SOUTHLAKE, Texas, Oct 31, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) — In the midst of reduced airline routes and elevated fuel prices, travelers are perhaps more in need than ever of a trusted guide to help spare their wallets and guide them through the busiest travel period of the year. Travelocity is determined to make heading home for the holidays a little easier with the company’s fifth consecutive Thanksgiving Task Force as well as a number of tools and services to make booking the trip simple and affordable.
On the Wednesday prior to and Sunday following Thanksgiving, on-the-scene spotters will be stationed at 25 of the nation’s top airports to monitor airport conditions, including security lines, check-in wait times, travel delays and parking. Travelocity’s monitors will report these nationwide findings every hour on the hour with updates posted exclusively on www.travelocity.com.
“With expectations for a record holiday travel season, many of the airlines in precarious financial situations and winter weather on the horizon, it’s understandable that travelers may have concerns this year,” said Amy Ziff, editor-at-large for Travelocity. “To help alleviate any traveler anxiety, Travelocity will once again provide hourly updates that include any information that might impact travel plans this holiday season, allowing consumers to plan, book and get to and from the airport with ease.”
On Wednesday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 27, the two busiest travel days of the year, Travelocity monitors will be at the following airports from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time:
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Atlanta Baltimore Boston (BOS) Charlotte, Chicago
(ATL) (BWI) NC (CLT) Midway
(MDW)
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Chicago Cincinnati Dallas/Ft. Denver Detroit
O'Hare (CVG) Worth (DFW) (DEN) (DTW)
(ORD)
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Ft. Houston Las Vegas Los Angeles Minneapolis
Lauderdale (IAH) (LAS) (LAX) (MSP)
(FLL)
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New York New York Newark (EWR) Orlando Philadelphia
Kennedy La Guardia (MCO) (PHL)
(JFK) (LGA)
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Phoenix San Salt Lake Seattle Washington
(PHX) Francisco City (SLC) (SEA) Dulles
(SFO) (IAD)
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Beginning Friday, Nov. 11, travelers can find timely holiday travel tips from Amy Ziff at www.travelocity.com/holidaytips, as well as facts on some of the nation’s top airports; updates on air traffic delays from Rally Caparas, Travelocity Business(SM) air traffic expert; and travel deals for this holiday season. In addition to helping travelers once on the road, Travelocity helps them get to their destination with a number of time- and money-saving booking options and tools:
— Flexible Date Option: Travelocity finds low fares and date options available from the departing / visiting cities and includes them in an interactive calendar. Then, consumers can choose preferred travel dates and times, based on availability for that fare.
— TotalTrip: Travelocity’s TotalTrip(SM) technology allows consumers to save more for gifts by booking airfare and hotels together, giving them access to special rates not available when booking components separately.
— FareWatcher(SM) E-mail: For travelers who don’t have time to monitor airfares every hour of every day to get the best deal, this free, personalized subscription service tracks round-trip airfares for up to five city pairs selected by the traveler and automatically sends notification of airfare markdowns.
— TotalPrice(SM) for Cars: Don’t blow the holiday budget by getting caught off-guard by unexpected taxes and fees. Travelocity’s TotalPrice for Cars combines pricing and shopping capabilities, offering the full price before purchase. Travelocity guarantees that the final price displayed to the customer is within one percent of the final rental fee.
— Guaranteed Low Priced Hotel Rates: Through its GoodBuy Hotel Program, Travelocity features discounted hotel rates at more than 20,000 hotels in more than 200 destinations worldwide.
— 24-Hour Live Customer Service: Specially trained online travel professionals are available 24/7, 365 days a year to assist travelers, whether with booking their trips or helping with problems while on the road.
— My Messaging: My Messaging provides current information on flight status, trip itineraries with airline departure and arrival, gate information, and baggage claim information. This service allows travelers to be contacted anytime, anywhere through wireless text messaging, wireless email, fax, or phone and voicemail.
— Traveler and AAA Reviews: More than 50,000 member-created hotel and cruise Traveler Reviews display both positive and negative feedback that expires after 12 months, so all reviews posted are current. In addition, Travelocity is the only major online travel site to offer AAA diamond ratings.
Travelocity’s goal is to make travelers’ lives less stressful by simplifying the booking process through the development of industry leading tools while keeping them informed of any obstacles that might come their way while on the road this busy holiday season.
About Travelocity
Travelocity is committed to being the traveler’s champion – before, during and after the trip and works hand-in-hand with the world’s most reputable travel providers so that everything about a customer’s booking will be right. And if it’s not, Travelocity guarantees that it will work with its partners to make it right, right away. This customer-driven focus, backed by live 24/7 phone support, great prices and powerful shopping technology has made Travelocity the fifth largest travel agency in the U.S. – booking $4.9 billion in travel in 2004. Based in Southlake, Texas, Travelocity also owns and operates Travelocity Business(SM), and lastminute.com, a leader in European online travel. Travelocity is owned by Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE: TSG), a world leader in travel commerce.
SOURCE: Travelocity
VOLLMER Andrea Collins, 212-551-3528 andrea@vollmerpr.com or Sie Soheili, 972-488-4790 sie@vollmerpr.com
