This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by psa188@juno.com. Blizzard Leads Airlines to Relax Ticket Rules February 18, 2003 By JOE SHARKEY As airports shut one after another in yesterday's blizzard, airlines temporarily relaxed strict policies that penalize travelers with nonrefundable tickets who change their flight plans. Policies differ, and airline Web sites were updating information all day yesterday as the East Coast storm affected flights all over the country. American Airlines, for example, said that customers with reservations, for Sunday or yesterday, to or from cities hit by the storm could make one-time changes without penalty for alternate flights through Friday. Changes can be made through American's reservations office, (800) 433-7300. Delta Air Lines said that customers whose flights were canceled or delayed by the storm through today could rebook without penalty within five days of the original departure. On its web site (www.delta.com) Delta lists more than two dozen affected airports. Continental Airlines, whose national flight schedule was severely disrupted when snow closed its operations in Newark, said that it was trying to contact travelers by phone or e-mail messages in advance of rescheduled or canceled flights. The airline suggested that passengers check online for current flight and rebooking information at www .continental.com or phone (800) 784-4444 for automated flight information. United Airlines was directing travelers to its reservations line, 800 241-6522 or its Web site, www.ual.com. Northwest Airlines' reservation number is (800) 225-2525, and its Web site is www.nwa.com Cellphones Top Emergency-Gear List The most important piece of equipment a business traveler needs while abroad under present tense circumstances is a cellphone able to make international calls, according to a recent survey of 400 of its members by the Association of Corporate Travel Managers. Asked if their companies had contingency plans to evacuate or provide secure haven to stranded travelers in the event of war or major terrorist action, 99 percent said yes - and 63 percent said the plan was put into effect after the World Trade Center catastrophe. U.S. Airlines Gain On Pacific Routes Pacific routes showed the most robust increases in business for United States-based airlines in January, compared with January of last year, the Air Transport Association said. Passenger traffic was up 12.3 percent; the number of miles flown per paying passenger rose 6.6 percent; and overall seat capacity was up 10.7 percent. But in a sign of how intense the competition on trans-Pacific routes with foreign-based carriers has become, load factors - the percentage of available seats filled with customers - fell 2 percent on the domestic airlines. For the United States airlines, though, the overall numbers are awful. Michael Boyd, the airline consultant whose weekly newsletter at www.aviationplanning.com is a must read in the industry, predicted yesterday that 460 million passengers in the United States will take airplane trips this year, down from 520 million in 2000. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/18/business/18MEMO.html?ex=1046577870&ei=1&en=56e4a1ab26e7ac17 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