It has been more than four years since Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines announced their merger, creating the world’s largest commercial airline at the time. Now United Airlines and Continental Airlines have entered the spotlight as the next major airline carriers to join forces, soon to be known as the new United Airlines. The two airlines have already begun the transition process toward forming the world’s leading airline with the most comprehensive global route network, but what does this merger mean for travelers?

Here are several of the most notable milestones and changes that will affect your upcoming travels:

Path to a Single Operating Certificate (SOC)
United and Continental have already legally merged under one holding company, United Continental Holdings, Inc., but they are still operating as separate carriers pending U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval of a single operating certificate. The group anticipates approval by the end of the year, which will allow United and Continental to further integrate flight operations and take a major step towards operating completely under one code (UA) in the spring of 2012.

Transition to a Single Passenger Service System (PSS)
You may have noticed that many customer service elements have already merged between the two carriers, but United and Continental are still using separate reservation systems. In spring 2012, they plan to transition to a single reservation system to provide a consistent service experience.

Roll-out of the new United’s loyalty program, MileagePlus
One of the ways travelers will be most affected is through the elimination of the OnePass loyalty program and the emergence of the new MileagePlus program. If you only have a MileagePlus or a OnePass account and not both, no additional steps are needed to transition to this new program, and new MileagePlus cards will be distributed after the start of the new year. If you are enrolled in both programs, there are three steps you must take in order to link your accounts and to combine your award miles and match your elite status, if applicable.

• Step 1: Ensure that your name and address are listed exactly the same way in both your OnePass and your MileagePlus accounts.
• Step 2: Link your accounts
  Visit www.united.com/linkmyaccounts  or www.continental.com/linkmyaccounts for full instructions.
• Step 3: Combine your activity
  Visit www.united.com/combinemyactivity  or www.continental.com/combinemyactivity for full instructions.

 

If you are having technical issues, you can call MileagePlus Customer Service at 800-421-4655 or OnePass Customer Service at 800-554-5522.

CWT will continue to provide its clients with the most up-to-date information related to this transition, but if you’re not a CWT traveler, click here for the latest news and information on this merger, which will surely impact all travelers in the years to come.

Today we take a moment to honor and thank our veterans for their courageous service. Will you observe the holiday by attending a local commemorative event? Blogger Michelle outlines some options here. Additionally, the U.S. and Canadian governments offer additional opportunities to celebrate the holiday at http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/ and http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/veterans-week.

Whether you’ll be at home or traveling, we wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. And to all the veterans out there, thank you for your service.

Safe Travels!

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit Turkey this past June. It’s an amazing destination with incredible history in architecture, religion and natural wonders, in addition to great shopping.

Architecture: The Blue Mosque, Goreme Valley, Topkapi Palace, and Ephesus are a few of my favorite architectural sightings. The detailed artwork is absolutely amazing, providing a glimpse back in to Turkey’s history.

Religion: The Blue Mosque is a great place to experience religion as it is practiced today, but if you’re looking for some insight into religious rituals of the area, I recommend visiting the Whirling Dervishes in Konya and the Museum of Mevlana.

Natural Wonders: Pamukkale is one of the natural wonders of the world, and having seen it first hand, I can tell you that it is an amazing site that you don’t want to miss! At first glance it looked to me like a downhill ski area, but it is actually a collection of waterfalls and limestone deposits that you can navigate on foot.

Shopping: When you’ve had your fill of history, Turkey can easily fulfill the wishes of any shopaholic. The Grand Bazaar houses 4,000 vendors offering rows upon rows of jewelry, table clothes, rugs, lights, pashminas, and much, much more.  Be sure to allow yourself lots of time to navigate the area, as many vendors don’t like to take no as an answer. Even if you don’t decide to buy from them, the experience will create unforgettable memories of this incredible location.

Has anyone else had the opportunity to visit Turkey? If so, tell me about some of your favorite locations, and best deals found in the bazaar!

In our daily lives most of us have now adopted many ways to be “green” and, if you’re like me, you do your best to live responsibly and take care of the earth. But, when traveling some of our normal habits can’t be followed – here are some tips for traveling Green!

• Go paperless with travel documents and resource materials such as travel guides and maps.
• Whenever possible, consider taking non-stop flights, which use significantly less fuel to get you to your destination.
• Pack light – just an extra 10 pounds per passenger adds to an airline’s fuel consumption, which leads to more carbon dioxide emissions. And it’s a lot easier to get around!
• Before you leave home, you can take the first steps to green up your travel by turning down the thermostat on your hot water heater, adjusting your thermostat and stopping your newspaper.
• When you leave the room do the same; turn off the air-conditioning, heat, television, lights or any other electric devices.
• Choose a green hotel. You can find green lodging options in all budgets from hostels to luxury hotels.
• When at your hotel, re-use towels and sheets. Opting to use them again can save up to 30 gallons of water daily.
• Bring your own toiletries. Hotel soaps and bottles of shampoo, conditioner and lotion that have been opened — even if just for one use — are routinely tossed in the trash.
• When at your destination, consider earth-friendly transportation options like biking, walking and taking public transit.
• Eat local cuisine that is made from regional ingredients to minimizing food-transport pollution.
• Try to buy local products whenever possible instead of those that have been shipped in from other countries. Plus, you’ll be supporting the local economy.

What are your ideas for traveling green?

U.S. residents and travelers visiting the United States: did you know there will be a test of the Nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) on Wednesday, November 9? At 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will conduct the first nationwide test of the system that is designed to communicate critical information to the public in the event of an emergency.

The test is being conducted in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and involves EAS participants, which include broadcasters of radio and television.

While Wednesday’s event is only a test, the EAS is a system that is valuable for both travelers and the general public to be aware of, should an emergency occur. Alerts delivered via the EAS are broadcast on AM, FM, and satellite radio, as well as cable, broadcast, and satellite television, and provide critical information to the public in the event of a large scale emergency.

Additional information is available from FEMA here.

Safe Travels!