
Delta has expanded its popular Porsche pick up service to three more airports (Photo: Delta)
AIRLINES
Delta expands Porsche transfers, expedites at Heathrow. Delta continues to lead the way when it comes to adding new services for its best customers. For example, last week it announced an expansion of its Porsche tarmac transfer program to three more airports — New York LaGuardia, Seattle-Tacoma and Detroit Metro. The program offers gate-to-gate rides in Porsche vehicles for select SkyMiles Diamond Medallion members who have tight connecting times. It’s already offered at Atlanta, New York JFK, Los Angeles and Minneapolis-St. Paul. (Here’s a video showing how it works.) At London Heathrow’s Terminal 3, meanwhile, Delta BusinessElite passengers arriving by private car service can now take advantage of an expedited greeting service in which Virgin Atlantic concierge staffers will meet them curbside with boarding passes, take their luggage, and speed them through security to the Virgin Clubhouse. Delta says, “On arrival at London Heathrow Terminal 3, Delta Air Lines BusinessElite customers can now enjoy a seamless and stress-free transfer from car to lounge in less than 10 minutes via the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Wing.” Keep in mind that many of Delta’s flights at Heathrow (including those to/from Detroit and Minneapolis) use Terminal 4 where this service is not available. Delta’s Atlanta-London flights switched to Terminal 3 from Terminal 4 on October 26.

The AirBART station is located at the front door of Oakland International
BART-Oakland Airport sets date. Bay Area Rapid Transit officials have finally announced an opening date for the new BART rail link to Oakland International Airport. On Saturday, November 22 the new automated trains will transport riders from BART’s Coliseum station to the new Oakland Airport station every five minutes during peak hours; the ride takes eight minutes. The ride from the Coliseum station to/from downtown SF takes about 25 minutes. BART fares between the new Oakland Airport station and downtown San Francisco will be $10.05. That’s a nice break from cab fares which run as high as $75-$80. Are you more likely to use Oakland Airport now? Leave your comments below.
Virgin America posts another profit. After dipping back into the red in the first quarter of 2014, Virgin America was solidly profitable in the third quarter, reporting net income of $41.6 million and a healthy operating margin of 12.9 percent. After years of operating in the red since its founding in 2007, Virgin has been profitable now for five of the last six quarters, putting it in a good position for its upcoming initial public offering. Virgin said in an SEC filing last week that its IPO shares will be priced at $21 to $24, valuing the company at up to $1 billion. The anticipated $320 million from the share sale should allow Virgin to move ahead with an ambitious expansion plan to buy new planes and add new routes.
Sneeze alarm. With all the concern about disease lately, especially as it affects travelers, you might get a little paranoid when a fellow passenger on your flight sneezes. Did you ever wonder just how far that sneeze can travel? Check out this video — if you dare.
American adds Europe routes. American Airlines has unveiled plans to add a pair of new routes to Europe next spring. On May 7, AA will inaugurate new daily narrowbody 757 flights from New York JFK to Birmingham, England. And on May 14, the company will kick off daily 767-300 flights from its Miami hub to Frankfurt.
AIRPORTS

The nice new Star Alliance lounge at LAX’s new Tom Bradley International Terminal (Air New Zealand)
Air New Zealand, US Airways move at LAX. Effective December 3, Air New Zealand will set up shop in Los Angeles International’s refurbished Tom Bradley International Terminal 3, moving out of Terminal 2. That will give premium customers easy access to the new Star Alliance Lounge at LAX, which Air New Zealand manages. The carrier operates twice-daily service to Auckland (to be increased next summer to 17 a week) and one flight a day to London from LAX. Meanwhile, American Airlines affiliate US Airways last week moved from Terminal 3 to Terminal 6, gates 60-63, “with convenient access to connections on flights operated by American Airlines at Terminal 4 through an underground connector,” American said. “Shuttle service is also available to Terminal 4 and the Remote Terminal for American Eagle flights.”
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New airside connector at SFO. We’ve heard (but not confirmed) that the new airside connection between SFO’s fabulously famous Terminal 2 (Virgin America & American) and the more prosaic Terminal 1C (Delta’s boarding area) has opened. This means that Delta flyers socked in by delays now have some exciting new dining and retail options once they are behind security.

Outdoor spaces are the craze these days. Here’s what JetBlue’s will soon look like at JFK (Image: JetBlue)
JetBlue’s JFK terminal grows. On Wednesday (November 12), JetBlue will open a $200 million extension of its home base, Terminal 5 at New York JFK, to be used for international flights. (The airline’s international arrivals currently use leased gates at Terminal 4.) The new six-gate expansion offers full federal inspection facilities in an arrivals hall and 40 automated passport readers. JetBlue plans to develop a public outdoor area on the new facility’s rooftop, akin to the popular High Line park in Manhattan. Meanwhile, Air France has finished a complete renovation of its two-level lounge at JFK’s Terminal 1.
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HOTELS
Hackers hitting HHonors accounts. How safe are your points in Hilton’s HHonors loyalty program? Recent online reports indicate that hackers have been raiding some accounts, not only stealing points — and in some cases selling them — but also gaining access to members’ credit card information.
Related: Hilton’s newest hotel in Honolulu
Hotels roll out keyless entry apps. Starwood and Hilton last week both announced new app functionality that will allow guests to open their room doors with smartphones. The Starwood Preferred Guest app’s new SPG Keyless feature is available now at 10 select Aloft, W, and Element hotels, with more to come in the months ahead; it allows SPG members who book directly with the company to bypass the front desk and go directly to their preassigned room, where a tap of their Bluetooth-enabled phone will unlock the door. Hilton said keyless entry will be available through its HHonors mobile app starting in 2015 at its Hilton, Waldorf Astoria, Conrad and Canopy brands, and at all 11 of its brands in 2016. The app will also work with other locked areas in Hilton’s hotels such as executive floors, fitness centers and garages.

A room at the new W Beijing located near the Forbidden City (Photo: Starwood)
Openings in Beijing, Sydney, Paris. The newest hotel in China’s capital city is Starwood’s 349-room W Beijing-Chang’an, located close to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Each room is equipped with a digital tablet that controls its lighting, 48-inch TV and Bluetooth sound system… InterContinental Hotels Corp. has cut the ribbon on the InterContinental Sydney Double Bay Hotel a few miles from that city’s central business district; the 140-room property is a luxury remaking of the former Double Bay Hotel … Hilton scheduled a January opening for the 268-room Hilton Paris Opera in the heart of the French capital; the company spent $50 million restoring and improving the 125-year-old building, formerly the Concorde Paris Opera.
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The current AirBART shuttle works fine. It’s reliable and it’s never taken me more than 20 minutes from the time I get off the train until I’m at the airport. So, yea, a slightly shorter ride will be nice, but not for double the price. What about airport employees who use AirBART to get to work and are now paying an extra $6 a day? I’m all for public transit, but I AirBART shuttle wasn’t broken and the money could have been better spent elsewhere in the BART system.
Thanks, Craig! I can’t wait to get out there and see it for myself! –Chris
Walked through the T1-T2 connector at SFO tonight. It is in fact open and very nice!! Still has that fresh smell. As a loyal Delta flier, I’ve always been jealous of those in T2 and have always wanted to see it. It is everything I’ve heard and now I’m excited to have another option besides Perry’s for dinner!
Airborne or a surgical mask during cold/flu season! — chris
OAK is only convenient for short haul flights up and down the Coast. $10.05 from Powell street to OAK or $8.65 from Powell street to SFO.
A Porsche is a great way to get to Terminal 3 at LHR but most Delta customers will have a much more tedious arrival. In my experience (Sunday October 26) from Europcar, the bus had to stop at T1 and T2 before T3 adding a good fifteen minutes to the process. Buses go direct to T4 and T5. Additionally, the priority pass lounge at T3 (managed by Servisair) was a small crowded room with cold baked goods and a bar. Really substandard.
Gosh I would’ve loved to fly exclusively from OAK, given my domicile in the East Bay, but alas United has more flights out of SFO (not to mention internationally), so I’m pretty much stuck. Thanks for the sneeze alarm – looks like you’re pretty much screwed if you’re on the same row (or one row behind) someone who’s sick. Would you suggest popping an Airborne before you fly then?
I also find it funny on how Bart PR is trying to hide the cost of the train by only listing the price going from Oakland airport to downtown San Francisco. What is sad it’s more to go the 3 miles on this shuttle than taking Bart the 20 or so miles to downtown San Francisco.
Still it’s on par with going from SFO to downtown San Francisco, so someone is making a buck on this.
I will use it but I really think that six dollars to go 4 miles is a rip-off. It’s presently $3 on the bus which takes about 20-25 minutes so for it to be half the time we have to pay double. Still think it’s too bad that they think they can charge $6 and hope that in a year or two the price could go down.
I’m happy to check out the new OAK connector and glad they finally finished it, but doubling the fare from $3 to $6 each way will just make me go back to parking for $8/day at Expressopark unless one of the directions would be during weekday rush hour traffic. Otherwise, spending $20+ per person on BART tickets from SF to OAK roundtrip is, well, ridiculous. Also, for arrivals after 10pm, service will be reduced (every 20 min on the new connector compared to every 10 min on the old AirBART bus).
Thanks Ripple… it’s opening SATURDAY NOV 22 according to the BART website.
Do you mean Sat Nov 22 or Sun Nov 23 as the opening date for the BART OAK connector?