Fellow blogger Daraius over at Million Mile Secrets very generously donated several amenity kits to me from his and Emily’s recent Star Alliance trip, and this is one of them. I previously reviewed Thai Airways’ First Class kit and here now is my review of their Royal Silk Business Class offering. For a better description of each category, and the 7-point scale for scoring, please review my introduction post here.

Bag/Container: My first impression of the bag was “Wow!” From the metallic copper color to the sturdy textured vinyl, this zipper bag is stunning, in my opinion. It’s well manufactured, includes a leather finger handle and holds its shape empty very well. The Thai Airways brand is well represented with a logo on the exterior, interior and zipper pull. Above the interior logo of the single compartment bag reads, “With Compliments From…” There is also a very small fabric tag sewn into the side opposite the handle with Erb’s logo. Reusability is medium to high, so Thai did well in this category. Score: 6

Skin Care: Thai partnered with Erb to provide the skin care items in this kit. Not having heard of them before, I discovered on their website that the company was founded in 2000 and was so named from an old Thai expression ‘erb-im’ that referred to the radiant glow of Thai women. The kit includes “Beelove” lip balm with beeswax and peppermint, and “Eastern Treat” hand crème with jasmine and mint. The lip balm is delicious and effective (no, I didn’t eat it) and the hand crème is incredibly hydrating, but does leave a slightly greasy touch. A note on Thai’s website also reports Royal Silk Class lavatories are supplied “with leading brands of toiletries, such as eau de Cologne, eau de toilette and moisturizing hand cream.” Greasiness aside, I’m bumping Thai up one notch from adequate in this category for the pleasant scents and incredible hydration of the lotion. Score: 5

Oral Care: A full-sized, medium-bristled toothbrush and generous tube of toothpaste are included in the kit, along with alcohol-free mouthwash. All are Fluocaril brand, common in Thailand. The paste is of the “standard” variety (no minty freshness here), but I was incredibly happy they included mouthwash for Business Class passengers. I nearly gave them a ‘6’ in this category, but decided it’s just a notch above adequate. Minty toothpaste and a softer bristle would’ve nailed a higher score. Score: 5

Comfort Items: This kit includes very soft single-use cotton socks and standard elastic eyeshades with the Thai Airways logo. The socks had some fraying, but are totally fine for one-off use and the eyeshades fit snugly and do their job. Also included is a comb/brush combo, something not always seen in Business Class kits. Where are the earplugs? Daraius and Emily confirmed none were handed out inflight and he even sent me a link showing a reviewer noting they aren’t even available upon request. Aren’t earplugs a standard staple? As such, I’m knocking the score down here. Score: 3

Intangibles: From the banded wrapping on the exterior of the unused bag to the snazzy coloring and design, this kit leaves me with an incredible impression of luxury and style. Even more impressive is the small gift of a porcelain frog key chain I found inside (did you two do that, Daraius & Emily?). In any case, job well done, Thai Airways. Score: 7

Total score & comments:

My highlighted takeaways from this amenity kit are the bag and the fact they included mouthwash. I collect amenity kits and generally don’t reuse them, but I’ll be hard pressed to not fill this bag up with my essentials for my next trip. My weighted formula knocked this kit below a strong 5.0 score, which I happily (and unofficially) give it in consolation.

In other hotel and travel industry news last week…

• Two business travel publications released their “best of” lists recently and the results go to show you how surveys can differ by reader demographics. For the 12^th year in a row, readers of Global Traveler magazine named Chicago O’Hare ‘Best Airport in North America‘, whereas Denver International Airport was named best-in-class by readers of Business Traveler magazine for the 7^th year in a row. My vote would have been for San Francisco, actually, for their outstanding food, shopping and lounge options on both the domestic and international side. I was a bit shocked Business Traveler’s readers voted Delta as having the best frequent flyer program… yikes!
• I kill time at airports staring out the window looking at airplanes most of the time, but do admit I people watch from time to time. A recent article in the USA Today reveals just how popular the latter activity has become. Entitled, “More fliers indulge their inner gawker,” the article interviews everyone from flight attendants to the casual traveler about their gawking activities. There’s even a website and smartphone app out there called FreakJet.com that enables you to post funny pics of people at airports. Will have to check it out!
• Funding for the FAA expires this Tuesday the 31^st (at the time of writing), but the House has already passed an extension through February 17^th. The Senate is also expected provide an extension before the clock strikes midnight and one article reveals there actually might be a forthcoming full FAA reauthorization bill in the works to avoid further extensions of the last authorization that expired in 2007. Come on, politicians. Let’s do it this time!
• Senator Rand Paul was “detained” by the Department of Homeland Security’s TSA last week for failing to agree to being molested at an airport. Yeah, I said it. I know virtually every blogger out there does the “opt out” of the scanner routine as a strong showing that our civil liberties are being violated, but I still go through them, as does Sen. Paul. I’d much rather do the naked scan thing than have a TSO touch my unmentionables. I just can’t bring myself to being groped.
• Boeing had a blockbuster year in 2011 reporting a 21.5% increase in net income to $4.02 billion. 2010 wasn’t shabby, either, when they posted a $3.31 billion profit. President and CEO Jim McNerney is looking forward to increased production rates in 2012, including moving 787 production up from 2.5 per month now to 3.5 by the second quarter of 2012, and up to 10 per month by the end of 2013.
• Also enjoying a very strong year in 2011 were U.S. hotels and their revenue per available room, up 8.2% from 2010. Total occupancy nationwide surpassed 60% for the first time since 2007 and San Francisco, Miami, Detroit(!) and Nashville saw particularly strong growth.
• Finally, staying on the hotel front, Tnooz.com just released RateGain’s data on North American hotel prices January to March 2012. A median rate four-star hotel in Chicago this month comes in at $186.60 vs. Miami at $370.20 or Seattle at $215.30. In March, Miami again takes top spot among those cities surveyed showing a median rate at the Embassy Suites Miami Airport of $412.06. Ouch.

Here’s a fantastic flash back of United Airlines, and the U.S. airline industry, circa 1980. I’ve seen this hour-long video before, but just came across it again yesterday and it’s truly a gem. It really doesn’t get going until about nine minutes in with an interview of then President & CEO of United, Richard Ferris.

I jumped around a bit and found some gems, including a reporter who stated while interviewing a United executive, “anyone who has been traveling for some years will have noticed that air travel has in general become more impersonal, less comfortable and less elegant.” What would he think today?

There was also a great in-flight clip of a sparsely occupied upper deck First Class lounge on a 747 where the commentator remarks, “seems like a waste of space.”

The conversations with reservations agents are also priceless. If you don’t have an hour to spend watching, just jump around like I did and you’ll find some other remarkable moments.

In other airline industry news this week…

• American Airlines CEO Tom Horton issued a letter to employees this week outlining a redesign of the carrier’s management structure that will more than certainly involve layoffs. Several executives left at the end of 2011, and this letter points to additional tough decisions that will be made in the coming months. Separately, the Allied Pilots Association issued a letter to American’s passengers through a print ad in the USA Today (and likely other newspapers). It thanks American’s customers and also speaks to American’s management: “Along with financial reforms, American Airlines’ restructuring must also include a commitment by those who manage our company to cultivate a better corporate culture – a culture that values the crucial competitive edge that a fully engaged workforce provides.” It will be an interesting year to follow the changes and issues at American.
• Alaska Airlines sent an email to passengers this week saying they will discontinue providing “prayer cards” on meal trays. The company started the practice in the 1970s to differentiate the service, but now feel ending it is, “the right thing to do in order to respect the diverse religious beliefs and cultural attitudes of all our customers and employees.” I agree and think religion has no place in airline service or marketing.
• United Airlines broke ground this week on a $1 billion redevelopment project at Houston’s Intercontinental Airport. It’s a three-phase project first beginning with a $160 million redo of Terminal B’s south concourse dedicated to regional jet operations. The project will span seven to 10 years and include the redevelopment of Terminal B’s lobby and baggage claim areas, a new international-capable north concourse and other infrastructure enhancements.
• All Nippon Airlines (ANA) flew its first long-haul service with the Boeing 787 this week from Tokyo Haneda airport to Frankfurt. The cabin features 46 lie-flat business class seats and 112 standard seats in economy. ANA now has five 787s in operation, with the long-haul version currently operating three times weekly HND-FRA. 787 service on that route will become daily from February 1, 2012.
• JetBlue and Hawaiian Airlines entered a partnership this week streamlining passenger ticketing when the two carriers are involved on one reservation. They will soon also enter into a codesharing agreement, as well as offer reciprocal benefits in each other’s frequent flyer program. Once Hawaiian begins it’s HNL-JFK service on June 5^th this year, it will use JetBlue’s Terminal 5.
• Lufthansa’s 747-8 Intercontinental aircraft will (finally) offer lie-flat seats in business class and feature “warmer colors giving it a living room feel.” The carrier plans to retrofit the rest of its international fleet within the next four years to include lie-flat seats in business and full details will be forthcoming in March. First Class on the 747-8s will be located in the nose of the aircraft vs. upstairs as now seen on their 747-400 fleet.
• It seems there’s at least one airline story each week that features a passenger behaving badly. This week, a Continental Airlines flight was diverted due to some moron lighting up a cigarette in the cabin. The flight was from Houston to Ontario and he must’ve lit up pretty soon after becoming airborne because the flight landed in San Antonio where he was arrested by the FBI. When I smoked, I always used nicotine patches when flying uber long-haul flights to Australia and gum for shorter domestic hops. Hopefully he will in the future now, too.

It’s earnings release time and this week saw Delta and US Airways reveal Q4 and full year 2011 results on Wednesday, and United Airlines released figures yesterday. United also provided a list of accomplishments in 2011, as well as guidance items looking ahead to 2012.

First, here’s a summary of some of the key earnings data and financial items for 2011:

• Full-year net income was $1.3 billion excluding special items of $483 million, most of which are merger-related. Bottom line, United Continental Holdings earned $840 million in 2011.
• Overall passenger revenue was up 9% from 2010 and the key PRASM figure (passenger revenue per available seat mile) grew 9.2% from 2010.
• The average one-way base fare for 2011 was $269.56, up 12.3% from 2010’s figure of $240.09.
• Excluding fuel hedging, United’s fuel bill increased a whopping 36.5% by $3.4 billion.
• United’s employees, or co-workers as is the PC way to say it now, will receive $265 million in profit sharing this Valentine’s Day.
• The company ended the year with $8.3 billion in unrestricted cash and equivalents.

The list of accomplishments includes:

• Obtaining single operating certificate from the FAA.
• Alignment of meal, snack and beverages onboard and in airport clubs.
• Promising a $550 million investment in onboard products (seats, IFE, WiFi).
• Co-locating check-in, ticket counter and gates at 66 airports.
• More than 800 aircraft have the new United livery.
• Union negotiations are on track.
• Acquisition of fuel-efficient aircraft and retirement of older, less efficient planes is progressing.

As far as what’s in store for the first quarter and full year of 2012, United advises:

• Domestic Q1 capacity will decrease between 2.7% and 3.7%, while international capacity will go up between 3.2% and 4.2% as compared to 2011.
• Full-year capacity is expected to be flat to down 1% from 2011 levels.
• Advance ticket sales for the next six weeks is up 1% domestically from last year, but down 3.2% on international sales.
• United is hoping to take delivery of its first two Boeing 787s in the third quarter with three more to follow in the fourth.
• They plan to remove five Boeing 757s and five 767s from the fleet in 2012 and the year-over-year change in 737s will be flat through newer models coming online at the same rate as retirements.

This year will be unique to monitor with American’s bankruptcy, the possibility of additional mergers and whether or not some type of revenue requirement (finally) enters the U.S. frequent flyer program scheme. Regarding the latter, it realistically makes sense from a business perspective and those of us that closely watch loyalty programs know they will eventually adapt to focus more heavily on fares purchased than miles flown. The writing is on the wall.

This installment of “Award Seat Analysis” looks at the Chicago to Tokyo Narita nonstop market and I’ve researched availability from American Airlines and United Airlines in September 2012.

I specifically searched for award seats at the minimum amount of miles required, namely MileSAAver awards on American and Saver awards on United. Any available seat is open for premium redemptions requiring double the miles and is therefore outside the scope of my research. The data below was captured on Monday, January 23, 2012 using ExpertFlyer.

American flies a daily 777 on the route configured to seat 243 passengers (16/37/190) and United operates a 747 that month seating 374 passengers (12/52/310).

American’s GDS, Sabre, shows a maximum availability of seven seats per bucket – United’s Apollo, nine – so there are likely more seats allocated for award use on those days availability showed the max in ExpertFlyer, especially for economy. I was actually a bit surprised to find so many seats available, particularly in Business Class, on what I consider to be a top business travel market. It’s interesting, too, that American is tighter in Business Class on the ORD-NRT segment vs. United tightening up on the return.

I also like to take a deeper look into premium cabin awards where at least two seats are available on the same flight, as well as the total number of days with availability. Both carriers have a large number of days without Business Class availability, but United is more generous offering up half the month with at least two seats available for award use in the middle cabin.

For the Narita to Chicago segment, both American and United effectively have the same Business Class availability if you’re looking to redeem miles for a pair of tickets.

In my last two analyses I declared a winner, but both carriers here deserve kudos for allocating a decent amount of seats for award travel.

When I launched this blog in November 2010, my very first Vintage Airline Seat Map was a United Airlines DC-10-10, my second favorite aircraft after the 747. It was the configuration I flew most frequently, but the one appearing below was seen flying in the 1970s and included a First Class lounge with swivel seats.

Seating a total of 254 passengers, First Class offered accommodation for 40 passengers (lounge seats included) in the common 2 x 2 x 2 layout. Coach had a total of 214 seats in the 2 x 5 x 2 configuration. The amazing thing about coach “back in the day” (pre-deregulation) was the seat pitch… 36” throughout!

In First Class you’d find me in 3A or 3F and in coach, my favorite seat was 10A for a great view forward and that of the engine.

Where would you sit?

On Thursday this week, the next round of passenger protections will take effect, including a requirement that airlines and other providers advertise airfare prices inclusive of taxes and mandatory fees. I took a tour around the web yesterday and noticed United Airlines (and Continental) have already begun advertising all-in rates.

First, I stopped by United’s website and noticed all their featured locations no longer showed a specific fare from each origin, rather a link to start a flight search.

When selecting between flight times, the all-in fare now populates in the middle box (shown below), whereas it used to only show the base fare requiring you to click through to book or click the link for “Price Breakdown” to reveal the total. Nice to see United launch this ahead of the deadline.

Over at Continental, fare amounts for specific city pair promotions and destinations are displayed, but they are inclusive of the mandatory taxes and fees. (Hey! There really is a $99 fare!)

I welcome this change since taxes and fees can equate for up to 20% of a domestic ticket’s total price, but do understand why airlines are against it. Gone will be attractive lead-in pricing, such as the $59 fares Virgin America had on their site yesterday (and today).

Come Thursday, that same ad will have to read, “From $69.80.” Airlines were staunchly against the new rules claiming other industries don’t have to advertise their products inclusive of tax and they feel it could lead to lowered demand.

Quick poll… would you like to see the base fares displayed, such as the $59 Virgin America example, or would you prefer to see the $69.80 all-in fare advertised?

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The other protections going into effect Thursday are:

• Bans against post-purchase price increases
• Allowing a reservation to be held for 24-hours at the quoted fare or the ability to cancel a reservation in the same time period without penalty, so long as the flights in question are at least one-week in advance
• Disclosure of baggage fees when booking flights and on itineraries
• A requirement that the same baggage allowances and fees apply throughout a passenger’s journey, irrespective of airline(s) flown
• Prompt notification of delays that exceed 30 minutes, as well as cancellations and diversions

In other airline, hotel and travel industry news last week…

• Virgin America announced Philadelphia will be the carrier’s newest destination beginning in April 2012. Three daily LAX-PHL flights will commence April 4^th and two daily turns SFO-PHL will follow starting April 10^th. If history repeats itself, we should see some pretty decent fare wars in these markets. Presently, both United Airlines and US Airways offer Philly flights from SFO and LAX, and Delta also flies LAX-PHL nonstop. Based on Virgin America research, “50% of travelers flying from PHL to the Los Angeles market now use connecting flights and 45% of those traveling from PHL to the San Francisco Bay Area are connecting passengers.”
• Frankfurt Airport broke passenger records in 2011 by handling 56.44 million people during the year, up 6.5% from 2010 and making it an all-time best. Contributing to the success was the opening of the airport’s fourth runway and Germany’s stable and slightly growing economy compared to other parts of Europe. Air freight, however, took a hit with Fraport handling 2.8% less metric tons in 2011 as compared to 2010.
• William Shattner has been the Priceline spokesperson for 14 years, but that’s about to change. Beginning today, commercials will be airing showing the “Negotiator” (Shattner’s character) plunging to his death off a bridge after saving a bus full of passengers. Priceline’s CEO, Christopher Soder, said a change is needed “to reflect the company’s broader strategy.”
• AAA released the names of the newest Five Diamond Award properties to grace the company’s elite list. The additions are: Aria Sky Suites at Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, The Inn at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, SC, Jumbay Bay in Antigua, the Mandarin Oriental in Miami, FL, Montage in Beverly Hills, CA, Ocean House in Watch Hill, RI, The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, CA, The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto and the St. Regis Houston, TX.
• In hotel news, the current Crowne Plaza near Cleveland’s convention center will be undergoing a $64 million renovation and reopen next year as a Westin property. It will house 481 rooms and 26,000 square feet of meeting space. Also opening next year will be New York City’s first SpringHill Suites property, a Marriott brand. It will feature 137 rooms in the 19-story hotel Herald Square property.
• Anyone heading to Australia in the next couple of months during peak season? One website I follow occasionally posts a comparison of hotel prices and this one features Aussie hotel rates from January through March 2012. If you’re headed to Sydney in February, for example, and staying in a four-star property, you can expect a minimum rate of US$97.03 per night for the Great Southern Hotel. A five-star hotel, their example as being the Hilton Sydney (not five stars in my opinion), will set you back US$148.13 per night.
• Finally, I keenly watch the Global Distribution System (GDS) world, namely, those reservation systems both airlines and travel agencies use to sell airline tickets and other services. Travelport, GDS provider of Apollo (my favorite), Gaileo and Worldspan, previously rolled out a change to its Agility suite of programs last month that would have cost some agencies $35 per terminal per month to use features they’re currently using today for free. Travelport rolled back the fees after agency backlash, but CEO Gordon Wilson says their relationship with agencies needs to change in order to provide them with the tools they need at a price adaptive with the marketplace. I smell a bit of B.S. here and merely think GDSs are beginning to see their dominance in travel distribution on the wall.

Here’s a pretty incredible video produced by JustPlanes featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Air Canada’s flight from Toronto to Hong Kong, AC015. It begins in dispatch and ends with a fantastic short-final video touching down in Hong Kong, also including incredible scenery from the polar route it flies in between.

One of the pilots does a walkaround, there’s a little cabin action (though on the HKG-YYZ leg), and it’s just a great video for any aviation or airline geek. Enjoy!

In other airline, hotel and travel industry news this week…

• Southwest Airlines will be adding an extra row of seats on their entire fleet of 737s with the introduction of new seat cushions and seatback pocket materials. The carrier claims the new seats are more comfortable than what’s currently flying, though seat pitch will suffer an inch going from 32” to 31” to accommodate the extra row. Separately, the carrier announced it will drop service to several AirTran cities, including Allentown, Harrisburg, Lexington, Sarasota, Huntsville and White Plains.
• A woman was arrested this week after bringing a gun with her through security and onboard an American Airlines flight at DFW. What’s just amazing, though, is that TSA agents detected the gun in a scan, but the woman was able to get her bag from the conveyor belt and proceed into the terminal without being stopped. This is a clear failure of the TSA, actually, as that bag never should have proceeded to a point where she could pick it up off the belt. Oh vey!
• Hawaiian Airlines is increasing flights in Hawaii to 180 daily, up from 157 and will further expand service in Maui so it can serve as a hub for interisland flights and those to the mainland. I was surprised to read they didn’t already have nonstops between Maui and Kauai, but that route, along with flights to Hilo and Kona on the Big Island will begin on March 11. Also, during the peak summer months, Hawaiian will operate a daily nonstop from Maui to Los Angeles using a Boeing 767.
• Airbus raised the price of its A320neos by 6.1% and other aircraft by 3.9% at the beginning of the year. The company’s COO-Customers said the price increase “reflects the strong demand for our modern, eco-efficient aircraft families.” He further mentioned the A320neo offers a 15% fuel cost savings for airlines. In terms of revenue, Airbus has a 54% share of the global market to Boeing’s 46%.
• Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) advised the least expensive airfares processed by the clearinghouse in 2011 were bought six weeks in advance of flight time. Those fares were on average 5.8% lower than the overall average fare of $358.30. They warned that they’re not advising people to exclusively purchase tickets at that time because it’s not guaranteed that’s when the best deals are out there. Separately, ARC mentioned mega corporate travel agency air transactions (AMEX Travel, Carlson Wagonlit, etc.) dropped 4.6% in December, the biggest decline seen in 2011.
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ordered the reinstatement of a pilot who was fired from AirTran for his frequency in reporting mechanical problems. The pilot was terminated in 2007 and the carrier must now pay him more than $1 million in back wages, interest and compensatory damages. AirTran had no comment.
• Finally, President Obama signed an executive order to ease travel requirements for foreigners wanting to travel to the United States. This will entail expanding reciprocal trusted-traveler programs, adding countries to the Visa Waiver Program, streamlining visa processing, and other U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board changes. The U.S. State Department issued 17% more visas in 2011 than 2010.