Business Travel Tips

Boston Logan International Airport will continue to offer free WiFi to passengers.

The Massachusetts Port Authority Board voted to approve offering free WiFi to passengers in a joint effort with the service provider, Advanced Wireless Group.

For the next two years, Massport will continue its partnership with AWG, and the free WiFi will be supported by advertising and sponsorship programs.
On the Massachusetts Port Authority website, it reads “during the two month period when free WiFi was available as part of a Google sponsorship, use of the network increased nearly six-fold”.

Chicago and San Diego airports are only the latest to announce they’ll increase parking rates.

Parking rates are rising at airports across the USA. Other large airports that raised rates in the past year include: Minneapolis-St. Paul; Los Angeles; Honolulu; Little Rock National; St. Louis; Dallas/Fort Worth; Detroit; Boston; Pittsburgh; Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers; Indianapolis; and Portland, Ore, USA Today reports.

At O’Hare, rates for most long-term parking (5 hours or more) will rise by $1, and the 24-hour maximum will increase by $1, to $31, at the daily lot.
At Midway, a $1 increase will apply for long-term parking (7 hours or more) at the hourly and daily garages, and the 24-hour maximum will increase by $1, to $29. Rates for short-term parking will remain the same at both airports.

Starting July 1, San Diego airport will change its rate structure, which will result in higher prices. Parking for an hour will rise by $1, to $4. The daily maximum for the first day will remain at $21, but each additional 24 hours will cost $26.

Parking is a huge business for U.S. airports and the largest source of non-aviation revenue. Domestic airport parking revenue rose 2.6% in 2008 to $3 billion, even as passenger volume fell 3.6% to 735 million. (source: USA Today)

AirAsia has introduced its self check-in services: Web Check-In and Self Check-In Kiosks.

With Web Check-In passengers are able to check-in online between 48 hours and 4 hours before the scheduled departure time.

With Self Check-In Kiosks at the Airport passengers are able to check-in in between 6 hours and 1 hour prior the scheduled departure time.

Passengers who have luggage to check-in, need to drop their baggage at the Self Check-In Counter at least 60 minutes prior to the boarding time.

Beginning Feb. 1 American Airlines will raise its domestic luggage fees to $25 and $35 for first and second checked bags, respectively.

American Airlines follows the same move US Airways, Delta and Continental announced last week — with fee hikes already in place.

Unlike the other airlines reducing the price a few dollars if you pre-pay the baggage fee online before you go to the airport, American doesn’t offer a discount for paying checked bags fees online. (source)

The airline premium traffic — passengers traveling on first or business class — remains weak, according to the data released by IATA.

traffic in November was 6.7 percent lower when compared with the same month in 2008.
Despite it represents a slight improvement on the 9.3 percent decline recorded in October, premium travel numbers are still over 20 percent lower than early 2008 levels.

- Premium traffic by region
With premium tickets mainly bought by passengers traveling on business such demand is strictly correlated to the economic recovery. That means premium tickets demand varies by route, reflecting the different pace of economic recovery.
Premium traffic in November was up 18.2 percent year-on-year within Latin America and up 13.7 percent between the Middle East and Far East, but down 18.5 percent within Europe and down 5.9 percent on the Transatlantic market.

As premium traffic represents less than 10 percent of total travel, it accounts for about 30 percent of passenger revenues for most airlines. (source)