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 American
Airline News
Revised Policy Changes
American Airlines has expanded its new use-it-or-lose-it rule on nonrefundable
fares, previously applicable only for travel in the U.S. and Canada.
Effective for tickets issued on or after Sept. 17 for travel on or after
Oct. 1, the rule applies to all transatlantic, transpacific, Mexico, Central
America, and South America nonrefundable fares for travel originating
in the U.S. only. It also will apply to Caribbean, Puerto Rico and U.S.
Virgin Islands nonrefundable fares originating in either direction. The
new nonrefundable fare rule under which travelers, as of Jan. 1, will
have to pay $100 to standby for a same-day flight, also was expanded for
tickets issued as of Sept. 17. It now also applies to customers traveling
to or from the Caribbean, Puerto Rico or U.S. Virgin Islands.
American has also made a change in standby policy on refundable discount
fares. For travel between the U.S. and the Caribbean, Puerto Rico or the
U.S. Virgin Islands, free standby will apply only to earlier or later
flights for the day that the customer is ticketed. Standby will not be
permitted on any other day. Refundable discount fares do not include fares
that are booked in F/A/J/D/I/Y/B, and the policy change does not apply
to government, military, VUSA or North America VUSA/NNAPASS fares.
American’s Expand Service
American Airline recently won final DOT approval to become the third
U.S. carrier to offer third-country code-share service to Vietnam. American
will begin placing its code on Japan Air Lines' Tokyo-Hanoi and Tokyo-Ho
Chi Minh City flights starting November 20, 2002.
American is also expanding its code-share relationship with Swiss Air.
The carrier has begun code-share service on Swiss Air flights between
Zurich and Johannesburg, South Africa; Accra, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; Dubai,
United Arab Emirates; Budapest, Hungary; and Tirana, Albania. American
flies to Zurich from Dallas/Fort Worth and New York’s Kennedy airport.
 Continental
Paper Ticket Fee
Continental has expanded its paper ticket fee to nearly every ticket type--including
group, consolidators, military and government--and to more markets.
The $20 ‘paper ticket fee’ previously applied only to tickets
issued from the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, for travel
within those same areas. But as of October 7, it also applies to tickets
issued in Canada ($30 Canadian) for travel to any destination.
As before, the fee applies whenever electronic tickets are available
for the flight.
 Delta
News
Flight Changes
Due to the impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the soft economy,
Delta Air Lines will be cutting back service to Latin America and deferring
delivery of some aircraft to rein in capital and operating expenses.
Additionally, Delta announced plans to trim its fleet by 2%, including
pulling 15 MD-11s out of service by 2004 and replacing them with B767-300ERs
on international routes and B767s on domestic. Delta intends to save $1.3
billion by deferring deliveries of 29 aircraft originally slated to arrive
in 2003 and 2004.
Furthermore, Delta will be canceling the daily nonstop service from Atlanta
to Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, effective December 1.
Meanwhile, Delta intends to expand its Delta Connection service at Washington's
Reagan National Airport beginning November 1 with 20 daily nonstop flights
to Charleston, SC.; Columbus, OH; Huntsville, AL; and the Florida cities
of Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.
Delta
/ Aeromexico Code-share
Effective November 14, Delta Air is to start code-share service between
San Diego and Loreto, on Aeromexico-operated aircraft. Delta also offers
code-share service to Loreto from Los Angeles, via Hermosillo, on flights
operated by Aerolitoral, Aeromexico's regional partner. Also, pending
government approval, Delta plans to offer additional Aeromexico code-share
service between San Diego and Mazatlan, beginning November 12.
Delta to Expand Standby First Class Upgrades
On November 11, 2002, Delta Air Lines will expand an offering -- already
tested in more than a dozen cities -- under which some customers can standby
for first class upgrades for a $50 to $150 fee that is based on mileage.
The option will be offered on select, off-peak flights within the U.S.,
as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands,
where Delta expects empty first-class seats to be available at departure
time. Customers can request the option at the gate or ticket counter.
The product is available to customers who already are confirmed on the
requested flight using many published fares, but deeply discounted and
"sale" fares are excluded. Delta's SkyMiles Medallion members
will continue to be offered upgrade priority before the standby product
is offered at the gate
 Northwest
News
Non-Refundable Policy Reminder – Northwest domestic and international
tickets non-refundable change policy went into effect on October 1. This
new policy applies to tickets issued on/after September 5, 2002 for travel
on/after October 1, 2002.
New Domestic Service – Northwest and its Airlink
affiliate, Pinnacle Airlines Inc., will start new daily service between
Detroit and Huntsville, Alabama beginning January 19, 2002. The new twice
daily service between Detroit and Huntsville will be operated with Pinnacle’s
44-passenger Canadair Regional Jet. This new Detroit service will complement
the existing four daily departures between Memphis and Huntsville, providing
passengers with improved access to the East Coast, Canada, Asia and Europe.
New International Service – Northwest Airlines
announced that it would daily summer seasonal service between its Detroit
hub and Madrid, Spain, effective May 1, 2003. Northwest will operate its
DC10-30 aircraft on this new international route. With the addition of
Madrid, Northwest will offer summer or year-round service to six European
markets non-stop from the airline’s new WorldGateway at Detroit
facility. Other markets include Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Paris, and
Rome.
All Jet Service – Northwest Airlines will be offering
an all jet schedule on its five daily flights between Rochester, New York
and Detroit, beginning November 26, 2002. Northwest will upgrade the last
remaining 34-passenger Saab 340 turbo-prop aircraft flight between Rochester,
NY and DTW to one of the airline’s 50 passenger Canadair Regional
Jets. The other four daily flights between the two cities operate either
with a DC9 or the Avro Regional Jet.
Ticket Offices Close – In a cost-cutting move,
Northwest Airlines plans to shut down it ticket offices in New York, San
Jose, CA, and at the Mall of America, in Minnesota. Its Long Beach, CA
reservations center and its maintenance facility in Atlanta also will
close.
Self Service Check-In
As of October 23rd, Northwest enhanced its self-service check-in products,
E-Service Center and nwa.com check-in, to allow E-Ticket check-in from
the U.S. to Asia, London, Frankfurt, Paris
and Rome. This includes connections through Tokyo Narita and
one-stops transiting Nagoya and Osaka.
Passengers originating in Canada can also use nwa.com Check-In to check
in for trans-Atlantic/Pacific flights.
The international check-in cutoff time will remain at 90 minutes for
nwa.com Check-In, but will be increased to 65 minutes for passengers using
the E-Service Centers to check in on trans-Atlantic/Pacific flights.
Electronic check-in options will soon be available on travel to Amsterdam
and beyond.
New Luggage Policy
Effective for travel December 15, 2002, Northwest Airlines will modify
its free weight allowance for checked passenger luggage on domestic flights
(U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico). For checked luggage that weighs
70 to 100 pounds, the fee will be reduced from $80 to $50. For checked
baggage that weighs between 50 and 70 pounds, a new fee of $25 will be
charged.
The change does not affect the quantity of luggage that a customer may
check. Each passenger is permitted to check two pieces of luggage. The
maximum size of each checked piece is 62 inches in total linear measurement
(length + height + width). Charges for extra pieces and oversize luggage
remain the same. All international baggage policies remain unchanged.
 United
News
Reservation Center Closings
United will cut another 1,250 employees as it implements new cost-cutting
measures that include the closing of three reservation centers. United
said the new measures will save it $100 million a year. Citing a 25% year-over-year
drop in call volume to United's reservations line, the company said it
would close its reservation offices in San Francisco, Long Beach and Indianapolis
on January 4, 2003. That will leave the airline with nine reservation
centers.
Flight Conversions
Effective January 7, United will convert mainline flying to United Express
service at Eugene, OR; Medford, OR; Cedar Rapids, IA; White Plains, NY;
and Syracuse, NY. United served notice that more changes are to come,
stating the airline "will soon announce additional adjustments to
its schedule and staffing levels."
International Flight Elimination
In another round of cost-cutting moves, United is eliminating some of
its international service. The airline announced plans to stop flying
to four cities in Europe and South America. In January, 2003, United will
stop flying to Caracas, Venezuela; Santiago, Chile; Dusseldorf, Germany;
and Milan, Italy. Additionally, they will switch to smaller aircraft on
seven overseas routes.
The international cost-cutting will result in a combined 229 layoffs
in those four cities and save the airline an estimated $120 million annually.
New Flight Service
On February 14, 2003, United Airlines plans to launch daily scheduled
service between Denver and Honolulu. United recently launched nonstop
service from Washington (Dulles) to Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo.
US Airways News
Employee Layoffs
According to the Air Line Pilots Association, US Airways is planning to
lay off hundreds more pilots. The association said US Airways pilots have
been notified the airline will furlough at least 326 of them January 7
and 145 more sometime between January and April.
US Airways Sells Same-day Standby Coupons
US Airways altered its nonrefundable fare policy again, this time regarding
same-day standby.
Under the latest change, customers on nonrefundable fares will be able
to pay $100 to stand by for same day flights beginning October 10. To
do so, they'll need to use new standby coupons ($100 apiece), valid for
one-way travel on originally scheduled travel date.
The standby coupons can be bought in unlimited quantities and are transferable
to other individuals, but they are nonrefundable, lose their value after
a year and cannot be replaced if lost.
Ticketed customers with standby coupons who are not checking bags can
proceed directly to the departure gate. The coupon must be presented upon
check-in at the gate and will be collected upon boarding. Customers checking
bags can present their coupon at the airport check-in counter.
US Airways Adds 'Use It' Exception
Death has become an acceptable exception to the US Airways "use it
or lose it" policy on nonrefundable fares. Effective as of October
1, US Airways will waive the change fee or refund the ticket in the event
of the death of a passenger or traveling companion, if a death certificate
is provided. (If the death occurs during the trip, the airline will refund
the unused portion after receiving the death certificate.)
The airline also made another change to its rule, letting customers retain
the value of the ticket if they rebook before midnight on the day of departure.
Previously, customers had to rebook before the flight departed.
US Airways New Flight Schedules
US Airways began operating four weekly nonstop flights between
Charlotte, NC and Belize City, Belize. The flights will operate each Saturday,
Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, using A319 aircraft. The carrier also plans
to expand it’s service to Grand Bahama Island in February, with
nonstop flights from Philadelphia, subject for foreign government approval.
US Airways already serves Grand Bahama from Charlotte and New York (LaGuardia).
Other Airlines – New Flight Service
Alaska
Airlines
Alaska Airlines recently launched daily nonstop service between Seattle
and Newark, on 737 aircraft. This is the sixth new route Alaska has added
within the last year.
 America
West
America West has initiated new nonstop, roundtrip flights between its
main hub in Phoenix and Billings, MT; Pittsburgh; and Calgary, Alberta.
JetBlue
In response to National Airline's shutdown, JetBlue moved up its launch
of new service between New York (Kennedy) and Las Vegas by nearly two
months, to November 15. The route was originally scheduled to begin January
7, 2003.
Lufthansa
News
Lufthansa will launch service between Frankfurt and Portland, OR beginning
March 31 on A340 aircraft. This will give Portland its first nonstop passenger
service to Europe and will become Lufthansa's 16th destination in the
U.S.
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