Airlines..

US Airways Faces Tough PR Job After Holiday Problems
News reports of US Airways‘ passengers misrouted luggage and high employee absenteeism over Christmas could deter American travelers from booking US Airways during the crucial winter months, according to industry experts. That‘s a period when carriers traditionally struggle for business, according to aviation analyst and airline veteran Robert Mann. New Year‘s weekend was better for the beleaguered airline, but airfare maven and travel consumer advocate Terry Trippler was blunt in assessing the impact of US Airways' holiday trials and tribulations. "Stick a fork in ‘em folks-they're done," he wrote in his "As I See It" newsletter. And the Boston Globe reported that airports and competing airlines were preparing themselves for a world without US Airways (Source: Robert Mann interview, "As I See It" The Boston Globe).

DOT Investigates Holiday Travel Disruptions
The Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General has opened an investigation into the holiday travel problems encountered by both US Airways' passengers and by passengers flying Comair, the Delta Air Lines subsidiary whose computers failed Christmas Day, causing the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Travelers can register complaints by telephone, (202) 366-2220, or e-mail, airconsumer@ost.dot.gov. For more information, please visit the DOT's consumer protection division Web site, http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/. (Source: Department of Transportation)

Delta Revamps Fees, Ticketing Requirements
Delta Air Lines is poised to take page from low-cost carriers' playbooks by dropping Saturday night stay requirements for its lowest fares, cutting ticket-changing fees to $50 from $100 and slashing fares from everything from first class to last-minute fares, TIME magazine reported. “The other big airlines are sure to match Delta in order to compete,” said analyst Vaughn Cordle of AirlineForecasts. Other major carriers already have eliminated Saturday night stay requirements in markets where they faced heavy competition from low-cost carriers, which don't have such fare requirements (Business Travel Footnotes, June 2004). Delta is also making major changes to its operations. At its home base in Atlanta, the airline is overhauling its entire schedule, hoping to limit future flight disruptions and delays. The airline will add 81 more flights and seven new destinations from Atlanta, but will spread all the flights out more over the day. (Source: TIME magazine press release, BT Footnotes).

Southwest Presence to Increase at Midway
Southwest Airlines is increasing its presence at Midway Airport in a deal with bankrupt ATA Holdings Corp that has been approved in federal bankruptcy court . Southwest, which already has 19 gates at Midway, bought six more from ATA. It also will get ATA's Chicago maintenance hanger, once that deal is approved by the Chicago city council. And it is planning a code-sharing agreement with ATA, which will enable each airline to send passengers to airports that they currently don't serve from Midway. (Source: Dow Jones Newswires, Southwest public relations)

Congress Extends Law Protecting Travelers When Airlines Fail
In December, Congress extended a law that makes healthier airlines pick up the slack should bankrupt carriers that fail and leave travelers with worthless tickets. The measure, included in the intelligence reform bill that received final congressional approval in the Senate, would extend the protection until Nov. 19, 2005. The ticket provision requires stronger carriers, within reason, to accommodate passengers whose travel plans are disrupted by another airline that goes out of business. The safety net only applies when seats are available and only on overlapping routes. Fees are limited to USD$50 per round trip and travelers have 60 days after an airline ends service to make alternative plans or complete their travel. The travel backstop is not supported by the healthier airlines because of the fee limit and because it permits struggling carriers to keep customers even though they cannot guarantee all service. (Source: Reuters)

Star Alliance Announces Global Interline E-ticketing
The Star Alliance, made up of 15 U.S. and international carriers, including Air Canada, Air New Zealand , Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways and others, is rolling out a global interline e-ticketing product. Interline e-ticketing is already available between some Star Alliance carriers (see www.star-alliance.com for details) but should be available system wide by August 2005. This means travelers flying multiple airlines can use e-tickets all the way through their trip, rather than waiting for paper tickets to be issued via mail or at a ticket counter. (Source: Star Alliance Web site).

Do It Yourself Baggage Check?
Experienced travelers have grown accustomed to handling many duties that used to fall to airline personnel, from booking tickets to printing boarding passes. Now, consumers are taking charge of another responsibility: checking in baggage. Several airlines, including Alaska, Northwest and Southwest, have begun using machines in a growing number of United States airports that allow passengers to print out their own baggage tags, albeit under the watchful eye of a nearby counter clerk. (Source: The New York Times)

Most Air Travelers Still Check In at The Counter
Despite the fact that checking in at curbside or at a self-serve kiosk is faster, the majority of air travelers-59 percent-still check in for their flights at airlines‘ main counters, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Global Airport Satisfaction Index released last month. Overall satisfaction is higher among passengers who check in at curbside, online or at self check-in kiosks, a majority still check in at the counter, even that takes an average of 19 minutes. Just 18 percent use a self check-in kiosk, which averages eight minutes, while ten percent check in at curbside, which averages 13 minutes. Just five percent of passengers obtain their boarding passes via the Internet. (Source J.D. Power press release).

Hotels

InterContinental Opens Flagship Hotel, Introduces New Brand
The InterContinental Hotels Group has opened two new hotels in Atlanta. The first is its flagship, the $115 million InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta. The 21-story high-rise near Peachtree Road has 401 guestrooms and 21 suites. The Australian company Jurlique is launching its first U.S. venture by operating the hotel's spa, fitness center and pool. The second hotel is the Hotel Indigo, the first hotel of InterContinental's newest brand, which is designed for style-conscious consumers. The brand operates on a retail-inspired concept of making ongoing changes throughout the year in the hotel, similar to changes retailers make in their display windows. The hotel is in Atlanta’s Midtown area. (Source: InterContinental press releases).

Security Update.

Tsunami Travel Advisories
The Department of State is urging Americans to defer non-essential travel to Indonesia and Thailand. It is advising against travel to the southwestern part of Thailand and advising against travel to Indonesia. For updates on these and other nations with areas devastated by the December 26 tsunami, visit travel.state.gov. (Source: U.S. Department of State.)

First Aid While Traveling-Airport Medical Facilities

Business travelers stricken by indigestion or an ankle sprain may decide to tough it out until arriving home before tending to it. In many instances, they don't need to. At least 11 major U.S. airports have medical offices accessible to travelers, a USA TODAY survey shows. They range from one-person emergency care facilities to multi-service operations with 60 staffers. And the medical personnel who staff them say they see an array of travelers’ maladies - everything from heart attacks to cuts and scrapes. They also provide non-emergency services such as giving shots and drawing blood. Most have a doctor on duty and are equipped with an X-ray machine. Three - in Los Angeles, New York and Honolulu - never close. (Source: USA TODAY).

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.