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Travel
Business Travel
Miles & Much More
WHAT'S UP/WHAT'S NEW
BRIGHT SIDE
Smile, business travelers. Research shows that airline performance improved dramatically from 2000 to 2001. The Airline Quality Rating, prepared by researchers at Wichita State University and based on data supplied by the U.S. Department of Transportation, shows that 10 of the 11 major airlines performed better in 2001 than they did in 2000 — the year customer service got so bad that Congress threatened to take action. The key to the turnaround? Reduced capacity. When airlines cut approximately 20 percent of their flights after 9/11, delays and congestion plummeted, and performance soared. And even as the airlines begin to fill out their schedules with new or reinstated flights this spring, the performance improvement seems to be sticking.
COMING BACK
New York City-bound business travelers who prefer to bed down downtown should be pleased to note that the 504-room Marriott Financial Center reopened in January, and Hilton's Embassy Suites, offering two-room suites and a cooked-to-order breakfast, will reopen in May. Both hotels had been closed due to the destruction of the nearby World Trade Center. Downtown's swankiest boutique hotel, the 144-room Regent Wall Street, closed its doors for only two weeks after September 11. Also, Ritz-Carlton has returned to the Big Apple after a four-year absence. In January, the harbor-front Ritz-Carlton on Battery Park welcomed guests to Lower Manhattan. Then there's the Ritz-Carlton New York, which opens in May on Central Park South between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, overlooking Central Park. Also fresh on the Gotham hotel scene: the sleek W Times Square, the fifth W to grace NYC, and the only one built new from the ground up.
S-T-R-E-T-C-H
British Airways' new on-board "Well Being" video was recently revamped to include helpful advice, including a series of doable-in-your-seat Pilates exercises. The Pilates program consists of special isometric exercises that strengthen and stretch your body, while improving circulation. Pilates' methods were developed prior to World War II in Germany, and are now all the rage at spas and fitness clubs around the world. See www.britishairways.com
THIS IS SWISS
The newest European airline, "Swiss" has risen from what was left of the recently collapsed Swissair and the regional carrier Crossair. Swiss has launched flights to more than 120 destinations in 59 countries, including nonstops between Switzerland and Boston, Chicago, New York, Newark, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington/Dulles, and Montreal. Swiss intends to become a full member of the Oneworld alliance, but for now has set up a marketing partnership with American Airlines. For a peek, see the carrier's mod site at www.swiss.com.
THE LONGEST DAY
Did you know that the longest distance commercial flight in the world leaves Atlanta every day at 10:30 a.m. en route to Johannesburg, South Africa? That's right, since last year South African Airways flight 212, a Boeing 747-400, flies the 8,439 miles nonstop between Hartsfield and Jo'burg in a little more than 15 hours, arriving at 8:45 a.m. the following day. The second-longest distance flight in the world — at 8,042 miles — is Continental's Boeing 777 Newark-to-Hong Kong run.
See www.flysaa.com
AT LONG LAST, LUXURY
When scouting the Web for hotel deals, you may have found yourself looking for luxury in all the wrong places. No more. In March, LuxRes.com was discreetly launched to help some of the top hotels and resorts in the world unload their distressed inventory at deeply discounted, last-minute rates. The site has deals available from four- and five-star properties, many of which are not listed elsewhere. See www.luxres.com
BACK AGAIN
Malaysia Airlines will resume its Kuala Lumpur-Newark flights on May 31. The service, temporarily suspended shortly after September 11, will be operated three times a week, with a stopover in Dubai in each direction. See www.malaysiaairlines.com
TECHnomads
EASY MILES
Want to rack up a few thousand frequent flyer miles by giving new airline check-in technology a try? Here's how:
- Through May 31, earn a one-time 2,000 WorldPerks miles bonus when checking in for a flight on Northwest's Web site, or by using an airport E-Service Center.
- On Delta, also through May 31, e-ticket customers will earn a 1,000 SkyMiles bonus when using an airport self-service kiosk for the first time.
- You've got a little more time with US Airways: Check in at a kiosk for the first time by December 31 and earn 1,000 Dividend Miles.
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CUT OFF
Have you used an in-flight phone recently? Probably not, and several airlines are taking notice. American is joining Southwest Airlines in removing the seat-back phones from its domestic fleet, blaming low usage — on average, only about three calls a day are made from each AA jet. Why? Increased cell phone usage as well as high costs. Add a $3.99 connection fee to $3.99-per-minute talk time, plus tax and you end up with a whopping $25+ charge for a five-minute call.
IT'S AN E WORLD
The world's top two carriers have come together. Well, American and United have linked their electronic ticketing, anyway. The new agreement allows passengers to use one e-ticket for travel on both airlines. So, if a storm strands you in Seattle and you're supposed to fly United to Denver connecting to Dallas on American, you can now rebook all flights at one ticket counter. American has also added Continental as an interline partner. United already has e-ticket arrangements with Continental, Northwest, and Air Canada. You can expect the entire industry to adopt similar electronic link-ups in the not-too-distant future.
ALL EYES ON LONDON
British Airways is working with UK Immigration and about 2,000 frequent travelers to test a new iris-recognition system at London's Heathrow Airport. Here's how it works: First, relying on the fact that the iris in each person's eye has a unique pattern, a digital photo of the passenger's iris is taken (the subject simply peers into a camera lens). The resulting image is stored in a giant database, and when passengers arrive at Heathrow, they gaze into a camera, which tries to find a match with an image on file. Once the images match, a gate opens, allowing entry into the UK (and avoiding the long line of frustrated travelers entering the "old" way). British Airways says that the whole procedure takes only a few seconds and is as safe as being videotaped.
PICTURE THIS
 It might now be time to seriously consider a digital camera. Why? Tightened airport security procedures are making it more and more difficult to protect your personal or professional photographic film from harmful X-rays. For one thing, hard-pressed airport screeners may refuse to hand-check cameras or undeveloped film and force travelers to run them through the X-ray machine.
Damage to film from X-rays is cumulative; only film passed through security scanners at least five or more times will be affected. Also, film with a lower speed (less than 400 ASA) is less likely to be damaged.
The new federally mandated CTX scanners, which are 300 times more powerful than the machines used to screen checked bags at security checkpoints, can cause catastrophic damage to film — even lead-lined bags used by professionals cannot protect film from CTX rays. Therefore, never pack film in checked baggage.
If possible, wait and buy film at your destination, then after taking your pictures, ship it home. And remember, digital cameras, many of which now produce film-quality photos, are not affected by any baggage-scanning devices.
ALL IN ONE
Business travelers' belts are getting pretty heavy these days, what with the pagers, mobile phones, and e-mail devices we all carry. Luckily, with the new Cingular Xpress Mail product, you can use a single device to handle voice and data, plus real-time and secure access to the desktop applications running back at your office, like e-mail, contacts, calendars, and tasks. All Cingular Wireless business customers need is an Internet-ready mobile phone like the Motorola v60t, or a handheld device like the new Handspring Treo. Turn on the phone, and it's just like settling in at your office. You can talk, read, and respond to your desktop e-mail, check or change your calendar, or schedule tasks. See www.cingular.com/business
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN…
KUALA LUMPUR AND BEYOND
 If you're making a sales junket (or taking a sabbatical) to Asia and you're looking for ways to save on your airfare, you've got to see this deal to believe it: For $747 (or $897 in peak season), you fly Malaysia Airlines from Los Angeles to Kuala Lumpur round trip. When you get to KL you get an air pass good for one month of travel to any (or all) of 23 cities throughout Asia. (Transpacific upgrades to Malaysia's award-winning business class are available for $1,199 each way; to first class, $2,199 each way.) Check out the Access Asia Pass at www.malaysiaairlines.com. The deal is good for travel through January 14, 2003.
SPEAKING OF KUALA LUMPUR…
Open only since 1997, the Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur has quickly become the hotel of choice among frequent business travelers to this bustling center of Southeast Asian commerce. The private club-like boutique hotel has made recent "Best of" lists in both Asiamoney and Finance Asia magazines. 168 Jalan Imbi, tel.: (011) 603.2142.8000
FAR OUT
US Airways wins the award for taking frequent flyers where they've never been before. The airline has partnered with Space Adventures, an Arlington, Virginia-based tour company, for an unusual use of Dividend Miles. For 250,000 miles (and $2,000), you can experience a zero-gravity training flight — not on US Airways, but in a Russian-built military training jet. Care to venture further afield? For 275,000 miles (and $8,000) you can fly to the edge of space aboard a MiG-25 "Foxbat" jet fighter. And for the ultimate journey, spend 10,000,000 (that's 10 million!) miles to reserve a seat on the first private reusable spacecraft (think space shuttle) to take sightseers, in addition to astronauts, into space.
LUSCIOUS LONDON
The Rivoli Bar - Kick-start a night on the town with a cocktail or a glass of champagne at this recently updated Art Deco gem off the lobby of the Ritz Hotel in Mayfair. You're certain to make an impression on colleagues when treating them to a preprandial pop in these cozy (room for only 44), jewel-toned confines, well-known among London's resident and visiting elite. 150 Picadilly, tel.: (011) 44.20.7493.818
The Fifth Floor - There's not a better perch for people watching and picking up on the buzzy energy of Knightsbridge than at this café/restaurant atop the Harvey Nichols department store. Whether you are taking a breather from business or from shopping, take the express lift up for lunch or a glass of wine from its extensive list. 125 Knightsbridge, tel.: (011) 44.20.7823.1839
Petrus - Remember reading about that $60,000 expense account meal that four London investment bankers racked up last winter? Check out the "scene of the crime" (still a top London spot for deal-making), and enjoy one of the world's finest — and priciest — wine lists. 33 St. James's St., tel.: (011) 44.20.7930.4272
SAN FRANCISCO ARTPORT
 The Travel Industry Association of America says that nearly 93 million Americans included at least one cultural activity while traveling in 2001. If you think fine art is confined to museums and exclusive galleries, take a look around the airport next time you're in San Francisco. SFO boasts 21 galleries throughout the airport's various terminals, presenting a rotating schedule of art, history, science, and cultural exhibitions. For example, in the new international terminal, aviation junkies will find the story of the world's first transoceanic commercial air route to the Far East, told through models, artifacts, documents, and photographs relating to Pan Am's famous China Clipper, the flying boat that inaugurated service in 1935.
SPEAKING OF SAN FRANCISCO…
Check out the scene in Bob's Bar, a plush, dark-wood-paneled, increasingly popular after-work watering hole in the brand-new Omni Hotel, located in the heart of the Financial District. It's already gaining a reputation for its oversize martinis. 500 California Street, tel.: 415.273.3085
CAPE TOWN
If you are lucky enough to be sent to South Africa on business, be sure to check out the country's scenic Winelands region, centered around the towns of Stellenbosch and Paarl, only a few hours' drive from the center of Cape Town. Most of the wine estates and co-ops along the most popular "wine routes" offer tastings and tours tinged with the legacy of the Dutch and French settlers who took their vines and know-how to the region in the 1600s. The area enjoys a Mediterranean-like climate, and is advantageously located at the meeting place of two oceans — the Indian and the Atlantic. The best time of year to visit? March, during the annual harvest. Even if you can't make a visit, try to give the following South African labels a try: Kanonkop, Thelema, Mulderbosch, Hamilton Russell, Glen Carlou, and Saxenburg. They've all been referred to as "top echelon of quality" by Wine Spectator.
AAH, SOUTH FLORIDA SPAS
Hotels can't seem to build new spas fast enough, and nowhere is this more evident than in South Florida. At the new Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, guests can indulge in a 30,000-square-foot spa with 18 private treatment rooms, an outdoor pool, and a fitness center. In Miami, Don Shula's Hotel & Golf Club offers a wellness program and claims to have the "world's first fitness concierge." In nearby Key Biscayne, both the new Ritz-Carlton and Sonesta Beach Resort recently opened large new European-style health spas and fitness centers. And farther north, Turnberry Isle Resort & Club has just added a gigantic new three-level spa, replete with 26 treatment rooms and four Turkish steam baths.
BACK ON THE TRAIL
With post-apartheid optimism melding South Africa into a new society of energy and significance, travellers are returning to a place that has been off the trail for most of the century. Political violence seems to be a thing of the past and among the vast majority of people there is a desire to get on with building a new nation. It's an exciting time to visit.
— Lonely Planet Guide to South Africa
AIRPORT UPDATE
DTW
Until last February, connecting in Detroit meant trudging through one of the country's most rundown airports. But that's now changed. Wayne County Airport's bright, new $1.2 billion Edward H. McNamara Terminal (which Northwest Airlines calls its "WorldGateway") boasts 97 domestic and international gates, two indoor passenger trams, 90 self-service e-ticket kiosks and (most importantly?) almost 500 restroom stalls. While Northwest dominates the new digs, its partners Continental and KLM also are found here; all three carriers share the four WorldClubs in the facility. If you need a place to stay, a new Westin hotel — connected to the terminal — will open later this year.
DCA
Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport is back to normal. Well, almost. It was shut down for three weeks following 9/11 because of its proximity to the Pentagon, White House, and other government buildings. Soon, National will have about 800 flights a day, just shy of pre-attack levels. Still, special security measures remain in place, including armed air marshals on almost all flights, and a requirement that passengers remain seated during the first and last 30 minutes of each incoming and outgoing flight.
MDW
Savvy Chicago-bound travelers know to book flights into Midway whenever possible, avoiding the congestion, hassle, and inconvenience of the more distant O'Hare leviathan. Now, Midway passengers have another reason to celebrate: renovation. Late last year a new terminal opened, featuring high-tech amenities and expanded ticketing and baggage claim areas. The airport also unveiled "Midway Boulevard," a food and retail area featuring Windy City specialties.
SFO
Relief is on the horizon for those renting cars at San Francisco International. After lengthy construction delays, later this year SFO will finally power up AirTrain, a light-rail system linking terminals, parking garages, and the remote rental car center. The people-mover will run on two lines: blue between the terminals and rental car center, red looping the terminals. The environmentally friendly system (this is California, after all) will replace the current bus routes, eliminating about 200,000 shuttle trips a year and the accompanying pollution. BART also plans a new airport station later this year, providing direct access to downtown San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley.
EWR
Another airport that's seemingly under constant construction, Newark, has completed a new project. Continental Airlines passengers are now enjoying an expanded Terminal C. "C-3," as it's called, is a spacious three-level, 19-gate facility servicing both domestic and international flights. Skylights run its entire length, providing plenty of natural light. Another advance for the airport: AirTrain Newark. Every three minutes, a free monorail shuttles between the airport and the new NJ Transit and Amtrak rail station. From there, service to Manhattan's Penn Station runs two to three times an hour and costs just $11.15 — a lot less than the $50+ cab fare between the airport and the city.
LIFE ON THE ROAD
 Chris McGinnis is the author of The Unofficial Travelers' Pocket Guide (McGraw-Hill), and the travel advisor on CNN Headline News. He is also editor of The Ticket, an e-mail newsletter and Internet portal for business travelers, found at www.travelskills.com. Since 1988, Chris has commented on business travel trends and issues in newspapers, in magazines, on television, and on the Internet. As a consultant and speaker, McGinnis logs thousand of frequent flyer miles each year helping business travelers, corporate travel managers, and others better understand and improve their lives on the road.
Produced by Gloria I. Lerner
Written by Christopher J. McGinnis
Edited by James S. Harrison
Designed by Segal Savad
FREE TIX
When you have a moment, test your travel skills on our Travel Biz Quiz, the online complement to this special section at www.fortune. com/sections. Play the game by October 1, 2002 and be eligible to win a pair of round-trip business class tickets from New York to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines.
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