Airlines..

Aer Lingus Revamps as First Transatlantic Low-Cost Carrier
Aer Lingus is bringing the low-cost airline revolution to transatlantic routes. It is slashing fares, and simplifying its fare structure, selling all tickets as one-way fares and eliminating Saturday-night stay and advance-stay requirements. It's cutting its business class fares 40% to 60%; now a one-way New York or Boston to Dublin via Shannon is $1,104, down from $2,272. A one-way New York-Dublin nonstop is now $1,304, down from $2,272. It's cutting lead-in prices for economy fares by 20-30% and capping economy fares at $503, down from its previous highest one-way fare of $838. And, at press-time, fares on its Web site (www.aerlingus.com) were as low as $113 from New York or Boston to Shannon or Dublin. Additionally, to change a flight segment is $30; changing the name on a ticket is $60. Low fares are available from Ireland to points beyond to Europe as well, making Dublin a new hub for Europe. (Source: Aer Lingus)

Delta Plans Super Hub
As part of its restructuring, Delta Air Lines is cutting its flights from Dallas-Fort Worth to just 21 a day from more than 250 and moving about half of that service to Atlanta, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City. Delta is adding new cities out of Atlanta effective January 31, 2005. When the move is completed, Delta will have more than 1,000 flights a day out of Atlanta to more than 200 national and international destinations worldwide. For example, it's adding 15 daily flights to Baltimore, bringing the total number of Delta and Delta Connection flights to Washington, D.C., airports to 46 daily. With 14 new flights to LaGuardia, it will have 43 daily flights to the New York area (including flights to JFK, Islip and White Plains) to the New York City area. (Source: Delta) .

US Airways Bankruptcy Impact
The most immediate impact of USAirways' latest foray into bankruptcy has been a flurry of low fares from the beleaguered carrier, a frequent tool of carriers in Chapter 11, according to aviation industry expert Bob Mann. It's partly because carriers can afford to charge lower prices because they're not paying all of their bills, but it's also often a tactic to counteract consumers booking away from the carrier-whether or not the trend may be actual or simply anticipated. Beyond that, the immediate impact could be minimal-depending on several major ifs. If the airline can successfully win interim relief from its collective bargaining agreements with pilot, flight attendant, machinist and other rules and come up with a business plan that works, it could have a future as a lower-cost, hybrid airline. But that's only if it doesn't run out of time or money first. (Source: Bob Mann)

Bonus Point Offers
American Airlines AAdvantage members qualify for 15,000 bonus points when they fly American and two of its Oneworld Alliance international partners through Nov. 30. United and Northwest again are offering one free roundtrip for three qualifying roundtrips. On all of these offers, registration is required; tickets must either be first, business or full fare coach or meet a minimum fare requirement.

Hotels

Strike Imminent
Hotel union workers authorized strikes at hotels in Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Los Angeles, without specifying which hotels would be targeted first. A union Web site, www.hotelworkersunited.org, contains details on which hotels are being picketed. Hoteliers said that they had contingency plans in place. (Source: Hotel Workers United, San Francisco Chronicle)

InterContinental Bonus Points
Priority Club Rewards members who spend three nights at InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood suites between now and Dec. 17 can earn 3,000 bonus points or 1,000 bonus miles. Stays can be non-consecutive nights and at different hotels. (Source: InterContinental Web site)

Hotels Introduce Online Check-in
Radisson Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Hotels Corporation, which includes Hilton, Conrad, Doubletree, Embassy Suites and others, have introduced online check-in. Radisson´s "Express Yourself" notifies guests by e-mail that they can check in at the Radisson Web site, stating their preferences. At the hotel, they identify themselves at the front desk and pick up their room key. Hilton´s OnQ remote Web-based check-in provides customers with online, password-protected accounts for selecting room types and features as well as giving them the ability to print out their bills. Hilton also is expanding its automated check-in kiosks to 100 in 45 of its hotels, with an emphasis on airport and metro hotels. (Source: Smith Travel Research, Radisson, Hilton Web sites)

Air Travel Security Update

TSA Beefs Up Procedures
The Transportation Security Administration is deploying the new Explosives Trace Detection Document Scanner that can 'sniff' passengers' documents such as boarding passes and drivers´ licenses for traces of explosives at three major airports: Los Angeles International Airport, New York's John F. Kennedy International and Chicago´s O´Hare International. A pilot program was already in place at Reagan Washington National Airport. Tests are being conducted for a minimum of 30 days at each airport. Other next-generation tools the TSA is using are trace detection portals, the Registered Traveler Pilot Program for identification verification and, for cargo, a six-airport test of bulk explosives detections systems to screen cargo deemed an elevated risk. (Source: TSA)

Spotlight on Traveling Light

Leave Your Laptop at Home
Tightened airport security and carry-on restrictions can sometimes make carrying a laptop a hassle. Fortunately, there are a number of small, lightweight alternatives

1. Portable flash drives, which hold from 16 MB (15 floppies) up to several gigabytes of data and can be as small as a pen of the size of a PDA
2. Burn data onto a CD, which hold 650 MBs of data (450 floppies)
3. PDAs have 32 to 64 MB of storage (33-66 floppies) along with their datebooks and address books. Some handhelds, PDAs and Pocket PCs can also access the Internet
4. MP3 players can double as external storage devices and come with USB connectors to easily transfer data.
5. " Smartphones-a combination PDA and mobile phone-are another option because they can provide Internet access wherever your mobile phone works

Williamsburg Travel- American Express is committed to providing you with useful information on the latest developments in the travel industry. The following information has been compiled from a variety of sources and is updated monthly.