All Nippon Airways to have women-only bathrooms on international routes

by Amy Chen on

Starting March 1, ANA will designate some lavatories on international routes as only for women.

One toilet in the aft section of each plane will be reserved just for women. The signs are expected to go up in March and be completed fleet-wide by the end of April.

Exceptions include A320/B727 aircraft, and depending on the passenger load, the women-only restriction may be lifted if there aren’t enough women on board. (ANA flies long-haul flights from North America to Asia, including Japan.)

There will be no male-only bathrooms, so women can use either. Other than the new signs, there are no differences between the restrooms, though the airline is considering having different amenities in the women-only restrooms, such as special hand soap.

The change comes as a result of customer demand, though spokesperson Justin Massey tells me via e-mail that “there weren’t specifics about seat-down-versus-up… It was determined in general that the females preferred not following a male into restrooms and that males, to some extent, mentioned not feeling totally comfortable with a female coming into the restroom after they’ve used it.”

Considering the line to the ladies’ room always seems longer no matter where you are, this change could help make a long flight slightly more tolerable since women can now access more on-board restrooms than men.


Alaska Airlines picks Gogo Inflight for their Wi-Fi service

by Scott Carmichael on

This morning, Alaska Airlines became the latest of the major carriers to sign on with Aircell for their Gogo Inflight Wi-Fi service. Previously, Alaska had been testing the satellite based inflight Internet systems from Row44, but because of the speed at which the Aircell system can be installed, Gogo emerged as the system of choice.

As of right now, the Aircell network only covers the lower 48, but it will soon be expanded into Alaska.

Inflight Internet access on Alaska Airlines will start at $4.95. Alaska and Aircell will initially install the Gogo service on a Boeing 737-800. Once the equipment has been certified for their 737 aircraft, the airline will start outfitting its entire fleet, beginning with their 737-800s serving longer routes.

The Gogo Inflight service is already available fleet-wide on Airtran and Virgin America, as well as select routes on United Airlines, Air Canada, Delta Airlines, US Airways and American Airlines. With almost 730 planes, they are by far the largest inflight Internet provider in the world.

Gadling TV’s Travel Talk 002: Google goes Trans-Siberian, BA Strike, Aircruises, S.F. in 24 hrs and more!

by Stephen Greenwood on


Gadling TV’s Travel Talk, episode 2 – Click above to watch video after the jump

Travel Talk is Gadling’s version of a travel show. In each episode, we’ll discuss hot travel news; share fun, useful tips for both traveling and bringing your travel experiences back home; spotlight exciting travel destinations; and much more.

In this week’s episode – we discuss Google’s new project on the Trans-Siberian Express, break down the latest looming British Airways strike, discuss Seymourpowell’s lofty Aircruise concept, and discuss the latest blunders from Ryanair and the TSA.

Bruce is back for another travel tip; we’ll also show you the best spots in San Francisco in a new segment called 24 hour turnaround and show you what it’s like to rock climb in the California Wilderness.

If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.

Be sure to tune in next week, for Episode 3 of Gadling TV’s Travel Talk with special coverage of Virgin America’s Fly Girls Premiere!

Download the Show: Travel Talk – 002 (HD!!) // Travel Talk – 002 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted)

Subscribe via iTunes:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Travel Talk feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

Links:
Moscow to Vladivostok on Google
Seymourpowell’s Aircruises (+video)

Hosts: Stephen Greenwood, Aaron Murphy-Crews, Drew Mylrea
Special guest: Bruce!
Travel Hero: Mark Beaumont

Produced, Edited, and Directed by: Stephen Greenwood, Aaron Murphy-Crews, Drew Mylrea

Music by:
Ben Rector
“Associated”
myspace.com/benrector

The Pacific
“Live In A Dream”
myspace.com/thebixbyknolls


Poll of the Week!

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Indianapolis prepares for March Madness with new hotel rooms, vacation packages

by Melanie Nayer on

Indianapolis is getting ready to host a pair of the NCAA basketball games by opening up more than 600 new hotel rooms.

According to Fox59, a local Indianapolis station, The Courtyard at Marriott, SpringHill Suites and Fairfield Inn are now open and booking guests. The new hotels are within walking distance from the stadium and new convention center, which will host the Final Four games.

The games take place March 14 through April 5 and Indianapolis hosts the Men’s Final Four April 3-5. Final Four tickets are on sale now starting at $410 and reaching as high as $3400. GoTickets.com is offering Final Four travel packages starting at $1,025 per person for three nights. The March Madness package includes three nights at the Hampton Inn Indianapolis South, tickets to the games, round-trip gameday transfers and shuttle service to Hoop City.

Indianapolis has suffered its drop in tourism dollars and is hoping the Final Four brings more travelers to the Midwest city — thanks to the addition of new hotel rooms, there’s plenty of room for basketball fans from around the nation.

Starwood bets on Hollywood allure

by Tom Johansmeyer on

What do you do when lenders take over two of your hotels, as your coping with the worst recession in seven decades? Well, if you’re Starwood Hotels, you make a $350 million bet with a single property from your W line. The hotel opened on January 15, 2010, and it’s banking on the reputation of Los Angeles as the center of the entertainment world. Located on Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, the new W Hotel hopes to attract star-struck tourists who want to get up close and personal with the movie industry.

The only problem is that fewer and fewer people are heading out to Los Angeles, which is putting a bit of a squeeze on the new property. There’s an opportunity hidden in the situation, however. Carlos Becil, W’s North American vice president, says, “When we come out of this down cycle we’ll own the upswing with all these newer hotels,” Becil said to Bloomberg News.

The financial crisis has been particularly hard on the W chain. The W San Diego was taken back by its lenders after Sunstone Hotel Investors, which had owned the property, couldn’t get the terms of its $65 million securitized mortgage changed. The W New York Union Square was bought by Dubai World in 2006. Well, it missed a payment, which wound up pushing the property onto the auction block back in December. Dubai World also has an interest in the W Washington, D.C., a loan on which is 30 days delinquent. The debt servicer and borrower are working on a solution.