Still Give Yourself Plenty of Time if You’re Flying In and Out of Heathrow All eyes are still on London Heathrow in the wake of the foiled terror plot in early August that triggered more than 1,000 flight cancellations. Laptop computers are reinstated as legal carry-on items in one carry-on bag but liquids, as they are in the United States are outlawed—even contact lens fluid and eye moisturizers. Delays at LHR are commonplace. Wise to check in three hours early for international flights and recovering bags takes an extra 30 minutes. With international leisure travelers checking in more luggage, business travelers, who can no longer carry on garment bags or roll-aboards, are paying a steep penalty in terms of time lost at the carousels. Still, competition for LHR slots is still ferocious because of its gateway status. United Airlines dropped its JFK to Heathrow service and Delta instantly jumped in, offering a $999 fare for roundtrip business class. How long that rock-bottom tariff will last is anyone’s guess but it knifes into all-business class Maxjet with its JFK and IAD flights to London Stansted and, no doubt, will impact Eos Airlines, which offers a luxury 48-seat business class that’s more like first class service to Stansted that appeals to the time-sensitive Wall Street, legal and consulting crowd. Maxjet, meantime, is launching a twice-weekly Las Vegas to Stansted flight and Eos is starting its second daily flight from JFK to Stansted in mid-September. Smart Idea: United Airlines is wisely testing fast-track boarding lines at SFO for first class, business class, 1K and other elite-level Mileage Plus members. If it works better than its current “zone” boarding system, it will be rolled out in other cities…In a race for space, Etihad Airways, the Abu Dhabi-based, UAE national flag airline launching daily JFK service October 26, will have a 6-foot, 8-inch lie-flat seat in its Pearl Zone business class on its new A345-500…Southwest via its link with ATA and commandeering its gates, will have 216 flights daily to 46 cities from Chicago Midway…You can’t book a flight on the site but www.dohop.com will give you the lowdown on the 45 to 50 discount airlines flying around Europe these days…El Al begins three 777 flights a week between LAX and Tel Aviv. Israel’s minister of tourism has a new update on the country’s website, www.goisrael.com with answers to travelers’ questions and concerns…JetBlue adds service from JFK to seven new cities by October 3 including Nashville, Houston, Aruba, Sarasota/Bradenton, Tucson and Columbia, South Carolina. Unplugged…Sad to see the trailblazing Connexion by Boeing in-flight Internet service is being disconnected by the planemaker. Cause of death? Apathy. Not enough passengers were willing to shell out $10 an hour up to $30 a flight to use it. Lufthansa, which had 62 planes outfitted with Connexion, said only about 40 passengers would get online per flight. The German carrier will keep it going for a few months. However, Airbus says it will have an Internet service on Singapore Air’s A-380 at year-end provided by OnAir, a joint venture that it partially owns. No pricing details are available. Dining Tips: San Franciscans are passionate foodies and business travelers coming to Fog City should check out Mamacita (www.mamacitasf.com) for fresh regional Mexican cuisine at fair prices. Silks, the elegant restaurant tucked away on the second floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, is getting raves. In Paris, taking a client or prospect to lunch can obliterate your expense account. Karen Fawcett, a journalist who writes and produces the fact-packed Bonjour Paris.com Web site, says most top restaurants have prefixed lunch menus that cost a fraction of the ala carte menus. Work with the wine steward and pre-select the wine so no one orders the most expensive wine. If you’re hosting more than six people, write out small place cards. Fawcett says: Tip the maitre d’ well. For more good advice, visit www.easylifeinparis.com. Forget boring hotel meeting rooms and add charm to your conferences. Good example: quaint circa 1924 Casa Marina Hotel and Restaurant right on Jacksonville Beach, Florida, rents its split-level Penthouse Martini Lounge for corporate meetings during the day at $500 and up. Hotel rooms start at $159 and the 82-year-old hotel has gratis Wi-Fi in its 23 rooms and everywhere else…Going up: U.S. hotel rooms average $94 nightly as of June 30, reports Smith Travel Research, up 13 percent in the past 18 months. On-airport parking lots are boosting fees to pay for security and generate revenues. For a snapshot of fees, check www.airportparkingreservations.com and, if space is tight, reserve a long-term parking place at 200 lots near 65 U.S. airports. Global travelers who want to unwind and pamper themselves on the road can get the new Spa Book directory from Small Luxury Hotels of the World (www.slh.com). Superb Service…The “butler did it”—unpacked and packed guest’s luggage at the St. Regis Shanghai—and general manager Chuck Abbott, longtime Starwood man, says his 40 butlers, who work round the clock, serve all guests. The hotel has gratis Wi-Fi throughout and broadband in every room, 24-hour business center and health club. “We have all the toys and service at a fraction of what it costs today in Europe.” Rates start at $300 a night...The new Trident Hilton Gurgaon, 20-minute, $40 ride from Delhi International Airport, is equipped for business travelers. The business center has three PCs and usage is $3.50 for a half hour, $20.50 a day for Wi-Fi in rooms and throughout the hotel, while cell phones are $3.50 for the day plus a $32 one-time connection charge plus a per minute charge...Doubletree Hotel JFK Airport, a former Radisson, opens with 384 rooms and rates starting at $169. The GM might want to train his staff a bit in phone etiquette; Heads Up called on a Sunday morning, got an auto voice message that “all operators are busy” now, found a front desk person who was laughing when she picked up the phone and didn’t know how many rooms the hotel had. You have to wonder how well guests are looked after. Decompress Between Flights: Layovers are time-wasters for business travelers but in Mexico City, the 209-room Marquis Reforma hotel has what it calls a “Spectacular Layover Package: a ride in from the airport, 50-minute massage, fitness center, buffet breakfast or lunch, and transfer back to the airport for $180. Visit www.marquisreforma.com... Hosting a business dinner in downtown D.C.? Little-known Agua Ardiente has excellent Spanish food, an impressive wine list and reasonable prices. 202-833-8500. The Bombay Club is, ah, clubby, classic and favored by the likes of Harrison Ford and Bruce Willis when they’re in town shooting a movie. Hot bar and, again, fair prices. 202-659-3727
….Discount hotel Web site, Quikbook.com, has a “Shortcuts” category that lets you pinpoint hotels with free high-speed Internet, all-suite hotels and hotels near airports or convention centers…Raffles L’Ermitage in Beverly Hills is the business traveler’s dream hotel. A 675-square-foot room, starts at $365 and most services other hotels charge for are free including a newsstand with newspapers and magazines, Wi-Fi pool cabanas and truffle French fries…Taking a cruise but need to keep in touch? Cruise Lines International Association tells Heads Up that Blackberries, Trios and world phones do not work at sea, only in ports, that Internet access is available and costs are generally 35 cents to 50 cents a minute. Last call: Restaurant Eugene is a great place to wind up a week in Atlanta. Bar manager Greg Best re-creates the classic cocktails on his Friday Flight Night. One recent offering: the famous Moscow Mule with ginger beer and Smirnoff, the original vodka used when it was created in the late ‘30s. Instead of the cuke, Best garnishes with a wrapped stick of candied ginger. The nibbles are inventive, too. Short rib empanada, fried plantine chips dusted with cinnamon sugar, dry rubbed shrimp and salmon tartare. www.restauranteugene.com. Don’t Miss. Go fly a kite or watch the pros do it at the American Kitefliers Association’s 29th annual convention October 3–7 in Des Moines. www.aka.kite.org. Theatre, food, arts, festivals in the City of Brotherly Love. It’s all in Philadelphia and more from October 19 to 22. www.phillyfunguide.com.
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