FEATURED PARTNER: DELTA AIR LINES
On Friday, May 24, Delta Air Lines will officially inaugurate its new state-of-the-art facility at JFK International Airport’s Terminal 4, which Delta has been expanding and upgrading since November 2010 through a $1.2 billion investment. Delta international operations will shift to Terminal 4, where nine new gates and additional space will span about 491,000 square feet. To handle an additional 5 million passengers, the terminal is getting more security screening lanes, more customs and immigration capacity and more check-in desks. Delta’s JFK project is a key feature of the airline’s huge expansion and facilities upgrades in the New York region which, until now, had been more visible at LaGuardia Airport. (Newsismybusiness.com, 5/20/13)
AIRLINE SATISFACTION INCREASES TO HIGHEST LEVELS SINCE 2006
According to J.D. Power & Associates’ 2013 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, airline passenger satisfaction has increased to its highest levels since 2006. The study measured passenger satisfaction with North American airlines based on seven factors: costs and fees; in-flight services; boarding/deplaning/baggage; flight crew; aircraft; check-in; and reservations. Satisfaction improved across all factors, with the largest yearly increase in boarding/deplaning/baggage. Overall satisfaction with the airlines improved approximately 2% over 2012 survey results. JetBlue earned the top score among low-cost carriers. Alaska Airlines topped the traditional carrier rankings, with Delta Air Lines in second place. (CNN.com, 5/15/2013 and eTurboNews.com, 5/19/2013)
CROWDED AIRPORTS AND PLANES EXPECTED THIS SUMMER
According to an estimate released Thursday by Airlines for America, a trade group for the nation’s airlines, nearly 209 million people will fly on U.S.-based airlines, up 1% over last year. While that would mark the fourth year in a row that passenger totals have increased, it is still off from the all-time high of nearly 218 million in 2007. Nine of the 11 busiest travel days of 2013 will be in June through August, and the average plane will be 86% to 87% full throughout the summer. The Airlines for America forecast did not predict airfares for the summer, but travelers should expect no drastic increases for the next few months as long as fuel prices don’t surge. (LA Times, 5/17/2013)
AMERICAN TO SPEED BOARDING FOR FLIERS WITHOUT ROLLER BAGS
American Airlines is now offering passengers who carry just a personal item that fits under the seat — no rolling suitcases — the opportunity to board before most others. American said the change will allow flights to take off sooner, helping the airline improve its on-time performance. American tested the new boarding procedure at seven airports and began applying it to all flights Thursday, May 16. Passengers carrying a purse, backpack, computer bag or other personal item small enough to fit under the seat may now board immediately after Group 1 premium passengers. (Seattle Times/AP, 5/16/2013)
INTERNATIONAL TOURISM RECEIPTS GREW BY 4% IN 2012
The UNWTO’s World Tourism Barometer reports that international tourism receipts hit a new record in 2012, reaching an estimated $1.075 trillion (euro 837 billion) worldwide, up 4% in real terms from the previous year. By region, the Americas (+7%) recorded the largest increase, followed by Asia and the Pacific (+6%), Africa (+5%) and Europe (2%). Receipts in the Middle East were down (-2%), yet indicate an improvement compared to the decline recorded in 2011. The top 10 ranked destinations by receipts remained virtually unchanged in 2012, with the United States, Spain, France, China and Italy leading, followed by Macau (China), Germany, United Kingdom, Hong Kong (China) and Australia. (UNWTO Press Release, 5/15/2013)
COLLISION IMPACTS AMTRAK AND METRO-NORTH RAIL SERVICE
A collision between two Metro-North Railroad commuter trains in Bridgeport, Connecticut on Friday, May 17 continued to have an impact on both Metro-North and Amtrak service the following week. Amtrak’s Acela Express and Northeast Regional trains between New York Penn Station and Boston were suspended completely for several days. So was Metro-North service from New York to New Haven, Connecticut. Metro-North offered alternate transportation for passengers traveling between New Haven and Grand Central Terminal via a train-bus-train connection. The extensive damage to the rails and overhead wires was to be repaired and inspected before full service restored. (TravelMole.com, 5/20/2013)
FEATURED PARTNER: ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS (ANA
ANA will resume its Boeing 787 Dreamliner service on June 1st, following the successful completion of a series of battery system modifications, safety checks and test flights. 787 routes will be Tokyo Narita to San Jose, CA, Seattle, and Beijing; and Tokyo Haneda to Taipei, Frankfurt and Beijing. ANA has initially scheduled five flights a week to San Jose and seven to Seattle. Additional routes will begin later in the summer. (ANA, 5-9-13)
WEB-HUNGRY AIR TRAVELERS GET BROADBAND BOOST
The FCC recently took a step toward improving web access for air travelers, voting to write rules to open frequencies for an air-to-ground Internet service proposed by Qualcomm. The agency’s plan will help travelers pull in Facebook pages, spreadsheets, videos, games and music on planes equipped with Wi-Fi systems. Another vote is needed before final approval, as the agency is changing leadership. Although airlines already send data to and from aircraft so passengers can connect to the Internet over a Wi-Fi signal, Qualcomm will bring “significantly greater bandwidth” to support “exponentially increasing data demands.” (Bloomberg.com 5-9-13)
AIRPORT CONTROL TOWERS CLOSING PLAN CANCELLED
The FAA recently cancelled budget-driven plans to close 149 air traffic control towers at smaller U.S. airports, two weeks after Congress passed legislation to end air traffic controller furloughs that had delayed flights. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said federal officials determined the legislation gave the FAA enough flexibility to keep funding the towers, which had been scheduled to be closed in June to save money. The agency will also use new funding flexibility to shift $10 million toward reducing cuts and delays in moving to a new satellite-based air traffic control program. (Airwise, 5-10-13)
GROUND TRANSPORT SPENDING OVERLOOKED BY TRAVEL MANAGERS
Managing spending on ground transportation is an often-overlooked opportunity for travel managers to save their companies money, although many don’t even know what they are spending. Mobile apps have now made it just as easy to hail a black car as it is a taxi. However, the easier it is, the more travelers will upgrade to a limo or an SUV. Typically a few key employees account for the bulk of a company’s black car spend. Extra stops, additional wait times, cancellations, inside pick-ups and other special services can drive up costs. The keys to managing black car costs are tracking usage, educating users, and bringing ground transportation into your overall travel policy. (TravelMarketReport 5-2-13)
