Headline News

AAA announced on May 18 2004 plans to make its routing and mapping technology available to all Internet users through a new Web site www.aaamaps.com. The new set has many of the same capabilities as the association's Internet TripTik, and includes such information as Diamond Ratings for hotels and restaurants. While Internet TripTik is only available to members, the new technology is available to all; Internet TripTik is a more comprehensive planning tool.

AirTran Airways launched on May 20 2004 a sale for flights to all 45 destinations with fares starting as low as $49 each way. Travelers may purchase these sale fares at airtran.com, through travel agents or via AirTran Airways' reservations system at 1-800-AIR-TRAN. For Spanish, call 1-877-581-9842. These special fares are available for purchase May 20 through June 3, 2004, are good for travel through November 9, 2004, and are not valid for travel on Fridays and Sundays. Like all AirTran Airways fares, prices included in this sale are one-way tickets and do not require a roundtrip purchase or a Saturday night stay.

According to the American Weekend Getaway Poll, conducted by Enterprise Rent-a-Car, 93 percent of respondents said they are likely to take driving weekend getaways in the next year. In addition, 20 percent responded that they are likely to consider renting a vehicle for such trips. Among other facts revealed, the study showed that one in six people (approximately 17 million Americans) have rented a vehicle for a weekend getaway in the past 12 months and that nearly seven in 10 motorists prefer weekend getaways to extended vacations because they are more economical.

American Airlines will inaugurate new, daily nonstop service between Miami and Manchester, United Kingdom, on Nov. 1, 2004. Manchester will become the fourth European destination served by American from the Miami hub. The first eastbound flight departs Miami on Nov. 1, and the first westbound flight departs Manchester on Nov. 2 2004. This seasonal service will operate through April 30, 2005. The route will be served with a Boeing 767 aircraft with capacity for 29 Business-Class and 178 Coach-Class passengers.

American Airlines Vacations has the Caribbean on sale this fall. Save up to 35 percent on a Caribbean vacation during the Fantastic Fall Sale available at more than 70 participating hotels and resorts on more than 25 Caribbean islands. Simply book your vacation by June 11, 2004, and travel from Aug. 16 through Dec. 14, 2004, to take advantage of these great savings. In addition, earn 2,000 AAdvantage Bonus Miles when you book with American Airlines Vacations. For more information and reservations on a Caribbean vacation that is as individual as you are, contact your travel agent, call American Airlines Vacations at 800-321- 2121 or visit AAVacations.com.

Don't get caught snoozing during ATA's "Easy Days Sale" for travel to/from the city that never sleeps. Now, it's easier to find affordable airfare to/from New York-LaGuardia with ATA's great prices. Wake up to these fares available now until midnight (E.D.T) on May 27, 2004. Tickets are good for travel between June 5, 2004 and September 30, 2004, except between New York-LaGuardia and San Juan where travel must be completed by August 12, 2004.

A special British Airways package to London created just for dads. Starting at $678, the British Airways package includes roundtrip airfare from New York, three nights at the Royal National Hotel, and a "Historic Pubs of London" tour. This offer is also available from other British Airways' gateway cities including Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Miami, Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Denver, Phoenix and Toronto, Canada.

Cheap Tickets has remodeled its Web site www.cheaptickets.com in response to customer feedback. The Cendant company said consumers want faster site speed, simpler page designs and user-friendly features. Cheap Tickets said it also has improved its dynamic packaging with more luxury travel packages and the ability to make a purchase without using a password. The new site now has fewer pages to navigate and allows faster access to special hotel rates.

China Southern Airlines www.cs-air.com/en has launched one-stop service between Nanching and Singapore using Boeing 757 aircraft. The flights, which operate three times a week, stop in Guangzhou in each direction. The route is the first international air service for Jiangxi Province, says China Southern.

Continental Airlines on May 24 2004 again rescinded a fare hike, after trying more than a dozen times to boost overall fares. Earlier this month, the Houston airline raised fares worldwide by $10 or $20 one- way, depending on the length of the flights. The airline said at the time it is suffering because of high fuel costs, but intense airline competition has left the carriers unable to pass along fuel costs to customers.

Continental Airlines has on May 20 2004 won top honors in the OAG Airline of the Year Awards 2004. In addition to being named "Airline of the Year," Continental was awarded with "Best Executive/Business Class" and "Best Airline Based in North America." Continental is the first North American airline ever to win "Airline of the Year," an award which has been given since 1982. The OAG Airline of the Year Awards celebrate the very best in global air travel and publicly recognize the highest standards within the industry. Often called "The Oscars of the airline industry," the awards are based on votes by frequent flyers around the world who subscribe to OAG print and electronic travel information products. The discerning frequent flyers who determine the outcome represent the very essence of business travel, and their votes are based on personal experience.

Delta Air Lines is offering low sale fares for customers wanting to travel to/from Maine, Vermont or eastern Canada this summer. The low fares are available on Delta, Delta Connection carrier and Song flights between Bangor and Portland, Maine; Burlington, Vt.; and Halifax, Nova Scotia and Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, and many destinations across the United States. Customers should act fast, as tickets must be purchased by June 8, 2004. Fares are roundtrip, do not have a minimum stay, and require a seven day advance purchase. The fares are valid for travel through July 31 2004.

Delta Connection carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) is celebrating today's launch of nonstop regional jet service between Beaumont/Port Arthur and Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, with discounted fares for travel through Aug. 31 2004, 2004, between Beaumont/Port Arthur and 182 Delta Air Lines destinations. Customers should act fast, as tickets must be purchased by June 2, 2004. These round-trip fares require a seven-day advance purchase and some blackout dates apply. See below for details and other important restrictions.

Delta AirElite Business Jets has added a Learjet 60 to its operating certificate. The aircraft, based at the Long Beach Airport (Calif.), joins the Delta AirElite fleet through a charter management agreement. The aircraft enhances Delta AirElite's ability to respond to growing demand for charter and membership flying.

Explore Chinatown is NYC & Company's newest marketing campaign to boost Chinatown's awareness as an important destination for New York City visitors. The two-year campaign aims to rebuild the area's economy, which took a big hit from the Sept. 11 attacks. The new campaign includes a Web site www.explorechinatown.com with itineraries, an events calendar and an online map. A visitor information booth will also be built in Chinatown and an Explore Chinatown brochure with a map will be available at local businesses, information kiosks and NYC's Official Visitor Information Center on Seventh Ave. at 53rd St. Tourism packages and programs are also being developed.

Dollar Rent A Car is a teaming up with another rewards program, offering its customers opportunities to earn points to redeem for merchandise. This time, the car rental firm has partnered with Hudson's Bay Company (Canada's largest department store retailer) and its Hbc Rewards Program, which allows members to earn points for gift cards and merchandise redemption. Both U.S. and Canadian customers who are in the program can earn 10,000 Hbc points with every Dollar rental. Similarly, Dollar is giving customers triple points for rentals now through July 31 2004.

Frontier Airlines will begin new service between its Denver International Airport (DEN) hub and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Billings Logan International Airport (BIL) and Spokane International Airport (GEG) this Sunday, May 23, 2004. In addition, Frontier will also fly its first-ever transcontinental flight this Sunday between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Philadelphia. The new service between Denver and Philadelphia will offer two daily non-stops and the Los Angeles to Philadelphia service will offer one daily nonstop, both on Frontier's new Airbus A319 aircraft, with 33 inches of legroom and 24 channels of LiveTV. The service from Denver to Billings and Spokane will utilize Frontier JetExpress' 70-seat CRJ-700 aircraft with two daily non-stops to both destinations.

Independence Air, the airline that is being formed from the existing regional airline Atlantic Coast, will begin flying to 35 destinations from Washington Dulles on June 16 2004. The flights will be phased in throughout August. By the end of the summer, it will be operating 300 daily departures. All flights are now available for sale on www.FLYi.com. The airline revealed the cities it will serve and the simplified fares. All flights will be on 50 seat jets with all-leather seats. In the fall, it will begin adding 27 new 132 seat A319s. While many markets it will serve are smaller cities, such as Syracuse, Savannah, Dayton, Lansing, Burlington and Stewart/Newburgh, it also will have several flights per day to Chicago, Newark, Boston, New York- Kennedy, Pittsburgh and Detroit. Fares from Washington Dulles are as low as $39, $49, $59, $69 or $79 one-way, depending on the destination. Air traffic in Washington, DC and all Independence Air markets is expected to grow significantly this summer as a result of this new low- fare service.

With US Airways facing a second bankruptcy filing or even liquidation, regional partner Mesa Airlines is looking at ways to reinvent itself as a low-cost carrier if its partner goes under. The Street.com has learned that in a conference call last week with pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Mesa CEO Jon Ornstein informally approached the head of Mesa's pilot union, Captain Andrew Hughes, with a plan to fly 737 jets independently if US Airways were to cease operations. In short, Mesa is considering a contingency plan to become a low-cost carrier serving US Airways' hubs.

The New Jersey office of Travel & Tourism www.visitnj.org has launched an online travel guide that enables users to create travel itineraries and download maps and directions to places of interest around the Garden State. The site features sections covering activities, events, attractions, maps and directions. Web surfers can use the section called MyTripStops to create personalized travel itineraries.

The partial collapse of a new terminal at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport has dented plans to give Air France the leading aviation hub in Europe. The deadly collapse, which killed four people Sunday May 23 2004, deals a blow to the national carrier just three weeks after it merged with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to create the world's biggest airline group by sales.

Payless Car Rental has increased its rental fleet by about 2,000 vehicles with the addition of six new franchise locations. These new operations are located in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers, Fla.; Philadelphia; San Antonio; and Sacramento, Calif. This move is part of a continued strategy of aggressive growth to service the top 50 car rental airport markets.

SkyTeam announced on May 24 2004 that the alliance has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Aeroflot. The MOU is a preliminary step in the new member process and outlines Aeroflot's intentions to undertake exclusive discussions to become a part of SkyTeam, pending fulfillment of the alliance's joining requirements. The signing ceremony, which took place at the Kremlin, was attended by Valery Okulov, president of Aeroflot, Jean-Cyril Spinetta, chairman and CEO of Air France KLM, Leo Van Wijk, president and CEO of KLM and representatives of SkyTeam member airlines.

Ted, United's new low-fare service, celebrated on May 24 2004 its inaugural flight out of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, United's home market and largest hub. Tampa is Ted's first destination from Chicago. By late summer, Ted will offer Chicago-area travelers a robust schedule with five daily roundtrips to Tampa, eight daily roundtrips to Las Vegas, seven daily roundtrips to Orlando, six daily roundtrips to Phoenix and four daily roundtrips to Ft. Lauderdale.

Thrifty Car Rental kicked off its Blue Chip Rewards program as a new facet of its popular Blue Chip Express Rental Program. Blue Chip members will earn credits through the program that can be redeemed for free rental days throughout the U.S. and Canada. Normally, one free day is earned after 16 credits are earned (usually one credit per rental day), but now through Sept. 30 2004, Thrifty is giving members double rewards when bookings are made through the company Web site www.thrifty.com. Single credits will be earned when bookings are made through other channels.

The Travel Industry Association of America says the U.S. should be prepared for long lines, delays and gridlock this summer, when it expects leisure travel to rise by 3.2 percent from last summer. Suzanne Cook, TIA's senior vice president of research, says, "For the first time in years, the summer travel season will start off with a bang, and we expect it to stay strong through August." Consumers, however, are concerned with rising prices of travel. But Sandra Hughes, vice president of AAA Travel, believes rising fuel costs will not stop driving vacationers. AAA predicts a record number of Americans will travel for the Memorial Day holiday; its agents say they are seeing dramatic increases in travel interest for this spring.

United Airlines has low fares on domestic and international flights to and from Washington, D.C. United's every day one-way fares are now as low as: $79 to Atlanta(4), $59 to Boston(1,2), $59 to Columbia, SC(3), $79 to Ft. Lauderdale(6), $79 to Orlando(6), $69 to Portland, ME(3,4), $59 to Rochester, NY(3), $59 to Syracuse(3,5), and $79 to Tampa(6). Plus, United also offers customers the opportunity to fly to exciting international destinations at great low prices. Sample fares on United to international destinations are each way based on required roundtrip travel and are as low as: $289 to London, $229 to Mexico City, $129 to San Jose, Costa Rica and $359 to Zurich(7).

United Airlines is also announcing an exciting bonus mile offer for travel to or from any of Washington, D.C.'s three major airports. Passengers who fly qualifying roundtrip travel to or from Washington/Dulles, Reagan- National or Baltimore/Washington International airports and any destination served by United, United Express or Ted earn 2,500 Mileage Plus bonus miles for each qualifying roundtrip.

USA3000 Airlines will add Newark-Bermuda flights to its schedule on Sept. 3 2004 with fares as low as $79 one-way. Flights will depart on Tuesdays and Fridays. The airline offers free meal service and in- flight entertainment. Reservations can be made in English or Spanish on the telephone or online. Reservations can be made through an agent, or by calling 877-USA-3000 or at www.usa3000.com.

US Airways unveiled GoFirst fares on May 24 2004, the airline's simplified, low premium-cabin fares, which are now available for travel in First Class to the fourteen initial GoFares markets from Philadelphia. US Airways' GoFirst fares start as low as $199* each way, based on roundtrip purchase, with last minute fares as low as $299* each way. The lowest GoFirst fares have to be purchased at least seven days before departure and require roundtrip travel with only a one- night minimum stay. US Airways introduced the first phase of its GoFares in Philadelphia on April 29, 2004, making them available on 13 routes, adding Philadelphia-Boston on May 13, 2004. GoFares start at $29 each way, with no Coach fare ever more than $499*, and there is no Saturday-night stay requirement.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Pyramid Media Group, Inc
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning