United Continental Holdings today announced that all Continental flights operated with Boeing 757-200 aircraft now feature new flat-bed seats in BusinessFirst, marking the second major milestone in the installation of 180-degree flat-bed seats throughout Continental's international fleet. Continental completed the retrofit on its 22 Boeing 777s in December 2010.
Continental operates 41 Boeing 757-200 aircraft, flying principally between its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and Europe. Amsterdam, Barcelona*, Belfast, Berlin, Birmingham, Bristol, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hamburg, Lima, Lisbon, London-Heathrow, Madrid, Manchester, Oslo, Paris CDG, Shannon, Stockholm and Stuttgart.
Additionally, the tenth United Boeing 777 to be outfitted with flat-bed seats in both United First and United Business is scheduled to enter service in April. United completed the retrofit of its Boeing 747-400 and international 767-300 aircraft with flat-bed seats in business class cabins in 2009.
"With reconfigurations completed on 116 aircraft, United and Continental together offer more flat-bed premium cabin seats than any other U.S. airline," said United Senior Vice President of Marketing Mark Bergsrud. "The flat-bed seats and advanced audio/video on-demand offer our customers an unmatched onboard experience."
On retrofitted aircraft, United and Continental offer business class customers flat-bed seats that recline 180 degrees, along with power ports and headset and USB plugs. iPod connectivity enables customers to view their personal videos and music. Each seat offers audio and video on-demand and a 15.4-inch video screen.
In addition to the reconfiguration of the international fleet, United plans to expand Economy Plus seating to all Continental aircraft beginning in 2012, offering more extra-legroom economy seating than any airline in the world.
Monday, May 16, 2011
United fly to Guadalajara, Mexico
United airlines begins daily direct flights between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Guadalajara, Mexico (GDL). This service will be operated by Continental Airlines.
"We're delighted to add this nonstop Los Angeles - Guadalajara flight, which connects the second-largest cities of two nations and demonstrates our commitment to Mexico," said John Slater, United's vice president Sales - Americas. "United serves 30 destinations in Mexico, more than any other airline from the U.S., and we offer more departures from the U.S. to Mexico than any other airline."
Flight CO672 departs Los Angeles at 8:20 a.m. daily, arriving in Guadalajara at 1:15 p.m. The return flight (CO673) departs Guadalajara at 2:10 p.m. daily, arriving in Los Angeles at 3:30 p.m. The Los Angeles - Guadalajara service is operated with a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with seating for 160 customers (16 in first class and 144 in economy).
"We appreciate United's and Continental's support of Mexico, which is celebrating 300 years of history, culture and traditions," said Jorge Gamboa Patron, regional director-West Coast, Mexico Tourism Board. "Now, thanks to United and Continental, more people will be able to visit Guadalajara."
Guadalajara is both a tourist and business destination. The new Los Angeles-to-Guadalajara service complements the airline's 38 weekly flights to Guadalajara from its hub in Houston. The airline also will begin nonstop service to Guadalajara from its San Francisco hub on June 9.
From its Los Angeles hub, the new United also offers three daily flights to Mexico City, as well as service to Leon/Guanajuato, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and Los Cabos.
"We're delighted to add this nonstop Los Angeles - Guadalajara flight, which connects the second-largest cities of two nations and demonstrates our commitment to Mexico," said John Slater, United's vice president Sales - Americas. "United serves 30 destinations in Mexico, more than any other airline from the U.S., and we offer more departures from the U.S. to Mexico than any other airline."
Flight CO672 departs Los Angeles at 8:20 a.m. daily, arriving in Guadalajara at 1:15 p.m. The return flight (CO673) departs Guadalajara at 2:10 p.m. daily, arriving in Los Angeles at 3:30 p.m. The Los Angeles - Guadalajara service is operated with a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with seating for 160 customers (16 in first class and 144 in economy).
"We appreciate United's and Continental's support of Mexico, which is celebrating 300 years of history, culture and traditions," said Jorge Gamboa Patron, regional director-West Coast, Mexico Tourism Board. "Now, thanks to United and Continental, more people will be able to visit Guadalajara."
Guadalajara is both a tourist and business destination. The new Los Angeles-to-Guadalajara service complements the airline's 38 weekly flights to Guadalajara from its hub in Houston. The airline also will begin nonstop service to Guadalajara from its San Francisco hub on June 9.
From its Los Angeles hub, the new United also offers three daily flights to Mexico City, as well as service to Leon/Guanajuato, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and Los Cabos.
Delta paperless Boarding pass Tokyo-Haneda and Narita Nagoya Osaka
Delta airlines expanded paperless eBoarding pass options to all of the cities it serves in Japan including Nagoya (NGO), Osaka (KIX), Tokyo-Haneda (HND) and its Tokyo-Narita (NRT) hub.
Delta is an industry leader of eBoarding pass technology, with more international locations for paperless check-in than any U.S. airline.
Since the beginning of 2011, Delta has expanded the availability of eBoarding pass options by more than 40 percent to 69 worldwide locations as it continues to invest in customer self-service and time-saving technology.
Customers who check-in on delta.com or mobile.delta.com have the option of sending an eBoarding pass to their smartphone rather than using a paper boarding pass to access security checkpoints and board their flight. More information on how to access the free service, including a complete list of airports where paperless boarding is an option, is available at delta.com/checkin.
“Delta’s eBoarding option allows our customers to check in, obtain their boarding pass, access security and board their flight using their preferred mobile device, without spending time at a computer, airport kiosk or ticket counter,” said Vinay Dube, Delta’s senior vice president – Asia-Pacific. “It’s another way we’re addressing the needs of our increasingly mobile customers, who require innovative travel tools that provide greater convenience and enhance their experience at every step of their journey.”
The eBoarding expansion is part of Delta’s ongoing investment in technology, which includes recent upgrades to the customer booking experience on delta.com, improvements to mobile.delta.com, and the introduction of iPhone and BlackBerry applications. Delta is investing more than $2 billion in enhanced global products, services and airport facilities through 2013. Improvements include upgrading its domestic fleet, Delta Sky Club renovations, the addition of full flat-bed seats on more than 100 wide body aircraft, personal, in-seat entertainment for both BusinessElite and Economy class customers on all wide body flights, and complete new terminal facilities for international customers at its two largest global gateways – Atlanta and New York-JFK.
Delta is an industry leader of eBoarding pass technology, with more international locations for paperless check-in than any U.S. airline.
Since the beginning of 2011, Delta has expanded the availability of eBoarding pass options by more than 40 percent to 69 worldwide locations as it continues to invest in customer self-service and time-saving technology.
Customers who check-in on delta.com or mobile.delta.com have the option of sending an eBoarding pass to their smartphone rather than using a paper boarding pass to access security checkpoints and board their flight. More information on how to access the free service, including a complete list of airports where paperless boarding is an option, is available at delta.com/checkin.
“Delta’s eBoarding option allows our customers to check in, obtain their boarding pass, access security and board their flight using their preferred mobile device, without spending time at a computer, airport kiosk or ticket counter,” said Vinay Dube, Delta’s senior vice president – Asia-Pacific. “It’s another way we’re addressing the needs of our increasingly mobile customers, who require innovative travel tools that provide greater convenience and enhance their experience at every step of their journey.”
The eBoarding expansion is part of Delta’s ongoing investment in technology, which includes recent upgrades to the customer booking experience on delta.com, improvements to mobile.delta.com, and the introduction of iPhone and BlackBerry applications. Delta is investing more than $2 billion in enhanced global products, services and airport facilities through 2013. Improvements include upgrading its domestic fleet, Delta Sky Club renovations, the addition of full flat-bed seats on more than 100 wide body aircraft, personal, in-seat entertainment for both BusinessElite and Economy class customers on all wide body flights, and complete new terminal facilities for international customers at its two largest global gateways – Atlanta and New York-JFK.
earn delta miles on Virgin Blue domestic flights
Delta airlines announced expanded codesharing with the Virgin Blue that will add five new destinations in Australia and New Zealand to Delta's network.
SkyMiles members are eligible to earn SkyMiles on V Australia and Virgin Blue domestic airline flights operated in conjunction with the agreement. Delta's BusinessElite customers, Platinum, Gold and Diamond Medallion members and Sky Club members also have complimentary access to Virgin Blue lounges at airports throughout Australia. Virgin Blue's Velocity members are eligible to earn frequent flier miles for travel on Delta and enjoy complimentary access to 50 Sky Club locations around the world.
The new service, which will begin May 21, will allow Delta customers to seamlessly connect to Perth, Adelaide and Canberra in Australia, as well as Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand. Delta customers currently can connect on Virgin Blue flights to Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia, under previously announced codesharing flights that began in January 2010. Delta operates nonstop service between Los Angeles and Sydney, where all codeshare flights connect.
"This expanded codesharing strengthens our alliance relationship with Virgin Blue, and broadens our network throughout Australia and New Zealand to provide a slate of new choices for our customers," said Charlie Pappas, Delta's vice president – Alliances. "It underscores the benefits to our customers of sound alliance relationships with strong airlines like Virgin Blue."
Virgin Blue customers flying the group's long-haul airline – V Australia – now will be able to connect in Los Angeles to Delta flights to San Francisco, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Detroit, in addition to codeshare flights currently available to New York-JFK and Orlando.
The expanded service is the latest step in a previously announced marketing alliance between Delta and Virgin Blue to offer customers access to more destinations across the Pacific as well as reciprocal airport lounge and frequent flier benefits.
SkyMiles members are eligible to earn SkyMiles on V Australia and Virgin Blue domestic airline flights operated in conjunction with the agreement. Delta's BusinessElite customers, Platinum, Gold and Diamond Medallion members and Sky Club members also have complimentary access to Virgin Blue lounges at airports throughout Australia. Virgin Blue's Velocity members are eligible to earn frequent flier miles for travel on Delta and enjoy complimentary access to 50 Sky Club locations around the world.
The new service, which will begin May 21, will allow Delta customers to seamlessly connect to Perth, Adelaide and Canberra in Australia, as well as Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand. Delta customers currently can connect on Virgin Blue flights to Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia, under previously announced codesharing flights that began in January 2010. Delta operates nonstop service between Los Angeles and Sydney, where all codeshare flights connect.
"This expanded codesharing strengthens our alliance relationship with Virgin Blue, and broadens our network throughout Australia and New Zealand to provide a slate of new choices for our customers," said Charlie Pappas, Delta's vice president – Alliances. "It underscores the benefits to our customers of sound alliance relationships with strong airlines like Virgin Blue."
Virgin Blue customers flying the group's long-haul airline – V Australia – now will be able to connect in Los Angeles to Delta flights to San Francisco, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Detroit, in addition to codeshare flights currently available to New York-JFK and Orlando.
The expanded service is the latest step in a previously announced marketing alliance between Delta and Virgin Blue to offer customers access to more destinations across the Pacific as well as reciprocal airport lounge and frequent flier benefits.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
why are plane tickets costing more lately
Airlines have used higher oil prices to justify fare increases of up to $60 per ticket since the start of the year. But the rising cost of fuel isn't the only reason why are plane tickets costing more lately.
The improving economy, a shrinking supply of seats and industry consolidation are also to blame.
"This is probably going to be the worst year we have seen in 10 years in terms of finding cheap tickets," says Tom Parsons of BestFares.com, a website for travel deals.
Airlines have the upper hand on prices for several reasons:
• The improving economy. Business travelers are expected to take 441 million trips this year, a 3 percent increase from 2010. As a result, airlines are reserving more seats for pricey last-minute bookings. That leaves fewer cheap fares for leisure travelers, who tend to book further in advance.
Fewer seats. During the recession, airlines reduced the number of routes and planes they fly. As travel demand picks up, this shrunken supply of seats allows the industry to charge more. Planes are 82 percent full on average, compared with 70 percent full before the recession hit in late 2007.
• Consolidation. Six airlines have combined into just three over the past 14 months — Delta and Northwest, Continental and United, Midwest and Frontier — leaving bargain-hunters with fewer choices.
American Airlines raised U.S. fares by $10 per round trip Wednesday but pulled back the increase Friday after other major airlines decided not to follow suit. It would have been the seventh broad price hike this year.
It isn't just the base fare getting more expensive. Checking bags, reserving an aisle seat and other services are no longer universally free.
Another change working against leisure travelers is the budding dispute between airlines and online travel sites. The airlines want to pay the sites lower commissions for each ticket purchased. The result for fliers: Not all available flights can be found on some sites. For instance, Orbitz, Expedia and Hotwire no longer list American Airlines flights.
Some high-traffic business and leisure routes, such as New York to Los Angeles, will see large hikes, Parsons says. The cheapest fare between those cities last July was $382. This year, it's $544. Parsons notes a handful of domestic routes, such as Dallas to San Francisco, are down thanks to new competition.
International routes aren't offering any relief, either. The cheapest plane tickets from Miami to Paris cost $1,250 this week, 53 percent higher than last year, according to SmarterTravel.
Vacationers looking for the cheapest tickets should aim to fly on Tuesday and Wednesday, the least busy days for the industry, Parsons says.
Booking hotel and air packages can also yield savings. Here's an extreme recent example found online: A trip to Las Vegas included two round-trip tickets on US Airways, three nights at the Excalibur hotel and two free show tickets, all for less than the cost of many round-trip fares to Las Vegas.
The improving economy, a shrinking supply of seats and industry consolidation are also to blame.
"This is probably going to be the worst year we have seen in 10 years in terms of finding cheap tickets," says Tom Parsons of BestFares.com, a website for travel deals.
Airlines have the upper hand on prices for several reasons:
• The improving economy. Business travelers are expected to take 441 million trips this year, a 3 percent increase from 2010. As a result, airlines are reserving more seats for pricey last-minute bookings. That leaves fewer cheap fares for leisure travelers, who tend to book further in advance.
Fewer seats. During the recession, airlines reduced the number of routes and planes they fly. As travel demand picks up, this shrunken supply of seats allows the industry to charge more. Planes are 82 percent full on average, compared with 70 percent full before the recession hit in late 2007.
• Consolidation. Six airlines have combined into just three over the past 14 months — Delta and Northwest, Continental and United, Midwest and Frontier — leaving bargain-hunters with fewer choices.
American Airlines raised U.S. fares by $10 per round trip Wednesday but pulled back the increase Friday after other major airlines decided not to follow suit. It would have been the seventh broad price hike this year.
It isn't just the base fare getting more expensive. Checking bags, reserving an aisle seat and other services are no longer universally free.
Another change working against leisure travelers is the budding dispute between airlines and online travel sites. The airlines want to pay the sites lower commissions for each ticket purchased. The result for fliers: Not all available flights can be found on some sites. For instance, Orbitz, Expedia and Hotwire no longer list American Airlines flights.
Some high-traffic business and leisure routes, such as New York to Los Angeles, will see large hikes, Parsons says. The cheapest fare between those cities last July was $382. This year, it's $544. Parsons notes a handful of domestic routes, such as Dallas to San Francisco, are down thanks to new competition.
International routes aren't offering any relief, either. The cheapest plane tickets from Miami to Paris cost $1,250 this week, 53 percent higher than last year, according to SmarterTravel.
Vacationers looking for the cheapest tickets should aim to fly on Tuesday and Wednesday, the least busy days for the industry, Parsons says.
Booking hotel and air packages can also yield savings. Here's an extreme recent example found online: A trip to Las Vegas included two round-trip tickets on US Airways, three nights at the Excalibur hotel and two free show tickets, all for less than the cost of many round-trip fares to Las Vegas.
JetBlue cheap shuttle to Newark for Commuters
JetBlue Airways, Boston's largest carrier,begins four daily shuttle service between Boston's Logan International Airport and Newark's Liberty International Airport, complementing its existing schedule of frequent daily flights between Boston and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The new service will bring JetBlue's low-fare competition into a notoriously high-fare market. Since JetBlue announced plans to serve the Boston-Newark market, the lowest walk-up fare has dropped more than 75 percent.
"We're excited to dramatically lower prices on this route by bringing our industry-leading product to the market and providing the great JetBlue service and product our customers have come to expect of us," said Dave Clark, Director of Network Planning.
JetBlue's planned schedule between Boston Logan and Newark Liberty International:
BOS to EWR:
EWR to BOS:
Depart - Arrive
Depart - Arrive
6:15 a.m. - 7:31 a.m.
8:30 a.m. - 9:46 a.m.
9:50 a.m. -11:04 a.m.
11:50 a.m. - 12:56 p.m.
3:29 p.m. - 4:48 p.m.
5:30 p.m. - 6:48 p.m.
6:20 p.m. - 7:41 p.m.*
8:30 p.m. - 9:47 p.m.*
- Flights operate daily effective today-
*Frequency is not available Saturday
JetBlue's Boston to Newark flights will be operated with its quiet and fuel efficient 100-seat Embraer 190 aircraft (E190); the only to offer in-flight entertainment with live DIRECTV® and XM Satellite Radio programming at every seat (b). The spacious E190 offers all-leather seating, industry-leading legroom, as well as unlimited free snacks and drinks served by JetBlue's friendly, award-winning crewmembers.
Though JetBlue declined to give pricing estimates for the New York Newark to Boston route, the airline did indicate its fare would be cheaper than the going rate. Its main competition along the New York City-to-Boston route is from the Delta Shuttle and US Airways Shuttle.
Commuters from Newark to Boston paid an average one-way fare of $311 during the first quarter of this year, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data compiled by JetBlue. “ticket price is higher than the average fare paid by Boston travelers on any of the six coast-to-coast routes operated by JetBlue from Logan,” the company said in a statement.
Average ticket prices on all carriers from JFK to Boston during the same period were $106 one-way, and $177 one-way from La Guardia Airport.
JetBlue airways cheap fare on its JFK-to-Boston route range from $49 to $301 one-way, according to an airline spokesman. The airline did not provide an average fare, but pointed out that all of its flights include unlimited snacks and is the only carrier with free live television programming on the route.
"We're excited to dramatically lower prices on this route by bringing our industry-leading product to the market and providing the great JetBlue service and product our customers have come to expect of us," said Dave Clark, Director of Network Planning.
JetBlue's planned schedule between Boston Logan and Newark Liberty International:
BOS to EWR:
EWR to BOS:
Depart - Arrive
Depart - Arrive
6:15 a.m. - 7:31 a.m.
8:30 a.m. - 9:46 a.m.
9:50 a.m. -11:04 a.m.
11:50 a.m. - 12:56 p.m.
3:29 p.m. - 4:48 p.m.
5:30 p.m. - 6:48 p.m.
6:20 p.m. - 7:41 p.m.*
8:30 p.m. - 9:47 p.m.*
- Flights operate daily effective today-
*Frequency is not available Saturday
JetBlue's Boston to Newark flights will be operated with its quiet and fuel efficient 100-seat Embraer 190 aircraft (E190); the only to offer in-flight entertainment with live DIRECTV® and XM Satellite Radio programming at every seat (b). The spacious E190 offers all-leather seating, industry-leading legroom, as well as unlimited free snacks and drinks served by JetBlue's friendly, award-winning crewmembers.
Though JetBlue declined to give pricing estimates for the New York Newark to Boston route, the airline did indicate its fare would be cheaper than the going rate. Its main competition along the New York City-to-Boston route is from the Delta Shuttle and US Airways Shuttle.
Commuters from Newark to Boston paid an average one-way fare of $311 during the first quarter of this year, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data compiled by JetBlue. “ticket price is higher than the average fare paid by Boston travelers on any of the six coast-to-coast routes operated by JetBlue from Logan,” the company said in a statement.
Average ticket prices on all carriers from JFK to Boston during the same period were $106 one-way, and $177 one-way from La Guardia Airport.
JetBlue airways cheap fare on its JFK-to-Boston route range from $49 to $301 one-way, according to an airline spokesman. The airline did not provide an average fare, but pointed out that all of its flights include unlimited snacks and is the only carrier with free live television programming on the route.
southwest airlines fly to san juan Puerto Rico
Southwest Airlines will buy AirTran for $1.4 billion, creating the most expansive network of any low-cost carrier in the U.S. and giving the feisty airline a chance to grab business travelers in the nation's busiest markets.The deal would give Southwest its first flights outside the continental United States by continuing AirTran's service to Mexico and the Caribbean.
If the merger is approved by regulators, Southwest will for the first time go head to head with Delta on its home turf at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International, the busiest passenger airport in the world. It will gain access to Reagan Washington National Airport and capture increased share at Boston Logan and New York LaGuardia.
The deal to purchase AirTran will give Southwest a footprint in virtually every large and midsize U.S. city.In addition to gains at major portals such as LaGuardia and Reagan National, Southwest would pick up AirTran's service at Charlotte and Memphis and its large operation in Atlanta.
Among the other 38 airports that AirTran serves but Southwest currently does not: Miami, Des Moines, Wichita and outside the U.S. in Cancun, Mexico; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Aruba.
"America needs this now," says Tom Parsons of BestFares.com. "With this deal you can now go just about anywhere in the country, and to the Caribbean and Mexico, on Southwest. ... All the legacy airlines will have to set their prices based on whatever Southwest does."
Some travelers were pleased with the prospect of a broader route system that gives them more appealing destinations when they redeem their loyalty program points, as well as the chance that Southwest's entry into new markets could drive down ticket prices at other airlines as well.
AirTran's planes will also become a single coach class, like Southwest, and be painted in Southwest's colors.
If the merger is approved by regulators, Southwest will for the first time go head to head with Delta on its home turf at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International, the busiest passenger airport in the world. It will gain access to Reagan Washington National Airport and capture increased share at Boston Logan and New York LaGuardia.
The deal to purchase AirTran will give Southwest a footprint in virtually every large and midsize U.S. city.In addition to gains at major portals such as LaGuardia and Reagan National, Southwest would pick up AirTran's service at Charlotte and Memphis and its large operation in Atlanta.
Among the other 38 airports that AirTran serves but Southwest currently does not: Miami, Des Moines, Wichita and outside the U.S. in Cancun, Mexico; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Aruba.
"America needs this now," says Tom Parsons of BestFares.com. "With this deal you can now go just about anywhere in the country, and to the Caribbean and Mexico, on Southwest. ... All the legacy airlines will have to set their prices based on whatever Southwest does."
Some travelers were pleased with the prospect of a broader route system that gives them more appealing destinations when they redeem their loyalty program points, as well as the chance that Southwest's entry into new markets could drive down ticket prices at other airlines as well.
AirTran's planes will also become a single coach class, like Southwest, and be painted in Southwest's colors.
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