Issue #82  --  February 24, 2000

<< U P F R O N T >>

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New: FrequentFlier Funnies
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On the several occasions that we have included humorous travel stories--be they jokes or ostensibly true anecdotes--the reaction from readers has been overwhelmingly positive: humor is good, and more humor is better.

Beginning in this issue of The Crier, look for a more-or-less regular travel humor feature, FrequentFlier Funnies. To start, the stories--all true, we're told--are excerpted from "Air Sick Humor" by William Joric. As a pilot and the husband of a flight attendant, Joric has heard it all.

And now, so will you...

<< M I L E S >>

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Earn Amex Membership Rewards Points at Target
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Members of the American Express Membership Rewards program can now earn Rewards points for purchases at Target stores, and at Target online.

>> More <<
To find the Target store nearest you, call 1-800-800-8800. Or visit Target's website.

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Northwest Adds Bonus for China Flights
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Northwest is offering Destination China Bonus Miles to promote its new Detroit to Shanghai nonstop service.

The promotion allows customers traveling roundtrip from various origins in North America to Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong, China to receive up to 10,000 WorldPerks bonus miles when traveling on First Class or World Business Class fares. Coach class passengers will receive 5,000 or 3,000 bonus miles depending on specific fare type.

To take advantage of the offer, you must call the WorldPerks promotion center at 800-508-2000 to register for the mileage offer, or register online at http://www.nwa.com/offers/shanghai, and enter registration number 5664 when prompted. You must register at least 1 week prior to travel but no later than May 30, 2000 and fly between April 6 and June 30, 2000.

Northwest's nonstop Detroit-Shanghai service begins on April 6, 2000.

Northwest passengers who travel in World Business Class to China and connect through any of Northwest's U.S. or Asian gateways are eligible for the airline's ConnectFirst Asia program that provides confirmed upgrades to First Class.

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Northwest

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OnePass Miles for Wyndham Stays
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Continental OnePass members can now earn 500 miles when paying the qualifying rate at any Wyndham property in the U.S., Canada or the Caribbean.

Travelers can also earn miles for Wyndham stays in the American AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles, United Mileage Plus, TWA Aviators, and US Airways Dividend Miles programs.

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Wyndham

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ClickMiles for CD's
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ClickRewards members can earn between 1,000 and 25,000 ClickMiles when investing in a Capital One certificate of deposit.

Receive 1,000 ClickMiles when you deposit $10,000-$24,999; 5,000 ClickMiles when you deposit $25,000-$49,999; and 25,000 ClickMiles when you deposit $100,000 or more.

>> More <<
ClickRewards

<< S T E A L S & D E A L S >>

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Deal Alert from SmarterLiving.com
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Two hot deals from SmarterLiving com...

>> Free Air and Up to 35% Savings on Select Seabourn Cruises

Seabourn Cruise Lines is offering free round-trip air and up to 35% savings off the brochure rate on select 5-14 day cruises.

Sample cruises available for this deal include a 7-day Italian & Greek Isles tour, a 5-day French Riviera cruise, a 6-day Italian Pleasures II tour, and an 8-day Greek Isles & Dalmatian cruise.

For more details, please go here.

>> Save Up to 50% on Flights to/from Las Vegas

Ready to gamble?

Here's a winning bet: America West has brought back the Wheel of Savings, with savings of 5-50% being offered on flights to/from Las Vegas. Travel is valid March 5 through June 15. Tickets must be purchased by Midnight Central Time on February 20.

For more details, please go here.

<< I N D U S T R Y U P D A T E >>

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Legend Delays Takeoff
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The launch of Legend Airlines, originally scheduled for February 29, has been postponed, pending the FAA's certification of the new entrant's planes. The FAA found that Legend's aircraft did not meet spec in a number of areas.

According to Legend, the majority of the problems are related to the new galleys and inflight entertainment systems being fitted to their DC-9's.

Legend has promised to rebook any affected passengers on Delta, or give them a full refund.

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Legend

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Strike Watch: US Airways
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US Airways flight attendants could strike the airline as early as 12:01 a.m. (EST), March 25, 2000--after the federally-mandated 30-day "cooling-off" period, which began this week.

Last week, the National Mediation Board (NMB) declared the contract negotiations between US Airways and its flight attendants, members of the Association of Flight Attendants, to be at an impasse and requested that the parties agree to submit all remaining open issues to binding arbitration. The flight attendants declined arbitration.

Under the rules of the Railway Labor Act, the law that governs airline labor negotiations and disputes, the NMB set the dates for the 30-day "cooling-off" period that must precede a strike. That 30-day period is set to end at 12:01 a.m. (EST), March 25, 2000.

During the 30-day period, the NMB will make another attempt to resolve the dispute in so-called "super mediation". At the end of the 30-day period, if no agreement has been reached, the parties are free to engage in "self-help."

If you're a US Airways customer, you'll want to keep an eye on this situation.

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o Associated Flight Attendants
o US Airways

<< B U S I N E S S T R A V E L T I P S >>

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Things to Know Before You Go
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The following is part of a continuing series of business travel tips from Chris McGinnis's "The Unofficial Business Traveler's Pocket Guide--165 Tips Even the Best Business Travelers May Not Know."

>> Know the Difference Between a Debit Card and a Credit or Charge Card

When it comes to business travel, it is important to know the difference between a debit card and a credit or charge card. Debit and charge cards look very similar; both carry the recognizable MasterCard and Visa logos. But be sure you know which is which when you pull them out of your pocket on the road.

A debit charge is immediately withdrawn from your checking account--just like an ATM transaction. When you purchase an airline ticket with a debit card, the funds come out of your account instantly, but they cannot be instantly refunded if you change your mind. Many car rental companies and hotels will only accept debit cards as final payment. To check out a car, or check in at a hotel, you need a credit card.

Therefore, it's smart to keep your travel purchases on standard credit or charge cards. In addition, MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Diners Club credit cards offer protection from airline bankruptcy, as well as car rental and life insurance benefits. Even more important, debit card purchasers don't earn frequent flier miles like the many affinity credit cards do.

Chris McGinnis
Travel Skills Group
http://www.travelskills.com

<< T R A V E L O N L I N E >>

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Travel Agents Contest Airline Megasite
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The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) formally asked the Department of Justice to investigate and take action against the major U.S. and foreign carriers who are creating a joint website which, ASTA contends, "would monopolize the sale of travel services on the Internet." The complaint charges that an airline-owned and dominated website would boycott travel agents and would lead to price fixing, both violations of anti-trust law.

"This alliance of major airlines, which control 68 percent of all domestic air traffic, must be halted before permanent and irrevocable damage is done to the competitive process," said ASTA President and CEO Joe Galloway. "This joint site is a clear attempt on the part of the airlines to lure consumers onto the Web with lower prices and drive all their competitors out of business, resulting in complete and total domination of the public airways. By investing in existing online travel companies and creating a conglomerate airline Web site, the airlines are attempting to drive travel agents off the Internet and increase their stranglehold on the air transportation industry," said Galloway.

The complaint states: "The United States airline industry has begun to operate as a single enterprise, of which the joint Web site is just the most recent manifestation. It is doubtful that any industry in this country, or in the world, exhibits such incestuous interconnectedness among firms that are supposed to be full-fledged competitors."

[Editor's note. We'll say it again... ASTA should be devoting its efforts, and spending its members' dues, on assisting small- and medium-sized travel agencies to make the difficult transition to the increasingly digital economy. The DOJ will, we predict, find the ASTA accusations baseless. And while the association whines and postures, its members are falling further behind the technology curve.]

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ASTA

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European Carriers Will Create Joint Online Agency
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Speaking of airline megasites, 10 major European carriers have joined together to develop Online Travel Portal, a multi-airline website apparently modeled on the aforementioned U.S. website accused by ASTA of being anti-competitive (see above story).

Current airline partners include British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM and Air France.

No launch date has been announced.

<< S I T E 2 S E E >>

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104 Days on the QE2
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Our readers tend to be anything but armchair travelers. But if you're not a cruise-ship traveler (and who has the time, or the money?), here's an opportunity to follow a travel writer's round-the-world cruise on the Queen Elizabeth 2.

The writer in question is Ethel Blum, a specialist in cruise travel who "has sailed on virtually every ship that cruises from North American and European ports." During the 104-day trip, she's posting diary-style descriptions of the places, people and events that comprise the day-to-day cruise experience.

It's a dirty job, but Ethel's gotta do it.

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Ethel's Big Adventure

<< F R E Q U E N T F L I E R F U N N I E S >>

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True (Funny) Travel Stories
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Exit row seating is designed with more room for easier egress in case of an emergency. It's probably a compliment to the airlines' safety record that most passengers only think about the fact that these rows offer more leg room. The exit row has become nearly as desirable as first class. The creative reasons callers use for insisting on the exit row can defy the imagination. A broken leg is the most common reason given, even though it's obvious that the cast would prevent the passenger from performing emergency duties should they be required, and likely block other passengers from getting to the exit. When told this, one passenger offered to remove his cast for the duration of the flight.

The most creative may be the man who told an agent (without laughing) that he had a strange ailment called "stretch-leg-itis" which required him to keep his legs fully extended, necessitating the exit row.

[FrequentFlier Funnies are true stories from William Joric's "Air Sick Humor." The book can be purchased at the FrequentFlier Bookstore.]

<< B A C K O F T H E B U S >>

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Life On the Cyberhighway
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As Internet use grows, Americans report they spend less time with friends and family, shopping in stores or watching television, and more time working for their employers at home - without cutting back their hours in the office.

These are the highlights of a new study that claims to be "the first assessment of the social consequences of Internet use based on a large, representative sample of American households, including both Internet users and non-users." The study was conducted by the Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society (SIQSS).

A key finding of the study is that "the more hours people use the Internet, the less time they spend in contact with real human beings," said Stanford Professor Norman Nie, Director of SIQSS. "This is an early trend that, as a society, we really need to monitor carefully."

While a number of commentators have speculated about how the Internet might change people's daily lives, and some studies have looked at the use patterns of non-representative groups of Internet users, only a sample representative of households nationally allows analysts to make projections about future Internet usage and its likely consequences, the researchers say.

Some of the preliminary findings:

o People spend more hours on the Internet the more years they have been using it.

o Up to a quarter of the respondents who use the Internet regularly (more than 5 hours a week) feel that it has reduced their time (in person or on the phone) with friends and family or attending events outside the home.

o A quarter of regular Internet users who are employed say the Internet has increased the time they spend working at home without cutting back at the office.

o Sixty percent of regular Internet users say the Internet has reduced their TV viewing, and one third say they spend less time reading newspapers.

o The least educated and the oldest Americans are least likely to have Internet access, but when they do use the Internet, their use is similar to others.

About two-thirds of those surveyed who have Internet access said they spend fewer than five hours a week on the Internet, and most of them did not report large changes in their day-to-day behavior, the researchers said. But the 36 percent who use the Internet five or more hours a week do report significant changes in their lives. The largest changes are reported by those who spend more than 10 hours a week on the net - individuals who currently account for only 15 percent of all Internet users but are likely to be a much larger fraction in the future.

"As of today, heavy Internet users are still a small fraction of the total population", Nie said, "but that fraction is steadily growing. Moreover, time spent on the net also grows with the number of years a person has been connected."

SIQSS plans to conduct follow-up studies on at least an annual basis.

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The full study and a summary are available here.

Until next week...