The BTA Bulletin________



The BTA Bulletin________

Business Travel Association/Philadelphia Chapter

Expanded Quarterly Edition – 1Q 2010

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|THIRD QUARTER 09 EVENTS - WE HAD A BLAST! |

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|The Philadelphia BTA ended 2009 with a flurry of activity! |

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|In October, we held our final social mixer of the year at Chifa, the latest area restaurant by Latin superstar chef Jose Garces. Blending Cantonese and Peruvian |

|cuisine, PBTA members and their guests were treated to an exquisite array of appetizers and hors d’oeuvres in the downstairs lounge. We thank Laura Vernola and the |

|Garces Restaurant Group for providing us with such a spectacular evening. |

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|Just a few days later, a small but gallant band braved torrential rain and winds to represent the chapter in the annual Light the Night Walk for the Leukemia and |

|Lymphoma Society. Thanks to team captain Wally Nowacki for organizing this event. |

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|In November, we welcomed Shane Downey of the NBTA for our last chapter meeting of 2009. Shane’s presentation “Get Into Politics or Get Out of Business” illustrated |

|the importance of engaging local governments and elected officials and what we as individuals and as a chapter can do to positively influence our government. We’re |

|grateful to Katie McKinley and the Residence Inn Center City for providing us with such a beautiful meeting space and such a fantastic luncheon. |

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|Last and certainly not least, Marc Scott and his holiday party committee outdid themselves in organizing the 5th Annual Holiday Dinner and Charity Auction. With |

|record attendance of over 160, everyone enjoyed a magical evening of wonderful food, drink, music and of course, the chance to bid on a treasure trove of great auction|

|items. And, best of all, we were able to donate $10,000.00 to our primary charity, City of Hope! Huge thanks go to Marc and his committee as well as to Rick Staub, |

|Lois O’Shea and the Loews Philadelphia Hotel for providing such a wonderful space for this event. |

|IT’S MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL TIME! |

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|If you have not already done so, it’s time to renew your Philadelphia BTA membership! Heather Tassoni, our membership chair will soon be sending out email |

|notifications with information on how to renew As a recap, here’s what’s on tap for the Philadelphia BTA in 2010: |

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|3 Exciting Chapter Meetings and 3 Social Mixers Planned |

|With the 4th Annual Scholarship Program PBTA will provide 2 members (1 Direct and 1 Allied) with funds to attend NBTA in Houston, date TBA |

|We will have our own Education Day in April |

|6th Annual Holiday Gala and Fundraiser is December 2010 |

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|Here’s How to Renew: |

|1.       visit  |

|2.       Click on the Members Only section and log in. |

|3.       Click on the red link "View or Pay Dues Notices" |

|4.       Click on the red link "Enter your Payment. Click here" |

|5.       Follow the renewal steps and submit your payment |

|6.       Click Finish. Your confirmation renewal will be emailed to you. |

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|Remember, rejoining is ONLY $75, so renew today and be a part of something great as the Philadelphia Business Travel Association starts a brand new year! Many thanks |

|for your support! |

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|**Renew your membership by March 1, 2010 and your name will be entered into a drawing to win valuable prizes! First prize, are two complimentary round trip tickets on|

|Southwest Airlines, courtesy of Stephanie Williams and Southwest!! Second prize is free admission to the two remaining chapter meetings and three social mixers of |

|2010. All who have already renewed will also be eligible for these fabulous prizes!! ** |

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Notes From The President

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Welcome to 2010! We finished 2009 with a bang, taking in $23,000.00 at our Holiday Dinner & Charity Auction in December. After expenses, we were able to donate $10,000.00 to our primary charity, City of Hope and to add additional revenues to our chapter’s scholarship fund. Last year in total, we offered our members and guests four chapter meetings, three social mixers, a joint education day with PAMPI and our annual “Light the Night” charity walk to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. At year end, our membership stood at just under 100 and I think we are doing quite well, indeed. I’m grateful to the board and all of the committee members of our organization for their hard work and dedication. And special thanks go to Marc Scott, our 2009 Holiday Party chairman and his committee for making that event such a great success.

2010 will be just as exciting as this year. In addition to our chapter meetings, social mixers and holiday party, in April, the Philadelphia BTA will be sponsoring our very own education day! Great speakers and programs will be the order of the day, topped off by a cocktail reception in the evening. Our thanks to our Education Committee chairs, Tom Wilkerson, Patty Pae, Colleen DeChalus Lee and Tom Roberts for making this happen. And, this is an election year, so be sure to attend our February chapter meeting so that you can learn all about the Philly BTA as well as share your input and suggestions on the future of our chapter. Don’t miss this opportunity to make you voice heard!

Lois

[pic]AIRPORT & SAFETY UPDATE![pic]

Airport security plan calls for 500 new body scanners in 2011 – by Thomas Frank, USA Today, 02/03/10

FAA Puts Safety First – by Randy Babbitt, USA Today, 02/05/10 $34125

Airport Scanner Radiation Risk Low, Agencies Say – Airwise News, 02/05/10

Tarmac rules get flights dropped – USA Today, 02/16/10

Negotiations over new runways at O'Hare at standstill – Travel Blackboard, 02/16/10

Secretary Napolitano to Discuss Ways to Bolster Global Aviation Security with International Partners in Mexico – Media Newswire, 02/15/10

MISCELLANEOUS TRAVEL NEWS

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International visitation to the US up one percent in Nov 2009 – by Vicki Karantzavelou, Travel Daily News, 02/05/10

Boeing’s new 747-8 takes flight near Seattle – Airwise News, 02/08/10

The Impact of the Recession on Travel to Europe 2009/10 – Travel Industry Wire, 02/08/10

Global passenger traffic up by 5%; freight up 23% - by Vicky Karantzavelou, Travel Daily News, 02/05/10

UPCOMING EVENTS

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2010 is an election year at the Philadelphia BTA, so don’t miss our first chapter meeting of the year. “It's Your Chapter" will recap the state of the chapter, the Philly BTA's accomplishments over the past few years, chapter goals for 2010 and an overview of the various committees that keep our chapter thriving.  You'll get to meet your current officers, board members and committee chairs and find out what each of these positions entails.  There will be surveys and round table discussions so that you can give us your suggestions and feedback and if you are so inclined, discover opportunities to become more involved. Join us on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at 12:00 noon at the Holiday Inn Historic District and let your voice be heard!

On Wednesday, March 24, 2010, the first of our popular social mixers will be presented at the majestic aka Rittenhouse Square. From 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. enjoy fine food and drink while mingling with your fellow Philadelphia BTA members and their guests in an atmosphere of refined elegance.

And on Wednesday, April 21, 2010, the Philadelphia BTA will sponsor its first Annual Education Day. Featuring a great line up of speakers and seminars, your registration cost includes all programs as well as breakfast, lunch and a cocktail reception following the day’s events. CCTE credits will also be available for those pursuing their certification. It all begins at 8:00 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Philadelphia Downtown. .

Sign up for all of these great events at .

AIRLINE AND TRAVEL INDUSTRY NEWS

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Delta retires Northwest Web site, flight numbers – by Kelly Yamanouchi, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 02/02/10 $34029

Do airlines improve bag handling when fees rise?; Short answer is no – by Clarisse Jones, USA Today, 02/02/10

U, V or W: What Kind of Recovery Can We Expect, and When? – Travel Industry Wire, 02/02/10

JAL bankruptcy: Tokyo airline's restructuring likely to have global consequences – by Aaron Karp, Air Transport World, 01/25/10

Open Skies Breeding Antitrust-Immune Ventures – by Jay Boehmer, BTNOnline, 1/25/10

Government says American-British Air deal will be good for consumers – by Andrea Ahles, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, 02/16/10

United remains keen on consolidation – Pillita Clark, Financial Times, 02/15/10

High-performance airlines: What distinguishes air transport's consistently successful players? – by Aaron Karp, Air Transport World, 12/09/09

JAL to stay with OneWorld, end Delta talks – Report – Airwise News, 02/07/10

Survey finds airlines on time in 2009 – The Monterey County Herald, 2/16/10

HOTEL NEWS

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Buyers Still Hold Hotel Cards: Program Consolidations Yield Lower 2010 Rates, More Perks – by Michael B. Baker, BTNOnline, 01/25/10

GROUND TRANSPORTATION NEWS

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13 rail corridors to get $8 billion for high-speed service – The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 01/28/10



Rent a car at the airport - and get ready for a trunkful of fees - by Christopher Elliott, The Virginian-Pilot, 02/08/10



Tip Of The Quarter

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Haven’t flown in awhile? Not sure what you can take through security these days? All your questions will be answered by visiting the TSA’s “Prohibited Items” website.

A Fun Quote For The Quarter

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"Adam and Eve had an ideal marriage. He didn't have to hear about all the men she could have married, and she didn't have to hear about the way his mother cooked." - Kimberly Broyles

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