This piece in the USA Today raises interesting possibilities.  Soon, private lounge operator Airspace Lounge, will open a non-airline affiliated lounge at BWI Airport in May.  BWI has been without an airline lounge since US Airways and United closed their clubs in 2008.  The new Airspace Lounge will open in the space formerly occupied by the United Red Carpet Club on Concourse D.

With its dearth of airline lounges, BWI seems like a good place to test a business idea like this one.  BWI is closely associated with Southwest Airlines and its leisure traveler oriented stereotype, but I think many would be surprised to know the number of business travelers that also use the airport as a lower-fare gateway to the national capital region.  I remember well the last time I flew United from BWI, and at least two customers specifically mentioned to the gate agent how much they miss having the Red Carpet Club in BWI.  Granted, those 2 customers won’t make this new lounge option profitable, but I expect many, many more customers feel the same way.  There is demand for a semi-private spot away from the riff-raff that offers basic business services, a comfortable chair, a drink, and some snacks.  I can promise that if I’m ever stuck at BWI waiting for a flight, I’d gladly pay a reasonable fee for access to a lounge like this.

I’m anxious to see how this new concept performs, and wonder if they might consider affiliating with Priority Pass or some other access program to increase business?  You can count on me to drop by the lounge on my first flight out of BWI after it opens in May.  I’ll be sure to share the scoop here, and snap a few pictures with my new Canon!  :)

You read it here folks, Delta has managed to turn the awful space that was the Atlanta B-10 Sky Club into something nice.  It’s still not huge, but they’ve really opened up the space and improved it beyond what I thought possible.  If I were traveling with something besides my iPhone, I’d snap a few pictures.  I may anyway if I can catch the right light or a break in the crowd.

The check in desk and the flight assistance desk are now one, and staffed with 3 agents when I arrived.  Don’t know how that will work during peak periods, but seems fine this Sunday morning.  The whole lounge has been opened up, and there are really are no walls from the door all the way to the bar which is to your left when you enter.  The bar has seats and there’s a side “bar” along the window looking out on the ramp that is equipped with power outlets, which is where I’m sitting now.  The bathrooms have been transformed from closet like to multiple unisex water closets, which are clean, well lit, and frankly..nicely done as far as bathrooms go.

Next time you’re passing by the B-10 Sky Club, there won’t be as much of a need to frown.  I think it could stand to be a bit larger, but I’m guessing Delta did the best they could with what they had.  And they really did do a good job.  Delta’s B-10 Sky Club at ATL gets the MJonTravel seal of approval.

Edited to Add:  They have several bottles of champagne (well, Chandon) in the B-10 club, left over from the grand opening.  When it’s gone, that’s it.  Get your mimosa while you still can!  Delta, can you add a little sparkling wine to the available beverage menu?  Mimosas are kind of nice in the morning.

This Flyertalk.com thread details some of the changes going on at the Atlanta Sky Clubs.  This past week I had my first opportunity to personally inspect some of them at the Atlanta A Center Club (not mentioned in the thread, but something has definitely changed there), which happens to be my usual Sky Club hangout when I’m transiting the ATL.  Just my opinion, but the A Center club always seems a little less busy than the others in Atlanta, and I hope it stays that way.

The first change, is the first thing you see, the front door.  It’s now glass and self opening, which is actually helpful considering most people coming through it are dragging their carry ons.  The front desk also has a snazzy new backdrop.  I’m not sure if the desk has been relocated or whether the new door and backdrop are playing tricks on my eyes, but the lobby at least feels larger.

The next change was upstairs. Historically the snacks were on the bar and the cubby just to the right of the bar.  Not anymore.  Delta knocked down a divider wall and constructed a new food bar which was stocked with typical Sky Club fare, crudites, cookies, snack mixes of various sorts, and the staple of road warriors everywhere, cheese and crackers.  :)

My apologies that I didn’t take pictures.  But given that I’m not a press representative, I think the risk of getting tagged a security threat instead of an ambitious blogger was too high.  That said, if someone at Delta wants to shoot me a couple of pics of the improvements, I’ll take them!

These are just a few of the improvements Delta is making in their lounge offering.  I still don’t think they’re quite where the NWA World Clubs were, but things seem to be headed in a positive direction.  I’ll try to check out the other Atlanta changes next time I pass through.

Good morning from the American Airlines Flagship Lounge at London Heathrow.  We spent last night at the Hilton Airport by Terminal 4.  American departs from Terminal 3, so we walked to Terminal 4 and took the Heathrow Connect train to 3.  Easy transfer.

Checked in for our AA first class flight using American’s Flagship Check In counter at Heathrow.  Walked right up, and the whole thing was done in 2 minutes.  We’re traveling with hand luggage only, so no luggage checking drama.  Our first class boarding passes bought us access to Fast Track security at Heathrow.  I’d estimate we were through security in 5 minutes, if that.  And no stupid shoe carnival!  Joyous!

Lots of time to enjoy the Flagship Lounge, which by US airline standards, isn’t half bad.  American recently completed a remodel of the lounge along with the adjacent Admirals Club.  The facility itself is quite nice.  The furniture must’ve been replaced during the remodel because it doesn’t show the usual wear and tear you typically find at a US airline lounge.  Food offerings are not suprisingly weak compared to American’s partner British Airways.  I can’t help but think that AA is going to have to take some steps to improve its international lounges to match BA as their alliance finally solidifies following anti trust immunity approval by the various regulatory bodies.  All that said, the lounge is a very comfortable spot to wait for your flight.

The bottom line, London Heathrow hasn’t been nearly as nightmarish as I’d feared.  And I thought BA’s Terminal 5 was marvelous.  More on that later.

I’m enjoying a fabulous European vacation including a cruise aboard Celebrity Equinox right now.  While I’m away I hope you’ll enjoy reading some of your favorite content based on visits to the blog.  Today, in honor of the joy of travel, I write about the benefits of having an airline lounge membership.

I’m often asked how I feel about the various airport clubs operated by the airlines. I’m a very strong believer in joining the club of the airline you fly most. Dependent upon your elite status, membership ranges from $300 to $500 dollars per year, and many airlines offer the option of using frequent flyer miles to pay for your membership.

In my experience, the club fee usually pays for itself on the one day that you find yourself delayed, canceled, re-routed and generally messed up by whatever weather and mechanical issues can be thrown at you. Rather than join the mile long queue for the harried 2 agents assigned to somehow service 250 inconvenienced customers, you are in the relatively quiet surroundings of the airline’s lounge, and likely being assisted by some of the airline’s more talented agents.

I’ll give you an example. Recently, Lady Astrojets and I were traveling to Nashville from our home airport at Reagan National (DCA) just outside Washington, DC. I had signed up to receive flight notification text messages from the airline, in this case American. I received a text message just prior to leaving the office for the airport that our flight was over 1 hour late. By the time we arrived at security, that delay had grown to 2 hours. As I had checked us both in online, and we only had carry-on luggage, we skipped the ticket counter mess, cleared security and headed straight for the Admirals Club. I inquired about the status of our flight, and the very helpful agent went to work with his computer. I then learned that our aircraft was sitting in Boston, where the ramp was closed due to thunderstorms. Rather than say too bad, our agent asked for both our boarding passes. Within 1 minute, we were both rebooked to a non delayed flight on another airline. The agent asked us to have a seat in the lounge, he’d be right back. While we were enjoying a glass of wine in the lounge, the agent reappeared with our new boarding passes on the other airline. You better believe I wrote American to share this good story!

Do you think I would’ve gotten that kind of service at the ticket counter? No way! They don’t have the time since they have to deal with the 249 other customers! The $300 dollar annual fee works out to $25 per month. Worth every penny if you fly once per month or more if you ask me!

So…I wholeheartedly recommend that you join the lounge of the airline you fly most. And back that up with a membership in Priority Pass. Priority Pass offers memberships as low as approximately $100 dollars per year with a $24 27 dollar per visit fee. That’s an excellent deal when you’re in an airport that doesn’t have a lounge that you belong to. They offer unlimited visit packages for a higher annual fee as well. An airline lounge membership is one investment in yourself that I think you won’t regret.

Landed in London safe and sound this morning, after an average AA flight.  Not bad, not great, but good enough.  I’ll post a full review of my AA Business Class flight soon, including my thoughts on AA’s Next Generation Business Class seat.  I slept on the crossing, so that’s a good thing, but I can’t help but think that the seat could’ve been slightly better.  Full details coming soon.

For now, MrsMJonTravel and I are enjoying the British Airways Galleries lounge in T5 at LHR.  I’m sure there are better lounges somewhere, but for someone who almost always flies domestic US carriers, BA looks like a lounge hero!

One thing for certain, 3 week trip or not, I don’t think I can check luggage anymore.  Fear of the unknown (as in if our bags were rerouted appropriately) is killing me.  Stay tuned for more.  We will eventually get to Rome, and start our vacation!

I took a short flight down to Raleigh from DC earlier today.  I had a little time to kill at DCA so I took the elevator to the Admirals Club.  (Note to AA fliers: The DCA Admirals Club is blessed with the best staff in the system, from the front desk to the bartenders, they are all awesome!)  I love the smaller airport lounges like the DCA Admirals Club.  Nine times out of ten, I will know the desk attendant by name, and vice-versa.  Today was no different.  I was greeted warmly as always, and I chatted with the agent for a while about work, life, and everthing else we could think of.  This was after she’d made sure my travel arrangements were all set and there was nothing else she could assist me with. 

That interaction reminded me about how nice it is to have someone you can depend on in a position to help you at the airport.  It pays to have someone on your side at the airport, especially your home field, and most especially if your home airport isn’t a big hub.  If you have the chance on a slow day at your home airport, chat up the agents, or at least exchange pleasantries.  If you’re flying in and out of the same airport frequently, the agents will begin to remember you and how nice you are.  They’ll recognize your face if not your name, and they just might help you out of a bind sometime.

Building on this, I can’t imagine flying semi-frequently without a membership in my primary airline’s airport lounge.  Talk about having a friend on your side.  While domestic airline lounges are no match for their foreign competition in amenities, food, booze, etc, they are usually staffed with the airline’s most experienced agents who are empowered to help when things go downhill with weather, delays, and all the other things that can go wrong in air travel. 

Whether you have to make a friend or buy a friend with a lounge membership, friends are a good thing to have at the airport.  Much like my American Express Card, I don’t leave home without them.

One visit isn’t a trend, but I thought it was worth sharing.  The A Center Sky Club in Atlanta is usually my first stop once I get to the A Concourse at Hartsfield.  It’s quieter, and well…just better in my humble opinion than the other club on A Con.  So as luck and habit would have it, I found myself in the A Center Sky Club waiting for my 4:20PM departure back to DCA yesterday afternoon.

The first thing I noticed was a lot more space on the bar than usual was occupied with snacks.  Cheese and crackers, the usual weird sweet and spicey nut mix, dried fruit, hummus, crudites, Nutella, Biscoffs, and some really good chocolate chunk cookies.  While they still aren’t up to the old World Club standard, I’ll call this an improvement over my last several visits, and a return to what Delta was offering a couple of years ago.

Granted, this isn’t real food like many foreign carriers offer in their lounges, but it’s a step up from what it was.  What are you noticing out there?  Was this a one-off experience on my part, or has Delta put a little extra pocket change into the snack offerings at Sky Club?

Special Note: Just in case anyone from Delta stops by to read this as I’ve seen you do from time to time, the bartender on duty in the A Center Sky Club between 3 and 4PM on February 26, 2010, was the best I’ve met at a Sky Club.  Very outgoing and polite.  Separate note heading Delta’s way about that.

I’m vacationing at Disney this week, and following that with a short Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas with 24 of my closest friends to celebrate my 40th birthday.  I’m blogging this week, but filling in the spaces left by my vacation with some of my most visited content.  I hope you’ll enjoy this Best of MJ on Travel post about airline clubs and why they can be worth the investment.

I’m often asked how I feel about the various airport clubs operated by the airlines. I’m a very strong believer in joining the club of the airline you fly most. Dependent upon your elite status, membership ranges from $300 to $500 dollars per year, and many airlines offer the option of using frequent flyer miles to pay for your membership.

In my experience, the club fee usually pays for itself on the one day that you find yourself delayed, cancelled, re-routed and generally messed up by whatever weather and mechanical issues can be thrown at you. Rather than join the mile long queue for the harried 2 agents assigned to somehow service 250 inconvenienced customers, you are in the relatively quiet surroundings of the airline’s lounge, and likely being assisted by some of the airline’s more talented agents.

I’ll give you an example. Recently, Lady Astrojets and I were traveling to Nashville from our home airport at Reagan National (DCA) just outside Washington, DC. I had signed up to receive flight notification text messages from the airline, in this case American. I received a text message just prior to leaving the office for the airport that our flight was over 1 hour late. By the time we arrived at security, that delay had grown to 2 hours. As I had checked us both in online, and we only had carry-on luggage, we skipped the ticket counter mess, cleared security and headed straight for the Admirals Club. I inquired about the status of our flight, and the very helpful agent went to work with his computer. I then learned that our aircraft was sitting in Boston, where the ramp was closed due to thunderstorms. Rather than say too bad, our agent asked for both our boarding passes. Within 1 minute, we were both rebooked to a non delayed flight on another airline. The agent asked us to have a seat in the lounge, he’d be right back. While we were enjoying a glass of wine in the lounge, the agent reappeared with our new boarding passes on the other airline. You better believe I wrote American to share this good story!

Do you think I would’ve gotten that kind of service at the ticket counter? No way! They don’t have the time since they have to deal with the 249 other customers! The $300 dollar annual fee works out to $25 per month. Worth every penny if you fly once per month or more if you ask me!

So…I wholeheartedly recommend that you join the lounge of the airline you fly most. And back that up with a membership in Priority Pass. Priority Pass offers memberships as low as approximately $100 dollars per year with a $24 27 dollar per visit fee. That’s an excellent deal when you’re in an airport that doesn’t have a lounge that you belong to. They offer unlimited visit packages for a higher annual fee as well. An airline lounge membership is one investment in yourself that I think you won’t regret.

I don’t post much about US Airways, but I thought this was so newsworthy that it needed to be shared.  One Mile at a Time reports that US Airways is introducing an honest to goodness enhancement to its US Airways Club product.  Beginning October 30th, US Airways Clubs will offer complimentary beer and wine.   When America West bought US Airways, they kept the name, and the pesky policy of charging for booze in the club.  Let’s raise a glass to US Airways for improving their lounge product!

American Admirals Club, get on board!