Jetsettersblog

Clients will save up to 35 percent when they book a 2009 winter getaway with Spirit Vacations to a Couples Resort in Jamaica. Clients enjoy free value-added inclusions such as off-site excursions, scuba diving, glass-bottom boat tours and more. Sample deals to the all-inclusive Couples Resorts with Spirit Vacations include Couples Tower Isle, where guests receive 35 percent off all-inclusive rates in a deluxe garden room on Monday departures, March 16 through 30. A three-night stay is priced at $991 from Fort Lauderdale; $1,009 from Orlando or Tampa; and $1,048 from Atlanta, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Myrtle Beach, New York/LaGuardia or Washington, D.C./Reagan National.

Couples Negril guests will get 25 percent off in a deluxe garden room on Monday departures, Jan. 5 through Feb. 9 and Feb 23 through March 30, on three-night stays of $1,016 from Ft. Lauderdale; $1,034 from Orlando or Tampa; $1,073 from Atlanta, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Myrtle Beach, New York/LaGuardia or Washington, D.C./Reagan National.

At Couples Sans Souci, guests will receive 25 percent off an ocean suite on Monday departures, Jan. 5 through Feb. 9 and Feb. 23 through March 30, on three-night stays: $1,046 from Ft. Lauderdale; $1,064 from Orlando or Tampa; $1,099 from Atlanta, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Myrtle Beach, New York/LaGuardia or Washington, D.C./Reagan National. At Couples Swept Away, guests will receive 20 percent off a garden suite on Monday departures, Jan. 5 through Feb. 9 and Feb. 23 through March 30, on three-night stays: $1,098 from Ft. Lauderdale; $1,116 from Orlando or Tampa; $1,155 from Atlanta, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Myrtle Beach, New York/LaGuardia or Washington, D.C./Reagan National.

Spirit Vacations offers complete vacation packages to destinations throughout the Caribbean, Latin America, Central and South America, Mexico and the United States.

Delta Air Lines customers flying business class between the U.S. and London’s Heathrow Airport will enjoy the comfort of a 180-degree full flat bed on every flight beginning summer 2009. Delta customers also will have the convenience of a third daily nonstop flight between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and London-Heathrow, operated by joint venture partner Air France. The service will complement Delta’s two existing flights between New York and Heathrow and one flight between Atlanta and Heathrow and will give customers the scheduling flexibility of a morning, early evening or late evening departure. “The introduction of full-flat service onboard the Delta 767 fleet will enhance our position in the highly competitive U.S.-to-Heathrow market,” said Glen Hauenstein, Delta’s executive vice president-network planning and revenue management.

Effective summer 2009, Delta’s flights between the United States and Heathrow will be upgraded to feature Boeing 767-400ER aircraft with 40 new 180-degree full flat beds in the aircraft’s BusinessElite cabin. The seats, designed by Thompson Aerospace and engineered and manufactured by Contour Premium Aircraft Seating, recline to 77-inch-long beds in a one-two-one configuration giving every BusinessElite customer direct aisle access.

Delta is reconfiguring seven of its 767-400 aircraft with the full-flat beds.

In total, Delta and Air France plan to offer customers four daily nonstop flights between the United States and London-Heathrow next summer – one from Atlanta and three from New York-JFK. Delta also currently offers service between London’s Gatwick Airport and Atlanta twice daily and between London-Gatwick and Cincinnati once daily. Air France has announced that it intends to discontinue service between Los Angeles and Heathrow as it adds the new nonstop Heathrow flight from New York.

American Express Travel is partnering with Royal Caribbean International for the unveiling of the final “neighborhood” aboard RCI’s Oasis of the Seas, which the cruise line will launch in November 2009. The cruise ship’s design features “neighborhoods,” which will provide an array of experiences to cater to guests’ personal style, preferences or moods. The unveiling of the final neighborhood, available exclusively to American Express cardmembers, customers and travel agents, will take place Oct. 21 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, via a live WebEx webcast.

The webcast will be co-hosted by Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, and Lynne Biggar, senior vice president and general manager of the American Express Consumer Travel Network. Oasis of the Seas’ neighborhoods already announced include Central Park, Boardwalk, Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, and the Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center.

 For more information, call 800-297-2977 or visit www.americanexpress.com/travel

Marriott Golf announced that Faldo Golf Institute by Marriott has joined Marriott Golf Links, a golfer loyalty program that enables Marriott Rewards members to both earn and redeem points for golf. Now, anyone booking golf instruction at three premiere Faldo Golf Institute by Marriott locations has the opportunity to earn Marriott Rewards points for golf schools, golf lessons, and golf retail merchandise purchases.

With the introduction of Marriott Golf Links, golfers can now earn 10 Marriott Rewards points for every dollar spent on golf instruction and golf retail merchandise purchases at Faldo Golf Institute, which has three locations throughout the country, including Marriott’s Grande Vista in Orlando, Fla.; Marriott’s Shadow Ridge in Palm Desert, Calif.; and Marco Island Marriott Resort & Spa in Naples, Fla.

The points will be earned based on individual purchases, as well as group purchases. For example, if a guest spends $300 on a golf school, they would earn 3,000 Marriott Rewards points.

Existing Marriott Rewards members can enroll in Marriott Golf Links at any Faldo Golf Institute simply by providing their Marriott Rewards number when calling to book a lesson or golf school. Individuals that are not currently enrolled in Marriott Rewards can join Marriott Golf Links by visiting www.MarriottGolfLinks.com and becoming a Marriott Rewards member.

Once registered for Marriott Rewards, members can enroll in Marriott Golf Links by providing their Marriott Rewards number when calling to book a lesson or golf school. In addition, existing Marriott Rewards members can also enroll in Marriott Golf Links when scheduling a tee time or checking into the golf shop at any participating Marriott Golf Club.

For a list of participating golf clubs, and to take advantage of special offers and golf packages, please visit www.MarriottGolfLinks.com

The Wii experience is just beginning for Marriott and Renaissance guests, who can now choose from 20 games, including the popular Mario Kart Wii, Super Mario Galaxy and Wii Sports as well as the revolutionary fitness game, Wii Fit.

Marriott International, Inc. is piloting a new specially built Wii hotel game system from Nintendo in select guest rooms and lounges. Wii systems are available at six Marriott and Renaissance properties: New York Marriott Marquis, Renaissance New York Hotel Times Square, Boston Marriott Cambridge, Bethesda Marriott Suites, Annapolis Marriott Waterfront and JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, Phoenix (lounge only).

The new Wii hotel game system allows hotel guests to select from a library of games without inserting game discs. With the intuitive games menu, guests can just point the Wii remote at a game and begin playing immediately. Additional new Wii games will be added to the menu as they become available. The Wii guest room packages include unlimited Wii access for the entire stay.

There is a small premium for a room with a Wii hotel game system over the standard guest room rate.

Seattle’s Hotel Deca is giving away a $1,000 gas card to meeting planners who book and use a minimum of 65 room nights at the 158-room boutique hotel between now and Dec. 31, 2008.

Located in the University District, Hotel Deca boasts more than 5,500 square feet of flexible meeting space with seven additional breakout rooms.

Hotel Deca’s offer must include a group spend of $10,000 on guest rooms, not including tax or food and beverage. The offer does not apply to existing bookings or other promotional discounts.

The gas card is rewarded at the conclusion of the meeting.

Rate is non-commissionable. For more information, call 800-899-0251 or visit www.hoteldeca.com

It is now possible to book flights for children under 12 years of age traveling alone on the Air France website.

Air France is the first airline to offer the possibility of online reservations for these passengers on all its flights and on those of its franchised airlines.

Once the booking has been made, the mandatory form for all unaccompanied children will be automatically filled out according to the details given at the time of reservation. This form mainly includes the child’s itinerary and the contact details of the adults accompanying them or picking them up at the airport on arrival.

To make things even easier, at the end of the booking process, a link to the form will enable customers in France or in the French Overseas Departments to print it so that they can hand it in to the Air France ground staff at the airport.

This link will also be included in the confirmation email after the booking has been made. Any sections which are still blank should be completed by hand.

For parents who prefer to make their child’s booking calling the customer care department, at an Air France ticket office or a travel agent, a blank form can be downloaded online, on the website’s Planète Bleue section, and it is always possible to fill in one on arrival at the airport.

Since July 2008, a dedicated lounge in Terminal 2E at Paris CDG has been opened for unaccompanied children with short connections to enable them to play with the latest Playstation 3 video games or watch a DVD on a flat-screen TV.

The lounge has been decorated with an attractive mural painting about travel and is furnished according to the designs of the children’s furniture company MondoMio. Board games, magazines and coloring books enable children to relax and keep amused while waiting for the flight, in a pleasant environment under the supervision of a member of Air France staff. Every year,

Air France carries 390,000 children traveling alone (up to the age of 12) to join their family and friends. As part of this service, children are always supervised by a member of Air France staff, from check-in to their handover to an adult on arrival at their destination, as well as during a flight connection. For children from 12 to 18, this service is also available at their parents’ request.

Virgin America has announced two new travel options — Main Cabin Select service and the introduction of fully refundable fares.

Fully refundable fares are available for purchase only at 877-FLY-VIRGIN (877-359-8474).

The previously announced Main Cabin Select class of service is now available for sale on Virgin America’s website and toll-free number. Main Cabin Select travel is available for booking now for travel from Nov. 3. Virgin America’s fully refundable fares apply to one-way main cabin fares and provide the following options: fully refundable up to time of departure; transferable with name changes up to time of departure; and changes or cancellations permitted without fee until the time of departure, with the difference in fares either collected or refunded.

There are no blackout dates, no minimum or maximum stay requirements (as with all Virgin America fares), and no advanced purchase required.

“No shows,” or reservations not changed or cancelled prior to departure, will be turned into a credit valid for travel on Virgin America for one year from the date of issuance.

Main Cabin Select class offers guests the greatest available legroom within the existing seating configuration — at 38 inches of seat pitch in the exit row and in the bulkhead — as well as a host of perks.

 Main Cabin Select offers many of the upscale features and amenities of Virgin America’s award-winning First Class cabin at competitive fares.

For more information, call 877-359-8474

 or visit www.virginamerica.com

Virgin America has announced that Elevate loyalty program members can now begin redeeming Elevate points for award travel.

Elevate is a first-of-its-kind loyalty program that offers guests the ability to redeem points at the point of booking, on-line or via the call center, with no black-out dates.

This means Elevate members can redeem points for any unsold seat, on any Virgin America flight, at any time. Elevate members earn five points for every $1 spent on published base fares, and can book a free flight with as few as four paid roundtrips.

Through www.virginamerica.com, Elevate members now will be able to access all the features needed to manage their travel on-line, including using points like dollars to book flights on-line, viewing points and credits, and tracking past and future flights.

The Elevate program offers some other industry-leading features: simple “points per dollar” system and visible “price in points” for booking flights on-line.

There are no black-out dates. Guests can redeem points for any available seat on any flight. The price in points varies based on class of service and seat availability. Members can use points to book one-way travel and book any class of travel.

There is an 18-month rolling expiration for points from date of purchase.

A customized member profile helps speed bookings, and you can go from flight to confirmation in just a few clicks.

 For more information, call 877-FLY-VIRGIN (877-359-8474) or visit www.virginamerica.com

El Al, Israel’s national airline, is announcing a newly reduced roundtrip economy class fare to Israel from New York (JFK/Newark) for travel this December. Special new low fares from Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Houston; Las Vegas; and St. Louis are also being introduced. In addition, passengers from many other cities in the United States now have more time to purchase existing promotional fares as the date to buy these tickets has been extended. El Al has also reduced its fuel surcharge. All fall/winter promotions must be purchased by Oct. 31. Reduced fares from New York (JFK/Newark) are now offered on nonstop flights departing Dec. 1 to 15 and returning Dec. 16 to 29, 2008. The roundtrip fare is $1,051.

For passengers seeking more flexible travel days of the week during the same travel period, a special economy class fare is available on nonstop flights from New York (JFK/Newark) for $1,115 and on nonstops from Los Angeles every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday for $1,441. El Al travelers departing from other cities throughout the United States will also be able to take advantage of the new low round-trip fall/winter economy class airfares available for travel Oct. 26, 2008, through March 31, 2009 (except Dec. 17 to 24, 2008). El Al passengers departing from Boston and Washington, D.C., pay $1,111; from Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis, St. Louis and West Palm Beach the fare is $1,211. For travelers from Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle, the round-trip ticket cost is $1,311. With these fares, children under the age of 12 receive a 10 percent discount.

El Al passengers departing from Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., now have added convenience via a new code share agreement with American Airlines. Travelers from any of these cities fly American Airlines which easily connects to the nonstop El Al flight to and from Israel. Or, El Al passengers have the option to choose a free stopover in London, Paris, Madrid and Zurich (and, in the near future, Barcelona) on the way to Israel or on their return. And, El Al Matmid frequent flyer members can earn points on any flight operated by American Airlines. El Al passengers departing from any of the other cities where El Al offers a special fare will travel on another leading domestic carrier and conveniently connect to an El Al nonstop flight to and from Israel.