AA raises $2.9 billion, will expand in Chicago, New York, Dallas and Miami
Posted September 18, 2009 , comments closed- NYC joins forces with American Airlines to bump up tourism
- AA announces summer box and bag embargo on certain flights
- American Airlines hires wine expert
- American Airlines to cut US capacity 9 percent
- American Airlines cabins to go cashless
- New flights at Logan Airport in Boston
- American Airlines announces additional flight to Florida's capital
- Airline eliminates 2 Chicago routes
Sep 18, 2009
American Airlines, the world’s second-largest carrier, said it raised $2.9 billion in cash and financing in “a show of strength” and will expand at four U.S. hubs to prepare for a recovery in travel demand.
American parent AMR Corp. rose the most in 11 months in New York trading. Credit-card partner Citigroup Inc. paid $1 billion in an advance purchase of frequent-flier miles, and GE Capital Aviation Services provided $1.6 billion in jet-financing commitments, American said today.
The cash will bolster liquidity for Fort Worth, Texas-based AMR before winter in the U.S., when travel typically slows and carriers tap their reserves to fund operations. Higher-fare business passengers have cut back on flying in the recession, helping drag the biggest U.S. airlines to losses.
“There are signs of improvement in the revenue environment and in consumer sentiment, but the winter season is still potentially a challenging one,” said Douglas Runte, managing director at Piper Jaffray & Co. in New York, who doesn’t rate AMR. “This liquidity raising is an important move.”
‘Show of Strength’
“This is the time for a show of strength,” Chief Financial Officer Tom Horton said in an interview. “As capital flows in this industry, we believe it should flow to the strongest companies. Our company represents that.”
American’s ability to access capital while the airline industry struggles has “taken the liquidity question off the table,” Horton said.
The carrier also has about $2 billion in unencumbered assets should it need to borrow more. AMR expects to have about $3.7 billion in cash and short-term investments at month’s end, including funds for specific uses. It pared debt to $14 billion as of June 30 from $21 billion at the end of 2002.
Details of the mileage sale and aircraft financing weren’t disclosed.
“AMR likely conceded certain terms, potentially on underlying collateral, in order to close the deal as AMR enters its seasonal cash burn period,” said Hunter Keay, a Stifel Nicolaus & Co. analyst in Baltimore who advises holding the shares. “But the near-term benefit of new liquidity will likely far offset any longer-term concessions.”
Hub Flights
American said flights will increase from the hubs at Chicago, New York, Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami, and some regional jets will get first-class cabins. The carrier also will purchase 22 70-seat Bombardier Inc. planes.
Daily departures for mainline jets and regional carrier American Eagle will drop by 46 at St. Louis and 9 at Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, American said. The carrier said it’s still assessing how many employees will be affected.
Seating capacity in American’s main jet operations will increase 1 percent next year over 2009, the carrier said. Domestic markets will be unchanged, while capacity on international flights, typically the most profitable routes for airlines, will rise 2.5 percent.
The GE Capital Aviation Services agreement will provide funding for Boeing Co. 737-800s being added through 2011 by letting American sell the jets to the General Electric Co. unit and lease them back. American is buying 84 737s, which are 25 percent more fuel efficient than the MD-80s they will replace.
GE’s Role
Boeing 737s use only CFM engines, built by GE’s jet-engine manufacturing venture with Safran SA of France. Fairfield, Connecticut-based GE is the world’s biggest maker of jet engines and the largest aircraft lessor by the number of planes.
The new GE financing also includes $280 million in cash under a loan accord. American put up 10 aircraft as collateral for $225 million of that funding, and will pledge 3 more planes as security next month to tap the remaining $55 million.
American is at least the fifth major U.S. airline since 2008 to raise funds by selling frequent-flier points to credit- card issuers. The miles are distributed as awards for purchases.
Citigroup can use the miles in equal monthly installments from 2012 through 2016. The agreement also extends the New York- based bank’s co-branded credit-card program with American.
The route changes for American and American Eagle will include the addition of 57 daily flights and 12 destinations in 2010 from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. The airline will add 23 daily departures from Miami, 19 from Dallas-Fort Worth, 7 from John F. Kennedy airport in New York, 2 at New York’s LaGuardia and 2 at Los Angeles.
American didn’t disclose a cost to add first-class cabins to its fleet of Bombardier CRJ700s, allowing the carrier to charge more and compete with UAL Corp.’s United Airlines, which sells the premium tickets on its 70-seat planes from Chicago. American will begin accepting the 22 new CRJ700s in 2010.
“We’re really focused on where you want to be big in the U.S.,” Horton said of American’s emphasis on the four hubs and its base at Los Angeles. “It is a signal for the future as to where this company is going to place its bets.”
U.S.-based carriers slashed flight capacity in 2008 and this year, first in response to record fuel prices and then to better match supply as corporate and leisure business dwindled.
World’s Best Hotel Designs – Gold Key Award Winners
Posted September 3, 2009 , add a commentThe 2009 Gold Key Award winners for ‘Excellence in Hospitality Design’ have been announced, and the world’s best hotel designs (urban) were judged to be the Andaz West Hollywood, InterContinental Chicago O’Hare and Las Alcobas in Polanco, Mexico.
Andaz West Hollywood & Intercontinental Chicago O’Hare
The best bar/lounge design was the W Hotel Atlanta Downtown, Atlanta, GA, along with the Mondrian Miami and the Punk Bar in Beijing, China.
Drink Shop, W Atlanta Downtown
The best guest room award winners included the Lydmar Hotel in Stockholm and the Mondrian Miami, along with the Miraval Guestrooms in Catalina, Arizona.
Lydmar Hotel, Stockholm
The best lobby/reception winners included the Smyth Hotel in New York and one of the ‘Best Suite’ design winners was Penthouse Eight at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, also in New York.
Tribeca Grand, New York
The Gold Key Awards are sponsored by Interior Design and HOTELS magazines, and finalists were selected by a panel of notable industry experts from more than 225 projects in 24 countries. The awards ceremony will be held during the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show® (IH/M&RS) on Nov 7-10, 2009, at New York City’s Javits Center.
For more details about all the winners and their designers in all categories, visit IHMRS.com.
Photos courtesy Hyatt Hotels Corp., IHG Plc, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, WorldHotels and Grand Hospitality.
Netflights launches Weekend Megasale giving Supersize Savings on all American Flights, Hotels, Holidays and Car Hire
Posted , add a comment) It looks like the rain has become permanent, but before the nation starts swearing at TV weathermen and politicians for persuading everyone to stay at home this summer in an attempt to out-crunch the recession, www.netflights.com has launched a 4-day USA megasale, offering massive savings on all things American. That’s huge reductions on flights to America, holidays in America, hotels in America - from budget to 5-star - and America car hire.
Given the current state of the British weather, destinations such as cosmopolitan New York and family-friendly Orlando, where the temperature is now a pleasant 25C, not to mention entertainment capital Las Vegas at 27C and glamorous Miami at a sweltering 28C, are great places to escape the drizzle. At www.netflights.com, return flights to these great cities start from under £300 ? that’s direct ? from airports UK wide. What’s more, Netflights have managed to snag completely exclusive holiday offers in these and more of America’s favourite holiday destinations, including free nights and discounted hotel rates in the most exciting cities Stateside, such as vibrant Boston and cool, eclectic San Francisco.
To make getting around on holiday an affordable piece of cake, at www.netflights.com this weekend, USA car hire rates also drop to an incredible ? and unbeatable ? price, starting from just £6 per person per day! Netflights offers cheap car hire in America’s most popular ? and drivable ? holiday destinations, including Florida, San Francisco and Las Vegas, as well as discounted car hire rates in all other worldwide destinations. So rather than have to fork out for taxis or wait around for public transport, you can have your own transport at your disposal to take you where you want to go, when you want to go there. Even after adding the price of fuel, car hire can still work out a lot cheaper than other means of transport. And let’s face it, being able to pick where, which way, and when to go, makes these rock bottom USA car hire prices from www.netflights.com all the more appealing.
About Netflights
Netflights is part of the Thomas Cook Group and guarantees fantastic offers on flights, hotels, holidays and car hire worldwide. Thousands of discounted airfares from over 135 airlines, reduced rates at over 15 000 hotels, great holiday offers and cheap car hire are all available at www.netflights.com, giving you easy access to all the latest and best travel discounts.
Netflights is a fully bonded member of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), and every flight, hotel, car hire booking and holiday sold is ATOL protected, giving you full financial protection and complete peace of mind when booking ? whether online or over the phone.
To book, visit www.netflights.com. Offer ends midnight Monday 24th August 2009.
USA: Northeast, Best Corn Mazes and Fall Festivals for Families 2009.
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From Pennsylvania and Vermont to Rhode Island and New York, the idea is simple, enjoy the season. Select the perfect pumpkin, time travel, preview a film, or hike a mountain trail. We’ve managed to obtain a bird’s eye view of Vermont’s Apple Barn Maze to give you a sense of the season. Play flashlight tag or chase the kids through the corn stalks; ride on a wagon full of hay or bob for apples, make time for fun.
New York: Green County, Massacre Mansion - Haunted House (7/1/2009– 10/31/2009). Located between the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains two hours north of New York City, Greene County has embraced family vacationers for more than a century. Take a frightful guided tour in the scariest haunted house in the Catskills. Explore the house, dark maze and wolf hollow trail. (Blackthorne Resort, 348 Sunside Rd., East Durham. (518) 634-2541 or www.blackthorneresort.com) Bonus point: Checkout the Mountaintop Pumpkin Festival featuring dozens of quality craft and gift vendors, hay rides, and pumpkin painting. (Bear Creek Restaurant & Recreational Park, (518) 263-3839 or www.bearcreekrestaurant.com For more getaway options go to www.greenetourism.com)
Vermont: Danville, the Great Maze (8/1/2009- 10/18/2009). The maze and farm adventure includes a flower garden, perplexing puzzles, 50′ of bridges, trails and paths plus Miney’s Korny Kid Korn Maze - a smaller version of the maze. There is also barnyard golf - definitely something different and the Barnyard Nature Center where farm life experiences become a reality and visitors enjoy the animal petting area, pedal tractors, and good old fashioned fun comes easy. The maze includes not just corn alley ways but also 100′ of underground tunnels. On selected nights you can even enjoy the maze with Starlight Maze nights. Bonus points: For a more thrilling experience older kids will enjoy “Dead North”. This year’s haunt will include wagon rides, a ? mile walk of terror through a haunted cornfield and buildings including animatronics, special effects and three new buildings. There is also an ultimate laser tag with 2-acre playing fields which will open this year and is fun for the whole family, 9 to 90. (The Great Vermont Corn MAZE, 3260 Tampico Road, Danville, VT 05828. 1(802) 748–1399 or www.vermontcornmaze.com)
New York: Critz Farms Harvest Celebration (9/19/2009-10/25/2009).
From a petting zoo with more than twenty animals to pony rides for tykes this is a family adventure for all generations. They have a 10-acre corn maze as well as a hay bale maze. On Sunday afternoons there is live musical entertainment to compliment the country gourmet caf?. Wagons loaded with hay take visitors to the pumpkin field. Special events include a children’s pedal tractor-pull, a haunted barn for little monsters and magic shows. The Kiddie Corral children’s play area has a 45-foot wooden train. Bonus points: This farm also has a cut-your-own Christmas tree family adventure and they mail fresh wreaths almost anywhere. (Critz Farms 3232 Rippleton Road, Cazenovia, NY 13035. Toll-free 1-800-442-3225 or www.critzfarms.com)
Maine: Oguinquit, OgunquitFest (10/23/2009–10/25/2009). The sixth annual OgunquitFest is a marvelously fun weekend festival with a scarecrow contest, a kids’ carnival, pumpkin decorating, a spooky scavenger hunt, costume parade, ghost stories galore, ghost tours, a Monster Mall market place and more. There’s even a nine-hole Graveyard Golf course along the beach for the grown kids. (All through the town of Ogunquit. 1(207) 646-2939 or www.visitogunquit.org)
Massachusetts: Warehamn, 6th Annual Cranberry Harvest Celebration (10/10/2009 – 10/11/2009).
The Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association invites families to enjoy “two big days for a little berry” at the 6th annual Cranberry Harvest Celebration this Fall. Festival activities will include cranberry harvest tours, wagon and pony rides, games and crafts for kids, juried crafters and artisans, musical performances, cooking demonstrations, helicopter rides and more. Bonus: Children under 6 are admitted free, but the ticket price is only $2 per person. (A.D. Makepeace Company Headquarters at Tihonet Village, 158 Tihonet Road, Wareham. 1(508) 322-4000, 1(508) 759-1041 or www.cranberries.org/festival/festival.html)
New Hampshire: Hampton Falls, Harvest Festival (09/05/2009–10/25/2009). Now in its 35th year, the Applecrest Farm Harvest Festival is memorable and guaranteed to please the young and the young-at-heart. Starting the first weekend in September, the festival features free live folk and bluegrass music, “pick-your-own” apple and pumpkins, horse-drawn orchard hayrides, a children’s petting zoo, face painting, a pie eating contest, apple pie and ice cream, old-fashioned hot cider donut, make-your-own scarecrow and the world famous corn roast. (133 Exeter Road – along Route 88, Hampton Falls 03844. 1(603) 926-3721 or www.applecrest.com)
We want to expand the list and need your help. If you have a favorite fall festivial or know of an awesome corn maze please “Tell Mom”
and we will add it to the list. Make sure to include the name of the
festival or event and its location on the planet as well as why you
like it or what makes it worth the trip. Our next round up will
inlcude family friendly winter holidays and celebrations. We are
building the list right now and would love to have your feedback. So
just “Tell Mom!”.
USA: Country Inns & Suites by Carlson - Family Road Trip Survival Itineraries.
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Country Inns & Suites by Carlson has taken the trouble out of last-minute summer vacation planning for time-crunched moms and their families by introducing its “Road Trip Survival Itineraries” which cover planning factors like distance, cost and family-friendly stops along the way.
Hit the Road Country. The trip plans range from 2-, 4-, and 7-days. Each itinerary provides background information and driving time to historic, educational, nature and other fun-filled and budget-friendly attractions of interest to kids and parents alike. The itineraries include a mix of locally and nationally known attractions, notable family-owned restaurants and other relatively undiscovered venues known to employees of Country Inns & Suites’ 480 local properties.
The themed itineraries explore five regions of the United States. Each itinerary features three two-day legs that can be taken separately or combined for a longer trip.
• Founding Fathers Country treks through North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.
• Binoculars Country ventures through upstate New York.
• Streams & Shores Country winds through Wisconsin and Minnesota.
• Peaks & Valleys Country journeys across Montana, Utah and Idaho.
• Ocean Drive Country follows the coastline of Southern California. 
Additionally, Country Inn & Suites has created a new “Mom’s Choice” designation for top attractions in each itinerary based on factors such as family fun, price and mom approval. All venues were identified and voted upon by the company’s panel of family travel experts.
Top attractions receiving the “Mom’s Choice” rating include: The Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.; Robert H. Treman State Park, Ithaca, NY; Barnum’s Circus World Museum, Baraboo, WI, Minnehaha Falls at Minnehaha Park, Minneapolis, MN; Roaring Springs Water Park, Meridian, IN; Oceanside Pier, Port Hueneme, CA; Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, Santa Barbara, CA. Visit ‘Hit the Road Country’ (www.countryinns.com/roadtrip) for more information.
Here’s the deal. The “Sweet Deal ” promotion provides 15 percent off each night of a stay of two or more consecutive nights in a standard room and a valuable offer from T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants - Buy One Entr?e, Get One Entr?e OR Half Off Appetizer with the purchase of an Entr?e - when staying at locations in the United States . The offer, which requires a three day advance reservation, is available now through Sept. 13, 2009 at participating hotels. Visit www.countryinns.com/summer2009 for more information.
Plan a roadtrip with Carlson. I like these guys because they make it easy to put a family vacation plan together. In the last two years I have stayed in more than a dozen Country Inns with my family. In my opinion Country Inns & Suites makes an excellent family vacation base almost anywhere. The standards for efficiency, friendliness and cleanliness remain consistently high. You’ll find apples at the desk in the afternoon and sometimes fresh cookies. At each property there is always Read and Return a lending library for guests – both adults and children. The complimentary breakfast offering usually includes a waffle machine to make luscious fresh waffles, fresh fruit, yogurt, bagels, muffins, and cereal choices. I have never encountered a pool closed or exercise equipment broken an dthe internet connection never failed. Bonus points: One obvious advantage for families traveling with young children – the location may change but the atmosphere and floor plans are very similar so it is easier for a child to feel comfortable. The same is true if you are traveling with an elderly family member. Keeping things the same is a huge benefit to relieving the stress of travel. For kids and teens the benefit of TGI Fridays is obvious.
Stay with someone who cares. Even a simple roadtrip can be stressful so knowing what to expect at the end of a day is one way to ease the tension. Country Inns & Suites offer not just space and amenities but hospitality something often missing in the travel industry. I found a personal level of caring obvious at each of the places we stayed. In Annapolis, MD we received an invaluable tip for a local Mexican – best food on our vacation. In North Little Rock, AR my daughter left her IPod and charger – one call and it was sent to us the same day. The daily cookies at the Country Inn in Hampton gave us energy to go out again to shop for more bargains. In Berkley, WV the helpful front desk manager found a locksmith after hours. Need to know: There is only one exception Hot Springs, Arkansas. The building looks like a Country Inn however that is where the similarity ends. The Inn did not fit the helpful, clean, efficient, caring, family friendly atmosphere that is definitely the standard for the chain. Obviously they did not get the memo but I am sure by now there has been improvement.
About Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM. Country Inns & Suites is part of Carlson Hotels Worldwide, a leading global hotel company with more than 1,030 locations in 72 countries under the brands of Regent® Hotels & Resorts; Radisson® Hotels & Resorts; Park Plaza® Hotels & Resorts; Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM; and Park Inn®. The hotels offer many upgraded amenities including complimentary breakfast, in-room hair dryer, coffee maker, iron and ironing board, and weekday morning newspaper. The brand is known for its consistently high quality accommodations and personal, warm hospitality.