Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Edition December 2019

Welcome to the December 2019 edition of Business Traveller Asia-Pacific, our final edition of the year. You will no doubt be aware of what is going on in Hong Kong, the city where our office is based. At the time of writing, the protests are showing no sign of ending – with some commentators suggesting they could go on into 2020 – and the business community is trying to make a calculated guess about the city’s future. Whilst no one denies that the protests are affecting Hong Kong’s economy and its residents’ and visitors’ daily lives, it’s still very much possible to visit Hong Kong without incident, get your business done and enjoy what this spectacular city has to offer – as long as you plan ahead and make sure you…

4 HOURS IN NEW YORK We show you the best things to see and do when you visit this underappreciated district on the southeastern tip of Manhattan LUXURY SUITES Why stay in a suite rather than standard room? We look at how hotels across Asia-Pacific are upping their suite game BEIJING DAXING AIRPORT The Chinese capital’s new airport is a masterpiece of both design and passenger processing efficiency FLYING WITH A NUT ALLERGY Peanuts and planes seem to go arm in arm, so how can you minimise your risk when flying with a nut allergy?…

JASMINE JI Jasmine is a senior reporter for Business Traveller China based in Shanghai with more than 15 years’ experience in China’s media industry. She focuses on fashion, luxury, lifestyle and travel. Jasmine not only loves to explore unique landscapes and local stories when travelling, but also feels proud of the unique charms and new developments in her home town of Shanghai. In this issue on page 48, she recommends some newly opened hotels in the city. DEREK PICOT Veteran hotelier Derek has worked in senior positions on five continents, most recently as regional vice president for Jumeirah’s hotels and resorts in Europe. He now consults for hotel owners and luxury developers, advising on design and trends in hospitality. In his regular column, on page 57, he looks at how hotels are focusing…

TAIWANESE start-up carrier Starlux Airlines has taken delivery of an A321neo, making it the first A321neo introduced into Taiwan. A pilot and an aircraft maintenance technician himself, Chang Kuo-wei, the chairman of Starlux Airlines, flew this new aircraft with the registration number B-58201 from the Airbus Delivery Centre in Hamburg, Germany to Taipei in person, via Dubai and Bangkok. The flight arrived at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport at around 1120 on Monday October 28. The airline’s A321neo features the Airbus Cabin Flex (ACF) configuration, which the airline says enables “more flexible cabin configurations”, and allows for more seats while still providing a “roomy cabin” by modifying the fuselage. Starlux Airlines’ A321neo has 188 seats, including eight fully flat seats in business class and 180 seats in economy class. Business Traveller…

PASSENGERS travelling with Singapore Airlines in first class can now enjoy Taittinger Comtes De Champagne. Produced by the family-owned champagne house Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs was selected by Singapore Airlines’ wine panel, comprised of three wine experts. The airline has - to include personal visits to vineyards and blind tastings organised by its wine consultants. The champagne will join two prestige cuvées (first press wines) served in first class, namely Dom Pérignon and Krug Grand Cuvée. It is being served on flights to Auckland, Beijing, Delhi, Dubai, Melbourne, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo Haneda until February 2020, before being rotated to other routes. singaporeair.com…

PASSENGERS flying on Cathay Pacific's long-haul and select regional routes will have more entertainment content to sift through while they're up in the air. The Hong Kong-based carrier says it is giving passengers four times the entertainment currently available on its flights. The airline says that passengers can look forward to more newly released movies, sports coverage, complete TV box sets and more Asian content. Sports fans flying on the Airbus A350 aircraft will be able to watch live coverage of the latest games on the flight as the airline has partnered with the Sport 24 channel to offer customers real-time coverage of sporting events. The airline has also paired up with streaming service and independent entertainment specialist MUBI in an effort to source “remastered classics and films that never made it to…