Travelers In Crosshairs of Sequestration

According to many "experts", travelers will take the most noticeable brunt of the sequestration game going on in Washington.  Scheduled to take effect on March 1, FAA and TSA will supposedly not have enough funding to staff airport towers and there will be less TSA employees at Security points which will inevitably lead to travel delays and possible flight cancellations.  Travelers who fund much of airport operations and security through a gauntlet of taxes and fees should be justifiably furious if this happens.www.premieretravel.com

Dreaming a Summertime Return for Boeing 787

Optimism is growing that the dreamliner 787 may start flying again by late spring or early summer if all the proposed fixes receive FAA approval.  Knowing how exhaustive this process could be, this optimism may be tough to meet.  In the meantime, airlines around the world are scrambling to replace idled 787's with older aircraft or scrapping plans to launch new routes.

From United:

Due to the ongoing review of the Boeing 787 by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Bureau (NTSB), it will be necessary for United to remove most 787 flying from schedules through June 5, 2013. As a result, the launches of several previously announced new routes have been delayed, and aircraft have been re-allocated around the network.

Iberia Goes on Strike

The first major airline "industrial action" of 2013 kicked off today.  Iberia, Spain's largest carrier, announced the cancellation of 236 flights Monday in response to planned strikes due to restructurings and layoffs.

Iberia is part of the International Consolidated Airlines Group, which is largely controlled by British Airways. www.premieretravel.com

Carnival Cruise Lines Woes Continue with "Triumph"

Carnival Cruise Lines, owner of the now famous Costa Concordia, the ship that went down off the coast of Italy last year is dealing with yet another uncomfortable situation with the Carnival "Triumph".
The ship with thousands of people on board was floating aimlessly near the Yucatan Peninsula the past couple of days after an engine fire knocked out the electrical system.  Efforts to tow the ship to closer Mexican ports were abandoned and the plan is to tow it to...Alabama.  Meanwhile, passengers are enduring extremely uncomfortable and unsanitary conditions with two days to go before docking in Mobile, Alabama.  The NTSB opened an investigation Tuesday to determine the cause of fire.www.premieretravel.com

American-USAirways On the Verge

USAirways and American are ready to announce their merger this week.  The U.S. DOT, known for rubber-stamping every merger between domestic carriers, is ready to do it again, albeit show some spine in requesting very few landing slots to be divested by the merged carriers in airports such as Reagan National.

For the passenger, the merger will likely mean higher fares, worse service and integration problems between two disparate carriers.  USAirways, which acquired America West in 2005 still has not streamlined their pilots' contracts.  The combined carrier will have a dominant presence in several domestic hubs but will continue to lag badly in the Pacific and Europe. www.premieretravel.com

Nemo Updated Exception Policy Now Through February 11

Exception Policy for Northeast U.S. Winter Storm – Update 2   United has extended the exception policy to February 11 for winter weather in the Northeastern U.S. Please visit www.united.com for the very lastest advisories.

United Expands Premier Access Privileges

Premier Access is the new name for United Airlines' collection of premium airport services, which United is introducing system wide. Services include: priority check-in and security lines (where available), priority boarding lanes and baggage handling. MileagePlus® Elites, United First®, United Business First® and Global Business First® customers may use the service where available.
Premier Access Benefits:

Premier Access^SM check-in: designated airport check-in lines

Premier Access security lane: exclusive security lanes

Premier Access priority boarding: among the first customers to board

Premier Access priority baggage handling: among the first bags to be delivered

Premier Access is available to the following customers:

• MileagePlus Premier® members
• United First®, United Global First^SM, United Business® and United BusinessFirst®
• Copa Airlines Clase Ejecutiva customers
• Star Alliance^TM Gold and Silver members
• MileagePlus Club and Presidential Plus credit cardmembers

Travelers may purchase Premier Access for as low as $9 per flight.  For more information, please visit www.united.com or contact us support@premieretravel.com