Closed since the attacks on 9/11, the iconic Theme Building at the Los Angeles International Airport recently reopened its observation deck. Credit: Leon Hart.
By Joe Brancatelli
Delta Air Lines is bulking up at three East Coast airports: its New York/Kennedy hub; New York/LaGuardia and Washington/National. At Kennedy, Delta is adding flights to John Wayne/Orange County and San Antonio on September 7. From LaGuardia, it adds flights to Nashville and St. Louis on Sept. 7. And on Oct. 31, it begins flights from National to Hartford; Columbus; Jacksonville; Orlando; Miami; Tampa; and St. Louis. At the same time, however, Delta will drop National-Huntsville service, Hartford-Los Angeles flights and make further cuts at its Cincinnati hub. Effective Sept. 7, flights to five cities — Albany and Buffalo, New York; Charleston, West Virginia; Des Moines; and Little Rock — will disappear. That will cut Delta’s Cincinnati presence to about 160 daily flights, down from a high of more than 600.
- The observation deck in the iconic Theme Building at Los Angeles has reopened on weekends. The deck was closed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Apparently, LAX and other security officials have decided that terrorists don’t work weekends.
- Marriott has opened its second property at Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta. The Marriott Gateway is adjacent to the Georgia International Convention Center and connected to the airport by the SkyTrain.
- The “registered traveler” programs begin again. Left for dead after Clear collapsed last year, a company called iQueue has opened a program at Indianapolis Airport. Membership starts at $119 a year. But it is worth noting that iQueue is not guaranteeing a separate approach to security checkpoints and can’t even guarantee that iQueue membership will be honored by other registered traveler programs at other airports. Assuming, of course, that another airport will even have a registered travel program again.
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Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2010 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.
