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| Volume 5, Issue 28, July 10, 2007 |    |
It’s turning into an annual event, the jousting among airlines to be awarded a route to China. Last June, Continental was the first to throw its hat in the ring for a newly opened slot to fly between the United States and China. They duked it out with American, Northwest and United until January, when United was awarded the Washington, D.C. (IAD)-Beijing (PEK) route.
Here we go again. The Unites States and China have recently agreed to double the number of flights between the two countries. On this side of the Pacific, one will be awarded in 2007, one in 2008, four in 2009, three in 2010, and two each in 2011 and 2012. The only limitations: Two of the new flights have to go to airlines that do not now currently serve China, and the 2008 route has to end in Guangzhou (CAN).
This year’s is one of the routes earmarked for a newcomer. That puts all of last year’s combatants out of the running. Delta and US Airways, the two largest carriers remaining without China service, are expected to be frontrunners. Hawaiian Airlines, which was thought to be another candidate — it unsuccessfully bid for a Honolulu (HNL)-Shanghai route in 2005 — has declined, saying it’s too difficult for Chinese tourists to get visas.
Sure enough, Delta has already started making its case with the public. It has launched a Web site, NextGatewayToChina.com, to promote its bid to fly between Atlanta (ATL) and Shanghai (PVG). It plans to offer daily nonstop service, using 777s in a two-class configuration. 
Singapore’s Changi Airport (SIN) is right up there with the best airports in the world in the eyes of both business travelers and freeloaders (it’s been named the best airport in which to sleep overnight by the backpack crowd). And now it’s holding an event that should appeal to both populations — a food festival that runs through Aug. 12. During the fest, more than 30 F&B outlets at the airport will discount their menu prices by between 10 and 50 percent. The festival ties in with the summer Indulge at Changi promotion, in which retail merchants are discounting products up to 30 percent. A silent auction is also being held at Changi throughout the period, with proceeds going to the Singapore Cancer Society.
If you’ve ever felt a bit like a turtle at an airport — going nowhere fast — here’s your chance to compare yourself with the real thing. To celebrate the recent opening of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, Ga., the organization has set up an interactive storefront in the atrium of Hartsfield-Atlanta International Airport (ATL). No live turtles will be in residence at the airport, but there will be high-definition video feeds of the Turtle Center’s denizens, as well as interactive exhibits that will appeal to kids. Only seven species of sea turtles exist, some of which are endangered, and at least 70 wash up on Georgia’s beaches each year. The Jekyll Island center will conduct both research and rehabilitation, and be open to the public for educational tours and sightseeing.
We’ve heard of medical tourism (e.g., hip replacements in India), dental tourism (see the Great Wall while waiting for your new bridge) and plastic tourism (cheaper face lifts in Costa Rica), but here’s a new one: transplant tourism. Before you start thinking they’re pushing the envelope too far, the transplants aren’t for organs — they’re for hair. Yes, Makeover Brazil, a California-based company, is offering hair-transplant tours to Brazil. An eight-day package is recommended, with the operation on the first day and follow-up a week later. The procedure is suitable for tourism, the company says, because hair transplants rarely require follow-up care. Typical hair-transplant surgery, performed by Brazil-certified plastic surgeons, takes three hours and costs $3,000 to $4,000 — about a third of U.S. prices.
Selfridges London, the famous department store on Oxford Street, has opened The Wonder Bar — a two-story wine bar in which visitors can serve themselves any of more than 50 different wines of various vintages. Table service is also available, with a staff of waiters led by the store’s new sommelier. A glass of wine will cost you anywhere from $10 to $300 — but at least if you pour your own, you’ll save the tip.
On Sunday, Boeing debuted its first brand-new airplane in 13 years: the much-anticipated 787 Dreamliner. Dreamliners will be midsize jets (210-330 passengers, depending on the model) with big-jet speed and range, and are being called the most environmentally friendly commercial jets yet. Made extensively of carbon fiber, the lighter aircraft will use an average of 20 percent less fuel over similar routes to today’s big jets. Boeing celebrated the Dreamliner debut with festivities hosted by former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw at its Everett, Wash. plant.
Hotel Dan Panorama
10 Kaufman St., Charles Clore Park.
Tel Aviv 68012 Israel
tel 972 3 519 0190, fax 972 3 517 1777
www.danhotels.com
I checked into the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv twice during a recent visit to Israel. The first time, on a Tuesday afternoon, the front desk was quiet and check-in was fast; I was in my room overlooking the Mediterranean within minutes of entering the spacious lobby area. The second check-in took place on a Friday afternoon, always a busy and frenetic time throughout Israel as the country prepares for Shabbat, and check-in was crowded, slow and laborious. That was the only glitch during either of my visits.
The Dan Panorama is a true urban resort hotel, located at the southern end of Tel Aviv’s beachfront and just a short walk to the city’s central business district. Tel Aviv’s location on the Mediterranean coast means that most hotels face the sea, and all 500 Dan Panorama rooms have views of the beachfront. The property has a large outdoor pool and health club on a deck overlooking the sea, and beach activities are available right across the street.
But for all its leisure amenities, the hotel also caters to the business traveler. Each of the standard rooms is equipped with a small glass-top desk (larger rooms have wood desks), fax/modem/PC connections (and WiFi, for a fee), mini-bar, room safe, cable TV, and a small terrace (just about big enough for one chair). There are also 160 executive rooms and 10 suites with more floor space and access to their own executive club lounge and VIP business lounge, where free Internet access and a nice array of light snacks are available throughout the day. The hotel has its own adjacent convention center.
The Dan Panorama’s breakfast buffet is deservedly famous, with a mammoth selection of Israeli salads, cereals, olives, smoked fish, breads and rolls, cheese, yogurt, American and Asian-style breakfast items, and dozens of other food and drink choices, all included in the room rate.. Perhaps because of the immense breakfast, there are few other dining options — a deli and a second-floor lobby lounge provide sandwiches and desserts, and a pool bar offers drinks and light meals.
Neve Tzedek, a small residential area that was settled in 1887, is just behind the hotel. The narrow winding streets and quiet alleys, lined with small restored houses, new stylish cafes and eclectic art galleries, make it a good place to walk off breakfast.
Score: ••••• Ron Bernthal
Qantas is running a sale to New Zealand from 16 U.S. cities to Auckland (AKL). Prices start at $898 round-trip from Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO). To qualify, buy the ticket by July 31, and travel between Aug. 11 and Sept. 11.
We gather that Matt Damon’s going to do a lot of traveling in the upcoming movie The Bourne Identity. American Airlines is running a Sum It Up contest through July 31 in which entrants guess how many AAdvantage miles Jason Bourne accumulates in the film’s chase around the world. The winner gets Bourne’s total miles, which American says will be more than 1 million. Every guess submitted enters you for a chance to win the grand prize of the miles plus a $6,000 MasterCard gift card. There is also a first prize of a trip for two to Los Angeles to attend the film’s premiere, and 250 consolation prizes of a double-Bourne DVD set.
Experience the Red Rocks with a stay at the luxurious L’Auberge de Sedona this summer, and save. The Summer Breeze package costs $590 for two nights, single or double, for a private garden cottage. The price includes a $100 gift certificate good at the Auberge’s restaurant or spa. The package is available midweek until Aug. 31.
If you’re a fan of Grace Kelly, Monaco royalty, or the casinos of Monte Carlo, here’s a chance to live the jet-set life as it was in Grace’s day. A new exhibit, The Grace Kelly Years, is being shown at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo from July 12 to Sept. 23. The Fairmont Monte Carlo, which Princess Grace herself opened in 1975, is offering a two-night package for two for $1,050, including breakfasts and tickets to the exhibition. The just-renovated property hugs the Cote d’Azur coastline and has its own casino.
L’Avion, the all-business-class airline flying between Newark (EWR) and Paris Orly (ORY), is offering a good deal for summer travel: $1,596 round trip. The fare is minimally restrictive, with no minimum stay, a $67.50 penalty to make changes, and a $200 penalty for cancellation. The Summer Special has no set expiration date.
