The Best American Airport Hotel

Airport Hotels differ from other types of hotels in several ways.  For example, most hotels have a fixed check-out time and a set schedule for housekeeping no matter if they are budget inns, luxury establishments, business hotels, vacation resorts, hunting lodges or any kind of pay-to-stay place at all. At airport hotels, however, check-out proceeds around the clock, as does housekeeping and room-service. Most other hotels rent out their rooms by the day, whereas Airport Hotels make their rooms available in a variety of time-slots, including ½ day and hourly.

In some ways, an Airport Hotel operates as a combination of hotel, hospital and 24-hr mall all rolled into one. In cases of unexpected security or AOG (aircraft on ground) situations, an Airport Hotel is transformed into an Emergency Accommodation Facility. At other times, an Airport Hotel may double-up as an in-house Convention Centre for busy corporate air-travellers meeting in a convenient location. For these and various other reasons, we tend to rate airport hotels in a category of their own.

In North America, one Airport Hotel stands out for imagination, innovation, style and sheer iconic status. Located beside New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 5, the retro-chic TWA Hotel opened in May 2019 in what was once the historic TWA Flight Center that operated from 1962 to 2001.

The original TWA building was designed by world-renown architect Eero Saarinen for Trans World Airlines, an airline long-controlled by the legendary Howard Hughes. Conversion work began in 2016, and today there is a 512-room hotel complete with retro-themed restaurants and bars, infinity pool, ballroom, library-cum-bookshop, an enormous fitness-centre, meeting rooms and what is reputed to be the world’s largest hotel lobby at 200,000 square feet. 

In keeping with the nostalgia theme, the bedrooms are equipped with Saarinen-designed chairs, a 60’s style martini bar, and even a working rotary-dial phone. Museum exhibitions of Aviation History run around the year, and parked at the back is a 1958 Lockheed Constellation aeroplane converted into a unique restaurant. Regardless of its retro appeal and attention to historical detail, this is fundamentally a functioning commercial enterprise, and given its convenient location and commitment to service, we have no hesitation in naming the TWA Hotel as the Best American Airport Hotel by far!

Pix by TWA Hotel, Michelle Young 

The Oldest Airline In The World

It was established in 1919, a full century ago – and is still operating under its original name! Set up at a time when horse carriages were the most common mode of transport in Europe and ox-carts reigned supreme in Asia, Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij is the oldest airline in the world.

KLM, as it usually known, literally means Royal Aviation Company in Dutch, with its ‘Royal’ designation granted that year by Queen Wilhelmina. The usual English translation is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.  As the national airline of The Netherlands, KLM pioneered several milestones in the early days of aviation.

From the very start, Asia was in its sights. In 1924, the first KLM plane departed for Batavia, the capital city of what was then the Dutch colony of Indonesia.  The journey to the metropolis now called Jakarta took weeks to complete. This route became part of KLM's regular scheduled service in 1929; and for more than a decade it remained the longest scheduled air-route in the world.

Along its way on that pioneering flight, the national flag-carrier of the Netherlands stopped in what was then known as Malaya; probably shocking the locals who could not imagine a machine flying in from the sky! KLM became one of the first airlines to have scheduled commercial flights into the country, and continues till this day to operate daily flights into Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of modern Malaysia.

In 1934, KLM reached the Americas for the first time, crossing the Atlantic Ocean to Curacao, an island in the Dutch Caribbean region off the coast of Venezuela. In 1946, KLM became the first European airline to start scheduled trans-Atlantic flights to New York. Today, the airline has direct flights from Schiphol to over 30 destinations across the Americas.    

As a modern and efficient airline of the 21st Century, KLM operates more than 168 planes to 165 destinations, including about 50 aircraft used for its Cityhopper regional operations. Its hub is at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Apart from Cityhopper, KLM has interests in several other airlines, including Kenya Airways, Martinair and Transavia. It employs about 31,000 people in the Netherlands, and nearly 4000 more in about 500 locations around the globe - the human dynamics of KLM - The Oldest Airline in The World!

                                                                                                      (Pix copyright unknown/KLM.)

The Best Airport-Lounge Company

For nearly a century of commercial aviation, Airport Lounges were exclusive cocoons that individual airlines provided for their elite passengers flying First and Business Class. In that milieu, front-end passengers paying top-dollar for exclusivity and luxury in the air could enjoy similar benefits at airports before their flights, provided by the airline they were travelling with.

Then, just before the new Millennium, came a former global banker and erstwhile entrepreneur. Once a frequent-flyer on business trips, Hong Kong-based businessman Hoi-see Song chafed at not being able to access the privileges and conveniences at Business Lounges for a variety of reasons.

“For one thing, in some countries many airlines did not provide Airport Lounges for passengers on short-haul or domestic routes.  For another, most airlines simply could not provide an Airport Lounge at an airport where they did not have a sufficient number of flights to justify the significant investment involved. As air-travel became more and more a necessity, many affluent air-travellers found that they could not enjoy the benefits of an Airport Lounge simply because they were flying Economy Class due to corporate policy or governmental regulations”,  Song recalls wryly.

“Personally, I did not mind dining at the excellent variety of restaurants at most airports, but I did miss the convenience of being able to have a bite while accessing Internet and Wi-Fi facilities as well as the business-requirements of that time such as printers, fax-machines,  telephones, meeting-rooms and even the ability to have a refreshing hot shower in one convenient location at an airport. Airport Lounges also provided helpful staff and a conducive environment to relax, think or get work done, depending on my needs or mood at any particular time.”                                              Thinking out of the box, Hoi-see Song came up with the innovative idea of Pay-Per-Use Airport Lounges  that would cater to all air-travellers . This immediately empowered airlines of all sizes to provide a full-service Airport Lounge for their elite front-end passengers, practically anywhere in the world! Credit-card companies also found that, for the first time, they could extend executive facilities at airports to their members in a savvy move which met the evolving lifestyles of their target markets. Thus was born the Plaza Premium Lounge – a facility now found at airports all over the world, and a concept being emulated by a host of me-too players. 

Headquartered in Hong Kong, the Plaza Premium Group provides premium airport services to nearly 14 million passengers a year in over 160 airport-locations across the world. The Group has grown to provide four core airport-services:- Airport Lounges, Airport Transit Hotels, Airport Meet & Greet Services and Airport Dining.

With its corporate commitment to make the airport experience exceptional for all travellers by going beyond expectations. the pioneering Plaza Premium Group is our obvious choice for The Best Airport-Lounge Company in the world!

(Photographs by Plaza Premium Group)

The Best Airport Train

When it first began operations in April 2002, it raised mixed emotions with its odd-looking snub nose that belied its superfast speeds of up to 160 kmh.  Now on track to welcome its 100 millionth passenger, it has in the 17 years between, won regional and global accolades as the undisputed World’s Best Airport Rail Link.
This is the modest-looking Express Rail Link (ERL) that connects Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur to its international airport in just 28 minutes. 

For most of its existence, ERL used German train-sets from Siemens AG, but in recent years it has added several new train-sets from CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Company of China.

Regardless of the nature of the equipment, the ride on the fastest trains in Southeast Asia seems consistently swift, smooth and seamless. With an enviable claimed record of 99.7% on-time performance and excellent standards of customer-service, Express Rail Link is now being called in as consultants to other rail projects around the world.

We particularly like its complimentary porter service where purple-liveried porters assist you with your luggage, transfers and check-in. This helpful porter service also includes complimentary wheelchairs and assistance for aged or infirm travellers. For a small fee, a porter will accompany you for the entire ride, and usher you into or from an exclusive limousine that comes with the package. 

Another feature we like about the iconic Express Rail Link is its commitment to the environment. Its operations have been certified ISO14001:2015 compliant for environmental management, and Express Rail Link says it helps save 44,800 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year, taking 5.3 million cars off the roads in that period.

Add the extra convenience of city check-in for participating airlines at its KL-CAT terminal, and we fully agree that Express Rail Link deserves its kudos as the World’s Best Airport Train!

The Best Commercial Aircraft

When the idea for this aeroplane was conceived in August 1965, it seemed an impossible dream. Some experts said it could not be built, while others said that even if one was ever built, it would simply be too big to fly. Yet just three years later in September 1968, the first production model was completed. It had to be seen to be believed. The body of this aircraft stretched out almost a full city-block; the cockpit perched 30 feet above the ground, the tail towered six storeys high, the wings stretched 195 ft or almost 60 metres - and most awesome of all, it had a maximum take-off weight of 735,000 lbs or 333,400 kg. This gargantuan creation was the Boeing 747 - the world's first wide-bodied airliner,  and the Best Commercial Aircraft. It looked amazing, but how could such an enormous mass ever break free of the earth's gravity and soar into the sky?

From its birth, the Boeing 747 incorporated new technology that made the dreams of designers a practical engineering reality. Intimidating terminology such as High Bypass Turbofan Engines, Fault Tree Analysis, Widebody Design and Three-Segment Slotted Flaps were introduced, and soon became normal bywords in aircraft-engineering. In February 1969, the huge Boeing 747 made its maiden flight, and in January 1970 the first commercial flight of the Jumbo Jet took off from New York to London. The first 25 planes were bought by Pan American World Airways, and other airlines quickly queued-up to order this flying behemoth.

Once again, the naysayers were out in force, saying that just a couple of hundred units would be built before the Jumbo Jet was made obsolete by the new supersonic aircraft. Once again, the Boeing 747 proved them wrong. Now, over fifty years after the first production model was rolled out, about 1560 units have been built, with more on order. answers! has selected the Boeing 747 as The Best Commercial Aircraft for several reasons.

First of all, the sheer audacity of its concept and the swiftness with which it was made a reality changed attitudes in aviation-engineering forever. We estimate that it has carried over 2 billion passengers, making it one of the most popular commercial aircraft models of all time. Decades before the idea of Low Cost Carriers even germinated, the Boeing 747 had made air-travel affordable and accessible to millions of first-time air-travellers. Its long-range, large capacity and economic viability transformed the development of air-routes all around the globe. The 747-400 is one of the fastest commercial airplanes, reaching up to Mach 0.85; and with up to 550 seats the Jumbo Jet was the highest-capacity aircraft for almost four decades. It is also the most recognisable commercial aeroplane in the world with its distinctive and much-loved frontal hump.

The Boeing 747 is also one of the most versatile aircraft ever built, being equally effective as a people-carrier, cargo freighter, presidential transport, private luxury jet, flying hospital, and even spacecraft-transporter.

Most of all, we believe that the Boeing 747 will eventually become the longest-enduring commercial aircraft ever built, with variants flying our skies more than half-a-century after its first pioneering flight. Slim supersonic beauties have come and gone, and mega-planes are lumbering over the horizon. Computer-control has become commonplace and smaller, sleeker planes are zipping across the air-lanes. But with a current production-backlog stretching on to 2022, the trusty Jumbo Jet will continue to fly for decades to come, living up to its reputation as The Best Commercial Aircraft!

(Pix by Flickr, Science and Society Picture Library, the Widebody Aircraft Parade, Reuters, Antoon's Foobar,etc)

The Best Airline Re-Branding

Over the last four decades, we have had the opportunity to participate in or observe the rebranding of numerous airlines. Some were given a new identity because of new management or new marketing strategies, while others were re-branded because of new ownership or the merging into an airline group.

In the first category are case-studies such as JAL to Japan Airlines, Air Lanka to Sri Lankan, and Air Pacific to Fiji Airways. The national airline of Japan actually retained its name, but after 10 years with a modernistic non-descript use of its initials, it chose to revert to its original logo featuring its full name. In traditional Japanese culture, the red-crowned crane (Grus japonsensis) is viewed as a symbol of long life, and it is a powerful and effective symbol of how Japan uniquely cherishes ancient culture in cultivating an ultra-modern lifestyle.

The list of airlines re-branding under a larger group is very long, but to us, the most successful of these is the metamorphosis of Dragonair to Cathay Dragon, joining its sister-carrier Cathay Pacific in a stylish new simultaneous re-branding.
We believe The Best Airline Re-Branding is of Dragonair to  Cathay Dragon because it brings the healthy and growing carrier into an elegant and effective equal-partnership within the Cathay Pacific group. Each airline has an equally elegant livery of almost identical application, but in complementing different colours.

In 2006, Dragonair became part of the Cathay Pacific Group, and the two airlines have worked in increasing closeness to provide a synergy of connectivity and service from Hong Kong to about 200 destinations in mainland China and the rest of the world. It makes sense, therefore, that the new name deftly brings Cathay Dragon into the family while retaining its distinctive identity. The new livery of both airlines has been designed to align them more closely with each other, and we like the integration of that iconic Cathay Brushwing on the tail of all aircraft within the Group while maintaining a little updated version of the original Dragonair logo on the nose of Cathay Dragon aircraft.
The new hues are also distinctive and attractive – stylish with an understated dignity.  Overall, the new Corporate Identity of Cathay Dragon is clean, elegant and effective – well-deserving of our award for  The Best Airline Re-Branding.

Photographs by kalid.com.cn and Cathay Pacific Group

The Best Airport Railway Station

It is named after an intrepid pioneering aviator who is more famous for writing the most whimsical books. It was inaugurated in 1975, in an era of teleprinters, Morse Code and hand-signals – yet today it incorporates the most advanced cutting-edge technology of this millennium. It is connected by a futuristic high-speed train to some of the most modern and sophisticated cities in Europe, but you can also opt to leave this airport on the pillion-seat of a chugging motorbike-taxi. This is the enigmatic, contradictory Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport - formerly known as Lyon Satolas Airport - an important transport-hub for the entire Rhône-Alpes region. While the airport itself is pleasant enough, its railway-station was the feature that caught our attention.

When we visited this iconic airport railway-station in 2008, it was looking a little dilapidated and in need of proper maintenance. Yet its dynamic architecture captured our imagination and lifted our spirits during the bleak winter season. Completed in 1994, the terminal was designed to represent the human eye, but looks exactly like a graceful swan alighting on earth and bowing low, with its wings raised in salute. The building's most striking profile, based on two converging steel arches 120 meters long and 40 meters high, is most obviously expressive of a bird, symbolizing flight with the two main arches coming together at the bird's beak. Architect Santiago Calatrava said that he never thought of a bird, but more of sculpture inspired by the shape of the human eye. However, the avian imagery continues inside the building where two concrete cantilevered balconies look remarkably like birds on the down-wing, rising up in flight.
Today, 2½ decades after its construction, Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport Railway Station is still under-utilised and much of its sunlit cavernous space is largely empty. The superfast futuristic-looking TGV trains come in only a few times a day, and some of the lounges here are only used occasionally for special events. Nevertheless, its inspired architecture, dynamic vision, practical convenience and untapped resources make this our favourite Airport Railway Station in the world. To bring this facility to its full potential will require innovation, imagination and industry – the very same qualities that were put into its design in the first place!


Pix courtesy of Maison De La France (Southeast Asia) . 1: © Lyon Tourism & Conventions 2: © JF Marin / Aéroports de Lyon

The Tales On The Tails

Dogs do it, foxes do it and the peacock does it too! But commercial aircraft do it all the time! Holding the tail proudly upright is the integral identity of every self-respecting aircraft, but commercial planes seem to do it with the most gaudy abandon. The aircraft come in various colours and designs, but they almost always carry the logo of the airline on their erect tail-fins. Some of these logos look familiar and some are amusing, while others can be downright weird and mystifying! It can be fun tracing the tales told by these tails. I was flipping through my name-card holder the other day, and came across numerous interesting airline emblems.

Birds are the most common symbol chosen by airlines for their logo. Some, like Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Air Macau, Ukraine International, Shangdong Airlines of China and Amber Air of Lithuania have highly-stylised graphic avian depictions while many others opt for more recognizable presentations. China Eastern has a swallow in flight, while its partner China Yunnan has the lovely peacock found in that province. .China Xinhua has what looks like a dove just taking off, but the graphic depiction is clever because it also resembles a hand waving in greeting. Xiamen Airlines has a graceful crane in flight, while the former Xinjiang Airlines had its bird symbol elegantly flying past a crescent moon to denote its Islamic identity.

Air Niugini of Papua New Guinea and Air Paradise of Bali both share the exotic Bird-Of-Paradise, while Cebu Pacific carries a stylised head of the Philippine Eagle. The flag-carriers of island nations such as Air Mauritius and Air Seychelles have a long-winged seabird that can stay in flight over the sea for months at a time. Condor of Germany, Air Merlin Eurojet of Essex and Kingfisher Airlines of India simply carry the birds they are named for although the German carrier’s logo could also be interpreted as an aeroplane. By contrast, the Indian carrier dispensed with any graphic design and opted for a full-colour photo-realistic illustration of a Common Kingfisher. Another airline with a realistic illustration of a bird as its logo is Highland Airways of Scotland which carries the local eagle.

The most unique bird-logo in the airline world must surely belong to Thailand’s Nok Air, which simply shows a cartoon version of a duck’s beak! I haven’t figured out the meaning, but it really looks cute – and different.
Many airlines opt for mythical birds and beasts such as the griffin and the phoenix. Egypt Air, PB Air of Thailand, Myanmar Airways International, Austria’s Styrian Spirit, and Garuda Indonesia are examples of airlines whose aircraft tail-fins bear creatures of their local legends. In this category, dragons are a favourite, especially in Asia. Apart from the obviously-named Dragonair of Hongkong, the former First Cambodia Airlines and Druk Air of Bhutan are among those who sport the dragon on their livery. Yangon Airways is the only airline I know of that actually depicts a flying elephant! Ironically, there isn’t a single Jumbo Jet in their fleet.

Animals are also featured quite regularly on the tails of commercial aircraft. Quantas has the Kangaroo, Qatar Airways has the Ibex, and Tiger Air of Singapore has a leaping tiger that looks suspiciously like the one on the old Malayan Airways aircraft. The former Vision Air of Borneo had an attractive symbol of a horse, simply because the owner had a passion for horses! People are rarely featured on airline tail-fins, but AeroMexico has a proud-looking Aztec warrior while Hawaiian Airlines has a winsome wahine with flowers in her hair.

Plants are another favourite choice for airline emblems, and the most famous of these could be AerLingus with the legendary Irish four-leaf clover in an evocative shade of green. In a similar vein, Air Canada carries the national emblem of a maple leaf. Tourism-focussed companies Atlantic Express Airlines and Andaman Airlines both show a palm-tree by the seaside. Vietnam Airlines has a golden lotus-flower while Lao Airlines carries a charming depiction of a local flower, too. China Airlines of Taiwan has a full-colour representation of the cherry blossom, an auspicious spring flower throughout the Orient.

American companies might think the world is their oyster, judging from the popularity of the globe on their carriers. Both the iconic Pan American World Airlines (PanAm) and Trans World Airlines (TWA) had depictions of the globe, but they both went bankrupt. Today, Continental Airlines proudly presents a strong globe logo on its aircraft tail-fins, and we wish it a much more prosperous future than its former competitors.

National flag-carriers such as Royal Brunei Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines carry very formal and intricate national crests. Unusual airline emblems include Oman Air’s traditional and lethal-looking dagger, the Maltese Cross of Air Malta, Philippines Airline’s cheerful sunburst, Mandala Airlines of Indonesia’s prayer-wheel, and in sharp contrast, the garish word “Virgin” by all the carriers in the Virgin group. If you have ever visited the eastern state of Kelantan in Malaysia and watched the graceful giant traditional kites called wau in action, you would really appreciate the unique identity of Malaysia Airlines – the only airline I know of that carries a kite on its aircraft tail-fins. Now, you can actually tell someone to “go fly a kite!”

Pix by oneworld and SkyTeam

The Best Airlines With Local Flavour

The Airlines With The Best Local Flavour are sadly gone or going fast, swept away by this millennium’s mad dash towards bigger companies and cheaper operations. We were captivated by the cheerfulness and local pride that was evinced by the dirndl-dressed cabin crew of the former Tyrolean Airlines of Innsbruck in Austria. Tyrolean identity permeated this carrier in the costumes, culture and customer-service, making a great tourism product. The management and staff of this delightful little airline were all cheerfully local, and the essence of Tirol was there whenever you dealt with them. They fought hard against being dissolved into the impersonal flow of a international aviation conglomerate, but corporate efficiency and cost-effectiveness won out. Today, only the memories remain….

Another outstanding airline in this category was the amazing Xinjiang Airlines from the north-western reaches of China. It captured the stunning contrasts that are typical of this great and ageless nation. Xinjiang Airlines guarded ancient traditions with fierce devotion yet was justifiably proud of its ultra-modern technology and equipment. It was 100% Chinese and 100% Muslim, a combination that seems practically impossible; yet something the airline embodied with considerable panache’ and admirable efficiency. Facets of the airline like corporate livery and management personnel seemed indistinguishable from the numerous Chinese airlines existing at that time, but in areas such as operational procedures and in-flight catering the airline proved to be more conservatively Muslim than most well-known flag-carriers of Islamic nations today. It would have been a uniquely effective instrument with which to capture the affluent billion-dollar Islamic tourism market, but once again, an exceptional local carrier has been lost within the cavernous recesses of an international aviation conglomerate.

Local Flavour in Airlines seems to be going out of style in these days of cost-cutting and mergers, but we will continue to keep looking.....

Pix by airliners.net