May 2009 Archives

Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced that it will launch daily nonstop flights between its Houston hub at Bush Intercontinental Airport and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and through flight service between New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro beginning August 1, 2009. Effective today, the airline has made seat inventory available for sale in preparation for the start of service.

Continental plans to operate the daily service using a Boeing 767-200 aircraft, with 25 seats in BusinessFirst and 149 seats in economy. Flight CO129 will depart Houston at 9:15 p.m. arriving in Rio de Janeiro at 9:15 a.m. the next day. The return flight CO128 will depart Rio de Janeiro at 9:45 p.m. and arrive in Houston the following morning at 6:00 a.m. The nonstop flight will be timed to offer convenient flight connections at Continental's Houston hub to cities throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia.

"This new flight links important energy centers with convenient nonstop service," said John Slater, staff vice president Latin America and Caribbean. "It also provides the most direct routing from numerous western points being that it is the only nonstop flight between Houston and Rio west of the Mississippi."

The airline currently operates daily nonstop service between Continental's New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and Sao Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport and between Houston and Sao Paulo, with continuing service to Rio de Janeiro.

The new flights will feature Continental's award-winning BusinessFirst service. The Official Airline Guide has awarded Continental's BusinessFirst as the Best Executive/Business Class for five consecutive years (2003 - 2007), and Conde Nast Traveler magazine rated Continental's premium BusinessFirst service the highest among all U.S. carriers for trans-Pacific flights 10 years in a row.

Other BusinessFirst amenities include gourmet menu selections created by Continental's Congress of Chefs. A specially selected and trained corps of Concierges is available to provide individualized pre-flight and post-flight services for BusinessFirst customers at international airports worldwide. Customers traveling in BusinessFirst are also able to access any of Continental's 27 Presidents Clubs and more than 60 airline affiliated lounges worldwide.

Source: Continental

Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) announced today the opening of the 187-room Courtyard by Marriott Toulouse Airport Hotel, the company's tenth hotel in France. The property is opposite the Aeronautic Park, approximately 4 kilometers from Toulouse-Blagnac International Airport and a short distance from the home of Airbus Industries in Aeronautic Park. The Courtyard will attract business travelers visiting the city of Toulouse, a major industrial and R&D center, specializing in aeronautical engineering, biotechnology and information technology in the south of France.

"This hotel is designed for European business travelers who want all the conveniences of an upscale hotel but with a casual, open design where they can be totally at ease," says Brian King, vice president and global brand manager of Courtyard by Marriott. "By offering a refreshing service and cozy atmosphere our guests will have a new experience in the south of France."

Guest rooms at the Courtyard by Marriott Toulouse Airport are fully equipped with Marriott's new, highly-acclaimed, plush bedding and bath linens; wireless Internet access; a well-lighted, over-sized work desk and ergonomic chair for comfort; an in-room safe and refrigerator; a coffee and tea maker and an iron and ironing board. Opening rates start at 129 euros.

For dining and entertainment, Oleo Pazzo, a casual Mediterranean bistro, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with outdoor patio seating, a buffet bar and a lobby lounge and bar. Additional amenities include a business center/Internet corner in the lobby and wireless Internet throughout the hotel. A Grab & Go kiosk provides snacks and sundries for those in a hurry. And the fitness center offers travelers a way to maintain their wellness regime. For small conferences and social events, the hotel has two meeting rooms with a total of 883 square feet of total meeting space.

The hotel is also just a 15-minute drive from the historic city center of Toulouse and its main attractions -- the famous Place du Capitole, the Opera and museums such as Les Abbatoirs, a modern and contemporary art museum; Les Augustins Museum of Fine Art; and the Musee Paul Dupuy for graphic and decorative art.

The hotel general manager is Vera Champagne, and the director of sales is Caroline Chalmin.

The Courtyard by Marriott brand is currently represented in France with properties in Neuilly and Colombes, a western suburb of Paris near La Defense. New Courtyard hotels in France are also planned for St. Denis in 2009, Marseille in 2010, Paris Boulogne in 2010 and Arceuil in 2010. Within Europe, 11 additional Courtyards are planned in Frankfurt South Oberforsthaus and Munich, Germany; Budapest, Hungary; Rome, Italy; Kristiansund, Norway; St. Petersburg, Russia; Basel, Switzerland; Stockholm-Kungsholmen, Sweden; Istanbul, Turkey; London Gatwick and Aberdeen in the United Kingdom; and Belfast, Ireland.

American Airlines, which invented the frequent flyer program when it launched the AAdvantage(R) program nearly three decades ago, has further revolutionized award travel by introducing an exciting new feature called "One-Way Flex Awards." One-Way Flex Awards offer a whole new approach to frequent flyer award travel, creating even greater value for AAdvantage members. Customers can get further details on One-Way Flex Awards and view an online demo, at www.aa.com/flexawards.

The One-Way Flex feature gives AAdvantage members more options when redeeming award travel, offering - for the first time - the ability to use miles on a one-way basis at half the round-trip mileage requirement. At the same time, American is offering AAdvantage members who travel round trip the ability to combine different types of one-way awards on a single ticket. Therefore, customers may now combine MileSAAver(R) awards with AAnytime(R) awards, or economy class awards with First or Business Class awards, to customize award travel to best meet their needs.

American is the first major domestic airline to offer a one-way award ticket at a true one-way price at just one-half the amount of the required round-trip miles.

With One-Way Flex Awards, there are no changes to AAnytime or MileSAAver mileage requirements - just more options, value and greater flexibility. Customers can now redeem awards on a one-way basis or combine multiple award types on a single round-trip ticket - a true "win-win" for customers.

"Since the AAdvantage program was launched in 1981, American has continuously made improvements that make the program more valuable for our members and ensure our industry leadership position," said Rob Friedman, President - AAdvantage Marketing Programs. "Our One-Way Flex feature takes frequent flyer award travel to a whole new level by offering customers unprecedented options and flexibility."

One-Way Flex Awards

The primary features of American's One-Way Flex Awards, which are available now for award travel on American Airlines, American Eagle or AmericanConnection(R) carriers are:

• One-Way Flex Awards give AAdvantage members the flexibility to combine different one-way awards on a single itinerary. For instance, a member may travel outbound on an Economy Class MileSAAver award and return on an economy class AAnytime award. Or, a member may choose to travel in different classes of service on a trip, such as traveling outbound in Business or First Class and returning in Economy Class.

• AAdvantage members can now redeem one-way awards at a one-way price. If a member is only traveling one-way, or doesn't have a return date in mind, the member can simply book one-way travel for half the round-trip miles. For example, a customer may fly one-way using a domestic MileSAAver economy class ticket for 12,500 miles - half the amount required for a round-trip domestic award, which currently requires 25,000 miles.

• AAdvantage members may book One-Way Flex Awards by using the newly enhanced, easy-to-read, color-coded availability calendar on AA.com, allowing members to determine the dates, flights and award types that work best for them.

Even More Enhancements for Award Travel on AA.com

In addition to introducing One-Way Flex awards, American has enhanced AA.com to make booking AAdvantage award travel online even more convenient. Now, members can:

• Book multi-city award trips on AA.com, which is especially helpful for members who need to travel to more than one city in a single trip. Customers now can book up to four one-way awards at one time, an expansion from previous capabilities that allowed booking only round-trip travel. Multi-city award booking also allows customers to book travel into one city and return from another. For example, travel to London but return from Paris

• Customers who prefer doing business in Spanish now can book AAdvantage award travel online in Spanish. The new Spanish-language tool is accessed by clicking "Espanol" on the AA.com home page or by accessing one of the country-specific, Spanish-language portals American offers at www.aa.com/espanol.

American's innovative changes to the AAdvantage program - made after extensive research and study - coupled with the technology enhancements to AA.com, make redeeming one-way and combinable awards quick, easy and convenient.

"American is blazing the trail with technology solutions that make innovative and customer-friendly enhancements a reality for our customers," said Andrew Watson, American's Vice President - Customer Technology. "Our customers asked for more options, flexibility and speed when shopping and booking award travel on AA.com, and that's just what we've delivered. Our commitment is to leverage the most up-to-date technology to meet and exceed our customers' expectations."

Source: American Airlines

Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today announced that it has installed Wi-Fi on nearly half of its domestic mainline fleet, making the airline the world's leading provider of in-flight connectivity. Of the more than 300 airplanes Delta operates on U.S. routes, 139 are equipped with Gogo(R) Inflight Internet, including the entire MD-88 fleet. In addition, the MD-90 fleet will be complete by the end of May with the remainder of the domestic fleet scheduled for completion by September. Delta offers more Wi-Fi onboard than any airline worldwide.

"In response to the interests of our customers, Delta is the market leader in providing in-flight Wi-Fi and is well on its way to offering guaranteed Wi-Fi every time our customers fly a mainline flight within the continental United States," said Tim Mapes, Delta's senior vice president - Marketing. "We are fully committed to investing in innovative on-board technology that adds value for our customers be it in the form of seat-back satellite TV, on-demand movies or now Wi-Fi."

Delta made a commitment last year to equip its entire domestic fleet with Wi-Fi, allowing more travelers to use their electronic devices on airplanes to surf the Internet, access e-mail and send instant messages. The airline later expanded its installation plans to include approximately 200 pre-merger Northwest airplanes which are slated for completion next year. Once complete, Delta will have more than 500 aircraft offering Wi-Fi.

In addition to the MD-88s, Wi-Fi is now available on select 757-200s and MD-90s. Service is offered in both First and Economy class on a pay-per-flight basis. The cost of Wi-Fi access on a single Delta flight ranges from $7.95-$12.95. In June, customers also will be able to purchase month-long, unlimited use passes.

On the ground, Delta has expanded free Wi-Fi access to include all visitors to Delta Sky Club lounges within the United States. Effective immediately, access cards formerly provided in pre-merger Delta lounges are no longer necessary to access Wi-Fi networks in Delta Sky Clubs.

Source: Delta Air Lines

Customers onboard American Airlines Flight 172 from New York (JFK) to Brussels (BRU) on Thursday, May 7, will be among the first to experience American's newly-reconfigured Boeing 757 international aircraft on a trans-Atlantic flight.

American is in the process of reconfiguring 18 of its 124 Boeing 757s for use on international routes, and Thursday's JFK-to-Brussels flight is the first to make an international journey with the new configuration. Featuring new seats, new cabin interiors and updated inflight entertainment systems, the reconfiguration - slated for completion by the end of this year - will offer customers a comfortable international travel experience.

"American Airlines fleet of Boeing 757 international aircraft will be well-suited to serve select international routes following the refurbishment initiative," said Lauri Curtis, American's Vice President - Onboard Service.

The 757 Business Class cabin, with a 2-2 seating configuration, features 16 next-generation, angled lie-flat seats with drop-down armrests; the ability to slide forward interlocking tray tables that create one of the largest workspaces in the industry; on-demand audio/video in-seat entertainment systems providing 28 movies, more than 33 hours of television programming, 16 audio channels, 50 audio CDs, 15 interactive games; and new lavatories.

The Economy Class cabin, with 166 seats in a 3-3 configuration, will receive new seats, new lavatories, new LCD monitors that replace CRT monitors, and digital media file servers that will provide better inflight video and audio entertainment quality.

The 757 international fleet will serve select trans-Atlantic and Latin American routes. Routes are subject to change, but may include New York to Barcelona, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Brussels; Boston to Paris Charles de Gaulle; and Miami to Salvador, Brazil, to Recife, Brazil.

UPDATES ON PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED AIRCRAFT PROJECTS

American Airlines, a founding member of the oneworld(R) Alliance, continues to invest in products and services that make traveling on American more comfortable and convenient. Below are updates to previously announced fleet refurbishment projects.

BOEING 737

Since April 14, American has welcomed four new Boeing 737-800 aircraft into its fleet - the first of 76 737-800s that will arrive through the first quarter of 2011.

The 737s feature new First Class and Economy Class seats for improved living space and comfort, new "big bins" for overhead storage, and a digital inflight entertainment system which includes 20 drop-down LCD monitors mounted throughout the cabin. Each First Class seat has a 110V AC power port. In Economy Class, there are two ports per three seats to provide all passengers better access to power. Over time, these aircraft will also be equipped with AirCell's Gogo(R) Inflight Internet service, which allows customers the ability to surf the Web, check e-mail, and send instant messages conveniently from the air.

The new deliveries will be added to American's current fleet of 77 737-800s and are intended to eventually replace American's fleet of approximately 270 MD-80s.

BOEING 777

American recently completed the refurbishment of its fleet of 47 Boeing 777 aircraft, which primarily serve routes between the United States and locations in the United Kingdom, Japan, China, India and Latin America.

Upgrades include the standardization of the First Class cabin with customer-favorite Flagship Suites on all of the 777s. The Business Class cabin now features next-generation, angled lie-flat seats with drop-down arm rests and audio/video on-demand in-seat entertainment systems providing 37 movies, more than 78 hours of television programming, 14 audio channels, 50 audio CDs, and 15 interactive games.

BOEING 767-300

Less than two years ago, American Airlines completed the refurbishment of its fleet of 58 Boeing 767-300s. Customers now enjoy a refreshed and enhanced next-generation Business Class cabin boasting angled lie-flat seats with drop-down armrests and personal in-flight entertainment players with audio/video on-demand entertainment providing 28 movies, more than 33 hours of television programming, 16 audio channels, 50 audio CDs, and 13 interactive games. With five independent motors, the new seats offer customers previously unimaginable flexibility. In addition, the slide-forward feature and interlocking tray tables provide customers with greater options for work and inflight dining.

American deploys its Boeing 767-300 aircraft for many of its trans-Atlantic services, as well as on select routes within the United States and to Latin America.

BOEING 767-200

By mid-2009, American is scheduled to complete updates to its 767-200 fleet of 15 aircraft, which primarily serve long-haul routes such as New York to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Miami.

The refurbishment includes the installation of one additional First Class seat on each aircraft, which increases the number of First Class seats to 10. American also is replacing First Class seat covers, armrests and footrests and replacing Business Class seat covers. In addition, the entire aircraft will receive a lighter and brighter look with new carpet and sidewalls. New LCD monitors will replace CRT, and a digital media file server will provide better inflight video and audio entertainment quality. On long-haul flights, personal inflight entertainment players are available in First Class and Business Class with audio/video on-demand entertainment providing 28 movies, more than 33 hours of television programming, 16 audio channels, 50 audio CDs, and 10 interactive games. Additionally, these were the first aircraft in American's fleet equipped with AirCell's Gogo(R) Inflight Internet service, which allow passengers the ability to remain connected while traveling.

BOEING 757 DOMESTIC

Enhancements to American's fleet of 106 Boeing 757 domestic aircraft begins this year and includes the installation of two additional First Class seats, increasing the number of First Class seats to 24 per aircraft. In addition, 89 of the 106 planes will receive new interior sidewalls to match those featured in the other 17 planes. New seats throughout the aircraft - combined with the new sidewalls - provide a lighter and brighter look. Similar to the 18 aircraft in American's 757 international fleet, these aircraft will sport new LCD monitors to replace CRT monitors and will include a digital media file server for better inflight video and audio entertainment quality.

Source: American Airlines