Courtesy of Kimpton Group

With travel to the Asia/Pacific region booming, San Diego will soon become the newest U.S. gateway for nonstop transpacific travel. Japan Airlines, a member of the Oneworld alliance, plans to begin service in December 2012 between San Diego and Tokyo Narita, starting with four flights a week and going to daily frequencies in March 2013. And JAL will fly the route with the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In other route news, Alaska Airlines in June added new service from San Diego to Fresno, Monterey and Santa Rosa, Calif. And US Airways has also added Washington, D.C. National–San Diego service, beginning July 8. Also coming to San Diego’s airport: a 20,000-square-foot terminal for corporate and general aviation, currently under development. On the lodging scene, the luxury Se San Diego, located downtown on Fifth Avenue, went through a bankruptcy sale last fall and emerged with a new identity as the Hotel Palomar, part of Kimpton Hotels. Hotel Indigo San Diego Del Mar—part of InterContinental Hotels Group—has just opened after a major overhaul of what used to be the Best Western Stratford Inn. Another recent opening: Four Points by Sheraton Downtown, at 1617 First Avenue.

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