Humanitarian Travel

As usually happens in the travel industry, when one airline makes changes, others follow suit.  Please note that British Airways has made major changes to their checked baggage allowance, for any tickets issued on or after October 7, 2009.

Customers traveling in the World Traveller economy cabin to and from the USA, Canada, Bermuda, Argentina, Mexico and the Caribbean will now have a one bag free allowance of 51lbs. (23kgs).  Customers travelling in First, Club World, Club Europe, and World Traveller Plus, in addition to Gold and Silver Executive Club members travelling in World Traveller, will retain their existing cabin allowance.
 
Many of Ministry Travel clients take advantage of the ‘one additional bag’ for missionary purposes.  The new checked baggage policy will affect this.  Previously, each person was permitted 2 checked bags and 1 additional bag for missionary/humanitarian purposes.  The new policy will guarantee one free checked bag and one free additional bag (51 pounds or less) at no additional cost.  A 3rd checked bag may be granted at the check-in counter without additional fees, depending on the load and weight limits of the plane.  British Airways will have the ability at check-in to waive the fee for the 3rd bag or charge the fee.  Please know that the 3rd checked bag is NOT guaranteed to be free. 
 
To avoid any changes in the current policy, be sure to purchase all tickets prior to October 7th.  Contact your Ministry Travel specialist today with questions.

In October, the Northwest Airlines WorldPerks program will officially merge into the Delta SkyMiles program. As a SkyMiles member, your frequent flyer number and login will remain the same and you don’t have to do anything.

Given the significant challenges in combining two programs currently located on very different technology platforms, you will experience a few changes. Effective October 1st, your flight miles will no longer post immediately at departure but may take up to 24 hours after your flight departure. The merchandise redemption program (Medallion® Marketplace) will temporarily close on September 25th, but will return by year-end with a broader selection of products and offerings.

And, good news – on October 1st, Platinum and Gold Medallion members will no longer pay a $20 per ticket service charge when purchasing tickets via reservations or at our airport locations. Plus, all members will no longer pay a $25 per ticket partner handling charge when issuing Award Tickets. These new elite benefits and fee reductions are part of our continued effort to build a best-in-class loyalty program. For more information, please visit delta.com/what2expect and  delta.com/integrationtimeline for a specific timeline.