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Road Warriors Use Smart Phones To Transform Business Travel - Azumano Travel @ 7:19 am PST
According to Sci-Tech Today, there is a growing army of tech-savvy travelers whose smart phones are transforming their travel habits. Beyond online maps and travel guides, travelers are now turning to their smart phones for checking flight status, obtaining boarding passes, finding aircraft seat configurations, tracking taxis, replying to early hotel check-in requests, ordering room service, and locating nearby colleagues. As technology companies strive to get people to lead untethered lives, the travel industry has responded to this mission with some of the most innovative applications available on the new smart phones. And more are coming.
Continental Moves to Concourse B in Denver - Azumano Travel @ 9:41 am PST
Continental Airlines today announced that it will move its Denver operations from Concourse A to Concourse B at Denver International Airport, effective March 9. In addition, the Presidents Club located in Concourse A will close, effective March 16. Presidents Club and Star Alliance Gold members and BusinessFirst customers traveling on international flights will have convenient access to the United Airlines Red Carpet Clubs located in Concourse B. Continental's move in Denver follows similar moves at airports in many domestic and international markets, including Chicago, Frankfurt, Tokyo/Narita, Honolulu, Barcelona and Beijing as a result of their recent membership in the Star Alliance.
Passport Fees Are Set To Increase - Azumano Travel @ 11:18 am PST
The State Department has announced plans to raise passport application fees by $35 to $135 per adult. The plan also calls for a new $82 fee to add visa pages to passport books, which is currently a free service. These changes could take effect within weeks after the required public comment period, so if you need passport services, now's the time to act. According to the Los Angeles Times, this increase would be the third in five years. Washington has based its fee-increase proposal on a survey that it commissioned in 2008 to determine the cost of providing services that are funded by passport fees. These fees include not only issuing passports but services such as assisting Americans who get into trouble overseas and countering identity theft. Based on that survey, the State Department feels the $135 fee is justified.
Continental to Charge Extra for Exit Row Seats - Azumano Travel @ 8:57 am PST
According to the Houston Chronicle, Continental Airlines announced Wednesday that passengers seeking a little more leg room can pay for it beginning March 17. The fees for these exit row seats vary depending on the route, market and day of the week. Continental’s elite frequent-flier members and their traveling companions can continue to assign themselves exit row seats in economy class without charge.
JFK Closes Longest Runway as Four-month Renovation Begins - Azumano Travel @ 7:10 am PST
New York’s JFK Airport has closed its longest commercial runway for four months of construction and repair work. According to ATW, this closure will reduce the number of arrivals and departures by nearly 20 percent. 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 normally handles about a third of the airport's operations, including more than half of all departures.
New Pod-Style Hotel Planned for NYC's Time Square - Azumano Travel @ 10:13 am PST
What’s a YOTEL? Well, that would be an airport hotel offering small (170 square feet) pod-like rooms for inexpensive stays or layovers. These purple mood-lit properties are already in London at Gatwick and Heathrow airports, and in Amsterdam’s Schipol airport. Today, YOTEL announced they will be opening a new 669-pod property in New York’s Time Square in 2011. Rather than offering brief stopover accommodations, this YOTEL will be much more of a conventional hotel, charging $200-$250 for capsules twice the size of a standard airport YOTEL cabin, plus it will also have a business lounge, bar, restaurant and outside terrace. YOTEL CEO, Gerard Greene stated, “A solution to boring and expensive hotels, YOTEL uses radical design to offer the customer an exciting product and better value for the money. Not satisfied with airports, we are now transferring a successful brand to city centers across the globe."
(Source: Yotel.com)
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