I n  T h i s  I s s u e

 Greetings Travelers,

There is good news from Northwest in the October newsletter below. The Airbus 330 is now operating between Memphis and Amsterdam, replacing the tried and true, but tired DC-10. And Northwest has relaxed their re-use rules for non-refundable airfares.

And the corporate office welcomes back Rosie Gattas.
 


Business Travel is Tough, But Being There Can't Be Beat

Airlines Sell More Tickets to Nowhere

Northwest Extends Domestic Ticket Validity to One Year

Northwest's Entire Trans-Atlantic Schedule Now Operated with Airbus A330

NWA Announces Major Expansion of Trans - Atlantic Service

Southwest Airlines Announces End to Wright Amendment

The Well-Wired Hotel

Renters Get Dinged in Europe

Predicting Late Arrivals

Canada: Outbreak of Norwalk Virus Affects Hundreds in Edmonton

Hong Kong: Smoking Ban to Take Effect Jan. 1
Articles of Interest
Business Travel Is Tough, But Being There Can't Be Beat
Source: USA Today
The mechanics of life on the road, as we can all attest, aren't much to e-mail home about these days. The flights stink. The hotels get old. The food is forgettable. The schedules are awful. The security is annoying.

But the one thing that makes business travel worth it is the opportunity to be somewhere in the world when something interesting is happening there. Business travel, if we do it right, forces us out of our cubicles and into the lives and times of people and places that we'd otherwise never experience. Click Here to continue.

Airlines Sell More Tickets To Nowhere
By Scott McCartney
The Wall Street Journal
Airline flights are getting bumpier - before they even leave the gate.

The number of people involuntarily bumped off flights bounced up more than 40 percent to 185,368 in the second quarter, compared with the same period in 2005, according to government data. It was the highest number in any second quarter since 2000, a particularly bad year for getting bumped, when business was booming and fares were high. Also, the number of passengers enticed to voluntarily give up seats on overbooked flights rose more than 10 percent in the second quarter over last year. Click Here to continue.
 
  Airline News

Northwest Extends Domestic Ticket Validity to One Year
 Source: NWA
Effective November 1, 2006, Northwest Airlines will change the 90-day ticket validity policy. This change in policy will extend domestic nonrefundable and domestic and international WorldPerks ticket validity to one year. Click Here to continue.

Northwest’s Entire Trans-Atlantic Schedule Now Operated with Airbus A330
 Source: NWA
Airline retires last DC10 aircraft from international service. Northwest Airlines' entire trans-Atlantic flight schedule is now operated with the modern and comfortable Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft. Click Here to continue.

NWA Announces Major Expansion of Trans-Atlantic Service
 Source: NWA
Northwest Airlines, in cooperation with its joint venture partner, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, has announced six additional trans-Atlantic flights and two new European destinations will be added in spring 2007 to its global network. New service will include Brussels, Belgium, and Düsseldorf, Germany, extra flights to Amsterdam from Boston and Detroit, as well as the first and only nonstop service between Hartford, Conn. and Amsterdam.

Southwest Airlines Announces End to Wright Amendment
 Source: Southwest Airlines
After 27 long years, the Wright Amendment fight is finally over! The Wright Amendment Reform Act has been enacted into law, which will allow Southwest Airlines to sell one-stop (same plane) and connecting service between Dallas and many new destinations across the country. Click Here to continue.
 

Exceptional Customer Service


LeAnne Kidwell

I would be happy for you to tell everyone that I think A&I has saved my skin more than once and Leanne has really been patient with me trying to get 40 +/- people here at the same time!

Carol J. Smith
Education Realty Trust

• • • • •

It is with great pleasure that we announce the return of Rosie Gattas to the A & I Travel corporate department. Rosie returns to us after a 6 year absence and we couldn’t be more delighted. She has picked right back up where she left off-enthusiastic, energetic and eager.
 

Meeting & Incentive Management

You only get one shot at making a good impression!
Meetings & Incentives are time-consuming and require endless attention to detail from site selection to contract negotiations to logistics. One small oversight can sabotage the success of your event. From Conception to Realization, our professionals will ensure your event makes a lasting positive impression.
For your complimentary consultation please contact:
Karen Young, CTC
Meetings and Incentives Manager
Impressions Corporate Meetings & Incentives (a division of A & I Travel)
901-291-1440 or 800-467-1182
karen@aitvl.com


 
Hotel News

The Well-Wired Hotel
 Source: T&E
Properties invest in tech for guests. Hotel guests today want Wi-Fi access, voice mail, lots of TV stations, and other conveniences of home and office and the 2006 Lodging Survey, conducted by Smith Travel Research for the Washington, D.C. based American Hotel & Lodging Association, polled more than 9,300 properties in the United States. The results show an across-the-board boom in high-tech amenities found in guest rooms this year. Among findings:
  • Fully 99 percent of hotels now offer in-room cable or satellite television, up from 69 percent in 1990.
  • Voice mail is now available in all luxury chains. Across all segments, 86 percent of hotels provide voice mail to guests, a jump from 72 percent two years ago.
  • Wireless Internet access was the fastest-growing new tech amenity in 2006. The number of properties offering Wi-Fi h as more than doubled in the past two years: 82 percent now offer the service, up dramatically from 35 percent in 2004.
  • Use of web-based booking portals continues to grow, too. Ninety-eight percent of respondents used the Internet to reserve hotel rooms this year, an increase from 89 percent in 2004.
Car Rental News
Renters Get Dinged in Europe
Travelers should take care to protect themselves against unfair damage charges when renting a car in Europe. Don't be surprised if you're charged for damages you didn't cause or that don't even exist. Increasingly, bills for repairs are popping up on travelers' credit-card statements long after they've returned home.
Rental firms deny any wrongdoing. But travelers like Michael Remmert insist their rental records have been changed after the fact. Remmert said he was dinged almost $1,000 for repairs a month after returning a Hertz car in Germany with out a scratch. One year later, the matter is still in dispute. (A spokesperson for Hertz said the corporation is "concerned" with Remmert's experience and is investigation the matter.) Click Here to continue.
Did You Know?
Predicting Late Arrivals
 Source: T&E
On Aug. 26, 2006, a total of 1,428 flights were delayed in the United States, according to a new website launched by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, www.avoiddelays.com . The site uses the U.S. Department of Transportation data to make a case that the nation needs more personnel in the airport control towers. For flyers, it's also a handy tool for discovering where and when flights are chronically behind schedule. The site ranks probable delays by airport, airline and flight. For instance, among the most delayed departure airports for the month of August were Atlanta, Minneapolis and Detroit. The site also provides live delay updates and useful tips for touching down on time.

Canada: Outbreak of Norwalk virus affects hundreds in Edmonton
 Source: T&E
According to health officials, some 300 people have been reported ill with Norwalk virus in day care centers, student residences and senior citizen facilities during the past month. The illness typically causes vomiting and low-grade fever that lasts 24 to 48 hours, but it can be deadly for people who are elderly, very young or have weakened immune systems.

Hong Kong: Smoking ban to take effect Jan. 1
 Source: T&E
On Friday Hong Kong's legislative body passed a law banning smoking in most public spaces. The law, which will take effect Jan. 1, also bans smoking in certain outdoor areas, such as outside of hospitals, schools and public transport hubs.

 
Travel & Leisure


WINTER GETAWAYS

7 days/6 Nights from
$529 per person

Travel 12/10/06 - 3/31/07

FROM
Coast Whistler Hotel $529
Beaver Creek West Condos $579
Village at Breckenridge $599
Best Western Truckee Tahoe Inn $665
Evergreen Lodge (Vail) $719
Aspenwood Condos (Aspen) $739

Additional Hotels & Longer or Shorter Stays Available.
Prices do not include airfare. As about special air-inclusive rates from your city.


ALL PACKAGES INCLUDE:
Hotel Accommodations & Taxes - Lift Tickets

Prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy accommodations. Pricing valid for travel 12/10/06 - 3/31/07. Effective dates may vary by resort. There a limited number of rooms available for this promotion. Rates are subject to change without notice; availability, holiday blackouts, peak period surcharges and other restrictions apply.

Call an A & I Travel leisure specialist to make your reservations.
Ask for Joan, Joye, or Rhonda
901-291-1400 or 1-800-467-1182
vacation@aitvl.com
 

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