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Volume 6, Issue 11, March 19, 2008 |
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You could say that the brand-new Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) is of Olympian proportions, and you’d be right in more ways than one. The five-story terminal is said to be the world’s largest, and it will serve 27 airlines. Ten villages were razed to make room for the 1.8 mile-long terminal. In comparison, Heathrow’s new Terminal 5 and all the other Heathrow terminals would fit comfortably inside. The airport’s two existing — and much smaller — passenger terminals are four miles away.
The speed of the project — it was contracted in 2003, and construction began less than four years ago — earns it another record: the fastest an airport terminal has ever been built. The rush was not simply for the Summer Olympics taking place in Beijing this year; China’s air traffic is exploding, and the new terminal increases Beijing’s annual capacity from 35 million passengers to 85 million — important, considering that last year’s 48.7 million passengers severely taxed the existing capacity.
International arrivals will use the new building’s Concourse E, while departures, domestic flights and baggage claim will share Concourse C. Concourse D has been designated for charter flights through the conclusion of the Olympics and the subsequent Paralympics.
British Airways and Qantas moved into the new building as soon as it opened, and they will be joined by the four other OneWorld alliance members who serve Beijing — Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, Finnair and Japan Airlines — later this month. All six airlines will have their check-in desks in Concourse C. A joint-use OneWorld lounge for premium passengers has already opened near the departure gates. Cathay Pacific and Dragonair will be opening their own lounge soon, for premium-class passengers of both airlines as well as for top-tier members of the Marco Polo Club.
Air China, Shanghai Airlines, Star Alliance airlines and others will begin moving into the new terminal on March 26. 
A new nonprofit organization called Pencils for Kids is doing a lot more than providing pencils: It is enabling needy children to go to school. In its first endeavor, it has raised enough funding to provide 375 backpacks full of school supplies to children in Bali — including pencils, crayons, paper and rulers (all things the Balinese schools do not provide) as well as toothbrushes and vouchers for school uniforms. In Bali, the cost of a school uniform — about $10 — can be 25 percent of the average rural family’s monthly income. Pencils for Kids is collaborating with The Bali Children’s Project to identify and contact those in need. Other partners in the effort include AsiaLuxe Holidays, which is donating $10 for every trip to Bali it books, and the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa in Bali, which is donating the transportation of the supplies to rural areas. If you’d like to help, you can sponsor a backpack for $40, or an entire school for $7,560; visit PencilsForKidsInc.com to find out how.
Here’s a royal first: Now when your business for the day in London is completed, you can take a private evening tour of Buckingham Palace. The palace was formerly only open to the public for touring in the summer, during the Queen’s annual vacation, but is now being opened on selected evenings in March and April, on days when the palace is otherwise closed to the public. Guides show you around the 19 State rooms that the Queen uses for official entertaining and ceremonial purposes; your tour ends with a glass of the palace’s private-label champagne in the Grand Entrance. The tour takes about two and a half hours, and costs about $125. For information, call 011 44 20 7766 7322.
For the first time in 60 years, according to the World Health Organization, a yellow fever outbreak has claimed victims in a South American city: Asuncion, Paraguay. While it’s often recommended that travelers to most Latin American countries be immunized against yellow fever if they are venturing into the countryside, city-bound business travelers who normally ignore the suggestion may want to rethink. The U.S. Department of State has not deemed it necessary to issue a warning to travelers, but the government of Paraguay is aggressively pursuing a national vaccination effort for its own population. Travelers should also take standard precautions against the mosquito-borne diseases: Pack mosquito netting and insect repellant.
Just opened: The brand-new and beautiful 32-story InterContinental San Francisco. Located on Howard Street in the SoMa (South of Market) district near the Moscone Convention Center, Union Square and Chinatown, the InterContinental’s shiny glass tower houses 550 guestrooms and 14 suites, plus a health club with a fitness center and indoor pool, a spa, and a lobby restaurant serving California fare by day and Italian cuisine at night. Introductory rates start at just under $200, and through June 1, special weekend rates begin at $129.
Two airlines are now making it easier to get to Tel Aviv. Delta last week began flying between New York (JFK) and Ben Gurion International (TLV) outside Tel Aviv. The new, nonstop service utilizes Boeing 767-300ER aircraft in a two-class configuration and gives connecting passengers an alternative to Delta’s Atlanta (ATL) – Tel Aviv service. BMI has also added Tel Aviv to its route map, with daily nonstop service from London Heathrow (LHR). BMI is flying the route with Airbus A320s in a two-class configuration, but plans to change to larger-capacity Boeing 757s on the route.
On this side of the Atlantic, four airlines have recently been granted route authority to fly between the United States and Colombia: Delta from JFK, Continental from Houston (IAH), JetBlue from Orlando (MCO) and Spirit from Ft. Lauderdale (FLL). All four will fly into Bogota (BOG). Meanwhile, Spirit announced it is starting service between Ft. Lauderdale and Cartagena (CTG), Colombia as of May 8. Spirit’s only current South America service is to Lima (LIM).
Radisson Edwardian Manchester
Peter Street
Manchester, England M2 5GP
tel 44 161 835 9929
www.radissonedwardian.com/manchesteruk_edwardian
Pictures I’d seen online of the Radisson Edwardian Manchester, in the heart of downtown, showed the historic Free Trade Hall that was renovated in constructing the less than four-year-old property, so I was entirely unprepared for the soaring glass entry. I quickly found that the juxtaposition of old and new was brilliantly handled.
The landmark building, once a market and later home to the Halle symphony orchestra, comprises much of the public space of the hotel, connected to the new 16-story super-modern tower that houses the guestrooms by the aforementioned airy lobby. I walked into the glass atrium and then turned right, seamlessly finding myself in the old building at the hotel’s front desk. After a quick, painless and very friendly check-in, a pleasant bellman took my key, my luggage and me up to my 12th-floor room, which had great views over the city.
The guestrooms (of which there are 239, plus 24 suites) are extremely modern, Scandinavian in design and furnishings but with plush fabrics and some bright color accents giving them warmth. The platform bed was comfortable, as was the chair for the spacious desk. A dressing area with counter and closets linked the room to the “wet room” bathroom, with stone tile, tub, and a partial glass shower door that when open removes any demarcation between the shower and the rest of the room. Other amenities included a state-of-the-art entertainment system and easy-access free wireless Internet.
Once I shook off my jetlag, I toured the old side of the hotel. Arches filled in with glass keep the original building intact while giving it a modern feel; even statuary that once decorated the exterior of the building on the side now attached to the rest have been moved inside and attached high up on interior walls of the atrium. (Visit the March 16 GT blog to see images.) The Alto Terrace occupies the ground-floor area just inside the archways, adjoining the Manhattan-style bar and the trendy (and excellent) Opus One restaurant. You wouldn’t think that the restaurant’s red neon, black crocodile leather, and antique gold wall coverings — decorated with framed kimonos — would be appealing, but somehow it all works.
On the lower level, in what used to be wine cellars, is the Sienna Spa & Health Club, complete with pool and fitness center. I would have liked to sample the solarium, steam room or sauna, but I ran out of time, even though I liked the hotel so much I came back for another night the following week.
I’d known I was going to be staying in a convenient location in the heart of downtown Manchester. What I didn’t expect, but was delighted to find, was the best example I’ve yet seen of how to do a modern hotel well, from the design to the service to the food. It actually made me wish I had an excuse to go back to Manchester again soon.
Score: ••••• Mary Hunt
In the March 5 edition of eFlyer, we said we expected to see some last-minute deals on summer fares to Europe — but here’s one that gives you some lead time. Alitalia is offering both a Summer Sale on economy-class travel from Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD) or New York (JFK) to Italian cities and a Magnifica class sale from a larger number of U.S. cities to destinations throughout Europe. The economy sale tickets must be booked by March 21, for travel between May 23 and Aug. 31; stay over a Saturday night. Sample round-trip fares are New York (JFK) – Bologna (BLQ) $989; Chicago (ORD) – Rome (FCO) $1,235. The business-class deal can be booked through March 30, for travel through April 30, and requires a seven-day minimum stay; examples are Miami (MIA) – Madrid (MAD) $2,845; Boston (BOS) – Rome $3,138.
Accor Hotels, in conjunction with various travel partners including Air France and Eurail, is sponsoring a two-month-long contest. You could win one of 62 daily “instant win” prizes, or one of 46 major prizes. Just go to Globetrotter-TheGame.com and answer at least one travel-related question correctly; registration is required. The daily prizes are vouchers (in euros) worth about $235 and redeemable at participating hotels, restaurants and other travel providers. Major prizes include Club Med vouchers worth from $4,700 to $6,200; 10 pairs of round-trip Air France tickets; travel vouchers worth from $470 to $1,400; and 25 pairs of round-trip train tickets to and from Paris. Enter no later than May 12.
Has your golf game gotten rusty over the winter? Try the Reclaim Your Game Package at the Palmetto Dunes Resort on Hilton Head. Starting at $1,014 double for four days and three nights, the package includes villa accommodations, two rounds of golf on any of three championship courses, two daily golf or tennis clinics, and a lesson on a Segway “personal golf transporter.” The resort is also offering special Ladies’ Clinics on Wednesdays and Saturdays; $99 for both clinics includes a $10 lunch voucher and a $25 gift certificate to the Ocean Tides Spa. By the way, tickets are still available for the Verizon Heritage PGA Tour tournament April 14-20 at Hilton Head.
American Airlines’ new Spectacular Spring Sale is only good for travel inside the continental United States between March 31 and April 17, but check out the deals to Hawaii — they can be used until June 1, and are genuine bargains. Sample economy fares: Los Angeles (LAX) – Honolulu (HNL) $272 round-trip; New York (JFK) – Honolulu $453 round-trip. The sale is good from a large number of domestic gateways to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island, and has become an even better deal since Hawaii’s own “flag carriers,” Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha, both raised all fares by $30 this week to offset rising fuel costs.
Through March, Cathay Pacific Airways is offering United States-based travelers a Deal of the Month if you book it by March 31 for travel by May 15. This month’s deal is for airfares from Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO) or New York (JFK) to any of five destinations in Japan or two in Korea. The fares start at $761 round-trip from the West Coast; add $50 for New York departures. Slightly higher fares that allow a Hong Kong stopover are also available.
