Business Travel Tips

Beginning today March 24, Continental Airlines will shift all of its Detroit flight operations to the North Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport.

With this move Continental’s new Detroit home will be closer to that of other Star Alliance members United Airlines, Lufthansa, US Airways and Air Canada.

Continental will primarily utilize gates D1, D2 and D8 on the south end of the terminal—immediately adjacent to the gates assigned to United, Lufthansa and Air Canada.

The Continental Airlines ticket counter will be located on the south end of the check-in lobby, adjacent to United. (source)

American Express Business Travel is making available an interactive scorecard to measure travel program effectiveness. The tool gives companies an opportunity to measure how prepared they are with adjustments made during the recession and in the face of travel demand coming back.

Anyone responsible for oversight or management of travel can use this scorecard available at americanexpress.com/newnormalquiz.

A series of questions are asked related to travel, including demand management strategies, compliance practices, technology implementation, and data integration.

Throughout the experience, users are provided tangible advice and tips from American Express consultants, strategic program managers, and business travel executives. Users will be informed on how they fare in comparison to others who answered similar questions in a survey showing attitudes and actions companies took to scale-back travel and plan for the future, conducted in tandem with the initiative.
The survey findings were released in a new eXpert insights report: “Managing Travel in the New Normal”.

The survey polled 169 respondents across more than 30 industries, who are directly involved in managing corporate travel policies and budgets, with offices in North America, Europe, Asia/Pacific, Central/South America and/or Africa/Middle East. (source)

According to a the results coming from a representative sample survey of 50,000 members of Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) over 80 percent of flight attendants sustained injuries over the past year due to dealing with carry-ons in overhead bins.

The study shows one out of two flight attendants witnessed carry-on items falling from overhead bins in the previous 60 day, AFA-CWA says in a press release.

“We now have compelling evidence that flight attendants and passengers are being injured by excess amounts of oversized carry-on items,” said Patricia Friend, AFA-CWA International President.
CWA’s chief said the union has been urging Congress to set standardized, reasonable carry-on limitations. Currently airlines are allowed to determine its own size limitations for carry-on bags.

AFA-CWA says the survey indicates that carry-on baggage is out of control, mostly due to recent fees to check luggage.

The union last March 15 also launched a new website, www.EndCarryonCrunch.org, dedicated to encouraging the traveling public to write to Congress, urging them to pass legislation that would ease the carry-on situation.(source)

US Airways announced it will accept only credit and debit cards for on-board purchases on its mainline flights starting April 2.

Accepted credit cards include Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover or Diners Club cards.
Debit cards will be accepted if they have a Visa or MasterCard logo.

On international flights between the USA and Europe, South America and the Middle East both cash and credit will be accepted.
On US Airways Express regional flights cash only will be accepted.

In 2009 the passengers’ complaints in the U.S. for items stolen or damaged from their luggage have plunged more than 50%.

The USA Today cites TSA figures reporting that passengers who discovered missing or damaged belongings demanded money from the Transportation Security Administration 11,700 times in 2009, a steep drop from the 26,500 claims filed in 2004.

The TSA has deterred baggage theft and damage by adding surveillance cameras to rooms where luggage is screened.

The agency paid passengers $3.2 million for losses in 2004, but just $343,000 for 2009 losses, although about 3,000 claims from last year are under review.

The TSA says the decline in complaints has also come as the agency urged passengers not to place valuables in checked bags, spokeswoman Kristin Lee said.
Checked baggage decreased about 20% from 2004 to 2009, as many passengers opt to carry on their bags. (source)