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Tap, Tap, Tap and You're All Checked In on Qantas

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.

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Airports / DEN / Airport Heaven / Airport Art / → All Tags

Denver Airport May Not Have The Best Food, But It Sure Is Pretty

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.

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Airport Heaven / Airport News / ATL / Atlanta Travel / Airports / Airport Layover Attractions / → All Tags

How About A Nap In Atlanta Airport's New 'Minute Suites'?

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.

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Airports / Singapore Travel / Changi Airport / Airport Heaven / → All Tags

Confirmed: Singapore's Changi Airport Is Absurdly, Famously Decadent

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.

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Living in Airports / Airport Heaven / Hiroshi Nohara / MEX / → All Tags

Airport Lover Hiroshi Nohara Headed Home

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]

Airport Hell / Airport Heaven / Curbside Check-in / → All Tags

Ranting and Raving: A Love-Hate Relationship with Curbside Check-in

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]

Living in Airports / Airport Heaven / Hiroshi Nohara / MEX / → All Tags

Japanese Tom Hanks Can't Get Enough Of Mexico City

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]

Air New Zealand / Airports / Airport Heaven / → All Tags

Bragging About A New Check-In System

Air New Zealand thinks it’s pretty clever. During the next month or so the national Kiwi carrier is introducing a bunch of so-called innovations which they say are world firsts at cutting check-in times at the airport.

Now, we do agree that Air New Zealand is good at doing new stuff: They were the proud hosts of the first perfect flight and they’ve got their flying concierges, too. But the changes they’re making to reduce check-in times all kinda sound like stuff we’ve heard before.

There’ll be lots of online options for advance check-in and seat selection, and you’ll be able to use a bar code on your cell phone as a boarding pass. A new array of check in kiosks and luggage handling systems will cut wait times, too.

The $30 million super system is meant to make it 40 percent faster for passengers and we’re definitely happy with that. We just think that claiming a “world first” might be blowing your own trumpet just a bit too loudly.

Related Stories:
· Air New Zealand’s World First Check-In System to Cut Queues [The Age]
· Perfect Flights: Only Air New Zealand Knew There Was Such a Thing [Jaunted]
· Air New Zealand Concierges Almost Ready [Jaunted]

[Photo: code_martial]

Airport Heaven / Airports / → All Tags

Coming Soon to JFK: Edible Food

Complaining about airline food - or what's left of it - is an age-old pastime, but we've always had a soft spot in our hearts for those dried-up beef medallions and tiny iceberg lettuce salads with two radish slices and one lonely cherry tomato. After all, if you're eating an airline meal, it means you're on your way somewhere, and everything tastes better when you're traveling. We hold no such love for the restaurants in most airports, which is why efforts to bring "humanity" to the dining options in JetBlue's new Terminal 5 at JFK are most welcome.

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Airport Heaven / Travel Tech / Continental / Delta / Chris Elliott / → All Tags

Adventures of Link: Delta Introducing Cell Phone Check-in

You'll only be able to try it at LaGuardia for now, but Delta has rolled out its first e-boarding pass. You'll now be able to check in and get past the TSA screeners using nothing more than your web-capable mobile.

Of course, a few airlines already have this service--including Air Canada, Continental and Japan Airlines. But it looks like it's really starting to catch on in the States, which begs an important reminder: Charge those phones before you head to the airport!

Related Stories:
· Delta Testing Cell Phone-Based Airline Check-in [Crave]
· Delta Partners with TSA to Launch Paperless Mobile Check-in [Official Site]
· TSA and Continental Airlines Expand Paperless Boarding Pass Program [Official Site]
· Paper Is Out, Cellphones Are in [NYT]
· The Problem with Paperless Boarding Passes? [Elliott]

[Photo: NYT]

Airport Heaven / Hotels / ARN / → All Tags

HOWTO: Fly Without Taking Off, Part Two

If you can never seem to get any sleep on a flight, the newest hotel coming to Stockholm may not be for you. Officials at Sweden's largest airport have approved a scheme to convert a retired 747 into an 80-bed hostel right next to Stockholm Arlanda.

Area businessman Oscar Diös plans to rip out the aircraft's 500 seats and put in 80 beds; the cockpit will be turned into a suite. Of course some of the interior will remain in place to add that aviation flavor. A potential opening date hasn't been announced, and rates are still a mystery.

If the plan, uh, takes off, Diös says he'll try to start up more of the airplane hotels around the world. After all, why take just a short ride in a flightless plane when you can spend the whole night?

Related Stories:
· Airport Check-In: Jet-as-Hostel [USA Today]
· HOWTO: Fly Without Taking Off [Jaunted]
· Best Geek Hotels in the World [HotelChatter]

[Photo of a 747 at DEN: Wikipedia]

Jaunted Travel Awards / Airports / Airport Heaven / PDX / WiFi / Free WiFi / → All Tags

2007 Awards: Best Domestic Airport

We've spent a lot of time this year digging up airports with free WiFi. And though lots of smaller airports have wireless--and don't get clogged with too many flights--we have to give this year's award to a major airport that's just great: PDX.

Portland International goes so far to let you set up a VPN so you can handle secure data. The airport also has plenty of plugs and seats around; you won't have to set up shop on a dingy patch of floor. Add in the fact that we have fond childhood memories of PDX and that it's so close to great skiing and you've got a winner.

[Photo: web_guy94301]