This Week's Travel Industry Newsbites

According to the just-released Airline Quality Rating study, compiled by the University of Nebraska at Omaha Aviation Institute/School of Public Administration and Wichita State University, the airline industry's performance -- as measured by on-time arrivals, involuntary denied boardings, mishandled baggage and customer complaints -- is on the decline.

A scant 4 airlines improved their 2004 scores from the previous year: Jet Blue, AirTran, Atlantic Southeast, and United.

The 6 top-ranked airlines were JetBlue, AirTran, Southwest, United, Alaska, and America West.

Overall, on-time arrivals decreased from 82% in 2003 to 78% in 2004; involuntary denied boarding increased from 0.86 to 0.87 per 10,000 passengers; and consumer complaint rates rose from 0.67 to 0.76 per 100,000 passengers.

Good news/bad news for Continental. While the airline obtained agreements from its pilots, mechanics, dispatchers and simulator engineers on new cost-saving contracts, Continental's flight attendants balked at further concessions, setting the stage for further rounds of contentious negotiation.

Another good news/bad news story concerns load factors, the industry term for the percentage of seats occupied.

The good news for the airlines: their planes are packed. And that's bad news for travelers, whose comfort and chances of redeeming miles for award seats decline in direct proportion to the rise in load factors.

How high are those load factors?

For March, United's flights ran 83.1% full, the highest ever for the month.

Continental reported a load factor of 80.5%, 5.6 points above last year's and also a record for the month.

Northwest boasted a March load factor of 84.6%; Delta's was 80.1%; America West's was a record 82.6%; and JetBlue's was a jaw-dropping 90.0%.

Correction

In last week's coverage of American's new redeemAAmiles feature, we reported that the $25 fee for redeeming miles for hotel stays, points, etc. went to Points.com, the company whose software infrastructure makes the transactions possible.

That was incorrect.

While credit card payments show Points.com as the payee, a Points.com spokesperson informs us that American ultimately pockets the fees. The compensation Points.com receives for supplying the redeemAAmiles software is separate from the transaction fees, although clearly American depends on those fees to offset the costs of partnering with Points.com.

FrequentFlier Forum Topics

Over the weekend and through Monday, the Forums were offline while we performed a routine software upgrade. Our apologies for the inconvenience.

The Forums are back online and humming with activity.

In the "Airline Programs" Forum, bilowj just moved to New York and wants to coordinate mileage-earning with the new geographic reality: "I'm looking to get a credit card that gives miles and don't really have an airline preference although I'm leaning towards the American Express Delta card. Does anyone who has a lot of experience with JFK, Newark and La Guardia have any input on this? I don't want to get tied into a program and find out I should have gone with a different airline."

Also in the "Airline Programs" Forum, markkee redeemed Delta miles for an award flight on Singapore Air, with the following result: "Delta issued 2 first class certificates to me in march of 04, I have called on 9 different occasions and spent over 10 hours talking with the 'partner' desk for international travel. Each time I'm told that 'we're sorry but Singapore doesn't allow us to see their seat inventory', 'Singapore doesn't provide more than 1 first class seat on any aircraft for award travel', 'Sorry Sir, but Singapore doesn't release any seats until the last minute so you can't really book in advance'. In my opinion, Delta issued the two certificates in BAD FAITH. Issuing certificates that could not 'reasonably be redeemed'."

And much more... Questions, answers? Post them to the Forum!

More: http://frequentflier.com/forums/index.php

Alaska Air Flights for Fewer AAdvantage Miles

We reported last week on Alaska Air's award discounts for travel between Las Vegas, Phoenix or San Diego and Canada. That was for members of its own program, Mileage Plan.

Alaska is extending a discount to members of American's program as well: between Apr. 19 and June 9, restricted awards are available on the same flights for 15,000 AAdvantage miles, a 10,000-mile discount.

The award code is SAS15B.

More: http://www.aa.com/

Redeem Amex Points for More OnePass Miles

Between Apr. 1 and May 31, American Express Rewards cardholders will earn a 1,000-mile bonus when redeeming their Membership Rewards points for Continental miles. Minimum redemption: 5,000 points. (Membership Rewards Options cardholders must transfer a minimum of 10,000 points.)

Registration is required.

More: http://www.continental.com/

OnePass Auction Registrants Could Win 100K Miles

Between Apr. 1 and Apr. 30, Continental OnePass members who register to participate in the OnePass online auction will be entered for a chance to win 100,000 frequent flyer miles.

OnePass members already registered for the auction are entered automatically as well.

No purchase is necessary.

More: http://auction.continental.com/?camp=2004_email_cosp

Thrifty Rentals Earn Quadruple Delta Miles

SkyMiles members will earn quadruple miles -- 200 per day, versus 50 normally -- for renting a compact car or larger vehicle with Thrifty for 2 or more days between Apr. 1 and May 31.

Qualifying rentals must be booked using PC Code DLT5.

More: http://www.thrifty.com

AmeriSuites Stays Earn Gold Passport Points

Following Hyatt's purchase of the AmeriSuites chain, stays at participating AmeriSuites hotels now earn credit in the Hyatt Gold Passport program.

To promote the new tie-up, travelers who join Gold Passport between Apr. 3 and July 31 will earn a 1,000-point bonus for their first AmeriSuites stay within 3 months of enrollment. Existing members who register and stay at an AmeriSuites hotel by July 31 will also earn the bonus.

More: http://amerisuites.com/specials/enrollmentbonus.asp

United Offers Elite Members Car, Hotel Awards

Expanding on a special benefit recently introduced for 1K and Premier Exec members of the Mileage Plus program, United is now offering selected hotel and car rental awards to their third (and largest, in terms of membership) elite tier, Premier members.

With the change, all United elite members may now redeem miles for hotel stays at Marriott or Radisson, and for car rentals at Alamo, Avis, Hertz or National.

There are 2 types of rental awards: 2 consecutive weekdays, beginning at 12,000 miles; and 2 consecutive weekend days, beginning at 10,000 miles.

Free hotel nights are 25,000 and 30,000 miles at Marriott properties in the Americas and elsewhere in their network, respectively. Radisson award nights are priced at 15,000 miles at N. America locations and 30,000 miles elsewhere.

There are caveats, some more onerous than others. Award requests must be made on United's website. There's an annual cap of 150,000 miles for car/hotel awards. Members are advised to allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery of the award vouchers.

It's difficult to make a precise comparison between American's redeemAAmiles offering, reported last week, and United's. There is 1 area of overlap, however: Marriott stays.

American offers a free Marriott night at properties in the Americas for between 18,500 and 25,000 miles, plus the irksome $25 transaction fee. In the United program, a comparable free Marriott night is priced at 25,000 miles.

Quibbles aside, more robust award charts are a step in the right direction, which other carriers will be competition-bound to match and improve upon. Next step for United: lift the "elites only" restriction.

More (car awards): http://united.com/page/article/0,6722,51234,00.html
More (hotel awards): http://united.com/page/article/0,6722,51237,00.html

More United Miles (and a Discount) from Hertz

Through Dec. 31, Mileage Plus members will earn an additional 500 miles and receive a $5 per day discount on qualifying Leisure Weekend Rate rentals of 2 or more days, or an additional 500 miles and a $20 discount on qualifying Leisure Weekly Rate rentals.

More: http://offers.hertz.com/unitedbonusandsavings04/index.cfm?uniqueid=1602

Viator.com Awards American, Delta Miles

Members of American and Delta's programs can now earn 1 mile per $1 spent at Viator.com on a wide range of travel and entertainment products, including theater tickets, sporting events, whale watching, walking tours, wine tasting, theme parks, museum tours and even mundane (but must-have) items like airport parking and shuttle transfers to and from airports and hotels.

More: http://viator.com/

Walking Your Way to Fitness (Part 3 of 3)
Provided by Healthy Travel Network (http://www.healthytravelnetwork.com)

Over the last two months, I've shared the 10,000-steps-a-day concept for staying in shape, including ways to maximize your walking time by multi-tasking and how to set and achieve your 10,000 steps goal.

Wrapping up the series, this month's column focuses on the "Do's and Don'ts" of your walking program. Life's short, so be smart and follow these pointers.

• Do invest time-not necessarily money-in getting shoes that fit properly. Sign up for Healthy Travel Network's free newsletter to get our upcoming, detailed article on proper shoe selection.
• Don't walk after dark, in high-crime areas, or in sparsely populated areas.
• Don't walk on the road or highway.
• Do ask at the hotel for a decent route to follow.
• Do use the buddy system if you are walking early in the morning or at dusk.
• Do drop an email or voice mail to a friend, stating your route and approximate return time.
• Do carry identification, emergency contact information, several dollars, and preferably your cell phone. Check out www.roadid.com for convenient identification and emergency contact tags.
• Do wear reflective clothing if walking early in the morning or at dusk. Look for easy-to-pack Velcro wrist or ankle bands.
• Do stay hydrated, drinking 8 ounces of water per hour. Always carry water with you, especially if it is over 50 degrees.
• Do dress in layers for cold weather, including a hat.
• Do spend the first five minutes of your walk warming up, before kicking it into full gear.
• Do cool down by stretching. Key areas to stretch are hip flexors, hamstrings, and calves. Visit the Healthy Travel Network Travel Fitness Blog for stretching instructions.

Make regular walking part of your travel routine. Before you know it, you'll be walking 10,000 steps per day, every day!

Deal Alert from SmarterTravel.com

1) Europe spring sale fares on American from $298

Visit England, France, Ireland, or Scotland this spring with American's Europe sale. Prices start at $298 roundtrip, and departures are available from both coasts.

Departures are valid from May 1 through 15, and travel must be completed by May 31. Book tickets at least 7 days in advance, and by Apr. 15. A Saturday-night minimum stay is required.

More: http://www.smartertravel.com/air/deal.php?id=8613

2) Eastern U.S. Sale Fares on United from $59 Each Way

Save on a flight within the eastern U.S. (including Florida) with United's spring sale. Prices start at $59 1-way, and destinations include Orlando, Providence, West Palm Beach, and more.

Travel is valid on Mondays through Thursdays and Saturdays through May 25. Book tickets at least 7 days in advance. United has not listed a booking deadline.

More: http://www.smartertravel.com/air/deal.php?id=8631

Win a Cook's Trip to Tuscany

Enter the Culinary Trivia Sweepstakes by Apr. 29 for a chance to win a culinary trip to Tuscany, including air, hotel and cooking lessons at Villa Lucia in Vorno, Italy.

Lesser prizes include various kitchen appliances.

More: http://clients.eprize.net/epicurious/anniversary

[Visit http://frequentflier.com/sweeps.htm for more travel sweepstakes.]

Feedback from the Frontlines of Travel

"I have no idea what other people's experience has been, but I have had amazingly little problem using my American miles on even holiday time periods...I maybe don't get my first choice of flight schedules for that day, I might have to adjust by a day, but I always can work out something as long as I book a few weeks in advance." (M. - St. Cloud, MN)

[In a follow-up e-mail exchange, Barbara disclosed that she has been employed by American Airlines for 25 years. With that said, we chose to print her rather lengthy comments anyway, because the debate over comfort is an important one.]

"I travel on AA quite often. Fyi...

"On March 21, United launched an advertising campaign to promote the legroom of its Economy Plus seating section, while criticizing the available legroom on other carriers.

"Specifically, the Chicago campaign attacked American's recent decision to add seats to its fleet, leading customers to believe United offers more legroom and convenience to more of its passengers than American.

"However, after looking at the numbers and examining the facts, it is clear that the opposite is true -- that American offers more legroom and other conveniences to more of its passengers than United.

"Recognizing the challenges of today's difficult financial environment, American decided to add back only about half of the seats it had removed for the "More Room" program.

"This decision was reached after carefully listening to customers and balancing the importance of providing comfort and convenience, while at the same time meeting customer demand for more seats on more flights at lower fares and operating in a financially responsible manner.

"The move allows American to offer customers an additional 12,500 seats every day at competitive fares, while still maintaining a 32-inch seat pitch for the vast majority of passengers sitting in its coach cabin, all without incurring the cost of adding aircraft or flights.

"While American remains focused on balancing customer demand and convenience with fiscal responsibility, United has launched a multi-million dollar ad campaign to hype a product -- and attack American and other airlines -- in which nearly two out of three of their customers cannot sit.

"In the spirit of setting the record straight, the information below more than puts into question United's claims, how AA continues to provide more comfort and convenience to a significantly larger number of its passengers as compared to United.

"AA vs. UA: The Narrowbody Seat Facts

"United provides only a small percentage of its Economy Plus product seats to customers. In fact, including TED, fewer than one in four of its seats in coach have additional legroom. Or, looking at this another way, three out of four of United's coach seats do not have the extra legroom United is promoting.

"American has 32 inches or more pitch on nearly two-thirds of its narrowbody coach seats. In contrast, United offers 32 inches or more pitch on just 39 percent of its narrowbody coach seats.

"The large majority of United's narrowbody coach seats -- approximately two out of three seats -- still have 31-inch pitch, which is generally considered the minimum standard in the industry. By contrast, even with American's recent addition of seats, only about one in five of its narrowbody coach seats have 31-inch pitch.

"Even after the recent addition of seats, American's average seat pitch is one inch greater than it was prior to the "More Room" program.

"The Story Is About More Than Seat Pitch In Coach

"Looking at First Class, American has nearly 50 percent more First Class seats on a per aircraft average than United. American's passengers now have additional opportunities to upgrade their seats on American because of American's decision to add two First Class seats on its MD80s.

"When discussing cabin comfort and amenities, it is worth noting that American offers power port access throughout the cabin, not just in First Class -- a popular feature for passengers with electronic devices. American's MD80s have 45 power ports among 120 coach seats (38 percent) and its B737s have 44 power ports among 132 coach seats (33 percent). By comparison, United offers no power ports in coach.

"American believes customers should not be misled by advertising claims. American is also proud to continue offering more comfort and convenience to a significantly larger number of its passengers when compared to United. As the information above indicates, the numbers clearly speak for themselves." (Barbara K.)

Until next week...