Major Improvements Underway At Johannesburg Int'l
<B>Major Improvements Underway At Johannesburg Int'l</B>
By Robert Curley
The South African government plans to spend more than $300 million by 2005 on a series of much-needed improvements at Johannesburg International Airport, including a new onsite luxury hotel, a duty-free mall, upgraded terminals and surface roads, and expanded parking facilities.
The project, which began with the 1999 opening of JIA's new international arrivals terminal and a revamped international departures terminal, along with the opening of a 4,000-car parking garage, continued with the October 2000 premiere of a duty-free mall, featuring premium African goods as well as outlets of international retailers.
By 2002, business travelers connecting to flights to Cape Town and elsewhere in South Africa will pass through a new, multilevel domestic terminal building, which airport officials promise will be state of the art and ease lines at gates and transfers between flights. JIA also is adding a new section to the domestic terminal to allow jetway access to planes at an additional 10 gates.
Perhaps the most anticipated addition to JIA is the new Airport Sun Inter-Continental Hotel--the first on-airport luxury hotel in South Africa. Slated to open this spring, the $10.9 million, 138-room hotel will cater to business travelers. Hotel features will include soundproof rooms, "flight-friendly" meal service and menus, regional shuttle service, in-room flight departure updates, and health and beauty services. Among the hotel's lodging options are two executive suites and 26 executive rooms. Business facilities include five meeting rooms. The hotel also will have an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center and a massage room.
South Africa Airways, the major carrier for U.S.-based visitors to South Africa, also has upgraded its facilities at JIA, recently opening a new World Class Arrivals Lounge. First- and business-class passengers, as well as holders of the airline's Voyager Platinum Card, can access the lounge, which includes food service, a business center and shower facilities.
Meanwhile, SAA is broadening the appeal of Johannesburg as a hub for U.S. travelers to southern Africa by boosting service to a number of regional destinations, including Zambia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Uganda. SAA already provides the only nonstop service to South Africa from the United States, flying out of Atlanta and New York JFK, and recently added the first nonstop service between the United States and Lagos, Nigeria.
In late 2000, SAA announced that it was expanding to seven flights per week its service from Johannesburg International Airport to Lusaka, Zambia, and Nairobi, Kenya; to 11 per week flights to Harare and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe; and to three flights per week to Lilongwe, Malawi, and Entebbe, Uganda.
Jade Rutland, spokeswoman for SAA, said the increased service will cut layover time for U.S. travelers connecting through Johannesburg, which she said is a far more efficient hub for southern Africa than connecting to other flag carriers through European airports. For instance, said Rutland, total flight and layover time from New York JFK to Lagos via Johannesburg is about 20 hours, versus about 34 hours via Europe.
Already highly regarded for its international service, SAA is in the process of upgrading its U.S. routes with 747-400 aircraft and improving its first- and business-class offerings to include fully reclinable seats, broader in-seat entertainment choices and power points for laptop computers. The upgrade is expected to be completed by year-end.