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Tag: ski (Page 2 of 2)

Amtrak Winter Park Express 2020 Tickets Now Available

Three roundtrips now every weekend from January 10 through March 29, with the popular $29 starting fares again this season

WINTER PARK, Colo. – Every weekend this ski season can last for three days instead of two, with Amtrak “ski train” roundtrips between Denver and Winter Park Resort on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, starting Jan. 10. Adult fares start at $29 each way and tickets are on sale now at Amtrak.com/WinterParkExpress. Each ticketed adult can bring a child age 2-12 for half the adult fare.

This will also be the second season of snack and beverage service using a Superliner® Sightseer Lounge Car, with windows from floor level and into the top of the railcar. Since 2017, more than 52,000 customers have avoided frustrating stop-and-go ski traffic on the roads to enjoy the service partnership on the rails by Amtrak and the resort named last year as the “Best in North America”. The 2019 season set a ridership record on a transportation mode that is reliable, sustainable and friendly.

The 2020 Amtrak Winter Park Express will run each Friday, Saturday and Sunday through March 29. The Amtrak trains depart Denver Union Station at 7 a.m. and arrive at the resort at approximately 9 a.m., leaving Winter Park at 4:30 p.m.to return to Denver at 6:40 p.m. All times Mountain. The station is served by the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) commuter trains to Denver International Airport, light rail, local or intercity buses, ride-sharing services and taxis.

The public can choose from 36 roundtrips for the comfortable and scenic ride using RTD, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific tracks to pass through the historic Moffat Tunnel. 

Investments at the resort for this season include the new six-person Sunnyside lift, a $6 million upgrade to reduce the ride time from 8 minutes to under 4 minutes and give improved access to some of the most beloved intermediate terrain in the Mary Jane territory. This season will also see the first “Winter Park Fireworks & Family Fests” on Saturday nights Dec. 14, Jan. 18, Feb. 15 and Mar. 14 for fireworks, slope-side bonfires and more. Questions about the resort and its many features can be answered by calling the resort directly: 888-923-7275.

Amtrak and Winter Park Resort have also made it easy to book group travel by calling 800-USA-1GRP for a train/ski package – including lodging – crafted by representatives of the resort and Amtrak.

American Airlines Eliminates Some Oversized Bag Fees

FORT WORTH, Texas — As the busy summer travel period quickly approaches, American Airlines has announced changes to its policies regarding oversize sports and music equipment. American is eliminating oversize bag fees for common sports and music equipment, effective for travel on or after May 21. The updated policies, which will be music to the ears of musicians who fly on American, will also ensure that customers can more easily pursue active and healthy lifestyles wherever their travels may take them, without having to pay additional oversize bag fees.

Customers can check common oversize sports and music equipment as standard baggage, up to the maximum allowed dimensions and within the weight requirements. Refer to the full policy for additional information.

What you should know

• Based on feedback from our customers and American team members, American is eliminating the charge for common oversize sports and music equipment — up to the maximum size we accept for these items. The change is effective for travel on or after May 21.
• American will accept these oversize items as a standard checked bag without an additional oversize charge.
• The checked oversize bag counts toward a customer’s normal baggage allowance. For example, customers traveling within the United States, who used to pay $150 to check one oversize item such as a surfboard, will now pay $30 — the cost of a standard first bag — if the weight is less than 50 lbs. Customers traveling with skis or a snowboard will now be able to check in an equipment bag with the skis or snowboard as one bag (up to 50 lbs./62 in.).
• Due to special handling requirements, oversize items such as antlers, hang gliders, scuba tanks and kite/windsurfing items will continue to incur a flat $150 fee.
• Additional allowances/restrictions may apply based on destination, class of service, elite status, active U.S. military members or AAdvantage® cardmembers (on domestic American-operated itineraries). For more information, visit aa.com/checkedbags.

About American Airlines Group

American Airlines and American Eagle offer an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. American has hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. American is a founding member of the oneworld® alliance, whose members serve more than 1,000 destinations with about 14,250 daily flights to over 150 countries. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL. In 2015, its stock joined the S&P 500 index.

Warren Buffett’s NetJets, Union Reach Pilot Labor Pact

(Reuters) – NetJets, the luxury plane unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc, has extended its contract with its pilots union by three years, avoiding the type of bitter labor dispute that it had with the union earlier this decade.

The tentative contract with the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots, which represents 2,500 pilots, boosts pay, changes the compensation structure, and expires in 2026.

NetJets and the union said in a joint statement on Thursday that the accord followed six weeks of talks, which the Columbus, Ohio-based company began though the pilots’ 2015 contract wasn’t scheduled to expire until 2023.

More than 81 percent of the pilots voted last month in favor of the changes.

“The NJASAP Executive Board is exceedingly pleased with the outcome of this negotiation — an ambitious undertaking characterized by honesty, goodwill and a genuine commitment to continuing collaboration,” said union president, Pedro Leroux.

The contract was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal. Berkshire did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

NetJets’ labor peace contrasts with more than two years of contentious relations with the union that ended in 2015, after Adam Johnson was installed as chief executive.

The union, then also led by Leroux, had accused NetJets of trying to slash jobs, obtain givebacks on health care and work rules, and bait pilots through bogus Twitter posts to conduct work slowdowns that could result in their being fired.

In contrast, Johnson said on Thursday the contract extension was “built on a foundation of trust and transparency.”

Berkshire employed more than 377,000 people at the end of 2017, and most are not unionized.

Buffett, who flies on NetJets planes, told shareholders at Berkshire’s 2015 annual meeting: “We have no anti-union agenda whatsoever, and we think we have sensational pilots.”

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

In other NetJet news, Just in time for the winter ski season, we are excited to announce a partnership with Caldera House. Through this partnership, NetJets Owners can take advantage of exclusive benefits at Jackson Hole’s newest luxury hotel.

Click the link below for the full story!

https://www.netjets.com/en-us/caldera-house-private-jet-travel-jackson-hole

Hyatt Place Chongli, China Now Open

CHICAGO (December 10, 2018– Hyatt Place Chongli is the first Hyatt-branded hotel to open in Zhangjiakou in China’s Hebei Province. The hotel features the Hyatt Place brand’s intuitive design, casual atmosphere and practical amenities such as free Wi-Fi.

Hyatt Place Chongli is located within Thaiwoo Ski Resort, which offers offering skiing and other exhilarating snow-sports in the winter and mountain biking and horse riding in the summer.

Hyatt Place Chongli is a 55-minute drive from Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport and a three-hour drive from Beijing Capital International Airport. By the end of 2019, guests will be able to travel by train from Beijing to Thaiwoo Ski Resort in 50 minutes. The hotel offers easy access to local attractions, including Grass Skyline, a 133-kilometer stretch of picturesque grassland dotted with Mongolian yurts and grazing cattle; Cuiyun Mountain Forest Park, which is comprised of more than 20 peaks; Huapiling scenic area, a mountainous border between Zhangbei and Chongli counties; and Ice & Snow Museum Chongli, the largest museum of its kind in China.

“As the Chongli district continues to develop its infrastructure and thrive economically, we are excited to add to the momentum with the opening of the first Hyatt Place hotel,” said General Manager Luke Li. “With our smartly designed social spaces and guestrooms with separate work and sleep areas, our multitasking guests can easily accomplish what they need to do while on the road.”   

Hyatt Place Chongli offers:

  • 132 spacious guestrooms with separate spaces to sleep, work and play, as well as a Cozy Corner sofa-sleeper
  • Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and guestrooms
  • Gallery Kitchen Breakfast features an array of Western and Chinese breakfast favorites, including noodles, dim sum, ham, and eggs, as well as fresh fruit, yogurt and more
  • Gallery Menu serving freshly prepared meals
  • 24/7 Gallery Market offering ready-to-go sandwiches and salads all day long
  • Coffee to Cocktails Bar featuring coffees and premium beers, as well as wines and specialty cocktails
  • Odds & Ends program for forgotten items that guests can buy, borrow or enjoy for free
  • Meeting Places with 160 square meters of flexible, high-tech meeting/function space 
  • 24-hour Gym featuring cardio equipment with LCD touchscreens and free ear buds
  • Heated indoor swimming pool with views of Thaiwoo Ski Resort as well as a freeform kids pool and a massage pool

HYATT PLACE CHONGLI LEADERSHIP

Hyatt Place Chongli is under the leadership of General Manager Luke Li and Director of Sales Justin Guo. In his role, Li is directly responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the hotel, including overseeing the hotel’s 54 associates and ensuring guests encounter the thoughtful service for which the Hyatt Place brand is known. Guo is responsible for providing sales service and support to travelers and meeting planners frequenting the Beijing area. 

For more information, please visit chonglihyattplace.com

JetBlue Fare Sale To Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Get a jump on ski season with JetBlue’s new jet-in, jet-out service to Steamboat springs, Colorado. Flights start on 12/15/2018, so book your flights today!

JetBlue to Steamboat Springs, Colorado

JetBlue announced the new service back on April 25th of this year with the following press release:

Steamboat’s industry-leading air program continues to expand with the addition of three new nonstop markets on JetBlue beginning winter 2018. Skiers and riders in Boston, Ft. Lauderdale and Long Beach, California, will be able to access Steamboat’s Champagne Powder® snow during the 2018-19 winter via nonstop flights, which guests can begin booking today for December travel.

“Recognizing the popularity of Steamboat as a destination for guests in New England and south Florida, the resort is thrilled to partner with JetBlue to provide nonstop access for skiers and riders in these markets as well as Long Beach for West Coast vacationers,” said Rob Perlman, president and COO of Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. “With these additional flights, Steamboat boasts the most robust winter air program of any mountain resort community in North America.”

JetBlue’s nonstop service from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Long Beach Airport (LGB) will operate twice a week, and the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) flight will operate once a week from Dec. 15 through March 30 on an A320 aircraft, capable of accommodating 150 passengers. In addition to serving skiers and snowboarders in these three markets, JetBlue offers convenient connections from additional destinations across the country. The new JetBlue service contributes to the 10 nonstop markets Steamboat has added in the past seven years.

JetBlue nonstop service to the Steamboat/Hayden airport (HDN) is currently scheduled as follows:

“We are thrilled to provide direct service from three of our JetBlue focus cities to Steamboat Springs — a world-class ski destination and home of Champagne Powder®,” said John Checketts, vice president of network planning. “With JetBlue, a wonderful winter getaway is closer than ever no matter which corner of the country travelers call home.”

Image from www.visitsteamboat.com

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