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Volume 6, Issue 8, February 27, 2008 |
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The European Union Schengen Zone has been in the news of late, as the European Union has made sweeping new proposals for biometrics and identity verification to safeguard its borderless-travel system. With the proposed changes not due to go into effect until well into the next decade, what do non-E.U. travelers need to know now?
First, a quick reprise: The Schengen Zone relates to European countries — most, but not all, E.U. members — that participate in a free-travel agreement that applies to land and sea transit among the member states and, as of March 30, to air travel as well. It eliminates border crossing identity checks and barriers, and thus helps speed travel among member countries. That’s a benefit to anyone who, for example, is on a train that can now cross a border without stopping, or who is driving from one country to another. A total of 24 countries are now full participants in the borderless zone. Notable non-members are the U.K. and Ireland.
Convenience, though, comes with a price. Under the Schengen system, it’s virtually impossible to track border crossings by anyone traveling without a visa. (Most of the participating countries do not require visas of American citizens unless they are seeking employment or pursuing self-employment. If your travel plans fall into the category of exceptions to that general rule, you’ll need to obtain a “Schengen Visa” from the country where you’ll be spending the bulk of your time, or from the first country on your itinerary.)
The E.U. goal is to remedy the tracking situation by requiring anyone traveling on a non-E.U. passport to submit biometric identification information before they can cross any of the internal borders. Voluntary prescreening programs for those who submit fingerprints, facial scans and/or other required biometrics would allow them to cross at fast-track lanes — rather like the Registered Traveler program in use at some American airports.
The United States already requires Europeans to submit fingerprints when crossing U.S. borders, and is in the process of developing an electronic travel authorization system for the citizens of those countries for which it does not require visas.
The European Union’s latest announcements are an attempt to bring its regulations into line with the realities of electronic passports and other biometric systems that are already being implemented by some of its member states. Given the slow grind of bureaucracy, the European Union doesn’t expect to have the new system in place for about seven years. For now, all non-E.U. travelers need to know is that visas are centralized but still must be requested from individual consulates; border crossings are a bit quicker; hotels must still jot down your passport number; and, as of March 30, when the free-air-border rules go into effect, airlines are responsible for making sure you have all necessary onward travel documents.
What does “The Luxury of Being Yourself” mean to you? Answer that question in 100 words or less and you could be on your way to Miami. One grand prize will be awarded: a weekend for two at the Conrad Miami, including two 60-minute wellness treatments at the new Spa Chakra and dinner for two in the hotel’s newly redesigned restaurant Atrio. You have until June 30 to enter.
Here’s a wave of the future: automated boarding. All the Lufthansa gates at Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) are now equipped with bar-code scanners that let passengers with boarding passes access their flights without having to show the passes to a human. The technology is not being used for international flights to the United States, the U.K. or Canada. Gate agents will still be available to handle last-minute questions and changes.
United Airlines is teaming up with Westin Hotels to offer Westin’s Heavenly Bed blankets and pillows on certain routes. Initially, the bedding items will be offered in first and business class on United’s P.S. service between New York (JFK) and California (LAX or SFO). Another aspect to the new alliance is that some United Red Carpet Clubs at JFK, LAX and SFO will soon be re-fitted with Westin Renewal lounge areas, including spa-type amenities.
InterContinental is opening its first Vietnam hotel on March 6: the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake. Just 10 minutes from downtown Hanoi, the new hotel has 340 guestrooms and 19 suites, in a main building and three pavilions, all with balconies and lake views. All guestrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet, LCD televisions, soaking tubs, and walk-in rainshowers. The hotel’s main restaurant, Milan Saigon, features Italian and pan-Asian fare.
Here’s an advantage most golfers will appreciate: a chance to view the golf course of their choice from the air. A new Web site, GolfFlyover.com, uses Google Earth to let golfers see an aerial view of most golf courses from tee to green on every hole. The site is taking suggestions for new courses to add to its database, and expects to include all 18,000 U.S. golf courses by the end of 2008, when it will also add international course maps.
tel 44 845 368 2368
www.dot2.com
Dot2Dot is the new incarnation of AirLink, National Express’s hotel shuttle service between London Heathrow (LHR) or Gatwick (LGW) and London hotels. Its new fleet of deluxe minivans sounded good, so when I needed to go to the far eastern side of London — the booming Docklands area — I checked them out online. At the time — this was three weeks ago — they were serving “central London,” as far east as the City, but I figured that a taxi from the City would be a much shorter hop. Still, not to ruffle any feathers, I emailed the Dot2Dot folks and asked if it would disrupt any of their relationships with hotels if I did not, in fact, go to the hotel I booked as my “stop,” explaining that I was heading for the Radisson Edwardian New Providence Wharf between Canary Wharf and the ExCel Center.
They wrote back and told me that I was in luck — that as of Feb. 11, they were serving Canary Wharf and Docklands hotels. Sold. Plus there was an introductory special of £20 (that’s about $40) each way (normal rates will go up to £30 one-way or £50 round-trip). That’s less than half what a taxi would cost.
I arrived at Heathrow and checked in at the easy-to-find Dot2Dot desk near baggage claim. My driver arrived in timely fashion and showed me to what turned out to be my private van — it seems that word of the “far eastern” service hadn’t gotten around yet.
The driver warned me that traffic was the biggest problem on the route; it could take 45 minutes, or it could take two and a half hours. We made it in 90 minutes. The route was so scenic I didn’t care; we went through Knightsbridge to Piccadilly, through Trafalgar Square, and then onto the Embankment for the rest of the ride along the Thames. Since I never made it into central London during this quick visit, I appreciated the chance to touch base visually, at least.
The van itself was quite comfortable, with 21-inch wide leather seats arranged 2x2 that recline to about 30 degrees off vertical. In the back of the minivan, one row of seats has been flipped around to face another across a table on either side of the aisle, good for those who need a working surface or want to do some business in transit. The driver definitely had more of a chauffeur than a bus-driver mentality, whisking my luggage in and out and chatting with me if I initiated the conversation.
By the time of my return, I’d moved to the Sunborn Yacht Hotel, which is moored right off the ExCel parking lot. Dot2Dot picked me up there, again right on time and again with no other passengers (normally they guarantee no more than three other stops). This driver was younger than my inbound driver but equally deft, and the return trip to Heathrow was about 10 minutes shorter than my outbound journey. The only thing that could have made the experience better would have been wireless access in transit, but for these prices, it’s no flaw.
Score: ••••• Mary Hunt
Fly as much as you like this spring between the United States and Canada, or inside Canada, with Air Canada’s Spring Getaway Pass. The passes, which are for sale through March 20, come in solo- or duo-traveler versions and allow unlimited travel on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays either for one month (April) or two months (April and May). Prices start at $549. As a bonus, those purchasing a two-month Flight Pass are also entitled to buy a round-trip ticket to Shanghai (PVG) or London (LHR) for $150, for use in April.
Just opened on the Boston waterfront: the brand-new Renaissance Boston. In walking distance of Fanueil Hall and the new Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, the 471-guestroom hotel is sleek and contemporary, with a ship-inspired design. Interior décor is a modern spin on the luxury liners of the 1930s and ‘40s, and there is so far a lobby bar, and a seafood restaurant, 606 Congress (the latter still in its soft-opening stage). Until Sept. 3, if you use promotion code PX3 when booking and stay at least two consecutive nights, you’ll get a $100 Savvy Savings gift certificate good toward a future stay.
PerkChoice With Cash and Miles is a new program from Northwest that lets you pay for travel half with cash and half with miles. Redeem as few as 12,500 miles, accompanied by cash, for award travel. PerkChoice is not a replacement for the airline’s frequent Cash and Miles promotions, which will continue; with PerkChoice, the cash-and-miles option is available for every Northwest flight year-round. Go to NWA.com/worldperks to see the various cash/miles combinations needed to acquire tickets.
Virgin Atlantic is putting its Upper Class on sale for the summer, if you buy your tickets by March 13. Sale fares, for travel between June 1 and Aug. 31, start at $1,129 each way from New York (JFK or EWR), $1,289 from Chicago (ORD), $1,359 from Miami (MIA), and $1,579 from Los Angeles (LAX). Tickets must be purchased round-trip and require a Saturday night stay; there is a $500 penalty for change or cancellation.
Book by midnight Feb. 29 to qualify for discount fares on Icelandair. For departures from New York (JFK) between April 2 and May 29, or from Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) between April 1 and May 14, economy roundtrip fares start at $398 and range up to $660. Additional taxes apply, and vary by destination (see taxes here.)
