Global Traveler's eFlyer

Vol. 2 | Issue 19 | May 11, 2004

NEWS - SINGAPORE AIRLINES TO SET NEW COMMERCIAL FLIGHT RECORD | TSA TRAINS SIGHTS ON RAILROADS | AIR FRANCE & KLM COMPLETE MERGER | CONTINENTAL TO SCRAP PAPER TICKETS | 20 NEW HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS HOTELS TO OPEN IN MIDDLE EAST
DEALS - NYC TAXI FARE HIKE SOLUTIONS | BRITISH AIRWAYS | INTERCONTINENTAL CLEVELAND | COPTHORNE HOTEL & RESORT QUEENSTOWN LAKEFRONT
REVIEWS - QATAR AIRWAYS - PLUS - YOUR LETTERS




	Middle East Airlines Gain Ground Air travel is up worldwide, but nowhere more so than in the Middle East where India and China's growing middle classes are helping to fuel the boom GENEVA-BASED INTERNATIONAL AIR TRANSPORT Association reported last week that international passenger traffic on its member airlines has continued its move into positive territory, posting a gain on average of 13.3 percent for the month of March. This figure, however, was skewed upward by a more than 40-percent jump in Middle East traffic. The growth of the Middle East air travel market has been ongoing. Last year, at the height of the SARS crisis and the buildup to the Iraq war, airlines worldwide recorded a drop in passenger volume of more than 4 percent, while in the Middle East travel was up more than 11 percent. Meanwhile, last week one of the fastest growing Gulf airlines, Qatar Airways, was awarded a five-star rating by SkyTrax, elevating it to a stature shared by only two other carriers, Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines. The airline has announced plans to expand its route network to include a total of 70 destinations across five continents by the end of 2005. Emirates Airlines will take off from New York (JFK) on June 1, for the first time expanding its reach around the globe to the North American continent. Later this summer, it will reach around the other way, initiating service to San Francisco. Last week, it announced profits for the fiscal year ending March 31 were up more than 66 percent on record revenues up more than 70 percent. JOURNEY THROUGH THE CENTER OF THE WORLD Emirates, Qatar Airways and to some extent Bahrain-based Gulf Airlines are capitalizing on location. Half way between Asia and Europe, San Francisco and New York (if you go the long way), the nations of Qatar and Emirates member nations Dubai and Abu Dhabi have set up their airports to function smoothly as hubs connecting the world as both crossroads and tourist destinations. The market is there, from Africa to China to India, air travel is up across the board. On the wings of this success, new carriers are popping up. In Abu Dhabi, new airline Etihad took to the air in November, and Royal Jet, an upscale charter operation designed to carry the royal family and partly owned by them launches this month. In the emirate of Sharjah, the Middle East's first budget airline, Air Arabia took off in October. — Jonathan McEwan




	Singapore Airlines to Break Own Record ON JUNE 28, A SINGAPORE AIRLINES A340-500 WILL TAKE OFF FROM SINGAPORE bound for Newark (EWR). The 18-hour flight will break the airline's previous record-setting 16-hour flight from Singapore to Los Angeles (LAX) launched in February. The flight, which passes over the Arctic en route, will shave about four hours of travel time off existing one-stop services, while landing in the record books as the longest statute mile commercial flight in the world. —JM

	TSA Trains Sights on Railroads TRAVELING BY TRAIN GOT AN AWFUL LOT MORE LIKE TRAVELING BY PLANE last week for commuters in New Carrollton, MD, where the TSA has installed its first GE Ion Track-manufactured EntryScan3 walk-through, bomb-sniffing gateways. Part of the agency's Transit and Rail Inspection Pilot program, also referred to as TRIP, the gateways and baggage x-ray equipment will be tested over a 30-day period. TSA hopes to learn more about the efficacy and feasibility of installing airport-like security screening in non-climate-controlled, sensitive commuter and rail stations. Passengers entering the train station step into the device, a little larger than a shower stall, where they are bombarded with little bursts of air. The process takes approximately 12 seconds. If explosives are detected, the passenger would be searched and, if explosives found, arrested. Unlike metal detectors in airports, the machines do not require passengers to empty pockets or remove articles of clothing. The TSA says the program was in planning before the March 11 attacks in Spain. If successful, the system will be deployed to a limited number of stations considered at risk. —JM

	Air France and KLM Complete Merger LAST WEEK AIR FRANCE AND KLM COMPLETED THEIR MERGER AND THE TWO AIRLINES BEGAN the process of becoming one corporate entity — the largest airline in the world by revenue. The airlines, which will for now maintain their separate identities and brands, announced that starting June 1 they will begin coordinating schedules throughout their combined short-, medium- and long-haul networks. In Paris (CDG) KLM's flights will have to be moved from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2F. In Amsterdam (AMS), the carriers will operate out of a single boarding area. "AF and KLM have decided to join their forces and destinies to build a new entity on a par with the great European single market." Air France chairman and CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta and KLM president and CEO Leo van Wijk said in a joint statement. "Today we share a single ambition, which is to be one of the few airlines that are powerful enough to play a leading role in the future of the global alliances that will structure the airline industry." —JM

	Continental Tosses Paper Tickets IN AN EFFORT TO CUT COSTS, CONTINENTAL HAS ANNOUNCED THAT BY YEAR'S END the carrier will no longer issue paper tickets. Already nearly 95 percent of its domestic passengers and 88 percent of its international passengers opt for paperless e-tickets. In preparation for the changeover, the airline scrapped 50 interline ticketing and baggage agreements with carriers that do not have electronic ticketing capabilities. Passengers will still be able to book travel through agents, online and at kiosks at airports, and passengers will still be issued paper boarding cards once checked in. —JM

	Holiday Inn Express Moves into Middle East HERE'S A NOVEL IDEA: A BUDGET HOTEL CHAIN IN THE MIDDLE EAST. IN DUBAI, WHERE there are more than 260 hotels and another 30-plus on the way, the majority of them four- and five-star properties, InterContinental Hotels Group has announced plans to open one of its first Express by Holiday Inn hotels. The Dubai hotel will open simultaneously with two others — one in Riyadh and another in Jeddah — by the end of 2005 and will be followed by 17 more in business locations thoughout the Gulf region. "Each of the hotels will be in a new building offering consistent standards of services," said Chris Maloney, chief operating officer for the Middle East and Africa region. "The brand will not only add significantly to our presence in the Middle East, but also successfully fill a gap in the market." —JM




	Work in Progress QATAR AIRWAYS Doha (DOH) to Dubai (DBX), First Class, www.qatarairways.com SECURITY AT DOHA WAS STREAMLINED, BUT THOROUGH. I made my way to the ticket counter for my boarding pass and then to the Qatar Airways lounge on the second floor. Marble floors, contemporary furnishings, leather sofas and a delicious breakfast buffet waited inside. Coffee was served by a uniformed flight attendant. When boarding was called, I went down to the waiting area for the bus out to the field where the plane was parked. Qatar Airways/Doha has begun reclaiming land from the sea creating acreage on which to build a new airport that will serve as the airline's Middle East hub. The first phase of construction should be completed by late 2008 or early 2009, with the full 10.9-square-mile facility up and running by 2015. Until then, the current airport terminal is not equipped with jetways. This, to me, is no hindrance. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing quite like having the opportunity to appreciate the scale and beauty of today's aircraft from the ground. On board we were quickly and efficiently readied for departure. Flight attendants distributed Arabic and English newspapers and we were soon airborne. Aloft, a breakfast consisting of a cheese and mushroom omelet, sausage, fruit and rolls was served. This was quite remarkable as the flight between Doha and Dubai is very short, under an hour, and I was just finishing my omelet as we began our descent into Dubai. We arrived on time and my luggage was waiting as I cleared passport control. Score: ••••• —Francis X. Gallagher




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	NYC Taxi Fares Go Up and Hotels Have the Answers Last week New York City taxi fares jumped 26 percent, making a visit to the Big Apple more costly than ever. But a number of hotels have come up with various solutions. Jolly Hotel Madison Towers is "reimbursing" guests via a room rebate of up to $20 daily for same-day New York City taxi cab receipts. The offer is good on stays of two nights or more through Sept. 6. Rates start at $189 per night. www.jollyhotels.com Through Aug. 31, Clarion Fifth Avenue Hotel will deduct 10¢ per mile off hotel room rack rates for every mile traveled between home and hotel. The further a guest has to travel to get to the hotel, the lower the price. Deductions, however, top out at $50 for regular reservations and $65 for reservations placed within three days of intended stay. To qualify, bring proof of residency and a MapQuest printout showing the distance between home and hotel. www.clarionfifthavenue.com More budget-conscious travelers will appreciate Apple Core Hotels' "Big Apple Unlimited" package. Stay at any of Apple Core's five midtown Manhattan hotels — La Quinta Inn Manhattan, Red Roof Inn Manhattan, Comfort Inn Midtown, Super 8 Hotel Times Square and Ramada Inn East Side — and enjoy Continental breakfast and two one-day unlimited-ride MetroCards. The cards are valid for travel on all city buses and subways throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Rates start at $119 based on double occupancy and are available through July 31. Guests traveling alone receive only one MetroCard. www.applecorehotels.com

	Act Fast for British Airways’ London Sale British Airways has some great deals right now to London from its U.S. gateway cities. One-way fares are as low as $188 and four-star hotel accommodations are available through the airline for as little as $69 per person. But don't waste time, sale fares are only available through midnight May 13. Visit www.britishairways.com for more information.

	Experience Africa — in Cleveland Seeking enlightenment on the Dark Continent without the hassle of visas, 14-hour flights and Malaria vaccinations? Go to Cleveland. Right now the InterContinental Cleveland is offering an "African Adventure" package. Priced at $139 per night, the package includes: accommodations, breakfast for two, valet parking and two tickets to the Botanical Garden, Museum of Natural History, Western Reserve Historical Society and the Museum of Art. The package is offered Friday and Saturday nights through Sept. 1. Visit www.interconti.com for more.

	Autumn in Queenstown Enjoy the changing seasons in New Zealand's answer to Denver. Take advantage of the area's many options from skiing to golf to bungy jumping (the record for the most jumps performed in a single day was recorded here). Through the end of June, Copthorne Hotel & Resort Queenstown Lakefront is offering a special package for $299. The package includes two nights' accommodation for two, breakfast and a bottle of Champagne and a fruit basket on arrival. For more information, visit www.mckhotels.co.nz


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