CLEAR security lanes return to SFO
CLEAR, which offers expedited access to airport security lines for $179/year, announced today it will launch its service at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on May 23, just ahead of the Memorial Day weekend travel crush.
CLEAR lanes will be located at every terminal at SFO, allowing every passenger on any airline to use their biometrics to speed through security. “We are thrilled to bring CLEAR’s biometric platform to San Francisco, a city synonymous with innovation and efficiency. SFO joins CLEAR’s growing network of airport partners bringing much needed speed and predictability to the travel experience,” said CLEAR CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker.
CLEAR Lanes are now available only at Orlando and Denver. SFO will be the third airport to join since the company sprang back to life after a hasty retreat in 2009. Dallas-Ft Worth Airport is apparently next on the list, although no formal date has been announced.
CLEAR says it has a base of more than 200,000 members across the U.S., including about 40,000 in San Francisco. San Francisco International is introducing CLEAR says the launch means 85 new private sector jobs, enhanced security, and new revenue for the airport. For more info, see www.CLEARme.com.
Interested? Is predictability at airport security worth $179 per year? Please leave your comments below.
United moving flights to Terminal 1 at SFO
Terminal 1 at SFO
Just in time for the peak summer travel season….and with little warning… it appears that United Airlines will move many of its southern California (and Vegas) flights to Terminal 1 at SFO. Its “primary domestic operations” will remain in Terminal 3.
In an email, airport spokesperson Charles Schuler confirmed ”that there is a plan for UA to start operations from T1 sometime in early June.” Schuler also said that United would be utilizing old Continental Airlines gates in Terminal 1 which were abandoned when flight operations were consolidated into Terminal 3 last year.
So far United has only confirmed that it is adding “new gates at SFO.” I have not been able to confirm that the slides below (sent to me by a reader) are from United. I’ll post confirmations and dates here when I do.
So… this means that if you are flying from SFO to Las Vegas, Orange County (SNA), San Diego, Ontario, Burbank or Santa Barbara, you’ll catch your flight at Terminal 1 starting in June or July. Those poor souls arriving on a United flight at SFO’s Terminal 3 and then connecting on a United flight to one of these cities will have to take a bus across the ramp all the way around to Terminal 1. Below, United says buses will run every 5 minutes.
Another downer: There are no United Clubs in Terminal 1, so if you were planning on a Club visit to load up before your flight to Vegas, you’ll be sorely disappointed. In addition, there are no dedicated United GS/Premier security lines at Terminal 1– flyers with status will share special lanes with the other airlines operating in Terminal 1.
Please leave your thoughts and questions about this change below….
Virgin America to Portland, OR; maybe Washington DC National
(Photo: Drewski2112 / Flickr)
Lots of interesting news coming out of hometown carrier Virgin America this week…
First, the carrier has announced new flights to Portland, Oregon starting on June 5. Introductory fares are just $198 round trip including all taxes and fees– not bad! However, there’s just a single daily roundtrip for now.
Second, Virgin (along with nearly every other low-fare carrier) has filed with the US Dept of Transportation for rights to fly into Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)– the district’s preferred, close-in airport compared to Washington-Dulles which is located in the far northern suburbs in Virginia at least 45 minutes by cab or car from the city.
The carrier is asking for the right to serve SFO-DCA with two daily nonstops in each direction. Flights would depart SFO at 8:25 am and 5:15 pm, and return from DCA at 9:05 am and 1:35 pm.
In a Virgin America press release, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom expressed support for Virgin, saying, “California and the Bay Area in particular have suffered with no nonstop DCA flights – and one of the most populous and economically important regions in the nation deserves better.” (If Virgin gets the right to fly right into the beating heart of the American political scene, Newsom will likely be one of its best customers.)
Other politicos and heavy hitters from organizations such as The Bay Area Council, San Francisco Travel, The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group also weighed in with their support of Virgin’s efforts to score the right to serve DCA nonstop from SFO.
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As I wrote in The BAT last week, United Airlines is now selling new flights into Washington National starting this May. In order to get one of the tightly controlled landing slots at DCA, it had to dump one of its nonstops from Chicago O’Hare. (When I performed a random check for midweek roundtrips in June, United.com quoted $585 roundtrip SFO-DCA.)
Two stunning new airline lounges at SFO (Photos)
Gorgeous white marble and backlit Fabbian glass tiles make for a dramatic entrance at Cathay Pacific's new SFO lounge.
International business and first class travelers departing for Hong Kong, Dubai or beyond can now cool their heels while awaiting flights at two gorgeous new lounges at SFO. These perches are so plush that passengers may want to get to the airport early just to enjoy the surroundings and get a great pre-flight meal.
In December, Cathay Pacific and Emirates opened new lounges at SFO’s international terminal. Both invited me out last month for a look around, and allowed me to take photos to share with readers.
The gorgeous 5,500 sq ft Cathay Pacific lounge is located up an escalator just beyond the security screening area near most other airline lounges on south (A) side of the International Terminal. Prior to the opening of this lounge, Cathay Pacific passengers used facilities offered by Oneworld partner British Airways. Now they have a lounge all to themselves. The lounge’s minimalist design is based on Cathay’s flagship lounges at Hong Kong International– materials such as white italian marble, bamboo paneling and Fabbian crystal are the same. Another similarity: the chef-staffed noodle bar!
The Emirates lounge is located about halfway down SFO’s south side international terminal corridor on the left hand side. First, business and Skywards elite passengers enter and check in, then descend into the enormous 9,500 sq. ft. lounge located one floor down– with direct access to the waiting B777– there is no need to exit the lounge to board the plane. Again, the design of this club should be familiar to Emirates flyers– the rich contemporary look (wood, leather, brass, earth tones, sprays of fresh flowers and plants) is nearly identical to Emirates’ 25 lounges in Dubai and around the world. Similar to the carrier’s main hub lounges in Dubai, passengers are tempted by a visually stunning, seemingly limitless smorgasbord of dining options designed to appeal to western, Indian, Asian and Arab palates. There’s even a Muslim prayer room– with it’s own foot-washing station.
Let’s go take a look! Cathay first:
The big, bright Cathay lounge is open from 7:45 am until 11:50 am, and then again from 8:05 pm until midnight.
The unique and popular Cathay Solus Chair is a specially built unit offering a private space to eat, work and relax.
Cathay's signature fresh noodle bar turns out the perfect pre-flight comfort food-- made to order. There is also a wide variety of hot and cold Western and Asian dishes at the self-service counter
Plenty of space to spread out and work or chill, bathed in natural light
There are three unusually large shower suites, sheathed in marble and other unusual finishes like this white river stone tile.
A large carrera marble communal table in the dining area.
Cathay offers two flights per day from SFO to Hong Kong-- noon and midnight. SFO-HKG nonstops last about 14 hours.
Now, let’s walk on down to the Emirates lounge….
Emirates passengers check in here, then descend to the lounge. It opens at noon and closes once all passengers have boarded for the 3:45 pm departure to Dubai (15.5 hours away!)
The enormous, light-filled lounge is filled with cozy seating nooks like this. Floor to ceiling windows look out onto the ramp and the waiting Emirates B777.
There are several of Emirates signature Rolex wall clocks throughout the lounge.
A private prayer room.
This is the foot washing station adjacent to the prayer room.
Passengers get restaurant-style service at the largest private dining room at SFO.
Foodies will delight in the array of gorgeous hot and cold options-- all labeled.
Vegetarian options abound to appeal many travelers who travel through Dubai to get to India.
Passengers can even get a steak! There's also a full bar, a fine wine selection, including champagne.
Nice touch: Free wi-fi throughout the lounge. There is also a business center with several internet connected PCs.
CLEAR card makes comeback at SFO
A traveler uses the CLEAR kiosk at Orlando International (Photo: CLEAR)
Remember the CLEAR card and those CLEAR lanes at SFO? The service that allowed travelers submitting biometric information and paying $179 per year to bypass regular security lines and get to their gates faster? (The original company folded in 2009.)
Well guess what? A new iteration of CLEAR has been functioning at Denver and Orlando airports since 2010, and it will soon make a return to all terminals at San Francisco International.
According to a company spokesperson, the San Francisco Airport Commission has approved a new lease, although there is not yet a firm date when CLEAR lanes will open at SFO. The spokesperson estimated it could take 2-3 months.
What’s best about CLEAR is that it makes the airport security process a lot more predictable—members know for certain that they’ll get through security checkpoints in just a few minutes. The downside (for now) is that the new company is currently operating in only Denver and Orlando airports—SFO will be the third. CLEAR says that it’s got other airports in the pipeline for opening later this year, but it will not name names at this point.
Is CLEAR as necessary as it once was? Over the last year, unexpectedly long lines at airport security at SFO have rarely tripped me up. Travelers and the TSA seem to have gotten the process down to a science. But there is the occasional scare when entering United’s Terminal 3 and seeing a queue (even the special one for premium or elite level travelers) snaking beyond the roped off area.
When it shut down in 2009, CLEAR was operating at all three Bay Area airports and had 40,000 members in the region. CLEAR is honoring membership from all prior members—click here to reactivate. New members can join here.
So what do you think, dear frequent travelers? Is it worth $179 to have the peace of mind that you’ll make it through the airport security gauntlet quickly? Please leave your comments below. And stay tuned for an update once the CLEAR lines open at SFO.
(Chris McGinnis publishes The BAT and The TICKET blogs for frequent travelers. He’s also the Business Travel Columnist for BBC.com. Do you have comments or questions about this post? Email Chris.)
Q: What is the longest flight from SFO?
Seatback screen aboard an Emirates B777 showing the route of our 15.5 hour flight from SFO to>>>
Q: What’s the longest flight from SFO?
A: The longest flight from San Francisco International is Emirates’ nonstop, 15.5-hour flight to Dubai on a Boeing 777.
Q: When flying from San Francisco to Dubai, would your heading be west or east?
A: Neither! The 8,100-mile flight between SFO and Dubai heads due north—right over the North Pole!
Last fall, Emirates invited me to take this monumental, nonstop journey to the other side of the world. Here are some notes and photos from the flights—in both directions. C’mon along for this spectacular ride– and see the North Pole…
Photo: Chris McGinnis
Emirates flies a Boeing 777-300 between SFO and Dubai in a three-class configuration: First, business and economy. Depending on time of year, economy class roundtrip nonstops cost between SFO and DXB are in the $1,000-$1,500 range; business class fares range from $5,000 to $7,000; first class roundtrip fares are $8,000+.
Emirates says its load factors out of SFO are very healthy– around 80% on average. It says that SFO is at the “top of the list” for deployment of one of Emirates 15 giant A380s, however, at this time the double-decker does not have the range to fly SFO-DXB with a full load during the hot summer months, so there are no set plans to switch to the A380 for now.
Emirates recently opened a brand new 9,500 square foot business class lounge at SFO’s International Terminal A (the southern side).
Forty-two business class seats are configured 2-3-2 on the B777, with a cocoon-like back shell that provides plenty of privacy. Most surfaces (such as the tray table, and even the toilet seat lid in the lavatory) are covered in a classy burled walnut veneer; there are power outlets for laptops, noise canceling headsets, and oversized inflight amenity bags– one for men, another for women– full of all sorts of goodies. While there is no in-flight internet, passengers can send and receive text messages from their seats at $1 per message. All seat functions (including recline, in-flight entertainment or IFE controls and even massage) are controlled by the hand held unit you see in the armrest pictured above.
(Photo: Chris McGinnis)
After a 3:45 pm departure from SFO, we headed due north on a clear day, right over the top of Mt Shasta, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver and the snow-capped peaks of British Columbia at sunset. What a view! I tried to get some work done on the laptop, but found it difficult not to watch the show unfold out the window.
I was particularly impressed with Emirates’ IFE system, which provided a 3-D, virtual-reality-like experience that (to me) was much more entertaining than the thousands of movies, TV shows and games from which passengers can choose. For those who don’t want to view the scenery out the window, electronic window shades raise or lower at the touch of a button.
Photo: Chris McGinnis
Upon boarding, flight attendants served a round a Veuve Cliquot champagne to business class passengers. After about two hours, flight attendants then proffered scented hot towels and warmed mixed nuts and then poured a nice Stag’s Leap Chardonnay, which was followed by a nice meal, briskly served, since many passengers were readying for sleep. I chose halibut, potatoes, grilled asparagus and tomatoes (my seatmate had the Lamb biryani). Food was on par with other foreign carriers I’ve flown– and head and shoulders above what’s typically found in business class on US carriers. Service was efficient, not obsequious or doting.
(Photo: Chris McGinnis)
While I was hoping to stay awake long enough to peer out at the North Pole, the two glasses of Chardonnay, the meal, the melatonin and this nice linen covered mini-mattress (see above), full sized pillow and cozy comforter convinced me otherwise. (I did see The Pole on the return, though! Keep reading…)
Business class seats on Emirates B777 are of the “angled lie-flat” variety (vs true lie-flat) which disappointed me at first. However, the tilt was barely detectable once the seat was fully reclined– and get this: I fell asleep somewhere over the Yukon Territory, and woke up seven hours later somewhere over Iran! By far, the longest, best night’s sleep I’ve ever experienced on a plane.
(Photo: Chris McGinnis)
After our 15.5 hour journey, we landed in Dubai the following day at about 7:45 pm. Dubai International Airport (DXB) is simply stunning. What you see above is baggage claim– which should give you some idea of what the entire airport is like– big, bright and beautiful. It felt like a brand new Las Vegas casino– minus the gambling, which is illegal in Dubai.
Sixty percent of Emirates passengers use Emirate’s giant DXB hub as a connecting point to the carrier’s extensive network of flights– especially to India. As a matter of fact, 50% of all Emirates passengers from SFO end up flying onward from DXB to Indian cities such as Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi.
India-bound passenger’s other options include flying from SFO via Asia or Europe. At one time, United and Emirates participated in a frequent flyer program partnership where Mileage Plus members could earn United miles when flying Emirates to Dubai. However, Emirates says that United decided to terminate that partnership last May.
(Photo: Chris McGinnis)
All business and first class passengers get free transportation via a fleet of black Volvo station wagons stationed outside the airport to their hotels in Dubai (most are about 15-30 minutes away). There is also the quick, slick Dubai Metro rail system that connects the airport to the city– however, note that it has limited hours on Fridays, which are holy days in the Arab world.
(Photo: Chris McGinnis)
This photo, taken from the roof of the Shangri-La hotel shows the towering Burj Khalifa, currently the tallest building in the world. In the lower right corner is a Dubai metro station. It all looked like something out of a science fiction movie.
(Photo: Chris McGinnis)
On the day of my return flight, I arrived at the airport early to investigate and enjoy what I’d heard was one of the poshest business class lounges in the world. I was not let down– from the spray of fresh flowers at the entry, to the multiple buffets serving traditional English breakfast, full Indian meals, baked potatoes with all the toppings, salmon with capers, shrimp, endless refrigerated shelves of desserts, juices, tea, and coffee. The selection boggles the mind.
Morning is peak time in the Emirates business class lounge, and the place was packed– almost uncomfortably so. I was told that this enormous lounge could accommodate up to 1,600 travelers, and I think it was running pretty close to capacity that day. Seeing the crowds, and knowing that everyone in the lounge had paid several thousand dollars for their business class tickets made me wonder to myself, “What global financial crisis?” (See additional photos here.)
(Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Flying back to SFO took us over the North Pole once again, and this time I stayed up for the action. In the photo above, you can see our routing over the top displayed on the IFE system.
(Photo: Chris McGinnis)
That’s it! The money shot! In this photo, I’m looking out the window straight down on the North Pole. (See the big striped candy cane? 
)
(Photo: Chris McGinnis)
After the excitement of seeing the North Pole, it was time for a snooze. Note how Emirates has cleverly installed thousands of tiny fiber-optic white lights (that actually twinkle) into the ceiling of the aircraft to let you know that it’s time to sleep. Nice touch.
(Photo: Chris McGinnis)
For Muslims, who must face east for their daily prayers, Emirates in-flight system displays this icon several times throughout the flight in the IFE system– the arrow points east toward Mecca, no matter which direction the plane is pointed in.
(Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Almost home!
(Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Forward facing cameras on the B777 broadcast the view as we approach SFO and touch down at about 1 pm pacific time.
(Chris McGinnis publishes The BAT and The TICKET blogs for frequent travelers. He was a guest of Emirates Airline on this roundtrip flight. Do you have comments or questions about this post? Email Chris.)
San Jose gets new Tokyo nonstops
Advertisement for ANA's new 787 Dreamliner at Tokyo's Haneda Airport (Photo: Infradept / Flickr)
Yesterday, Japan’s ANA (All Nipp0n Airways) announced that it would bring nonstop service back to Mineta San Jose International airport starting this April. (American Airlines offered SJC-NRT nonstops until 2005).
What’s most exciting about the announcement is that ANA will deploy the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the route. ANA is the launch customer for Boeing’s newest aircraft and the San Jose flights (as well as those to/from Seattle) will mark the first commercial Dreamliner flights in the US. Currently, ANA only flies the 787 on intra-Asian routes.
So far, all we have is an announcement– There is no firm start date for the flights and when I checked on ANA’s website today, San Jose is not yet listed as an origin or destination city.
Here’s part of ANA’s announcement:
Flying long-haul services to these two key West Coast destinations will enable ANA to maximize the Dreamliner’s efficiency and performance. The Dreamliner uses 20 per cent less fuel than similar-sized aircraft, making it the first mid-sized airplane capable of flying long-range routes, and offers new standards of passenger comfort because of its composite structure and interior design.
Shinichiro Ito, President and CEO of ANA Group, commented: “We are very pleased to announce the launch of further international Dreamliner services to these two new destinations on the west coast of the United States. We will make full use of the efficiencies of the 787 as well as capitalizing on our close relationship with United and Continental Airlines to enhance the competitiveness of our joint ventures with these two Star Alliance partners.”
“Seattle is an important international business hub and home to companies such as Microsoft, Amazon and, of course, Boeing itself while San Jose is in the heart of Silicon Valley. Passenger demand to fly to both destinations is high, not only from Japan but from many Asian cities. The launch of these new services will make ANA the only Japanese airline to operate the two routes, as well as the only carrier to operate the Narita-San Jose route.”
ANA currently operates daily nonstop flights from San Francisco to Japan using Boeing 777-300ER with new “Inspiration of Japan” interiors.
A few minutes with Richard Branson
Last week, Virgin America launched new nonstops between San Francisco and Palm Springs (one daily in each direction; $180 round trip).
As usual, the swashbuckling Brit billionaire Sir Richard Branson showed up from the other side of the world to lead the celebration for the new service.
The fete included free cosmopolitans for everyone at SFO’s new Terminal 2, speeches by dignitaries, paparazzi and a troupe of crooning Rat Pack lookalikes as passengers waited to board. Plus, there was the obligatory ribbon cutting with Palm Springs mayor Steve Pougnet. (SEE PHOTOS BELOW)
After the short flight south, an 8-foot wide red carpet welcomed passengers at Palm Springs International– and led to a catered party at the terminal including a full bar and thumping DJ for the enjoyment of all.
In the midst of all this, I was able to snag a few minutes with Branson in seats 1A and 1B on the flight to Palm Springs.
He told me that his spin through SF was actually at the tail end of a weeklong business trip that made my eyes crusty with jet lag…
He started from home base in London and flew to Nairobi, Kenya for a conference about overcoming barriers to business success in Africa. Then it was on to Johannesburg, South Africa to promote his new book “Screw Business As Usual” and to open one of his new Virgin Active gyms.
From there he jetted up to Israel to promote his new space travel venture, Virgin Galactic.
From Israel he buzzed over to Portugal to investigate the country’s decriminalization of personal possession of drugs– “It is time to end the war on drugs worldwide. We must stop criminalising drug users,” he says on his blog.
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After Portugal, there was quick stop back in the UK before flying to San Francisco for the Palm Springs launch plus an appearance at an environmental conference with Governor Jerry Brown out at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.
As soon as Branson got off the plane in Palm Springs, he made some witty remarks on the tarmac and cuddled with a couple leggy flight attendants (our arrival in Palm Springs was surprisingly wintry). Then it was off to a waiting helicopter that sped him to LA where he filmed a television commercial with Nike that evening.
After that, he told me he was headed to Necker Island, his private Caribbean island, to celebrate his 29-year-old daughter Holly’s wedding, “under the stars on the ruins of the main house, where I was married many years ago.” (The house was destroyed earlier this year by a fire caused by lightening.)
During his 24 hours in San Francisco, Branson told me he bedded down at the posh St Regis (“lovely Christmas decorations in the lobby; that hotel does on the ground what Virgin does in the air,” he said.). He also said he had an excellent, fresh lunch next to the fireplace at the super-hot Cotogna in SOMA (reportedly with financier Dick Blum, spouse of Senator Dianne Feinstein).
Just before our chat, Branson had walked the length of the A320, shaking hands, flashing his big toothy smile back at the cameras, and chatting with the media and astonished passengers—he was totally “on.”
But after hearing him describe his business trip and brutal itinerary leading up to this flight, I had to ask, “How do you deal with all this…the cameras, the conferences, the jet lag?”
“Well, I drink lots of water, avoid alcohol and occasionally take melatonin or a sleeping pill to help get some rest.”
And then, looking wearily and longingly toward the front of the plane he said, “And sometimes I sneak into the lavatory for about three minutes just to be alone.”
Richard Branson, Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet and SFO chief John Martin cut the ribbon (Photo courtesy: Joe Enos)
A red carpet welcome under wintry skies at Palm Springs International
The 10 largest airlines in the world
United-Continental now numero uno in el mundo
Interesting nugget of aviation news from AP today:
A series of mergers over the last decade has created a group of mega-airlines that reach almost every corner of the globe. Here are the world’s largest airline companies based on the number of miles their passengers flew in 2010:
- United Continental: 181,939 million
- Delta Air Lines: 165,900 million
- American Airlines: 125,443 million
- Air France, KLM: 125,043 million
- Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian: 108,811 million
- British Airways, Iberia: 97,384 million
- Southwest, AirTran: 97,360 million
- Emirates: 89,266 million
- China Southern Airlines: 68,689 million
- Qantas Airways: 62,082 million
Source: AP calculations on International Air Transport Association data
All except #9 and #10 fly to SFO…. which airline do you fly most? And why?
American Air Bankruptcy: No impact at SFO for now
An American Airlines B737 loads up at SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
American Airlines is filing for bankruptcy protection as they try to cut costs and unload massive debt built up by years of high fuel prices and labor struggles according to AP. The company says that there will no impact on travelers for now. American said it would operate normally while it reorganizes in bankruptcy, but hinted at future flight and staffing cuts. The airline said it would continue to operate flights, honor tickets and take reservations. It said the AAdvantage frequent-flier program would not be affected.
Important: American is NOT shutting down. It’s filed for Chapter 11 protection, which means it will continue to operate while it reorganizes. Chapter 11 protection is a well-worn path taken by nearly every major US carrier at some point in the last 20 years. (Southwest Airlines is the exception.)
American and its Oneworld alliance partners have had a dwindling presence at SFO for a couple years now. AA exited SFO-Honolulu in September and left SFO-Boston last year. Partner QANTAS left SFO-Sydney last year. The carrier walked away from Oakland in 2008. It stopped flying its famous “nerd bird” flights between San Jose and Austin in 2009.
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From SFO, American flies nonstop to only its hubs at New York-JFK, Chicago-O’Hare, Dallas-Ft Worth, Miami and Los Angeles– and in all those markets faces stiff fare competition from low fare carriers like Virgin America, Southwest and JetBlue.
Last year, American inaugurated new service and a posh new Admiral’s Club at SFO’s swank Terminal 2, which it shares with Virgin America. While that presence won’t be affected in the short run, if the carrier continues to shrink at SFO over time, it will be interesting to watch what happens at T2.
How do you feel about American’s bankruptcy? Will it affect your decision to fly American?
Paying up pays off for holiday trips
Why wait in a long holiday taxi queue? Reserve a car instead! (Photo: Enrico Salad / Flickr)
As the peak holiday travel season approaches, everyone’s looking for a deal or a steal. But the truth of the matter is that bargains are difficult to come by during the Thanksgiving and Christmas peak travel season.
And if you snag what you think is a bargain, you might end of “getting what you pay for.”
As a matter of fact, paying a little more at this time of year usually translates into more peace of mind, more quality time with friends or family, and the increased likelihood of a low-hassle trip home for the holidays…. which is what we all want.
Here are six examples to illustrate what I mean:
1> Take a nonstop flight. While you might be tempted by the price of a one-stop flight, by choosing one, you are increasing your chances of a delay or cancellation by 100%! Why take that chance, especially if you are headed home for just a few days, and a delayed or canceled flight could spoil the entire trip?
Cost: $50 to $200 depending on flight length
Example: Flying during peak Christmas week between San Francisco and Atlanta, you’ll pay $660 for a six-hour one-stop journey on Frontier connecting in Denver. On the other hand, fly four hours nonstop on Delta or AirTran and the fare is $730– $70 more. Worth it to fly nonstop? I think so. (Fares checked Nov 13 for flights departing Dec 23, returning Dec 27 and are subject to change.)
2> Book your trip via a real, live travel agent. Most budget-conscious travelers shy away from travel agents who charge fees. But as the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) likes to say, “Without a travel agent, you’re on your own.” Most travel agents can use their experience, connections and clout to help get you out of sticky situations, plus they’ve got knowledge and experience to offer you the best alternatives when or if you get stuck.
Cost: $20-$50 or negotiable
Example: ASTA’s motto surely rang true last year when a monster storm blew up the East Coast on Christmas day, stranding travelers across the country. Most of those who booked trips via travel agents were able to get through to them by phone and adjust travel plans faster than those who only had airline 800-numbers. (Note: Be sure the travel agent you choose has an after hours emergency number.)
Rooms dip as low as $80 over Xmas at a brand new Best Western near Dallas, TX
3> Stay at a hotel. Why burden the in-laws with the stress of houseguests during the already stressful holidays? Instead of bunking on that lumpy sofa bed or stuffy guest room, book a nearby hotel. Tip: Due to lack of demand from business travelers, most hotels are dirt-cheap during the holidays, especially those located in suburban office parks. Travel expert John DiScala, who edits the popular johnnyjet.com website suggests that the holidays are a great time to consider redeeming loyalty points for nicer hotel digs, saying, “For example, Hilton HHonors points can also now be used to upgrade an existing reservation to a premium room or suite at hotels worldwide, with no blackout dates.”
Cost: $50 to $100 per night, depending on location.
Example: A nice, newish Hilton Garden Inn in the northern Atlanta suburbs costs only $67 per night during Christmas week—but book it two weeks later when business travelers are back on the road and you’ll pay nearly twice that much– $127.
4> Review your charge card benefits. Most banks have added a slew of new benefits to charge cards in recent years to woo free-spending, credit-worthy frequent travelers, so you might be packing more power in your pocket than you know. While annual fees are higher for such cards, many now offer benefits that come in handy for holiday travel such as waived baggage fees, access to airport lounges, early boarding privileges, early check in/late check out or upgrades at hotels, concierge services and more.
Cost: $100-$500/year
Example: While the American Express Platinum card sounds expensive at $450/year, the benefits can pay off big time when it comes to peak travel season. For example, the card gets you out of the airport holiday mayhem and into 600 airport lounges (gratis) around the world, covers up to $200 airline fees from checked bags to in-flight food or cocktails, and Global Entry membership, which gets you to the front of the line US Customs and Immigration. For a $95 fee, the new Chase/United Explorer card offers early boarding, one free checked bag, and two United Club passes. Many high-end cards also offer concierge services that can help get you out of travel jams—worth a call if you get stuck!
5> Book roomier airline seats. While you can always pay a lot more to sit in first class, you can now pay a little bit more, and get a more comfortable coach seat. During the busy, crowded holidays, that’s money well spent. While getting a few extra inches of room always helps, the real benefit of paying for a better economy seat is that you usually get to board early—with elite level flyers—which means you get first dibs on scarce overhead bin space.
Cost: Varies based on carrier and flight duration– $10-$100 per segment
Example: I frequently take advantage of last minute upgrades to Virgin America’s Main Cabin Select seats, which offer a few extra inches of legroom at exit rows and bulkheads, free in-flight food and booze, and early boarding privileges. While reserving a Main Cabin Select seat in advance can be expensive, cheaper last-minute upgrades (24 hours prior to flight) can make a good flight a great one. Delta recently added roomier “Economy Comfort” seating on transcon flights between SFO and New York City.
6> Hire a car service to/from the airport. There are lots of reasons why you should use a car service for a ride to or from the airport during the holidays. First, don’t burden friends or family with the chore of driving to the airport during rush hour traffic to pick you up or drop you off. Second, when arriving, you walk straight to your waiting car instead of waiting in those long, cold taxi queues at airports that form during peak holiday season.
Cost: 10%-20% more than cab fare
Example: Last month I was greeted by a taxicab queue at SFO at least 100 people deep after returning from a 15-hour flight from Dubai. Wish I had booked a car service! In New York, I always use the economical Dial 7 car service (212-777-7777) which costs $5 or $10 more than a cab, but offers a comfortable sedan ride to/from Manhattan versus the tight squeeze, bumpy ride, and possible wait for a NYC Taxi.
Where are YOU headed for the holidays? Please leave your comments below.
SFO to get posh new biz/first class lounge
Entry at the Emirates Lounge in New Delhi-- expect similar touches like marble, polished wood and gold letters at SFO (Photo: C. McGinnis)
Dubai-based Emirates Airline has announced that it will open a new business and first class lounge on the A side of the international terminal at SFO later this year.
It will be Emirates’ only lounge on the West Coast…not even LAX gets one of these posh perches.
(Want to see what’s in store for SFO? Scroll down for my slideshow of photos inside Emirates lounges in Dubai and Delhi.)
Emirates currently operates a single daily Boeing 777 SFO-Dubai flight from the G (left) side of the international terminal where it provides business and first class passengers with access to United’s lounges.
The new 9,502 square foot club will be located on the A (right) side between gates 3 and 5 (on the left as you walk from security) and directly across the terminal walkway from the British Airways lounge.
As in other Emirates facilities around the world, cost does not seem to be much of an object with the SFO lounge—expect marble floors, gold Rolex Clocks, fresh flowers, HD televisions, exclusive restrooms and showers, a business center, workstations and free wi-fi. (See slideshow below for a peek of what’s in store.)
Crowding should not be an issue since the lounge will be exclusive to Emirates first, business and elite frequent flyers. (Emirates says that it will not share loung access with any other carriers.) An Emirates 777 holds only 50 first and business class passengers, but the lounge is designed to accommodate a maximum of 265, including a dining area for 77.
Chefs will prepare and present a wide array of hot and cold dishes from an on-site kitchen. There will also be a full bar (flights depart SFO at 4:45 pm…conveniently close to cocktail hour).
Unusual: Business and first class passengers will be able to board the flight from a jetway door located in the lounge leading directly to the plane.
On a recent trip through Dubai to India, Emirates invited me into its massive lounge at its hub there. Since the look and feel of its lounges are pretty standard around the world, what you see in these photos should match up pretty closely with what we’ll soon see at SFO:
Entry point at Emirates flagship business class lounge at Dubai-DXB which can accommodate 1,800 passengers-- and still gets quite crowded at peak times. There's a separate first class lounge I was unable to get into. (Photo: C. McGinnis)
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One of four dining areas at the Dubai lounge which can accommodate 1,800 passengers (Photo: C. McGinnis)
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Check out this lox and bagel spread (Photo: C. McGinnis)
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Loungers for naps (photo: C. McGinnis)
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Shrimp (Prawn) sandos (Photo: C. McGinnis)
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One of a wide selection of desserts and pastries (Photo: C. McGinnis)
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Full bar stocked with premium brands (Photo: C. McGinnis)
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Rolex wall clocks at Dubai Int'l-- a standard in all Emirates lounges (Photo: C. McGinnis)
(Chris McGinnis publishes The BAT and The TICKET blogs for frequent travelers.)
New name, but few changes at “United Club”
United Club lounge at Chicago O'Hare (Photo: Joevare / Flickr)
This week United and Continental celebrated the one year anniversary of their merger by christening their combined lounges with a new name: United Club. However, your Red Carpet club credentials will still get you in the door. So far, no significant changes have been announced, but United says, “In time, remodeled clubs will provide additional business-friendly features…including more workstations…” What could United do to make the clubs better?
Some details:
>United Club members now have access to 50 lounges in 39 airports worldwide, including two here at SFO.
>Memberships start at $475, but day passes are available for $39 online or $50 at the door.
>Clubs offer free wi-fi, beer, wine and liquor, breakfast and afternoon snacks.
>United Club members now have access to 25 more lounges that were once Continental Presidents Clubs.
>Due to its tight affiliation with Chase, United Clubs will no longer offer free access to American Express Platinum Cardmembers.
>United Club already has its own Wikipedia page.
>Starting later this year, Emirates passengers will get their own lounge at SFO, and no longer share facilities with United.
What’s your favorite United Club location? Why? What do you think of the new name?
Virgin America adds SFO-Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta (Photo: HBarrison / Flickr)Virgin America officially announced new service between SFO and Puerto Vallarta (PVR), Mexico starting December 2. Virgin joins United and Alaska Airlines as the third provider of nonstop flights to the popular beach town.
Three carriers on one route? That means lots of competition and lower fares. Ole to that! But still, I would not put fares in the “cheap” category yet.
Virgin’s lowest introductory fare of $258 round trip expands to $368.02 when you add in taxes and fees. And if you are thinking about buzzing down for the super-popular Christmas week in December, fares now stand at $800+ round trip on all three carriers offering nonstops from SFO.
Starting December 2, Virgin will fly down from SFO at 9:30 am and return from PVR at 4:10 pm. (No flights on Mondays or Thursdays.) Flight duration is about 3.5 hours.
Sunday’s SFO cancellations due to Irene
(Source: NOAA)
Below is a list of flights for Sunday, August 28, 2011 that have been cancelled out of SFO due to Hurricane Irene:
(The following is provided to The BAT by SFO Airport Authorities:)
| AIRLINE | DESTINATION | SKED | FLT # | STATUS |
| UA | Baltimore-BWI | 13:30 | 273 | cancelled |
| UA | Baltimore-BWI | 22:31 | 746 | cancelled |
| JetBlue | Boston-BOS | 7:00 | 632 | cancelled |
| JetBlue | Boston-BOS | 13:50 | 634 | cancelled |
| JetBlue | Boston-BOS | 22:27 | 636 | cancelled |
| CO | Boston-BOS | 21:00 | 1519 | cancelled |
| UA | Boston-BOS | 16:00 | 444 | cancelled |
| UA | Boston-BOS | 8:27 | 715 | cancelled |
| UA | Boston-BOS | 22:58 | 733 | cancelled |
| UA | Boston-BOS | 10:53 | 788 | cancelled |
| UA | Boston-BOS | 14:08 | 892 | cancelled |
| VX | Boston-BOS | 10:00 | 352 | cancelled |
| AA | New York-JFK | 9:15 | 12 | cancelled |
| AA | New York-JFK | 12:20 | 16 | cancelled |
| AA | New York-JFK | 15:00 | 20 | cancelled |
| AA | New York-JFK | 7:20 | 24 | cancelled |
| B6 | New York-JFK | 10:49 | 644 | cancelled |
| DL | New York-JFK | 6:30 | 30 | cancelled |
| DL | New York-JFK | 8:30 | 268 | cancelled |
| DL | New York-JFK | 15:30 | 2040 | cancelled |
| UA | New York-JFK | 7:00 | 242 | cancelled |
| UA | New York-JFK | 8:26 | 259 | cancelled |
| UA | New York-JFK | 10:43 | 281 | cancelled |
| UA | New York-JFK | 13:55 | 286 | cancelled |
| UA | New York-JFK | 16:00 | 297 | cancelled |
| UA | New York-JFK | 22:37 | 380 | cancelled |
| UA | New York-JFK | 13:05 | 870 | cancelled |
| VX | New York-JFK | 7:00 | 12 | cancelled |
| VX | New York-JFK | 9:45 | 22 | cancelled |
| VX | New York-JFK | 14:55 | 26 | cancelled |
| CO | Newark-EWR | 7:10 | 1173 | cancelled |
| CO | Newark-EWR | 6:00 | 1202 | cancelled |
| CO | Newark-EWR | 13:15 | 1524 | cancelled |
| CO | Newark-EWR | 11:05 | 1683 | cancelled |
| UA | Newark-EWR | 9:08 | 623 | cancelled |
| UA | Newark-EWR | 21:53 | 791 | cancelled |
| UA | Philadelphia-PHL | 8:31 | 749 | cancelled |
| US | Philadelphia-PHL | 13:40 | 651 | cancelled |
| US | Philadelphia-PHL | 11:00 | 658 | cancelled |
| US | Philadelphia-PHL | 6:15 | 700 | cancelled |
| US | Philadelphia-PHL | 8:25 | 768 | Cancelled |
(UA=United; US=US Airways; CO=Continental; VX=Virgin America; DL=Delta;)
Additionally, the following airports are currently closed:
Atlantic City (ACY)
Caldwell Wright (CDW)
Newark-Liberty International (EWR)
Long Island-MacArthur (ISP)
New York-Kennedy (JFK)
New York-LaGuardia (LGA)
Morristown Municipal (MMU)
Philadelphia Int’l (PHL)
Stewart Airport (SWF)
Teterboro Airport (TEB)
All passengers, regardless of their destinations and carrier, are strongly encouraged to contact their respective air carriers for the most current information regarding the status of their flights. Additionally, passengers should not come to the Airport unless their air carrier has indicated their flight will depart as scheduled.
