepting major credit cards through 2008. Such an obstacle has already caused problems for Delta Air Lines. Credit card processors are the middle men between airlines and the banks that issue the credit cards. But there is a certain amount of risk for processors, who may be forced to refund a ticket's price should the airline stop flying. Aug 11, 2005

Oon board TV for international flights is bound to happen in the very near future and several airlines have been quick to say that they will be first. In the US it has already happened but within that huge country problems concerning licensing and copyright can easily be resolved and likewise those concerning the actual technical connection. Not so when it comes to international services overflying many countries' airspace and needing sophisticated satellite connections. Qatar Airways has claimed that they will be the first, installing by the end of the year a system developed by Rockwell Collins in conjunction with Lufthansa Technik. It will be available in all cabins and is part of the general in-flight entertainment service. Singapore Airlines has now quickly come up with an installation based on the Boeing Connexion Internet product which can be used by individual subscribers who have an approved wireless laptop capable of taking streamed down TV channels. This is already going into their fleet and it is for others to judge whether it is proper television and really practical. http://www.lufthansa-technik.de http://www.connexionbyboeing.com Aug 12, 2005

Southwest says Ding! software boosts sales. Software that alerts customers about one-day fare sales has helped Southwest Airlines sell $30 million in tickets this year. The airline said more than one million travelers have downloaded its "Ding!" software since February. A bell and a desktop icon alert users when the airline runs a sale. Aug 16, 2005

Star Alliance exploring GDS New Entrants. The Star Alliance has asked three GDS New Entrants to submit proposals, Travel Weekly reports. The Star Alliance, whose 16 member airlines spend $2 billion each year in GDS fees, could "change everything" in the distribution market by striking a deal with a GDS New Entrant, according to Alliance executive Christian Klick. Aug 17, 2005