The idea of paying for a text message never struck me as a particularly appealing one until last month, when I sat fuming on a stationary train, on my way to meet someone at Gatwick airport, with my mobile phone on the point of expiration.
Even if I'd had the airline number to hand, my phone's battery wouldn't have lasted long enough to stay on hold while they found someone who could deal with my call.
But had I sent the flight number to 2828 (for BT Cellnet/02 customers) or 8585 (for Vodafone), and had the British Airports Authority replied with an SMS update of the estimated landing time, I would have found out that the flight was running an hour late.
It's not a free service - and, when I tested it, perhaps not quite as fast as BAA likes to think - but it's a useful one, particularly if you're meeting a business contact at the airport or want to know if (or why) they are delayed. The authority also issues departure alerts which can be requested up to a fortnight in advance. BAA will then text you with the estimated departure time four hours before the plane is due to take off.
Details of the service - which, unlike London Transport's version, doesn't involve filling in lengthy forms - can be found at www.baa.com/mobile. You can also check from the office by going to www.baa.co.uk.
Another way to save time is to check in online up to 12 hours before the flight. Just don't leave it until the last minute, as most airlines demand you register first. BA's online check-in system can be located via www.baa.com/mobile. As for the others, Fodors has a pretty comprehensive list of airline websites at <A HREF="http://"www.fodors.com/traveltips/airtravel/#carriers" TARGET="_NEW">www.fodors.com/traveltips/airtravel/#carriers.
If you use a particular airport regularly, or have a connecting flight and expect to spend a while there, the airport's own website can be a surprisingly useful source of information. A little searching on the stopover hub Dubai (<A HREF="http://"www.dubaiairport.com" TARGET="_NEW">www.dubaiairport.com) - voted the world's best airport in the most recent CondË Nast Traveller awards - reveals that passengers can use the swimming pool, spa bath or gym in the on-site hotel for between US$5 and US$8 per hour - which is a lot less than you might spend loitering in the duty-free shops.
Assuming that you're not travelling business class, a flat fee of HK$250 (just under £22) will buy you access to Hong Kong airport's (<A HREF="http://"www.hkairport.com" TARGET="_NEW">www.hkairport.com) communal lounge with massage chairs, showers, films and computers. But if you just want internet access, the airport has 52 free computer terminals and plenty of other places to plug in your own laptop, assuming it has a PC-Lan (network) card fitted. The Plaza Business Centre runs airport lounges here and elsewhere in the far east, which can be booked online at <A HREF="http://"www.pbc-asia.com" TARGET="_NEW">www.pbc-asia.com.
Facilities at British airports are rather more spartan, alas. Most people assume that unless you're a member of an executive club or at least hold a business class ticket, most of the lounges are out of bounds.
Certainly, it's easy to spend a great deal on lounges: the Business Centre at Heathrow (<A HREF="http://"www.the-bch.co.uk" TARGET="_NEW">www.the-bch.co.uk) costs a rather prohibitive £250 for annual membership, which will rule out all but the most frequent - or rich - flyers. In fact, unless you're a Heathrow regular, one-off tickets for airport lounges are much better value. You can buy them for £17.50 from ABC Holiday Extras (<A HREF="http://"www.holidayextras.co.uk" TARGET="_NEW">www.holidayextras.co.uk).
Given just how many business travellers are flying with budget airlines, it's a little surprising that only Buzz (<A HREF="http://"www.buzzaway.com" TARGET="_NEW">www.buzzaway.com) sells lounge stickers. The cost varies between £5 for the KLM Executive Lounge at Stansted and £10 for Berlin, Bordeaux, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Marseille, Paris and Toulouse.
Mindful that the cost of getting to the airport can be more than the ticket itself, many airlines offer at least a couple of pounds off the rail fares from central London. Go (<A HREF="http://"www.go-fly.co.uk" TARGET="_NEW">www.go-fly.co.uk) customers can book a slightly discounted ticket for the Stansted Express at the time of booking. Easyjet (<A HREF="http://"www.easyjet.co.uk" TARGET="_NEW">www.easyjet.co.uk) flyers get a reduced rate on Thameslink and the Gatwick Express. Lufthansa (<A HREF="http://"www.lufthansa.co.uk" TARGET="_NEW">www.lufthansa.co.uk) offers a discount on the Heathrow Express.
But none of these offers are particularly generous, and Holiday Extras usually has bigger discounts. As for the rail companies' own carnet schemes - notably Heathrow Express's book of 12 singles for £130 - they are scarcely worth the bother unless you want to buy tickets in bulk and distribute them around the rest of the company. A single ticket bought separately on the website costs £11, a saving of £1 on the walk-on fare.
What's the best way to make a fast getaway at the other end? Sometimes the airport's own site will have details of the best route into the city centre. (Google will usually find it, or try <A HREF="http://"www.airport.checkin.com" TARGET="_NEW">www.airport.checkin.com.
Unlike the Economist, however, Google will not be able to explain the fastest route through customs and passport control. Consult <A HREF="http://"www.economist.com/cities" TARGET="_NEW">www.economist.com/cities for their Russia correspondent's advice on negotiating the horrific delays at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow.
Good news for travellers
· July has seen plenty of good news for embattled and impoverished business travellers. First, pressure from the airlines has forced the government to rethink its plans to gather extra information from air passengers in the wake of September 11. Collecting extra details such as the date and place of birth of every passenger could have increased check-in times by at least an hour, the airlines complained. The home secretary, David Blunkett, has cut back on the amount of information required in order to minimise delays.
· Meanwhile, the big airlines are beginning to restore the services cut at the end of last year. Virgin Atlantic (<A HREF="http://"www.virgin-atlantic.com" TARGET="_NEW">www.virgin-atlantic.com) is to bring back a fifth daily service between Heathrow and JFK - leaving early enough in the morning to catch afternoon meetings in NY - and by June 2003 there will be two daily flights to Washington DC rather than just one. American Airlines (<A HREF="http://"www.aa.com" TARGET="_NEW">www.aa.com), which lost $465m in the second quarter of the year, is not quite so bullish. According to AA's chairman, average fares are at 15-year lows. And BA (<A HREF="http://"www.ba.com" TARGET="_NEW">www.ba.com) was rather disappointed with its June figures - which means it is selling World Traveller Plus (extra legroom) tickets at a discount until the end of July for travel between August and November. Regular commuters to the States may also benefit from the fall-off in US tourists visiting Europe. It seems most have decided to take their summer holidays at home. (South Dakota is proving very popular, thanks to those patriotic presidents at Mount Rushmore).
· Last, the new boss at Eurostar (<A HREF="http://"www.eurostar.co.uk" TARGET="_NEW">www.eurostar.co.uk) is trying to win back business travellers with three special offers this summer. The day return fare to Paris or Brussels has been cut to £220 for bookings made a week in advance. In addition, anyone buying a Business First return will receive a Leisure return free.
