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It’s o-vah.

US Airways is giving up in its efforts to merge with Delta. Delta’s creditors are backing management’s efforts to emerge as a standalone company, and the airline has lined up exit financing.

Will US Airways go after someone else? Maybe. Northwest, the obvious next choice, says it doesn’t want a merger partner. There are other combinations to watch, too. Midwest rejected AirTran’s bid. United and Continental keep coming up as possible suitors, and United’s CEO mentions his desire for consolidation anytime he sees an open mike.

The failure of US-DL may mean that the immediate rush to mergers is over, but I’m sure we’ll see a merger of some kind announced before the year is out.

For now, though, nothing has changed.

Related:
- Reader mail: What will airline mergers mean to consumers?
- Here we go again: Airline merger madness, back in the news
- US Airways bids for Delta

THE 2007 TRAVVIES

It’s award season! The Oscars, the Grammies, the … Travvies?

As you know, travel blogs of all stripes are increasingly important outlets for great information and great writing. Travel bloggers may cover the destination, the journey, or both. They might focus on business, leisure, or some combination. But at the end of the day, they’re about a space outside of the normal confines of home and office.

Other blog “award shows” exist out there, such as the Webbies or the Weblog Awards, but despite there being thousands of travel blogs, the travel category has never been included in these other awards. Thus, the Travvies were born.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE TRAVVIES?

Any travel blog that existed in 2006 and that generated at least 52 posts in 2006 is open for consideration. The primary focus of blogs should be on some aspect of travel. While quality travel blogs are written in many languages, we will unfortunately only consider English-language blogs for the Travvies.

WHAT’S THE PROCESS?

1) Nominees will be solicited from the general public for one week, beginning Monday, February 5, 2007. Readers will be asked to post their nominations for the appropriate category via the comments section of the post announcing that category.

2) When the nomination process is closed, a panel of invited judges will investigate and select their top 3 selections in each category. The five blogs in each category that are most often chosen by the judges as finalists will be presented as the finalists for each respective category. Judges have been invited on the basis of their expertise in travel, media, and web culture. To prevent conflict of interest, no one who themselves writes a travel blog can serve as a judge. To prevent “tampering,” the judges’ names will be announced along with the finalists, not before. As I am organizing the contest, my own site, Upgrade: Travel Better, will not be eligible for any nomination.

3) Finalists will be announced on February 21, and voting will begin immediately via an online poll. Polling closes February 28 at 6pm, Chicago time (CST).

4) The winner in each category will be that finalist that receives the most votes from the general public. Winners will be announced on March 2. While there are no prizes beyond the honor of winning, each winner and nominee will be provided with a graphic to optionally display on their sites.

CATEGORIES

1. Best Travel Blog
As the overall winner, this award will go to a blog whose travel-related writings have been consistently interesting, entertaining, useful, well-written, or otherwise worth spending time reading.

2. Best Destination Blog
This award celebrates the best travel blog focusing on particular destinations — cities, countries, whatever. Quality writing and/or photography that make you want to book a flight to that location.

3. Best Informative/Practical Travel Blog
This award goes to a travel blog that provides news, commentary, advice, or general insight into the workings of travel. Unlike a destination blog, this blog is more practically minded.

4. Best Group-Written Travel Blog
This award celebrates travel blogs consistently written by two or more authors, regardless of subtopic.

5. Best Single-Author Travel Blog
This award celebrates the best travel blog writing by a single blogger. Again, the topic is open, as long as there is only one regular poster.

6. Best Photography on a Travel Blog
Some blogs focus more on the visuals than the writing. This award celebrates the best in visual media on a travel blog.

Watch this space for updates. (No nominations now, please.) If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave a comment or use the contact link to send me an e-mail.

Yesterday, Aviation Daily reported on United’s new check-in and boarding procedures for elite-level frequent flyers at San Francisco International Airport.

Most notably, the airline is rolling out separate boarding lanes, literally laying down a red carpet for elite travelers who can board at any time.

Previously, elite flyers were invited on board early, as part of seating area 1. But once seating area 2 was called, the elites were in line with everyone else. Now, the separate elite “lane” will allow those travelers to move to the front of the line, even when “now boarding all rows” has been called out.

Continental has been doing this for some time, with a blue “Elite Access” carpet. If you’ve never seen it before, click here.

All 30 United gates at SFO have already been “upgraded” to this arrangement. Other hubs will be completed by midyear, and the top 40 airports should have the system in place by the end of 2007. (Some spaces at gates are kind of tight… will there really be sufficient room for two lanes?)

I like this idea, though it is bound to rub some people the wrong way for its velvet rope elitism. As I’ve argued before, ultra-frequent flyers who spend so much of their life traveling deserve to move through airports faster. If this gets them on the plane faster, then so be it.

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The state of New Mexico has ordered US Airways to stop serving alcohol on board its airplanes.

The ruling applies only when the airline is in New Mexican airspace, and the flight is en route to or from an airport in the state. After a fatal drunk driving accident involving a passenger who tied one on in flight, New Mexican officials determined that US Airways wasn’t licensed to serve alcohol, and was effectively “bootlegging.”

Wow. Apparently, this is legit. Other airlines operating in New Mexico actually have a liquor license. Who knew?

Frankly, I’m not a lawyer, but I would have assumed that airlines were serving alcohol legally as part of some interstate commerce provision. But I guess they need a liquor license in every state (and city?) in which they operate.

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The war on runway safety
Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi Airport hasn’t worked out as everyone hoped, with cost overruns, insufficient bathrooms, and shoddy workmanship. But now, by virtue of its failure to renew its safety certificate, it’s officially unsafe. Runways have been plagued with cracks and debris. (You’ll be pleased to know that the airport is still operating as normal. Nice. Wouldn’t want to let safety get in the way of the schedule!)

The war on skycaps
Skycaps at Boston’s Logan Airport have filed a class action lawsuit against American Airlines. The suit alleges that the airline’s policy of charging $2 per bag for curbside check-in is cutting into the skycaps’ tips. Indeed, many people assume the fee goes to the skycap, but it actually goes to the airline. The fees exist at plenty of other airports and with plenty of other airlines. Will more skycaps organize and sue?

The war on horse meat
I really don’t know what to make of this. “American Airlines and Delta Air Lines said early Thursday afternoon that they had suspended transport of horse meat to overseas markets – mainly France, Belgium and Japan – where it is consumed.” Horse butchers are angry. It’s a long story.

The war on fusion cuisine
Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture will soon travel the world, inspecting Japanese restaurants and certifying their authenticity. I realize that this is as much cultural nationalism as it is a marketing device, but it’s moronic. California rolls aren’t authentic to Japan, but they’re a standard of sushi restaurants in America. Deal with it. It’s a globalized world, and the notion of a “pure” cultural product is a sham. And it’s been a sham for some time. We’ve been globalizing for hundreds of years. (The spice trade, anyone?) But if the Japanese taxpayer wants to pay for this culinary boondoggle, have at it. (Thanks Dr. Vino!)

The war on broken in-flight entertainment
I get as irritated as the next guy when the audio-video system is broken on a long flight, but attacking the staff is probably not the way to go. Customers on board several Qantas aircraft that have been experiencing technical trouble with their video system “are becoming openly abusive and threatening” to flight attendants in flight. Not cool. Better bring a book.

The war for Delta
US Airways really, really, really, really, really wants to buy Delta. They’re now offering to raise their offer by another $1 billion if the creditors agree to postpone a meeting to discuss Delta’s in-house restructuring. Wake me up when this is over.

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British Airways has reached a tentative agreement with its staff after all, and the strike, set to begin tomorrow, is canceled.

However, many of their flights remain canceled. “Unfortunately, the decision has come too late to prevent disruption to the travel plans of tens of thousands of our customers tomorrow and Wednesday,” the airline said in a statement.

Don’t assume that your flight will operate. Check the BA website for updates and flight status.

Update, late 1/29/07: Okay, now all flights are supposedly back on, after all. “British Airways will endeavour to reinstate as many flights as possible for Tuesday 30 January and Wednesday 31 January 2007.” They’re on, they’re off, they’re on again. Make up your minds! Best to check with the airline to see if you’re really getting airborne tomorrow.

In a dispute over pay and sick leave, members of the Transport and General Workers union, representing British Airways cabin crew employees, are going on strike for two calendar days later this week. If you’re traveling on British Airways later this week, you will likely be affected.

The airline has pre-emptively cancelled 1,300 flights on January 30 and 31, but the ripple effects will last for days. For example, flights from Tokyo back to London are cancelled on February 2 and 3 as well. The list of cities with cancellations stretching as late as February 5 is long, so be sure to check if your flight is operating. Full details of post-January 31 flight cancellations are here. (note that this link is likely temporary, and may go dead soon)

A few minor exceptions remain, such as flights between Manchester and New York, which remain scheduled as normal. Also, if you’re flying on a BA codeshare operated by another airline, or if you’re only flying BA Connect, you shouldn’t be affected. Again, check the schedule.

If you want to re-book, re-route, or outright cancel your affected flights, BA is letting you do so without penalty. Start with the company that sold you the tickets, but don’t pay any fees if your flight isn’t operating.

Strikes could turn into a regular feature of travel on BA. The union has threatened further walkouts on February 5, 6, and 7, and February 12,13, and 14.

British Airways is updating flight cancellation information on its homepage.

UPDATE: Strike is called off, but flights are still canceled. See here.

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Reader Bill writes:

I need help! I accidentally booked flights for the wrong weekend via Air Tran. The flight is from Chicago to Sarasota, and it was a promotional fare that ended last night. Not only are they charging me to switch the flight (it’s in APRIL!), but they are also charging me the difference in fare because the promotion is over. Anything you can suggest?

Sorry to give you bad news, but you may be out of luck. AirTran has a pretty standard set of rules — published here — and requires a $60 fee plus any difference in the fare if you want to change a ticket.

I don’t see any way you’re going to get out of that policy, unless you can sweet talk the call center into making an exception.

Alternatively, instead of rebooking the tickets, you could pay $60 to cancel these tickets, and have the value of the tickets put into a credit voucher, for you to use within one year. (I assume they’d just deduct $60 in value from each ticket, rather than making you actually pay $60.)

This voucher option may be the way to go. If AirTran has another fare sale, you could potentially get better bang for your buck than you could right now. But it’s a gamble, and you may not be able to use the voucher for the Sarasota trip as planned.

UPDATE: Looks like Bill is quite the sweet-talker after all!

Thanks Mark! I ended up speaking with a supervisor who waived the $60 change of ticket fee, meaning I only had to pay for the difference in fare (around $65). Not too bad.

Not too bad, indeed. That supervisor was a good soul, since you didn’t have a legal leg to stand on. But it proves that a friendly request can go a long way.

The Registered Traveler program is sure getting a lot of attention. If you’ve ever participated in the Clear Registered Traveler Program or any TSA-sponsored registered traveler trials, a journalist for a major American travel magazine is interested in interviewing you. This is not the same request as posted here two weeks ago.

If interested, click the “contact” link at the top right of the blog, and I’ll forward your note to the reporter.

Reader Lisa writes:

I would be interested in supporting a passenger bill of rights, if someone started a “movement.” I don’t fly that often, but worry every time I go that I’ll be subjected to something like the 9 hour wait on the runway. Please let me know if there’s somewhere I could email, or send a letter of support for such a thing.

The idea of a passenger bill of rights is not new, but there hasn’t quite been a “movement” yet. The issue is getting some fresh attention lately, though.

Looking back a few years, the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) has a longstanding proposal for a bill of rights. Some arguments in favor of such a bill are here. The airlines, predictably, oppose such a measure, and have been able to keep it off the books. (An account of the industry’s pre-9/11 efforts to block a bill of rights in Congress is here.)

As far as the new efforts to get a bill of rights going, I can’t find a petition address. But there IS a blog… here. The blog, titled “Coalition for Airline Passenger’s Bill of Rights,” is presumably run by the lawyers for the passenger group that filed their complaints with Congress (though technically the blog is written under the pseudonym “Coalition for Reform of Airline Passenger Protocol”… or CRAPP.)

If you want to register your support, you might try leaving a comment on that blog. But above all, you should write to your senators and representatives, as well as Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

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For several years, Canadians have flown their home-grown international discount airline, Zoom, to Europe at prices that often severely undercut Air Canada and the European carriers.

Now, Zoom wants to be let out of its cage and be allowed to fly to Europe from the United States as well.

Zoom’s desired inaugural U.S. route is the busy London-New York corridor. This is the same city pair that all-business class carriers like Maxjet, Eos, and Silverjet are flying, competing with the major airlines for the big bucks, but this is at the opposite end of the luxury spectrum. Travel Weekly (sub) reports that a UK-based Zoom subsidiary — Zoom UK — has applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation to start flights on June 22 between JFK and London-Gatwick.

But beware: Zoom functions more like a European discount airline than an American one. Assuming that they keep the same model as their Canadian operations, you’ll get a low fare, but there may be add-ons. (They do feed you, though.) For example, Zoom has a low weight limit per suitcase for its luggage, and requires a pretty hefty surcharge if you go over the limit. Seat assignments will cost you a fee.

The premium economy option may be worth it, depending on the upcharge, since it gives higher luggage limits, more legroom, seating assignments, free headsets, and free booze. There’s no first or business class.

Not the posh experience of an Eos, to be sure, but if you’re young, cheap, and not spoiled rotten, this could a cheap way to hop the pond.

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With thousands of people stranded at Denver during December’s storms, with hundreds of canceled flights, and with people waitlisted to get on board the next available flight, some airlines were still willing to sell seats — in first class, at top dollar — to anyone willing to pony up. For those willing to buy a first-class ticket, you were guaranteed a spot, instead of sweating it out on the standby list.

The Wall Street Journal’s Scott McCartney reports (sub):

When a storm hits and the airline says there are no seats, that isn’t always true. It turns out some major airlines like UAL Corp.’s United will let stranded coach travelers continue to wait for a confirmed seat — even if there are flights with available seats in first class. Instead, the airlines try to sell those seats to customers willing to pay first-class fares. Carriers do finally release those seats close to departure time. They go first to elite frequent fliers and holders of full-fare coach tickets. Holders of discount tickets are last in line.

This is perfectly legal, of course. If the first class seats aren’t sold out, why shouldn’t the airline be allowed to sell the first-class seats until the very last minute? Why not let the invisible hand of self-interest determine who gets out of the airport first?

I’m torn. On the one hand, it just strikes me as tacky to let a few people buy their way out of Hades in a time when hundreds or thousands of people are trapped. So much for shared sacrifice. Maybe I’d feel differently if I were ever trapped in an airport for days on end, but it feels wrong.

On the other hand, it’s not just legal for airlines to sell these seats, but it recognizes the fact that airplanes are, in fact, a two-class society. So deal with it! Coach passengers bought little more than a seat on the plane, but first class passengers are buying a different product. So where’s the problem?

I’m torn. The one thing I unequivocally oppose is the sale of coach seats in situations like this.

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