Travel alerts for the week of December 11

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FAA/SECURITY

TSA says new screening devices won't violate passenger privacy

After USA Today reported that the Transportation Security Administration is about to start testing a new passenger scanning device that amounts to a "virtual strip search," the agency quickly defended the technology and denied it would violate personal privacy. The newspaper reported that TSA this month will start using a new "backscatter" scanning machine that "takes potentially revealing x-ray photos of travelers." TSA put up an explanatory area on its web site where it shows how the devices work - and what kind of images they show; it's at www.tsa.gov/research/privacy/backscatter.shtm. According to TSA, the technology is helpful because it can show what objects people are carrying under their clothes - whether the objects are metal or not. The agency said it has "worked closely with the vendors to modify the image of the passenger that is taken by Backscatter," so nothing too detailed is seen in the way of body parts. It also noted that the TSA officer who monitors the screen will be "in a remote area from the screening process" so others can't see it; that the screen images can't be printed, stored or transmitted; and that they will be erased as soon as the security officer "has resolved any anomaly" that shows up.

AIRLINES

Will Northwest jump into merger fray?

Speculation was mounting last week that Northwest Airlines might be the next to jump into the merger marketplace, after reports emerged that the Minneapolis-based carrier asked its bankruptcy court for approval to hire a company specializing in investment banking and restructuring. The Financial Times suggested that Northwest might want to use the firm to help prepare a bid for Delta Air Lines - presumably a better one than the $8.7 billion offer made by US Airways. According to the Wall Street Journal, Northwest wants to take on New York-based Evercore Partners for $75,000 a month, plus a $3 million payment when the airline emerges from Chapter 11. "If a merger or other transaction is consummated, Evercore would receive a $2 million success fee," the Journal said.

Meanwhile, the sparring continues over the proposed US Airways-Delta merger. US Airways executives last week met with Delta officials and with representatives of Delta's unsecured creditors to pitch their proposal, and US Airways CEO Doug Parker said afterward that he remains "fully committed" to pursuing the merger. The next step, he said, should be a "due diligence" process. But Parker also told USA Today in an interview that if Delta management keeps up its opposition to the deal instead of working with US Airways, "It's not going to happen." His counterpart at Delta, CEO Gerald Grinstein, told the Washington Post he remains committed to pursuing Delta's own reorganization plan in bankruptcy court. He said he doubted the proposed combination could overcome regulatory objections, noting: "There is no question that there are antitrust issues that won't be quickly or easily resolved."

Delta's pilots voiced their opposition to the merger last week, claiming that a US Airways takeover would result in "several thousand" jobs lost at Delta, including those of 1,000 pilots. Delta pilots' chief Lee Moak said the pilots' contract with Delta could let them block the merger, and he pledged his union will not negotiate with US Airways. In response, US Airways said if the merger happens, it would continue to honor Delta's pilot contract.

INTERNATIONAL

French all-business carrier due to launch this month

According to wire reports from Paris, another new all-business-class airline is about to start flying across the Atlantic - this time between Newark and Paris Orly. The new entrant is called L'Avion (www.lavion.com); according to wire reports, the airline will start flying December 27, using a 90-seat 757-200 that will initially operate six weekly roundtrips. The roundtrip fare will reportedly start at about $2,120. Early reports about the carrier noted that it would be called Elysair, which remains its corporate name; but it changed the name of the airline after market research found that consumers preferred L'Avion, which is simply French for "airplane." The carrier will promote its in-flight service - including, of course, French cuisine and wines - to attract business class flyers from mainstream carriers as well as full-fare economy travelers who might want to upgrade their in-flight experience for about the same fare.

American, Gulf Air start frequent flyer partnership

American Airlines last week began a new frequent flyer partnership with Gulf Air, the Middle Eastern carrier owned by Bahrain and Oman. The partnership means that members of American's AAdvantage program can now earn and redeem miles on Gulf Air flights worldwide, and members of Gulf Air's program can do the same on AA flights. AAdvantage members can fly American transatlantic to London Heathrow, Paris, Frankfurt or Dublin and connect to Gulf Air for onward service to the Middle East and beyond to the Indian subcontinent or Africa. Details are available at www.aa.com/partners.

Northwest, Korean expand code-share routes

Northwest Airlines and Korean Air, which started code-sharing in 2005, said last week they will expand their agreement effective December 9 to more routes. Northwest's NW code will be placed on Korean Air flights between Seattle-Seoul, Chicago-Seoul, Tokyo-Seoul and Osaka-Seoul, as well as its Tokyo-Los Angeles flights, and services between Busan, South Korea and both Tokyo and Osaka. Korean's code will go onto Northwest flights between Seattle-Detroit, Seattle-MSP, LAX-Las Vegas, and between Chicago O'Hare and Detroit, Memphis and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

China Southern moves at LAX

China Southern Airlines, the largest carrier in the People's Republic of China, last week moved to new quarters at Los Angeles International Airport. Instead of flying out of Terminal 5, where it has been for the past nine years, China Southern flights now depart from the Tom Bradley International Terminal. China Southern, which flies 777s non-stop between LAX and Guangzhou, has reciprocal code-sharing and frequent flyer partnerships with Delta Air Lines.


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