Intelligence – November, 02 2007

Intelligence – November, 02 2007

Star Alliance member airlines will now take up to six weeks for missing flight credit to show up in your account. The airlines have introduced a new flight validation process that requires the operating airline to validate all requests for missing credits and the extra time is needed to receive, review and authorize the requests …

Best Western International is poised to become the largest hotel group in Asia. By 2010, it is expected that the group will have more than 200 properities. In 2001, there were six Best Western hotels, today there are 106 …

Members of Miles & More can now earn 5,000 miles when obtaining a motor vehicle insurance policy with Zurich Connect and more mileage-earning opportunities with the new partnership is expected next year …

The first Fairmont hotel in Beijing is set to open next summer …

Avianca is a new airline partner in the Mexicana Frecuenta program …

British Airways will cease serving Detroit on March 29, 2008, citing the decline in auto industry business travel …

ExpressJet and Avis Budget Group announced a preferred partnership wherein ExpressJet passengers will get up to a 25 percent discount off Avis rentals and up to 20 percent discount off Budget rentals and “added value programs” such as upgrades will be offered JetSet members …

The partnership between Thai Royal Orchid Plus and Jet Airways has ended; also, Thai’s partnership with Best Western has ended …

Delta has received DOT approval to commence nonstop service between Atlanta and Shanghai as early as August. The “big six” all received approval for new flights to China, staggered to begin between now and 2009. United will begin flights between San Francisco and Guyangzhou in March 2008; American will fly between Chicago and Beijing and Northwest will fly between Detroit and Shanghai. Continental nonstop flights between New York/Newark and Shanghai are expected to begin March 2009 …

Executive Travel Magazine reports that all SkyTeam alliance member airlines expect to eliminate paper ticketing by June 2008 …

Frontier Airlines began nonstop service between Denver and Rapid City and between Denver and Sioux City last month and is giving 50 pairs of tickets to nonprofit organizations in the Black Hills area …

The Federal Aviation Administration forecasts that by the year 2015 the number of passengers carried by U.S. commercial air carriers will hit the one billion mark …

Hilton hotels has plans to open 70 Hilton Family hotels across Russia over the next 10 years …

EVA Airways is introducing nonstop flights between Taipei and New York three times a week and between Taipei and Seattle four flights a week starting Dec. 4, 2007 …

Commencing Dec. 1, 2007, Thai Royal Orchid Plus members can no longer earn miles with Inflight Duty Free purchases onboard Thai Airways and issued Duty Free Award vouchers must be used by Nov. 30, 2007 …

Aeromexico has started a new twice-weekly service from Las Vegas to Hermosillo, Mexico.