Virgin Atlantic has become the first airline to lay on a complimentary helicopter transfer for its Upper Class passengers between Tokyo’s Narita International Airport and the center of the city.

Around 75 km to the east of Tokyo, Narita is infamous for its remoteness and poor links to the heart of the metropolis.

New bus and train links have reduced the time required to make the transfer to under an hour, but Virgin has realized there would be solid demand for a faster and more efficient method of beating the traffic.

The Wing airport lounge at Hong Kong International Airport has been chosen as the best in the world by guidebook publisher Frommers.

In a guide compiled for USA Today, Frommer’s picked the world’s top ten executive lounges, putting Cathay Pacific‘s 4,500 square meter facility in first place.

Reserved for Cathay’s first and business class passengers, the lounge offers individual bath and shower rooms with their own minibars.

A bar at Switzerland’s Zurich Airport has been named as the best airport bar in the world at the Airport Food and Beverage Awards, held in Manchester earlier this week.

The Center Bar, which stretches along one side of Zurich’s departure terminal, beat contenders that included Harry’s Bar, an open air lounge on the roof of Singapore’s Changi Airport, and Saji Bumi at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Bars at Brussels Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport shared the prize for the best wine bar category, with the Beaudevin Wine and Tapas bar winning in Belgium and Vino Volo taking the prize in the US.

Bacardi is offering travellers at Sydney Airport the chance to buy one of only four Bombay Sapphire bottles hand-decorated with thousands of Swarovski crystals.

Priced at A$4,000 (US$3,960), each bottle is encrusted with over 10,000 crystals in four different sizes and colours: Aquamarine, Jet, Crystal and Light Colorado Topaz.

Each of the crystallised bottles of Bombay Sapphire comes with its own white leather case and will be on sale in Terminal 1 of Sydney Airport until 6 January 2011.

Shilla Duty Free has struck a landmark agreement to open the world’s first Louis Vuitton airport store, at Incheon International Airport.

The luxury brand has traditionally rejected the airport retailing channel – though it is present in downtown travel retail through selected Gallerias run by fellow LVMH subsidiary DFS, and through high-class Korean retailers such as Shilla and Lotte.

Shilla said: “Louis Vuitton’s opening of a store in Incheon International Airport is being considered as a monumental achievement in the global tourism industry.

Last week, Hong Kong-flag carrier Cathay Pacific unveiled its new lounge at Hong Kong International airport, promising a “new level of comfort and convenience.”

“The Cabin” is spread across 1,339 square meters and designed by Foster and Partners to be “contemporary, refreshing and dynamic.”

Passengers can choose between 5 zones designed for different purposes, including The Reception, The IT Zone, The Deli, The Health Bar, and The Relaxing Zone.