Business Travel Tips

A French passenger, who was forced to buy a second seat after being told by Air France staff he was too fat, has sued the airline.

Jean-Jacques Jauffret, says he had felt humiliated after the airline had measured his waist in public at New Delhi airport in 2005 and told him he was too big to fit in a single seat.

Air France says the company has a clear policy of asking overweight passengers to pay for two seats; the airline’s website urges obese fliers to reserve a second seat.

Mr Jauffret’s now suing the airline for €8000 in damages and asking €500 reimbursement for the cost of the second ticket. A verdict is due on February 20. (source)

Iceland’s carrier Icelandair offer Business-Class passengers a Blue Lagoon massage free of charge when they take a stopover in Reykjavik en route to Glasgow, Scotland.

Icelandair flies from several North American cities, including Baltimore, Boston, Minneapolis, New York City, Orlando, Washington D.C., to top European destinations with stopover in Reykjavik, Iceland — Keflavik International Airport (KEF).

Starwood inaugurated a Westin branded resort in Malaysia, the Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa.
Located at the heart of the departure hall of Langkawi International Airport, the Westin Lounge is an ideal escape while waiting for a flight. It offers simple spa treatments, a wide selection of soothing and High Speed Access Internet.

Starwood’s W Hotels brand plans to open a new hotel on The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, in late 2009.

W Dubai-The Palm, the W’s second hotel in Dubai, will offer 400 rooms with beach frontage and views of The Palm and the Dubai skyline, multiple restaurants , spa and access to all of The Palm amenities.

KLM Airlines is to introduce Self Service Transfer Kiosks (SSTKs) on its European and Intercontinental routes at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (AMS).
The new facilities will enable passengers, who have missed their connecting flight, to avoid queues at the transfer desk and simply print a new boarding pass.

Within 2007, the service will also offer passengers the chance to change seats and check whether all is ok to travel to a specific destination.

More than 100 SSTKs are expected to be set up at the different arrival piers. These facilities will be open to all passengers traveling with KLM’s partner airlines.

American Airlines is offering significant discounts on several flights to Europe, if you book by December 20.
Here’s a sampling of round-trip deals that American Airlines is offering:
-Boston, Massachusetts – London, UK cost from $343 return.
-New York City – Zurich, Switzerland from $356
-Chicago O’Hare – Paris, France from $598.
-And for Asia: Chicago O’Hare – Shanghai, China, from $728.
Airfares above are not including taxes.
Travel period: from January through March 2007, with some round-trips that must be completed before the end of February.

If you book by December 21, with Lufthansa you can take advantage of discount airfares on flights from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to several European destinations.
Below is a sampling of Lufthansa’s discount airfares (airfares below are one-way and pegged to a round-trip purchase and are not including taxes and fees)
-Amsterdam (AMS) $284
-Brussels (BRU) $297
-Dublin (DUB) $309
-London $194
-Madrid (MAD) $270
-Munich (MUC) $252
-Paris $330
Travel period: December 17, 2006, through March 24, 2007.
Restrictions: purchase must be done seven-day in advance; you’ll have to stay over at least one Saturday night.