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The Executive's Ultimate Travel Resource

jimglab — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:25:56 CDT

• SEE ALL ARTICLES FROM THE MARCH ISSUE

	Executive Travel magazine is the definitive source for business travel information — share your experiences and tips with fellow travelers here!
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	• Find out more about us.

2009 LEADING EDGE AWARDS
The results are in. See which travel providers and products were selected by our readers as the best in the business.

See Our March 2010 Issue!

Top Features from the issue:

• The post- recession revival of corporate golf.	• The specialized world of the golf course designer.

• The rapid growth of golf in China.	• Seven great places for business & golf

ESSENTIAL TRAVEL NEWS

Week of March 22

•

Delta plans LGA-ORD Shuttle

•

Continental: No more free lunch

•

United debuts electronic boarding passes

Trouble with your flight? Get tips on writing an effective complaint letter.

TRAVEL TALK

This week's topic: Have you tried electronic boarding passes?

United joins American in expanding them to more airports (see this week's story). Do you trust the paperless option?

• MORE TRAVEL TALK

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

Inside: News on the latest devices for the road warrior.

•	Best in Tech picks for 2010
•	Reviewing the new e-readers.
•	Tech News Briefs for Travelers
	• SEE ALL MOBILE TECHNOLOGY ARTICLES

SMALL BUSINESS

Inside: Tricks of the entrepreneurial trade.

•	Do you have an executive voice?
•	How to handle email overload
•	Don't let the recession hurt your pricing power
	• SEE ALL SMALL BUSINESS ARTICLES

TRAVEL ADVISOR

Inside: Make the most of every mile.

•	Loyalty program tips from FlyerTalk.com's Randy Petersen
•	News for biz travelers
•	Get a free MilesManager account
	• GET MORE TRAVEL TIPS

CITY GUIDES

Get tips that will help you think like a local in every city you visit.

Explore these new Executive Travel city guides:

• SEE ALL CITY GUIDES

Editor's Top Picks of the Week:
	Is your corporate culture customer-focused?
	Understanding the importance of listening to your customers.
	Find essential resources and services in our Travel Rolodex.
Follow us on Twitter!

2010 Leading Edge Awards

Balloting has begun for our 2010 Leading Edge Awards. Vote for your favorite airlines and other travel service providers.

PROMOTIONS

Learn more about United Airlines in their dedicated room, including the latest news and links to the United Twitter feed.

Find out everything you want to know about Air New Zealand, the national carrier of a country renowned for its lush landscapes and welcoming hospitality.

Have you seen the ultimate frequent flyer movie yet?

The film garnered multiple Oscars nominations. Learn more about Up in the Air, share your opinions, and read what one other million-miler thought.

EXECUTIVE TRAVEL EXCLUSIVE

Hotels are constantly opening, closing and getting new brand affiliations. Check out our March update on what's happening with business hotels in the U.S. and abroad.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Listening to long-winded voicemail can be a real time-drain, especially when traveling. SimulScribe (simulscribe.com) converts voicemail messages to text and delivers them to your mobile phone, PDA or email account. Select any message (instead of having to work top-down through an audio queue) and reply via email. A similar service, SpinVox, recently announced its blogging service, Spin My Blog, which lets users blog from their phones to their social networking pages. Travelers can talk into their phones about their travels, and the updates will automatically post to their Facebook, Twitter or Jaiku pages. Read more tips.

THIS WEEK'S Q&A

Alerts

jimglab — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:19:37 CDT

Alerts for 3/22/10

To sign up for an expanded version of this weekly e-Alert bulletin from Executive Travel SKYGUIDE, click here.

Delta sets LGA-ORD Shuttle; JetBlue doubles JFK-LAX schedule

Continental: No more free lunch

United debuts paperless boarding passes

Virgin America plans new routes, enhances loyalty program

Continental begins code-sharing with ANA

Various business travel indicators show an upturn

Delta shrinks to one concourse at Cincinnati

Briefs: CO moves at DTW; NextGen technology comes to PHL

Alerts Archive

Alerts for 3/22/10

jimglab — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:19:05 CDT

Briefs: CO moves at DTW

jimglab — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:18:36 CDT

PHL gets NextGen navigation technology

In airport news this week:

Effective March 24, Continental Airlines is moving its operations at Detroit Metro Airport to the North Terminal, to be close to Star Alliance partners United, US Airways, Air Canada and Lufthansa. Continental will use gates D1, D2 and D8 on the south end of the terminal, and its ticket counter space will be adjacent to United’s.

Philadelphia International Airport has become the newest staging ground for the satellite-based NextGen navigation technology that the FAA plans to roll out nationwide in the coming years. The airport has been equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADSB) technology, with which flight controllers will use GPS satellite information instead of radar to track and separate arriving and departing aircraft, with direct uplinks of traffic and weather data to the cockpits of properly equipped planes. By replacing radar systems with the new technology, controllers and pilots should see more efficient operations and fewer delays.

Terminal 8 at New York’s Kennedy Airport is the site of a new Wi-Fi facility for travelers unveiled by Sprint. Flyers can get free 3G Internet connections via an intelligent mobile hotspot device, the MiFi 2200 by Novatel Wireless. Sprint has set up a lounge with chairs, power outlets, a workstation and MiFi units. The free service will be available in Terminal 8, just beyond the security checkpoint, until December.

Las Vegas McCarran International Airport has applied to local government officials for permission to open a new kind of retail outlet: a liquor store. Although booze is already available for outbound travelers at duty-free shops, the proposed facility would be for arriving passengers, located in the baggage claim area. The airport said it needs the extra money the store would generate, citing a drop in revenues from gambling at its ubiquitous slot machines since the airport adopted a smoking ban, according to the La Vegas Sun.

Passengers flying into southern California airports can now download an iPhone app that will let them book a shared ride to their final destination. It’s available for free download from Prime Time Shuttle’s web site at www.PrimeTimeShuttle.com/iPhone. Prime Time provides shared-ride van service for travelers at Los Angeles International, San Diego International, and regional airports at Long Beach, Burbank, Orange County and Ontario.

Delta shrinks to one concourse at Cincinnati

jimglab — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:15:02 CDT

Drops another 22 gates

The downsizing of Delta at its once-mighty Cincinnati hub continues this spring with word that the carrier plans to consolidate all its operations at CVG into Concourse A, giving up its space in Concourse B. The changeover should take place by May 1, according to media reports, and will give Delta a total of 28 gates instead of the current 50. Delta’s summer schedule of 160 to 170 daily flights at Cincinnati will reportedly include eight banks of flights instead of the current four, permitting more early-morning departures. The change will also mean the loss of 840 jobs for a Delta ground handling subsidiary at CVG, since mainline employees will take over their duties. Delta reportedly expects to save some $20 million a year at Cincinnati as a result of the consolidation. Delta once used three concourses at CVG, but pulled out of one of them in 2008.

Business travel indicators show an upturn

jimglab — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:13:06 CDT

United cites premium revenue increase

More indicators are showing an upturn in airline travel, and more specifically in business travel. In an SEC filing last week, United Airlines estimated that its revenues from business travelers during February were 13 percent higher than a year ago, and that sales of first and business class seats on international flights were up 25 percent for the month. United also reported that its revenues per passenger mile flown were up 10.5 percent for February. Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association said in its latest monthly traffic report that first class and business class travel on international routes posted a year-over-year gain of 5.5 percent in January 2010 – the second monthly increase after a year and a half of falling premium traffic. Global economy class travel for January was up 5.7 percent from the same month a year earlier, IATA said. Meanwhile, the Airlines Reporting Corp., which tracks U.S. air ticket sales from travel agencies – accounting for about half of all tickets sold – said that February ticket sales totaled $6.2 billion, a gain of 16.8 percent over February 2009, and a 4.5 percent increase over January 2010. And the U.K.-based global consulting group Ascend said its latest survey of international business travelers found that 35 percent of them expect to fly more on business this year than they did last year – up from just 10 percent who said so in the company’s 2009 survey. The survey result “suggests a recovery – if only a weak one – is in the air, as both budgets and the number of business flights look set to increase over the next 12 months,” said Peter Morris, Ascend’s chief economist.

Continental begins code-sharing with ANA

jimglab — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:10:54 CDT

Partnership starts this week

Continental Airlines said it will begin code-sharing with Star Alliance partner All Nippon Airways beginning March 28. Continental flight numbers will go onto ANA’s daily service to Tokyo Narita from Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Honolulu, as well as ANA domestic flights in Japan linking Narita with Fukuoka, Itami, Nagoya and Okinawa. Continental said these flights represent only the first phase of a code-sharing partnership that is expected to expand in the future. Meanwhile, ANA will put its code onto Continental flights between LAX-Houston, San Francisco-Houston and Chicago O’Hare-Houston.

Virgin America plans Orlando, Toronto routes

jimglab — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:09:11 CDT

Also enhances loyalty program

San Francisco-based Virgin America Airlines announced plans to add two more cities to its route network, and has unveiled enhancements to its Elevate frequent flyer program. The company said it will launch daily non-stop flights to Orlando International Airport August 19 from both San Francisco and Los Angeles, and will add new service to Toronto Pearson International as early as June, also from both LAX and SFO. The planned Toronto service includes one daily non-stop and one daily through flight in each market, Virgin America said. “Virgin America is poised for major growth in 2010, with six additional aircraft entering its fleet this year and three additional aircraft scheduled for the first quarter of 2011,” the company said. Meanwhile, Virgin America said that effective immediately, points earned by members of its Elevate frequent flyer program will no longer expire, if the member earns or redeems points at least once every 18 months. Previously, points automatically expired after 18 months. Members also now have additional point-earning opportunities from shopping at the carrier’s online Red Store. And Virgin America added a new program partner to Elevate: Members can now earn 1,000 points per stay at participating properties of Morgans Hotel Group. The group’s hotels include Morgans, the Royalton and the Hudson in New York; the Delano, Mondrian and Shore Club in Miami’s South Beach; the Mondrian in Los Angeles, the Ames in Boston and the Clift in San Francisco.

United debuts paperless boarding passes

jimglab — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:07:19 CDT

Now available at 13 airports

United Airlines is the latest carrier to jump on the paperless boarding pass bandwagon. United said customers can now use mobile phones or PDAs to obtain electronic boarding passes when they check in for their flights at mobile.united.com; the electronic passes include a special bar code that will be scanned from the screen of the device at the airport in place of a paper document. “A refresh of the mobile boarding pass will reflect any changes to seat assignments, gate changes and upgrade confirmations,” United said. According to United’s web site, passengers can access the mobile boarding passes starting 24 hours before scheduled departure time but no later than 45 minutes before departure. The service is currently available for passengers on mainline United or United Express domestic itineraries flying out of Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York LaGuardia, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland (Ore.), San Francisco, Seattle and Washington Dulles. The service will be available “soon” for travel out of Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Salt Lake City and Orange County, Calif., United said. Besides domestic U.S. flights, the service is also available for flights to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Continental will start charging for meals

jimglab — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:05:25 CDT

Food purchase plan starts this fall

For a long time now, Continental Airlines has been the only major U.S. carrier to continue with the historic tradition of giving passengers free meals in coach. But Continental said that tradition will end later this year, when it introduces a food-for-purchase program like those of its competitors. Continental said it expects to begin the program sometime this fall in economy class on most domestic and many Latin American routes. It will continue to provide free food service in coach “on all intercontinental and certain other international routes, and on long-haul domestic routes over six hours,” a spokesman said. Continental will also continue to offer free food in first class and BusinessFirst cabins worldwide. Menu options and pricing for the paid economy class meal service “are currently in development and will be announced prior to implementation,” the spokesman said, adding that non-alcoholic drinks and snacks like pretzels will still be offered at no charge on every flight. The airline said it also plans to introduce new menu options for first class passengers beginning April 1, including “new first class lunch sandwiches (such as a chicken parmesan Tuscan sandwich) and updated first class dinner pasta dishes (such as spinach & cheese cannelloni with pomodoro sauce).”

Delta sets LGA-ORD Shuttle

jimglab — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:03:25 CDT

And JetBlue will double JFK-LAX schedule

Both Delta and JetBlue have announced plans to expand service in key business markets. Most notably, Delta said that on June 10, it will replace its existing LaGuardia-Chicago Midway Delta Connection service – which operates nine times a day – with a new LaGuardia-O’Hare hourly Shuttle service offering 11 daily departures. (It’s not exactly hourly; westbound flights leave LGA on the hour from 7 a.m.-8 p.m., except for 10 a.m., noon and 4 p.m.) Like the existing MDW service, the new LGA-ORD Shuttle will be flown by Delta Connection partner Shuttle America, using two-class, 76-seat Embraer 175s. The LaGuardia departures will leave from Delta’s Marine Air Terminal, while O’Hare flights will board at dedicated gates close to the Terminal 2 security checkpoint. Customers will get free morning coffee and newspapers at the gate, and a new Delta Shuttle station at O’Hare will have kiosks where passengers can buy same-day tickets to New York.

In addition, Delta unveiled plans for new service out of Los Angeles International Airport, also starting June 10. That includes four daily roundtrips to San Francisco International, using either A320s or CRJ900s; and new daily roundtrips between LAX and Columbus, Hartford and Raleigh-Durham. “Delta’s added flights are expected to improve connections for SkyTeam customers utilizing Los Angeles International Airport as a gateway,” Delta said. The airline noted that by this summer, it will expand the security screening checkpoint in LAX’s Terminal 5 to accommodate its growing presence there, and later this year will begin renovating and expanding its Terminal 5 Sky Club.

Meanwhile, JetBlue Airways announced that effective July 1, it will double its schedule between New York JFK and Los Angeles International from the current two flights a day to four, including new early-morning eastbound departures from LAX. JetBlue also flies between Boston and LAX twice a day, and has non-stop service linking the east coast with Burbank and Long Beach as well. Earlier, JetBlue announced plans to kick off another new transcontinental route on May 13, when it will launch daily Boston-San Jose service.

March 2010

jimglab — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:40:17 CDT

COVER STORIES

CORPORATE AMERICA: BACK IN THE SWING?

Golf is likely to make a post-recession comeback.

DESIGNING MEN: LAYING OUT A GOLF COURSE

Brian Silva gives an insider's view of the profession.

THE RISE OF GOLF IN CHINA

It's growing almost as fast as the country's economy.

BUNKERS AND BOARDROOMS: SEVEN BUSINESS/GOLF DESTINATIONS

These capsule guides will advise you where to stay, where to eat, and where to play.

COLUMNS

FROM THE FLIGHT DECK

The importance of keeping passengers informed.

TECHNOLOGY

The day of the e-reader is at hand.

EXECUTIVE SUITE

Learn to use your golf game to enhance leadership skills.

WINNING STRATEGIES

Don't underestimate the effect of your voice in defining your image.

MEETING MATTERS

How one company used a pro-am golf tourney to liven up its conference.

DEPARTMENTS

CHECK IN

Business travel boosts profits ... New Shanghai clinic ... Discount luxury travel

MILES & POINTS

How to take advantage of travel suppliers' social networking efforts.

DINING OUT

On a budget? Try gourmet food from the street.

STYLE

Buff up your links image with these great golfing gear options.

TIME OFF

Is it time for you to join Facebook?

Does golf make you a better leader?

jimglab — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:39:01 CDT

executive coach

by Jackie Sloane
March 2010

Banish doubt, tension and lapses of concentration on the golf course, and your score will show that you were fully present. It should come as no surprise that the same holds true in the boardroom.

Golf requires relaxed concentration and patience, and you must continually focus yourself in the moment. The more concentration you bring to each swing, the better your score—regardless of your skill level.

Randy, a successful marketing executive, recalls her first golf lesson: It was also the first time she had ever held a golf club. She’d just returned from a business trip overseas, so she was suffering from jet lag, and she had pulled the hood of a slicker over her head to block the light rain. Even so, she stunned the instructor and an old friend with her strong swing and how far she hit the ball. Several times, the instructor said, “I thought you said you’d never played golf before?”

But during Randy’s next lesson at the same golf camp—on a sunny day when she was more rested—her swing was off. She played more like somebody holding a club for only the second time. Why was there such a difference in Randy’s ability on those two days?

Her instructor and her friend speculated that being overtired had quieted any inhibitions or
performance anxiety she might have felt, and the hood of her jacket kept her head down, which impacted her form, her focus and her ability to be fully present, listen to the instruction and be with the ball—all without judging or critiquing her own actions.

Tim Gallwey, a former captain of the Harvard tennis team, wrote a series of books in which he described his findings that performance error resulted primarily from “doubt, tension and lapses of concentration.” We are at our most effective and creative in the moment. The moment is what we can impact.

Competing agendas, strong personalities and commitment to shaping a work environment can distract the best of us and thwart our opportunity to slow everything down and make a real contribution. Any practice that requires ongoing learning and the ability to concentrate can enhance leadership ability. A notoriously frustrating game, golf can also offer a chance to improve your emotional self-management—which, along with self-awareness, is critical to leadership.

In emotional situations, we tend to tense our muscles, which in turn impacts our thinking and creativity. Simple breathing techniques can quietly support you in cultivating greater emotional self-management, particularly when faced with a challenge.

Finally, here’s one more tip: Know that you are not fully present when you are experiencing self-doubt or any other judgment. Instead of engaging with that negativity, treat the critical thought as a signal from your inner wisdom that you need to bring your attention to the present.
________________________________________________________________

JACKIE SLOANE is an executive coach specializing in leadership and communication
issues. Email Jackie at editor@executivetravelmag.com.

News updates

jimglab — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:53:45 CDT

Delta plans LGA-ORD Shuttle; JetBlue doubles JFK-LAX schedule

Both Delta and JetBlue have announced plans to expand service in key business markets. Most notably, Delta said that on June 10, it will replace its existing LaGuardia-Chicago Midway Delta Connection service – which operates nine times a day – with a new LaGuardia-O’Hare hourly Shuttle service offering 11 daily departures. (It’s not exactly hourly; westbound flights leave LGA on the hour from 7 a.m.-8 p.m., except for 10 a.m., noon and 4 p.m.) Like the existing MDW service, the new LGA-ORD Shuttle will be flown by Delta Connection partner Shuttle America, using two-class Embraer 175s. The LaGuardia departures will leave from Delta’s Marine Air Terminal, while O’Hare flights will board at dedicated gates close to the Terminal 2 security checkpoint. Customers will get free morning coffee and newspapers at the gate, and a new Delta Shuttle station at O’Hare will have kiosks where passengers can buy same-day tickets to New York.

In addition, Delta unveiled plans for new service out of Los Angeles International Airport, also starting June 10. That includes four daily roundtrips to San Francisco International, using either A320s or CRJ900s; and new daily roundtrips between LAX and Columbus, Hartford and Raleigh-Durham. “Delta’s added flights are expected to improve connections for SkyTeam customers utilizing Los Angeles International Airport as a gateway,” Delta said. The airline noted that by this summer, it will expand the security screening checkpoint in LAX’s Terminal 5 to accommodate its growing presence there, and later this year will begin renovating and expanding its Terminal 5 Sky Club.

Meanwhile, JetBlue Airways announced that effective July 1, it will double its schedule between New York JFK and Los Angeles International from the current two flights a day to four, including new early-morning eastbound departures from LAX. JetBlue also flies between Boston and LAX twice a day, and has non-stop service linking the east coast with Burbank and Long Beach as well. Earlier, JetBlue announced plans to kick off another new transcontinental route on May 13, when it will launch daily Boston-San Jose service.

Continental: No more free lunch

For a long time now, Continental Airlines has been the only major U.S. carrier to continue with historic tradition of giving passengers free meals in coach. But Continental said that tradition will end later this year, when it introduces a food-for-purchase program like those of its competitors. Continental said it expects to begin the program sometime this fall in economy class on most domestic and many Latin American routes. It will continue to provide free food service in coach “on all intercontinental and certain other international routes, and on long-haul domestic routes over six hours,” a spokesman said. Continental will also continue to offer free food in first class and BusinessFirst cabins worldwide. Menu options and pricing for the paid economy class meal service “are currently in development and will be announced prior to implementation,” the spokesman said, adding that non-alcoholic drinks and snacks like pretzels will still be offered at no charge on every flight. The airline said it also plans to introduce new menu options for first class passengers beginning April 1, including “new first class lunch sandwiches (such as a chicken parmesan Tuscan sandwich) and updated first class dinner pasta dishes (such as spinach & cheese cannelloni with pomodoro sauce).”

United debuts paperless boarding passes

United Airlines is the latest carrier to jump on the paperless boarding pass bandwagon. United said customers can now use mobile phones or PDAs to obtain electronic boarding passes from mobile.united.com, including a special bar code that will be scanned from the screen of the device at the airport in place of a paper document. According to United’s web site, passengers can access the mobile boarding passes starting 24 hours before scheduled departure time but no later than 45 minutes before departure. The service is currently available for passengers on mainline United or United Express domestic itineraries flying out of Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York LaGuardia, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland (Ore.), San Francisco, Seattle and Washington Dulles. The service will be available “soon” for travel out of Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Salt Lake City and Orange County, Calif., United said. Besides domestic U.S. flights, the service is also available for flights to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

This week's Q and A

jimglab — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:35:12 CDT

Q. With the busy summer travel season approaching, I suspect airlines are going to get much tougher about enforcing their carry-on bag limits. Is there somewhere I can quickly find and compare individual airlines’ official policies for carry-on bag numbers and size limits?

A. Rick Seaney, the CEO of the web site Farecompare.com, has compiled a handy chart that lists the number of bags you’re allowed, the maximum total dimensions, and the weight. Results are presented for most major airlines, both U.S. and foreign, and each listing is linked to that airline’s web page with more specifics of its baggage policies.

Another useful site is Luggage Limits; once you type in your airline, departure airport and arrival airport, it will give you the specific carry-on and checked baggage rules for your flight, including current fees for checked luggage.

PREVIOUS QUESTIONS (AND ANSWERS)

Health advice for international travelers

Advances in hotel check-in technology

Around-the-world airline routes

How flight delays vary by time of day

Notifying passengers about code-share flights

Deceptive hotel photos

Finding airport information

How airline passengers can benefit from Twitter

U.S. cities with the worst traffic

How full-body scanners work

The world's fastest train

Checking the safety of foreign airlines

Finding public restrooms in New York City

Getting traffic updates on the go

Europe's high-speed rail routes

In-flight Wi-Fi and VoIP phone calls

Reducing business travel's carbon footprint

Swine flu (H1N1) and international travel

Who regulates frequent flyer programs?

Comparing travel loyalty programs

Finding the right airpass

Tracking local news worldwide

Latest developments in high-tech videoconferencing

Comparing airlines' checked bag policies and fees

Cell phone restrictions on U.S. airlines

Lost bag liability on code-share flights

Social networking sites for business travelers

Cost of living comparisons for relocation

Filing a complaint against an airline

Premium economy seating

Foreign cars in U.S. rental fleets

Airline overbooking and passenger rights

Planning an active/adventure vacation

Very Light Jets and the air taxi revolution

Travel applications for the iPhone

Selecting the best hotel rooms

Best European airports for air-rail connections

Rules for carrying batteries on board

Where are the remaining Concordes?

Finding decent food at airports

Health and safety conditions abroad

U.K. tax hikes for airline passengers

Free Wi-Fi at airports

Comparing business class seats

What is Global Entry?

Hotel chains' Wi-Fi policies

Staying off the terrorist watch list

Delta-Northwest merger schedule

Lost luggage compensation

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner

Paperless boarding passes tested

Largest U.S. airline, busiest domestic route

High-tech hotel room TVs

TSA's new Secure Flight program

New York City hotel bargains

Objective hotel reviews

Electronic device advice

Aircraft seating options

All-business-class airlines

Hotel spending limits for government contractors

Driving deductions

Online travel bookiings

Airline fee charts

Award seat availability

Thanksgiving travel 2008

Narrowing down hotel options

Airport mass transit options

Saving money on business trips

Airport parking

Cabs at LaGuardia

Do you have any special strategies or tips for smoother trips that you'd like to share with other road warriors? Post them in a thread below.

Health advice for international travelers

jimglab — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:33:59 CDT

Q. I have to make some trips to various countries in Africa and South Asia in the next year. How can I find out about the health precautions I should take, what kinds of immunizations are needed, etc.?

A. The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control, an agency of the federal government, has a wealth of information for persons traveling anywhere in the world. It has health-related information for 200 countries, a section on the types of vaccinations required and recommended, a databank of travel health specialists and clinics in the U.S., general health advice for safe travel, background on a variety of diseases faced by travelers, and news updates on specific disease outbreaks around the world. You’ll find it at www.cdc.gov/travel.

Alerts for 3/15/10

jimglab — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:50:50 CDT

To sign up for an expanded version of this weekly e-Alert bulletin from Executive Travel SKYGUIDE, click here.

Survey: Overhead bin space should be assigned like seats

Will new DOT rule mean more flight cancellations?

Briefs: AA expands paperless passes; CO moves at Denver

BA cabin crew strike will start this week

IATA reduces 2010 loss projection for international air travel

DHS schedules body scanner deployments at more airports

FAA predicts a gradual return to growth for airlines

Marriott, Starwood announce big overseas expansion plans

Marriott, Starwood set overseas expansion plans

jimglab — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:50:28 CDT

Scores of new hotels coming to Europe

Although the hotel business has been characterized by heavy rate-cutting and shrinking occupancies in the past couple of years, executives at both Marriott and Starwood are confident that growth is returning – as evidenced by both companies’ announcements last week of substantial expansion plans in overseas markets.

Marriott said it expects to double its presence in Europe between now and 2015, expanding from its current 174 hotels with 40,000 rooms to a total of 80,000 rooms. The company already has some 30 diverse development projects in the works in Europe, including a new Renaissance in Moscow, a Courtyard by Marriott in Budapest and a JW Marriott in Ankara, all due to open this year. Seven Marriott brands are already represented in Europe, and the company plans to open its first extended-stay Residence Inn in Munich in 2012. Marriott said its European expansion will also includes its two newest brands – Edition, a “boutique-lifestyle” brand being developed in a partnership with Ian Schrager; and the Autograph Collection, a new network of Marriott-affiliated upscale, independent properties. “We expect the Autograph Collection will be a very popular conversion brand in Europe given the region’s variety of iconic, independent and small hotel groups,” said Carlton Ervin, Marriott’s chief development officer for Europe.

Meanwhile, Starwood announced plans to add another 50 hotels in Europe, Africa and the Middle East by 2012; the company already has 240 properties in those regions. It just opened a Sheraton in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, and other Sheratons are due to debut this year in Georgia (Batumi), Greece (Rhodes) and Italy (Milan Malpensa Airport). Starwood officials said the group’s W brand will also be a part of the growth, with new W hotels coming in London, St. Petersburg, Paris, Milan and Amman. The mid-market Aloft brand will open its first European property this fall, in Brussels. New resorts from both the Luxury Collection and Westin will open this summer along Greece’s Costa Navarino, the company said, while the St. Regis brand will add five new locations in the Middle East and Indian Ocean over the next five years, including Mauritius, Cairo, Doha and two in Abu Dhabi.