Last year, Qantas changed the feel of the airport experience with their Next-Generation check-in. Thanks to the introduction of towers—each around 5' tall—where you check in with a simple swipe of a membership card, passengers in Qantas domestic terminals are having an overall quieter, less-hectic experience. There's not even the need for a boarding pass, since the bar code on the frequent flyer card is the paperless replacement.

When launched, we told you The Red Kangaroo was on the forefront of this technology, trialing in a few cities around Australia before introducing it, practically, across the entire domestic system in 2010. Ticket counters have been replaced with traditional kiosks for those who do not have a smart-chip card, but the number of towers outnumber the kiosks. We have had the chance to use this innovation and think it's pretty amazing, not only because of the technology but also for its efficiency and massive help on cutting down the time from airport door to plane door.]]> jetflyboy 2011-12-13T10:49:50-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/10/18/155258/59

Why, isn’t this the prettiest little airport you ever did see? We’ve heard lots of good things about Denver International Airport being up there in the stylish airport ranks, but we’d assumed its fashionista status was confined to its outside appearance of the snowy peaks on top of the building.

Not so! There was, as we found out last week, art everywhere, from the peak-shaped tiles on the floor to the train-off-the-rails-type installation at the shuttle station. ]]> juliab 2010-10-18T15:52:58-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/12/4/154027/259

We're admittedly not fans of airport sleeping, but the new Minute Suites at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport are the closest we've come to changing our minds. They've located in Concourse B, they're 7 feet by 8 feet, and they're clean. They're also isolated and have wifi, adding up to the best situation you can reasonably expect at an airport.

Their promo materials sound a little New Agey—"a wellness-based solution to the stress and fatigue caused by air travel," "'napware' audio program"—but the perks seem to be solid enough. Each suite has a daybed with fresh blankets and pillow covers. There's an HDTV that can stream television programs, flight statistics, or the Internet. You can also access the Internet via the suite wifi or a workstation. Imagine a layover plus a canceled flight, and now imagine not having to walk to the gate every 20 minutes because you can check the flight status from a comfortable sofa. You begin to get a sense of their business plan.]]> Omri 2009-12-04T17:09:38-05:00 33.6399750 -84.444032 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/28/151215/00

A new survey is out on travelers' favorite airports, this one claiming to be among the most comprehensive to date. 14,500 frequent travelers representing 160 countries from around the world were polled, and after everything was tallied the winner was Singapore's Changi Airport. Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok and Amsterdam's Schiphol were 2nd and 3rd respectively.

We're not sure how actually legitimate these results were and if there was any campaigning in the background. Whoever's responsible for the airport's PR seems to have an ambitious streak, and someone has gone so far as to insert copy into Wikipedia: "the designer airport is one of those anomalies where the phrase 'I spent all my time in the airport' is likely to be a positive."

So maybe this was a commissioned survey. But as the old saying goes, if you've got it flaunt it. And the Singapore Changi Airport certainly seems to have it.]]> Omri 2009-10-29T09:14:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/13/84954/8231

Japanese Tom Hanks Hiroshi Nohara is headed home, after spending 117 days in Mexico City International Airport and then shacking up with a mysterious woman known only as Oyuki for close to two weeks.

Nohara reappeared at MEX on Sunday, carrying three plastic bags full of clothes and blankets. His flight back to Japan left Monday, with a stop scheduled for San Francisco.

While Nohara never fully explained why he was living in the airport, we like to think that he was part of some Illuminati super-plot or was at least wrapped up in some kind of real-life Bourne scenario. 'Cause really... "The Terminal"? Honestly, it wasn't that good.

Related Stories:
· Man Returns to Japan after Mexico Airport Stay [AP, via Google]
· Japanese Tom Hanks Moving On Up [Jaunted]
· Japanese Tom Hanks Can't Get Enough Of Mexico City [Jaunted]

[Photo: China Daily]]]> pbb 2009-01-13T09:05:48-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/3/153625/1305

Like most convenience-loving Americans, I welcomed the introduction of curbside check-in at airports around the world. There's nothing better than checking your bags and getting your boarding passes immediately upon stepping out of the taxi, and even though there's a fee for the service, it's worth it for that easy-breezy feeling of dumping your luggage and proceeding directly to the gate. But lately the curbside check-in guys have become more churlish. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like they used to be a lot more helpful than they are today, actually carrying your bags from the curb to the scale and cheerfully booking you on an earlier flight if one was available. But the past three times we've flown, we were lucky to get so much as a grunt from the curbside dudes, who watched lazily as we struggled with bags, stroller, and wiggly baby. A little help? Forget it.

They unfailingly tell us about the curbside check-in fee, though, making sure we know that the tip is not included in that fee. The last time I heard that, I was left thinking "a tip for what?" If you don't do anything more than the regular check-in people do inside the terminal - if I wrangled all my own bags while you stood idly, joking with your co-workers - why should I tip you?

Of course I keep my mouth shut and fork over a couple of bucks, lest my bags end up in Timbuktu. It doesn't seem like I've got much of an alternative. What do you think about curbside check-in? Jam it or slam it? Sound off in the comments.

[Photo: Associated Press]

Related Stories
· Airport Heaven Coverage [Jaunted]
· Airport Hell Coverage [Jaunted]]]> Victor Ozols 2009-01-03T15:36:25-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/22/1501/8952

A former Tokyo janitor named Hiroshi Nohara has been living in Mexico City International Airport since September 2. Why? He hasn't said, though he did tell reporters recently, "My life is 'The Terminal 2.'"

Camping out in Terminal 1, which serves both domestic and international destinations, he relies on donations from airport restaurants and transiting passengers to get by, content to sleep in a chair. Despite the freebies, he is not, the Associated Press says, in good shape:

During his stay, Nohara's wiry goatee has grown into a scraggly mass. His red-tinted hair is speckled with dust and dandruff, and his cream-colored jacket and fleece blanket are dingy with overuse. He smells like he hasn't had a shower in months.

With a valid tourist visa that won't expire until March, authorities can't really toss him out of the airport. But he has left on his own at least once: Nohara went to see the Estadio Azteca, one of soccer's most storied venues.

Related Stories:
· "The Terminal 2?" Japanese Man Makes Airport Home [AP, via Google]
· The Japanese Tourist Won't Be Tossed Out [Expreso.com.mx, in Spanish]

[Photo of another long layover at MEX: 00ucci]]]> pbb 2008-11-22T15:03:55-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/