Pimp My Airport Lounge

by Kyle Ellison on

As a travel writer you might expect I spend a healthy amount of time in swanky airport lounges eating lobster tail and getting foot massages.

Well, I don’t – far from it.

The reality is closer to trying to find a spare outlet to charge my chronically low computer battery and simultaneously napping in the fetal position on the airport floor while traveling on the most budget friendly (read: logistically absurd) route.

This, however, does not need to be the reality for all travelers. For those with access privileges to global airport lounges, according to a recent article by USA Today, many airlines are investing healthy sums of money in order to spruce up their lounges to start wooing back once-loyal customers.

Some of the perks being mentioned? Lufthansa is offering lounge members traveling through their Frankfurt hub a full service spa where massages and facials ease the pain of an excessively long layover. Same goes for the Virgin lounge in JFK airport where 15-minute massages are complimentary and pedicures can be enjoyed for a modest $20-$40 upgrade.

Delta’s Sky Clubs lounges have recently added upgraded “Luxury Bars” where top-shelf cocktails are now available, and the same Virgin lounge in JFK now offers full-service menus and appetizers for hungry travelers killing time between flights.

Also noted in the USA Today article: although airline lounges have historically been the private realm of first-class seat holders and loyal frequent fliers, many airlines are now offering $50 day passes to general coach citizens as a way of raising ancillary income.

So am I going to pop the $50 for a layover in the lounge? Probably not, but it’s comforting to know that it’s there. Besides, in the types of places I travel, such as Kalibo, Philippines, the airport offers $2 massages to the general public while you wait at your gate.

When JFK gets that service going you can count me in for sure.

[Image: kalleboo via Flickr]

Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z to open 40/40 club sports bars at select airports

by Scott Carmichael on

Jay-Z (yes – THAT Jay-Z) issued a press release this morning, outlining his plans to open several 40/40 clubs at “select airports”. The first of his eight 40/40 clubs opened in New York City in 2003 and since then, locations have opened around the country, as well as abroad.

The airport club concept will offer passengers a stylish sports bar and lounge. Very little was revealed about the exact theme or design of the airport clubs, but you can probably expect a decent bar service, along with a variety of TV screens showing sports games.

The clubs are a collaboration between Jay-Z and airport hospitality firm Delaware North. A spokesman for Delaware North had the following to say:

“We are thrilled to partner with the 40/40 Club, to bring a stylish sports bar and lounge to airports across the country. From the personalized, one-of-a-kind jerseys on the wall, to every sports game you can think of on the television screens, the club will bring a new experience that we are sure travelers will welcome.”

To me, this means they have probably never been to an airport and seen one of the many Fox Sports Bars around the nation where a very similar experience has been offered for years.

Still, I’m sure there is enough interest in a 40/40 club at airports, the market for airside booze is massive – revenue from thirsty passengers is a great incentive to sell as much liquor as possible. After all, who doesn’t love a $6 beer with some $12 nachos before their flight?

[Photo: Getty Images]

Worst travel mistakes of the 2000’s : Locked in the lounge

by Scott Carmichael on

As we look back at the past ten years, and prepare ourselves for the next ten, lets take a moment to remember the dumbest mistake we ever made when traveling. For the coming week, we’ll entertain you with embarrassing stories of our dumbest travel mistakes, all for the sole purpose of your entertainment.

For me, the dumbest thing I did in the past ten years was fall asleep in the airport arrivals lounge.

It all happened when I arrived at Heathrow after a quick trip to New York. As I had a 4 hour layover, I decided to go landside for a full (free) English breakfast in the lounge followed by a quick shower. I then took “a short nap” in the serenity room.

This room was probably one of the quietest and most comfortable in the airport, because I was awoken by a security guard 17 hours later. This also happened to be a full 9 hours after the lounge had closed for the day. I either set off the alarm, or he was on his rounds checking for stupid people who fall asleep in the lounge.

A British Airways representative met me and apologized profusely for failing to notice I was still in the lounge. The airline then took care of rebooking me for a flight to Amsterdam the next morning, and provided a room at the airport Sheraton.

This is by no means the only stupid thing I’ve done during my many years of traveling, but it is the one that has stuck with the most – and the one that always brings back fond memories of the almost 325 trips I took passing through Heathrow Airport.

Tomorrow we’ll bring you another story of a dumb travel mistake, and later this week you’ll have the chance to tell us your own favorite – with a chance at winning a fantastic prize!

The World’s Best First Class Lounges

by Neil Woodburn on

We’ve jealously posted here a number of times about the amenities of flying First Class.

First Class, however, begins long before ever stepping foot on a plane. First Class actually begins the moment you step into the airport and make your way to the First Class lounge.

While the rest of us are stuffed into overcrowded terminals awaiting our flights, the denizens of the First Class lounge have an array of luxuries in which to indulge.

Personally, I’ve never stepped foot into these halls of airport nirvana, but thanks to a recent article in Business 2.0 revealing some of the very best in the world, I can now speak jealously of what exactly I am missing.

The article highlights three lounges at London Heathrow (Virgin Atlantic), Hong Kong International (Cathay Pacific) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia Airlines). In addition, writer Lindsay Blakely also covers Doha International Airport in Qatar in which an entire terminal is dedicated to First Class passengers.

Here are just a few of the amenities offered. Click on the links below to learn which lounge offers which service. And then book yourself a First Class ticket to enjoy your favorite.

Free Secretarial Services
Japanese Water Wall
Showers and Tubs
Free Nanny Service
80-Foot Long Bar
Putting Green
Retro Video Games
Relaxation Room
Rooftop Garden
24-hour Doctor on Staff