Airport Check-in
Roger Yu, USA TODAY, 12/17/2007 and 12/24/2007 (excerpted)
KANSAS CITY: More shuttle rides available
Travelers at Kansas City International will have more options in shuttle rides to and from the airport.
SuperShuttle, made its debut at KCI this month by buying and rebranding KCI Shuttle, a local company that had been serving the airport with 30 vans.
SuperShuttle plans to run 44 vans, for now. But it plans to add about 25 in the next 14 months to serve more communities in the area, says Bill George, head of SuperShuttle's KCI operation.
Pricing for downtown Kansas City, Mo., and other spots on the Missouri side will remain largely unchanged: $17 to $19 per person for shared rides. Those opting to ride alone will pay $54.
Starting Dec. 24, travelers willing to share the van with other passengers can a pay per-passenger fee of $28 to suburban Johnson County, Kansas. Previously, the KCI Shuttle hadn't offered the shared-ride option to Johnson County.
CHARLOTTE: Added security lane to shorten lines
Charlotte Douglas is adding one more security lane in January, allowing it to process about 150 more people per hour. The new lane will be located in the "D" checkpoint on the left side of the terminal to those entering. The airport's 13 lanes haven't been enough, and the shortage has led to "excessive lines" of passengers waiting to clear security during peak hours, says airport director Jerry Orr. The airport plans to add five more lanes in the next 18 months at its four checkpoints.
LONDON: Welcome to the faux Terminal 6
Flanked by the Spice Girls, Virgin Atlantic founder Richard Branson recently touted the opening of his carrier's Terminal 6 at London Heathrow.
The only problem is that the building in question is not new, and the airport has only four terminals, plus a fifth under construction.
So it was a bit of a fib, but it was the flamboyant billionaire's way of highlighting some renovations in Virgin Atlantic's Terminal 3 while needling British Airways over its much-hyped Terminal 5, which is set to open in March.
Virgin Atlantic completed Terminal 3 renovations on Dec. 13. The carrier cleared out an old check-in hall for economy classes and remodeled it to accommodate the increase in passengers using the Web or self-service kiosks to check in. It features 29 kiosks. Airline agents roam the area to assist passengers with the machines and baggage check.
The terminal's remodeled second floor is dedicated to business-class customers, who have their own check-in area, security lanes and clubhouse. It also features valet check-in: Passengers can drive up to the building, unload bags and get a boarding pass.
NEWARK: Taxi drivers take credit
Travelers at Newark Liberty can pay cab fares with a credit card. TaxiPass is a pilot program at Terminal A that lets customers pay for taxi rides with a credit card from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. To use, insert a credit card to purchase a TaxiPass voucher from a kiosk located by the Terminal A taxi stand that the driver will redeem.
OAKLAND: Spruced up in time for the holidays
Oakland International has completed several remodeling projects in time for the holidays. Terminal 2, the home of the airport's largest carrier, Southwest, has been expanded to include a new baggage-claim area with three carousels and a new seven-gate concourse. The building features walkways with public art and more restaurants and retail shops, including Andalé Mexican Restaurant & Bar, California Pizza Kitchen and Gordon Biersch Brewing.
The airport has also added 1,100 parking spaces for a total of 7,500, and new curbsides for passenger pickup and drop-off, shuttle buses and valet parking.