MONEY TALKS
Are you always
searching for ways to avoid the airport crowds? Jeffrey Strain shows how to find peace and quiet among the masses.
For anyone who travels, and especially for
those who travel frequently, time spent waiting in overcrowded airports is one of the
least desirable aspects of any trip. Waiting in airport lobbies becomes even more
frustrating when you need to get important work finished or just want to find a quiet
place to rest. Escape from the hustle and bustle is possible in the form of airline
lounges.
Lounging around
Most airline lounges simply provide a comfortable and quiet place to wait for a flight.
They also provide spacious seating, tables where you can work and access to a wide range
of business facilities: telephones, copiers, fax machines, personal computers and
printers, mailing services, meeting rooms and the like. Many lounges now offer video games
to keep your children occupied while you work or rest. A large number of magazines and
newspapers are available, along with beverage and snack services, which are usually free
outside the US. Many lounges have a storage area where you can leave carry-on baggage and
their own bathrooms. More and more are installing shower facilities and single beds where
you can take a quick rest.
Another advantage is a visit to an airline club lounge can often mean bypassing the long
check-in counter and departure gate lines. This is especially convenient if there has been
a major airline delay due to weather and all the ticket agent windows are swamped. Another
way to bypass long counter lines during airline delays is to go to the nearest telephone
and call the airline's central access number. The operator at the other end will be able
to do most of the things the agent at the airline counter can do. Most clubs have a
full-time airline employee who has access to their computer system and can issue boarding
passes, make seating assignments and adjust reservations. These attendants, however,
aren't able to check in your baggage.
Join the club
Originally, airline clubs were reserved exclusively for first-class passengers and were
free. The airlines soon realized, however, they could make a respectable profit with the
services the lounges provide, and now although anyone can join these clubs, the amenities
come at a price.
Most airlines have an initial sign-up fee of up to JY10,880 in addition to a yearly fee of
JY10,880-JY21,800. A second membership for your spouse to use the lounge when traveling
alone will cost an additional JY5440-JY10,880. Some airlines offer three-year memberships
(JY32,634-JY54,400) and lifetime memberships (JY136,000-JY326,400), which can
significantly decrease the annual costs over your lifetime depending on your travel
habits. Some airlines will allow you to use your frequent-flier miles to join their
lounges, which can save you from having to pay hard cash for your membership.
Once you've paid your sign-up and annual membership fee, don't expect all your costs to be
covered, especially if you need to use the lounge's business facilities. Conference rooms
in the lounges at major airports run as high as JY21,800 per use. Unfortunately, this
trend seems to only be increasing. Food and drinks were once free at most US airline
lounges, but today it's a rare exception that a lounge in the US offers this free service.
Can the international airport lounges be far behind?
If you usually fly first or business-class, you may not even need to join an airline
lounge since airlines often allow free access to their lounges for these passengers.
Certain credit cards allow access to certain airline lounges. American Express Platinum
card-holders have free access to Northwest's Worldclub when flying on Northwest. Diners
Club Card sponsors more than 60 airport lounges around the world allowing free admission
for card members while United Airline's Red Carpet Club offers a one-day pass for JY5500
to non-members.
If you travel only once or twice a year, the airline clubs are probably not worth the
cost. For those traveling more, however, the expense can be well worth the rewards.
Features to investigate in order to decide which lounge is best for you include what
airline you fly most frequently, at which airports the lounges are located, are their use
limitations, how many guests can you invite and if there are extra charges for reserving
meeting rooms or using other business facilities.
Many lounges now only allow their members to enter when they are flying that day on their
airline. Due to this new development, if you travel on a number of different airlines, it
might be better to join an independent club. Priority Pass (tel: +1-972-735-0536, fax:
+1-972-380-8808; P.O. Box 700907, Dallas, TX 75370-0907 USA) provides access to its VIP
lounges at over 180 major airports worldwide (JY32,000). These lounges include American
West, Continental, Northwest and TWA lounges, but with Priority Pass you are free to use
any of these lounges even if you're flying on a competing airline. There are a variety of
plan options from which travelers can choose including a pay-as-you-go program for those
who only travel a limited number of times a year. The sign-up fee is JY10,800 and then it
costs an additional JY2280 for each time you use a participating lounge.
Beat the crowds
For those leaving from New Tokyo (Narita) International Airport (NRT), a simple yet
effective strategy to bypass all the crowds at the ticket counters is to utilize the Tokyo
City Air Terminal (TCAT) in the Hakozaki district. TCAT provides the exact same services
as the check-in counters at NRT. TCAT is a quiet, hassle-free way to check through your
luggage and get a seat assignment if your airline has a counter there. In addition,
because the desk personnel are not facing a huge number of panicky customers trying to
make their flights, they're more friendly and helpful if you need to change seat
assignments or have special requests.
The Hanzomon line goes straight to TCAT (Suitengumae stn), and parking is also available
at the terminal. Airport Limousine services are available from TCAT by bus or train (70-90
min, JY2900) which makes catching your flight a breeze once you're there. You can also go
through immigration procedures before boarding the bus. Due to the lack of passenger
interest, not every airline operates out of TCAT. The airline counters available are: JAL
(03-3665-7320), which serves JAL, AFL, CCA, CES, DAL, FIN, GIA, IBE, IRA, JAA, KLM, PLA,
PIA, QFA, SIA, SWR, and THA; ANA (03-3665-7133), which serves ANA, AAR, AVA, and SAB; UAL
(03-3665-7315), which serves ULA and VIA; NWA (03-3665-7367), which serves NWA and KLM;
CDN (03-3665-7326), KAL (03-3665-7313), and AAL (03-3665-7327). If you are flying on
another carrier, TCAT is not an option.
If you're flying on an airline which isn't located at TCAT and sitting around the airport
lobby drives you crazy, you may be interested in purchasing "Holding Pattern: Airport
Waiting Made Easy" (Kordene Publications, JY1100) by Harry Knitter. The veteran
business traveler shares his thoughts and experiences gathered during countless long
delays he's experienced in airports over many years of traveling. He also gives helpful
tips on how to make the airport lobby experience more appealing when you have no other
choice than to be there.
All costs are approximate and use the JY108.8/US$1 exchange rate
prevalent at time of printing. Please check with the individual airline lounge for
details.
Reprinted with permission from Kansai Time Out. |
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