New Terminal T1 Opens At Barcelona Airport

Travelers to Barcelona will be treated to a more luxurious arrival and departure with the official opening of the new Terminal T1. The Ricardo Bofill-designed terminal will accommodate approximately 30 million people annually.

Created for $1.7 billion, Terminal T1 boasts some serious amenities. In addition to a 256,181-square-foot shopping promenade, there's also a spa, fitness center, hair salon, four VIP lounges and a multi-faith chapel. Business travelers will have access to a series of offices, boardrooms, a private gym and rest area with beds, baths and TVs.

More from the Tourist Office of Spain:

This terminal is one of the largest civil engineering projects recently undertaken in Europe. Bofill designed the structure with sustainability in mind, placing hundreds of solar panels on the aluminum roof. Thus, 70 percent of the water in T1 is heated using thermal collectors. Curtain walls, designed to resist air, water infiltration, wind and its own dead load forces are composed of an aluminum framing filled with glass to provide an architecturally-pleasing and light-filled structure.

The opening of T1 has created 3,000 jobs in a terminal where over 6,000 will be employed. Many will work in the new processing building which has 166 check-in desks and 52 auto check-in machines. The Barcelona Airport is now able to serve 55 million passengers per year. Improvements have also been made in regards to flight operations. In 2004, the airport facilitated 64 operations per hour. Flight operations will now increase to up to 90 per hour. A total of 19 airlines are currently based in T1 including: Lufthansa, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Spanair, Swiss International, TAP Portugal, US Airways and Egyptair. At the beginning of September, One World (Iberia, American Airlines and Vueling), will move to the new terminal and by the end of the year, SkyTeam (incorporating Air Europa) will relocate there. Every seven minutes, a shuttle bus connects passengers from T1 to T2. For further information about the Barcelona Airport, go to www.aena.es.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

Nonstop To Valencia

Starting June 5, Delta Airlines will offer direct flights to Valencia - an exotic, beautiful locale on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Flights will depart four times a week from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and the timing couldn't be any better. Valencia is rapidly becoming one of the must-see Spanish destinations.

If a trip to Valencia is in your cards, we advise you to catch the Fallas (the city's main festival taking place in March). Also, make time for a visit to the City of Arts and Sciences - a futuristic cluster of museums that features an opera house, planetarium and plenty of art.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

Air Europa Flys Nonstop To Spain

We received another round of excellent news for American travelers eyeing a Spanish vacation in the near future. Starting June 1, 2009, Air Europa will fly nonstop from JFK Airport in New York to Madrid Barajas International Airport in Spain. Rates start at $490 plus taxes and surcharge. For those looking for a real value, we recommend looking into Air Europa's special $159 fare to mark the low season (starting October 29th). This flight in combination with the unbeatable hotel and tour rates that we offer is a great value play for 2009.

Here's the full story from the Tourist Office of Spain:

New York, NY, March 6, 2009 – There’s good news for American travelers to Spain. Air Europa, which recently announced new non-stop service from New York to Madrid, is offering some very competitive fares for its inaugural season. And there was news coming out of FITUR, Spain’s annual tourism fair which ended a few weeks ago. One of the world’s leading tourism expos, FITUR attracted more than 260,000 attendees who had the opportunity to learn about new developments throughout Spain’s 17 regions. Air Europa Announces Introductory Fares Spain’s second largest airline has announced a promotional fare for its new service to Madrid. Beginning June 1, when Air Europa launches daily nonstop service from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Madrid Barajas International Airport (MAD), the fare will be $490 plus applicable taxes and fuel surcharges. Later in the year, the airline will have a special low season fare of $159 to mark its inaugural season. Valid beginning October 29, that fare is good for midweek flights, must be paid upon booking, and travel must be completed by December 13. Air Europa will fly 299-seat Airbus 330 aircraft in two-class configuration. Founded in 1986, Air Europa is the second largest carrier in Spain and today serves 44 destinations. The airline is part of the Globalia Corporation and is an associate member of the Sky Team Alliance. For further information about Air Europa, go to www.aireuropa.com.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.