|
In T=
his
Issue
C=
ontinental
Gets New Look
D=
elta
Brings Back Red Coats
D=
omestic
Fare Hikes
B=
ooking
Business Travel Via The Internet
T=
ravel
News Briefs
V=
acation
Specials
M=
eeting
& Event Planning Services
T=
ravel
Alerts and Travel Warnings
JULY VACATION SPECIALS
Cruise Lines and Tour Operators are offering great val=
ues that
are too good to believe.
Contact our leisure department for new weekly promotio=
ns:
Re=
nnert
Travel
21=
0-524-3300
CTP EVENT PLANNERS
Planning
an Event or Corporate Meeting?
Jump start the new year for 2009
Meetings and Events by contacting one of our CTP EVENT PLANNERS!
"We Make You Look Good!" is the CTP Event Planners mantra. We
attend to every last bit of minutia so that you can relax as the perfect
event comes to life. Our clients and their guests never suspect the amoun=
t of
work Event Planners invest in their events - a fact that you are sure to
appreciate, and that we know is the truest sign of our success.
Register wi=
th the
Embassy or Consulates
Registration with the U.S. Embassy or Consulate=
(in
the country you are visiting) makes your presence and whereabouts known, =
in
case it is necessary for a consular officer to contact you in an emergenc=
y.
During a disaster overseas, American consular officers can assist in
evacuation were that to become necessary, but they cannot assist you if t=
hey
do not know where you are. You can register with the nearest U.S.
Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s
travel registration web
site.
TRAVEL
QUICK LINKS
Bureau Consular Affairs –=
; w=
ww.travel.state.gov/index.html
Health Information – www.mdtra=
velhealth.com
FAA –
www.faa.gov
Traffic Conditions – www.traffic.com<=
/a>
Weather –
www.weather.com
Currency Conversion – www=
.oanda.com/convert/classic
Time Conversion – www.world=
timeserve.com
Current Airport Status – www.fly.faa.gov<=
/a>
TRAVEL WARNINGS
Travel Warnings
are issued to describe long-term, protracted conditions that make a count=
ry
dangerous or unstable. A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S.
Government's ability to assist American citizens is constrained due to the
closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff.=
For list of
countries please visit:
=
www.=
travel.state.gov/index.html=
Curre=
nt
Travel Warnings
Nepal
05/22/2009
Lebanon
05/13/2009
Yemen
04/24/2009
Georgia
04/09/2009
Sudan
04/08/2009
Central
African Republic
Colombia
03/25/2009
Madagascar
03/17/2009
Saudi
Arabia 03/04/2009
Algeria
03/04/2009
Pakistan
02/25/2009
Eritrea
02/18/2009
Syria
02/12/2009
Congo,
Democratic Republic of the 02/05/2009
Haiti
01/28/2009
Philippines
01/27/2009
Israel,
the West Bank and Gaza 01/15/2009
Burundi
01/08/2009
Sri
Lanka 12/22/2008
Cote
d'Ivoire 12/15/2008
Nigeria
12/02/2008
Somalia
11/15/2008
Chad
11/14/2008
Kenya
11/14/2008
Iran
09/15/2008
Afghanistan
09/10/2008
Uzbekistan
07/03/2008
Iraq
06/13/2008
TRAVEL ALERTS
Tr=
avel
Alerts are issued to disseminate information about short-te=
rm
conditions, generally within a particular country, that pose imminent ris=
ks
to the security of U.S.
citizens. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, coups, anniversaries of
terrorist events, election-related demonstrations or violence, and
high-profile events such as international conferences or regional sports
events are examples of conditions that might generate a Travel Alerto
disseminate information about short-term conditions, generally within a
particular country, that pose imminent risks to the security of U.S.
citizens. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, coups, anniversaries of
terrorist events, election-related demonstrations or violence, and
high-profile events such as international conferences or regional sports
events are examples of conditions that might generate a Travel Alert.
Current Travel Alerts:
Comoros
Travel Alert
Mexico
02/20/2009
Arabian
Peninsula and Persian Gulf 02/11/20092008=
08/12/20008
CONT=
ACT
CTP
Phon=
e:
(210)
366-9565
(800)
523-9036
Fax:=
(210)
366-5052
Visit our
Website:
http://www.ctptravelservices.com
|
NEW
CONTINENTAL PLANE, DECADES-OLD PAINT JOB
![](3D"July_2009_files/image006.jpg") How often do you remember the very airplane yo=
u flew
on? Unless you carefully track which aircraft you've flown on by writing =
down
the identification number near the back on the fuselage, probably not very
many. A few planes through the years have had distinctive paint schemes,
probably the best known of which are Southwest's Shamu planes. Kids,
especially, know if they flew on a gigantic orca. Some airlines name plan=
es
after people or places. KLM has a plane named Ingrid Bergman, for example=
.
This
week Houston-based Continental will have a plane that will stand out from=
the
rest. It's taking delivery of a 737-900ER that is painted like aircraft t=
he
carrier used in 1947, and it made an appearance yesterday at Bush Intercontinental
Airport as part of
Continental's celebration of its 75th anniversary.
Continental
says the plane is called the Blue Skyway and its color scheme was selecte=
d by
Continental employees.
That
plane has a little bit of an advantage over 1947's commercial aircraft. It
can fly 3,200 nautical miles or nearly 3,700 statute miles. That's nearly=
the
distance from Houston to Iceland. =
And
about the fuel tanks: It's an expensive fill-up, with a capacity of 7,837
gallons.
<=
/span>
DELTA
BRINGS BACK RED COATS TO HELP WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE
![](3D"July_2009_files/image007.jpg") At a time when air travel has become an
increasingly do-it-yourself affair, with passengers making their own rese=
rvations,
checking themselves in and even toting their own food, Delta is bringing =
back
a touch of the past: its once ubiquitous Red Coats.
The scarlet-jacketed agents returned to New=
York's
JFK airport last summer and made their debut this month at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson. By summ=
er's
end, 600 agents will be walking the concourses and gate areas of 14 airpo=
rts,
including LAX, Orlando and =
Washington's
Reagan National.
The return of the elite agents is perhaps the most visible sign of=
an
airline ramping up personal customer service rather than reducing it at a
time when self check-in is the norm and passengers often have to pay extr=
a to
have an actual person book their flights.
ALL LEGACY CARRIERS MATCH AMERICAN AIRLINES' DOMESTIC
FARE HIKE
All five legacy airlines have now raised prices on
domestic fares, following a hike started by American Airlines, according =
to
Farecompare.com.
US=
Airways was the last legacy
carrier to match the airfare hike Thursday. American Airlines increased
prices Wednesday on domestic fares $10 to $20 round-trip on "a
significant number of U.S.
routes.
United Airlines matched AA's hike Wednesday night acro=
ss
the bulk of its domestic route system.
United also filed Wednesday a small number of fire sale
airfares to Honolulu from various competitor hubs - $250 to $275 round-tr=
ip
(including taxes and fees) from Dallas, Houston, Newark, Atlanta, Minneap=
olis
and Salt Lake.
It's the second round of hikes for the U.S. airlines t=
his
year, following a system-wide hike two weeks ago participated by all lega=
cy
airlines and low-cost carrier Southwest.
BOOKI=
NG
BUSINESS TRAVEL VIA THE INTERNET
May
1, 2009 ̵=
1; For the past eight years Topaz International =
has
done comparison reviews of booking business travel on public internet
websites versus booking via traditional travel agencies. “Year after
year, the results are similar, which might indicate nothing is really
changing” suggested Bradley J Seitz, President and CEO of Topaz
International “however value to companies and their travel manageme=
nt
firms year after year is to better understand how their managed travel
programs are performing and what opportunities exist for improvement.R=
21;
“Even while agency airfares are higher =
only
8.44% of the times, for every $10 million of air spend, this represents l=
ost
savings of over $100,000 each year. Not only does this add up very quickl=
y,
it provides great opportunity for improvement to your travel program by
eliminating this leakage.”
|
|
Agency Fare Equal or lower
|
Agency Fare Higher
|
Average Agency Fare
|
Average Internet Fare
|
Difference
|
|
2001
|
93.26%
|
6.74%
|
$458
|
$629
|
$171
|
|
2002
|
91.13%
|
8.87%
|
$594
|
$748
|
$154
|
|
2003
|
91.02%
|
8.98%
|
$503
|
$572
|
$69
|
|
2004
|
93.57%
|
6.43%
|
$478
|
$558
|
$80
|
|
2005
|
93.29%
|
6.71%
|
$427
|
$483
|
$56
|
|
2006
|
94.03%
|
5.97%
|
$508
|
$583
|
$75
|
|
2007
|
94.85%
|
5.15%
|
$442
|
$498
|
$56
|
|
2008
|
91.56%
|
8.44%
|
$497
|
$558
|
$61
|
“The challenge of travel
management professionals during difficult economic times is to ensure the=
ir
travelers are spending precious resources wisely, and airfare is one of t=
he
highest expenditures in many corporations.” Topaz International will
continue to conduct these independent studies where we compare data betwe=
en traditional
booking sources and various internet sources, giving corporations the abi=
lity
to measure the performance of their travel program against alternative
distribution channels.
<=
/span>
<=
/span>
TRAVEL NEWS BRIEFS
=
Frequent flier redemptions =
head up
as economy slows down
Airlines and hot=
els
are seeing more customers’ cash in reward points amid a weak economy
that has pinched travel spending. United Airlines says redemptions were up
12% last year. "Customers are using their miles for family visits,
summer vacations, or for a short, weekend getaway in lieu of the traditio=
nal
two-week trip to Europe," a spoke=
swoman
says. Some travelers say they are cashing in points now because they expe=
ct
troubled companies to increase reward levels in an effort to bolster their
balance sheets.
=
Continental CEO: Business t=
ravel
may be stabilizing
The drop in the
all-important business travel segment appears to be leveling off, and onc=
e a
rebound begins, recovery could come quickly, according to Continental
Airlines Chairman and CEO Larry Kellner. Looking ahead, Kellner said
Continental will continue to invest in a new fleet of aircraft in a hedge
against fuel, and the company is on track to leave the Skyteam global air=
line
alliance in October.
&=
nbsp;
=
Airlines see gains on on-ti=
me
performance, other measures in April
Airline performa=
nce
improved across the board in April, according to figures from the U.S.
Department of Transportation. Compared with the same month last year, the=
19
largest carriers in the U.S.
posted better numbers for on-time arrivals, cancellations, mishandled bags
and customer complaints. More than 79% of flights arrived on time in April
2009, up from 77.7% in April 2008.
&=
nbsp;
=
Airfares likely to start cl=
imbing,
analysts say
Airfares have be=
en
declining for months as demand has dropped and travelers are concerned ab=
out
the economy. With the price of jet fuel increasing and the Fourth of July
quickly approaching, airfare analysts say some fares are likely to start
rising again. However, many deals remain. Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com =
said
AirTran recently published fares on routes that are new lows for the mark=
et.
&=
nbsp;
=
Rental-car rates surge duri=
ng
worldwide economic downturn
The global econo=
mic
downturn has forced down prices on hotels, cruises and airfares but boost=
ed
prices on rental cars. Some car-rental rates were up as much as 73% in May
compared with the same month last year, according to the Purchase, N.Y.-b=
ased
Abrams Consulting Group. "There's a lot of sticker shock," said
Neil Abrams, president of the consultancy. "People don't understand.=
The
economy is caving around them, so how is it possible that rates are as hi=
gh
as they are for car rentals?" The answer is as simple as supply and
demand.
&=
nbsp;
=
Cuba officials say island h=
as
capacity for Americans
Officials in Cuba
and ASTA agree that roughly 835,000 American tourists, excluding
Cuban-American family visitors and those on cruise ships, will likely vis=
it
the island nation annually. Miguel Figueras, an adviser at the tourism
ministry of Cuba, says that the country's tourism industry will have the
capacity to welcome such a surge in visitors. "The Americans are wel=
come
here," Figueras said. "You have to be prepared for that, but you
can't make your development plans depend on whether this happens."
&=
nbsp;
=
Amtrak strives to better me=
et needs
of corporate clients
Amtrak is workin=
g to
connect directly with corporate booking tools in an effort to compete with
short-haul carriers in the Northeast Corridor and beyond. Amtrak's content
will be integrated into flight option matrix. "The fact that we are
going to now be integrated with the air display is key to us," said
Craig White, senior director of travel industry sales at Amtrak. "The
GDS-based tools are a ways away from making that happen at all. A lot of
times we may not be top of mind for travelers, particularly in the Northe=
ast
corridor and now being a part of that we see it as being a strong growth
potential for us."
&=
nbsp;
Southwest to land Sunday at New York's LaGuardia
Discount king Southwest Airlines on Sunday will land i=
n New York, the USA=
's
largest air market — 38 years after it began flying solely within <=
st1:place
w:st=3D"on">Texas charging=
fares
as low as $9. The Dallas-based carrier is launching service at LaGuardia Airport, the kind of heavily con=
gested
airport it eschewed for three decades in its dedication to keeping costs =
low.
=
<=
/span>
<=
/span>
|
![](3D"http://www.devry.edu/images/campuses/loc_sanantonio.jpg")
=
![](3D"July_2009_files/image004.jpg")
=