Adelman Advisor

Travel Briefs

Delta moves shuttle flights to LaGuardia’s new concourse

All Delta Shuttle flights from New York’s LaGuardia airport to Boston, Chicago, and Washington D.C. now depart from new gates accessed from the current Terminal D. There will no longer be any shuttle service operated out of Terminal C.

To get to the new concourse and gates, travelers will use a pedestrian walkway on the east side of Delta’s existing Terminal D until the new centralized check-in lobby is completed in early 2022. The security checkpoints are being expanded to support both concourses. CLEAR and TSA PreCheck have moved to the east side of security. Passengers will pick up luggage in Terminal D baggage claim.

Shuttle customers will still enjoy special benefits including being able to check-in as close as 15 minutes prior to departure without bags or 30 minutes with a checked bag, boarding up to 5 minutes before departure, consistent gates and more.

 

AA announces new process for overbooking notices; new code-sharing

Instead of placing a phone call, American Airlines will contact customers by email or via the travel app when it wants to offer incentives for travelers to change their plans in overbooking situations. American officials say the new system will be more efficient as they often could not reach their passengers by phone. Coming in 2020, American will revise its incentive offerings in oversold situations giving customers the choice of taking compensation in the form of AAdvantage loyalty miles for changing flights or receiving traditional travel vouchers.

In other news, American filed an application to offer new code-sharing services with Morocco’s Royal Air Maroc. The two airlines currently have an interline agreement but American wants to broaden the partnership as Royal Air Maroc is slated to become a full member of the oneworld global airline alliance in early 2020.

 

JFK offers expedited screening for a minimal fee

Passengers departing from New York’s JFK airport can purchase expedited screening service starting at just $35. The VIPOne service gives purchasers access to expedited and assisted security screening.

The Silver service tier costs $35 and includes the expedited, assisted security clearance. First class passengers on Air France, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, and Lufthansa have Silver service automatically included in the price of their ticket. Gold level service adds curbside baggage assistance and escort to the gate, while the Platinum level, which costs $200, includes all the features of gold plus access to the Primeclass Lounge.

Frequent travelers can purchase an annual membership, which starts at $275.00 and also includes expedited service for one companion. VIPOne expedited service is currently only available at JFK’s Terminal 1. For more information, visit https://flyvipone.com/.

 

ANA launched new premium cabins on New York-Tokyo service

Japan’s All Nipon Airways is now showcasing new first and business class suites on its flights between New York’s JFK and both Tokyo’s Haneda and Narita airports. The new first class offering is known as the Suite and features sliding doors along with enhanced seats, entertainment monitors and middle dividers. The improved business class product, called the Room, has alternating front and rear facing seats in suites with doors that close. The seat width is almost twice the size of ANA’s previous business class seats.

 

Basic economy coming to JetBlue

JetBlue Airways is revamping its fare classes and launching a new basic economy level as well.

The new Basic Blue fare offers budget pricing but comes with limitations. For example, purchasers will not be able to make changes, cancel, or be eligible for same-day standby. They will also board last and will only earn two TrueBlue points per dollar spent instead of six points. Mosaic status customers won’t be eligible for most Mosaic benefits.

JetBlue is also rebranding its Blue Flex fares as Blue Extra. This fare class comes with free changes, cancellations, and same-day standby, along with early boarding and priority security screening. The Blue Extra fare does not include a free checked bag.

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