Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines during fourth-quarter earnings calls last month said they have reinstituted Saturday-night stay requirements in select markets. In fare analysis conducted for BTN, Harrell Associates found the six legacy carriers placed Saturday-night stay restrictions on 4 percent on the 2,813 one-way or roundtrip fares evaluated in late January in each carrier's top 40 routes. That is slightly up from the 3 percent of restrictions found for the same carriers in the same markets last September
(BTNonline, Sept. 24, 2007). However, the most recent data from Harrell shows that of 763 roundtrip fares evaluated, 13 percent carried Saturday-night stay restrictions. Robert Mann, president of airline consulting firm R.W. Mann & Co., said the restrictions are "the sort of thing that will, without changing prices, fence business travelers into the higher fare categories—it will also tick them off, but that's a separate issue." Not all legacy carriers have joined the Saturday-night stay reintroduction. "We have not done that anywhere yet and frankly don't see that happening across the industry," US Airways CEO Doug Parker said in the carrier's earnings call last month.
BA To Launch All-Business Service To LondonBritish Airways plans to launch twice-daily all-business-class service between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and London City Airport in 2009. BA has ordered two Airbus A318s to fly the route that will come into service at an unspecified date next year. The aircraft will be equipped with 32 lie-flat bed seats. BA claimed it will be able to offer a 15-minute checkin in both London and New York. BA had given no previous indications of launching long-haul services from London City, which is mainly used by small commuter aircraft that operate short-haul service. "London City Airport is located minutes away from some of our key corporate customers and is in one of the fastest growing areas of the capital," said BA CEO Willie Walsh. London City is located close to the revitalized Docklands district and is six miles to the east of the U.K. capital's city center. Many major companies, including HSBC, Barclays, Citigroup and WPP, have relocated to Docklands in recent years.
JetBlue Offers Refundable FaresJetBlue Airways last month debuted refundable fares, allowing purchasers to change reservations, including passenger name, or receive a full refund for cancellations prior to departure. JetBlue said the fare option is accessible through direct channels and global distribution systems. It said refundable fare pricing would depend on haul length, but would be $50 to $100 higher than its highest nonrefundable fare.
OAG Allies With FCm For Online Reservation ServiceFlight information provider Official Airline Guide in mid-March will launch its first online reservations service through a strategic alliance with FCm Travel Solutions. OAG Travel Planner Pro will offer a rebranded version of FCm's corporate booking tool, itself a customized combination of Concur Cliqbook and AgentWare, which specializes in non-global distribution system content. FCm also will perform fulfillment. OAG Travel Solutions managing director David Rosen said Travel Planner Pro combines reservations with OAG's itinerary searching capabilities. Rosen said Travel Planner Pro is that, unlike any other online reservations service will list every available flight on a route, even if the tool cannot book it.