Colorado wine country in prestigious newspaper -- including some factual slippage
In a New York Times travel feature called "Biking Colorado's Wine Country," New York-based wine writer Stefani Jackenthal explores the Palisade region on two wheels. She and a friend spent three days cycling, sipping, dining and B&Bing. I love it when the the prestigious Times focuses attention on Colorado, but why, oh, why does the self-proclaimed "newspaper of record" always get something wrong? The last time was the misleading "36 Hours in Denver" feature with so many off-the-mark facts and suggestions that I blogged it and, more importantly, the Times' mailbox was loaded with objections and corrections from indignant Coloradans.
The wine country piece, which will appear in Sunday's Travel Section but is already available online and in Friday papers, is also somewhat off the mark. Jackenthal wrote, "The first contemporary Colorado winery opened in 1968, but it was slow growing; by 1990, there were only four wineries. Eventually, however, the industry took root. Today there are 72 recognized Colorado wineries, according to the Colorado Wines trade group, with more on the way." Ivancie Winery indeed opened 1968 using non-Colorado grapes but was fairly short-lived. Wineries and vineyards hiccuped into being, and it was two decades before Colorado wineries really were producing wines from Colorado grapes. The trade group is called the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board, more of a mouthful than Colorado Wines but it's the correct name.
The town of Palisade is described as being "surrounded by the Book Cliffs mountain range and Grand Mesa." Palisade isn't surrounded by those two geological features. The Grand Mesa is to the southeast. The Book Cliffs are on the other side of the Colorado River to the north. That leaves the south and west, which are drier than the Mesa and flatter than both. The Book Cliffs are not a mountain range but rather a 60-mile-long escarpment of exposed, eroded sedimentary rock. Wikipedia currently calls them a "mountain range," which is probably where she found the inaccurate description.
Halka Chronic's geologically definitive Roadside Geology of Colorado desribes the Book Cliffs as "towering palisades of Mancos shale. This gray shale, yellow where it is leached, contains types of clay that swell when wet and shrink when dry. Such action brings about a loose soil that is so constantly eroding that it won't support much in the way of vegetation. Where it is not protected by the Mesaverde caprock, the Mancos shale erodes into hump-backed gray and yellow badlands."
But then again, Jackenthal visited several Colorado wineries, compared their wines to European ones and generally enthused about what she found. So who am I to worry that she's weak on Colorado geology and that she implies a non-existent continuum between Ivancie's winery, the real start of the modern Colorado wine industry two decades later and its increasing maturation 20 years after that.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
United Jet's Landing Gear Collapses
"They" say a picture is worth a thousand. Thee AP photo above shows a United Airbus 319 with a collapsed wheel and subscquent damaged wing at Newark Airport on Sunday evening. Click here for the MSNBC.com story.
Seeing this image after reading the online discussion on Elliott.org on the virtues and annoyances of flying. Chris Elliott wrote a post called "Flying Under the Influence of the TSA. What now?" that kicked off lively comments about flying versus other ways to travel. Landing gear collapse hadn't yet entered into. it, but now it could.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Skiing Utah: Sundance
Sundance: Robert Redford's ski mountain -- slopes amid a super-environmentally aware resort
Why would a Coloradan ski anyplace else?, friends ask when I go out of state (or out of the country) to make some turns. First (and really foremost), I travel so that I can write about ski resorts beyond the Centennial State's rectangle. But beyond that, I find that experiencing skiing and mountains and mountain resorts elsewhere refreshes my perspective on the Colorado Rockies. After all, when a person lives two hours from Vail and there are seven closer ski areas, it's easy to become jaded.
Why Sundance?
To reduce culture when leaving the People's Republic of Boulder, Sundance is a good place to start. In fact, if Boulder could design its own mountain resort, it would create Sundance. Just 450 acres of 6,000 that Robert Redford owns have been lightly developed for skiing. Sound environmental practices have gone into infrastructure and operations of the resort (an anti-resort, really). Smart building, conservation and recycling efforts have a high profile in the lodging and dining operations -- and it's Redford's founding philosophy, not just for show. For instance, the reusable shopping bag, right, contains a statistical reminder that unnecessary plastic bags are a major waste. The small print reads: "Use this bag twice a week for 2 years and each bag will SAVE 11 pounds of garbage, 832 plastic bags, enough petroleum to drive a car 60 miles."
Culture Under the Sundance Umbrella
Other Sundance efforts that are umbrella-ed under several intertwined entities. The Sundance Preserve, Utah's answer to the older Aspen Institute but with a lower-key public presence. The Sundance Preserve has hosted world leaders, Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, Academy Award-winning actors and directors, innovative scientists and accomplished corporate leaders to discuss public policy, social issues, art and the environment. The non-profit Sundance Institute is dedicated to the discovering and nurturing independent artists and audiences. It supports and inspires independent film and theater word introduces American and global audiences to their new works. The Sundance Channel provides further outreach. This cable television network airs independent feature films, world cinema, documentaries, short film, and original programs, all are shown uncut and without commercials. It is interrelated with the Sundance Film Festival (January 21-31 this year), which is now so big that it has spread to Park City and even to Ogden for enough venues. Then there's Sundance Cinemas, the commercial and educational arm of the Sundance film presence.
Skiing at Sundance
But what about the skiing, you ask? Sundance Resort's lodgings and public buildings tucked among the trees lie at the foot of a mid-size ski area with 41 runs, three chairlifts and a respectable 2,150-foot vertical. that, from the bottom, looks smaller than it skis. The only visible lift, a quad named Ray's after the pre-Redford owner, ferries riders to a midway unload for those who want to ski or snowboard the lower mountain, continues to the front-mountain summit and another unloading area and then drops into a low spot from which the Arrowhead triple reaches the area's highest lift-served point. Looking south beyond the signs and the safety fence is a long view past the mountains to the flat and across to the next mountains.
Skier's right leads to Sundance's most challenging terrain -- a landscape of ridges, gulleys and glades. Skier's left features some short, steep shots, a bit of gladed terrain and wonderful cruising runs. It is possible to yo-yo on Arrowhead all day long, mixing and matching blue and black runs. Back to the lower mountain, its tamest beginner terrain is served by a short handle tow, but beyond that, novices and intermediates can get a lot of mileage on the long green and blue runs measuring to 1,325 vertical feet. Most of these runs are again lit for night skiing after many dark years. A handful of terrain features built into one short blue trail (Montoya, I think) attract boarders. Up the road is the Sundance Cross-Country Center, with 26 kilometers of daily groomed trails for skating and classic track skiing and also 10 kilometers of dedicated trails through the woods.
Why would a Coloradan ski anyplace else?, friends ask when I go out of state (or out of the country) to make some turns. First (and really foremost), I travel so that I can write about ski resorts beyond the Centennial State's rectangle. But beyond that, I find that experiencing skiing and mountains and mountain resorts elsewhere refreshes my perspective on the Colorado Rockies. After all, when a person lives two hours from Vail and there are seven closer ski areas, it's easy to become jaded.
Why Sundance?
Culture Under the Sundance Umbrella
Other Sundance efforts that are umbrella-ed under several intertwined entities. The Sundance Preserve, Utah's answer to the older Aspen Institute but with a lower-key public presence. The Sundance Preserve has hosted world leaders, Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, Academy Award-winning actors and directors, innovative scientists and accomplished corporate leaders to discuss public policy, social issues, art and the environment. The non-profit Sundance Institute is dedicated to the discovering and nurturing independent artists and audiences. It supports and inspires independent film and theater word introduces American and global audiences to their new works. The Sundance Channel provides further outreach. This cable television network airs independent feature films, world cinema, documentaries, short film, and original programs, all are shown uncut and without commercials. It is interrelated with the Sundance Film Festival (January 21-31 this year), which is now so big that it has spread to Park City and even to Ogden for enough venues. Then there's Sundance Cinemas, the commercial and educational arm of the Sundance film presence.
Skiing at Sundance
But what about the skiing, you ask? Sundance Resort's lodgings and public buildings tucked among the trees lie at the foot of a mid-size ski area with 41 runs, three chairlifts and a respectable 2,150-foot vertical. that, from the bottom, looks smaller than it skis. The only visible lift, a quad named Ray's after the pre-Redford owner, ferries riders to a midway unload for those who want to ski or snowboard the lower mountain, continues to the front-mountain summit and another unloading area and then drops into a low spot from which the Arrowhead triple reaches the area's highest lift-served point. Looking south beyond the signs and the safety fence is a long view past the mountains to the flat and across to the next mountains.
Skier's right leads to Sundance's most challenging terrain -- a landscape of ridges, gulleys and glades. Skier's left features some short, steep shots, a bit of gladed terrain and wonderful cruising runs. It is possible to yo-yo on Arrowhead all day long, mixing and matching blue and black runs. Back to the lower mountain, its tamest beginner terrain is served by a short handle tow, but beyond that, novices and intermediates can get a lot of mileage on the long green and blue runs measuring to 1,325 vertical feet. Most of these runs are again lit for night skiing after many dark years. A handful of terrain features built into one short blue trail (Montoya, I think) attract boarders. Up the road is the Sundance Cross-Country Center, with 26 kilometers of daily groomed trails for skating and classic track skiing and also 10 kilometers of dedicated trails through the woods.
Skiing Better at Sundance
I'm going out on a limb when I write that if you want to learn to ski or overcome a plateau on which you've been stuck, there's no better place to do so than Sundance. It is the home hill of Jerry Warren. His titles are director of mountain operations and director of skiing, but his real renown comes in ski instructor circles. Jerry, one of the country's top ski technique gurus, used to coach the Professional Ski Instructors of America elite demo team. Last June, he received PSIA's Lifetime Achievement Award, only the sixth person so honored in half a century. There's simply no one better to identify and fix skiing problems -- and I'm betting that he clinics his ski instructors to do so too. My pals and I spent a few very productive hours skiing with him and taking his counsel.We didn't go through Warren's entire three-day Ski Performance Lab program (including videoanalysis and seminars), but those few hours were enough to fine-tune my turns.
I just wonder why I didn't get around to taking a picture of Jerry too. I guess I was too busy concentrating on my technique and practicing what he preached -- gently and with humor, of course.
Sundance Info
Sundance Resort is up in Timpanogas Canyon above Provo at 8841 North Alpine Loop Road, Sundance, Utah 84604. Phones: 866-259-7468 (main number), 800-892-1600 (lodging reservations), 801-223-4110(snow report), 801-223-4140 (ski/snowboard school and Ski Performance Labs), 801-223-6000 (activities and events), 801-223-4170 (cross-country center). Click here to sign up for Sundance's newsletter.
Southwest Numbers Soften in September
Even the country's savviest discount carrier sees passenger declines
Southwest Airlines, arguably the country's smartest air-transport company, guess right on fuel prices, kept its fares relatively stable and declined to impose the rigorous extra fees (notably for checked baggage) that other airlines imposed. So its September figures reveal the recession that in which the country found itself, even before the government was forced to bail out failed financial institutions.
Southwest reported that it flew 5.3 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs) in September 2008, a walloping 5.9 percent decrease from the 5.6 billion RPMs flown in September 2007. Available seat miles (ASMs) increased 0.8 percent to 8.4 billion from the September 2007 level of
8.3 billion. The combination of fewer miles flown and more available seat miles made for a load factor of 63.4 percent, down from 67.9 percent in 2007.
While September was down, the numbers for the nine months that ended on September 30, 2008, were up. Between January and September, Southwest flew 56.2 billion RPMs, up from the 54.8 billion RPMs for the same period in 2007 (an increase of 2.6 percent). Available seat miles were also up, increasing 4.6 percent from 74.4 billion to 77.8 billion. The year-to-date load factor declined slightly to 72.3 percent from 73.7 percent during the same period last year.
Southwest Airlines, arguably the country's smartest air-transport company, guess right on fuel prices, kept its fares relatively stable and declined to impose the rigorous extra fees (notably for checked baggage) that other airlines imposed. So its September figures reveal the recession that in which the country found itself, even before the government was forced to bail out failed financial institutions.
Southwest reported that it flew 5.3 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs) in September 2008, a walloping 5.9 percent decrease from the 5.6 billion RPMs flown in September 2007. Available seat miles (ASMs) increased 0.8 percent to 8.4 billion from the September 2007 level of
8.3 billion. The combination of fewer miles flown and more available seat miles made for a load factor of 63.4 percent, down from 67.9 percent in 2007.
While September was down, the numbers for the nine months that ended on September 30, 2008, were up. Between January and September, Southwest flew 56.2 billion RPMs, up from the 54.8 billion RPMs for the same period in 2007 (an increase of 2.6 percent). Available seat miles were also up, increasing 4.6 percent from 74.4 billion to 77.8 billion. The year-to-date load factor declined slightly to 72.3 percent from 73.7 percent during the same period last year.
Normally, I don't include financial numbers here, but when such a savvy airline experiences such a decline, it is an eloquent testimonial to the countries financial problems in general and the woes of the travel industry as well.
Swank Hotel Debuts at Base of Beaver Creek
Westin Riverfront brings Beaver Creek cachet down into the Eagle River Valley
Beaver Creek is an elegant, exclusive gated ski resort that was developed as an uptown place. Think expensive slopeside lodging, chic boutiques and pricey eating places. Avon, originally a lettuce farming center with a railroad depot for shipping the crop out of town, iss a downtown place. It grew a bit more organically with lower-priced lodging, service businesses and even (gasp!) a Wal-Mart.
The opening of the $500 million Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa in Avon last weekend represents the first Beaver Creek-quality resort hotel down in the valley. The lobby, restaurant, enormous 25-meter outdoor pool (bottom photo) and decks of the green-built condo-hotel are oriented directly up the Beaver Creek drainage providing guests with a perfectly framed view of the ski runs. Seen from the Westin, Beaver Creek and Avon seem a lot closer to each other than they do when riding a shuttle bus up the winding access road. Also pulling Avon into the Beaver Creek orbit is the year-old Riverfront Express gondola, which delivers skiers from the hote's doorstep to Beaver Creek's Bachelor Gulch sector in less than three minutes.
The gondola, which is free to all, is not a ski lift but public transportation both up and down from ski area to town, not just for Westin guests but also for guests of other lodging properties in Avon or day visitors parking at the free public lots along US 6. This is especially significant since the Town of Vail, just down the road, is considering raising fees in its parking structures this winter.
Back to the Westin, it is a 210-unit property featuring well appointed studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units, each with kitchen. The property's facilities and amenities comprise a long, imposing list: Restaurant Avondale run by local star chef Thomas Salamunovich, Spa Anjali (Earth, Fire, Water and Air theme), wine bar, convenience store, on-site sporting goods store/rental/storage, 24-hour business center, free Internet access, recycling stations on every floor, activity concierge, ski valet, meeting facilities and, best for skiers, that gondola conveniently right outside a back door.
I spent just a comfortable night there on opening weekend. The decor is tasteful, pared down and elegant. It's got green versions of popular luxury features, including in-room Internet access, well appointed bathroom, gas fireplace, flat-screen TV, kitchen facilities (my studio had a kitchenette) and Westin's ultra comfortable Heavenly Bed.
In summer, the Westin appeals to golfers (several courses nearby), anglers (it's located right on the Eagle River), cyclists (the bike path is right there too) and, of course, skiers (the gondola makes is a ride-in, ride-out to the slopes). As long as golf weather holds, there should be some interest in the High Flying Golf Package consisting of lodging for two, two rounds of golf at Red Sky Ranch & Golf Course, two 50-minute treatments at Spa Anjali, breakfast for two, complimentary valet Parking and a "welcome amenity" on arrival starting at $224 per person per night. Considerably less expensive is the Master the Mountain Golf Getaway, accommodations, two rounds at the Eagle Ranch Golf Course, breakfast for two, valet parking and "welcome amenity" starting at $99 per person per night. Rates rise during the ski season.
The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, 126 Riverfront Lane, Avon; 866-949-1616.
Beaver Creek is an elegant, exclusive gated ski resort that was developed as an uptown place. Think expensive slopeside lodging, chic boutiques and pricey eating places. Avon, originally a lettuce farming center with a railroad depot for shipping the crop out of town, iss a downtown place. It grew a bit more organically with lower-priced lodging, service businesses and even (gasp!) a Wal-Mart.
The opening of the $500 million Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa in Avon last weekend represents the first Beaver Creek-quality resort hotel down in the valley. The lobby, restaurant, enormous 25-meter outdoor pool (bottom photo) and decks of the green-built condo-hotel are oriented directly up the Beaver Creek drainage providing guests with a perfectly framed view of the ski runs. Seen from the Westin, Beaver Creek and Avon seem a lot closer to each other than they do when riding a shuttle bus up the winding access road. Also pulling Avon into the Beaver Creek orbit is the year-old Riverfront Express gondola, which delivers skiers from the hote's doorstep to Beaver Creek's Bachelor Gulch sector in less than three minutes.
The gondola, which is free to all, is not a ski lift but public transportation both up and down from ski area to town, not just for Westin guests but also for guests of other lodging properties in Avon or day visitors parking at the free public lots along US 6. This is especially significant since the Town of Vail, just down the road, is considering raising fees in its parking structures this winter.
Back to the Westin, it is a 210-unit property featuring well appointed studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units, each with kitchen. The property's facilities and amenities comprise a long, imposing list: Restaurant Avondale run by local star chef Thomas Salamunovich, Spa Anjali (Earth, Fire, Water and Air theme), wine bar, convenience store, on-site sporting goods store/rental/storage, 24-hour business center, free Internet access, recycling stations on every floor, activity concierge, ski valet, meeting facilities and, best for skiers, that gondola conveniently right outside a back door.
I spent just a comfortable night there on opening weekend. The decor is tasteful, pared down and elegant. It's got green versions of popular luxury features, including in-room Internet access, well appointed bathroom, gas fireplace, flat-screen TV, kitchen facilities (my studio had a kitchenette) and Westin's ultra comfortable Heavenly Bed.
In summer, the Westin appeals to golfers (several courses nearby), anglers (it's located right on the Eagle River), cyclists (the bike path is right there too) and, of course, skiers (the gondola makes is a ride-in, ride-out to the slopes). As long as golf weather holds, there should be some interest in the High Flying Golf Package consisting of lodging for two, two rounds of golf at Red Sky Ranch & Golf Course, two 50-minute treatments at Spa Anjali, breakfast for two, complimentary valet Parking and a "welcome amenity" on arrival starting at $224 per person per night. Considerably less expensive is the Master the Mountain Golf Getaway, accommodations, two rounds at the Eagle Ranch Golf Course, breakfast for two, valet parking and "welcome amenity" starting at $99 per person per night. Rates rise during the ski season.
The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, 126 Riverfront Lane, Avon; 866-949-1616.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Carnival Nixes 'Cougar Cruises'
"Fun Ships" ban more meat market/meet market cruise for older women/younger men
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I read about California-based Singles Travel Company's promotion of "the world's first international cougar cruise," Dec. 3-7, 2009, inviting older women and younger men to "a festive pre holiday fun weekend of dining, dancing and partying" aboard the "Fun Ship Elation." Word on the street, or on the waters, is that the cruise was a success and that demand spiked for more such trips. ""I've had to hire two more people part-time just to pick up the phones," Singles Travel Company executive director Ann Thomas told CNN at the time. "I've never seen a response quite like this."
But Carnival Cruise Line has pulled the plug on future cougar cruises, according to a report in USA Today. The line's Jennifer De la Cruz reportedly didn't say why the line had banned them. Newsweek had called 2009 "the year of the cougar," and ABC is broadcasting "Cougar Town," whose theme is, well, older women/younger men. It seems that that's a demographic mix for a latter-day "Love Boat" that Carnival doesn't care for. But with competition strong among cruise lines, I suspect that the Singles Travel Company will have no problem finding a line to pick up where Carnival left off. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
But Carnival Cruise Line has pulled the plug on future cougar cruises, according to a report in USA Today. The line's Jennifer De la Cruz reportedly didn't say why the line had banned them. Newsweek had called 2009 "the year of the cougar," and ABC is broadcasting "Cougar Town," whose theme is, well, older women/younger men. It seems that that's a demographic mix for a latter-day "Love Boat" that Carnival doesn't care for. But with competition strong among cruise lines, I suspect that the Singles Travel Company will have no problem finding a line to pick up where Carnival left off. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
Wall Street Melt Down Hurts Airlines
Air carriers brace for downturn by (guess what?) cutting service
Viewed from a Wall Street-oriented buy/sell/hold point of view, Business Week commented that "High fuel prices are helping make airline travel a 'mid-priced luxury good' and could help the carriers by prodding them into restructuring, an industry analyst says... [Stifel Nicolaus & Co. analyst Hunter K.] Keay said that U.S. airlines prudently responded to high fuel prices by aggressively cutting capacity, dropping marginal routes, and retiring older, fuel-guzzling planes without placing big orders for new ones. The result, he said, has been better pricing power even though traffic growth as been modest or nonexistent. And there's room for growth in ancillary revenue." Positive mid-term news for investors by 2010, assuming that the whole economy has collapsed by then and that fuel prices remain stable or drop, doesn't do a darned thing for travelers who want to visit Grandma at Thanksgiving or take a ski or sun vacation this winter.
Airlines -- especially international carriers (including US carriers that also fly overseas) -- have long cozied up to their "best" customers, with front-cabin comfort, service and amenities. Now, reports Brett Snyder on BNET, a business site, these carriers are "already seeing premium cabin weakness internationally as the economy softens, and now the financial crisis is only going to make things worse. All those rich bankers in New York spend a lot of money sitting up front . . . or should I say 'spent.' (Can you say New York - London?) And as we all know, premium cabins count for most of the profit in the international world. This could get ugly very quickly, especially for airlines that rely primarily on their international premium cabins to generate their profit. Airlines like British Airways with their large transatlantic presence can’t be happy right now, but while US airlines get a smaller share of their business from that type of passenger, they’re still going to be hit hard."
Among the short-term news -- some good, some less so -- affecting air travelers:
Viewed from a Wall Street-oriented buy/sell/hold point of view, Business Week commented that "High fuel prices are helping make airline travel a 'mid-priced luxury good' and could help the carriers by prodding them into restructuring, an industry analyst says... [Stifel Nicolaus & Co. analyst Hunter K.] Keay said that U.S. airlines prudently responded to high fuel prices by aggressively cutting capacity, dropping marginal routes, and retiring older, fuel-guzzling planes without placing big orders for new ones. The result, he said, has been better pricing power even though traffic growth as been modest or nonexistent. And there's room for growth in ancillary revenue." Positive mid-term news for investors by 2010, assuming that the whole economy has collapsed by then and that fuel prices remain stable or drop, doesn't do a darned thing for travelers who want to visit Grandma at Thanksgiving or take a ski or sun vacation this winter.
Airlines -- especially international carriers (including US carriers that also fly overseas) -- have long cozied up to their "best" customers, with front-cabin comfort, service and amenities. Now, reports Brett Snyder on BNET, a business site, these carriers are "already seeing premium cabin weakness internationally as the economy softens, and now the financial crisis is only going to make things worse. All those rich bankers in New York spend a lot of money sitting up front . . . or should I say 'spent.' (Can you say New York - London?) And as we all know, premium cabins count for most of the profit in the international world. This could get ugly very quickly, especially for airlines that rely primarily on their international premium cabins to generate their profit. Airlines like British Airways with their large transatlantic presence can’t be happy right now, but while US airlines get a smaller share of their business from that type of passenger, they’re still going to be hit hard."
Among the short-term news -- some good, some less so -- affecting air travelers:
- Passengers traveling on premium tickets (i.e., business and first class), which ere on a positive growth curve for the first half of 2008, fell by 1 percent in July. That may be just one percentage point, but it hit airlines hard at a time when jet fuel cost way more than it did in 2007.
- Trying to drum up immediate transatlantic business, American Airlines is offering a free companion ticket the 2008 flyers for a 2009 US-UK flight. The deal is: book and fly roundtrip before Deccember 31, 2008, and earn a free companion ticket for future travel to the United Kingdom or to the Caribbean between January 15 and December 15, 2009. The offer is valid for First Class, Business Class or on "select" Economy seats. And of course, there's fine print.
- Alaska Airlines, which earlier reduced its schedule by about 6 percent. announced that it will cut its winter flying capacity by 8 percent systemwide, and even more on routes to Mexico and Canada.
- United Airlines, which was unprepared for the initial run-up in fuel costs, has taken a second financial hit that could total $500 million quarter. United embarked on some ill-timed fuel hedges it adopted as protect from sharp price increases that didn't materialize. In fact, price dropped. Perhaps feeling a weakness in the "best customer" segment, United has finally loosened requirements for customers to upgrade to Economy Plus. Many of these extra-legroom seats had been filled by elite-level business travelers. Now, with that segment weakening, United is democratizing this service -- not that most leisure travelers, already slammed with baggage check fees, will cough up the extra bucks these days.
- Virgin America’s Main Cabin Select, which offers "first class amenities" to passengers paying extra for "premium coach seats (i.e., bulkhead and exit row), has been delayed. Originally set to launch on September 15, it now won't be bookable until October 6. Reservations system "technical difficulties" are cited as the cause of the delay.
- British Airways, while not immediately paring transatlantic service, is suspending some flights to eastern Europe beginning October 26, backpedaling on new routes originally due to start that same day to Spain and Portugal won't take off after all, and a new route to Hyderabad, India, will be delayed until December 6. "Other changes in capacity come from reduced frequency on multi-frequency routes and have limited impact on our network," said BA.
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