Air Travel News

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If you can’t wait for your Season Four fix of the popular British series Downton Abbey, consider touring the locations where the Masterpiece Theatre soap opera is filmed. Brit Movie Tours operates a variety of private tours to the Oxfordshire village used as the setting, as well as the houses, mansions and gardens seen in the series (transportation from London is included). You can even wander the tony rooms of the Crawley family home, including ?the bedroom where the Turkish diplomat Mr. Pamuk suffered a premature and suspicious demise.

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In its latest annual survey of North American travelers’ satisfaction with the air travel experience, J.D. Power & Associates turned up a link between the use of modern technology and passenger satisfaction; it also found that outrage over airline checked baggage fees is gradually abating.

Some of the oldest quandaries in air travel involve issues of personal space and courtesy among passengers — for example, what would you do if the person directly in front of you reclined his seat so far that it really inhibited your own activities? It’s something that all of us have faced — and something on which there is no clear consensus, according to a new survey.

In news of U.S. airlines, JetBlue has finally entered into a bilateral code-sharing relationship with a foreign partner; United says more of its aircraft now have live TV capability for passengers; airlines predict big passenger loads this summer; and Delta’s mobile app survives a legal challenge. 

The presence of portable electronic devices among adult airline passengers is almost universal these days, according to a new study; but the kinds of devices  can vary significantly.

May 24 is a big day for Delta Air Lines and its hub at New York Kennedy. That’s when the airline and Port Authority officials will cut the ribbon on a massive overhaul and expansion of Delta’s B Concourse of Terminal 4.

American Airlines last week introduced a new boarding policy that gives a break to passengers who don’t try to lug large carry-ons with them. First class and AAdvantage elites will still board ahead of other customers, but the airline said it wants to do something special for those who are “traveling light."

Business travelers dodged a big flight delay bullet last month when Congress passed legislation allowing the Federal Aviation Administration to shift funds around so that it could stop furloughing air traffic controllers. But as the federal budget cuts mandated by sequestration continue to kick in, travelers could be facing a couple of more bullets in the weeks and months ahead: Longer lines for Transportation Security Administration screening at airports, and longer waits to clear Customs and Border Protection inspections for returning international travelers.

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In 2016, 223 million passengers on international routes will travel to the U.S., making America the largest single market for international travel, according to the International Air Transport Association. Other predictions from the group:

The top five countries for international travel based on the number of passengers by 2016:

1. U.S.
2. U.K.
3. Germany
4. Spain
5. France

The five largest markets for domestic passengers by 2016:

1. U.S.
2. China
3. Brazil
4. India
5. Japan

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Courtesy of Westin New York Grand Central

If you think New York’s cramped LaGuardia Airport is a hassle now, wait until 2014: That’s when work could begin on the reconstruction of LGA’s Central Terminal Building, a seven-year, $3.6 billion project that will happen in stages so flights can keep operating. Plans call for a 1.3-million-square-foot terminal with 35 gates, with demolition of not only the current building but also the adjacent parking garage and departures level roadway. At Kennedy Airport, a May 2013 opening ?is scheduled for the expanded and improved Terminal 4, the new home of Delta’s international hub; the expansion means that JFK’s Terminal 3—the historic Pan Am Worldport building—will be demolished.

On the lodging scene, the former Helmsley Hotel on East 42nd Street is now the Westin New York Grand Central, while the former Setai Fifth Avenue is being converted into a Langham Place, the first Langham hotel in New York. Hyatt was due to open two properties in the first quarter—the Hyatt Place New York/Midtown South on West 36th Street off Fifth Avenue, and the Hyatt Union Square. A luxury SLS Hotel is scheduled to open later this year at 444 Park Ave. (at 30th Street), and Marriott is building a 68-story hotel at 54th and Broadway that will house both a Courtyard by Marriott and a Residence Inn.

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