A Frequent Flier's Guide to Survival

By Patricia Nakache, MBA '91

Those of you who believe that the phrase "favorite airport" is an oxymoron can take heart. An informal survey of Business School alumni/ae provides good news: Selected airports offer a number of simple, sometimes hidden, pleasures that may have you actually looking forward to (or at least not dreading) your next trip. There is something for everyone, so read on.

The sports buff. Frequent travel often means infrequent exercise. And sitting for extended periods of time on airplanes can wreak havoc on your muscle tone. If you long to get your heart pumping, route yourself through Miami International Airport for a workout and some sun. Writes Michael Chertok, MBA '92, "The hotel right in the airport has a rooftop health club, swimming pool, and sundeck bar. If your delay or layover is more than an hour, buy a day pass, check your bags in the locker room, and catch some rays. It's not South Beach, but it certainly beats waiting in the airport lounge." For those of you who are avid golf and ski enthusiasts, imagine actually practicing before your flight. Well, believe it or not, in the Virgin Atlantic first-class lounge at London's Heathrow Airport, you can jump on a simulation ski machine. And at the Palm Springs Airport, you can even polish your putting game. Although the airport has "direct flights to nowhere," G. M. Beasley, MBA '93, notes, "it is the only airport that I have come across with an honest-to-goodness putting green (Bermuda grass, even). Sipping on a cold Palm Springs Lager while working on one's putting stroke is not a bad way to kill time."

The lounge lizard. On the other hand, you may prefer to just lounge around---in airline lounges. Here again, the Virgin Atlantic first-class lounge at Heathrow is worth a visit. Says Andrea Williams, MBA '94, "It's spacious and comfortable and has hundreds of CDs and an amazing sound system set up in a specially designed room for music listening." Miami offers two comfortable lounges: Jaime Guillen, MBA '91, likes the new American Airlines lounge because it's "twice the size of a football field," and Edgar Francisco, MBA '70, recommends a special United Airlines lounge for international business and first-class customers because you can take a shower, nap, and conduct business. Finally, several alums mentioned the United Airlines Red Carpet Clubs in Chicago and Denver; both clubs are new and roomy. Jack Fuchs, MBA '91, claims that the Red Carpet Club in Chicago's terminal B is even considered to be a favorite hangout for the Windy City's locals, particularly during happy hour.

The gourmand. Didn't get a chance to eat before leaving and can't stomach airplane food? If you're in Miami International Airport, refuel at a Cuban restaurant called La Carreta. Writes Christina Fernandez-Carol, MBA '91, "The uninitiated should eat the moros (fried Cuban black beans and rice) and a Cuban sandwich --- I recommend bringing it on the flight and watching your fellow travelers salivate while you munch." Maria Pasos, MBA '94, suggests, "Ask for the cafecito Cubano (Cuban coffee) and pastel de guayaba (guava pie). Medianoche, the famous Cuban sandwich, is well prepared." Other eateries worth sampling: Lisa Westley, MBA '91, recommends a French bistro in the Denver airport and the food court in Atlanta, and Marc Itzkowitz, MBA '94, touts the pizza at Chicago's O'Hare. Julie Kaufman, MBA '82, always schedules enough time between flights in Pittsburgh for a cinnamon apple frozen yogurt with wet walnut topping.

The shopping maven. If you love duty- free bargains or simply enjoy browsing between flights, several airports now offer world-class shopping. Heathrow gets rave reviews from several alumni/ae. "The shopping is amazing; they have Hermes, Ferragamo, and Gucci," says Westley, who confesses to dashing into the duty-free shops at Heathrow 10 minutes before her departure to purchase a few Hermes ties (a bargain at $80 each) and almost missing her flight. Elise Bauer, MBA '88, recommends the Brussels duty-free shops, "particularly for leather goods." And in the United States, the Pittsburgh and Denver airports have the newest and nicest malls, while the Washington Dulles, Atlanta, Houston, and San Francisco airports offer the best bookstores.

The hurried and the harried. No question, the Singapore Changi Airport is considered the cleanest, best organized, and most efficient airport in the world. Writes Warwick Bishop, SEP '83, "I've timed it on a number of occasions from the aircraft wheels touching down to my butt hitting the taxi seat. Ten to twelve minutes. In that time, we've taxied to the terminal and deplaned, and I've bought some duty-free, cleared customs and immigration, picked up my luggage from the carousel, and even found the cab." If you have a layover in Singapore, Nick Yang, MBA '82, suggests the free movies in the television lounge or, if you're tired, John Backus, MBA '84, confides that Singapore has "relatively unknown sleeping cubicles" (he claims they are too small to be called rooms).
On the domestic front, Bauer describes Burbank's airport as a model of efficiency: "There is valet parking, the security machines are 15 yards from the entrance of the airport, the gate is another 15 yards behind security, and you walk up steps to get onto the air-plane the old-fashioned way." Itzkowitz likes the Oakland International Airport because "there is cheap parking at the terminal and you can walk from your car to the gate in three minutes."

The tourist. Tired of traveling to exotic locales and seeing nothing but airports and hotel rooms? Consider squeezing in a little sightseeing during your next layover. Pasos describes her stop in Cairo: "You can arrange a half-day tour that includes a visit to three magnificent pyramids, the Egyptian Museum (look for the Tutankhamen treasures), and lunch at a pretty good restaurant. The camel ride is optional, the heavy traffic is not. The sites are tourist-infested, but they beat the airport lounge hands down." If you're the type that worries about making it back to the airport on time, save this idea for the next time you have a layover in Singapore. Changi Airport offers a free city tour if your layover is longer than four hours, and given the country's reputation for effici-ency, there is little chance that you'll miss your connection.

According to our small survey, GSB alums appear to be in remarkable agreement when it comes to the all-around best and worst airports.

The best: San Francisco International, of course! For those alumni/ae who call the Bay Area home, the attraction of the local airport is obvious. But non-locals mention the "cool exhibits" and its sensible layout. Fuchs gives an honorable mention to small airports in the South, such as Charlottes-ville, where Piedmont once operated before it was bought by US Air. Says Fuchs, "The people there are funny, friendly, and just really down-home."

The worst: Internationally, Narita International Airport. Backus sums up the general sentiment nicely, "[It's] in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to do." Fuchs provides a few of the gory details: "The common area is always crowded, and it's ugly, uncomfortable, and inadequately air-conditioned. There is a long line for security that wraps around the smoking area...." Please, say no more; we get the picture.
Domestically, there are (surprise) many contenders, but the most frequently mentioned is Dallas­Fort Worth International Airport. It's big and it takes a long time to get from one gate to another, particu-larly if you have to take one of the dreaded trams. Fernandez-Carol describes Dallas as an airport "clearly designed by someone with lots of time for strolling." The description written by Mark Lange, MBA '94, is less kind: "DFW redefines what it means to be an airport 'terminal,'" he writes. "The road to this Dantesque hell-on-earth is marked by electronic signs flashing unreadable gate information to the harried and hell-bent on the road to the interminable terminal. These signs must have been set up as an economic development initiative to support Dallas-area mortuaries and auto salvage and body shops. If you're lucky, you'll live long enough to get into the terminal, where you'll meet Mr. Rogers' little trolley gone bad, a mindless kinetic kiddie-train ride trundling you past indecipherable gate signs in DFW's Big Circle of Hell. You think you're having fun yet, but beware! Miss your gate and you stay on the train through an enormous loop back to ... the beginning! Welcome back to Hades, we missed you." Yikes! You may not be able to avoid DFW, but at least leave yourself plenty of time to navigate through it.

Despite those technological innovations like video conferencing that promised to render the business trip obsolete, many of us travel more than ever. Beware the most common signs of road weariness: wallowing in frequent flier miles, knowing far too many pilots and flight attendants by name, traveling without your OAG because you've memorized it, and regularly inquiring which time zone you're in. If you exhibit one or more of these symptoms but can't cut back on your travel, try out some of these tips and make the most of your days on the road.