Refurbishment at Homewood Suite

 Hilton hotels Homewood Suites has begun a system wide overhaul of its properties' public areas and guest amenities.

Homewood's Memphis property is among the first to undergo the redesign. It will undergo a $430,000 overhaul from September through December. Changes include more contemporary and varied seating and tables in the dining and lounge area, new hardwood floors and a new outdoor kitchen area.

The lounge and dining areas will be redone to encourage more comfort and more communication between people.

The Bag Check Keeps An Electronic Eye On Your Luggage

I have to admit this is a bit extravagant but if you are really, really tired of losing your luggage check out The Bag Check by Trackdot. For $50 you have this handy-dandy device that slips into your checked bag and sends back information on the location of the bag. You can recived updates by text, an iOS or Android app or e-mail.

There is an $8.99 activation fee and a @12.99 yearly fee.

Change Fees Rising

United started it but the others will soon follow - USAir already has. The rates to change a ticket prior to departure is now $200 plus any fare difference. Actually, it is that later part that some people don't understand. You have to pay the $200 and THEN add in the difference between the old fare and new fare.

Southwest is the only carrier that doesn't have a change fee when you move flights - you only pay any fare differential.

It Pays to Insure Your Business Travel!

I have been using Travel Guard Insurance for many years with excellent results. Cover your business trip due to unexpected events or illnesses.When you travel for business there may be a lot on your mind. Whether it’s your business flight, business class fare or business travel booking that’s on your mind, a travel insurance plan through Travel Guard can assist in taking some of the worry out of your next business trip.

A travel insurance plan through Travel Guard can help those planning business class travel by offering emergency medical coverage; trip cancellation/interruption coverage due to work reasons, and involuntary job loss, 24/7 travel assistance services and more. So when you travel for business, remember that Travel Guard offers coverage needs for business travelers.

For more than 20 years, Travel Guard plans have covered millions of travelers. We're America's leading provider of travel insurance and assistance services plans and we're here to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Coverage provided through Travel Guard is easy to buy and with our 24-hour emergency travel services it's even easier to use.

Contact me for information today!

Watch For This Spam!

I have gotten this as have several of my clients Don't click on it or download anything! This is not from American Airlines.....or any other carrier. This is spam!

American Airlines 

  

   

Customer Notification

Your bought ticket is attached to the letter as a scan document.

To use your ticket you should Download It .

  

E-ticket Number  Seat Date / Time of Departure Flight Time  Arriving Ref Bag Form of payment Total Price  

EH1194077468  03A/ZONE 3 28 APRIL, 2013, 10:44 PM  09:35 Providence EK5822 ST / OK 5PC CC 217.17 USD  

  

Thank you for your attention, AA.com Team.  

American Airlines 2013

   

Starting April 15, business class travelers on Japan Airline from Tokyo Narita to London route will be able to order in-flight meals and purchase duty free items on demand.  They will pick their first meal from the menu but after that all meals and drinks can be ordered on demand up until 90 minutes before landing, by using the touch-panel IFE controller found in the seat.

Duty free selections will also be available and passengers will be able to make orders by using the touch screen in front of them at their seats.

Another Great Business App

Once you get off of the plane and need to jump on public transportation to make your meeting use hopstop,

http://www.hopstop.com/.

Plug your start and end points into HopStop to find out the best train or bus route in the city you're visiting. The app is currently available for 16 cities, states and regions in the US and Europe, including New York City, Long Island, San Francisco, Paris and New Jersey. Yes, New Jersey.

TSA Tax May Increase

A recent Senate-passed budget resolution would doubles and eventually triple the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) passenger security tax. The budget resolution passed by the Senate would double the TSA passenger security tax to $5 per one-way trip and would trip the tax to $7.50 per one-way trip by 2017. It is estimated that this will cost airline customers $2.5 billion annually over the next 10 years. The bill has not yet gotten final approval or is being sent to the President.

Since 2007, the TSA's budget has increased 18 percent

Airlines Upgrading Wi-Fi

Airlines are attempting to up-grade the on board experience with better Wi-Fi. The problem is that there is just so much Wi-Fi and broadband to go around per airline and the more people are connected, naturally the more of that is gobbled up.

The provider that has most of the aviation market, Gogo, is upgraded their capacity so that soon as much as one half of the people on board any flight will be able to use the service without putting a huge drain on the system.

Another provider, ATG4, has added another modem to their service and most providers are increasing satellite capacity.

Oh well, remember the days when you were disconnected from the world while in flight? Sigh.

Another business travel app - Jot Not

 JotNot- If you hate tracking and filing expense reports, try JotNot.  With JotNot, you can take pictures of documents, like receipts, and store them for later use. Both the free and paid versions include a camera stabilization feature, snapping a photo when the phone is still. Once the document is photographed, it is placed into a frame with grid lines so you can orient it properly. You can also make multi-paged documents.

Gate and Seat Guru's

Here is a fun new App for those who like to eat while travelling.  GateGuru compiles reviews on airport restaurants and other businesses and then plots them on a detailed map.

Speaking of Guru's - try the Seat Guru App to find seat maps for just about every plane configuration. It has a very good layout and will tell your which seats are limited in recline, which are exit rows. etc. If you really want not to be surprised about where you will be on that next flight get this App.  (Sorry, but it can't tell you if the person next to you will have 1000 pictures of their kids).

USAir and American Merger - 3rd Quarter 2013

American and USair will merge in the third quarter of 2013. The airline will be known as American.
Until that time, you will still be able to exchange miles on Usair and United but once the merger is finalized, Usair will decouple from Star Alliance and join the One World program. Exact dates are not known.

As soon as I get more information, I will let you know!

USAIR Will Join American One World Mileage Program

The merger between USAIR and American Airlines will lead to the merger of their frequent flier programs. Currently USAIR shares  mileage with United in the Star Alliance Program. However, once the programs merge USAIR will join One World. The good news is that American’s AAdvantage program is regarded as one of the best loyalty programs in the world. The program has many options to earn miles, and AA is considered to be among the easiest U.S. airlines for redeeming miles for award tickets. 

American also allows customers the option to redeem miles for one-way award tickets by using just half the miles needed for a one-way trip — an option that would surely be well-received by US Airways’ frequent fliers if that carries over to the merged carrier.

The downside will be for those people who use both USAIR for short-hauls and United for international flights and combine those miles. Keep in mind that American partners with British Air over the water as well as Singapore and other carriers.

This will be a period of adjustment, of course. No date is set for the merger of mileage as of now. Stay tuned.

Delta Air Lines and Starwood Hotels

Delta Air Lines and Starwood Hotels will soon introduce a crossover loyalty program in which elite-level travelers simultaneously receive benefits and earn points with both frequent traveler programs. Starting March 1, 2013 Delta SkyMiles Diamond and Platinum Medallion members are eligible for such Starwood Preferred Guest benefits such as late checkout and free in-room Internet access. Starwood platinum  members will get Delta  benefits as a free checked bag and priority check-in and boarding.

Delta Medallion members earn a mile per dollar on room rates from Starwood, and SPG elite members earn Starpoints from eligible airfares with Delta.

Airline Updates

Spirit Airlines is now operating nonstop service between New Orleans and Dallas/Fort Worth. In addition to nonstop service to Dallas/Fort Worth, Spirit offers connecting service from New Orleans to Chicago, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale and Houston

JetBlue Airways and Asiana Airlines now have an interline agreement to connect each other's networks and flight options.


Brussels Airlines  will operate direct flights five times per week  between Washington Dulles and Brussels Airport starting June 18.

Qantas is giving travelers an extra incentive to book an Australian getaway with savings on departures from Los Angeles, Dallas and New York as part of the “Escape to Australia” campaign in conjunction with Tourism Australia. The special fares must be booked by Feb. 4.

Fares from Los Angeles start from $1,298 round trip in International Economy on select flights to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. In Economy class departing from Los Angeles March 5 to 14 or April 2 to 30 or Nov. 1 to 30, the fare is $1,298 or up to 40 percent off. From Dallas/Fort Worth departing April 2 to 29 or Nov. 1 to 30, the fare is priced at $1,498 or up to 35 percent off. Departing from New York JFK Feb. 24 to March 18 or April 2 to 30 or Nov. 1 to 30, the price is $1,498 or up to 35 percent off. Discount fares also are available in Premium Economy from $2,414 from Los Angeles up to 55 percent off; from Dallas/Fort Worth the fare is $2,638 or up to 50 percent off; and from New York (JFK) the fare is $2,658 or up to 50 percent off.       

Strikes in Europe

Passengers travelling through Germany's Dusseldorf and Cologne airports are facing a third day of disruption  as security personnel continue to strike over pay issues.

In Madrid, a strike with nastier consequences is going on as the cleaning crews have gone on strike and no trash is being picked up.

And I know this comes as no shock to anyone who has travelled in France but a general strike is being called for Jan 31 in that country.

TSA to Remove Body Imaging Machines

The hated body-imaging machines will be gone from airports soon according to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration. The imaging machines will be removed,  "Due to its inability to deploy non-imaging Automated Target Recognition software by the congressionally mandated June 2013 deadline, TSA has terminated its contract with Rapiscan," the division of OSI Systems that provides the technology, according to a TSA statement.

TSA assistant administrator for acquisitions Karen Shelton Waters told Bloomberg News that the agency in 2012 removed 76 Rapiscan machines and will remove the remaining 174. She further indicated that TSA will use 60 body scanners manufactured by L-3 Communications Holdings.

The Best Business Hotels

according to Conde Naste include:

St. Regis, San FranciscoA "delicious urban oasis" awaits guests at this 40-story building with hotel rooms and private residences near the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Union Square. "The best use of space I’ve ever seen in a hotel room" is achieved through a recessed closet system concealing shelving, drawers, a minibar and a CD/DVD player; rooms also feature Bella Crema marble, leather walls and Mozambique wood doors. The lobby has a 16-foot open fireplace, Zebrano wood and Italian travertine flooring. Breakfast at Vitrine uses seasonal, local ingredients to create items like German caramelized peach pancakes; at lunch, order an organic beef burger. "They know how to treat their guests."

Fairmont DallasOur readers appreciate the "outstanding facilities" here and employees who "do the little little things that make your stay special." And though several readers agree that the "rooms need updating," they appreciate the convenient location "right in the middle of the city."

Four Seasons Seattle"One of my favorite hotels," says a reader from North Vancouver, praising the staff for going "out of their way to help, including find scores of a game they don't show in the hotel." Another reader calls this "one of the best hotels in Seattle" because of its central location, one block from Pike Place Market, and its "amazing bay views" and "impeccable" service. "The outdoor pool and whirlpool are a nice distraction," adds another reader from Pennsylvania, "and watching the sun set from the infinity pool was a memory I won't soon forget."

A merger Usair and American?

A merger between Us Airways  and American Airlines is becoming more likely. This week the pilots of each airline  have approved a framework that would govern "the terms of employment for pilots" if the two companies did indeed merge. With the pilots in agreement the other unions are expected to follow suit shortly.

A merger could allow the airline to better compete against larger rivals, including Atlanta-based Delta  A decision on whether to merge could come within weeks.

There is no word yet on how the frequent flier programs would merge,

United Airlines New Services to Latin America And Canada

United Airlines  has announced new services to Latin America and Canada. They are also asking for new domestic U.S Route - including weekly flights from Dulles to San Jose, Guatemala, and between Chicago O'Hare and San Jose. If they get approval they will take effect on April 13. 

 New services to Canada will include six weeklies between Newark and Edmonton, starting May 1; weekend service between Dulles and Vancouver, operating June 8 through Aug. 25; and daily flights between Denver and Fort McMurray, Alberta, operated by SkyWest from June 6. New domestic services will include daily flights between O'Hare and Fairbanks, Alaska from June 6; two daily flights between Denver and Santa Fe, N.M. effective May 1; daily service between Los Angeles and Wichita, Kan., starting May 1; and daily flights from Dulles to Grand Rapids, Mich., also effective May 1.