This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by psa188@xxxxxxxxx /-------------------- advertisement -----------------------\ THE DREAMERS - NOW PLAYING Set against the turbulent political backdrop of 1968 France when the voice of youth was reverberating around Europe, THE DREAMERS is a story of self-discovery as three students test each other to see just how far they will go. THE DREAMERS is released uncut with an NC-17 rating. Watch The Dreamers trailer at: http://www.thedreamers.com \----------------------------------------------------------/ MEMO PAD: In-Flight Phone Calls to Be Cheaper for Some March 2, 2004 By JOE SHARKEY Using that airplane seatback phone suddenly became a lot cheaper yesterday on about 2,000 commercial airliners equipped with Verizon Airfone handsets. Verizon Airfone and Verizon Wireless slashed the prices for using Airfones to 10 cents a minute from $3.99 a minute for Verizon wireless customers who join a $10-a-month subscription plan for the in-flight phones. The $3.99-a-minute standard charge for Verizon Airfone is in addition to a $3.99 basic charge for each call. Verizon Airfone said the new plan was adopted to increase use of the in-seat phones, which have not generated enough revenue. Verizon Wireless who do not sign up for the subscription plan will pay 69 cents a minute. "Quite honestly, Airfone has not had the kind of usage we think we ought to have," said William E. Pallone, the president of Verizon Airfone, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications. Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone. Verizon Airfone has more than 100,000 handsets fixed to seatbacks on United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, US Airways and some regional carriers, Mr. Pallone said. "We will clearly make money" at the new rates for Verizon Wireless customers, he said. "It's a volume game. Our pricing has been set according to the value received in the past.'' "We'd been able to keep the price up, but quite honestly the proliferation of cellphones ate into our usage considerably" in recent years, even though cellphones cannot be used in flight. Passengers with Verizon Wireless service will be able to both make and receive calls in flight at the new rates; an incoming call will be announced with a flashing light. Mr. Pallone agreed that some passengers may not like losing the airplane cabin as a refuge from chattering phone users. "I think it's an issue," he conceded. "There is a certain amount of courtesy you have to extend to your fellow passengers. I think we'll find a nice medium." Kent Craver, the manager of onboard product marketing for Continental, said that market research showed that business travelers were eager for the new service and that no problems were anticipated. "I don't think it will get to the point where people will be annoyed," he said. Alaska Airlines Revamps Fares The barely standing Saturday-night-stay requirement that was intended to prevent business travelers from buying cheap leisure fares took another hit as Alaska Airlines, the ninth-largest domestic carrier, announced a major fare restructuring. The new simplified structure both lowers fares and reduces the number of fares in each market, from as many as 15 to an average of 6. It eliminates requirements of staying for a Friday or a Saturday night in favor of a one-night minimum stay or none at all. "The traveling public is fed up with convoluted restrictions and we're doing something about it," said Gregg Saretsky, executive vice president for planning. America West Airlines Continues Expansion America West Airlines continues to expand its routes. The low-cost carrier - which is based in Tempe, Ariz., and was the first airline to shake up, reduce and simplify business fares two years ago - began new nonstop service between its Las Vegas hub and Austin, El Paso and San Antonio in Texas; Cleveland; Edmonton, Alberta; and Vancouver, British Columbia. Last month, America West caused another stir in the industry when it cut nonrefundable first-class fares to a level as much as 70 percent below the industry average. British Airways Offers Fare-and-Hotel Deals Got some unfinished business in London? British Airways is running a very low-cost air fare-hotel sale through March 29 from all 19 cities it serves in the United States. The sale runs through next Monday. The price from New York, $295 a person (with double occupancy; taxes not included), covers round-trip coach fare, three nights at the Royal National Hotel in Hotel and daily breakfasts. From Los Angeles, the same package is $465. That's for travel Sunday through Wednesday. Weekend trips cost an additional $60. For those wanting to go in more luxury, there's a package with round-trip air fare in World Traveler Plus, British Airways premium economy class, and three nights at the Savoy Hotel at $1,499 a person from New York. Fare Increase Ends in Failure As oil prices soar and threaten a financial recovery for airlines, major carriers tried - and failed - to impose a $10 domestic fare increase over the weekend. The effort failed when Northwest Airlines, as it has in the past, refused to go along, causing competitors to roll back their fare increases yesterday. Domestic fares remained lower in January than for the period in 2000, according to the Air Transport Association. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/02/business/02memo.html?ex=1079260187&ei=1&en=bf5ad0d7528f52b1 --------------------------------- Get Home Delivery of The New York Times Newspaper. Imagine reading The New York Times any time & anywhere you like! Leisurely catch up on events & expand your horizons. Enjoy now for 50% off Home Delivery! Click here: http://www.nytimes.com/ads/nytcirc/index.html 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@xxxxxxxxxxx or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help@xxxxxxxxxxxx Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company