=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/c/a/2008/05/22/BUO510QE5Q= .DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, May 22, 2008 (SF Chronicle) SFO expects holiday travel to jump 5% George Raine, Chronicle Staff Writer Even as the airline industry is being constricted by spiraling jet fuel prices, San Francisco International Airport said Wednesday it expects its Memorial Day weekend passenger count to jump 5 percent over last year. This refects new carriers that have launched service, largely the three new domestic carriers that set up shop at the airport in 2007 - Virgin America, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue, said Mike McCarron, the airport's director of community affairs, at his annual summer travel season briefing. The airport anticipates approximately 563,000 passengers will pass throu= gh the facility from Friday through Tuesday, and with the boost in traffic and security considerations, the airport recommends travelers on domestic carriers arrive at least 90 minutes before departure and international passengers at least two hours early. Given the fact airlines that are scaling back and cutting unprofitable routes - American Airlines cut 12 percent of its domestic capacity on Wednesday due to climbing fuel prices - McCarron was asked if his prediction for increased passengers will hold. "Everything we have seen still matches up with our projection. And more international carriers have told us they want to provide service by the end of the year," said McCarron. He added that American Airlines has the only direct flight from San Francisco to Miami, a highly popular route, and American's flights from here to Dallas and Chicago are also very popular. American Airlines' flights represent about 10 percent of the airport's traffic. Service between San Francisco and Asia is 40 percent of the airport's international traffic, said McCarron. International travel numbers are now higher than pre-Sept. 11 levels, while domestic travel is about 10 percent below the numbers from that time - but still growing. Across the bay, Oakland International Airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said Wednesday the airport's 10-year growth period has ended, the result of losing airlines and 12 daily flights, all due to the downturn in the airline industry. Aloha Airlines, ATA Airlines and Skybus folded in April, and on May 10 Southwest Airlines decreased frequency in Oakland, cutting nine flights to the Los Angeles area and Las Vegas. "The losses are associated with the high cost of fuel," said Barnes. In other local airline news, the next new international carrier to provi= de service at San Francisco International Airport is Jet Airways of India, which will provide the first trans-Pacific service by an Indian carrier to India. Jet Airways flights, beginning June 14, will travel from San Francisco to Mumbai with a two-hour stop in Shanghai. In all, they are 26-hour flights. Jet Airways is a 15-year-old private business that in the last year also launched three daily, direct flights from New York's Kennedy International Airport, Newark and Toronto to Mumbai, connecting through Brussels. At the SFO event Wednesday, Manish Dureja, assistant vice president of marketing for U.S. and Canadian operations of the airline, showed off the private first-class suites available on the Boeing 777 aircraft for the new route. The seating area converts to an 83-inch bed, there's a 23-inch flat screen video/TV monitor, private wardrobe closets, a work table that converts to a dining table for two, a door that closes and a do-not-disturb light. There are eight first-class seats, and a ticket will cost you $14,000, from either New York or San Francisco to Mumbai. There are 30 premier or business-class seats with 73-inch-long beds, and there are 274 economy seats. There are some promotional fares in economy - for about $1,300, said Dureja. New features at SFO San Francisco International Airport anticipates a busy summer, and has announced new services, including: -- The Kids Spot, near security at Terminal 3, including climbing equipment and science machines from the Exploratorium. -- The SFO Aquarium in Terminal 1 offers kids a glimpse into the undersea world. -- XpressSpa in Terminal 1 offers massage, manicures, pedicures and facials. Source: San Francisco International Airport E-mail George Raine at graine@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx -------------------------= --------------------------------------------- Copyright 2008 SF Chronicle <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".