Airports

(this message was posted by Gus for Kerry about LAX)

Gus,

CNN published a Travel and Leisure article the other day (February 21, 2008) listing some of their favorite airport places (worldwide) to kill time if you have a flight delay. Here is my summary with commentary and relevant additional information.

There are some interesting suggestions on the list, including a Beer Bar serving handcrafted beers in Copenhagen, and some interesting dining options in London, Boston and Stockholm. Many of the suggestions however are not for the average traveler, unless you are flying First or Business Class or are a member of an airlines' lounge, since the list includes a number of lounges for members and/or first and business class travelers. There are some shopping suggestions (in London and Tokyo), but you better make sure that you have at least 2 credit cards with really large credit limits with you if you want to buy anything. I guess it can be fun to just browse, if you're into that kind of thing, though. They also list a couple of spas if you enjoy some pampering while you wait for your flight.

There are but three listings in the US. The first is oneworld at LAX. A nice description is given, and the place sounds nice. However, a small, but important, piece of information that is conspicuously absent from the article is that you have to be either a First or Business Class passenger flying on Cathay Pacific or Dragonair flights, be a Silver tier member or above of the Marco Polo club, a Cargo Clan Elite member, or a oneworld Emerald and Sapphire member. So I suspect that lounge is pretty empty, but I'll never know ... The second is Vino Volo at JFK (AA Terminal 8 - Concourse B). Checking out their website - vinovolo.com - I find out that they sound pretty cool, if you want to taste and buy some wine. Sounds good to me. They are a combination boutique wine retail store with a tasting lounge and bar, serving wine by the glass or in tasting flights, and selling wine by the bottle. It turns out they are located in some additional airports- Philadelphia International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, Detroit Metro Airport (coming spring 2008), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Sacramento International Airport. Now I like this recommendation! I'll let you know first-hand what this place is like soon!

The last US selection is a Todd English Restaurant, Bonfire, in Boston's Logan Airport. This is a Steak House, and while I've never been, I love his restaurant Olives in the Bellagio in Las Vegas, so I would think this would be worth a try.

Single suggestions are given for Boston (Logan Airport), New York (Kennedy Airport), LAX, Copenhagen, Singapore, Geneva, Munich, Sydney, London, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and London. If you're heading to any of these places and want to read more, the article is here.

Remember - If you eXpect delaYs, you can beat them!
Happy Travels!
-Gus

It takes some of the annoyance out of a flight delay or layover if you can find something either productive or entertaining to do at the airport. We, and other travelers, would like to hear how you pass the time at the airport when you have at the a flight delay or layover. Some may have a great suggestion for a quiet place to get work done, or a great place to get a snack, meal or a drink. Maybe an airport has a gym or spa that you like to use if you're stuck there. We'd love to hear about it! Also, if you have any tips for avoiding delays, please add them for a specific airport or in the "Tips" category. This blog is searchable, so we will tag everyone's suggestions with keywords to make this information easily retrievable. You can enter your suggestion as a comment to the appropriate airport's entry, but don't worry - we may do some shuffling around as we accumulate your comments to make information as easy to retrieve as possible. Also, check our Tips for Avoiding Air Travel Delays.

To enter your comment:

1) Choose the appropriate airport from the categories menu on the left (if your airport is not listed, choose "other" and we will file it appropriately

2) Just below the entry you will see the word "comments". Click "comments". A form will open - just type your entry into the form.

To View other people's comments:

1) Choose the airport you are interested in from the categories menu on the left, and then simply browse the comments

2) Or enter your search terms in the "quicksearch" box beneath the calender to the right.

This is the place where you can share with us how you pass the time when you are delayed at Airports outside of the US. Whether it is a great suggestion for a quiet place to get work done or some R & R, or a great place to get a snack, meal or a drink, or some other great service or store, we'd love to hear about it! This blog is searchable, so we will tag everyone's suggestions with keywords to make this information easily retrievable. You can enter your suggestion as a comment to the apporpriate airport's entry, but don't worry - we may do some shuffling around as we accumulate your comments to make information as easy to retrieve as possible. We do reserve the right to do some editting of the comments as well.

To enter your comment:

1) If comments are already displayed below, there will be a form at the bottom of the page where you can enter your comments. If not, then just below this entry you will see the word "Comments". Click "Comments". The comments from other people will be displayed and a form will be at the bottom of the page. Just type your entry into the form.

2) You can preview your comment, but don't forget to click "submit comment" to save it when you are ready.

To View other people's comments:

1) The comments may already be displayed below. If not, then simply browse the comments by clicking on the word "Comments" at the bottom of this entry.

2) If you would like to browse the comments for another airport, then simply choose the airport from the Categories list on the left. Or choose "Tips" to read helpful tips from others.

3) Or enter your search terms in the "quicksearch" box beneath the calender to the right.