Welcome to the December 2007 Issue of Travology Today

Everyone at Directravel would like to extend their wishes for a very happy and peaceful holiday season and a prosperous new year.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Continental Airlines announced this month the launch of a Paperless Boarding Pass pilot program. It will allow passengers to receive boarding passes electronically on their cell phones or PDAs, which will then be scanned by TSA security officers at the checkpoint and eliminate the need for a paper boarding pass. Continental is the first U.S. carrier to test paperless boarding passes.

Each paperless boarding pass will display a two-dimensional bar code along with passenger and flight information that will identify the traveler. TSA travel document checkers will use handheld scanners to validate the authenticity of the paperless boarding pass sent to Continental passengers. The new technology heightens the ability to detect fraudulent boarding passes while improving customer service and reducing paper use.

“The deployment of the paperless technology signifies the TSA's ongoing commitment to develop and execute new technologies within aviation while enhancing security,” said Mel Carraway, TSA general manager for field operations, Office of Security Operations .

TSA created the concept of how to scan the paperless boarding passes and Continental Airlines developed an implementation plan that involved encrypting the paperless boarding pass to ensure authenticity. “We are pleased to take part in this pioneering concept that provides enhanced security and customer service to our passengers,” said Mark Bergsrud, Continental Airlines senior vice president, Marketing Programs and Distribution.

The paperless boarding pass pilot is consistent with the global standard of the International Air Transport Association for bar coding of passenger boarding passes. This joint effort between Continental Airlines and TSA will enable the airline industry to look forward to a paperless check-in process.

For more information, click here.

The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade organization representing the leading U.S. airlines, is forecasting that 47 million passengers* will travel globally on U.S. airlines during the winter holiday season (spanning Thursday, Dec. 13 through Wednesday, Jan. 2). This forecast is comparable to last year’s traffic volume.

“Despite signs of slowing in the economy and sky-high energy prices, we expect to see another strong season of holiday air travel – on average, 2.25 million travelers per day,” said ATA President and CEO James C. May.

The four busiest days during the winter travel period are expected to be Wednesday, Jan. 2; Friday, Dec. 21; Thursday, Dec. 27; and Wednesday, Dec. 26, respectively. On these days, ATA estimates that daily traffic will average upward of 2.5 million passengers. The two least busy travel days are anticipated to be Tuesday, Dec. 25 and Monday, Dec. 24, respectively, each with an average of 1.9 million passengers.

Airlines are ramping up for the large number of flyers expected over the next several weeks, and remain committed to providing travelers with up-to-the-minute notifications of delays or changes in their flight schedule by delivering updates to travelers’ wireless devices up to 24 hours in advance. At some airports, this travel information, as well as other important announcements, will be displayed in multiple languages. Several airlines are offering flight-status updates via text messaging as well.

The airlines have also made enhancements to their terminal and gate areas, modifying layouts to better serve passengers’ needs. For instance, extra self-service kiosks have been added in terminal areas at some airports that can be used both for check-in and rebooking purposes. To help manage high traffic volumes and assist passengers whose plans may change due to weather, ATA member airlines are increasing staffing levels.

ATA will be providing operational and weather updates on www.airlines.org throughout the holiday.

As with every holiday travel season, ATA urges customers to be prepared for their trip. To help make the airport experience as smooth as possible, ATA encourages passengers to:

• Pack any gifts unwrapped, as they may need to be inspected by security
• Use automated check-in options
• Travel with a current government-issued photo identification
• Allow plenty of time for checking in and for security screening at the airport. If traveling on the busiest days, plan for longer-than-usual security lines
• Medications taken on a regular basis should not be packed in checked bags
• If packing liquids or gels in carry-on baggage, pack them in containers of three ounces or less. Place these in a one-quart zip-top bag that can be put in a security bin separately for screening. Only one zip-top bag is allowed per passenger, so what does not fit must be packed in checked luggage. Note that larger quantities of medications and baby formula can be carried onboard
• Become familiar with the list of TSA permitted and prohibited items
• At the security checkpoint, place metallic objects (e.g., coins, keys, pens, cell phone, watch, camera) in carry-on baggage. Plan to carry small electronics and spare batteries with you. Check DOT restrictions against packing batteries in checked luggage before getting to the airport
• Tag each bag, inside and out, with traveler name and contact information, and remove all destination baggage tags from previous trips

ATA airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. For additional information about the industry, visit www.airlines.org.

*The total number of revenue passengers boarding aircraft in scheduled service.

As frustrations mount for travelers in a year fraught with a record number of flight delays, customer satisfaction with rental cars has declined considerably, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Rental Car Satisfaction Study^SM.

Now in its 12th year, the study measures overall customer satisfaction with renting cars at airports by examining six factors (listed in order of importance): costs and fees, pick-up process, rental car, return process, reservation process and shuttle bus/van. Overall satisfaction drops from 767 points on a 1,000-point scale in 2006 to 750 in 2007.

“The decline in customer satisfaction with rental cars is indicative of a general decline in performance throughout the travel industry in 2007—from airports to airlines to hotels,” said Jim Gaz, senior director of travel and entertainment at J.D. Power and Associates. “Rental car customers, in particular, are being faced with rising fuel prices and decreased availability of new rental vehicles, as major automotive manufacturers have reduced their rental fleet sales. While the rental car industry faces its own specific challenges, customer satisfaction may also be influenced by the snowball effect from frustrations consumers are facing with the entire travel experience.”

The study finds that the average reported time that rental car customers wait while picking up or returning their rental car typically exceeds the reported wait times incurred during other parts of the travel experience that are measured by the firm. Rental car customers say they wait an average of 22 minutes to pick up their vehicle, and 14 minutes to return the vehicle, while air travelers report waiting an average of 13 minutes to obtain a boarding pass and check baggage, 15 minutes to go through airport security, and 18 minutes to retrieve checked luggage. Hotel customers report waiting 10 minutes, on average, to check in.

“While travelers understand that some waiting is unavoidable, customers still expect wait times to be kept to a minimum, especially for simpler tasks, such as checking into a hotel or for a flight,” said Gaz. “Rental car companies can improve upon managing customer perceptions by finding ways to expedite the pickup and return processes. When customers believe that they have to wait longer to return a rental car than to go through a security checkpoint at an airport—the latter being a presumably more complex process—their satisfaction diminishes, and understandably so.”

Consolidated rental car facilities at airports is likely affecting the competitive landscape of the industry, eroding the service advantages that some rental car companies have spent millions of dollars and years to implement. While the study finds that price continues to be the key driver of rental car satisfaction, rental car companies are seeking to differentiate their brands by implementing electronic toll collection services and hourly rental rates.

The 2007 Rental Car Satisfaction Study is based on 5,859 evaluations from business and leisure travelers who rented a vehicle at an airport location between September 2006 and September 2007. To view ratings of rental car companies, visit JDPower.com.

The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remind the traveling public that as of Jan. 31, 2008, all adult travelers will be required to present proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, and proof of identity, such as a driver’s license, when entering the United States through land and sea ports of entry. DHS will be issuing a notice in the Federal Register formally announcing the change.

This change is a necessary step to prepare travelers and ease the transition to the future requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). WHTI proposes to establish documentation requirements for travelers entering the United States who were previously exempt, including citizens of the U.S., Canada, and Bermuda. As recommended by the 9/11 Commission, Congress enacted WHTI in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. WHTI will result in both enhanced security and increased facilitation across the border once implemented. During this transition, DHS and the Department of State are working diligently to minimize the impact on legitimate trade and travel.

Currently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers may accept oral declarations of citizenship from U.S. and Canadian citizens seeking entry into the United States through a land or sea border. However, as of January 31, 2008:

• Oral declarations of citizenship alone will no longer be accepted.
• U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 19 and older will need to present a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, along with proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or naturalization certificate.
• Children ages 18 and under will only be required to present proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate.
• Passports and trusted traveler program cards - NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST - will continue to be accepted for cross-border travel.

All existing nonimmigrant visa and passport requirements will remain in effect and will not be altered by this change.

The Department reminds the public that the current turnaround time for a passport is four to six weeks, so Americans planning international travel may wish to apply now.

For information on obtaining a U.S. Passport visit travel.state.gov/passport.

Specific documentation requirements for land, sea and air travel may be found at here.

Continental Airlines was chosen as the Best Airline for North American Travel in Business Traveler magazine's 2007 Readers' Choice Best in Business Travel Survey…Elite customers flying Delta Air Lines within the United States now have a dedicated lane called Breezeway at each airport gate allowing them priority boarding anytime during the process – not just when their zone is called…United Airlines launched service from Los Angeles to Frankfurt…US Airways has entered into a partnership with Travel Channel to produce a 60-minute entertainment program, which began airing onboard video-equipped flights Dec. 1. TravelQuest will feature striking imagery combined with interesting facts about many of the world's most popular and lesser-known travel destinations.

in October '07 increased to 78.2%, up 4.7 points vs. the running 12 month average of 73.5% but down 3.5 points from September’s 81.7%. 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, Chad, Colombia, Cote d’lvoire, East Timor, Eritrea, Haiti, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Kenya, Lebanon, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somolia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.