Welcome to the May 2007 issue of Travology™ Today

At Directravel, we provide both benchmarking and company-specific data to our clients to assist in making educated travel management decisions. Realizing that it is just as important to assess ourselves, we perform internal audits on an ongoing basis to see how well we’re meeting our client’s expectations. But data from an independent third party can be more valuable in understanding how we are really doing as compared to other TMCs across the country.

We recently retained Topaz International, a world leader in auditing, benchmark information and consultancy, to review our Travologists for the month of April. We were very pleased with the results. Topaz measured our ability to ticket the lowest available fare at the time of ticketing. Our accuracy rate for domestic reservations came in at 98.67%, 1.32% above the national average of 97.35%; for international reservations, we scored 100%, 1.46% above the national average of 98.54%.

These results underscore our commitment to provide exceptional service to our client as well as the dedication of our Travologists to a job well done.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced earlier this month operational pilot testing at several of the nation's largest airports of a technology capable of screening sealed bottled liquids for explosives. The first unit ready for pilot testing is called Fido® PaxPoint™ and is manufactured by ICx Technologies. Because the technology is performing well in pilot testing, TSA anticipates deploying up to 200 bottled liquid scanners to the nation's busiest airports in FY 2007.

"TSA moved quickly with the Department of Homeland Security after last year's liquid ban to accelerate the development of liquid explosive detection technologies," said TSA Chief Technology Officer Mike Golden. "Though we do not anticipate changes to the liquid ban in the near future, this flexible and accurate new technology gives an important additional tool to our security officers."

The commercially available explosives detection device is being used by the U.S. government domestically and overseas. This is the first time the hand-held bottled liquid scanners are being used in the airport environment.

Bottled liquid scanners have been or will be piloted at the following airports:

• Miami International (completed)
• Newark Liberty International (completed)
• Detroit Metro (ongoing)
• Los Angeles International (ongoing)
• Las Vegas McCarran International (ongoing)
• Boston Logan International (ongoing)

Following the disruption of the UK/US airline bombing plot in August 2006, TSA issued new procedures that, with a few exceptions, effectively banned liquids, gels and aerosols in carry-on luggage. On Sept. 26, 2006, TSA authorized travel-sized amounts of liquids, gels and aerosols. Exceptions for medications are in place. Details are available at www.tsa.gov.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expanding an air traffic program that reduces flight delays during the peak summer season. The Airspace Flow Program, as it is known, gives airlines the option of either accepting delays for flights scheduled to fly through storms or flying longer routes to safely maneuver around them.

The agency successfully launched the program last year at seven locations in the Northeast. On bad weather days at major airports in the region, delays fell by 9 percent compared to the year before. Cost savings for the airlines and the flying public from the program are estimated to be $100 million annually.

“This is a much better way to handle summer traffic,” said FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey. “If your flight isn’t scheduled to fly through bad weather you don’t have to sit on the tarmac. If it is, your airline has the choice of taking a delay shared evenly by all the affected flights or flying around the storm.”

This summer, the number of Airspace Flow Program locations — chosen for their combination of heavy traffic and frequent bad weather — will be expanded from seven to 18. The additional locations will ease delays for passengers flying through the South and Midwest, as well as those on transcontinental flights.

For more information, click here.

Communications providers and airlines are preparing to offer wireless in-flight Internet and other onboard connectivity services within the next year. Learning lessons from last year's disbanding of Connexion by Boeing, providers are developing solutions that they say are cheaper, lighter and easier to install, while airlines note in-flight Internet remains an amenity they are clamoring to provide.

The World Airline Entertainment Association identified several companies that are offering or developing inflight connectivity services. They include OnAir, AeroMobile, AirCell, AirTV, ARINC, ASiQ, Delta Beta In-Flight, LiveTV, Panasonic Avionics, Starling Advanced Communications and Thales Avionics.

Although several domestic carriers said they are on board for at least exploring such services, international airlines were quick to embrace in-flight Internet. In 2004, Lufthansa Airlines became the first carrier to launch Boeing's Connexion service. Other international airlines joined the fold, including All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, China Airlines, El Al Israel Airlines, Etihad Airways, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, SAS and Singapore Airlines. However due to a lack of demand, Boeing at the end of 2006 officially disbanded the service.

When discontinuing Connexion by Boeing, chairman, president and CEO Jim McNerney said, "Regrettably, the market for this service has not materialized as had been expected."

For more information, click here.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced this month that as part of PlaNYC, the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) will implement new emissions and mileage standards for yellow taxicabs that will lead to a fully hybrid fleet by 2012 - the largest, cleanest fleet of taxis on the planet. The new standards will be phased in over a four-year period and will reduce the carbon emissions of New York City's taxicab and for-hire vehicle fleet by 50% during the next decade, and will also save individual operators an average of $10,000 a year in fuel costs.

"In PlaNYC, we set aggressive goals for the taxicab industry and today we're going to begin meeting those goals," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Implementing tougher standards for the more than 13,000 taxis in this City will provide the same clean air benefits as removing 32,000 privately owned cars from our streets, which will significantly reduce the air pollution that causes childhood asthma. This will also decrease the fuel costs for taxi drivers, making this a win for the public and operators alike."

The Ford Crown Victoria, the current workhorse of the taxicab fleet, achieves only 14 miles per gallon (mpg). After October 2008, all new vehicles entering the fleet must achieve a minimum of 25 mpg (based on EPA city surface street ratings), and after October 2009, all new vehicles must achieve a minimum of 30 mpg. When fully implemented, the new standards are expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 215,000 tons. Currently there are only 375 hybrid vehicles in the City's taxi fleet. By October 2008, the number of hybrids in the fleet will triple. The phase-in for the City fleet to become completely hybrid is as follows:

• October 2008 - 1000 yellow hybrid taxicabs;
• October 2009 - 4000 yellow hybrid taxicabs (30% of the fleet)
• October 2010 - 7000 yellow hybrid taxicabs (53% of the fleet)
• October 2011 - 10000 yellow hybrid taxicabs (76% of the fleet)
• October 2012 - all yellow taxicabs will be hybrid (100% of the fleet)

"We expect these new standards will save 22 million gallons of fuel in the first year, and that is only the beginning of what we will be able to accomplish," said TLC Commissioner Matthew W. Daus."

For more information, click here.

The number of daily passenger flights between the United States and China will more than double by 2012 and air cargo companies will have greatly expanded commercial freedom by 2011 as part of a new civil aviation agreement reached this month by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters and Chinese Minister of Civil Aviation Yang Yuanyuan.

“Piece by piece, we are making it easier, cheaper, and more convenient to fly people and ship goods between our two countries,” Secretary Peters said. “We both understand that the path to friendship and cooperation is paved with easy access and close connections.”

Starting this year, Peters said, the new agreement will allow for 13 new daily flights operated by U.S. carriers to and from China within five years. One new daily flight will be added in 2007 and 2008, four new daily flights in 2009, three more daily flights in 2010, and two new daily flights in 2011 and 2012 for a total of 23 per day. Under the current agreement, U.S. airlines today can operate only 10 daily flights into Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

In addition, this agreement will allow the U.S. to designate three additional U.S. carriers to operate to China: one in 2007 and two in 2009. The deal also will provide U.S. cargo carriers with virtually unfettered access to Chinese markets by lifting all government-set limits on the number of cargo flights and cargo carriers serving the two countries by 2011, Secretary Peters added.

For more information, click here.

Sustainable Travel International and Continental Airlines announced plans to offer customers the option to participate in a carbon offsetting program. The voluntary program will allow travelers to calculate the carbon footprint of their booked itinerary and purchase carbon offsets online from non-profit Sustainable Travel International. Proceeds from purchased offsets are invested by Sustainable Travel International into high-impact sustainable development projects, including reforestation, renewable energy and energy conservation… Eos Airlines announced that it has increased its fleet to four Boeing 757-200ER aircraft in preparation for future new routes and additional frequencies to its current schedule. A fifth aircraft is scheduled to be received in December with negotiations for a sixth underway…Northwest Air Lines announced earlier this month that it has received final court approval of its Plan of Reorganization, positioning the airline to exit bankruptcy on May 31…United Airlines and Brazilian airline TAM Linhas Aereas signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an agreement to offer codeshare flights, which will expand the international destinations and frequent flyer benefits offered to customers…US Airways will no longer charge Dividend Miles Preferred members a $25 fee to receive a confirmed standby seat for an earlier flight on the day of travel.

in March '07 decreased to 73.3%, down 0.7 points vs. the running 12 month average of 74.0% but up 6.0 points from February’s 67.3%. 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 Afghanistan, Algeria, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, East Timor, Eritrea, Haiti, Indonesia, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Kenya, Liberia, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan and Yemen.