This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by psa188@juno.com. Late Departures Show a Sharp Decline November 12, 2002 By JOE SHARKEY Late Departures Show a Sharp Decline It's a little like reporting that ski accidents are down because there's not as much snow. Nevertheless, let it be noted that airline late departures fell from 955,270 in the first nine months of 2000, the year of monstrous delays, to 597,155 in the first nine months of this year, according to the federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Among airports, Midway in Chicago led the way this year with 25.3 percent of flights departing late, or 15 minutes or more behind schedule. No Wonder Companies Like Online Booking Wonder why your company travel manager is sending all those pointed memos encouraging you to book your business trips online through the corporate travel portal? A study by the Institute of Business Travel Management suggests how much cheaper it is to use the online tool and book yourself rather than call a travel agent to do it for you. For simple itineraries, the trip cost 11 percent less. For complex trips, with multiple stops, the saving was 4 percent. The survey by the educational arm of the National Business Travel Association found that making hotel reservations was a major stumbling block for more efficient online bookings. Hotel chains are moving rapidly to improve their online booking systems. Passengers Rate Lounges at Airports The best airport lounge? International passengers say it's Cathay Pacific's Wing lounge at Hong Kong International Airport, according to a passenger survey of airport lounge standards by Skytrax Research in London. The same research group has a Web site that posts useful, detailed reviews of service on all of the world's airlines by passengers who sign their names to their opinions. The site: www.airlinequality.com /Forum/seats.htm. National's Passengers Left Holding the Bag National Airlines is defunct. The low-fare Las Vegas-based carrier, which had been in Chapter 11 since 2000, a year after it opened for business, shut down abruptly last week when it was unable to put together new financing. Passengers with unused tickets are among those left holding the bag. National, which even shut down its Web site as it skulked into oblivion, is not offering refunds. One possible recourse if you are among those unsecured creditors: call your credit card company and cancel the transaction, fast. JOE SHARKEY http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/12/business/12MEMO.html?ex=1038113620&ei=1&en=213c1aea45030c7e HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact onlinesales@nytimes.com or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help@nytimes.com. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company