Tagged With "Airport"
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Re: Best and Worst U.S. airports: No surprises
I believe Airports should be judged solely on whether you had a pleasant experience. There is no way Orlando isn't in the Top10. New York is a disgrace. But I pass through as an alien - US residents see no problem. Philadelphia is a dream. Excellent Airport.
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Re: Just how much tax is in your ticket?
My recent, free Air France ticket - LA to Paris to Barcelona and then Venice to Paris to LA the tax was $577.97.
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Re: Just how much tax is in your ticket?
Originally Posted by Ron B.: My recent, free Air France ticket - LA to Paris to Barcelona and then Venice to Paris to LA the tax was $577.97. That's a lot of travel, Ron, but it certainly makes one relook at the definition of "free".
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Re: World's most dangerous airport? Would you land here? Lukla, Nepal
Your pictures remind me very much of the Shimla Airport, same end of runway in space, same commitment required by pilot and passengers alike. The plane was tiny, I sat immediately behind the pilot, a Sikh with headphones perched atop his turban rather than over his ears, unique in my experience. The view was a bit too immediate for my liking but we made it off just fine and bounced in the heat all the way to Delhi. Thanks for the memory, DrF.
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Re: World's most dangerous airport? Would you land here? Lukla, Nepal
I try not to let any aspect of travel faze me, but I'm perfectly happy to have watched the video and call it a day on that one!
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Re: Holiday Flying: How to Beat the Wrap
Just a note of caution, if, as PHeymont suggests, the airport mall tempts you to pick up holiday cheer and other liquids, don't forget connections and possible second trips through security. Just because you bought it at the airport doesn't mean they won't snag it if you have to leave airside to get to your connection. I can imagine very well supplied TSA holiday parties courtesy of some chagrined passengers.
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Re: Holiday Flying: How to Beat the Wrap
PM is right, and the caution applies especially to liquids. There are some exceptions for duty-free items sealed in special bags, but not always.
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Re: Holiday Flying: How to Beat the Wrap
Thanks for the good information. I would not have thought about the airport mall, Amazon Locker or the big box stores. Those are terrific ideas. I have given up on gift wrapping and just toss a few colorful gift bags and some tissue paper into my luggage. Later, I put the gifts in the bags for the big "reveal" for the recipient.
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Re: The "Noah's Ark" airport
DrFumblefinger- I couldn't pull up that link.Does a person need to be a Wall St Journal Subscriber? Frankfurt's airport is also pretty nice for people.
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Re: The "Noah's Ark" airport
That's strange TravelRob, because I run into the same issue today, while yesterday it loaded fine (and free, I don't subscribe to the WSJ). You can hear about it in the free podcast. I've added the link to this above.
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Re: The "Noah's Ark" airport
This story is a delight. Thanks for posting this. One reads about cases in which customs ceases endangered animals in transport. Perhaps this is ibe reason - some of that cargo is going via Lufthansa Cargo and passing through the Frankfurt Animal Lounge. So that is important work that they are doing there. They both keep the animals safe in transit and look out for those who should not be shipped at all. DrFumblefinger - The pony looks very healthy. You must know a lot about animals. Do you...
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Re: The "Noah's Ark" airport
Thanks for the note, Voyager. I did find the piece about animals in transit interesting. I know a little about animals. It's my wife who is the Dr. Doolittle. She loves them in all sizes and shapes and they seem to like and understand her.
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Re: The "Noah's Ark" airport
they seem to like and understand her. Animals - including birds - know who the "friendlies" are. Must be an innate trait for survival.
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Re: The "Noah's Ark" airport
That's a cool story! I work in showbiz (behind the scenes stuff) and there's a great movie or series to made from this.
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Re: Denver airport leads the charge for your phones
Having traveled to Denver in the past month, I'll vouch for that fact there a lot of places to charge your devices. And there are still lots of gates that completely lack chargers, so they still have a long way to go. The free wifi at Denver is quite fast and widely available. Much appreciate! I think this should be a top priority for all airlines -- places to charge that phone and iPad before you fly. It would be good if the consumer organizations provided comparative scores.
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Re: "Doggie-Door" makes lockers easier to use
It is a good and useful idea. Kudos to the Doggy Travel locker door.
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Re: The Reason To Love Cambodia
So often people travel without real contact with the ordinary people around them...makes moments like yours very special! thanks!
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Re: The Reason To Love Cambodia
Somehow I have no difficulty imagining the scene...it seems to fit your nature perfectly, TravelwithLamb. A nice travel moment, thanks!
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Re: For those who hate Heathrow, Gatwick plans new allure
I would hate for Heathrow to get any more complex to get around in that it already is. I like flying into Gatwick, although a lot of carriers don't offer that airport from at least my part of NorthAmerica.
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Re: For those who hate Heathrow, Gatwick plans new allure
Maybe part of a proposal for Heathrow could include making it less complex to negotiate. I've never had a problem with it, although I know it's the airport people love to hate. Never having flown into Gatwick, I can't compare. The other 2 I have used are Stansted & Luton, but, like Gatwick, transport to them is limited compared to Heathrow. I'd prefer they get it all right at one, rather than have 4 less than convenient. Maybe I'll just charter a plane and go into City next time, which I...
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Re: For those who hate Heathrow, Gatwick plans new allure
Gatwick, if selected, will have much better transportation than now; in fact, they are committed to building it even with one runway. Every 2.5 minutes, into Central London. DrF: Gatwick is hoping this will bring some North American flights again; US Airways was the last North American carrier into Gatwick, and they stopped in 2009, sucked into the great vacuum of Heathrow. Gatwick used to have a lot of N. America business back when restrictive legislation limited the number of their flights...
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Re: For those who hate Heathrow, Gatwick plans new allure
There is no problem with London City, I wasn't suggesting expansion. Au contraire, and for those who can use it, it's the best.
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Re: The Reason To Love Cambodia
Very cool! I love the sights and the food but it's meeting people that is my favorite part of travel
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Re: World's 10 Best Airports? Maybe...
I totally disagree with the list. It's partly because I'm more budget focused and partly because it takes less time and hassle at the smaller airports.My favorite airports are small ones where security is reasonable and you dont need to be there hours in advance. My tops would include John Lennon( Liverpool) Sanford near (Orlando) and Marseilles, France
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Re: World's 10 Best Airports? Maybe...
These are all important international hubs, but I'm inclined to agree with TravelRob. Most of these airports are massive and far from user friendly. Maybe they have a large assortment of restaurants from which to choose, etc. But I like short lines, a quick security screen and a reasonable walk to the gate not requiring a bus or train to get there.
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Re: World's 10 Best Airports? Maybe...
I don't want Restaurants or a shopping experience at my airport. I want to check in and go as soon as possible. I don't like being overcharged for something I don't want by an airport that insists on holding me hostage for 3 or 4 hours. My worst experience was JFK for 3 days when my flight was cancelled. Like Rob, if you get me away in under an hour of arrival I'm happy. Liverpool has destinations all over Europe.
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Re: World's 10 Best Airports? Maybe...
I think the comments, and mine are all hitting on the same point: better airport is not more amenities for while you're trapped there...better airport is not trapping you there. I get disbelieving stares when I tell people that Laguardia is my favorite. But, while it looks a bit dated, its size means you don't have ridiculous hikes, and it's easy to get in and get out. Heathrow T5, on the other hand...especially if you are transferring from T3...is an experience that makes you feel like...
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Re: World's 10 Best Airports? Maybe...
Dulles airport was unique. A bus on "scissors" rose up to the planes exit door and we all walked into the carriage. It drove back to the main terminal, Then the announcement. Because of a backlog of passengers we would have to stay on the shuttle bus. We were packed in tight. Standing shoulder to shoulder. No seats. We stood in it for two and a half hours. Sweltering under a July sun. No AirCon. No water. We weren't allowed to open the doors "for security reasons". Temperatures soon rose...
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Re: World's 10 Best Airports? Maybe...
Well, there you have it literally: the road to hell, paved with good intentions. But something does need to change...the airport walks can't just keep getting longer!
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Re: Berlin's airport tragedy of errors continues
It's hugely embarrassing to my German friends, and a farce of incompetence. What kind of architects and engineers are designing this place????? Correspondence school graduates? Perhaps the should just bull-doze the place and start over again. Might be quicker that way.
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Re: Airports, Airlines battle over passenger fees
What I dislike are when fees are not used for what they're charged for. If airport improvement fees really are used to fix up and improve airports, I think most consumers are fine with that. But when they just get put into the general revenues of a city's cash pool, that bugs most of us. What a find far more unreasonable than this are the fees to change or cancel a flight. Often they approach or exceed the value of a ticket. That's really gouging the consumer.
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Re: Airports, Airlines battle over passenger fees
The other fees that especially bother me are the ones you never see in tickets, because they come out the back door. Compare airport car rental prices with off-airport of the same brand; compare the price of gum or candy at the airport or a neighborhood store. That’s airport revenue, too, either through a direct charge (car) or super-high-rents (newsstand)
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Re: Airports, Airlines battle over passenger fees
Good points, PHeymont. I have noticed the extremely high fees imposed by airport car rentals. Sometimes these exceed the cost of the car rental itself.
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Re: Airport trend: More local restaurants
I enjoy trying these local restaurants in airports, especially when there's time between flights. It's one of the best developments of the airlines no longer offering meals.
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Re: U.S. plans big increase in "pre-clearance" sites
If you've ever used one of the foreign country based US customs clearances, you know that this is easy to do. So this is a wonderful idea and will help improve tourism to the USA>
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Re: U.S. plans big increase in "pre-clearance" sites
That’s especially true for high-volume areas like Heathrow…I’d far rather use my waiting time there to be cleared than have to spend extra time waiting AFTER my flight at JFK!
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Re: The newest, biggest, bestest airport: Aren't they all?
I often find that better facilities and more relaxing just mean they've added a shopping mall and an entertainment area to extract more money between gates. So I now have further to walk - and drag my carry-on to get to the gate. Maybe developers see us customers as "Lambs to the slaughter" Squeeze us - until our pockets run dry. I'd be happy if all those moving walkways worked. The cartoon Jetsons never had a problem with them in the 60s. Before they were even invented I think ! Vey...
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Re: One 'Ghost Airport' in China Plans to Expand Again
The video on the link even shows China's version of a bridge to nowhere.
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Re: The newest, biggest, bestest airport: Aren't they all?
I confess to a preference for developing world airports - small, simple, friendly places, like the towns they get us to when we choose to fly at all. I realize that I'll likely need to go through one or 2 of these urban behemoths to get to them, and then I'm reminded I'm on the right track again when baggage claim is a few steps into the building and it's a couple of guys who just pushed a cart to an opening in the wall and I can still see the plane.
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Re: The newest, biggest, bestest airport: Aren't they all?
It's a nicely researched and well-written piece, PHeymont. Thanks. I'm with PortMoresby, though. Given a choice, I'd rather travel to a smaller airport, and avoid these mega-hubs if at all possible. I know at some level you agree with this (based on some of your past comments on Heathrow for example).
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Re: The newest, biggest, bestest airport: Aren't they all?
Far from Third World except In the minds of Gov. Cuomo and Joe Biden, but Laguardia is my favorite NY airport precisely because it's so much smaller.
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Re: One 'Ghost Airport' in China Plans to Expand Again
Seems as if someone really believes "if you build it, they will come."
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Re: TSA, American testing automated security screens
This sounds like a nice idea. A modernization of a tedious process. Hope it works!
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Re: TSA strands 450 overnight: could it get worse?
What a mess. The very agency that is to protect citizens from terrorist activity is creating an environment wherein "tent communities" are springing up at America's airports. How embarrassing is that. Talk about a target rich environment for the bad guys. The TSA's funding, even with "cuts", is about US$ 7.3 billion for 2016. In contrast, Canada, which has 1/10th the population of the USA, has an airport screening budget of about CDN $0.56 billion, and Transport Canada acknowledges it has...
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Re: TSA strands 450 overnight: could it get worse?
Most countries around the world exchange ideas and processes to fulfil the common good. But some countries refuse to enter into a dialogue and share ideas. Russia is another one.
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Re: TSA strands 450 overnight: could it get worse?
To be fair to the TSA (which I find hard to do), the $7.3 billion is not all for screening, only about half is. That said, while airports are looking to outsource the screening, maybe they should hire Transport Canada! As for the PreCheck point: TSA can't seem to make up its mind. When it started, they semi-randomly selected 'extra' people to go through it, on the theory that they would like it enough to buy it—and some did, but not enough. Then the people who had paid for it started to...
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Re: TSA strands 450 overnight: could it get worse?
The few US airports that have private security companies handling the screening are reporting good results and I think that's a good option for the airports. My guess is for liability reasons, airports are scared to dump the TSA. After seeing the comments by DrFumblinger and PHeymont, I do think we can learn from Canada on this. I did a little more reading on Canada's airport security. It seems all major airports in Canada have private screening. The airports give out three year contracts.
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Re: Is bad PreCheck planning responsible for TSA delays?
I don't like the whole concept of PreCheck because when they started this added security at airports, they insisted terrorists could be anyone and that's why we need to check everyone. We enter trains, buses and metros without a PreCheck, and it doesn't take forever. There is a history of attacks on those means of transportation too. And now attacks could just as easily happen at the ticket counter at the airport as on the plane.