Welcome to the December 2006 issue of Travology™ Today

Directravel announced this month its partnership with Continental Airlines to launch a new dedicated Web site that allows Directravel clients to check in for their flights online.

Travelers who book their flights through us will now be sent a check-in prompt via e-mail within 24 hours of flight departure. The e-mail will link the customer to the Continental Airlines/Directravel Web page, enabling them to check in for their flight, select or change a seat assignment and print or fax a boarding pass.

“We are dedicated to providing our clients with excellent customer service, technology solutions and travel fulfillment services that enhance their travel experience every day,” said Pat Fragale, president of Directravel. “With the help of partners like Continental, we are able to develop new technologies that help us make travel smart and easy for our clients.”

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) released the 2007 Business Travel Overview and Cost Forecast to its members recently. The report, based on a survey of NBTA Direct (travel manager) members, is designed to assist with the corporate travel planning and budgeting process.

Some key findings include:

• The majority of survey respondents (67.7%) expect their companies’ travelers to take more trips in 2007 than 2006.
• The majority of respondents anticipate higher air travel spend next year as compared to this year for reasons including higher airfares (74.1%), more trips (65.1%) and more travelers (45.5%).
• The majority of respondents anticipate higher hotel spend next year as compared to this year for reasons including higher rates (84.1%) more trips (60.3%) and more travelers (47.6%).
• More than three quarters (76.9%) of respondents’ companies are using online booking tools, an increase of 7.6 percentage points over last year. An additional 13.4 percent plan to implement online booking in the future.
• Significant percentages of respondents anticipate the following efforts to trim costs in 2007: ramping up policy mandates (74.9%); reducing the number of preferred airlines (20.7%), hotels (28.5%) or car rental contacts (20.5%).

For more information, click here.

At Directravel, it’s our business to understand the travel industry and work with our clients to develop and apply cost saving measures.

In light of the rising cost of travel, we recommend the following:

• Readdress and implement a corporate travel policy, with specific compliance goals.
• Consolidate where possible in your most commonly traveled cities.
• Offer a select number of hotels the majority of your business in exchange for better rates or amenities.
• Book early so you can get the best deals and confirm availability with your preferreds.
• Talk with your Regional Account Manager about your specific goals for cost reduction and let us help you attain them.
• Rely on our buying power. If you are unsure, let us do a comparison for your company based on you specific city pairs.

We also provide our clients with a full array of reports that will allow them to make knowledgeable and accurate budget decisions. They will also help to enforce policy compliance. For more information, contact your Regional Account Manager or call (800) 343-8861.

As you may be aware, the requirements for entry into the United States are scheduled to change next month. Anyone arriving by air will be required to show a passport or other accepted document to enter or re-enter the country.

This change came about through recommendations from the September 11 commission. The passport is the document of choice primarily due to the higher level of difficulty to forge as well as the consistent look and required information.

Janice Kephart, former counsel to the September 11 commission told a House Judiciary subcommittee this year that WHTI closed loopholes that terrorists could use to enter the United States.

“An extremely large loophole that still exists today here in the U.S., and which WHTI seeks to close, is the policy and practices that permit anyone claiming to be from the Western Hemisphere to present easily forged documents, or nothing at all, to enter the U.S.,” she said.

Although no travel document is perfect, passports have features that other forms of identification, such as birth certificates or driver’s licenses, do not, Ms. Kephart said. Passports denote citizenship; can be checked through criminal and terrorist watch lists and alerts; national records are maintained of the passports’ owners, so reported lost or stolen passports can be better tracked internationally, and they have particular security features that are more difficult to forge.

For more information, click here.

The Pittsburg Post-Gazette recently reported some very welcomed news. Recovering US airlines are starting to add back perks; but most are reserved for first class or international travelers.

There were two primary reasons the perks disappeared in the first place. Many airlines used it as a way to implement cost savings in light of increased fuel bills and the industry downturn following 9/11. In addition, “discount” airlines created new competition and offered lower prices with more amenities.

“What premium-cabin customers have griped about the most over the past several years is the lack of choice in-flight, particularly for food. Now carriers are revamping menus with an eye toward variety.”

While the perks are making a comeback, many of them will not be to the previous levels veteran travelers may remember. The pillows American Airlines removed from planes are not planned to be re-introduced anytime soon. But the airline is offering freshly baked cookies in first class on transcontinental flights. Northwest has a new on-demand entertainment system on trans-Atlantic flights. And Delta is giving international coach passengers kits with socks and eye masks; it also started adding on-demand digital television, movies and games at every seatback on select longer US flights where it is competing aggressively for customer loyalty.

The full article is available by clicking here.

If you look through the travel section of any local newspaper, you’re sure to find tips on how to make traveling easier, especially in light of all the recent changes.

The following are a few ways to ensure you maximize the space in your suitcases and make it easier to find:

• Pack thin layers and wear thick items onboard.
• Stuff empty shoes with small items such as socks and wrap them in plastic to prevent soiling your packed clothing.
• Use a colorful tag or strap to make a drab black bag stand out.
• Don’t pack valuables or prescription drugs in checked luggage.
• Pack a single pair of jeans and roll your clothes for more efficient use of space.
• Use TSA approved locks.
• Use a luggage tag and tuck contact information inside the bag.
• Leave gifts unwrapped to ease security check.

In addition, many feature luggage trends, such as increased capacity in checked luggage, the use of lighter materials like laminated foam and luggage with removable accessories. For carry ons, it’s “smaller is better”.

To read the New Jersey Bergen Record’s tips, click here.

Lufthansa German Airlines has announced many updates to their services over the past few months. In November, the Lufthansa Supervisory Board approved orders for a total of 27 new aircraft. Twenty of those orders are for new long-range Boeing 747-8 jets, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2010. A further seven Airbus A340-600 long-haul aircraft will be joining the fleet in 2008. Lufthansa has also taken out options on a further twenty of the B747-8 type…Next summer Lufthansa passengers will have a wider choice of flights to and from the United States. Additional daily nonstop flights to Denver and Detroit will be offered to supplement Lufthansa’s already extensive route network in North America. “This will give passengers much greater flexibility when combining flights. For business travelers, this will mean big time savings,” explains Dr. Holger Hätty, member of the Airline Board. By linking its key destinations in North America to both its Frankfurt and Munich hubs, Lufthansa can offer its customers 29 routes to 19 destinations in the USA and Canada …To help with medical emergencies on board even more effectively and faster, Lufthansa is encouraging doctors to participate in the frequent flyer program Miles & More. After Lufthansa’s Medical Service has checked the registration, including the license to practice medicine, the participating doctors will receive an one-time welcome bonus of 5,000 miles. Any doctors who indicate his or her Miles & More number when reserving a flight, will appear together with the specific field of medicine on the crew’s passenger list. In an emergency the purser can discreetly approach the doctor directly. Experience shows that in more than 80 percent of cases, a doctor is among the passengers…The cooperation with the Peninsula Hotel Group promises to provide Lufthansa passengers with creative new meals on all flights from the USA. As of November, the chefs Gordon Maybury from New York, Terry Crandall from Chicago and Sean Hardy from the Peninsula Beverly Hills, will be spoiling guests in First and Business Class. The cooperation with Peninsula is part of the Lufthansa "Star Chef" program…Lufthansa is a Star Alliance Member.

Continental Airlines outranked all other U.S. carriers to be chosen as the Best Airline for North American Travel in Business Traveler magazine's 2006 Readers' Choice Best in Business Travel Survey. Continental also placed highest among U.S. airlines for Best Flight Attendants in the U.S. and Best In-flight Services in the U.S….In addition, the airline offers OnePass members TripAlert service, which will notify travelers if their flight is on time, delayed or cancelled…Delta Air Lines continues its rapid southward expansion in December with 16 new nonstop flights to 14 destinations in 22 days. The new routes includes popular business and leisure destinations across Mexico, central America and the Caribbean…United Airlines unveiled initial details about the previously announced $165 million upgrade to its international widebody fleet that includes a new luxurious United First Suite, which provides passengers with more privacy, personal space and comfort on overseas flights. The new suite was designed to be the optimal space to work, sleep or relax while enjoying the latest entertainment and exclusive amenities. The new First Suite is nearly three inches wider than the existing, popular United First Suite and reclines to multiple angles or serves as a fully flat 6-foot, 6-inch bed. Each suite offers a cutting-edge entertainment system providing a 15.4-inch widescreen flat panel monitor with an on-demand digital video and music system that offers multiple selections of movies, TV programs and video games. United also will offer 50 channels of XM-branded audio content, delivering more than 3,000 songs and a jukebox to create customized play lists.

Airline on-time performance: in October '06 decreased to 72.9%, down 2.9 points vs. the running 12 month average of 75.8%, and down 3.3 points from September’s 76.2%. To view the USDOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics' (BTS) Air Travel Consumer Report, click here.

The Hertz Business Account Program costs nothing to join, yet can reap big rewards for your business. If you have fewer than 100 employees and rent cars at least 5 times a year, you’ll qualify for the program. It provides free rental days, great rates worldwide, fee-waived membership in #1 Club Gold and upgrades and other valuable benefits. For more information, contact your Directravel Travologist™.

Nepal: The Department of State continues to be concerned about the security situation in Nepal and urges American citizens contemplating a visit to Nepal to obtain updated security information before they travel and to be prepared to change their plans at short notice. This supersedes the Travel Warning issued on May 11, 2006.

The restoration of Nepal's parliament, formation of a new government, and the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement in November 2006 are positive developments. These developments have not, however, resulted in the end of human rights abuses, including murder, kidnapping and extortion. Despite the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement by the Government and Maoist insurgents, Maoist extortion and abductions continue. Travel via road in areas outside of the Kathmandu valley is still dangerous and should be avoided. There have been attacks in the countryside involving foreigners. Since the cease-fire in April 2006, hotels and businesses frequented by American citizens have been the target of extortion demands and, in some cases, have become the focus of demonstrations. In November 2006, the Embassy received numerous first-hand accounts from resident American citizens that Maoist cadres had approached them and demanded food and lodging. These demands were often accompanied by threats of physical violence.

While widespread protests have abated, the potential for demonstrations and disruptions remains high. Crime in the Kathmandu Valley, including violent crime and harassment of women, has increased since April 2006.

Other recent warnings include Algeria, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic republic of the Congo, East Timor, Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan, Sri Lank, Syria, Yemen, Uzbekistan.