American Airlines Provides Curbside Check-in Service at 28 International Airports

American Airlines said recently customers traveling internationally can now take advantage of curbside check-in at 28 airports that currently offer the service for domestic travelers.

Among the top markets offering the expanded curbside check-in service are Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago O’Hare and New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, American said in a release.

The service is also available to travelers departing Fort Lauderdale, according to the airline’s website.

With curbside check-in customers can check-in for their flights at home online and then drop their bags curbside with a skycap before moving on to the security check-point to their gate in a seamless manner.

“Offering Curbside Check-in for travel to international destinations is another way American is expanding its products and services to better meet the needs and desires of customers traveling abroad,” said Tom Del Valle, American’s Senior Vice President – Airport Services, in a statement.

Another 31 U.S. markets are slated to offer the international curbside check-in service starting in November.

An American Airlines spokesperson said given the fairly extensive nature of the curbside check-in program, it took longer to expand the offering to international travelers.

The airline also had to balance offering this program with other priority services it has implemented to enhance the customer experience from curbside to baggage claim.

American Airlines to Increase Daily Flights to Dominican Republic International Airports

American Airlines will increase to 25 its daily flights from the United States to the Dominican Republic’s major international airports.

From Miami to Punta Cana International Airport, American Airlines will increase to three its daily flights between both airports. It will also add a second flight from New York to this destination. American Eagle, a subsidiary of AA, will add a third flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Between the airports of La Romana and San Juan (Puerto Rico), the carrier will increase flights from two per week to two per day. There will also be two daily flights at the Santiago International Airport to and from Miami and one to San Juan.

From Las Americas International Airport, American Eagle will offer four daily flights to San Juan and one to Haiti. With all the new flights, AA will offer three thousand seats daily to passengers traveling between the United States and the Dominican Republic.

Tokyo International Airport, Haneda Launches International Flight Routes

Haneda Airport, which is officially named the Tokyo International Airport, has put itself on the international map with connections linking it to New York, Detroit and London. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and British Airways have all started offering flights to the Japanese airport.

The airport is only about 9 miles from the city centre of Tokyo, but it has been mainly used as a domestic hub since the Narita International Airport was opened in 1978. Passengers have complained that traveling from Narita to the capital can take an extra hour, as it’s about 37 miles away.

However, now American Airlines is offering services from the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Delta Air Lines has launched regular operations from the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, while they are also launching services from Los Angeles International Airport. Plus, British Airways has started a 5 flights a week offering from Heathrow Airport.

American Airlines vice president and managing director in the Asia Pacific, Theo Panagiotoulias said they are thrilled with the new flights, which link 2 of the world’s biggest financial markets, as well as offer consumers the ability to fly from New York to Haneda Airport. The are also pleased to offer the new service as part of their transpacific joint venture with Japan Airlines, he added.

Delta Air Lines executive vice president of network planning, revenue management and marketing, Glen Hauenstein said that they are investing in high growth and restricted markets, like Haneda and Heathrow airports, while their overall capacity growth for this year will be measured due to economic conditions and rising fuel costs. These destinations have great market potential for both the short- and long-term, he added.

British Airways area general manager in the Asia Pacific, Jamie Cassidy says that this is historic for the airline, as the new route to Haneda Airport compliments their existing service at Narita’s airport. This will allow them to offer greater flexibility and choice to customers, he continued, and they are proud to be the only airline operating to the hub directly from the UK. The launch of these flights demonstrates their commitment to Japan and the deepening of their relationship with Japan Airlines, he added.

Airlines Passenger Will Difficulty to Get Airlines Cheap Flight Tickets

In the complicated world of airfares, the search for cheap flights got a lot more difficult for passengers. In the past week, both Delta and American Airlines have pulled their airfares from popular online search engines.

This past week, American failed to reach an agreement with Orbitz and airfares for American Airlines flights will no longer be available through Orbitz and their online site. In a similar agreement, Delta Airlines pulled their airfares from cheapoair.com, OneTravel.com, and Bookit.com. While these airfares are still being sold on Travelocity and Priceline, it makes the future of airfares very uncertain.

Many argue that these moves by American Airlines and Delta Airlines were an attempt to save money and increase revenues by cutting out the middle man. If passengers book fees on airfare search engine sites like Orbitz, the airline must pay them a fee for doing so. By not allowing their airfares on these sights, this saves them money and forces passengers to book directly with the airline website where other options like travel insurance and other add ons can bring in more revenue.

The impact on air travel and airline passengers

While other airlines have not made this move, they will keep a careful eye on how this works out for American and Delta. Southwest has always advertised their airfares on their website only and recently ran a commercial to see how many people were aware of this. However, this move could signal a change in the airline industry.

American Airlines Eliminate Several Flight Services as Drops Local Flight

American Airlines will eliminate one of its flights in and out of Fort Smith in December, a spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday.

“American Eagle will be reducing a flight – going from five flights to four flights – beginning Dec. 16,” spokeswoman Andrea Huguely wrote in an e-mail.

“Eagle is always keeping an eye on each market it serves and in this case, advance bookings have been a little soft, and it’s important to keep capacity and demand in check,” she added.

According to the new schedule, American flights to Dallas-Fort Worth will depart from Fort Smith Regional Airport at 6 a.m., 10:05 a.m., 1 p.m. and 6:25 p.m. daily. Flights from Dallas-Fort Worth will arrive at 9:35 a.m., 12:25 p.m., 6 p.m. and 9:55 p.m.

John Parker, director of Fort Smith Regional Airport, said he was told a 3 p.m. flight was eliminated.

He said American operates seven days a week out of Fort Smith, as does Delta Airlines, which offers three flights a day.

Third-quarter enplanement figures show 22,612 flew out of Fort Smith during July, August and September.

Airlines Express Seats : American Airlines Adds New Fees for Express Seats Option

American Airlines issued a policy for passengers who want a seat at the Express Seats will be subject to additional costs of approximately $19 to $39. Express airplane seats located on the first two or three rows in coach class.

Customers who buy the Express Seats option also will be assigned to AA’s “Group 1″ queue for general boarding. That means they’ll be among the first passengers on the plane, giving them better odds for snagging increasingly coveted space in the overhead storage bins.

The Chicago Tribune writes “seats beyond the first few rows in coach will continue to (be) free, with the exception of exit rows. Elite frequent fliers and customers (paying) full fares will not be subject to the new seat charges, the airline said.”

In a press release announcing the program, AA says “Express Seats are available to all American Airlines customers and can be purchased exclusively via airport Self-Service Check-In machines anytime from 24 hours to 50 minutes prior to scheduled flight departure for travel wholly within the United States, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.”

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes “Express Seats is the third initiative American has launched this summer under its new Your Choice program, and the latest program airlines have launched to try and generate extra revenue.”

The Dallas Morning News details one of the latest offerings, writing that AA “in June rolled out a fee that allowed purchasers to board a flight in the first boarding group, pay $75 to change a flight rather than $150 and stand by for an earlier flight without the usual fee.” That fee ranges $9 to $19 each way, depending on the length of the flight.

In its other recent fee initiative, AA began charging $10 each way for customers to get guaranteed access to Group 1 in the boarding queue.

AA spokesman Tim Smith tells the Star-Telegram the carrier could tie more perks to fees in the future, but says that depends on how well the current options are received by customers. Smith says that will be determined by “people voting with their wallets.”

American Airlines Improve Service Mobile Boarding Pass System At 19 New Airport

For the convenience of passengers using the service to American Airlines flights. The airlines provide mobile services boarding pass at some airport. American Airlines this year to expand the mobile boarding pass service on 19 new airport.

The airports participating in the mobile boarding pass system are: Albuquerque (ABQ), Atlanta (ATL), Austin (AUS), Charlotte (CLT), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Cleveland (CLE), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Denver (DEN), El Paso (ELP), Read more