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Summit Managing Partner, Don Freeman,
took an unusual path into the travel industry. For
23 year, he was a Management Consulting Partner
with  Ernst
& Young. He served a variety of clients, performing
financial and marketing feasibility studies, implementing
customized accounting package software and assisting
companies in evaluating merger and acquisition opportunities.
He has an MBA in Finance and Marketing from UCLA
and was a CPA. So, what lured Don into the Travel
Business? In Don's words: “I saw an industry
in transition and, where there is transition, there
is opportunity to create a better product to service
the customer.”
10-day Alaska
from $999!
Sail roundtrip from San Francisco on the spectacular
Sea Princess through the Inside Passage
and into magnificent Glacier Bay.*
Book by March
31
and
receive
$75 shipboard credit.
For more information, call 800.950.2030
or click:
www.summittravelgroup.com
*Fares are per person, cruise-only
based on double occupancy on select voyages on Sea
Princess. Glacier Bay is featured on select departures.
One shipboard credit per stateroom. Subject to availability.
Government taxes and fees are additional. Princess
Ships’ Registry: Bermuda. CST#2084430-10
|
 JFK’s
main runway closed March 1 to allow the strip to be repaved
with concrete instead of less-durable asphalt and widened
to accommodate today's bigger planes. If the first few days
of closure were any indication, it could be a rocky road for
travelers flying in and out of the Big Apple. Delays averaged
100 minutes the first day the runway was closed. The delays
were exacerbated by high winds of up to 35 mph, forcing the
airport to operate on just one runway for some of the day.
The Port Authority said airlines "are adjusting schedules
and operations to mitigate delays, and the airport's three
remaining runways will be utilized to their full capabilities
during the closure." The closed runway handles about
33% of all operations at the airport. Repairs on the main
runway are expected to take about four months to complete.
The Air Transport Association reported that
passenger revenue rose 1.4% in January, reversing 14 consecutive
months of declines. Traffic was down very slightly (4%) and
the average price to fly one mile was up very slightly to
6%. James C. May, president and CEO of the ATA, said that
the small revenue increase, coupled with a 17% increase in
cargo traffic, could be the sign of a recovery. (Source: ATA
press release).
Travel Weekly reports that new regulations
limiting tarmac delays may lead to more flight cancellations.
More than 27,000 flights were cancelled during the February
snowstorms, inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of passengers.
However, this could be just a preview of what is to come.
Because of new Federal regulations limiting tarmac delays,
airline officials and analysts predict that in coming months
airlines will cancel an increasing number of flights for bad
weather. According to the new rules, airlines that hold a
plane on the tarmac for more than three hours could be liable
for a fine of $27,500 per passenger. Rather than risk fines,
airlines may declare flights cancelled due to weather.
Santiago International Airport reopened to
regularly scheduled international flights this week. Airport
managers stated that although the facility has begun to operate
some domestic and international flights, damage at the facility
continues to cause some disruptions. As of today, the airport
is reportedly handling 60% of the usual number of domestic
flights. Airport officials estimate that the facility will
reach full operational capability in one week, but stated
that repair work on the damaged terminal will take approximately
one month to complete. International passengers have reportedly
waited in line for hours outside a makeshift terminal at the
airport to get word of when they will be able to get a seat
on international flights out of Santiago.
British Airways said it has prepared a range
of measures to combat a possible strike by cabin crew. The
airline has been training some 1,000 pilots and ground staff
to work as cabin crew and will lease staffed aircraft from
other airlines. No strike date has been set as yet and negotiations
continue.
Continental announced it would give passengers
the opportunity to purchase extra legroom in coach effective
March 17. On most planes, this would apply to exit row seats.
The cost would depend on the length and popularity of the
route. The airline will not reconfigure its planes, but charge
extra for seats with seven inches more legroom. Elite members
will be able to claim the exit row with no charge.
 Summit
Travel Group is committed to providing you with useful information
on the latest developments in the travel industry. The preceding
information has been compiled from a variety of sources and
is updated monthly.
www.summittravelgroup.com
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