December 2009
In this issue...

• Two More Reasons Why Managing Travel is Better Than Just Managing Trips
• Low-Cost Airlines Grabbing Increasing Share of Market Delivering Lower Ticket Prices
• MacNair Travel to Close at 5:00pm on December 17th, 24th, and 31st
• Companies Re-discover Benefits of Face-to-Face Meetings
• New Feature: Ask MacNair
• Airline Updates
• Closure of JFK's Busiest Runway Expected to Cause Delays
• International Registered Traveler Program Expands
• Vacation Hotspots by Kim Peele, Personal Travel Division Manager
  

Two More Reasons Why Managing Travel is Better than just Managing Trips

Data = Forecasts and Control. As the outlook for the economy improves, finance leaders are applying a valuable lesson they have learned during the downturn. They are now more apt than ever to develop concise forecasts and budgets for travel using real data to forecast and budget travel accurately and quickly. Companies need easy visibility of all travel expenditures, as well as estimates of expected changes for the coming year. We have helped customers dramatically shorten the time required to develop these forecasts with consolidated reports showing all their online and call-in travel data and, at the request of the customer, sorted by department or project. We also have forecasts for pricing changes for 2010 to share. Ask your Account Manager for details.

Unused Non-Refundable Credit. When our Account Managers check in with our customers, one of the clean-ups on their list is to purge profiles of past employees while ensuring complete profiles for all road warriors. In this process we purge the former employees from our system and ensure that they do not have any unused non-refundable tickets on file. If they do, we advise the client about which tickets can be used for a different traveler and assist them in managing the process for maximum utilization and significant benefit.

Low-Cost Airlines Grabbing Increasing Share of Market Delivering Lower Ticket Prices

Low-cost carriers now have 26% of the domestic air travel market as of August 2009. Low-cost airlines should continue to gain market share in the coming years helping to lower costs for airline consumers. This compares to 11% in 2000. Legacy airlines have made up for some of their losses in the domestic market by shifting to more international markets, which are more profitable. MacNair offers all these carriers in one place and will find you the cheapest fare for your needs. (Source: Travel Weekly)

MacNair Travel to Close at 5:00PM on December 17th, 24th, and 31st

MacNair Travel will be closing early on Thursday, December 17th at 5:00 pm Eastern for our annual Holiday Party. We will also be closing early at 5:00 pm Eastern Thursday, December 24th and Thursday, December 31st for Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. MacNair Travel will be closed on December 25th and January 1st for the holidays. We will resume normal business hours on Monday, January 4th.

Companies re-discover benefits of face-to-face meetings

During the economic downturn, about 85% of companies reduced their spending on business travel. Two recent reports commissioned by business travel groups stressed the bottom-line benefits of business travel. The groups promote business travel, but Henry H. Harteveldt, a Forrester Research travel analyst, agreed with the reports' findings. "We are social beings," he said. "There are emotional as well as rational benefits to face-to-face meetings." Individual companies are coming to the same conclusion. (Source: The New York Times)

New Feature: Ask MacNair

Do you have a question about travel that you haven't been able to find an answer to? If so, please email it to us at news@macnairtravel.com or contact your MacNair travel consultant. We'll publish and answer the best question each month in this space. See this month's question/answer below.

"I am a frequent overseas traveler and I always ask my MacNair travel rep to help process my upgrade to business class. They always accommodate me for the US/Europe flights. It's the second leg of my European flights where I cannot get the upgrade. When I am at the international terminal, they will say that I cannot get the upgrade, even though it's a partner air carrier (Star Alliance, etc) and I should have asked for the upgrade in the States. Is it possible to explain using frequent flyer miles to upgrade while traveling overseas? Or do I have to be a card carrying member of every international air carrier to get upgraded?"
Sincerely,
A.G.

MacNair Responds:
In the past, upgrading on an airline other than your "home" carrier has not been a feature of most airline's frequent flyer programs. 2009 has been the first year in which upgrading on another airline has become a lot easier through the advent of "Star Alliance Upgrade Awards". Travelers belonging to the United Airlines Mileage Plus program and the Continental Airlines OnePass program can now use their frequent flyer miles to upgrade on many other Star Alliance airlines subject to availability. Recently, MacNair consultants used the program to upgrade a traveler from Barcelona to Frankfurt on Lufthansa using United Airlines miles, and found various options using Star Alliance Upgrades for a customer going from Sydney to London. The Star Alliance Upgrade Awards are based on each segment of the trip, not the origin and destination, are subject to minimum fare levels, and are capacity controlled. For a chart of airlines participating in the program, click here.

Airline Updates

United Airlines and Continental Airlines have announced that members of each carrier's frequent flyer program who have earned elite status will receive unlimited, complimentary domestic upgrades on flights operated by both airlines when space is available. Members of each airline's loyalty club will have access to premium seating - United's Economy Plus and Continental's Premium Seating. These new benefits will begin to roll out in mid-2010.

Lufthansa will introduce a second bag fee for Economy class travel of $50 between the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the European Union for tickets issued on/after January 1st. This will not apply to to First, Business, and status card holders - HON, SEN, and Star Gold Card members who are still permitted three pieces and Frequent Travelers who are permitted two pieces. Star Alliance Silver will have to pay for the second bag. This applies only for travel to Europe. British Airways is merging with Iberia to create a European airline with roughly $20 billion in annual revenue. Last year, the carriers transported 62 million passengers compared with 121 million for Delta Airlines. (Source: Continental, United, Lufthansa press releases, The Wall Street Journal)

Closure of JFK's Busiest runway expected to cause delays

New York's Kennedy Airport will launch a construction project this spring that will put its busiest runway out of use for several months. The situation has the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Federal Aviation Administration and airlines scrambling to figure out how to avoid traffic disruptions and substantial delays. For example, airlines serving the airport have agreed to keep flight frequencies at winter and early spring levels through the beginning of July rather than increasing them as they normally do during the summer months. "We will probably try to steer passengers away from JFK in order to minimize having to reschedule passengers at a later date," said Michael MacNair of MacNair Travel Management. Click here for the full story.
(Source: Travel Weekly)

International Registered traveler program expands

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is expanding and making permanent its Global Entry international registered traveler program. Global Entry - currently available as a pilot program at 20 U.S. international airports - allows pre-approved members a streamlined, automated alternative to regular passport processing lines. The proposed rule would make Global Entry permanent and expand it to more international airports. The program currently reduces average wait times by more than 70 percent, with more than 75 percent of travelers using Global Entry processed in under five minutes. (Source: DHS press release)

Vacation Hotspots by Kim peele, personal travel division manager

Just a few of the many travel values available this month:

• Fun with philanthropy on the first ever Meals on Waves cruise to benefit the DC Central Kitchen. Sail with Mike MacNair on Holland America's Eurodam March 6-13, 2010. Spend a week relaxing, visiting beautiful islands and giving back with a day of service in St. Thomas feeding the hungry. Seven days from $849. Airfare and taxes additional. Click here for more details.
• Experience the romance of Europe this summer for less! Book a qualifying Trafalgar 2010 European air and land vacation and the second traveler on the same itinerary flies for FREE when full payment is made by December 30, 2009. Or book a qualifying land-only vacation and save up to $1090 per couple. Contact your MacNair Travel consultant for details.
• Grab your clubs and enjoy the courses and beautiful coastline of Puerto Rico. I have just returned from Gran Melia Golf Resort in Puerto Rico and it is a great place to spend a few days for fun, sports and meetings. Great golf courses, excellent food, Old San Juan, El Yunque Forest and more. No passport required! Book by January 6th for travel by March 31st and get your 4th night free!
• Mike MacNair was onboard Royal Caribbean's new Oasis of the Seas and reports that it is amazing! Imagine a ship with a different neighborhood for every day of the week! Central Park features a town square and several alfresco dining options. The boardwalk comes with a Johnny Rockets, the exclusive AquaTheater and the first-ever Carousel at Sea. Sail the Eastern Caribbean in 2010 and enjoy excellent rates through MacNair Travel!
  
  
• Don't forget, when you book with MacNair Travel, and use your American Express card, you can Pay with Points, earn double Membership Rewards points, earn $100 Annual Travel Benefit and even a full year of Travel & Leisure magazine!

Give the gift of travel this holiday season! Ask about our Gift Certificates!

Click here to view previous InFlight Newsletters.
Please feel free to send comments or suggestions to our editor, Tony Torres, at ttorres@macnairtravel.com.