Welcome to the January 2007 issue of Travology™ Today

Directravel welcomed Jose Tejedor, executive vice president of sales and marketing, last month. He will oversee the company’s national sales force, establishing new markets, sales goals and strategy. He will also be responsible for managing Directravel’s brand strategy, marketing outreach and telemarketing operations.

“Jose comes to Directravel with great experience, a passion for our business and a first-rate strategic perspective. His expertise will be invaluable as we commit ourselves to making travel management smarter and easier for our clients,” said Pat Fragale, president of Directravel.

Jose brings more than 25 years of experience in sales and marketing to his position, in addition to 15 years experience in the hotel and hospitality industry. Prior to Directravel, he served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Medieval Times Management in Lyndhurst, NJ. He previously worked for Prime Hospitality Corporation, Newport Hotels, Inc., Princess Hotels International, Inc. and Loews Hotels Corporation.

Jose will be based in the Mahwah location and can be reached at 201-847-2155 or jose@dt.com.

GetAPassportNow.com, which launched six weeks ago and provides links to U.S., Canadian and Mexican passport information, has received more than 1.2 million hits and 50,000 unique visitors, according to Roger J. Dow, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Travel Industry Association.

GetAPassportNow.com was created after the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) was revised by Congressional action last September. WHTI requires all air travelers to the U.S., including Americans returning from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, to now have a passport or other secure document. In addition, all travelers by land and sea must meet this requirement by an unspecified deadline not later than June 1, 2009.

Just 27 percent of all Americans currently have a passport, while 40 percent of Canadians have the official government-issued travel document. GetAPassportNow.com explains the new passport requirements, cites the deadlines, and provides links where citizens of the U.S., Canada and Mexico can get information about and applications for their respective passports. It is intended to supplement efforts by the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security to inform travelers about the new rules.

For more information, click here.

The readers of Business Traveler magazine participated in a third-party survey to vote for their “best-of-the-best” in the travel industry. Over 650 readers (and seasoned business travelers) submitted their entries in 50 different categories and some of the “top three” winners are…

Best Airport in North America
Denver
Chicago O’Hare
New York, JFK International

Best Car Rental Company in North America
Hertz
Avis
National Car Rental

Best Carry-on Luggage for Business Travel
Tumi
Travelpro
Samsonite

Best Economy Class in the World
Singapore
Continental Airlines
American Airlines

Best Flight Attendants in the US
Continental
Delta Airlines
Southwest Airlines

Best Frequent Flyer Program
Delta
United Airlines
American Airlines

Best Hotel Chain in the World
Marriott
Hilton Hotels
Four Seasons

Best Luxury Hotel Chain for Business Travel
Four Seasons
Ritz-Carlton
JW Marriott

Best Overall Luggage for Business Travelers
Travelpro
Tumi
Samsonite

To see the complete list of winners, click here.

In recent weeks, the airline industry has been buzzing with speculation over possible mergers and acquisitions involving a number of prominent US carriers. How this effects each company will vary depending on multiple factors, but it many cases it will simply become a catalyst for travel managers to take a closer look at what their preferred airlines are offering.

A partial list of what the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) recommends when evaluating airline partners includes:

• Strong networks that meet business needs with easy point-to-point travel and multiple flight times to choose from, particularly in most flown city pairs
• Direct, non-stop flights wherever possible
• On-time performance
• Access to full booking content at chosen points of sale, without undue cost burdens
• Support of tools used by business travelers en-route, such as in-flight power and internet access in lounge or gate areas

More information can be found at www.nbta.org, or by clicking here.

Clear® Registered Traveler announced this month the opening of the Clear lane at Terminal 7 at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The launch at JFK Terminal 7 signifies the beginning of the national rollout of the US registered traveler program. In addition, Newark Liberty International Airport’s Terminal B will have an operational Clear lane in mid-March.

Clear, now with over 35,000 members, began the first privately-run registered traveler pilot program at Orlando International Airport in July 2005. The JFK program is fully interoperable with the Orlando program and with all other airports in the national program.

Clear allows business travelers and other frequent fliers to pay a fee ($99.95) to be pre-screened by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and receive a biometric identity card that provides them with expedited passage through airport security checkpoints.

In addition to the Orlando Airport and JFK’s Terminal 7, the Clear network will expand this month in the continuation of the rollout of the national registered traveler program to include Indianapolis, San José, and Cincinnati International Airports. Clear will also launch at JFK Terminal 1 in March. In addition, Clear has an agreement with Toronto Pearson International Airport to operate a Canadian program, working with Canadian authorities.

For more information, click here.

Have you wondered recently if there are any tricks to getting through security faster? Being prepared and knowing what to expect will help.

The TSA regulations for carry-ons have not changed recently, but they do offer some clarifications to frequently asked questions:

• Containers must be 3 ounces or less
  • 3 ounces of shampoo or lotion in an 8 ounce container will NOT be allowed; same goes for toothpaste (you can’t just roll up the tube)
• These items must be placed in a quart sized zip-top bag
  • Frequent travelers recommend using freezer bags, since they are stronger
  • When it doubt, put it in your checked luggage
• At security, remove the zip-top bag from your carry-on and place it separately in the bin
• Leave lighters at home – TSA confiscates thousands a day

In addition, to speed getting through security:

• Wear shoes that are easy to take off and put on
• Place cell phones, keys, PDAs, loose change, jewelry and large metal items in your carry-on while you are waiting in line
• Take your laptop out of its case

For more information, click here.

Continental Airlines has completed the installation of Audio/Video on Demand (AVOD) in the BusinessFirst cabins of its entire fleet of 41 Boeing 757 aircraft used primarily on transatlantic flights to/from its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport. AVOD systems will be installed in the economy cabins of these aircraft beginning summer 2007…the airline will begin first-ever daily nonstop service between Jackson, Mississippi and its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport, beginning September 2007. In addition, it will launch daily nonstop flights between New York/Newark and Athens effective June 7, 2007 (eastbound), subject to government approval. The new service will provide a link to the capital of Greece from not only New York but also from more than 230 other cities throughout North, Central and South America, the Caribbean and beyond...Delta Air Lines customers flying internationally now have more opportunities to cozy into all-leather seats and enjoy their choice of music, video and games, whether in BusinessElite® or the economy cabin. Delta has refurbished its first Boeing 777 and Boeing 767-400 with all-leather interiors and on-demand entertainment at every seat...Delta Air Lines filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation to offer customers the first and only nonstop flights between Atlanta and China’s Shanghai…United Airlines announced that Mileage Plus frequent flyer miles that are in accounts which are inactive for 18 months will expire. By shortening the amount of time a Mileage Plus account remains active, United’s most loyal customers will compete with fewer people for award seats, making it easier for them to redeem their miles…The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded the new nonstop U.S.-China route from Washington-Dulles to United Airlines…Northwest Airlines Corporation announced in January that it and certain of its subsidiaries have filed their joint Chapter 11 plan of reorganization with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, which is overseeing its reorganization… As announced earlier this month, Expedia.com will no longer being carrying complete content for all airlines. American Airlines will no longer sell international tickets or domestic first or business class tickets through any website powered by Expedia.com to customers purchasing travel from the United States.

Airline on-time performance: in November '06 increased to 76.5%, down 1 point vs. the running 12 month average of 75.5%, and up 3.6 points from October’s 72.9%. To view the USDOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics' (BTS) Air Travel Consumer Report, click here.

The United States Government has posted recent travel advisories and warnings for Algeria, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Indonesia, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Lebanon, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.