Airport Check-in
Roger Yu, USA TODAY, 2/18/2008, 2/25/2008 (excerpted)
SEATTLE: More Alaska self-service kiosks open
Alaska Airlines opened a second cluster of self-service kiosks and bag drop-off pods at Seattle-Tacoma. It's another step toward Alaska's goal of overhauling its check-in procedures. The Seattle-based carrier is spending $18 million to renovate its ticketing lobby at Sea-Tac in three phases. Each phase consists of a cluster of 11 kiosks and 16 bag-drop pods. The last will open in the summer.
The new check-in setup directs customers of Alaska and Horizon Air, an Alaska subsidiary, to use the kiosks to print boarding passes and tags for checked luggage. Passengers then carry the luggage to nearby drop-off pods for ID checks and bag-tagging by agents. The new lobby design has cut average check-in time by half, the airline says.
DENVER: Mustang sculpture arrives at airport
A 32-foot-tall statute of a rearing mustang is finally being installed at Denver International, years after it was first commissioned. In 1992, the airport paid $300,000 for the fiberglass sculpture, which will sit in a median on Peña Boulevard. A large piece of it fell in June 2006, killing its sculptor, Luis Jimenez, in his New Mexico studio. Jimenez, a nationally renowned artist, had missed several deadlines before he died, and the airport once sought to shift the work to another artist. Jimenez's family members completed his work.
LOS ANGELES: Elite Korean Air travelers get new lounge
Korean Air recently opened a new lounge for premier-class passengers at LAX.
First- and business-class passengers have access to comfortable chairs, snacks and drinks, Wi-Fi, computers and printers, conference rooms, showers and massage chairs at the 9,000-square-foot facility. It's in the Tom Bradley Terminal.
FRANKFURT: Some Lufthansa fliers can self-board
All gates at Lufthansa's Frankfurt hub are now equipped for self-boarding. A scanner reads the bar code on the pass and lets passengers walk through a turnstile to board the aircraft.
An agent is usually present to deal with only non-routine matters, such as torn or damaged passes. Flights to the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom still board passengers the old-fashioned way, with agents checking identification.
BILOXI, MISS.: Growth on the Gulf
Gulfport-Biloxi International unveiled its newly expanded terminal last week. The five-year, $50 million expansion project added five gates for a total of 10.
The airport now has enough space for four security lanes, up from two; the additional lanes open later this year. Passengers also have access to four new restaurants, including local microbrewery Lazy Magnolia.
Despite the destruction from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the region has seen a steady increase in visitors traveling on business and to gamble at its numerous casinos.
Prior to Katrina, the airport had four carriers serving direct flights to six cities. Now it has nine carriers serving 12 cities.
"Tourism has returned, and business travel has grown dramatically," says airport marketing executive Jim Pitts.
BEIJING: Big gets bigger
Beijing Capital International Airport, the ninth-busiest airport in the world, will open its new Terminal 3 later this week. The five-story terminal, with three concourses designated C, D and E, will be one of the largest in the world. It will be home to 27 airlines, including Air China, Qantas and British Airways. Concourse C is for domestic flights and baggage claim. Concourse D is temporarily dedicated to charter flights and will remain that way through the Olympics and the Paralympics later this year. Concourse E is international departures and arrivals.
Terminal 3 is about 4 miles from the two smaller terminals, and passengers will be transported via shuttle buses.
BOSTON: Fine food
Travel + Leisure's March issue designates Boston Logan's Bonfire Restaurant as its "favorite" airport restaurant in the USA. Created by chef Todd English, it is an "American Steakhouse with South American influences," according to the restaurant's website.
The magazine also cited London Heathrow's Plane Food restaurant. Chef Gordon Ramsay's first airport restaurant won't open until March, when Heathrow opens its Terminal 5. But it's a restaurant "the editors are excited about," says magazine spokeswoman Elizabeth Marsh.
ORLANDO: Cars help cover expansion
Orlando International Airport, the nation's largest rental car market, is getting costlier. Customers will be charged $2.50 per day for up to five days to help cover the $103 million the airport plans to spend to expand the rental car operations. The expansion may be complete in 2009.
CHICAGO: Unhappy landings
Chicago O'Hare provides the most miserable air travel experience, according to U.S. News & World Report's "Airport Misery Index" released earlier this month. The ranking shows which airports have the worst combination of delayed flights and crowded planes.