In-Flight Comforts Soar
As Singapore Airlines puts its new double-bedded cabins in the air, it is not alone in paying extra
attention to passengers’ creature comforts. Across the industry, new luxuries are taking flight. Delta
Air Lines began upgrading its Boeing 747-400 jets with full flat-bed seats, each with direct aisle access,
in its BusinessElite cabin. The first upgraded 747 already flies the Tokyo (NRT)–Detroit (DTW)
route, and all its 747s will be upgraded by October. New seats are 80 by 20.5 inches, 20 percent wider
than those they replace and arranged in an angled herringbone to avoid middle or rear-facing seats.
At the same time, airberlin launched the first of its long-haul fleet of Airbus A330-200s equipped
with new fully automatic seats in business class. Measuring 71 by 20 inches, the seat reclines 170
degrees and has
a connection for
laptops or other
electronic devices.
The upgrade of all
airberlin’s longhaul
aircraft will
be complete in time
for the summer
2012 flight schedule.
First- and business-
class American
Airlines customers
will enjoy
new comforts in its
fleet of Boeing 777-
300ER aircraft, including
fully lie-flat
seating with aisle
access from every
seat, a walk-up
bar stocked with
snacks and refreshments
(a U.S. airline first) and Bose noise-canceling
headsets. Customers can adjust each component of
the seat separately, and all first-class suites feature
privacy dividers. American also announced plans
to outfit its entire mainline fleet with premiumeconomy
Main Cabin Extra seats at the front of
the economy cabin, offering four to six inches
more legroom and priority boarding. Installations
have begun, and all new Boeing 737-800 aircraft
delivered will include Main Cabin Extra. AAdvantage
Platinum and Executive Platinum members,
full-fare economy ticketholders and (until Dec. 31,
2013) AAdvantage Gold members receive complimentary
access, subject to availability. For other
customers, prices will range between $8 and $108
per segment, based on flight length.
Panama’s Private Paradise
With Panama being hailed “the new Costa
Rica” by nature and wildlife enthusiasts, the
Islas Secas are no longer a close-held fishermen’s
secret. Kayaking through mangroves,
underwater photography in black coral
forests alive with neon fish and snorkeling
with dozens of whitetip coral reef sharks are
among the nature experiences at Islas Secas
Resort, on the largest island of the archipelago
25 miles from the coast of Panama City.
That Really …
Making lemonade out of the lemon of a code
it was assigned, Sioux City Airport (SUX)
turned it into a line of best-selling souvenirs.
Look in airport shops for eye-catching SUX
T-shirts, luggage tags and more.
Capitol Investment
It’s not just political pundits who’ve
given Washington attention recently:
Airlines are eyeing the city, too, with
a burgeoning list of new flights. The
biggest news is from US Airways,
whose recent swap of take-off and
landing slots with Delta Air Lines
at LaGuardia (LGA) allows it to
add more than 50 daily flights from
Reagan National Airport (DCA).
Daily non-stops, some of which
have already begun operating, will
include nine cities that previously
had no direct connection to Washington:
Birmingham, Ala. (BHM);
Fayetteville, N.C. (FAY); Islip, N.Y.
(ISP); Little Rock (LIT); Jacksonville,
N.C. (OAJ); Jackson, Miss. (JXN);
Pensacola, Fla. (PSN); Tallahassee
(TLH); and Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
(VPS). Other new routes include
Memphis (MEM), Omaha (OMA)
and Ottawa (YOW); flight frequency
expands to daily for Bangor, Maine
(BGR); Savannah (SAV); and Hartford
(BDL). Expansion plans include
adding more gates at National and
building a second US Airways Club.
Next month, American Airlines will
launch new non-stop service between
Washington (DCA) and Los Angeles
(LAX), while last month Porter Airlines
launched service from Washington
Dulles (IAD) to Toronto City
Airport (YTZ), with up to three daily
round-trip flights. And this month,
United Airlines begins daily service
between Dulles and Manchester,
England (MAN).
Icelandair Adds Denver
Icelandair begins service this month
from Denver (DEN) with four nonstop
flights a week to Reykjavík,
Iceland (KEF). Flights leave Denver
on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and
Sunday, with on-going direct connections
to more than 20 destinations in
Europe. Denver is Icelandair’s ninth
North American gateway.
Steamboatin’
Steamboats are back! The first overnight passenger steamboat on the Mississippi since the retirement of Delta Queen
in 2008 begins service this spring, as American Queen makes her inaugural seven-night voyage from Memphis to
Cincinnati. Cruising this season on the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee rivers, American Queen offers itineraries
that include stops in historic landmark ports — New Orleans, Natchez, Mark Twain’s Hannibal, Louisville and Chattanooga
among them. Shore excursions and one night’s hotel stay before the voyage are included, and theme voyages
include Big Bands, ’50s music, Civil War and fall foliage.
greatamericansteamboatcompany.com
Thai Temptation
Anantara Bangkok Riverside opened
on the west bank of the Chao Phraya
River in an 11-acre setting, more
than half of which is tropical gardens.
Polished hardwood floors and warm
wood interiors are featured in the
buildings, which incorporate old
trees and waterfalls that cascade
from the upper lobby into a lily
pond. Ten bars and restaurants, the
Mandara Spa and daily river cruises,
plus the resort’s “Streetwise Guru,”
a personal tour guide, complete the
experience.
bangkok-riverside.anantara.com
Suite Service
Singapore Airlines expanded its
partnership with JetSuite, the
fastest-growing private jet company
in the United States, for travelers
connecting to Singapore’s Airbus
A380 services at New York (JFK).
This allows Singapore Airlines to
offer special rates on domestic and
international private jet connections
for travelers at airports within 1,000
miles of JFK. Singapore Airlines’
A380 service operates daily flights
between Singapore (SIN) and New
York via Frankfurt (FRA).
Virgin from Vancouver
Virgin Atlantic celebrates Vancouver’s
125th birthday with the
launch of a new route this month,
from Vancouver (YVR) to London
(LHR). Operating four times a week,
on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and
Sunday, this route brings Virgin’s
total to 34 routes worldwide.
New London Landmarks
Ready to welcome guests arriving
in London for the Queen’s Jubilee
and the 2012 Olympics, two stylish
new hotels opened. Five-star Bvlgari
in ultra-fashionable Knightsbridge
reminds guests of what made the
Bvlgari name famous by echoing
classic Bvlgari jewelry designs to
adorn the silk curtains and decorate
the ballroom with solid silver
chandeliers. A silver staircase descends
into the restaurant (Italian
menu, of course). The silver theme
extends into the 85 guestrooms and
suites, outfitted with fine Italian furniture.
Thompson Hotels opened
Belgraves in the equally fashionable
Belgravia neighborhood. Also with
85 guestrooms and suites, Belgraves
sets a hip, arty tone with bedrooms
featuring silver-gray wooden floors
and decorated with bold, textured
designs in natural grays. Rococo
chocolates welcome guests as
in-room amenities. The lobby features
a library, and the restaurant is
by celebrity chef Mark Hix.
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