Friday, December 24, 2010

Delta Offers Winter Weather Travel Assistance to Customers Across U.S. Southeast, East Coast

/PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) is offering customers whose flight plans may be affected by winter weather expected this weekend across the U.S. Southeast and East Coast the ability to make one-time changes to their travel schedules without fees. Delta's weather advisory encourages customers to consider postponing or re-routing their travel to avoid possible inconvenience from expected flight delays.

Customers booked on Delta-ticketed flights to, from or through the following cities may immediately rebook for travel before or after their original travel dates as long as new flights are ticketed and rescheduled travel begins by Dec. 29, 2010.

* Atlanta (for travel originally booked for Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 25-26)
* Baltimore (for travel originally booked for Sunday and Monday, Dec. 26-27)
* Boston (for travel originally booked for Sunday and Monday, Dec. 26-27)
* Newark (for travel originally booked for Sunday and Monday, Dec. 26-27)
* New York City (for travel originally booked for Sunday and Monday, Dec. 26-27)
* Washington, D.C. (for travel originally booked for Sunday and Monday, Dec. 26-27)


Flight delays are possible at these airports as a result of winter weather, and Delta will proactively reduce flight schedules to minimize delays.

Delta encourages customers to make changes and manage their travel at delta.com. All customers traveling in impacted markets should check their flight status at delta.com before arriving at the airport.

Changes to origin or destination may result in a fare increase. Any fare difference between the original ticket and the new ticket will be collected at the time of rebooking. Customers whose flights are cancelled may request refunds.

Delta will continue to monitor the weather and provide the latest updates at delta.com.

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AirTran Airways Customers Affected by Winter Weather in Atlanta and Northeast May Change Travel Plans Without Penalty

/PRNewswire/ -- AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc., (NYSE: AAI), advises passengers that a winter weather system expected to affect the Atlanta area, as well as the northeast part of the country, could result in flight delays and/or cancellations from Christmas day through Monday, December 27, 2010.

Travel To From Atlanta

Passengers scheduled for travel to/from Atlanta on AirTran Airways between 2:00 p.m. eastern standard time (EST) on Saturday, December 25, 2010, through 12:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, December 26, 2010, may change their reservation without penalty as long as travel is completed within three days from the date of the original scheduled departure date or five days after the original scheduled departure date, based on space availability without fees or fare adjustments.

Travel To From the Northeast

Passengers scheduled for travel to/from the following cities in the northeast on Sunday, December 26, 2010 through Monday, December 27, 2010, may also change their reservation without penalty as long as travel is completed within three days from the date of the original scheduled departure date or five days after the original scheduled departure date, based on space availability without fees or fare adjustments: Allentown, Pa., Atlantic City, N.J., Baltimore/Washington, Md. (BWI), Boston, Mass., Buffalo, N.Y., Harrisburg, Pa., New York, N.Y. (LaGuardia), Philadelphia, Pa., Pittsburgh, Pa., Portland, Maine, Richmond, Va., Rochester, N.Y., Washington, D.C. (Dulles and Reagan), and White Plains, N.Y.

Passengers holding reservations for travel to/from Atlanta or affected cities in the Northeast should check www.airtran.com under "Flight Status" for updates or call 1-800-AIRTRAN (247-8726).

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Friday, December 17, 2010

Atlanta Dogwood Festival Marks 75th Anniversary and Remains the South's Favorite Springtime Tradition

/PRNewswire/ -- Forget Paris - Atlanta is beautiful in the spring. The Southern destination is also home to one of the country's oldest fine arts festivals, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2011. The Atlanta Dogwood Festival offers enough fun for the entire weekend, and local hotels are on-board with special room rates in celebration of the festival's diamond anniversary.

It's an event 75 years in the making, and the 2011 Atlanta Dogwood Festival promises more excitement than ever under the blooming of the city's most beautiful trees.

AT A GLANCE

The 75th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival takes place in Atlanta's beautiful Piedmont Park on April 15, 16 and 17, 2011. Festival attendance is free, although a few of the areas are ticketed. http://www.dogwood.org

TRAVEL

The Atlanta Dogwood Festival has teamed up with Hotel Palomar in Midtown to offer a festival weekend special that includes extra benefits for the arts. Guests can enjoy special pricing on a one-night or weekend stay in a City View Room. http://www.hotelpalomar-atlantamidtown.com

Additional hotel packages will be available at great local hotels. Details will be available on the festival website: http://www.dogwood.org.

ARTS

The 2011 Atlanta Dogwood Festival Artist Market welcomes fine artists from throughout the country and features all types of art from oil painting to jewelry to sculpture and textiles. There is plenty to tempt any collector!

Again this year, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival is particularly proud of its Atlanta High School Art Exhibition (AHSAE), which is held in the Community Center at the park during the festival and highlights the variety and breadth of young Atlanta artistic talent.

GLOBAL

The Atlanta Dogwood Festival kicked off the International Village two years ago to recognize and celebrate the city's diverse international communities. With the International Stage, edutainment booths, decorated mobile art golf carts and a Friday night La Fete, the International Village has quickly become a favorite feature of the festival.

SPECTATORS

Each year, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival offers entertainment throughout the weekend including two live music stages, a popular live disc dog show, theater productions and kid-friendly street performances.

FOR FOODIES

The "Friends of Dogwood Pavilion" is a ticketed event that has become a popular feature of the Atlanta Dogwood Festival and pairs fare from top local restaurants with wines and beers in a comfortable, private setting. Tickets to Friends of Dogwood can be purchased in advance beginning in the spring at http://www.dogwood.org.

KIDS

Designed just for the younger festival visitors, the Kid's Village has become an Atlanta Dogwood Festival favorite for families. This interactive zone comes complete with hands-on art projects, special kid-friendly displays and hours of entertainment for children.

ENTRANCE

Just as it has been for the past 74 years, the 75th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival is free!

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Thursday, December 02, 2010

Holiday Half-Off Started December 1 at Zoo Atlanta

General admission is 50% off for month of December
 
Jingle bells will translate to jingling pockets at Zoo Atlanta this December. Atlantans interested in treating visiting friends and family to a day at one of the city’s most popular destinations can do so at a dramatically reduced rate with the Zoo’s new monthlong Holiday Half-Off offer.

Limited-time special pricing will be as follows: adults 12 and up, $10; children 3 to 11, $7.50; seniors 55 and up, $8; college students, $8; and military, $8. Children 2 and under are free. The offer is valid for the month of December only and is not valid with any other discount, offer or promotion. Georgia state sales tax is added to all prices. Zoo Atlanta is open year-round with the exceptions of Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. Parking is free.

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Changes at Airport Security Checkpoints

/PRNewswire/ -- There are three things that are all but certain during the winter high-travel season: family gatherings, plenty of food, and strict security at the nation's airports.

To improve the safety of passengers, the federal government has introduced advanced imaging technology at some of the country's airports. These are machines designed to screen people for weapons, explosives, or other items that might present a security risk.

Here is some information to help you learn more about how this technology works, as well as tips to help you prepare for the busiest travel season of the year.

How Advanced Imaging Technology Works

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has installed two types of body scanners with advanced imaging technology at dozens of airports across the country. These scanners are:

* Millimeter Wave Unit: This machine uses electromagnetic waves to create a black-and-white, three-dimensional image of the passenger
* Backscatter Unit: This machine emits x-rays to create a reflection of the passenger's body


Advanced imaging technology is optional, although 99% of passengers prefer this type of screening, according to the TSA. Passengers who do not want to go through these machines can opt for a pat-down inspection by an official.

Measures to Protect the Privacy of Passengers

The officer who is assisting the traveler never sees the images produced by these machines. Instead, these images are sent to a separate room where they are evaluated. The officer helping the traveler will then receive the results of the scan via a wireless headset.

To protect the privacy of passengers:

* Faces of passengers subjected to the Millimeter Wave Unit are blurred. The Backscatter Unit blurs or modifies the entire image to preserve the anonymity of the passenger
* These machines cannot store, print, transmit or save images
* TSA officials are prohibited from entering the room where images are inspected with electronic devices such as cameras, camcorders, or cell phones


Advanced Imaging Technology Is Safe

The technology used by these machines is safe for all passengers, including children, pregnant women and people with medical implants. To compare it to other situations where individuals are exposed to radiation, TSA notes that:

* The energy generated by The Millimeter Wave Unit is thousands of times less than a cellular phone transmission
* The Backscatter Unit emits a level of radiation equivalent of two minutes of flight on an airplane


Tips For Going through Airport Security

Body scanners are designed to detect metallic and non-metallic items that a person might have hidden under his or her clothes. To move quickly through the airport security checkpoint and to avoid leaving items behind:

* Remove accessories such as wallets, belts, jewelry, keys, and cellular phones from your pocket
* Place these and other items in your carry-on bag before entering the security checkpoint