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Volume 6, Issue 6, February 13, 2008 |
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Between the U.S./U.K. open-skies agreement that goes into effect March 1, and the opening of London Heathrow’s (LHR) new Terminal 5 in two phases on March 27 and April 30, frequent visitors to London are going to have to learn the airport all over again. On the plus side, once most of the changes take effect, many airlines — especially alliance members — will cut down their minimum connection times, or MCTs.
British Airways, whose home base is Heathrow, will consolidate most of its operations in Terminal 5. All of its longhaul flights now using Terminal 1, and its Miami (MIA) flights now based in Terminal 4, will be moved by late March. By the end of April, 90 percent of British Airways flights will go in and out of Terminal 5, including longhaul flights (such as those from New York and Washington) now using Terminal 4. The rest of its flights, along with those of its fellow OneWorld alliance members, will move into neighboring Terminal 3.
American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and Royal Jordanian are already in Terminal 3. They will be joined by Finnair (now at Terminal 1), Iberia (now Terminal 2), and, in September, the remaining British Airways flights. Qantas won’t make the move from Terminal 4 until early next year. MCTs, now a minimum of 90 minutes, will be reduced to 60 minutes for connections within the same terminal. MCTs between Terminals 3 and 5 will be reduced to 90 minutes by October; connections between Terminals 4 and 5 will require a minimum of 110 minutes.
In addition to its own new lounges at T5, British Airways is opening new first- and business-class lounges in T3 that will be available to premium passengers of OneWorld airlines that don’t have lounges of their own, as well as to all top-level qualifiers of member airlines’ individual frequent-flyer programs. American, Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines already have T3 lounges.
American’s operations at T3 will become busier at the end of March, when it transfers several of its transatlantic routes from Gatwick (LGW) to Heathrow, notably those from Raleigh/Durham (RDU) and some from Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW).
SkyTeam alliance members will consolidate in Terminal 4, where fellow SkyTeam airlines Kenya Airways and KLM already operate. They will be joined as of March 30 by Continental, Delta and Northwest, which will be operating eight new nonstop routes into Heathrow.
Lufthansa and its fellow Star Alliance member airlines will pretty much stay put until 2012, when the new Heathrow East terminal is due to open, planned for the exclusive use of Star Alliance partners. 
A new airline will begin nonstop flights between Seattle (SEA) and Beijing (PEK) as of June 9: Hainan Airlines, which is China’s largest privately owned carrier. Hainan’s Web site is not yet taking U.S. bookings, but the airline has established a toll-free reservations number, 888 688 8813. It will begin by flying new Airbus A330-200 aircraft in a two-class configuration, with 36 business-class seats and 186 economy seats. The nonstop flights will operate on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and take 11.5 hours westbound, 10.5 hours eastbound — four hours less than the fastest current one-stop flights out of Seattle. Hainan will also offer connections via Beijing to more than 40 Chinese cities.
In other news, Jet Airways and American Airlines have agreed to codeshare on routes connecting seven U.S. cities to Jet’s JFK gateway, and on routes connecting Delhi (DEL) with six other Indian cities. The two airlines will also allow passengers to accrue miles in each other’s frequent-flyer programs. Jet Airways is in the process of exiting a similar frequent-flyer arrangement with British Airways.
Singapore Airlines has always emphasized customer service, so to make sure passengers are never disappointed, it’s closing another loophole — the one in which the duty-free goodies you want to buy onboard are sometimes out of stock. Now you can go to Krisshop.com and pre-order the items you want, and they’ll be waiting for you to pick up on your next Singapore Airlines flight. The site also offers non-duty-free items available by mail.
Last week we brought you the just-announced news that Porter Airlines would begin flying between Newark (EWR) and downtown Toronto’s City Centre Airport (YTZ) on March 31. Here’s some newer news: The airline will fly the new, environmentally friendly Bombardier Q400 turboprop on the route. Porter offers three categories of fares: Firm Fares, which charge fees for changes or cancellations, and for assigned seating; Flexible Fares, which charge lower fees for changes or cancellations and include seat assignments; and Freedom Fares, which permit changes and credit cancellations against future tickets. Don’t plan on making easy connections to other Canadian cities Porter serves; the airline does not have the authority to issue through tickets, and the timetable of the Newark flights makes connections in Toronto difficult. The airline is offering introductory fares of as low as $95
each way between Newark and Toronto, based on availability (when we checked, $105 fares were more readily available), if you book by Feb. 20.
Looking for a brand-new, one-of-a-kind luxury vacation? Try what is supposedly the world’s only interactive elephant experience, in Bali. The 25-room Elephant Safari Park Lodge opens March 1 and allows guests to live (safely) among 27 endangered, indigenous Sumatran elephants — interacting, feeding, riding, observing, and playing with them. If that’s not enough, there’s also a safari-themed spa, a wedding gazebo, a bar/lounge and a restaurant. All rooms and suites have air conditioning, LCD televisions, WiFi and honor bar and offer “elephant chauffeur” service door-to-door inside the resort. Special opening rates are in effect through March 2009 and include transportation to and from Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS), 75 minutes away in Denpasar.
Just opened in the central Heliopolis district of Cairo: Fairmont Towers, Heliopolis, a brand-new highrise hotel with 247 rooms and suites, three restaurants, and more than 30,000 square feet of function and meeting space. The new Fairmont features a large atrium framing tropical gardens, palm trees and “water features.” A spa will come online later in the year. Fairmont has also acquired the adjacent hotel, renamed the Fairmont Heliopolis, which will begin renovations by next month to make it complementary to the Towers. That hotel has three additional restaurants, outdoor tennis courts, indoor squash courts and, at present, 588 guestrooms.
The Nam Hai, Hoi An
Hamlet 1, Dien Duong Village
Dien Ban District
Quang Nam Province
Vietnam
tel 84 510 940 000; fax 84 510 940 999
www.ghmhotels.com
During the day, the manicured grounds at the 5-star Nam Hai resort were exceptionally quiet. Housekeepers used electric golf carts to move about the property, maneuvering across lush lawns and through palm groves with hardly a sound. Women in conical straw hats worked quietly in the colorful, sweet-smelling gardens. Guests often stayed within their walled private villas, content to just bathe au naturel in their private pools, or walk along the wide, empty beach collecting the shells that floated in on the warm currents of the South China Sea.
When the sun went down, the little frogs outside my villa began to sing lovely songs, and the sea, perhaps 100 yards away, could be heard through the open windows, the waves hitting the beach every few seconds, like gentle rhythmic breaths. Although I was in Vietnam, halfway between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, I often felt as if I were in Bali.
My bedroom accommodations, like those of the other 99 villas, contained a high platform bed set under a canopy of mosquito netting. The floors were of blue-gray stone from a local quarry, the furniture a dark-stained wood that looked like teak. There were indoor and outdoor showers, beautiful handmade screens, ceiling fans and air conditioning. And because the resort caters to a high-end business clientele, my villa also had WiFi, two flat-screen TVs, and several iPod docking stations. Most of the one- to five-bedroom-villa rates include the service of a designated butler; 40 villas have private pools.
The whole resort is spectacular. There is an open lobby pavilion, a beautifully designed restaurant with soft lighting and wonderful European and Asian cuisine, and an equally impressive spa where private treatment villas are surrounded by a lotus pond. Several infinity pools are scattered around the sweep of lawns leading to the sea.
The Nam Hai is close to the historic city of Hoi An, a UNESCO heritage site, and to the airport at Danang(DAD), a one-hour flight from Hanoi (HAN) or Ho Chi Minh City (SGN). In this area of Vietnam, often called China Beach, war-era American bunkers and aircraft hangars can still be seen. The Nam Hai offers a luxurious base for exploring them, or more ancient and natural sights.
Score: ••••• Ron Bernthal
Japanese airline ANA has just announced limited-time Web-only e-Value fares for trips to Japan originating in the U.S., in both business and premium-economy classes. These specials let you find the lowest value fares being offered in business class and then deduct $60 from each transpacific leg, or deduct $60 round-trip from the lowest premium-economy fares. The discounts apply to most fare categories, from advance-purchase fares to last-minute purchases, as long as the purchases are made online. The deal is good through March 31. And Thai Airways is offering special promotional fares in Premium Economy between the U.S. and Bangkok (BKK) during “low season;” no dates have been specified and availability is limited. Other than the substantially discounted pricing on round-trip flig hts out of Los Angeles (LAX) and New York (JFK), a great feature is that there is only a $75 penalty for cancellation or change.
If you book a car rental with AutoEurope by Feb. 29, you will be entitled to a one-class car upgrade anytime during 2008. The early booking bonus upgrades you to an intermediate-class car for the price of a compact car, gives you 20 percent off any Mercedes-Benz, sportscar or prestige-class rental, and allows 6 percent off any other class of rental. As long as you book this month, there is no limit on the number of discounted reservations you can make.
Vancouver is a top destination in its own right — but even better when it’s free, and set to music. Enter the Jazz Times sweepstakes by April 11 to win a trip to the TD Canada Trust Vancouver International Jazz Festival this June. The single grand prize includes round-trip airfare from the Air Canada gateway nearest your home, five nights’ double accommodations, and tickets for six days of performances. One entry per person, household, or email address is allowed.
Here’s a deal just in time for winter and spring school holidays. Universal Orlando is offering Earlybird Exclusives for seven-day, two-park unlimited-admission tickets. At $85.99, the advance-purchase weekly ticket is actually less expensive than a normal two-day ticket — and cheaper than a one-day Disney park-hopper pass. These are “all ages” tickets, with no child or senior discount.
Book by Feb. 17 to take advantage of Alitalia’s economy fare sale for travel through March 29. Round-trip sale fares start at $549, including all taxes and fees. The nonrefundable tickets require seven-day advance purchase and a Saturday-night stay; add $40 for weekend travel. The offer applies to flights from Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD) or New York (JFK), to most Alitalia gateways in Italy.
Virgin Atlantic’s latest short-term Premium Economy fare sale is good for travel through March 18 and requires 7-day advance purchase, which still leaves a few weeks to take advantage of it. Fares range from $618 to $1,042 round trip, plus some taxes, and are good to London (LGW) from Virgin’s 10 U.S. gateways.
