Flights of fancy ... with creature comforts including free showers, Wi-Fi and an in-transit hotel, Incheon's airport ranking is sky-high.
Sleeping in the airport just got a lot more comfortable, especially in Seoul.
IN CASE you doubted whether there's actually a website for everything, consider sleepinginairports.net, a site dedicated to, you guessed it, somnambular stints in airports.
Once you get past its comically cheery homepage introduction - "Are you looking for a way to skim a few bucks off your travel expenses? Well, why not consider sleeping in an airport?" - the site, which has been online for 15 years, does have some useful information.
Who knew, for instance, that some airports have camp stretcher beds? (Sleepinginairports.net calls them cots and lists where they are found. While the Qantas unrest continues, maybe some Australian airports should consider them.)
Recently, the site released the results of its 15th annual survey of best airports in which to kip. It's no surprise that Singapore's Changi won, with its free massage chairs and recliners in front of big-screen televisions showing sport, among other entertainments.
It may surprise that in second place came Seoul's Incheon, edging out Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.
Survey respondents loved its free Wi-Fi, safe environment and "relax chairs" in a terrace bar with views of the tarmac, among other features.
South Korea's Incheon actually rates highly outside freeloader circles, however. Earlier this year, it was voted best airport worldwide by Airports Council International for exemplary customer service, the sixth year in succession.
On a recent trip to Sydney to court travel professionals, executives from Korean Air and Incheon International Airport Corporation presented some of the facts that back up the facility's claim to the title and position it as an enticing hub for Australian air travellers.
Among these were simple transfer procedures; a lounge offering drinks, snacks and the other accoutrements to Korean Air passengers at a 40 per cent discount price of $US21 ($20.90); free showers and Wi-Fi; and an in-transit hotel that does not require customs clearance.
Korean Air also points out Seoul's perfect positioning, almost exactly halfway to Europe for Australians, meaning the stopover can slice the trip neatly down the middle.
International hotel
Of the 1400 hotel beds available around Sydney Airport, few are directly adjacent to the international terminal.
That's about to change.
Construction will begin shortly on a new hotel across the road from the international terminal, next to the just-opened eight-storey car park.
To open in the latter part of next year, the hotel will be four-star and run by the Rydges group. It will comprise 317 rooms, a bar, a restaurant and a gym.
Most hotel accommodation at the airport is clustered around the domestic terminals. Of the 1400 rooms on offer, only the 270-room Mercure is close to the international terminal.
Tourism Accommodation Australia told Sky Report Sydney's airport hotels are subject to growing and strong demand. It cited STR Global figures that show the hotels had average occupancies of about 84 per cent so far this year, representing a rise of about 3 per cent on last year.
TAA said, however, that the primary need was for an on-site hotel, directly linked to the international terminal. The Rydges, at least, will be almost that.
Business on the rise
A survey by Travelscene Corporate has revealed that most business travellers expect to be seeing the inside of more planes next year.
In the survey, conducted at six big business conferences, 57 per cent of respondents believed the amount of travel they did for work would increase. Only 3 per cent said it would decrease, with the rest saying it was too early to tell.
That last percentage, says the general manager of Travelscene Corporate, David Padman, "is a sign of a volatile market. People are unsure because we are talking about a global economy that has been through so many changes in the past 24 months and continues to do so."
He noted, however, that domestic air travel in Australia has risen 30 per cent year on year, with a prediction that business-class fares will rise by between 7 per cent and 11 per cent and economy fares between 6 per cent and 10 per cent next year.
Fee for premium seats
European cut-price airline Ryanair has operated on a first-in-the-plane, best-seated basis since inception.
But as of next month, it will offer designated seating for an extra £10 ($15.50) a ticket.
The budget carrier will offer the seats in a six-month trial on 100 routes. The seats offered will be the most popular choices: the front two rows, which enable quick disembarkation; and over-wing places, which offer extra legroom.
Route watch
Qantas will operate four return services a week between Sydney and Hong Kong from January 15 next year.
The airline will receive its 11th and 12th A380s by the end of this year, which will provide the capacity to accommodate additional services.
The flight, QF127 Sydney-Hong Kong will operate on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and return on the same day as QF128.
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