McNamara Terminal has enclosed tram

McNamara Terminalhas enclosed tram
Detroit recently opened an innovative, $1.2 billion airport terminal that serves as Northwest Airlines' biggest hub.
The Edward H. McNamara Terminal claims to be the only airport with an elevated, enclosed tram in the terminal; it runs the milelong length of the concourse. Eventually 80 restaurants and shops, including the Motown Music Review and gift shops for General Motors and the Henry Ford Museum, will be located there; about 65 were expected to be open by last weekend.
Adjusting to security concerns after Sept. 11, the terminal was redesigned with 21 security checkpoints, 40 percent more than planned.
Other expansions include 106 ticket counters vs. 64 in the old terminal, about a mile away, and 90 electronic ticketing machines, triple the number in the old terminal. In a bid to speed luggage processing, there will be 24 curbside check-in positions (more than three times as many as in the old terminal) and 18 luggage carousels vs. eight in the old terminal.
At first only Northwest, Continental and KLM will be at the new terminal. Eventually it is expected to handle 80 percent to 90 percent of the airport's traffic, a spokesman said. For more information, visit www.new detroitterminal.com.
25 hours of jet timeper year for $109,000
So you don't have the $6 million you need to buy a small jet? No problem. It can be yours for just $109,000 a year, and that includes the aircraft and the crew.
As an alternative to chartering a plane or other so-called "fractional ownership" plans, Marquis Jet Partners of New York recently began offering travelers 25 hours of flying time a year, "wheels up to wheels down," as Marquis CEO Alan Clingman says. The plane is available 24 hours, seven days a week, with 10 hours' notice.
The plan, called the Marquis Private Jet Card, is a bit like a flying timeshare, Clingman says, but with one important difference: A jet is available when you want it, so there are no messy arguments over who gets, say, Memorial Day.
Larger jets are available and cost as much as $329,000 a year for 25 hours.
Marquis is affiliated with NetJets, a company offering fractional jet ownership whose fleet of 400 planes Marquis uses. (NetJets, in business for about 15 years, requires buyers to make a five-year commitment and also charges an hourly rate.)
For information call (212) 499-3790 or visit www.marquisjet.com on the Web.
San Antonio coupons
San Antonio visitors can save money with a coupon book from the visitors bureau. Deals include $8 off on SeaWorld Adventure Park, hotels for $48 per night and up to 20 percent off at restaurants with the American Express card.
Call (800) 447-3372 or visit www.sanantoniovisit.com on the Web and ask for the S.A.V.E. booklet.
Celebrate with Irishin Philadelphia
If you can't go to Ireland to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, the next best thing might be Newfoundland, where Irish descendants have the same lilting accents and friendly manners. But if you can't go to Newfoundland either (and expect it might be too cold), how about Philadelphia?
The City of Brotherly Love celebrates its Irish heritage all month with music, step dancing and guests ranging from Great Big Sea, a Celtic-rock band from Newfoundland, to Altan, who perform Irish songs, reels and jigs.
The high point is the 51st annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, which steps off March 17 at 12:15 p.m. from 20th and Market streets and ends at Logan Circle. The theme this year strikes a serious note: "St. Patrick Bless Our Fallen Heroes of 9/11."
On the lighter side, there'll be weekend festivities all March long at Irish pubs such as The Black Sheep, Fado and Finnegan's Wake. Visitors who want to take advantage of the two-night Philly Overnight Hotel Package developed by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. can log on to the Web at www.gophila.com.
Paris Disney resortto go Hollywood
Disneyland Paris Resort will get the Hollywood treatment soon when the Walt Disney Studios theme park opens next door.
Patterned after the Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida, the 61-acre park outside Paris, costing more than $500 million, is divided into four zones designed to give behind-the-scenes views of the movie and animation industries. Among them is the Front Lot, with a mock-up of Sunset Boulevard with hundreds of movie props. The Backlot focuses on the wizardry of special effects, featuring the movie "Armageddon," and also has a roller coaster and live stunt show.
Three hotels are being developed near the site, which will increase the number of rooms in the Disney resort area from 5,800 to 6,900.
The park will be open daily starting March 16; hours vary by season. Admission also varies by season, ranging from about $21 to $28 for adults and $18 to $22 for children ages 3 to 11 -- the same as at the Disneyland park next door.
Combined tickets good for both parks and multiday passes also are available. Call 011-33-1-6030-6081 or visit www.disneylandparis.com on the Web for more information.
Hotel room ratesrise in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS -- Tourism continues to rebound here, and with it, the price of a hotel room.
Advance room rates for the week ending March 16 were higher than a year ago -- the first year-over-year increase in weekday and weekend periods since before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Wall Street lodging analyst Jason Ader reported.
The increase may be the result of an influx of gamblers betting on the NCAA basketball finals, spring break for students and a 13 percent increase in convention business from the same period last year, said Ader of Bear, Stearns & amp; Co.
He said the projected room rates represent the second consecutive week that the Bellagio has charged full price -- $199 for weeknights, $399 for the weekend, reflecting an 83 percent increase from the post-Sept. 11 midweek low of $109, which occurred Nov. 24, and a 151 percent increase from weekend low of $159, charged Oct. 20.
"We expect that these higher rates should allow other properties, which view Bellagio as a benchmark, to continue to bump up their rates," he said.
VIP lines restored
The major airlines' VIP lines were briefly thrown into disarray late last month after the new Transportation Security Administration took over airport security checkpoints. The lines typically let first- and business-class passengers and some frequent fliers end-run the crowds to reach the checkpoints.
After reports circulated that the federal agency had banned the lines, some airlines stopped operating them for a few days, then mostly restored them. In the interim, the Air Transport Association asked the TSA for clarification, and it now understands that "we [the airlines] are in charge of the queues. The government is in charge of the checkpoints," spokesman Michael Wascom said.
A senior TSA spokesman recently confirmed that policy. He added, however, that screening passengers at airport clubs, practiced by some airlines, is now banned.
Combined Dispatches