May 2009
In this issue...

• MacNair Travel Celebrates 20 Years & Delivers Savings of $33 Million Annually
• Demo of Our Online Booking Tool Now Available on MacNair Website
• MacNair Travel Uses the Best Technology to Find You the Lowest Fares
• Now is the Time to Travel as Airfare and Hotel Rates Continue to Fall
• More Flights On-Time in February
• Virtually There- Our Electronic Tool for Viewing E-Tickets and Itineraries Has Improved
• Register Now for Our June Webinar: "The Online Travel Adoption Toolkit"
• Emergency Notification Executed for H1N1 Virus
• Secure Flight Rules Include New Documentation Requirements for Flights
• Land and Sea Requirements of Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Go Into Effect June 1st
• Did You Know...? Booking Your Vacation with MacNair Travel Can Save You Time & Money
  

MACNAIR TRAVEL CELEBRATES 20 YEARS & DELIVERS SAVINGS OF $33 MILLION ANNUALLY

MacNair Travel Management is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month. In two decades of travel management and vacation planning travel services, macNair Travel has weathered many storms including the end of suppliers paying travel agencies for their services to the dramatic effect 9/11 had on the travel industry. Even in tough economic times, MacNair Travel books 65,000 airline tickets, 28,000 car and hotel reservations, creates 1,000 vacations, and manages 25,000 travelers and 300 corporate customers on an annual basis.

"The economy has been tough but we are in the money saving business," MacNair Travel's President and CEO Michael MacNair says. Most impressive is the $33 million in annualized airfare savings the travel management firm delivers to its clients compared to national domestic and international ticket costs as compiled by Topaz International.

Reflecting on 20 years in business, MacNair notes that his business model completely changed from being paid by suppliers to being paid by customers. MacNair's customers are more educated and as a result their service, advice, tools, technology and even technology team have had to keep ahead of what's readily available.

"At first, technology made travel easy for customers, but not recently," he says. "It is hard for companies to control, monitor and support what their travelers are doing. Our corporate customers have become larger corporations needing systems development and an integrated travel management solution."

MacNair prides himself above all else, in his team. "I am most proud of the people I am able to surround myself with and the job they do," he adds.

DEMO OF OUR ONLINE BOOKING TOOL NOW AVAILABLE ON MACNAIR WEBSITE

MacNairport, our best-in-class online travel reservation tool, is a unique integration of some of the industry's best travel technologies. The heart and soul of MacNairport is its booking engine powered by GetThere, which we use for its reliability, content, and relationship with the Sabre booking system. MacNairport harnesses the power of these tools behind the scenes so that you can easily select the travel options you want. You can give it a test drive by going to www.macnairtravel.com and clicking on the link on the bottom right of the homepage. Once you experience the power of GetThere for yourself we are sure you will give us a call to build and customize a MacNairport site for you and your organization.

MACNAIR TRAVEL USES THE BEST TECHNOLOGY TO FIND YOU THE LOWEST FARES

Sabre, one of the technologies MacNair uses to find our clients the best fares, was recently cited as having the most extensive flight listings, customization options, and more by Topaz International, the industry's leading provider of airfare analysis and benchmarking data. Topaz International determined that Sabre found the lowest fare four times more often than its competitors and provided an average savings of 10 percent on ticket sales. Sabre is one of the important tools MacNair uses to help our clients find the best value whether it's for airfare, rail, hotels, or cars. (Source: Topaz International and Sabre press releases)

NOW IS THE TIME TO TRAVEL AS AIRFARE AND HOTEL RATES CONTINUE TO FALL

American Express reported in its latest Business Travel Monitor that domestic and international airfares were down 9% and 12% respectively in the first quarter of 2009 versus the same period in 2008. One-way domestic flights fell from an average of $233 to $213 and international flights from $1,911 to $1,680. Economy class made up 56% of international flights, while business class fell to 39% of all flights compared to 50% in 2008. Hotel prices fell 12% from $203 to $180. Budget and deluxe hotel prices fell the most after aggressive price cuts to woo travelers who are cutting back. "A buyer's market emerged at the end of the year and is in full force today," according to Frank Schnur of American Express Business Travel. (Source: Travel Weekly - May 4, 2009)

MORE FLIGHTS ON-TIME IN FEBRUARY

The 19 largest domestic airlines improved their on-time arrival performance to 82.6% for February. These statistics are some of the best on record for the month. Airlines are flying fewer planes with fewer passengers and weather was cooperative this past February all of which helped in improving performance.
(Source: Travel Weekly - April 20, 2009)

VIRTUALLY THERE- OUR ELECTRONIC TOOL FOR VIEWING E-TICKETS AND ITINERARIES HAS IMPROVED

Virtually There, MacNair Travel's online tool for viewing itineraries and electronic tickets, has changed. While all of the core functions of the current Virtually There will carry over, the new system eliminates the need for all users to know their reservation codes for access, provides segmented views into the itinerary and uses a Sabre-hosted mobile platform that mirrors the user interface of the desktop site. In the new version, travelers now have more control over their profiles and such preferences as language, flight notification and modes of communication through a single screen. Travelers also can now access security wait times through a direct data feed from the Transportation Security Administration. Other enhancements include a MyTrip section that serves as a central entry point for travelers to manage their current and past trip itineraries. MyTrip also houses e-ticket information for 13 months after trip completion. (Sabre press release)

REGISTER NOW FOR OUR JUNE WEBINAR: "THE ONLINE TRAVEL ADOPTION TOOLKIT"

MacNair Travel's President and CEO Michael MacNair will continue his series of virtual webinars on key topics identified by our valued customers to enhance travel management value, quality and savings. We hope you will be able to attend. Please feel free to share our invitation with others who can benefit from this information and learn how to engage more of your team to use our online solutions for reservations.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 12noon-1:00pm "The Online Travel Adoption Toolkit"
Please click here to register.

You may also contact Rian Watson at 703-650-5256 or rwatson@macnairtravel.com to register. Dial-in information will be emailed out to registrants two days prior to the event.

EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION EXECUTED FOR H1N1 VIRUS

MacNair Travel understands that our clients are concerned about the spread of H1N1 or swine flu. In the early days of the outbreak we notified customers traveling to Mexico during the month of May and assisted them in changing travel plans, if necessary. At this point, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health organization (WHO) are not advising passengers to avoid travel. Both organizations recommend taking common sense precautions to avoid spreading the disease or any disease for that matter. MacNair Travel will continue to monitor the situation and notify our clients if the H1N1 flu affects their travel plans. For the most current information and recommendations related to the swine flu please see the CDC and the WHO. MacNair Travel's emergency notifications are yet another way we help manage your travel.

SECURE FLIGHT RULES INCLUDE NEW DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS FOR FLIGHTS

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced the Secure Flight program, which transfers responsibility for monitoring pre-departure watch lists from the airlines to the TSA. With the move, airlines must provide the TSA with a passenger's full name (as shown on state or government ID), date of birth and gender in order to issue a boarding pass online or prior to departure. If available, passport data, redress number and known traveler number must also be transmitted to the TSA.

Secure Flight requires that domestic aircraft operators request and collect full names as of May 15th. Date of birth and gender are required as of August 15th. For international flights, full name, date of birth, and gender must be requested and collected as of October 31st. MacNair Travel is changing our profiles to ensure consistent transmission of this information. (Source: GetThere press release)

LAND AND SEA REQUIREMENTS OF WESTERN HEMISPHERE TRAVEL INITIATIVE GO INTO EFFECT JUNE 1ST

Beginning on June 1st, 2009, most U.S. citizens entering the United States will be required to show a passport, passport card, or other documentation approved by the Department of Homeland Security. The U.S. government previously only required proof of identity and proof of U.S. citizenship when entering the United States from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and Caribbean countries by land or sea. (Source: U.S. State Department)

DID YOU KNOW...? BOOKING YOUR VACATION WITH MACNAIR TRAVEL CAN SAVE YOU TIME & MONEY

The Personal Travel Division at MacNair Travel excels at finding the best vacation values and managing all of the details for you. Whether you are planning a family trip, a romantic getaway or a company incentive trip, MacNair Travel should be your first call! Here is some recent feedback from satisfied customers:

"My 4-day stay this June at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess in Bermuda was going to be $499/night plus over $50 in taxes. MacNair Travel booked it as a vacation package for me and my total for four nights was just $1,484 - and they upgraded my room to a Signature Balcony. My total savings was almost $600!" - Guy Mossman, Orbis, Inc.

"I booked Caneel Bay in St. John's on my own, but could only get a Garden View room. The Ocean View rooms were all sold out. I don't know why I didn't call MacNair first, but once I did - they were able to secure an Ocean View room for us and add a $200 resort credit. MacNair Travel really came through for us!" - Scott Curtis

"I wanted to send you a brief note to let you know we had a great time on our corporate incentive trip to Cabo San Lucas. The trip was extremely well planned by you and your recommendations on activities were outstanding. We will be putting together two larger trips for July and October. I'll keep you posted." - Michael Bertamini, ICore

Contact the Personal Travel Department today at 703-836-1101. Our experienced staff averages 20 years in the business and is committed to making every trip a Dream Trip!

Please feel free to send comments or suggestions to our editor, Tony Torres, at ttorres@macnairtravel.com.