+1

The Hilton confirms they will give lounge access to their registered guests who are HHonors Gold members. (That's actually the normal policy at this Hilton.) I will ask HHonors Gold members staying at the Atlanta Airport Hilton to PM me a week or so before the event, and I will provide that list to the Hilton. That will make doubly sure you get lounge access as an HH Gold member.

I have confirmed that their lounge is now open regular hours over the weekend. Last year it was closed over the weekend with changed hours due to the economy. This year it is back to regular hours.

Where you have questions/concerns about the Hilton, I'll help. My first priority request was to get free Internet, which they graciously agreed to. Our contract is signed, but I can still follow up on questions/concerns.

The Hilton is doing a lot to help us out, so we ask that you give consideration to staying with them for this event.

Thank you,
David H.

This info has also been updated on the first few posts of this thread.

======== July 1, 2010 UPDATE ============

The registration link will be posted at http://www.atldo.com.

Just to be sure we can properly set everyone's expectations here are some key points to review prior to beginning the registration process:

COSTS/FEES:

In addition to the already mentioned non-refundable registration fee of $95.00 per person, and the Delta Road Warrior training (Level 1 or Level 2) of $150.00, there are some service fees asssociated with using an automated event registration system that is handling event and venue scheduling as well as credit card processing. The service charge for using this service will vary depending on which paid events you take part in.

If you attend the event including Road Warrior Training the service fee will be $16.08 for a total of $261.08 ($95.00 + $150.00 + $16.08). If you wish to just attend the event without any other paid events the service fee will be $8.65 for a total of $103.65 ($95.00 + $8.65).


If you wish to book multiple people please use the add a person feature after you have completed your registration.

AGENDA/SCHEDULE:

Please note all the agenda items that you are shown are simply placeholders at this point. The actual time and dates are subject to change and additional venues/events will be added as they are confirmed. Please make note of the password you choose for your account so that you can quickly log back in at a later time to add these other events.

WAITLIST

Once the event or a venue is full the waitlist function will close registration and start taking e-mail addresses for notification of when a slot opens in the full event/venue. The system keeps an exact time stamp to the second of when a person joins a waitlist. Once a slot opens up the system will send you an e-mail and will hold your spot for 48 hours after the e-mail is sent. You will need to follow the instructions in the e-mail to complete your registration.

HAVE A QUESTION/CONCERN:

If you have problems with your registration you can e-mail [email protected], use Yahoo IM to chat with ATLDO_Wes or call our ATLDO hotline at (404) 910-3595. Please note that the registration hotline will only be turned on Saturday and then will be turned off until the event starts in October. If you call please leave a voicemail and someone will call you back as soon as possible. If you have any questions or concerns with the overall event, you can e-mail [email protected]

E-MAIL FILTERS
Due to issues outside of our control you please check your spam box if you do not get an e-mail confirmation within 30 minutes of completing your registration. We have noticed this problem on Yahoo accounts including Bellsouth webmail. Your best bet is to add [email protected]
to your safe senders list.

Wes Lyons & your planning team

Thank you and your team for the hard work. One question - will an agenda be available before registration starts?

Is it possible to do both the RWT, Level 1 and then Level 2?

Actually...what exactly happens in each and how are they different?

I know the registration fee is non-refundable, but can we sign up for the RWT and then cancel later when the exact schedule is set? It is hard to commit before knowing exactly when they will be held.

I would think that the two RWT events would run concurrently - last year's was an all-day event (started around 830a and we finished around 4-430p).

I'd also think that RWT would likely be on the weekend (as it was last year on Saturday) to allow for better use of the facility, as I tend to think F/A training will not be as heavy on a Saturday as it might be on a Thursday-Friday.

I would think that those are good bets. My plan is to register us for Friday dinner & all Sat/Sun activities inc. RWT.

The "formal" agenda is still in the works. The venues list at the top of the thread is valid, and any changes will appear in that post. We are working on a few new ones, so stay tuned (p.s. they will be pretty cool :cool:). When and if we get those confirmed, we will let everyone know, and you can update your registration or create a new registration (if you haven't already signed up for the event) if you want to attend the additional venues.

We are still working out the details of what venues happen when, and it is likely that we will offer some of the venues concurrently. As indicated in the venue post, at this point only October 21st - Thursday's agenda is confirmed .

Yes, you can cancel RWT and receive a refund up to the cut-off date for cancellations (I believe that is one week before the event). Wes please correct me if I got that wrong. The $95.00 registration fee and the service fees are NON-refundable. It is very unlikely that both of RWT courses will reach capacity so if you are not sure if you want to attend those, or you need to know the "confirmed" dates/times for that training, I would personally hold off on registering for RWT at this time.

We are meeting with the Delta training team next week to work out the logistics for this. I am not able to tell you whether or not you can attend both or whether they will run concurrently at this point. It depends on the facility availability and the staff avilability that will delivering the training. I will know more after our meeting next week.

What is the difference between RWT I and RWT II? Good question. Let me begin by saying that we are customizing the agenda for the training specific to this event. We will likely make some changes from last years RWT I training, and here are some of the things we are talking about covering in RWT II this year. Stay tuned - more to come.

RWT I:

The In-flight service training team conducts the majority of this training (and they are a fantastic group!)... Here is the agenda from last year. Anyone that attended the training can also provide their personal feedback/input:

• In-flight services training - review of the In-flight safety announcement, the primary responsibilities on the in-flight crew, equipment and procedures. Overview of in-flight 6 week inflight training courses and topics. We had an ad-lib course on the proper procedure for Business Elite meal and beverage services.
  
• ACS training - Overview of Delta's current Airport Customer Services training.
  
• Meterology - Overview of Delta's Meterology department which is one the most technically proficent in industry.
  
• Emergency Procedures: (includes hands-on training actually operating the emergency equipment aircraft systems, including door and window operation)
  
• Emergency Equipment, Exit Operation, Emergency Evacuation Prepardeness, Water and Dry Ditching, Decompression.
  
• Both Emergency Procedures and Equipment operations utilize the full-motion Cabin Simulator at Delta's state of the art training facility.

RWT II (Advanced):

Some of proposed topics we are considering:

• Hazardous Materials - What is and what is NOT allowed on-board the aircraft.
  
• Smoke and Fire - Learn about fire physiology, types of fires and hot to extinguish them, how to prevent them, and procedures for fighting a fire in the aircraft cabin.
  
• First Aid/Medical - Addresses emergency action principles, choking, CPR, AED, basic first aid, and other related modules.
  
• Security - Overview of Security issues and procedures. This may include the review of cast studies and role-play activities based on the most current information from FAA, TSA and DOT. (Note: Pairing of certain FT members can be arranged) - Just checking to see if anyone is reading the detail.

If there are other topics that people would like to have covered in RWT II, please let me know and we will consider it.

It is also possible that we may include either a Water or Dry Ditch refresh for this course... as one can never get too much practice.

Hope that helps provide some more clarity!

^ to the Hilton for this ... will cancel the Ren asap

Glad to hear you are joining our party. :D

The reservations page for the Hilton is now up:

http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/p...l?WT.mc_id=POG

Note that when you complete your reservation, it is on their standard page that details the normal parking charges. Don't worry, we will not be paying to park. :cool: They will update the reservations page with a note about the parking, but that may take a day or so.

I used the link, and already made my reservation.

If anybody has questions, just let me know!

Have a great and safe holiday weekend! :-:

Thank you,
David H.

I will fly into ATL ;) on Delta hopefully :rolleyes: prices are high right now ... parking won't be necessary.

Rate Type:
DELTA FLYERTALK
OCTOBER 17-OCTOBER 26 S/D 79.00 EPO/COMP HSIA/COMP SELF PARKING CUTOFF 09/29/2010 INDIVIDUAL CALL NON COMM SR TT

Can you be specific on the first event on Thursday am (event + start time) and the final event on Sunday (event + end time). Would be helpful flight planning. Thanks.

Should have that info ASAP.

That's the issue I'm having - Delta is a good bit more than United, and at this point I am in more dire need of United segments than Delta EQMs...

We won't tell

Mrs. Italy & I will have our reservations for the Hilton made this weekend along with our air travel, after we decide what else we would like to do before and or after the DO. :D ^

I am in a similar situation and can be there Sat and Sun probably, trying to figure out what will be there the last 2 days (most likely the RWT on Saturday?)
Not sure what else will be possible.

What is the group/convention code to use on hilton.com? "DELTA FLYERTALK" is 9 chars too long.

I used the link DiverDave posted above (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/14229027-post170.html) and was able to pull up the FT rate by just clicking through and not having to enter any special group/rate code on hilton.com...

hilton.com doesn't always associate listings with your account if you create them outside the account. I logged in in a separate tab before I clicked on the link, maybe it will work.

OK, two down one to go. Booked the Hilton and Delta (even a decent fare $290 AI from FAT). Just waiting for 9am PDT on 7/3 to roll around.

MO

Well, now 3 of 5 steps have been completed,

Step 1: Clear Calendar (complete)
Step 2: Register (not complete, but since I'm waiting for my parents to fly into PVD, I figure I'll have enough time to register)
Step 3: Airline Tickets (not-complete, debating between US and DL as US has a competitive fare)
Step 4: Hilton Atlanta Airport (complete)
Step 5: Hertz (complete) (One never knows whether quick trips to assorted destinations will be in the cards)

Yes. That worked for me, and I logged into my Hilton account on that second page. The reservation is showing up in my Hilton account. I'm in Wednesday through Sunday morning. (The DiverDave limo will depart for HSV sometime Sunday afternoon/evening.) :D

I hope everybody enjoys their 4th of July weekend! :-: :-: :-:

David H.

Very excited. And yes, people do read the details - I can already think of a few people I would love to team up with for various security situations :)

I'll be at the Hilton at least one night but will be hopping between Hilton(s) and Hyatt(s). Gotta requalify

I probably won't be attending the whole event but will try to pop my head in at least one day. I won't be officially registering as I don't won't to hold up any spots. Hope to y'all soon!

Successfully booked at the Hilton. Would have preferred you could specifically book a King room for $79 instead of "Room selected at check-in" but not a big deal.

If you want some hilarious reading check out the Tripadvisor reviews of the hotel. Apparently they recently hosted a dog show that went badly awry. The first three pages of reviews are complaints about it.

Two logistics questions....

1) Is the FT Hilton rate available for Wednesday night?

2) If we book over the phone for the 2% discount, can we use VDB vouchers?

(1) Yes - the Hilton rate is good for Wednesday night. Last year, there were several FT members that came down on Wednesday evening, and I am sure that will be the case again this year. I will be organizing an unofficial drinks/dinner event for Wednesday night at one of the bars at the Hilton - we had a group of about 10-15 FlyerTalkers swing by last year and Bob Soukup stopped by for a bit. I'm hoping to lead a more organized Wednesday night festivity this year. More to come on this...

(2) Shouldn't be any issues using VDB vouchers over the phone.

good to know, I might fly in Wednesday night. Booked the Hilton Wed --> Sun. How about drinks at the Exec. lounge? Is this any good at this hotel? Sometimes they have better deals in the lounge compared to the regular hotel bar.

Wow, I wonder what's worse - a hotel full of unhappy dog owners or a hotel full of unruly FTers. :D

David

Unfortunately, the agenda is still no confirmed at this point. Thursday, October 21st, will likely begin at 9:00 a.m. with registration open from 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Depending upon the final venues for Sunday, we should be done no later than 5:00 p.m.

^^ I figured someone would catch that! ;)

Hotel Hopper :eek: Is that a daytime or evening activity?

PLEASE do. We have a process to register Delta employees without taking up slots. We really want to encourage broad participation from Delta employees at this event, which also includes the dinner/evening events. Last year, I think we had Delta employees participating in ALL of our evening events and it was a key highlight!

We will extend an invitation to several Delta employees, but I am sure we will not reach all the employees that may read this forum, so... if there is a Delta employee that would like to participate, simply send email [email protected] letting us know what you would like to attend/participate in.

This was a great idea last year. Hopefully even more people can participate in the Wednesday event this year. Please refrain from drinking until after the Wednesday evening registration is closed... :D

Hmmmm... never underestimate the abilities of this planning team.

FINAL NOTE for this evening. A huge call out to WesNSpace for all his hard work behind the scenes getting ready for tomorrow's official launch of the online registration. We will go live at 12:00 noon Eastern Daylight Time. Wes will be monitoring this over the Holiday weekend, be available tomorrow to FT members via phone and IM, and in contact with the company managing our registration process. That is dedication above and beyond and truly "best-in-class"! Thanks Wes! ^

Ok, I think I'm missing something here or the Hilton is already booked full for the special rate.

I've clicked through the link DiverDave posted and also copied+pasted it into a new browser. Every time I search for rooms I get a rate of $159 a night. If I pay in advance the rate is $135 a night.

I've done this both while logged in and not logged in and there's no difference. I've also tried changing the dates.

Does anyone else see the special rate or are you seeing the rates I've posted here? It's probably not a huge deal as I may wind up using Marriott points for the stay anyway.

Looks like $325 a/i SEA-ATL for the DO.

Thanks,
RM

I was just able to pull up the $79 rate using DiverDave's link...

I'm rather amused personally. I'm looking at flights to get to the DO and delta.com is offering me the exact same flight in the exact same fare class at two different prices.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_uOa90HkAph0/TC...delta_fare.jpg

Notice the nonstop and the first "1-stop". Same flight, same fare class, different price.

I saw the same thing when looking at flights yesterday. Even though it was a non-stop it listed the same flight under 1-stop (even thought it wasn't) with a different price and fare.

if you click through, the return will be a 1-stop vs. non-stop.

One more hotel note - we have a lot of rooms for the nights of 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. Not as many for the 20th and 24th.

Given that stuff is starting pretty early on Thursday, I expect more folks will be checking in on Wednesday than we had originally thought. (That includes me! :D)

I tried a test booking, and the rate is not available for the 20th. I believe we already hit our limit for that evening. I will work on that, but it may be a few days given the holiday weekend. Please be patient, we should get it worked out - I don't expect a problem.

In the meantime, please go ahead and book your other nights until we get more rooms. It shouldn't be a problem. The bookings can be canceled as late as 24 hours before arrival, but the special rate availability expires in late September (on the 29th I believe).

Thank you for your support!

David H.

I am not seeing the special rates... logged in or logged out.