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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 11 2006, 12:32 AM EST (current) | Patty | 1 photo added |
| Dec 1 2006, 5:23 PM EST | Patty |
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JetBlue goes corporate
Carrier opens new site for business bookings
Now there’s no reason why your company can’t consistently fly JetBlue Airways. The low-cost carrier’s new corporate booking tool allows employees to book JetBlue flights online, and enables company travel managers to track spending, itineraries and flight credits. The online booking tool, called CompanyBlue, is available at no charge. Travelers can access their dedicated CompanyBlue booking site via a link from their company intranet. Travel managers can access reports detailing company spending, key market pair analysis, accrued/redeemed cancellation credits and employee itineraries. The tool is especially significant for corporate bean-counters because JetBlue fares aren’t widely available through travel agent reservations systems, and thus many companies couldn’t easily track JetBlue bookings, a spokesperson said. CompanyBlue bookings are backed by a service commitment that compensates travelers if a flight is delayed more than two hours. Visitwww.jetblue.com/companyblue.
Hungry? It’ll cost you
Free meals are disappearing fast from major airlines
Complimentary food on domestic coach flights is going the way of the carrier pigeon, though beverage service is still free. At press time, Continental was the last holdout among network airlines, still serving up complimentary meals or snacks on flights of more than two hours. American has started testing in-flight meals costing $5 to $7 (cash only) and brand-name snacks on select flights. Delta has $2 to $8 meals and snacks for purchase (credit cards accepted!) on select flights longer than 3.5 hours, with items from Atlanta Bread Company and Savorings. Many Northwest flights now offer in-flight meals priced from $5 to $10 (cash only). United passengers on certain flights can buy meals and à la carte menu items from such restaurants as Bennigans, Hard Rock Café, Eli’s Cheesecake Company and Au Bon Pain. Prices range from $7 to $10 (cash only) on flights of 3.5 to 5 hours. US Airways offers T.G.I. Friday’s menu items ranging from $7 to $10 (cash only) on domestic flights 700 miles or longer. Snack boxes are $5.Pogo—for short hops
Two airline industry legends plan new air taxi service
Get a couple of former airline chairmen together, and what do they do? Try to build a better airline. That’s what former American Airlines chief Robert Crandall and People Express founder Donald Burr are planning. In mid-2005, expect to see a new air taxi service called Pogo Air, which will fly six-seat mini-jets point-to-point among 5,400 underused smaller airports, starting in the northeast. Flights will be flown “on demand,” using Web-based software to route small aircraft as needed, according to Forbes.com. Pogo Air plans to fly to small cities within 500 miles or so of a larger metropolis. It’s eyeing A700 aircraft with a twin-tail fuselage, a new line manufactured by Adam Aircraft Industries, and expects to have 15 aircraft in its first eight months. Airfare: about $2,000 one-way for a 300-mile trip, but you get four seats. Pogo will help you fill seats if, say, only one person is flying.Hurry up and wait
Government Web sites predict airport conditions
Sure, you can look up the status of a current flight on airline Web sites, but other sites can help you select the times of day when airport wait times are shorter and inform you of real-time airport conditions. The Transportation Security Administration provides estimates of passenger security wait times at airports, based on 28-day rolling historical averages for various days and times. Wait-time information is collected and posted daily for all airports. However, since the wait times are historical, they can fluctuate due to weather, airport flight schedules, staffing conditions, holidays or special events. Go towww.tsa.gov and look under Travel Tips. You also can obtain real-time information on systemwide or airport-specific delays at www.faa.gov, under Airports and Air Traffic. The status information indicates general airport conditions (it’s not flight-specific). The site also has a link to current National Weather Service information, which provides warnings, forecasts, radar and other data.
Tech report
Airlines, hotels test new communications systems
Better living through technology? Aircraft manufacturers are seeking ways to keep you in touch with the earthbound while aboard airliners. Airbus is collaborating with the German aerospace center DL on a system that lets passengers use their mobile phones in-flight without interfering with the plane’s navigation systems. Boeing, meanwhile, is working with California-based iPass on enabling passengers to surf the Web on long-haul flights using a wireless connection. Satellites would deliver the Internet to planes, and short-range links would be beamed to passengers’ laptops. On the ground, Hilton Hotels now has remote, Web-based check-in 24 hours prior to arrival that permits Gold and Diamond HHonors members to select their room type and features. Hilton now also has about 100 automated check-in kiosks within 45 Hilton family hotels (mostly in metro and airport markets), enabling self-service check-in, room selection, checkout and a variety of other automated services.Got a yen for Tokyo?
You’ll actually need thousands, study says
What’s the world’s most expensive city? Tokyo, followed by London and Moscow, according to a cost-of-living survey conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Rounding out the top 10 list, in descending order: Osaka, Japan; Hong Kong; Geneva, Switzerland; Seoul, South Korea; Copenhagen, Denmark; Zurich, Switzerland; and St. Petersburg, Russia. In 2004, Copenhagen and St. Petersburg entered the top 10, while Beijing and New York City left it. New York, ranked 12th in the world, is North America’s most expensive city. Other costly U.S. cities are Los Angeles, ranked 27; Chicago, ranked 35; and San Francisco, ranked 38. Pittsburgh is the cheapest U.S. city surveyed, ranking 112. The world’s most inexpensive city: Asuncion, Paraguay. The survey covers 144 cities and measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location, including housing, food, clothing, household goods, transportation and entertainment.For a complete ranking of the top 50 cities, visit www.mercerhr.com/costofliving.
Premium-cabin preferences
First-, business-class fliers favor amenities, lower fares
More than 37 percent of premium-class travelers choose an air carrier for international flights based on the “creature comforts” it offers (e.g., flat beds in business class), according to the third annual international traveler’s survey released by 1stAir, a company that offers reduced fares on international first- and business-class trips. Competitive pricing was the second most important factor, at 30 percent. The study, which questioned 400 international travelers in the U.S., found that reduced international fares would increase travel: International fliers surveyed prefer business class to economy class (54.7 percent vs. 29.1 percent) when flying for business, and economy class to business class (52.2 percent vs. 33 percent) when flying for leisure. If the cost for first- or business-class fares were reduced by 20–30 percent, an overwhelming majority (85.2 percent) said they would fly internationally more frequently. Fewer than 5 percent of travelers indicated that a carrier’s safety record influenced their purchasing behavior when selecting an international carrier.Bringing the hotel home
Westin, Sheraton beds prove popular for purchase
Providing a good night’s sleep may seem like an obvious function for a hotel, but Starwood’s Westin capitalized on that simple notion in 1999, when it introduced the Heavenly Bed, thus sparking a bedding revolution in the hotel industry. The all-white beds and fine linens have become so popular that the chain now sells them to consumers who can’t spend 365 days a year in a Westin. To date, Westin has sold nearly 4,000 fully loaded Heavenly Beds and 30,000 signature sheets and pillows, and said it expects the line to exceed $8 million in sales in 2004. The 10-layer Heavenly Bed complete ensemble consists of a custom-designed pillow-top mattress set, a down blanket, three crisp sheets, a comforter, a duvet and five pillows and sells for $2,565 for queen size; $2,990 for king. In addition, you can purchase Heavenly bath accessories, gifts and even a Heavenly Dog Bed. Visit www.westin-hotelsathome.com or call 877-777-5418.Meanwhile, another Starwood hotel brand has started selling mattresses. Since introducing its signature Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed in 2003, Sheraton says it has been flooded with requests from guests anxious to purchase the bed and all its trimmings. In response, Sheraton now sells a queen-size mattress and box spring set for $1,100, and a king set for $1,300. Sweet Sleeper sheets, pillowcases, pillows, fleece blankets, duvets and bedskirts range from $30 to $310. The custom-designed, high-coil-count bed has an 11.5-inch thick Sealy Posturepedic Plush Top mattress. Beds are topped with four feather down and allergy-sensitive pillows, cotton sheets, and a blanket and duvet. To date, the Sweet Sleeper is in all Sheraton hotels in the U.S. and Canada, and new beds are being installed in London and Latin America. To purchase a signature Sweet Sleeper Bed, visit www.sheraton.com or call the Sweet Sleeper hotline at 888-3-SHERATON.
