Travel News March 2005.

Long luggage lines could be terrorist target. Long lines of travelers waiting to check or retrieve their luggage are tempting targets for terrorists, the Los Angeles Times editorial board writes. A Rand study indicates the lines are vulnerable, but also notes the problem could be easily fixed. In the meantime, passengers should use check-in kiosks, pack light and consider alternative airports.

Mar 28, 2005

The travel, transport and leisure sectors are in fora tough year, according to BDO Stoy Hayward's Industry Watch report. Some 496 businesseswill fail in 2005 according to the report. This equates to 1.1% of companies in the sector. Last year the sector had 458 bankruptcies and looking forward 2006 isexpected to be even worse. Only thestruggling manufacturing industry has a worse record.

Mar 28, 2005

FAA sees airline passenger traffic back to pre-Sept. 11 levels in 2005. The Federal Aviation Administration predicts airline passenger traffic will return to pre-Sept. 11 levels this year. Traffic will rise 5.2% in 2005, the FAA said, and by 2015, the number of passengers served annually is expected to increase to more than 1 billion. The increase raises concerns about airport congestion and delays.

Mar 18, 2005

Airlines offer private jet service to keep elite travelers. Major airlines are partnering with private jet companies in hopes of winning back elite fliers, the Wall Street Journal reports. Lufthansa has teamed with private jet company NetJets to offer connecting flights, and Delta Air Lines' AirElite unit, which offers private jet service, now offers travelers more frequent flier benefits.

Mar 10, 2005

Smokers of the world be warned. It's getting more difficult to have a puff if you fly, even when you get off the aircraft. With most airlines now banning the use of the weed on flights the US Transportation Security Administration, responding to a congressional order, has now banned passengers from carrying butane, battery powered or other lighters on themselves or in carry-on bags after April 14. Wooden matches that can be struck on a hard surface are already banned but passengers will still be allowed to pack up to four matchbooks inside carry-on luggage. http://www.tsa.gov/public/index.jsp

Mar 6, 2005

Booming economy fuels expanding air travel in India. An expanding economy and a growing middle class is fueling India's booming airline industry, the Wall Street Journal reports. Experts say India's air traffic will grow to 50 million people by 2010, up from 19 million expected this fiscal year. Jetmaker Boeing believes sales of new planes to Indian companies could be worth $35 billion during the next two decades.

Mar 3, 2005

Growing middle class, deregulation bring discount airlines to Asia. Discount airlines are sprouting up across Asia, eager to serve the growing middle class, the Wall Street Journal reports. The new airlines are lowering fares, with one-way tickets as low as $12. Most of the airlines provide no-frills service.

Mar 2, 2005

The next Southwest? Entrepreneurs persist with start-ups despite long odds. Entrepreneurs continue launching start-up airlines despite the enormous risk involved, USA TODAY reports. Most start-ups begin their business plan by focusing on a part of the market they believe is overlooked. A 28-year-old Texas businessman plans to launch Mexus, a budget airline that will fly between the U.S. and Mexican cities.

Mar 2, 2005

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United and other US carriers had reinstated a $10 increase on domestic roundtrip fares just one day after scrapping the higher prices. Delta, the third-biggest U.S. airline, led Continental Airlines, AMR Corp's American, UAL Corp's United, Northwest Airlines Corp and other competitors on Monday in rolling back prices three days after raising them. U.S. airlines are seeking to boost revenue after a 70 percent jump in fuel prices over the past year and a decline in fares last year amid increased competition. "More sensible heads have prevailed," said Terry Trippler, chief executive of Farefacts.com, a travel information Web site. "These increases aren't taking care of the fuel, but they are slowing the bleeding."

Mar 23, 2005

British Airport Authority BAA

British Airport Authority BAA has issued figures that show, allowing for the fact that 2004 was a leap year with an extra day, a steady growth in airline traffic overall for its seven airports. Stripped of the extra day, the underlying increase for February 2005 is 4.8% and 9m passengers. Stansted now seems to be expanding at the average rate rather than with the huge increases of last year, and likewise Southampton. North Atlantic markets added 5.1%. Low cost travel continued to benefit Irish and European scheduled routes with Irish traffic growing 8.6% and European scheduled traffic rising 5.4%. Domestic traffic grew 1.3% while European charter traffic continued to decline, falling 4.4% against the previous year. http://www.baa.com

Mar 14, 2005

British Airways 

British Airways intends to increase its fuel surcharge on all flights, effective March 28 2005. The long-haul fee will rise to 16 pounds ($35) per segment from the current 10 pounds. The surcharge on short-haul routes will go to 6 pounds ($16) from 4 pounds. The airline's commercial director, Martin George, said BA's fuel bill next year is expected to be 300 million pounds higher than this year.

Mar 22, 2005

Cheapflights.com

Cheapflights.com has signed on new partners around the world to offer more niche travel specialists on its site. It now is offering deals from Brazilian Wave, American Travel Abroad (a Poland specialist), Make My Trip (an India specialist) and Angel Travel (a China specialist). "It is important to include partners with a specialty in a particular region of the globe because global travel expertise differentiates Cheapflights.com," said President Hugo Burge. Some highlights include $455 roundtrip on packages to Poland with the second package at a 50 percent discount, and $210 per person for three days in India's Ranthambore National Park.

Mar 28, 2005

Connexion by Boeing 

International airlines add Boeing's high-speed Internet access. Many airlines are installing Connexion by Boeing, which allows travelers to use high-speed broadband Internet service while they travel. The service usually costs $30 an hour, and is offered by Lufthansa, SAS, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airlines and several other Asian carriers. No U.S. airlines offer the service.

Mar 30, 2005

Delta Air Lines

Fares unlikely to climb much higher, despite surge in fuel. Despite the surge in oil prices, airfares are unlikely to climb much higher, USA TODAY reports. Delta Air Lines restructured fares earlier this year, pushing them far below year-ago levels. Recent fare increases have not returned all fares to previous levels.

Mar 23, 2005

Delta Air Lines

Delta grins and bears it with "Smile" spot: Despite business page headlines about Delta's flagging fortunes, the airline is moving ahead with an advertising campaign that presents an upbeat, service-oriented vision of the mood among employees. The ads spotlight Delta's new reduced fares, pitching the carrier as an option for fliers that generally travel on budget no-frills airlines.

Mar 11, 2005

Frontier Airlines, Apple Vacations

Frontier Airlines and Apple Vacations have come to a pre-purchase seat agreement for flights between Denver and four vacation destinations in Mexico: Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas. The agreement provides a revenue guarantee for Frontier, and allows Apple Vacations confirmed flight inventory so they can focus on creating vacation packages. Beginning as early as June, Apple Vacations' packages between Denver and these destinations will exclusively feature travel onboard Frontier Airlines.

Mar 21, 2005

KLM, OnAir

KLM signed an agreement with OnAir to provide SMS text messaging and e- mail on its 10 777s, which operate on routes to New York, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Cape Town, Dubai, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing and Manila. The accord follows a successful trial and the service will be available from mid-March onward. KLM also will install the OnAir service on six new A330s flying mainly to the Middle East and Africa from August onward. OnAir SMS and e-mail service will be available to KLM customers flying to the US on A330s of its partner Northwest Airlines as well.

Mar 7, 2005

Los Angeles International Airport 

Los Angeles airport considers mail-back program as ban on lighters approaches. Officials at Los Angeles International Airport said they are considering a program that will allow passengers to mail prohibited items home. Some other airports already offer such a service. The upcoming ban on cigarette lighters has pushed the issue to the forefront for the Los Angeles airport.

Mar 19, 2005

Northwest Airlines

Several large carriers match Northwest's fare increase. Several airlines have matched a fare increase initiated by Northwest Airlines. The carrier boosted round-trip fares by up to $20. A fare increase generally needs all large carriers to match it for it to stick. The hike comes ahead of the busy spring and summer travel seasons and as airlines face soaring fuel prices.Boeing shuffles executive ranks of commercial airline division. The top executive of Boeing's commercial airplanes unit, Alan Mulally, is considered a leading candidate for the CEO post vacated by Harry Stonecipher earlier this week. If Mulally is named the next chief executive of Boeing, the company will reshuffle the top ranks of the important commercial airline unit, the Seattle Times reports.

Mar 11, 2005

Southwest Airlines

Aggressive oil hedges protect Southwest from rising fuel prices. Southwest Airlines has protected itself from surging oil prices by hedging against rising jet fuel prices, the Financial Times reports. Eighty-five percent of the jet fuel it needs in 2005 is hedged at $26 a barrel. The hedges will help the discount airline post a profit in 2005. Other airlines have hedged much smaller portions of the fuel they will need this year.

Financial Times (London) (3/24)TSA's no-fly list remains a work in progress, report says. The Transportation Security Administration's no-fly list remains a work in progress and a source of frustration for travelers mistakenly put on it, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The TSA acknowledges that the list is imperfect, but adds that it is necessary for increased security. Critics say the list often mistakenly flags innocent people. The Christian Science Monitor (3/24)

Mar 24, 2005

Travelocity

Travelocity has compiled a lost of little known hot spots around the country in its Local Secrets, Big Finds report for 2005. All 578 of the sites in the U.S. and Canada are listed at www.travelocity.com/localsecrets. It also lists the editor's top 26 picks from the list. For example, Mystery Lake in Jasper, Alberta, Canada, the lake disappears in the fall and returns in the spring. Ripley's Believe it or Not elected Snake Alley in Burlington, Iowa, the most crooked street in the world. Because it drops 58 feet, German immigrants in 1894 made it zigzag so horse-drawn carriages could navigate their way down. The list picks 10 spots in each state and the District of Columbia, plus 68 in Canada.

Mar 14, 2005

Travelport, Singapore Airlines

Cendant's corporate travel division, Travelport, has signed an agreement with Singapore Airlines to receive discount fares for flights originating in the U.S. for its corporate customers. Starting this month, all Singapore discounted fares will be delivered to Travelport customers. Brian Murphy, director of supplier relations at Travelport, said these types of relationships with airlines are extremely important because small and mid-sized companies need access to these global fares, even if they don't produce huge amounts of travel volume. "With the power of Cendant at our side, and leading offerings such as Travelport and Orbitz for Business, our Corporate Travel Solutions group is able to offer companies of any size a full spectrum of low-cost, high-service options to effectively manage their programs and budgets while also offering suppliers broad access to leading corporate customers worldwide."

Mar 22, 2005

Walt Disney World Resort

Walt Disney World Resort's Disney-MGM Studios has announced that it will offer a month-long celebration of the Star Wars films this spring, set to coincide with the opening of the newest film, Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith, on May 19. The events, beginning May 20, will include meet-and-greets with characters from the films (along with Mickey Mouse in a Jedi costume), talks with actors and creators from the films, a special Star Wars-themed edition of its "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" attraction, a "Jedi Training Academy" featuring light-saber training, and collectables and memorabilia for sale. Visit www.starwars.com or www.disneytravelagents.com

Mar 14, 2005

Washington Dulles International Airport 

New Dulles manager expects passenger numbers to double during next decade. Next month, Christopher U. Browne will take the top job at Washington Dulles International Airport. In the second of a two-part Q- and-A with the Washington Post, Browne said he expects the number of passengers using Dulles to double during the next ten years. Browne previously worked at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which closed for three weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He says National is now as safe as any other airport in the country.

Mar 28, 2005

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