How much does an airport influence your travel itinerary? Of course, the cities I need to go to determine when and why I am traveling, but if the city has a primary and a secondary airport, I often will fly into the smaller airport to make the traveling experience more seamless and less strenuous.

Many cities have the option of an alternative airport — Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports, or Chicago O’Hare and Midway. When traveling to more than one city, especially internationally, I will pick the most convenient hub for transfers in that particular region, such as Seoul when traveling through Asia.

In my own experience, I have always learned the hard way how important it is to make sure I will have an easy connection. I recall a time when I had to make a transfer coming back to New York City from overseas (if memory serves, I couldn’t get a direct flight) and chose to travel through Washington D.C.’s Dulles Airport. It was my first time transferring at Dulles and, luckily, my connecting flight was delayed, or I would never have made it due to all the trams one has to take to get to the different terminals. All airports have different modes of transportation for moving between the various terminals, but at Dulles, it felt like every step I made, I had to get on another tram, making my transfer time feel longer than necessary.

I wish more airports advertised their ease of connectivity and other amenities for travelers to take advantage of while at the airport. For example, business centers and conference facilities, WiFi, restaurants and shopping. Some airports even offer fitness centers and spas. All of these aspects may make a traveler arrive at the airport earlier. They would certainly influence my decision of where I fly into when given the choice.

–Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher

Ryanair recently announced it is working with Boeing to configure aircraft to carry standing-room-only passengers. Imagine standing throughout an entire flight!  This comes just a few months after Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, announced the airline is  considering pay toilets on board.  O’Leary also announced that Ryanair has carried two times more passengers than British Airways during the month of June (5.8 million passengers). Of course, these passengers fly mostly short segments of about an hour versus British Airways’ long-haul services.

Well, there are probably more cockroaches in New York than people, but that does not mean I want to spend my life living in the sewer!  I am sure O’Leary and his band of discount executives are laughing all the way to the bank while loyal passengers contemplate standing (literally) cross-legged waiting to use his pay toilet.

Get with it passengers — putting up with this type of service begets more of this type of service!

–Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

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I have returned from a great trip to San Francisco with my GT colleague, Chris Salem.   On my way to San Francisco, my 5:20 p.m. flight was delayed by 45 minutes from JFK.  Since I had arrived to the airport early, I had even more time to kill.  Luckily, JFK is an airport where I don’t mind spending an extra hour or two. This just goes to show the importance of retail, entertainment and restaurants in airports!

Usually when I have a delayed flight, I will read or eat.  Eating my time away, however, often leaves me cranky with my decision, especially since airports don’t offer the healthiest options.  This time, I decided to try something that I will now do more often when I am faced with a flight delay — XpresSpa!

OK, so my ideal spa situation doesn’t include the hustle and bustle of an international airport, but depending on how much you want to pay and how much time you have, XpresSpa offers a range of options from mani/pedis to facials and bikini waxes.  Manicures, pedicures and back massages are done in the front of the spa, where the sound of the airport is a bit annoying.  But facials, bikini waxes and full massages are available in the back of the spa in a more intimate and relaxing setting.

For the price of a meal, I was able to receive a manicure and pedicure in an hour while enjoying the relaxation of a massage chair.  I was pleased with the service and would definitely do this again.  As a business traveler,  you often have to land and hit the ground running for a day full of meetings.  This is why I love the idea of spas and hair salons in airports.  If more women take over the business scene, airports will be like just another day out with the girls!

In San Francisco, Chris and I had a pleasant stay at the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf, where we were able to meet the GM, Dania Duke.   Keep an eye out for our complete reviews of our stay in eFlyer!

–Courtney Centeno, account executive

Last week, I commented on some of the reasons why I love to fly and briefly mentioned my visit to Boeing. Two weeks ago, I had the privilege to enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of Boeing. I saw where airplanes are manufactured and turned from pieces of metal into amazing flying machines.

I had the pleasure of seeing some private areas of the facilities, but the factories are open to the public for tours. I strongly recommend the trip and tour for anyone passing through Seattle. I was taken to two centers normally only reserved for clients buying $200-million aircrafts. The first was the Dreamliner Gallery‘ the other was the Customer Experience Center (CEC). The CEC features a full-scale mock-up of different aircraft. I saw the mock-up of the new, beautiful 747-8s and the gorgeous 787 Dreamliner.

The Dreamliner Gallery is a separate facility that is used for client specifications. Here, clients can choose how to outfit their aircraft on every detail down to the coffeemaker in the galley. There was a separate room for choosing seats and determining seat pitch. Clients can choose what wallpaper to use and how to configure the galley and the lavatory. Additionally, the technology throughout this facility was quite remarkable! I certainly found it fascinating. GT readers spend many hours on planes, and I guarantee you would all find this extremely interesting as well.

Think about every time you board a plane. Do you notice every detail and whether or not you like it? Thousands of hours of thought went into every last detail. It is at the Dreamliner Gallery where the decisions are being made for new aircraft. Boeing plans to install LED lighting systems in the Dreamliners, with future plans for installation on other aircraft. The new lighting system allows airlines to choose colors that are welcoming to passengers. One highlight is the sunrise and sunset element, which will ease you in and out of sleep on long-haul flights — a function I believe long-haul travelers will find invaluable.

After having a sneak peak at the Dreamliner and the other options available from Boeing, I can safely say commercial airlines and their passengers are in for a treat!

-Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher

Last week our return flight from our New York trip brought us into Seattle close to midnight Friday. After a full day of rediscovering the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a late transcontinental flight and a three-hour time change, we were exhausted and looking forward to a good night’s sleep. My husband, Harry, had found a place new to us, on Expedia, that was only a five-minute drive from the airport and promised to be atypical of the ubiquitous airport hotel. Let me tell you, the Cedarbrook Center did not disappoint. In fact, we could not have been more delighted with our stay.

Washington Mutual built Cedarbrook six years ago as its corporate conference center, and the property adjoins a protected wetlands in a residential neighborhood. Although situated perhaps only a mile as the crow flies from SeaTac and the usual line-up of airport hotels and convention centers along International Boulevard, Cedarbrook provides an oasis of peace. When JPMorgan Chase took over WaMu, the company’s leadership centers on the East Coast made this location superfluous for their corporate events, and the management looked for ways to fill up the gaps in its booking calendar. With some careful wording and an amendment to its use agreement with the local municipality, Cedarbrook is permitted a certain amount of “overnight lodging”, along with meetings, conferences, reunions, receptions and the like. My first-hand experience there tells me it would be ideal for any of those purposes.

The site is made up of three main buildings, no more than three stories high and featuring a Northwest lodge style which blends beautifully into the naturally landscaped grounds and neighboring preserve. The main building houses an assortment of meeting rooms equipped with all the latest audiovisual gear and high-speed Internet connections, in addition to a large central “great room” with enormous stone fireplace, soaring ceilings and clusters of overstuffed sofas and chairs. Adjoining this space is a cozy bar/library and the Stuffed Mushroom Restaurant. Included in our room fare was a generous buffet breakfast here, and even at the end of the service time, we found the food to be well-prepared and a step above what one usually finds at such offerings.

The guestrooms and a sizable, well-furnished fitness center occupy the other two buildings. Each room offers a floor-to-ceiling view, TV, plenty of storage space, a very sizable workspace with good lighting and free Internet access (and, yes, a coffeemaker and Starbucks coffee). It was hard to pick out the best feature of the bathroom: the spacious counter surrounding the sink; the deep, wide soaking tub and shower with adjustable, hand-held faucet fixture; or the plush towels, cozy robe and Thyme bath products.  Cedarbrook offers one more feature, though, which really sets it apart.

Each guest floor has a “parlor” where one can grab a book from the shelves and sit by a gas fire; watch programming or movies on the large TV; or raid the oversized ‘frig for a variety of sandwiches, beverages, yogurt and frozen treats. Fruits and snacks, tea and coffee are always on hand, too. For those just arriving late at night from an Asian or transcontinental trip (like us) whose internal clocks are in some other time zone, such choices are welcome–if not absolutely necessary!

Of course, all the amenities in the world can’t carry a property without the backing of great service. Here again, Cedarbrook came through. Even with our late arrival, check-in was prompt, and queries from our room were handled promptly and cheerfully. I arrived at almost the last possible minute for breakfast the next morning, but I received gracious service and did not feel resented or rushed to finish. Later, General Manager John Murphy was kind enough to give me a tour of the facilities and a sampling of the 102 guestrooms and suites. His obvious pride in this lovely property is certainly justifiable.  Whether you are looking for overnight accomodations for yourself or a location for anything from a wedding reception to a multi-day business conference for 200 or a quiet business lunch for eight, Cedarbrook can fit the bill. My next visit to Seattle, for overseas flights in May, will find me looking forward to another stay there.

Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader