Southwest, Jet Blue Offer Great Fares

[4]Now is an ideal time for booksellers who haven't booked a flight to San Jose, California, for ABA's Fifth Annual Winter Institute [4] to shop around for the best prices. Both Southwest Airlines and Jet Blue are offering great web deals. A sampling of Southwest's current "Wanna Get Away" fares to San Jose include $123 from Baltimore, $74 from Denver, and $114 from Minneapolis/St. Paul. Jet Blue is offering fares from as low as $109 from New York and $169 from Boston or Charlotte, North Carolina.

From the San Jose Airport, there's a free courtesy bus to the Wi5 host hotel, the Doubletree San Jose, and it's only a five-minute ride.

For those who find it more convenient to fly into San Francisco, there's Super Shuttle Service [5] to the Doubletree San Jose for around $35 each way. Monterey Airbus [6] also provides shuttle bus service for around $20 from the San Francisco International Airport to the San Jose Airport, where travelers can pick up the free hotel courtesy bus.

The Doubletree also offers self-parking at $5 per night.

The Wi5 program, sponsored by Ingram Book Group/Ingram Publisher Services, runs from Wednesday, February 3, through Friday, February 5. ABA has reserved a block of rooms at the Doubletree San Jose, for Tuesday, February 2, through Saturday, February 6. The special room rate of $115/night for ABA bookseller and provisional members and participating publisher sponsors will only be available until Friday, January 8, or until the group block is sold out, whichever comes first. This year's hotel cancellation policy is different from previous years: To avoid being charged one night's rate plus tax, cancellations must be made prior to Friday, January 8. Any cancellations after that date will be subject to a charge of one night's rate plus tax. Registration is via the Doubletree's dedicated Wi5 registration page. Any questions regarding Wi5 hotel reservations should be addressed directly to the hotel at (408) 453-4000. Reserve a room now [7].

Registration for Wi5 is capped at 500, and spaces are being filled on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a $50 nonrefundable meal fee for the three-day event that will help offset some of the food and beverage costs. ABA members can also register for a single-day pass; the meal fee for a single-day pass is $25 (booksellers will need to identify the day they are planning to attend when registering). The meal fee is mandatory and due upon registration.

Past Winter Institutes have been sellouts, so ABA is encouraging members to register for the education program as soon as possible. The Wi5 event registration deadline is December 1. Register now [8].