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Volume 6, Issue 10, March 12, 2008 |
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It’s confirmed: Those in the know say that Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul is the best airport in the world. Airports Council International, an organization to which the operators of virtually all significant international airports belong, commissioned a huge study of 200,000 international travelers over the course of 2007, and Incheon took first place as the airport with the best service quality.
The survey exhaustively examined 34 airport service factors, from check-in through departure, on-site as travelers were actually experiencing them; Incheon earned the highest scores. According to Craig Bradbrook, ACI program director, “Service quality should never be viewed as a ‘nice to have’ feature in managing airport services, but as a key discipline in the airport management process. We see a high correlation between management commitment to service and passenger satisfaction. At Incheon, the management team takes pride in delivering quality airport service and sees it as being part of the overall tourism value chain – good for their airport and their nation. That means that the commitment is given very high priority politically as well as operationally by the airport.”
Incheon was also one of three airports to receive additional kudos in the form of ACI’s Airport People Award. These were the airports to receive the highest ratings from passengers specifically in the areas of having the most courteous and helpful airport, airline and security staff. The other two winners were Britain’s Southampton Airport (SOU) and Canada’s Halifax International Airport (YHZ), making Incheon the only major international hub to receive the award that ACI defines as demonstrating “a strong customer service culture across the entire airport community.”
But we could have told you that — and we did. Incheon is not only a spectacular “winged city” but provides such amenities as Korean spas, a driving range, a hospital, a pharmacy, world-class shopping, and easy day-trips to interesting tourist attractions. In this year’s GT Tested “Best of 2007” awards, readers of Global Traveler and eFlyer voted Incheon the Best Airport in the World. Our readers clearly have their fingers on the pulse of modern international travel.
If you’ve ever had trouble getting a business-class seat to Singapore, the country’s flag carrier feels your pain. Singapore Airlines is converting its Airbus A340-500s it uses on the nonstop long-haul routes between Newark (EWR) and Los Angeles (LAX) and Changi (SIN) to all-business class. The airline currently configures the aircraft with 64 business class seats and 117 premium economy seats; that will change to 100 business class seats. It plans to raise the business class fares by just 4 percent. The retrofit will begin in May with completion expected by the end of the year. As the reconfigured aircraft go into service, passengers wishing to fly economy from those gateways will have to book connecting flights.
Pan Pacific Hotels is getting into the extended-stay business next month, and is upping the ante when it comes to “serviced suites.” In the new business model, personal assistants will be available 24/7 to help guests network, get acquainted with the area, and set up appointments. Other services include grocery shopping, free pressing of clothing upon arrival, and airport transfers. The first extended-stay property will be Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Singapore, on Orchard Road. Some suites can be adapted as offices, complete with separate entrances.
Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS) has a new, $2 million Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, for Upper Class passengers and Gold Card members. The new club has four “zones” — two for dining, one for relaxing, and one for business. The business zone consists of a quiet area called the library, and a business center with free WiFi, charging stations, desks and phones. Dining options include The Deli, with a regionally inspired menu and a help-yourself format, plus bar, and the Brasserie, a common dining area with comfy chairs.
By April 13, all American Airlines service into London will move to Heathrow Airport (LHR) — which means bye-bye Gatwick (LGW). American had long planned to take advantage of the open-skies agreement to move two of its three Gatwick flights to Heathrow, but until last week had said it would still fly one daily trip between Dallas (DFW) and Gatwick. Now both its Dallas-Gatwick flights are moving, along with its service from Raleigh-Durham (RDU).
Here’s a nice piece of news from Delta Air Lines: If you buy a Delta ticket and then find a better fare for a Delta itinerary on another Web site, Delta will make it up to you. The airline will either refund your Delta ticket price, or refund you the difference — and give you a $100 voucher toward future travel. The total-refund offer is only good within 24 hours of ticket purchase; to get the rebate and voucher, you must let the airline know by midnight of the day you bought the ticket. See Best Fare Guarantee for additional details.
L’Auberge de Sedona
301 L’Auberge Lane
Sedona, AZ 86336
tel 928 282 1661; fax 928 282 2885
www.lauberge.com
Sedona’s magnificent red rock formations are what attract visitors to this area, just two hours north of Phoenix. But while hiking to Cathedral Rock or biking through Oak Creek Canyon can be quite exhilarating in any season, it’s downtown Sedona’s numerous art galleries, shops and restaurants that seem to keep visitors busy for most of their visit. In fact, the town’s one main street is so commercialized I craved an oasis, and found it: the L’Auberge de Sedona.
L’Auberge is just a half-mile from town, but below the commercial district in a secluded valley along Oak Creek. The rustic, deluxe-rated property includes a lodge with reception area and 21 guestrooms; 31 one and two-bedroom cottages; a four-bedroom Creek House, used for corporate retreats and family reunions; the Spa at L’Auberge; and L’Auberge Restaurant, all built in dark wood, log-cabin-style. My cottage was one large room with a view of the creek; firewood was stacked on the front porch of the cabin for the stone fireplace inside. Although it was a relatively warm winter afternoon — in the mid-50s — I lit a fire to fend off any chill and set out to explore.
My friend and I soon found the Spa, which seemed intimate, housed in what looked like a former guest cottage. This being Sedona, it offered some far-out-sounding treatments, including an aromachologie massage, a verbena citrus shiatsu fusion, and a “deep blue lavender embrace.”
By the time we walked back to the cottage the air had turned colder, and the crackling fire had warmed the room nicely. We eased ourselves into the room’s comfortable upholstered armchairs, propped up our feet on the footstools, and quickly became hypnotized by the fire.
L’Auberge Restaurant, with a reputation as one of the best in Sedona, was just steps away from our cottage, and dinner was served in its glass-enclosed “winter” room overlooking the spot-lit creek. (During the summer, diners can eat on an outside terrace, with the sound of the free-flowing creek for live entertainment.) The food was extraordinary, with an excellent choice of fish and Maine lobster, French-inspired lamb, veal chops, roasted duck breast, and a house specialty, the Chinese “forbidden black rice.” The chef’s tasting menu offered an interesting and varied wine pairing menu for an additional charge.
We walked by the creek after dinner, the faint smell of mesquite smoke in the cold air, a galaxy of bright stars in the clear, dark sky. There were two L’Auberge activities scheduled for the morning: the 8 a.m. feeding of the wild ducks in Oak Creek, and the complimentary fresh-brewed Arabica coffee and scones with homemade preserves, served every morning in the lodge. I was beginning to see why people like Sedona.
Score: ••••• Ron Bernthal
Buy tickets by March 20 and begin your trip by March 27 to take advantage of Swiss International Air Lines’ short-term business class sale, averaging 60 percent off normal business fares. The sale is good for travel to Switzerland and beyond from Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA) and New York (JFK). Sample round-trip fares include: Boston-Zurich (ZRH) $3,098; Chicago-Athens (ATH) $3,763.
Take a friend to London for tea, or more, with Eos Airlines’ new companion fare bonus. Buy one companion ticket for $4,999 between New York (JFK) and London (STN) by March 14, and get a certificate good for another companion fare free. The free fare can be used between March 18 and Jan. 7, 2009.
Start your winning ways in Vegas by winning your trip there, if you are the grand prize winner of The Celebrity Café’s sweepstakes. You can enter daily until April 30; only one entry per day per email address allowed. The single prize includes round-trip airfare to Las Vegas (LAS) from any continental U.S. city, three nights’ accommodations, two tickets to a show during your stay, and two VIP nightclub passes.
From March 15th through June 30, the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris present a Marie Antoinette retrospective: 300 pieces of art gathered together from museums all around Europe. Tie it in with a premium hotel stay by taking advantage of Concorde Hotels’ Marie Antoinette Package. The package includes double accommodations, admissions for two to the exhibit, a daily “elaborate” breakfast, and a gift, for about $300 a night. Participating hotels include the Hotel du Louvre, Hotel Lutetia, and the Hotel Ambassador.
This seems to be the week for transpacific fare-discount announcements. American Airlines has put Tokyo on sale: Buy your ticket by March 14 for travel departures between April 25 and May 1 from most of the airline’s U.S. gateways. Least expensive fares are for midweek and Saturday travel; for example, Denver (DEN) – Tokyo (TYO) $669 roundtrip; New York (JFK) – Tokyo $749.
Singapore Airlines, which debuts flights from Houston (IAH) on March 20, is holding a fare sale to celebrate, and wants you to bring a friend to the party. For tickets purchased online by March 25 for flights leaving by May 22, the Two to Go promotion offers special fares per person for two people traveling together. The roundtrip economy fares are $899 to Singapore (SIN), $999 to Bangkok (BKK), Jakarta (JKT), Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), Hanoi (HAN), Kuala Lumpur (KUL) or Manila (MNL), and $599 to Moscow (SVO). If you’re traveling solo, the launch promotion for travel in March is as low as $30 more than the two-to-go deal.
