Best Airlines. Do you agree?

Known as the "Oscars of the Airline Industry," the OAG (Official Airline Guide) Awards carry a lot of clout. Since you have choices when you fly, I thought you might like to see the just-announced list of best airline winners:

Airline of the Year: Singapore Airlines

Best Transatlantic Airline: Virgin Atlantic

Best Business Class: Continental Airlines

Best Airline based in North America: Continental

Best Airline Based in the Middle East/Indian Sub-Continent: Emirates

Best Low-Cost Airline: Southwest

Best Airline Based in Central South America & Caribbean: LAN

Best Airline based in Africa: South African Airlines

Best Airline Based in Central/Eastern Europe: CSA Czech Airlines

Best Airline Based in Australia/Pacific: Qantas

For further details (such as a list of all the finalists), visit http://www.oagairlineawards.com/Winners

I'd really love to hear what you think of this list. Do you agree? Think it's way off base? Please share your experiences by posting a comment below.

We're listening.

Photo courtesy Virgin America.

The Best Airport Hotels

In addition to spacious quarters, high-thread count linens, and agreeable service, my definition of luxury travel includes the indulgence of not having to start the day at the crack of dawn.

To take the pain out of early-morning departures, I often stay at airport hotels – not the lodgings that advertise themselves as “airport hotels” that are actually a bus ride away, but the honest-to-goodness roll out of bed onto the check-in counter places.

In my experience, The Fairmont Hotel at Vancouver International Airport (www.fairmont.com/vancouverairport) is the best of these. (See photo.) We recently stayed there enroute to King Pacific Lodge (http://www.kingpacificlodge.com/) in northern British Columbia and were really pleased with the rooms and facilities.

For starters, it was just a short walk from baggage claim to the escalator that whisked us up to the attractive lobby and reception area. Our room overlooked the runway, but soundproof windows kept the peace inside.

I didn’t have a chance to enjoy the spa or the fitness center where the indoor pool overlooks the departure level, but our dinner was excellent – especially the mushroom bisque – and the staff were all remarkably pleasant.

Insider tip: be sure to try the bread pudding on the breakfast buffet and the peanut butter cookies with afternoon tea. www.fairmont.com/vancouverairport

A train connects the airport to downtown Vancouver in about 30 minutes (good to know with the Winter Olympics coming up), which reminded me of another save-the-early-wake-up-call lifesaver: The Regal Airport Hotel at Hong Kong International (www.regalhotel.com/Regal-Airport-Hotel/Main/Hotel-Home/Hotel-Home.aspx).

Here, the staff magically greeted us in the beautiful terminal (I hadn’t given them our arrival time) and walked us over the covered airbridge to the hotel. I was surprised to learn that they offer seven dining and drinking venues as well as a health club and indoor and outdoor pools.

It was tempting to avail myself of the spa facilities or take the state-of-the-art train which delivers passengers to Central HK in 23 minutes, but instead we opted to visit nearby Hong Kong Disneyland. Only 10 minutes from the hotel, this turned out to be a “mini-Mickey” with limited shows and rides – but fun just the same.

The Fairmont and The Regal aren’t the only great airport hotels.

Others you may want to consider include:

• the Sofitel Hotel at London’s Heathrow Airport (http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-6214-sofitel-london-heathrow/index.shtml)


• the Kempinski Hotel at Munich Airport
  (http://www.kempinski-airport.de/en/home/index.htm)


• the Hilton Hotel at Melbourne Airport (http://www.melbourne-airport.hilton.com/)


• the Grand Hyatt Hotel at Dallas-Fort Worth (http://www.granddfw.hyatt.com/)


• the Crowne Plaza at Changi Airport, Singapore (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/)


• the Pan Pacific Hotel at Kuala Lumpur International in Malaysia (http://www.panpacific.com/KLairport).
  

These accommodations offer welcome convenience to luxury travelers who choose to enjoy their journeys rather than rush and worry about missing flights.

If you have experienced other airport hotels, I encourage you to post a comment below.

Thank you.