18 hotels to stay at during the Chicago Architecture Biennial
Chicago will be celebrating the state of architecture from October 3, 2015, through January 3, 2016. The city known for its amazing buildings, parks, public art and design will be the venue of this first ever Chicago Architecture Biennial.
The Chicago Architecture Biennial will bring architects and designers from all over the world to the Windy City to focus on and discuss its The State of the Art of Architecture theme, and Chicago is certainly a fitting city for such an exposition, as the Windy City’s architectural history and legacy has transformed the way architects and developers design and build cities. And for those who want to fully submerse themselves in the Biennial’s theme, we’ve highlighted 18 hotels that offer a unique Chicago-specific experience to its guests. From landmark skyscrapers to new boutique hotels that are high on interior design, these hotels offer something for everyone.
The airline premium-economy puzzle
Ed Perkins, writing in the Chicago Tribune, takes us through the world of premium economy, from the size and pitch of seats to what extras come with which tickets on what airlines. It is all complex, but this primer will help decipher the offerings.
The basic concept of premium economy is simple: more comfortable than regular economy with better cabin service; less expensive than business class. You’d think that formula would appeal to a sizable minority of leisure travelers who are fed up with today’s miserably overcrowded economy class — after all, “comfortable economy seat” is an oxymoron. But the unfortunate fact is that, in most cases, the extra fare for premium economy turns off a lot of potential customers.
The term “premium economy” covers two very different approaches. Here, I’m focused on what I call “true premium economy” that combines six to 10 inches of extra legroom with at least two — and more often three to five — extra inches of seat width, along with upgraded cabin service, and on most lines, some combination of no-charge checked baggage, priority boarding, advance seat assignment, and other services typically offered only as optional, for a stiff fee.
True premium economy is confined almost entirely to long-haul intercontinental transatlantic, transpacific, and Asia-to-Europe routes in wide-body planes. Air Canada is the only North American airline to offer true premium economy, but Air China, Air France, Air New Zealand, Alitalia, ANA, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, China Southern, EVA, JAL, LOT, Lufthansa, OpenSkies, Qantas, SAS, Singapore, Virgin Atlantic, and Virgin Australia offer it on intercontinental flights.
NASA warns that air traffic controllers aren’t allowed enough sleep; FAA keeps study secret
Air controller fatigue is back in the news. Air traffic controllers are not falling asleep, but the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) more than four years ago released a study about fatigue in airport control towers. The FAA managed to keep it under wraps, even as near misses and a major debate about scheduling controllers roiled the aviation world.
Having the organization responsible for managing flight safety found keeping secrets from the public about safety is concerning.
Voluntary reports from a confidential aviation safety database run by NASA show that controllers are still complaining that they make dangerous errors because their work schedules don’t provide enough time for sleep. Schedules cited by the study as especially fatiguing are a week of five midnight shifts — usually from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. — and six-day work weeks for several weeks in a row, usually with at least one midnight shift per week.
Photo: Adam Alexander Photography, photo courtesy of Choose Chicago
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.