United to Fly Boeing’s New 787 Dreamliner on Denver-Tokyo Route

For the first time in the US, Tickets have gone on sale for what United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek calls “the coolest airplane in the sky”.

For only around $1,300, you can secure your seat on this 9-hour, intercontinental sky shuttle. Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock believes that the small and fuel efficient airliner, providing just over 200 seats, will offer new job opportunities and will “generate more than $130 million in annual economic benefit to Colorado”.

Prior to the introduction of this new route, the JAL and ANA fleets are the only Dreamliners currently in service flying out of Japan.

Mayor Hancock also believes that the Dreamliner will help “elevate Denver as a world-class city on the global stage”.  

United Airlines Drops Early Boarding for Children, Putting Strain on Family Summer Travel Plans

Unless you’re sitting in first or business class, your children will no longer be able to board early on United Airlines flights.

United spokesman Charles Hobart released a statement saying the policy change was in order “to simplify the boarding process and reduce the number of overall boarding groups”.

A few major airlines like Delta, Jet Blue, and Virgin America still allow families with small children to board ahead of other coach class passengers.  United Airlines’ policy change has drawn a lot of media attention and could mark the beginning of the end for the pre-boarding of families with small children on all major airlines.

Passengers can expect a $9 or more charge for early boarding privileges on United Airlines, while active duty military passengers in uniform remain the last fliers to have free early boarding. 

Tokyo Skytree, the World’s Tallest Tower, Opens

Construction for this 634 meter feat of human ambition began in 2008 and finished this spring. Progress was momentarily slowed by the Tohoku earthquake in March of 2011, but the Tokyo Skytree is officially open to the public only two months behind schedule.

However, don’t expect to simply walk in! Tickets to the observation decks have been sold out for months. Travelers buying their tickets today can plan for a mid-July ticket date.

Tokyo Skytree’s main purpose is to serve as a radio and television transmission station, but will also serve as an aquarium, academic institute, theater, heating and cooling facilities, and general mass tourist attraction.

Tickets are starting at ¥2,000 for adults, ¥1,500 students, ¥900 children, and ¥600 for preschoolers. 

Check out progression pictures of the tower here

Computer Glitch Leads to Overcharges for Delta Airlines Fliers

Delta has reported that customers have been overcharged and undercharged for the same seats due to a glitch in the Delta Airlines computer system. It is uncertain to how many customers it has affected.

The discrepancy was found after two Minneapolis business executives were given two different prices for two seats side-by-side in the economy class on an outbound flight to St. Louis. Patrick Smith was logged into his SkyMiles account and paid 300 dollars more than Steve Lisle, who was not logged into his SkyMiles account.

The two executives pursued the issue further and booked 5 more flights with the same dates and flight numbers and found that the frequent flier actually paid more 3 out of the 5 trips.

Delta spokesman Paul Skrbec released a statement to Today in the Sky:

“We have been investing in our website and the technology that supports it for over a year. Recently, we updated our search function as part of a phased approach to improve the site. Shortly after making the updates, we discovered that it produced inconsistent results for logged in and non-logged in customers. We evaluated the situation carefully and rolled back to our prior search function which resolved the issue."

Delta is handling refunds on a case-by-case basis. Customers affected by the glitch must contact Delta and provide proof of the discrepancy.

Pothos CEO Michael Patton believes that this is a prime example of why companies should use professional travel agents. Pothos assures no chance of any price discrepancy or erroneous charges. "Our GDS software provides access to the published tariff's without prejudice each and every time".

Those who book travel alone are vulnerable to these errors often without knowledge that they have been overcharged. 

Zagat Survey Lists Hertz as Best Auto Rental Company

Zagat ran a survey ranking 10 auto rental companies based upon 3 categories of quality: vehicles, reliability, and service. Zagat surveyed 786 well-travelled individuals who average about 11 car rentals per year (7 of them for business purposes) with a combined total of 8,960 vehicle rentals.  Zagat, predominantly known as a food and travelbook publishing company, released their first car rental survey in 15 years.

Hertz scored No.1 in not only the three main categories, but also scored first in 10 of 13 other smaller categories based on survey answers from the 786 participants.

Zagat co-founder, Tim Zagat, told USA Today “Hertz is No. 1 by virtually all standards that we survey and, at the same time, is considered a solid value.”

Hertz was followed by National Car Rental, Avis, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Alamo Rent A Car, respectively. National Car Rental was given the No. 1 for “best bang for your buck” category.  While it comes as no surprise that Hertz is dominating the auto rental market, it does come as a surprise that the survey shows National Car Rental edging out Avis for the No. 2 slot.

While other national surveys like J.D. Power and Associates show the auto rental companies in different rankings, this recent Zagat survey will prove helpful to frequent travelers and car renters seeking for top-notch service.

With that being said, National Car Rental is POTHOS' preferred agency for our customers. We offer our clients several discounts and bonuses when they use National through POTHOS, and CEO Michael Patton especially favors the Executive Aisle program. So keep that in mind while booking your next trip!

UPDATE: Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) Opening Postponed

As of moments ago, Berlin Brandenberg Airport has announced that they will be postponing the airport’s June 3^rd opening. VisitBerlin cites issues in fire protection protocol forcing the airport to push back their highly anticipated opening date.

Planning on flying into BER after June 3^rd? Flights bound for Brandenburg will be directed to Tegel and Schönefeld, as Tegel will remain open until Brandenburg becomes operational. Both AirBerlin and Lufthansa have confirmed that flights will be redirected to Tegel with minimal impact on travelers schedules.

New International Airport to Open in Berlin, Tegel Set to Close

On June 3^rd, Berlin’s main international airport, Berlin Tegel (TXL), is set to close to make way for Germany’s newest Flughäfen, Berlin Brandenburg (BER).

Berlin Brandenburg Airport will provide many new amenities, including the Berlin Brandenburg WelcomeCenter lounge, which will provide a location for potential meetings and presentations. The congress Hotels surrounding the airport will also provide an ideal venue for business functions and hospitality accommodations.

Located in Shönefeld, about 11 miles from the center of the nation’s capital, BER will provide suburban trains, bus lines, and underground lines directly linking the airport with the inner city of Berlin.

Among multiple new flight destinations, BER will be offering non-stop services to Los Angeles, Windhoek and Marseille.

More information can be found on the airports website here

In Hopes of Facilitating Domestic Fuel Needs, Delta Airlines Plans to Buy Oil Refinery

          Phillips 66, a Philadelphia-area oil refinery, will be acquired by Delta Airlines through the subsidiary company, Monroe Energy. Delta hopes to use this refinery to satisfy 80% of the airline’s domestic fuel needs by doubling the refinery’s jet fuel production.

          Monroe energy will invest $250 million dollars in the new venture, allocating financial resources to refinery improvements and marketing campaigns with BP and Phillips 66. Although the price tag is high, Delta estimates that fuel costs will be reduced by $300 million dollars annually and limit its “exposure to fuel volatility”.

          Michael Patton, CMM, believes that it is a smart move for a company with such high fuel usage to be involved in the fuel production process. Combined with the millions in fuel expense reduction, this should be a positive step for Delta Airlines.

         Delta expects the transaction to be completed by the end of June.

Source: Business Travel News