Travel News
Weather Disruptions in the U.S.
Winter weather in the U.S. Midwest, Deep South and Mid-Atlantic has led to thousands of flight cancellations throughout the eastern half of the U.S. and as far southwest as Texas. Major hubs affected include Atlanta (Georgia), Houston (Texas) and Chicago (Illinois). Airlines began cancelling flights on Monday - many of them preemptively - and delays are expected to affect other parts of the country as well. Most U.S. airlines have issued flexible rebooking policies for travelers who may be affected.
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KLM Royal Dutch Airlines |
New Airline Routes and Route Changes
South America
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is scheduled to begin service between Amsterdam, Netherlands and Santiago, Chile on February 4. The thrice-weekly round-trip flights will be an extension of the European carrier's Amsterdam - Buenos Aires flights.
TAM Airlines will begin twice-weekly nonstop service between Belem, Brazil (Par�) and Miami, Florida (U.S.) on February 2.
Low-cost Brazil-based carrier Azul Airlines added 12 weekly flights between S�o Paulo Viracopos and Tr�s Lagoas in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. These are the only non-stop flights between the two airports.
Ecuador-based TAME airline suspended its daily flights into and out of Venezuela until the Venezuelan government pays it US$43 million it says it is owed for ticket sales in the country. The suspensions briefly left many Venezuelans stranded in Ecuador.
TAME Ecuador now flies between the Ecuadorean cities of Quito and Salinas twice weekly, on Thursdays and Sunday, using turboprop aircraft. It is the only direct service between the two locations.
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City of Boston |
Caribbean
U.S.-based JetBlue plans to add a seasonal third weekly flight between the U.S. city of Boston and Montego Bay, Jamaica, operating on Sundays from February 16 through March 2.
JetBlue also plans to begin daily direct flights between John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on February 24.
International Connections
Kuala Lumpur-based Malaysia Airlines will end its service between Los Angeles International Airport (California, U.S.) and Kuala Lumpur on April 30.
Airline Alliance News
U.S.-based JetBlue and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad announced a codeshare agreement. It will begin with Etihad adding its code on 40 JetBlue routes within the U.S. - largely those using New York's JFK International Airport or Washington, D.C.'s Dulles International Airport.
Airport News
United Airlines opened a new reception area at Newark Liberty International Airport for members of its invitation-only Global Services elite frequent flier program. The lobby in the New Jersey airport is open only to members of Global Services and to those booked on long-haul international flights in United Global First.
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United Airlines Check-In in at San Francisco International Airport
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United Airlines also moved into a new boarding area at San Francisco International Airport: the 10-gate concourse of boarding area E in terminal 3. The area includes a new United Club and new elite frequent flier check-in area, and United plans to consolidate all of its operations into the terminal. The airline plans to expand its service to secondary cities in Asia from San Francisco.
Hotel News
Loews Hotels and Resorts now offers free basic Wi-Fi in all its guestrooms. The chain has 18 properties around North America.
The 225-room, all-inclusive Jewel Paradise Cove Beach Resort & Spa opened in Runaway Bay, Jamaica. The Aimbridge Hospitality property, which is adults-only, includes healthy cuisines options, juice and smoothie bars and a spa.
Loyalty Program Updates
JetBlue is offering double TrueBlue base loyalty points on all points-eligible flights through March 3. The bonus points will count towards elite status. That translates to a base earning rate of six points per dollar, plus a three-point bonus for booking on the airline's website. The airline is also offering a second bonus program, called Lucky 7, which awards 7,000 additional TrueBlue points to members who fly seven round-trip flights on the airline within a single calendar year. Registration is required for both promotions.
Marriott Rewards is offering new members 5,000 bonus points after every second paid stay from February 1 through April 1, in its MegaMiles promotion (which requires registration).
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Hertz Rent-a-Car app
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Ground Transportation
Rental car company Hertz has redesigned its mobile app, called Hertz Rent-a-Car. It now includes the ability to access the app in airplane mode to reschedule and update rentals, faster reservations, a list of future reservation information, persistent login and complete bookings without leaving the app.
Enterprise Rent-a-Car agreed to franchise its brand to operators in French Guiana, Martinique and Guadeloupe.
Currency News
New rules now prevent Venezuelans who plan to travel abroad from purchasing airline tickets or obtaining cash at the official exchange rate (6.3 bolivars per U.S. dollar at press time). Purchases must now be made at the rate established weekly at central bank auctions (11 bolivars per U.S. dollar at press time). The same fluctuating rate will apply to foreign companies investing in the country and money sent by Venezuelans to family outside the country.
The government devaluation of the bolivar for the purchase of flights out of Venezuela also prompted several international airlines to stop selling tickets in Venezuela, although only one - Ecuador-based TAME - has stopped flights.
The Venezuelan government also drastically lowered the limit on how much Venezuelans outside the country can spend annually on Venezuelan credit cards, and how much cash they can bring. The government lowered those limits for Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, the Dutch Antilles and the U.S. State of Florida (higher limits remain in place for the rest of the U.S.).