THE TACTICAL TRAVELER FOR 2013 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TACTICAL TRAVELER Joe Brancatelli created Tactical Traveler in 1998 for the now-defunct biztravel.com. The weekly column was conceived as a series of items that would make frequent business travelers more productive on the road. There was also a heaping helping of Joe's trademark skepticism about the travel industry and its practices. After the 9/11 terrorism attacks, however, Joe recreated Tactical Traveler as the news and analysis column for JoeSentMe. There's still plenty of skepticism, of course, because life on the road makes us a wary lot. May 9 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: Big airlines should brush up their Bob Dylan. Comings and Goings: Aspirational Hotel Division. This should improve the Bradley Terminal at LAX. From Luxury to Limited: A rare hotel conversion. U.S. dollar hits 100 yen for the first time in four years. Hilton opens two Hampton Inns in Amsterdam. Lipstick on a pig, Turkish Airlines edition. And much more. May 2 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: Time to add Frontier to your "Do Not Fly" list. How to find airlines' standby rules and fees. You can sue U.S. hotels domestically for trouble overseas. JetBlue beefs up service to Hartford, Connecticut. Lufthansa settles pay dispute and the strikes end. Alaska Airlines adds flights in Portland, Oregon. Maybe they should name it after a sausage ... and much more. April 25 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: Southwest will dump AirTran's Atlanta hub. Alaska Airlines is stuffing more seats on its planes. US Airways follows United and ups the change fees. The FAA officially clears the Dreamliner to fly again and Japan follows suit. A dual-branded Hilton opens in an historic downtown Denver building. JetBlue will fly to Peru from Ft. Lauderdale, and much more. April 18 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: As American Airlines showed this week, beware when carriers claim they are "back to normal." Frontier Airlines says flying anywhere is better than Philadelphia. The Nikko in San Francisco opens a nightclub. The new United Express terminal opens in Houston. The price of crude oil drops below $88 a barrel. New York/Kennedy is king of international flights. You get $19.5 million! And you get $19.5 million! And much more. April 11 Briefing for Business Travelers Airlines hit the pricing fare wall in March, but they keep trying in April. JetBlue adds flights to Worcester, Massachusetts. Hyatt increases perks for Diamond Gold Passport members. Delta ups the price of most same-day standbys. Emirates says it'll fly nonstop between New York and Milan. The FAA delays sequester-inspired air-control tower closings. Marriott adds two edgy British boutique hotels. And more. April 4 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: How many Washington/National slots will US Airways and American Airlines cede? Hyatt grows by five hotels overnight in India. Myrtle Beach gets a new terminal building. Penair, the commuter carrier from Alaska, opens a Boston/Logan hub. Air Canada simplifies cross-border luggage. Atlantic City's year-old, $2.4 billion Revel goes bust and is now worth $450 million. Marriott's hidden hotel-trick in Cooperstown, New York. And much more. March 28 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: Lufthansa hopes you're ready to buy discounted first-class seats. Priority Club says come for the new perks, stay for points accrual. Delta adds more flights to London and Paris from Atlanta. TSA adds the PreCheck service at five more airports. JetBlue is now the power player at Boston/Logan. No severance for Tom Horton, says the American bankruptcy judge. Apparently, frequent flyers are the "5 percent." And more. March 21 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: Southwest and AirTran finally link networks. A new terminal opens in Birmingham. Just like old times: European airlines on strike. Everywhere you look around the world, more new hotels open. JetBlue will fly from O'Hare to San Juan. Membership Rewards says no more loaner points. American launches Miami-San Diego using a 737, and much more. March 7 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: Why we pay so much attention to London flights. Delta takes a run at Los Angeles, the Open City. Don't count your Moxy hotels before they hatch from the Marriott and IKEA partnership. All of the new flight action is Out West in Canada. The NTSB can't explain the 787's battery problems. The TSA lifts the ban on Swiss Army knives and Leatherman tools in carry-on bags. Don't stand between Willie Walsh and his bonus and much more. February 28 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: Fly the unfriendly skies of "Sequestration Nation." Amex jumps into the airport lounge business. Marriott opens a really tall luxury hotel in Dubai. JetBlue's Terminal 5 at JFK will get a club lounge. TSA will roll out PreCheck to five more airports. The dollar firms up against world currencies. Already "plane rich"? Buy a commuter airline! And much more. February 21 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: How not to get shafted by the gigantic Hilton HHonors cutbacks. Starwood and Wyndham devalue their frequency programs, too. United's crawlout (er, rollout) of the new transcontinental p.s. service. Frontier pulls out of Colorado Springs. Starwood debuts a "Velcro" hotel in Atlanta. There are plenty of strike-related cancellations in Europe. Diamonds Are Forever, Business Travel Edition; and much more. February 14 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: United moves many of its aging 747s to San Francisco routes; changes you're sure to hate at Marriott Rewards; Iberia cancels about 400 flights ahead of strikes; eight major Holiday Inns defect to Wyndham; Virgin America adds SFO-Austin "nerd bird" flights; a new JetBlue app allows mobile boarding passes; a wasted-away hotel becomes Margaritaville; and more. February 7 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: Forget Iberia--and AAdvantage Awards on Iberia. Hyatt will reflag four iconic French hotels in April. Delta and Starwood link elite programs...sort of. Air Canada adds international Premium Economy. Virgin America adds San Jose and Frontier adds Cincinnati. Southwest offers double Rapid Reward Points. India gets three more big-name chain hotels and much more. January 31 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: Embassy Suites has another idea for those silly atriums. American Advantage and Hyatt Gold Passport offer big bonuses for miles and points purchases. The euro is on the rampage against the dollar. Life after the Great Recession for Chicago hotels. The new number six in Europe: Istanbul Airport. Loews Hotel snaps up Boston's Back Bay Hotel. Star Alliance opens a lounge in Buenos Aires, and much more. January 24 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: Let's get small (again): Airlines keep shrinking. Independent hotels are adding major brand names. New Southwest "service": $40 for A boarding slot. New American Eagle jets get Main Cabin Extra seats. Toronto/Pearson gets two Massimo Capra restaurants. Will "The Friendly Confines" get its own hotel? And more. January 17 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: Delta begins the transition to a revenue-based SkyMiles program. Frontier's final frontier is, apparently, Trenton, New Jersey. Jameson Inn is dismembered, then plans a revival. An American hub no more, Eagle flees San Juan. The FAA warns about in-flight coffee explosions. A Spanx store opens at Atlanta/Hartsfield. Would you rent a silver Audi from this guy? January 10 Briefing for Business Travelers This week: Everything’s coming up China in business travel. Airlines start 2013 by bulking up at their hubs. US Airways admits the obvious: Its partner awards are very limited. United changes its boarding process. Again. Alaska Air offers award seats on Emirates. Hilton's out in Toledo and Hyatt's out in Tampa. The first airfare hike of the year goes south; and much more. These columns originally appeared at JoeSentMe.com. Copyright © 1993-2013 by Joe Brancatelli. All rights reserved.