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Volume 6, Issue 21, May 28, 2008 |
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Not one, not two, but three studies of air-traveler satisfaction released results last week, and — surprise! — travelers aren’t all that happy.
Two of the surveys focused on airports. The eminent J.D. Power and Associates North America Airport Satisfaction Study, 2008 edition, shows that overall customer satisfaction with airports is noticeably down from previous years. This is the second year in a row that satisfaction declined. Not coincidental, one in five of the travelers surveyed reported experiencing at least one delay. The highest rated major international airport in North America was Philadelphia International (PHL).
Airports that fare best in the survey have comfortable seating, convenient restrooms, and a variety of food and beverage options, the study found. Conversely, inconsistency in the security process from airport to airport is a frequently cited frustration, with a significant drop in satisfaction with the professionalism of security staff since last year. Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP), San Francisco (SFO) and Seattle (SEA) shared the lowest ratings among major airports for security satisfaction.
In another study, the Phoenix International Travel Research Group polled business travelers specifically, and asked them to rate their home airport as well as at least one destination airport. Of 50 airports included, only 10 received positive ratings, with Tampa International (TPA) rating highest among “away” airports and Fort Lauderdale (FLL) ranking highest among “home” airports. The Phoenix Group discounted people who didn’t really care one way or the other and then deducted the negatives from the positives; most airports, as a result, had rankings in the negative numbers.
The University of Michigan’s business school also released its American Customer Satisfaction Index last week. Of 16 industries evaluated, airlines came in dead last. The only airline whose customer satisfaction score was “high” (79 percent) was Southwest. US Airways had the lowest score, 54 percent. US Airways and Continental suffered the biggest drop since last year, both by more than 10 percent. 
Don’t miss your last chance to bid in Global Traveler’s Silent Auction, which closes at midnight EDT this Friday, May 30. Not only might you get a great bargain on such prizes as premium-class airfares, top hotel stays, or luggage, but all the prizes have been donated, and proceeds benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. With several days to go, bids for most prizes are still well below their retail value, so jump in before it’s too late, and help this worthy cause.
Lufthansa has been testing the use of electronic boarding passes on some of its domestic routes, and now Northwest is conducting a similar program. The paperless system incorporates your boarding-pass information into a bar code that can be transmitted to your cell phone, handheld or email, and can be scanned at security checkpoints and boarding gates. Currently the program is being offered on the airline’s nonstop domestic flights out of Indianapolis.
If you’re traveling in or out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), flight information is as close as your cell phone. Sign up at the Port of Seattle’s Web site; then, on your day of travel, text FLYSEA (359732) and your airline name and flight number. You’ll get a quick return text with your flight status, gate, and departure or arrival time.
If you’re a small or medium-sized business, Emirates Airlines is gearing up a rewards program just for you. The new program has already been launched in the UAE and will be extended to other markets the airline serves, including the United States. In the program, individual employees will continue to receive Skywards award miles while the employer earns Business Reward miles that accumulate across all the company’s travelers. A special site is also provided for employers to manage employee travel.
Qantas Airways’ new Premium Economy cabin is coming to America. The new cabin class, already flying on Qantas routes between Australia and London, Johannesburg, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore, will debut on the Los Angeles (LAX) – Sydney (SYD) route Nov. 14 and on the Los Angeles-Melbourne (MEL) route Dec.19. Round-trip fare in the new cabin, including priority check-in, will start at $4,098. The service is being offered on 747-400 aircraft now, and will also be available on the airline’s new Airbus A380s as they roll into service.
Ferro’s
145 E. 50th St.
New York, NY 10022
tel 212 888 1220
www.ferrosnyc.com
When I came off the elevator from my suite (actually an apartment) at The Kimberly Hotel (see hotel review) and headed for the door off the lobby marked “restaurant,” I thought I was heading back into the bowels of the building. Instead, a sharp turn left took me into the midsection of Ferro’s, whose main entrance is a café-style heated porch on East 50th Street. The resulting ambience of a neighborhood restaurant-cum-gathering place with upscale cuisine was delightful.
While some locals were perched at the bar, I was seated at a table against one wall, set with crisp white linens and heavy silverware. While sipping a recommended (and worthy) glass of 2005 Chalone Chardonnay, I perused the impressive menu. Ferro’s specializes in American cuisine with a bit of an Italian spin, but it is by no means “neighborhood Italian”; there are some upscale pizzas for the bar crowd watching sports on big TVs, but most of the fare is more suited to be served on the white linen.
I had the New Zealand mussels for an appetizer, which were indeed giant as promised, in a yummy white wine sauce that I could sop up with my choice of three kinds of bread from the bread basket. For the main course I had the rack of lamb — four large chops perfectly cooked and served with a pistachio-garnished couscous. Dessert was a rich and simple chocolate gelato. Service was friendly but efficient and inobtrusive throughout.
After a terrific experience with my meal (and a hard time choosing from the interesting menu) I had every good intention of returning the next day, perhaps to sample the whole sea bass or one of the many varieties of risotto, but business plans intruded. New York is full of good restaurants, but I intend to go back to Ferro’s the next chance I get.
Score: ••••• Mary Hunt
To introduce its new service to Moscow (DME) beginning June 2, American Airlines is offering discounted airfares and bonus miles. Sample round-trip economy-class fares are: from New York (LGA) $934; from Los Angeles (LAX) $1,065; from Chicago $1,198; from Denver $1,346. The special fares require seven-day advance purchase and must be bought by June 20, for travel originating no later than Sept. 4. A Saturday night stay is required. Bonus miles are being offered on the new nonstop flight from Chicago if you register and use bonus code AADME: 5,000 miles in discounted economy, 7,500 miles in full-fare economy, and 10,000 miles in first or business class.
This summer, nine Radisson Edwardian Hotels in London are locking in rates in dollars, through Sept. 7, regardless of currency fluctuations. From July 21 to Sept. 7, rates start at $198 (Radisson Edwardian New Providence Wharf or Heathrow) and are good any night, with no minimum stay. From June 1 to July 20, rates range from $240 a night (Radisson Edwardian Heathrow) to $460 (The Hampshire) and have a three-night minimum stay. All rates include full English breakfast and tax.
Wyndham Worldwide is running a summer-long sweepstakes, awarding one grand prize each week. The grand prizes include a week’s vacation at your choice of 6,000 Wyndham properties worldwide, a travel package to a PGA tournament, hotel stays throughout North America, and a week in a Presidential suite. More than 1,000 instant-win prizes are also available, ranging from $50 Visa gift cards to airline miles and restaurant vouchers. Enter online.
Celebrating its new routes to India, Cathay Pacific is offering up to 15,000 AAdvantage miles to first-class passengers and up to 10,000 miles to business-class flyers who travel round trip to Hong Kong or India. To qualify, register using promotion code CXIND and travel between June 1 and Aug.15. There is no limit to the number of bonuses that can be earned during the qualifying period.
South African Airways is putting seats on sale for travel between the United States and South Africa or Senegal beginning late summer. Lowest fares start at $790 round-trip from New York (JFK) or Washington (IAD) from Oct. 5 through Dec. 6 and again Jan. 7-March 31; slightly higher sale fares are available for flying Aug. 20-Oct. 4.
