Lounges

Virgin Atlantic’s ‘secret’ Clubhouse hotel room

Hotels, Lounges, ,

I didn’t get to spend the night, but on Thursday morning I did get to peek into this pop-up hotel room tucked into the corner of the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow Airport.

Put together by Onefinestay, the hotel room has unique views of the airfield and, for those lucky enough to have been chosen this past week to spend a night, came complete with all the amenities of the attached Clubhouse lounge, including a personal butler, spa treatments, food service and a cocktail bar.

This is defintely the “Airport Amenity of the Week”

 

United Airlines serving up Olympic super heroes & snacks

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United Airlines is super excited about the Winter Olympics and, as the official airline of Team USA, is going all out with stateside celebrations.

On Friday, Feb 9, the airline will be giving out super hero action figures of a half dozen Olympic athletes at seven hub airports: Houston (IAH), Dulles, DEN, LAX, SFO, Newark and O’Hare. Details here.

United will also be serving up Olympics-inspired food and beverage at more than 50 club locations through February 24.

On Friday, February 9,  they’ll be serving a Perfect 10 cocktail made with prosecco and cranberry juice, garnished with blueberries and cranberries and a Super Sundae, made with vanilla ice cream,  strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream.

Through February 24, foods served will include a fruit bar with blueberries, pineapple, blackberries, honeydew and strawberries and a mix-and-match candy bar.

And in addition to specialty cocktails ($5 each) such as the The Rings (Vodka, triple sec, white cranberry juice and simple syrup garnished with lifesavers), on February 24 the menu will include a red, white and blue parfait, made with vanilla yogurt, fresh strawberries, blueberries and a sprinkle of granola.

 

Travel Tidbits: KLM holiday sweater+ Swanky Air Canada suite

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Air Canada opens  a new 6,400 square-foot Air Canada Signature Suite on December 1 for full fare paying international business customers at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

The swanky new suite is located by Air Canada’s international departure gates at Toronto Pearson, can accommodate up to 160 premium customers and offers a complimentary, full-service restaurant offering à la carte dining as well as a cocktail lounge space, hors d’œuvres, snacks, a quiet sitting area and concierge service. Nice!

 

Need a fun – or quirky – holiday gift for your favorite frequent flyer?

KLM is selling “Flying Home for Christmas” sweaters – for $35.55 (plus shipping)- in its on-line shop, where you can also find blood pressure monitors and snore stoppers along with other travel gadgets, electronics, perfume and gift-worthy items.

 

Northwest menu debuts at Delta’s Sky Club at Sea-Tac Airport

Food, Lounges, ,

 

 

It’s been six months since Delta Air Lines opened a new Sky Club on Concourse A at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. And, from the views of Mt. Rainier to the in-house spa, the artwork, the soaring ceilings, the bar and the food offerings, it’s still quite a thrilling and surprising space to visit.

 

A few weeks ago Delta upped the Sea-Tac Sky Club offerings quite a bit with the formal roll-out of a seasonal and locally-inspired menu created by highly regarded Seattle chef and restaurateur Ethan Stowell, who has about a dozen eateries in the city, including four in my neighborhood alone.

The snacks I nibbled on when Delta’s new Sky Club at Sea-Tac opened were fine, but now club visitors will find a variety of salads, including a house-roasted chicken salad with Washington-grown jazz apples, cranberries, dill and mint; a weekly rotation of crudité and dips, including mixed Mediterranean olives with orange zest and fresh herbs; a tasty pasta dish, as well as fresh popcorn with a hard-to-resist fennel pollen topping.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

In a phone chat, Stowell told me his goal was to create a menu that leans towards “lighter, fresher, brighter foods” that are vegetable and protein-focused, rather than “rib-sticking heavy foods,” and to offer “a taste of the bounty we have here” in the Northwest, such as asparagus and peas, which are definitely fresh right now.

As you might imagine, Stowell is a busy guy. So he said when Delta asked him to get involved with the club menu he was only interested if he was going to be allowed to put his own spin on it.

“They’re definitely let me put my take on it,” said Stowell. “I’m not saying it’s an Ethan Stowell restaurant in the club, but it’s as close to having a branded restaurant in a club as you possibly can.”

If the airport club partnership works out well, the next logical step might be for Stowell to create menus for Delta passengers to dine on in the sky.

“We’ll probably get there,” said Stowell, “We’re in that getting to know each other phase.  We both want this first project to be successful, but that will be the logical next step.”

 

Alaska Airlines announces plans for Virgin America

Airlines, Airplanes, Lounges, Loyalty programs,

Photo by Harriet Baskas

It comes as no surprise, but Alaska Airlines announced its plans for the Virgin America name and brand and has decided that it’s going to keep the Alaska’s name and logo and retire the Virgin America name “likely sometime in 2019,” according to a company statement.

That’s bad news for those who love the Virgin America overall brand, vibe and amenities. But the good news is that Alaska Airlines is keeping its word and bringing some of the best Virgin America amenities forward.

Alaska says it will adopt “enhanced in-flight entertainment, mood lighting, music and the relentless desire to make flying a different experience for guests” as part of an overall goal to create “a warm and welcoming West Coast-inspired vibe.”

Alaska says it will adopt some other Virgin America touches including introducing music by new artists  on planes, in airport lobbies and at gates (2017); redesigning the cabin with new seats and amenities (2018) and introducing new uniforms by fashion designer Luly Yang (mid-2019) for flight attendants, customer service agents, pilots, mechanics and ground crew.

Alaska also promises to upgrade the Wi-Fi connectivity fleet-wide, add more premium seats, expand the lounge network and offer other new amenities you can read about here.

What do you think?

Art in Delta Air Lines’ Seattle Sky Club

Lounges,

delta-sky-club-seatac-2

Delta Air Lines recently opened an impressive, 21,000 square foot Sky Club at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, with seating for more than 400, 30-foot ceilings, direct runway, tarmac and (weather permitting) Mount Rainier views.

Amenities include six (!) complimentary shower suites, spa services (for purchase), foods and beverages that include local items such as Beecher’s ‘World’s Best’ Mac & Cheese, and some great art including this piece by Rebecca Coles (in the spa area) made from postage stamps.

delta-sky-club-seatac-8

Orlando Int’l Airport gets The Club lounge

Lounges, ,

ORLANDO Loungewide

Orlando International Airport has lots to entertain travelers waiting for a flight, but those who want a bit of extra pampering now have The Club at MCO as an option.

The 11th in the string of lounges operated by Airport Lounge Development (ALD), the new 8,000 square-foot open-to-all-travelers lounge at MCO is located on Airside 4 near gate 91 and will be open daily from 6:00am – 9:30pm.

Inside the lounge there are spaces for working or holding meetings, private restrooms with showers, a children’s zone with Xbox games and TV, complimentary snacks and beverages, high-speed WiFi and bar service.

Day passes to The Club at MCO are $35 and entry is also available to Priority Pass, Priority Pass Select, Lounge Club and LoungeKey Members with existing memberships.

ORLANDO KIDS

New: JetBlue’s outdoor lounge at JFK T5 – with dog walk

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A good week for fans of airport lounges.

Seatac_Lounge

Courtesy American Express

On Tuesday, June 30, American Express opened The Centurion Studio at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the sixth lounge the company has opened in airports across the country. (The others are in Miami, Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York’s Laguardia and Dallas/Fort Worth International).

You must have certain credit cards to gain entry to SEA’s Centurion Studio and the other lounges in the American Express system, but all screened passengers will be welcome at the outdoor lounge JetBue is opening today up on the roof of Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Called, appropriately enough, T5 Rooftop, the space is designed by Gensler and is open to all passengers who have cleared security. Promised: views of Manhattan and the adjacent TWA Terminal – and the first airside, post-security, rooftop dog walk.

I’ll be venturing out there as soon as it opens today – but in the meantime, here are some snaps shared in advance by JetBlue.

1_JetBlue © Paul Rivera

© Paul Rivera,

3_JetBlue © Paul Rivera

© Paul Rivera

Centurion Studio lounge opens at SEA

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Photo: Harriet Baskas

Photo: Harriet Baskas

American Express opens its newest Centurion lounge today at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Seatac_Lounge

Photos courtesy American Express

Called The Centurion Studio because its smaller (“cozier” in real-estate parlance) than Centurion lounges already operating in LAS, SFO, DFW, LGA, and MIA, this lounge is on Concourse B (by Gate B3) and includes a great view of the airfield and beyond as well as comfortable seating, charging stations, free high-speed Wi-Fi, and a menu of locally-sourced food and beverage items from places such as Macrina Bakery, Theo chocolate, Jones Soda,the Georgetown Brewing Company and Caffe Vita.

centurion wall (2)

Photo: Harriet Baskas 

SEA’s Centurion Studio will be open daily from 5a.m – 10 p.m. and, because of its size, will not be accessible on a one day pass. Instead, access is complimentary and limited only to Platinum Card and Centurion Members, and their immediate family (spouse or domestic partner and children under 18 years of age) or one travel companion. (More details here.)

Photo - Harriet Baskas View out the window at the Centurion Studio

Photo – Harriet Baskas
View out the window at the Centurion Studio

 

“We are delighted to have American Express bring this new airport lounge concept to Sea-Tac”, said Mark Reis, Managing Director of Sea-Tac Airport. “With this opening, there are now seven lounges across the airport to serve and accommodate our airport’s growing passenger levels.”

Those other lounges include The Club – two all-access spaces on Concourse A and in the South Satellite – that you can get into on a day pass for $35.