Yapta Yapta Blog

The New York Times reported today that JetBlue has teamed up with Hilton so that members of the airline’s loyalty program can earn additional points when staying at any of Hilton’s 3,500 hotels worldwide.

This is how it works:  Hilton HHonors members earn one TrueBlue point for every $2 spent at a Hilton, including restaurants and spas.  For example, travelers flying to Cancún on JetBlue can earn about 60 additional TrueBlue points by staying at the Hilton Cancún Golf and Spa Resort and paying a nightly rate of $119.

And through July 15, in celebration of the new partnership, 860 select properties will double the points, offering HHonors members one TrueBlue point for every $1 spent. Click here for a list of participating hotels in the limited time promotion and to sign up for the program.

Hilton Worldwide properties include Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts, Conrad Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Hotels, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites, and Hilton Grand Vacations.

Here’s some more travel news you can use:

• Spirit Airlines is being criticized for installing seats that don’t recline on its newest planes. According to the Sun Sentinel, the fixed upright seats will allow Spirit to squeeze in more passengers, and save money because non-reclining seats are cheaper.

• After first refusing to obey European Union rules, budget airline Ryanair now says that it will reimburse expenses for passengers stranded during the mass shutdown of European airspace.  Previously, Ryanair had announced that that his airline would ignore EU rules and only reimburse up to the amount paid for each ticket.  Airlines operating in Europe must provide–or reimburse for–meals, hotels and similar costs when passengers are stranded due to flight cancellations.  The EU rules  require monetary compensation for canceled flights except during extraordinary circumstances.  A volcanic eruption qualifies as extraordinary and airlines will not have to pay passengers for canceling flights, but the requirements for expense reimbursement still apply and stranded passengers may file claims when an airline refuses to provide meals and accommodations.

There are a few airfare sales that are piquing a lot of interest:

JetBlue is celebrating its 10th anniversary by offering one-way fares starting at $29 – or for 5,000 TrueBlue points.  In order to take advantage of this sale, you need to book by April 18th for travel between April 22 – June 16, 2010.

American Airlines is conducting a sale on flights to the Caribbean and Latin America.  Flights start at $78 one-way for travel through early June.  The sale ends April 14th, so act now if you want to get these sale prices.

AirTran’s latest fare sale encourages travelers to “book a sweet deal from Point A to Point B.” You can find airfare deals to/from a variety of U.S. cities, as well as specials to international destinations including Aruba, Montego Bay, and Cancun.  Purchase your airline ticket by 11:59 pm ET on April 20 for travel through November 10, 2010.  The lowest sale airfares are good for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.  A 10-day advance purchase is required, and there are blackout dates.

And finally, Southwest Airlines has launched a 72-hour sale.  Flights start at $39 one-way or $78 round-trip, and destinations include Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Orlando, among many others. More than 1,000 routes are on sale, but if you don’t book by Thurs., April 15th, you’ll miss out.

Here’s some more travel news you can use:

• Republic Airways officials announced this morning that Frontier will be the operating brand name for Republic’s Frontier and Midwest carriers. The announcement followed months of speculation about the future of the Frontier and Midwest brands after Indianapolis-based Republic Airways bought the airlines last year. As a concession to Midwest, Republic officials said chocolate chip cookies will be served on all flights, a trademark amenity of Midwest.

• The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Continental Airlines is expected to bid to acquire United Airlines, after reports that United and US Airways were in merger talks.  Continental and United discussed merging in 2008, until Continental walked away.  A combined United-Continental would create the world’s largest airline, ahead of Delta Air Lines, now the largest after acquiring Northwest Airlines in 2008. A combined US Airways-United would be the second-biggest U.S. carrier. Delta and Air France-KLM are larger worldwide.  A United-Continental merger would also face less regulatory scrutiny because the carriers have fewer overlapping city pairs – 9, whereas United and US Airways have 14.

Flight attendants for American Airlines have requested federal approval to end contract talks – a step towards the first strike at a major US carrier in five years.  If the National Mediation Board agrees, it would start a 30-day clock ticking.  After that the union might be allowed to strike.  No large US carrier has suffered a strike since 2005, when 4,200 Northwest Airlines mechanics and aircraft cleaners walked off the job.

American’s unions took big pay cuts in 2003 to keep the airline out of bankruptcy.  The flight attendants (and mechanics, who last week also requested to end contract talks) want at least some of that compensation back.  American is offering raises, but the union says the airline wants to keep overall costs flat.

Here’s some more travel news you can use:

• If you’re flying Southwest Airlines today, you’ve got the luck of the Irish.  Not only is Southwest putting leprechauns on board its flights for St. Patrick’s Day, but it is also serving up complimentary Heineken beers to passengers.

• JetBlue, through its partnership with Aer Lingus, which serves Ireland’s Dublin and Shannon airports, is offering a sale on summer fares to the Emerald Isle.  The sale ends March 19th, so if you’re feeling the St. Patrick’s Day spirit, you better show JetBlue your green soon.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!

The USA Today reports that if the luxury hotel industry doesn’t see a rebound soon, “some five-star hotels won’t be able to maintain five-star service and frills in the future.”  The current travel environment is forcing luxury hotels to cut staff and services, which may ultimately result in some five-star hotels become four-star hotels.

This could actually be very good news for budget-conscious travelers with an affinity for luxury offerings.   As more four-star hotels shift into the marketplace, they’ll become more and more competitive for your travel dollar – putting you in a position to get a great deal.

Here’s some more travel news you can use:

• This morning Priceline.com announced a major change to their vaunted “Name Your Own Price” model that has been the basis of their opaque hotel product since inception. Billed as a “limited time offer” until the end of March, Priceline is actually showing winning bids and allowing consumers to simply tag-along and buy the same thing, assuming availability still exists. No bidding, no guessing – just a posted price.  While it’s not perfect because Priceline may not have availability for the dates that travelers are checking (vs. what the last consumer bought), it’s still a big step towards full travel booking transparency – which we all can appreciate.

• JetBlue is celebrating its 10th birthday by conducting a 1-day only sale where they’re offering $10 one-way fares on flights departing from New York’s JFK Airport on Tuesday-Wednesday, March 9-10, 2010.  The sale lasts until 11:59 p.m. MT today.

• The U.S. DOT said today that it has fined US Airways $40,000 for not disclosing full ticket prices on its Web site.  The airline did not provide additional taxes and fees on initial searches for one-way flights, nor any notice that the additional costs would be added later in the transaction.  The DOT requires Internet advertising to display the full fare after taxes and fees on the first screen, along with a hyperlink that takes consumers to a page that describes the additional charges, according to the agency.

Traveling on JetBlue this weekend could get messy.  The airline is transferring to a new reservation system.  Passengers will be unable to check flight status, check in at jetblue.com or make changes to an existing itinerary online for 24 hours beginning at noon on Friday (1/29).  They also won’t be able to book travel at all.   In addition to those inconveniences, JetBlue is warnings of longer lines at airports and is urging passengers to arrive early.

The airline says it is ready for potential delays and slip-ups after preparing two years for the switch.  However, other airlines have attempted to switch reservation systems in recent years with less-than-stellar results, including widespread delays, baggage problems and help center backups.

Here’s some more travel news you can use:

• American Airlines is currently conducting an airfare sale – offering one-way fares as low as $49.  Book by February 9, for travel dates until the end of May.

• Frontier Airlines announced a “Cinco de Flyo” sale, with fares to five Mexico destinations starting at $124 each way. Sale-priced tickets must be purchased by 9:59 p.m. MST on Jan. 29, 2010, for travel through March 7, 2010.  The airline has also put travel to/from the “Northern Rockies” (Billings, Boise, Bozeman and Spokane) on sale as well.

• Travel website Kayak.com has a hidden easter egg reference to ABC’s TV drama Lost.  Search Kayak for flights from Sydney’s SYD airport to Los Angeles’s LAX and you’ll see that Oceanic Flight 815 — the very one that crashed on the mysterious island in the first episode of Lost — is one of your options.  Lost fans will see that airfare and fees = 4 8 15 16 23 42.

JetBlue announced a sale today on winter fares to 55 destinations, from sunny to wintry.  The airline is offering fares as low as $39 on routes such as New York-Boston and San Francisco-Long Beach, Calif.  Blackout dates and other restrictions apply.  Sale fares will be available on JetBlue’s websitethrough Jan. 13th for travel through March 24th.  Fares may require an advance purchase of up to 10 days.

Here’s some more travel news you can use:

• American Airlines is in the dog-house with the Federal Aviation Administration.  Today the FAA announced that they are keeping a close eye on the airline after three landing mishaps within the last 30 days.  During two separate landing attempts in North Carolina and Texas, the planes wingtips touches the ground.  Also, one plane overshot the runway during heavy rain while trying to land in Jamaica.

• A power outage at Reagan National Airport today is causing delays for flights out of Washington.  The power reportedly went out shortly after noon today.  All flights were temporarily suspended, but some planes were able to land due to a backup power supply at the air control tower.  Security checks were also being halted due to the power outage.

• The head of the Los Angeles airport police union this morning urged the federal government to require full-body scanners for every passenger at airport security checkpoints, saying metal detectors are no longer enough.  Los Angeles is currently one of 19 airports nationwide that uses whole-body imagers, but only uses it on passengers selected for secondary screening.

• A security breach at Newark Liberty International Airport Sunday evening forced the closure of a terminal for hours while authorities re-screened thousands of passengers.  The incident happened at about 5:20 p.m. at Terminal C, when a man walked through an exit on the public side to the secure “sterile” side for passengers who had cleared screening, according to the TSA.  All passengers had been re-screened by early Monday, according to the TSA. Flights from Terminal C were grounded until the process was completed.  Ah, travel sure is going to be fun in 2010 with the heightened security.

British Airways is bracing for a 12-day strike by union employees that will likely ruin Christmas travel plans for over 1 million passengers with the cancellation of 7,000 flights.  The walkout is planned to last from December 22nd thru January 2nd, making it the longest  strike in UK airline history.

Because of certain code sharing arrangements, some Qantas flights were also thought to be impacted, though Qantas officials say that will not be the case and only British Airlines passengers would be affected.

Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic, EasyJet and Ryanair are all now making plans to capitalize on British Airways’ woes.  Virgin will add 1,600 seats by deploying larger planes for service to New York, Washington and Boston.  EasyJet and Ryanair are working to schedule extra flights.  Regardless of what airline British Airways customers choose as their alternate carrier, they will likely be charged a premium.  BusinessWeek reports that as of Dec. 14th, “the lowest economy return fare on the world’s premier intercontinental air route, Heathrow to New York JFK, on the first day of the strike, rose to £3,300. Other flights had more than doubled in price.”

Here’s some more travel news you can use:

• Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner left the runway for the first time in Everett, Wa. – exactly 6 years after the Boeing board gave the go-ahead to offer the jet for sale.  There was a series of big delays that had pushed this first flight out 28 months, so seeing this plane get off the ground has generated a lot of excitement – especially here in the state of Washington.  The 787, which utilizes lightweight composite materials, is popular with airline customers (such as Japan’s All Nippon Airways) because it enables them to save about 20% on fuel compared to current aircraft.

• JetBlue announced today that it will restore daily nonstop flights between San Jose and Boston beginning May 13.  Connecting two of the nation’s high-tech capitals, the San Jose-to-Boston flight will be another version of the so-called “nerd bird” flights, which is what frequent fliers call the twice-daily Alaska Airlines flights that connect Silicon Valley and Austin, Texas.  (Note: If you’re flyingJetBlue, be sure to use Yapta as your airfare tracker. JetBlue has an excellent guaranteed airfare policy that entitles you to a credit for the full difference in price if your flight becomes available for less.)

• Okay, this one is totally bizarre.  A couple of border security guards apparently didn’t like the answers a young American traveler had during her travels through Jerusalem, so they put three bullets through her suspicious MacBook, handed it back to her and allowed her to go on her way.  The amazing part is that not a single piece of information was destroyed: The bullets miraculously missed the MacBook’s hard drive.  (Now, do you think a PC can dodge bullets?  Do ya feel lucky?  Well, do ya… punk!) The MacBook owner, Lilly Sussman, blogged about her experience here.

A handful of the major airlines are using “Cyber Monday” to offer deeply discounted airfare prices to travelers.  United Airlines, JetBlue, and Virgin America have all just announced special one-day prices, with all of them practically giving flights away to select destinations starting at $39 each way.

JetBlue has limited its discount travel window to Dec. 1-17 in an effort to fill all the empty seats that fly between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Daily Travel & Deal blog from the LA Times provides a more detailed analysis of this particular offer.

United’s sale is for travel in the contiguous U.S. and Canada from Jan. 5-Feb. 11.  Travel to and from Hawaii is Jan. 11-Feb. 11.   A 3-night, Friday night or Saturday night minimum stay is required for travel within the contiguous 48 United States and to Hawaii.   No minimum night stay is required for travel to Canada.

Virgin America’s sale is the broadest, with the promotion lasting until Dec. 8 and travel permitted Dec. 3- May 23.  However, certain peak travel days around the winter holidays are blacked out.

Hopefully we’ll see competing airlines match prices on overlapping routes.

Here’s some more travel news you can use:

• Continental Airlines said today that credit and debit cards will be accepted for purchases onboard most its aircraft starting Tuesday. Flight attendants will use hand-held devices to process the card payments for purchases of alcoholic beverages and headsets.  The airline said that the new cashless system will be available on all Continental mainline flights, except for service to and from China.

• Yapta’s hotel booking partner Orbitz.com, recently announced it has enhanced its Low Price Guarantee, giving customers ironclad confidence they’re getting the lowest possible hotel prices. Under the new program, customers who find their prepaid hotel room available for a lower price on any site, including Orbitz, can receive a refund for the difference and a $50 discount on a future hotel or vacation package booking. Plus, Orbitz now allows customers to submit a claim right up to the time of the property’s cancellation deadline.

• In celebration of its new blog, CheapOair is launching a “@CheapOair 12 Days of Travel” contest where travel-minded Tweeps can win daily holiday gifts including travel and retail gift certificates, and a grand prize on day 12 for free round trip airline tickets within the domestic U.S.  The 12 day contest starts today and ends on Fri., Dec. 11th.  For this contest, followers of the CheapOair Twitter account will be asked to “re-tweet” that day’s message or go to the CheapOair travel blog to find that day’s message to “re-tweet”.  For more information, visit http://contests.cheapoair.com/.

After Southwest Airlines kicked a cranky 2-year old and his mother off a flight last week, there seems to be growing support for adult-only flights.  As a parent of two kids under the age of five, I’ve learned to tolerate the ruckus that kids can make on planes and sympathize with the parents doing all they can to calm their little bundles of joy.  However, according to a recent survey conducted by MSNBC, I may be in the vast minority.  A full 76% of those polled support Southwest’s decision to give mom and child the boot.   The survey was also flush with interesting comments – including talk of adult-only flights.

I suppose if pets can have their own exclusive flights, it only makes sense that there should be adult-only flights as well, right?  Perhaps that would better serve those passengers less tolerant of kids – and prevent parents from suffering the embarrassment of a rowdy child.

Would you pay a little extra for a flight with no kids?  Got an opinion?  Post it here.

Here’s some more travel news you can use:

• Northwest Airlines Flight 195 out of Minneapolis was apparently “attacked” by Pigeons Saturday afternoon while taking off for Las Vegas.   The pilot announced the bird strike about 15 minutes into the flight and decided to return to MSP because of suspected engine damage. The plane landed safely and there were no injuries in the incident. The passengers experienced a two-hour delay due to the attack.

• As of last week, both Continental Airlines and Air China have agreed to share frequent flier points so that travelers may earn miles easier.  Now, Air China PhoenixMiles members will earn Status Mileage on all scheduled flights run by Continental. They can also redeem Award Travel for any round-trip flights and Award Upgrades involving Continental.  Continental OnePass members can also accrue EQM and EQP on flights, and redeem Award Travel and Upgrades for round-trips with Air China.

• Virgin Atlantic today introduced a new iPhone app that’s designed to help travelers overcome their fear of flying.   The “Flying Without Fear” app contains a personal introduction by Sir Richard Branson, a video-based in-flight explanation from start to finish of a flight, relaxation exercises and fear therapy, a fear attack button for emergencies with breathing exercises and quick tips – among other features.  As a bonus, users of the app are offered 2,000 points when joining Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club.  The app is available for $4.99.

• JetBlue, the largest domestic carrier serving Boston,  has become the official airline of Boston College Athletics.  According to a press release, JetBlue’s sponsorship of the Eagles (financial terms not disclosed) includes fixed and electronic signage in Boston College athletic facilities including Alumni Stadium, home of Boston College football and Conte Forum, home of Boston College basketball and hockey. Additional sponsorship elements include on-field, on-court and on-ice promotions; a comprehensive online marketing program featuring rotating web banners and fixed advertising positions on bceagles.com; a branded email promotional campaign; and print advertisements in Boston College Athletic publications and in-game program guides.

If you’re a busy business traveler, you know that exercise and healthy eating while on the road are near impossibilities.  Well, if you want to know how it’s done, read this story from today’s Wall Street Journal detailing how fitness expert Jillian Michaels (from the TV show “The Biggest Loser”) maintains her healthy eating and exercise habits while constantly traveling for work.

“Ms. Michaels… packs her own snacks and breakfast foods—or sends them FedEx to the hotel where she’s staying. Before arriving, she asks the hotel to clean out the minibar so she can fill it with her own food, such as dry roasted almonds, Greek yogurt, fruit, carrot sticks, hummus, protein bars and shake mixes. ‘I work 16-hour days when traveling, so fitness can be hard,’ she says. ‘I get meticulous about my diet under these circumstances.’

She also brings along fitness DVDs that she can pop into her computer and easily do in her room. Rather than use her own (’I'm a little weirded out by myself,’ says Ms. Michaels), she prefers hard-core circuit training and cardio-based fitness DVDs.

Ms. Michaels often calls ahead to find hotels with gyms and nearby health-food stores. A gym doesn’t have to be upscale. ‘As long as you push yourself, it doesn’t matter how fancy the equipment is,’ she says. She also asks hotel concierges to find local gyms where she can get day passes and take spinning classes. To stay healthy, she prioritizes sleep and tries to boost her immunity before plane rides with vitamin C.

No matter what kind of restaurant she’s in, Ms. Michaels likes to ask for fish grilled with lemon or garlic sauce on the side and steamed vegetables. When you’re away from home, staying in shape ‘just requires [that] you be a little high-maintenance,’ she says.”

Here’s some more travel news you can use:

• JetBlue said today it will boost its service from Boston Logan by 30 percent by next summer, as bigger carriers pull back and competition from rival Southwest heats up.  JetBlue plans to offer up to 78 daily flights from Boston to 33 destinations.  That includes two more flights to Chicago and Raleigh Durham, N.C., for a total of three daily flights each. JetBlue will also add flights from Beantown to San Francisco, San Diego, Washington and spots in the Caribbean.  JetBlue currently serves more cities out of Boston than any other airline.

• United Airlines, the first carrier to make the Boeing 737 a staple of its fleet 41 years ago, retired the last of those jets yesterday as “Flight 737″ lifted off from Washington Dulles International Airport before dawn Wednesday and touched down at every one of the carrier’s hubs on its way to a giant maintenance base in San Francisco.   Mechanics will strip down the plane and prepare it for its final journey to the central California desert, where it will be parked.

• Forbes has partnered with the Travel Channel to produce FORBES LUXE 11, a luxury lifestyle series consisting of 10, hour-long episodes.  The series, featuring Forbes content and Forbes on-camera talent, will begin airing on a weekly basis starting Saturday, Nov. 7th @ 10 PM ET.  Topics will include: Exclusive hotels, extravagant meals, extreme excursions, luxury steals, icy hot spots, first-class traveler, high seas style and billionaire-owned hotels.  Robin Leech would be proud.