AirTravel

3 Great Layovers Worth Stopping For

To enjoy air travel, which I still firmly believe is possible, there are a few necessities.

First, it always helps to be elite: traveling in first or business class makes everything better. Second, having some vaunted frequent flier status, lounge access. Third, even with those perks, you need something of a Buddha-like attitude. What will be, will be. Hold your plans lightly. Resolve to be happy wherever you happen to end up.

This last piece of advice is easier when you know about terrific hotels that are close enough to the airport to make them feasible on either an intentional or unintentional layover. These are places that are nice enough that you'll sort of hope to get to stuck there -- places that you might actually plan to come back to for a stay all on their own. Here are my three places that I've spent at least a night at recently while in transit, which I'm adding to my list of my favorite layovers.

InterContinental San Juan: You can see the hotel when you're landing at the airport, that's how close it is -- it's less than a ten minute drive from terminal to hotel check-in. The hotel is in the Isla Verde area, and has access to one of the nicest stretches of beach in San Juan, as well as a lively, private pool area available only to hotel guests. Club level rooms have balconies with a view of the pool.
Cedarbrook Lodge Seattle: It's really hard to believe this is exactly two minutes from the airport, but you're barely on the free shuttle enjoying your complimentary water before you've arrived at this wooded, quiet property. This hotel used to be a private hotel for Washington Mutual, but those days are long over, and it's now open to the public. It's designed for business travelers in mind, with 24 hour complimentary snacks, complimentary continental breakfast, and a load of other perks.
InterContinental Tahiti: Okay, if your work brings you to Tahiti and you get stuck in Papeete, no one is going to have a ton of sympathy for you. A more likely scenario is that you're flying through Tahiti on your way to other islands in French Polynesia, when weather unexpectedly grounds you. Worry not, within five minutes you will be at the InterContinental Tahiti which you really could stay at for an entire vacation. I hope that you're stuck there on one of their Polynesian dancing nights -- their dancers are known for being some of the best in the Society Islands. Bonus points for its brand new fitness center with water views.

Gallery: 3 Great Layovers

Tags: air travel, AirTravel, hotels, layovers, san juan, seattle, tahiti, travel

Free Yourself from Flying with the Rabble

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

With economic conditions beginning to turn, the elite are finally being freed from the prison of commercial air travel. After a severe 2008 and 2009, it looks like the private aviation business is getting ready to come back, with research firm Argus showing 5.3 percent growth from January last year to January this year. According to Flexjet president Fred Reid, there was a "very distinct, small, consistent upturn in demand" that began late in 2009.

Late-model business jets aren't as cheap as they used to be, and the surplus on the market has dropped a bit, but new aircraft deliveries haven't returned to earlier levels. Flying hours have fallen, and constraints in the credit markets make it difficult for people to put the requisite cash together to buy and operate a private jet. Following five years of record growth, the NY Times reports, last year was dismal. In the second half of 2009, business jet shipments plunged 33.7 percent year-over-year to 870. High-end propeller plane sales fell 17.6 percent to 441 for the same period.

But, that's all in the past.

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Tags: air travel, AirTravel, commercial aircraft, CommercialAircraft, private jet, private jets, private plane, PrivateJet, PrivateJets, PrivatePlane

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Lux Tip: Make Coach Feel Like First Class

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Lux Tips

These days the cost of flying first class has gone so high it's gotten too expensive for all the but the richest of travelers. Coach fares, which by definition offer less comfort and amenities, are at the point where even the most basic of comforts like a warm blanket or little bag of peanuts cost extra money or aren't offered at all. It's getting downright ridiculous how uncomfortable flying can be!

The good news, though, is that with just a little bit of forethought it's pretty easy to make your coach ticket feel like a first class one -- without the first class hit to your bank account. Take a look at the tips in the gallery below and then share any tips and tricks you have for making flying coach easier in the comments

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Gallery: Tips to Make Flying Coach Feel Like First Class

Shut out the world, relieve in-flight headaches, and reduce fatigue

Give yourself an in-flight spa treatment

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Tags: air travel, AirTravel, coach, first class, FirstClass, lux tip, lux tips, LuxTip, LuxTips, tip, tips, travel, traveling

Dubai's Latest Project Underway: $82 Billion Aerospace Center

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wings, Real Estate Developments

It's hard, these days, to read or hear a sentence about Dubai that doesn't end with a staggering financial figure, usually in the many billions or at least the hundreds of millions. Sheikh Al Mahtoum's vision of Dubai's world-class aerospace center is no different, and investors the world over are trying to get in on the action since its announcement this summer that the project was now well underway.

25 miles outside of Dubai, the land on which contractors from the UAE and Europe have begun construction was slated for development 30 years ago (the equivalent of a century or two in any other developed country). The project adds up to $82 billion in cutting edge technology, aircraft, surrounding residential areas and training options.

At the heart of the plan is the $10 billion Al Maktoum International Airport, which would be twice as big as London's Heathrow and Chicago's sprawling O'Hare airports combined, or roughly double the size of Hong Kong.

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Tags: air travel, AirTravel, al maktoum international airport, AlMaktoumInternationalAirport, aviation, dubai, jetsetters, sheikh al maktoum, SheikhAlMaktoum

The World's Most Luxurious Airlines

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Services, Wings

Flying used to be a fun (or at the very least tolerable) but nowadays it's turned into an outright chore. Lines are long, seats are cramped, there are extra fees for absolutely everything, and forget getting served anything to eat (you're lucky if you get water and a few pretzels). That might be the case for most of us but it's not the case for everybody! There are some airlines (usually those flying overseas) that offer luxuries like champagne, caviar, private cabins, and lie-flat beds. Here's the list of the most luxurious airlines in the world:

Via Gadling

Gallery: The most luxurious airlines in the world

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Tags: air travel, airline, airlines, AirTravel, travel, traveling

Travel Like A Celebrity (i.e. Better than First Class)

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Services, Wings

For millions of travelers every year who fly coach it's hard to walk past the spacious first class seats and through the little curtain to the cramped rows in the rear, but what do those first class passengers look up to? Those traveling better than first class, of course.

Many airlines offer "extra special" treatment to celebrities and other big names, and although the services vary from airline to airline some things are consistent across the board: little to no waiting in airport lines, extreme efforts to protect privacy, and extra security. Plus, of course, VIP lounges and premium food/drink. Not a celebrity? You can buy the services yourself and feel like one for only about $100.

Most of the airlines who offer special upgrades don't advertise their services, and many don't even post them on websites and flyers. Airport Assistance Worldwide, though, is one that isn't so secretive. On their website you can check out services and even make a reservation. Happy travels!

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Tags: air, air travel, airline, airline travel, airlines, AirlineTravel, airport, airport assistance worldwide, AirportAssistanceWorldwide, airports, AirTravel, travel, traveling, VIP

8 Reasons to Get A Private Jet

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

I hardly think that anybody with the means to fly in a private jet versus a public plane has need of being convinced which is better, but just in case this list of 8 reasons to get a private jet will certainly seal the deal. Massages, gourmet coffee and catered meals are just the beginning. Forget leg room and a lap tray, on your own plane you can have luxury sleeping arrangements (your own huge bed) and all kinds of other conveniences like wireless internet access, big screen televisions, and even a better view out the windows.

I was convinced at "massages."

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Tags: air travel, airplane, AirTravel, jet, plane, private, travel, traveling, wings

Luxury Luggage: Style Meets Airlines

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags, Luxury Travel & Hotels

What kind of luggage you carried used to be a simple choice of personal style and durability, but in the post 9/11 world things are different. Regulations for air travel are not only much stricter than they used to be, but they're also changing all the time. Having a set of luggage that you both love and can use/is in compliance for more than one trip is a valuable thing these days!

But thankfully the luggage market is stepping up the the challenge, especially the brands with upscale globe-trotting clientele bases. They're coming out with bags that are lighter than ever, tougher than ever, and of course, more stylish than ever. Many companies are even providing carry-on essentials like ziplock plastic bags and appropriately sized plastic bottles. And that's helpful, seriously.

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Tags: air travel, airline, airlines, airplane, airplanes, AirTravel, bag, bags, luggage, plane, planes, travel

BMW Enters The Jet Design Business With The 787 VIP Business Jet

by Erin Mays (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Luxury Cars & Autos, Wings

After designing such beauties as the stunning 3-series, M Coupe, 6-series and other models in the recent rollout of all-new BMWs, the DesignWorks design team took a little hiatus to work on the automobile's sky-faring cousin, the airplane.

Our sister site Gadling brings the news to us that DesignWorks unveiled some concept drawings at the Hamburg Aircraft Interiors Expo of the ultra-luxury 787 Business Jet, targeted toward, say, a rich 30-something Russian businessman "spends a significant amount of time traveling across the globe and needs an aircraft that function as a second home."

The plane is decked out with white leather lounge chairs and burgundy accent pillows, a full bar, artwork, luxury bedroom accommodations and glass areas on the floor so passengers can keep an eye on their rides in the garage below.

More photos available by clicking through to Gadling.

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Tags: air travel, airplane, AirTravel, bmw, designworks, jet, plane, travel