Tidbits of information about forthcoming improvements to SHARES, the reservations system for United Airlines, were revealed during the second quarter earnings call last week.

In addition to apologizing for a range of customer disservice issues we’ve all experienced since March 3 (seat assignments falling off, missing upgrades, miles not posting, etc.), CEO Jeff Smisek said, “We plan a number of improvements, including an enhanced front-end interface for our airport and contact center agents.”

Apparently a beta test of a new “fastair” and “fastres” (the old nicknames for Apollo’s efficient front-end GUI) were conducted last month. Some of the improvements said to be coming for airport and reservations agents will be an easier ability to handle premium cabin up-sells, same-day upgrades and standby requests.

A full release is expected in October and Smisek says it will include “a new user-friendly design and experience, easier elite recognition, automatic calculation of service charges and better flight amenity details.”

Sometime in 2013, United plans to roll out a “comprehensive new front-end for our airport and reservations agents, which enables us to deliver a higher level of service than we’ve ever been able to offer in the past,” he added.

I’m sure there’s a little PR going on in what he said, but I’m happy to hear improvements are coming – and I’m certain airport and reservations agents are happy, as well. I still have a feeling that within five years, United will dump SHARES for a new reservations system, as United executives had previously noted that SHARES was “the best short-term solution” when it was announced as the system to be used in the merged airline.

What I’m still having a hard time swallowing, though, are the policy changes (from pre-merger United, anyway) of selling “tens of dollars” upgrades to non-elites reducing my upgrade chances and giving a higher priority on each ticket’s transactional value over long-term loyalty for the same upgrades. Ah well… revenue-based loyalty will soon be the norm. I guess these changes are slowly getting me used to the eventuality of it.

Yesterday I flew my first trip with United Airlines since the system conversion this past weekend and while I witnessed other people having issues (check-in, upgrade priority, United Club access), I had absolutely no problems. Granted, I called in advance to clear up a ticketing issue a few days ahead of time and was already upgraded, so everything was smooth sailing.

I took a “quick” LAX-JFK-LAX turn on United’s p.s. service and checked-in the day before without issue on the mobile app. For backup, I also had the boarding passes emailed to me in case the sometimes glitch-prone app decided to conk out at the gate. I also tried to visit the check-in page on United.com, but it did fail out and just plopped me back to the homepage without so much as an error message. No worries… I printed my backup copies from the email.

At LAX, I decided to use the kiosk to see if it was working and sure enough, it spit out both my outbound and return BPs without issue. I made my way to the United Club and was scanned in using my club card as boarding passes currently don’t work. One of the agents I’ve gotten to know mentioned they are coming up with a fix, but the old Mileage Plus numbers are still needed for access.

At the gate, I noticed the overheads now show the full seat map identical to what’s viewed online noting which seats are booked, available, etc. There was an agent I hadn’t seen before at LAX (probably from the Continental-side) helping the gate crew with the manual “GG” Shares GDS commands. The boarding time printed on the BP was incorrect as United only boards p.s. 757s a half hour before departure time, but I was soon onboard and settled into seat 9A.

I had a fantastic crew and the flight was on-time. Breakfast has improved slightly as I’ve already experienced on non-p.s. flights and I’m loving the cinnamon roll addition. Catering forgot to board maple syrup, though, so I had dry French toast for breakfast… I survived.

At JFK, I got quite a bit of work done in the lounge before heading to my 8:24pm departure back to LAX. It, too, was on-time and I again had a fantastic crew. The late flight JFK-LAX was historically a snack flight – and it still shows up as such online – but now features full dinner service.

We landed nearly a half hour early, though had to wait about 10 minutes to be ushered into the gate as the ground crew wasn’t ready for our arrival. All in all, it was a seamless travel day for me and I was happy to get my first post-system conversion flight under my belt. Now I’ll just have to wait to see how long it takes for my MileagePlus account to be credited.

There have been oodles of articles this week noting United Airlines’ system migration from Apollo to Shares this coming weekend, but very few offer any type of inside scoop as to what exactly will be happening. I found this one from a travel agency perspective that sheds a bit more light on the process and thought a few points are worth sharing.

Among the highlights:

• An estimated four-hour disruption to United’s automated systems and access to flight information in GDSs will begin at 1:00am EST March 3.
• Website functionality will be down during the same time period.
• During the “dress rehearsals” when issues popped up, manual workarounds had to be setup.
• United will have “hundreds of employees” on hand to deal with post-conversion issues.
• Some flights from points in Asia will depart earlier to later to avoid the transition period.
• PNRs containing CO segments will automatically change to UA segments.
• PNRs containing CO segments with schedule changes for UA segments will need to be manually updated.
• Changes to Continental tickets issued on 005 stock after the integration will require special handling.
• United will continue to accept 11-digit Mileage Plus numbers through the end of March.
• Travel agencies will not be able to sell Economy Plus seats through their GDSs after the integration (no ETA for a fix).

According to the United representative this reporter spoke with, “In general, we think we’re ready for it.” Not exactly the most reassuring statement, actually.

Here are my recommendations to best prepare your own itineraries before the changeover:

• Print (or save to a PDF) all itineraries with Continental and United and ensure the ticket numbers are included (they’ll start with either 005 or 016).
• Print (or save to a PDF) both your Mileage Plus and OnePass account activity to-date.
• Clear any schedule changes appearing on your Continental and United itineraries.

It will be an interesting few days (or weeks?) ahead. I’m flying mid-week next week, but I actually wish I had planned flights for this weekend just to experience the airport scene first-hand on Day One.

In other hotel and travel industry news last week…

• Hilton Hotels & Resorts completed renovations of the former International JFK Airport Hotel and officially opened its doors last week as the Hilton New York JFK Airport. This marks the chain’s sixth property in the New York metro area (excluding New Jersey). The JFK hotel features a total of 356 rooms, which includes 64 Executive Level rooms and 11 suites. Separately, Hilton will reportedly open 500 new restaurants at its properties during the next three years. Included among the options being considered is Ruth’s Chris Steak House at hotels where it would make sense based on guest demographics. Yes, please!
• Still more than two years from opening, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts released a rendering of their planned Park Hyatt property in Bangkok. Shaped like a coil, it will mark the chain’s third property in Thailand and feature 222 rooms with a top-floor restaurant and lounge, along with more than 15,000 square feet of meeting and convention space.
• Starwood Hotels & Resorts plans to open 20 new properties this year through a combination of conversions and new construction. Twelve of the new hotels will be located in China, all of the Sheraton brand. According to Starwood’s President of Global Development, Simon Turner, “Sheraton’s impressive global pipeline is being fueled by phenomenal demand in China and India as well as by a surge in high-quality conversions in developed markets.” Eight new Sheraton Resorts will also open this year.
• On the car rental front, both Hertz and Dollar-Thrifty reported impressive fourth quarter results for 2011. Hertz enjoyed a $52.1 million net income for the period versus a $23.6 million net loss the year prior, and Dollar-Thrifty reported a $33.9 million net profit for the period this year. Dollar’s CEO, Scott Thompson, feels optimistic about the first quarter in 2012 mentioning he expects the “rental rate environment to improve in the first quarter of 2012 versus the fourth quarter of 2011.”
• As widely reported and blogged, United’s switch to the Shares GDS is right around the corner and it was reported last week that the conversion will temporarily deactivate the ability to book United’s Economy Plus seats for users of Sabre and Travelport. This is actually a pretty big deal given the volume of corporate agencies that subscribe to the impacted GDSs. There is no ETA for when this critical ancillary and loyalty mechanism will be restored.
• It was reported another ’30 Rock’ star had an issue while flying American Airlines a week ago. Katrina Bowden tweeted on February 21, “Flight attendant on American just refused to give me more water because ‘I had enough already’ what the what?! These people are the worst!” While I’ve never been refused water, I have in the past noticed a bit of attitude when asking for more. This is total speculation, but I think many FAs like to bring “extra” full bottles of water with them from the galleys on their layovers and tend to horde them near the end of longer flights. This might have been what happened to Katrina.
• And finally, the airline-traveling idiot of the week goes to a Saudi teenager who refused to turn off his e-cigarette when a flight attendant advised him to do so. The Continental Airlines flight from Portland to Houston turned around and the man was arrested upon landing in Portland. The disruptive passenger also allegedly took a swing at one of the attendants and “sang of bin Laden.” Eek!

In a little more than two weeks, United Airlines will switch reservations systems from Apollo to Shares, merging all itineraries from Continental and United onto one platform. Other carriers who recently made similar technology shifts were plagued with problems when they flipped the switch, but United is hoping to avoid similar embarrassments.

United’s CEO Jeff Smisek was quoted last week in a Chicago Tribune article as saying, “We’ve had four full-scale dress rehearsals, all the data transfers, and everything is appropriate. We are exceedingly well prepared for it.” Nothing but assurances would flow from the mouth of a CEO, of course, so we’ll all just have to wait and see what manifests come March 3.

When Shares was announced as the system winning out in the merger back in December 2010, one United source mentioned it was the best customer and employee alternative, and its ability to handle migration “in a reasonable amount of time” was key. Having worked on both Apollo and Shares at my previous travel industry positions, I can tell you Apollo far exceeds Shares in its flexibility and ability to handle complex itinerary and ticketing functions, but as the United source mentioned, Shares won out in part because it is the quickest short-term solution. I also know for a fact it’s far cheaper than Apollo. By 2017 – long after any merger pangs – I predict United will abandon Shares for a more flexible and robust GDS.

When Virgin America switched to a new reservations system last year, it suffered website and airport kiosk issues for weeks. US Airways had similar glitches in 2007 when it merged with America West Airlines, causing airport delays and the inability to check-in online. So, while we might see similar issues once United makes the change, I’m taking a simple step to ensure I have all my reservation data in-hand.

For all of my Continental and United reservations post-March, I have printed copies of not only the itinerary, but the e-ticket receipts showing the ticket numbers – probably the most critical data element should things really go awry and backup is needed. I’d encourage everyone to do the same as it might just make your airport experience a little smoother in the coming weeks.

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.

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

• Last year, Chicago took the top spot as being the city that charges the most taxes to travelers in the country and effective January 1, 2012, they’ve raised hotel taxes another percentage point. It brings the hotel portion on par now with New York and Las Vegas. Another article, however, states they don’t see “any move to raise taxes on the travel industry.”
• Checks are beginning to arrive in mailboxes across the country with refunds of fees charged for using credit cards overseas. A class-action lawsuit that required filing a claim back in 2008 is finally being settled and people are getting surprises in the mail ranging from $18.04 to thousands of dollars. I quite honestly don’t remember if I filed a claim. I hope so, because the travel period was from February 1, 1996 through November 8, 2006 and I was overseas quite a bit during those 10 years. Were you?
• The Department of Transportation extended the deadline for airlines to advertise fares inclusive of taxes and fees by two days. Now effective January 26^th, American Airlines requested the delay since they claimed Tuesdays are the busiest day of the week for their website and the previous January 24^th requirement would have been too burdensome. No other airlines objected.
• Boeing orders are up 52% this year compared to last, in part due to a record-setting year for the 777. The manufacturer delivered 477 aircraft in 2011, but has a backlog of 3,771 unfilled orders. President and CEO Jim Albaugh stated, “As our current commitments become firm orders and we add even more customers, I have no doubt that 2012 will be the ‘Year of the 737 MAX’.”
• A subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, MLT Vacations, is now the travel wholesaler selling Air France Holidays and Alitalia Vacations. They also run the Delta Vacations brand. Vacation packagers receive bulk fare contracts from airlines, hotels and other travel providers and then combine them to sell complete vacations at a price cheaper than what you’d be able to book individually with each unit. I worked for a couple of these outfits in the 1990s and really enjoyed a unique side of the industry not known by many.
• Online retailer Overstock.com launched a travel page on their popular website. Powered by Priceline, you can book complete vacation packages or individual air, car and hotel reservations. It really acts like a portal, though, because as soon as you enter any type of search criteria, it redirects you to Priceline.
• On January 1st, the former Las Vegas Hilton rebranded as The Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, ending its more than 40 years as a chain hotel. This past Tuesday, workers removed the Hilton logo from the side of the building.
• GDS firm Travelport modified their planned re-pricing of certain functionality within Apollo, Galileo and Worldspan that would have cost travel agencies approximately $35 per month per terminal. Not unlike airlines, the company unbundled several integral features of the systems that were once free and wanted to start charging for those services. After backlash from agency groups, they relented and modified their planned changes.
• Finally, a proposal for a third runway at Hong Kong’s airport has been submitted to the government for consideration. Cathay Pacific and Dragonair, as well as the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, backed a study supporting the expansion to keep Hong Kong as “the regional and international leading aviation center.”

In other airline and travel industry news last week…

• Southwest Airlines placed a monumental order for 208 Boeing 737 aircraft this week that includes 150 of the manufacturer’s newest Max version, making the carrier the official launch customer. The first delivery to Southwest won’t occur until 2017. At list prices, the order value is $19 billion and $4.7 billion for the aircraft and engines respectively.
• In addition to his new role as CEO of American Airlines, Tom Horton has been elected Chairman of the oneworld alliance this week. He offered to have another of the alliance carriers’ executives take the post, but “the unanimous view was that the alliance would benefit greatly at this time from the continuity in our leadership that Tom represents – while at the same time underlining the commitment of oneworld to American while it undergoes its restructuring.”
• Cathay Pacific opened their new lounge at San Francisco’s International Airport, the first CX-owned facility in the United States. A grand opening reception was held this past Thursday and Loyalty Traveler has a great review of it. The carrier also introduced details of its new Premium Economy Class product that will be rolled out beginning in March next year. The seats will feature 38 inches of pitch, enhanced recline, footrests, in-seat power and much more.
• Hearings for the dispute between Qantas and the pilots union won’t occur until June next year due in part to the complexity of the matter. The carrier has until March 19^th to submit key witness statements and expert evidence to the panel of “workplace umpires,” while the pilots union has to do the same by April 30^th. Other hearings will take place earlier between the carrier and baggage handler and engineer unions.
• The FAA granted certification to the passenger Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental this week, green lighting deliveries to begin early next year. Lufthansa is the launch customer for the passenger version. The FAA also approved extended operations (ETOPS) of Boeing 777s to 330-minutes, up from 240-minutes this week. This will allow carriers to fly more direct routes between airports and reduce carbon emissions.
• On the passenger front, a Frenchman was arrested this week for his excessive pilfering of items from Air France First Class cabins, which he then resold online. Among the items stolen were napkins, glasses, plates and blankets. The article claims he made about 10,000 euros off the sales of the items during the past three years. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t take a glass or two over the years, but I never resell the tiny amount of stuff I’ve taken.
• Speaking of fraud, the Airlines Reporting Corporation has seen a “marked increase” in unauthorized airline tickets issued. Last year, 18 of these incidents were reported, but the figure to-date for 2011 is 113 and those tickets are valued at more than $1 million. Phishing scams are the main culprit where travel agents receive what they think is official communication from trusted GDS companies and click the link to enter their credentials.
• Finally, staying on the GDS front, Travelport will begin charging travel agencies more for services they currently use for free. Beginning January 1^st, the company’s Agility program that allows agents to use certain client databases, PNR search capabilities, fulfillment services, queues and more will come with a $35 fee per terminal per month. Agency incentives for using GDS technology still remain, but new costs such as this are pointing to a changing landscape in the GDS-Agency relationship.

Happy anniversary to me! I officially launched this blog one year ago today and when I look back at my initial posts I’m a bit embarrassed at their immaturity, but can see how I’ve developed my writing skills and I’m happy with Frequently Flying today. It’ll only get better.

This has been an amazing year and when I first started I had no idea I’d keep up with it, but my passion for the industry brought me back almost daily to write a new post covering topics of interest to me. Special thanks to my long-time readers and equally to those just finding me… I promise this blog will continue for a very long time featuring the same “airline, hotel & travel industry news, reviews & opinions.” I also intend to expand my coverage and possibly include new features and services. Stay tuned for those.

I’ll repeat my inspirations for starting this blog, and I hope you either currently follow them or will after reading this. The amazing Ben Schlappig of One Mile at a Time was an inspiration and I can’t tell you how much I admire him and how he’s turned his similar passion into a full-time gig at such a young age. Next up is Matthew Klint of Live And Let’s Fly. His insightful, honest, thoughtful and sometimes controversial reporting on industry topics drew me in to frequently leave comments on his posts, which made me think… “Hey, I should really start a blog.” Finally, Mark Ashley at Upgrade: Travel Better similarly wrote in a realistic and often thought-provoking manner about the industry I love. He fell off the radar earlier this year, which is sad… I hope he returns to blogging one day.

My other reason for starting this blog relates to my passionate background for the industry. I was an aviation geek from childhood. My Dad took me to O’Hare airport to watch planes depart, I still remember my first flight like it was yesterday, I loved going on road trips and staying in hotels and I initially made it my career path. I earned an undergrad degree in Aviation Business Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, learned how to fly and completed two internships while in college. One was with United Airlines in their Flight Dispatch department (EXODD) at headquarters and the other was as an Airport Intern at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. I’ll eventually blog about those experiences.

After graduation, the only thing open with United immediately was being a reservations agent. That didn’t last long for a variety of reasons, and I soon found a gig with a travel wholesaler who specialized in travel packages to Las Vegas and Hawaii. That firm contracted with United, so I still was sort-of connected with my carrier of choice. I was recruited out of that firm to another tour operator/wholesaler and got deep into both marketing (having freshly completed a M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications) and technology integration.

I was a pro with Apollo – United’s GDS – and absolutely knew every in and out of that system. I ended up working at my new company’s three offices around the country.

Before working at the third location, though, I was re-hired by United in their Inventory Management department… the elusive IM that so many frequent flyers wonder about. That was my favorite job. It paid well, I had amazing travel perks and worked in the department that managed the hugely complex inventory allocation, for which I geek out on more than you can imagine. If you haven’t already checked it out, I suggest you read my Airfare pricing buckets and airline fare basis codes REVEALED! post. You’ll learn a few things that’ll pay off when you search for flights.

I was young and wet behind the ears, so when my previous employer came back to me and offered a significant pay bump along with other perks, I bailed on United. I still regret that to this day and I wish I had stayed at United. It offered incredible upward mobility, it was my “dream job” and I worked for my lifelong desired employer. The money thrown at me at that time by my previous employer was too good to be true, so I left. For any “youngins” out there… follow your passion, not the money!

At the third location, things didn’t look good at my final position with that firm as the office I was in was potentially going to be on the chopping block. I loved where I lived then, so left the industry and went into Project Management in the Financial Services industry.

Anyway… enough of my background. Do you really care? Maybe so, but I’ve gone so far off tangent to what this post is supposed to be about.

As you read this I’m doing exactly what I love… racking up more airline miles and probably staring out a window at the beautiful world below. There’s just something about leaving all your worries and issues behind and taking in the beauty of the landscape, sky and view from 35,000 or so feet. It’s incredibly peaceful and brings me an immense amount of joy and humility.

The mileage run I’m on today ended up being unnecessary as I’ve already hit the 100,000-mile mark with United, but I booked it at a time I was uncertain I would have hit that level. Still, though, nothing makes me happier than to travel. It’s been my passion for as long as I can remember. Today’s flights also bring me closer to United Million Miler status, so it’s definitely not a waste.

I hope your weekend is as enjoyable as mine. Thanks for reading my blog and I hope I’ve added to either your enjoyment of flying and travel, or brought you posts that increased your frequent flyer and hotel balances.

I’m looking forward to what year two brings for Frequently Flying.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the one and only Randy Petersen, founder of BoardingArea and basically the God of all things related to miles and points. I am truly honored to be a small part of his incredible team of bloggers here at BoardingArea. Thank you, Randy, for believing in me and opening up your generosity to allow my blog to be included with the “best-in-class” here on BoardingArea.

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

• Delta Air Lines will be laying off 200 employees, the majority of which from their headquarters in Atlanta. This combined with another 2,000 employees taking voluntary buyouts, the airline claims soft demand, fuel prices and reduced capacity make the workforce reductions necessary.
• Engineers at Qantas have proceeded with one-hour work stoppages causing 17 flights to be delayed or cancelled this past Monday. Brisbane was the first city where the mini-strikes were held, with Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne planned to follow. I didn’t, however, read of any other cancellations or delays for the rest of the week. As they should, the carrier is refusing to pay engineers overtime pay for the planned hour work stoppage. Come on unions… stop being so childish.
• The first Boeing 747-8 in Lufthansa colors rolled out of the Boeing paint shop. She’s a sexy bird in my opinion and I’ll look forward to booking a trip on it as the 747 is still my favorite airplane. Lufty ordered a total of 20 of the now longest passenger jet in the world and will begin taking delivery of them next spring.
• The first Disney property opened in Hawaii last week on the western side of Oahu about 25 miles from resort heavy Waikiki. Obviously catering to families, the price point for the Aulani resort is pretty steep with the lowest rates in October being $549 per night for a single as compared to the nearby JW Marriott Ihilani resort of $269 to $459 per night. The first ever teen-only spa at the property features frozen yogurt, Xbox Kinect fitness activites and even manicures and pedicures.
• While American Airlines and Sabre have extended their content agreement, the carrier filed a new complaint with the courts alleging the GDS “organized an unlawful group boycott against American.” The papers are heavily redacted, so there’s no publicly available detail into exactly what that supposed boycott entailed. No court date has been set for the original complaint that claims Sabre biased fares, blocked direct connect abilities and raised booking fees among other items.
• U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano claims we’ll eventually be able to leave our shoes on here in America when passing through security. Many news outlets jumped on the story and I’m afraid some of them made it sound like it would be happening very soon. The original plan was to have a shoe scanner system in airports by 2015, but no decision has been made as to whether or not they’ll proceed with that technology.
• The U.S. Transportation Security Adminisration will be continuing full speed ahead with the Federal Air Marshal (FAM) and federal flight deck officer programs (FFDO). While no actual threats have been averted due to the programs, the TSA claims both are “success stories” and part of the “nation’s multi-layered approach to transportation security.” I’m all for the volunteer pilots who carry weapons, but think it should be extended to international flights. Restrictions by foreign countries prohibit the practice.
• US Airways is in talks with Airbus to see if the A321neo (new engine option) could be modified to become the replacement for the carrier’s aging 757 fleet. Currently, the A321 doesn’t have the range, power and fuel capacity for some of the carrier’s longest haul markets such as Phoenix-Honolulu, Charlotte-Dublin and Philadephia-Lisbon.