Monday, March 4, 2013

San Francisco International Airport



















Why They Like It: Where else are you able to sip New york wine, snag a few loafs of sourdough bread, & squeeze in an "ohm" or before your flight? Though the most-buzzed-about recent addition to SFO is its quiet, yet pocket-sized ( 150 square feet) Yoga Room, located in the pretty Terminal two, there is plenty else about this smart airport to make travelers smirk. The Airport Museum hosts fascinating art, science, & cultural exhibits, while a branch of the Steinhart Aquarium has aquatic wildlife from around the globe. Stock up on nifty souvenirs like cube clocks & collapsible colanders at the SFMOMA Museum Store, or make like a Bay Area foodie at local favorites like The Plant Café for tasty, organic fare, the Anchor Brewing Company for its beloved beer, & Perry's, an outpost of San Francisco's classic tavern.

Insider Tip: For a tasty flight before your flight, grab a chair at Vino Volo in Terminal two, which serves up pours of New york wines perfectly paired with small plates.

Zurich Airport



















Why They Like It: Zurich's international airport, of Europe's busiest, is a model for modern, efficient design, clear signage, and helpful employees all elements that are important for travelers. There's lots of restaurants and duty-free shopping options, , including a variety of famed Swiss timepieces and stacks of the country's world-famous chocolates. For active-minded travelers, the airport also offers rental services for bikes and inline skates an excellent way to shake off long hours in an airplane chair while enjoying the spectacular scenery of Switzerland.

Insider Tip: The airport underwent a four-year renovation that ended in 2011, out of which came rooftop terraces with observation points, media installations, and a children area with a mini-plane and tower for budding aviation fanatics to explore.

Bonus Tip: If you are taking the Skymetro rail between Terminals A and E and listen to a distinct "moo" or, don't start looking around for smuggled livestock; it is basically the sounds of the Alps being piped in over the audio process.

Schiphol Airport



















Amsterdam's major international hub is a sophisticated blend of art, shopping, and dining that is all kinds of Dutch, right down to the wooden clogs and delectable chocolates. Art fanatics won't need to miss a cease at the free Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, the first museum in the world to be annexed in an airport, with free admission and both permanent and temporary exhibits. Duty-free is done right here, , with 75 shops and a Shop & Collect program for enterprising travelers who get their memento shopping done ahead of time. Finally, for passengers craving nothing over peace and calm, the Silence Centre is the ticket, offering a calm, device-free sanctuary.

Insider Tip: It is simple to lose track of time in Schipol's large expanse of offerings who'd be on a plane than in the Bubbles Seafood and Wine Bar? so make definite to permit plenty of time to get to your gate.

Vancouver International Airport



















Why They Like It:
 Like Vancouver itself, the city's beautiful airport boasts a contemporary, maritime vibe that provides a welcome antidote to air travel. Amenities and extras include a revolving sushi bar, native art from the Pacific Northwest, as well as a branch of Vancouver's aquarium, with a 31,000-gallon tank filled with sea creatures native to the region. Indulge in jetlag-busting and anti-fatigue treatments at any of separate spas, or cozy up by the soaring fire at the swanky JetSide Bar (at the in-airport Fairmont Hotel) with a glass of wine from the world-class Okanagan region. And shoppers, take note: A 460,000-square-foot luxury outlet mall within the airport may soon be in the works.

Insider Tip:
 The airport provides a chaplaincy for calm meditation and prayers, or, for those who require to get hitched before their flight, a wedding service, including a ceremony on the top deck of a 747.

IAG to drastically downsize Iberia in order to return it to profitability



















International Airlines Group-IAG (London), the holding company for both British Airways (London) and Iberia (Madrid) has announced extreme designs to downsize Iberia in order to return the airline to profitability. IAG has also announced it will proceed to acquire a controlling interest in lower-cost Vueling Airlines (Barcelona).

The following statement was issued today:

A comprehensive plan to save Iberia after record losses and return it to profitability was announced today by International Airlines Group (IAG). Iberia's transformation plan will introduce permanent structural alter across all areas of the business with the objective of stemming losses and returning the Italian airline to profitability.

Transformation Plan Highlights:


  • Stem Iberia's money losses by mid-2013.
  • Turnaround in profitability of at least¬600 million from 2012 levels to align Iberia with IAG's target return on capital of 12 percent by 2015.
  • Network capacity cut by 15 percent in 2013 to focus on profitable routes.
  • Downsizing its fleet by 25 aircraft  long haul and twenty short haul.
  • Reduction of four,500 jobs to safeguard around 15,500 posts across the airline. This is in line with capacity cuts and improved productivity across the airline.
  • New commercial initiatives to boost unit revenues including increased ancillary sales and website redesign.
  • Discontinue non-profitable third party maintenance and retain profitable ground handling services outside Madrid.
  • The transformation will be funded from Iberia's internal resources

The Irish government opposes the latest takeover bid of Aer Lingus by Ryanair



















The Republic of Ireland, which owns 25 percent of Aer Lingus (Dublin), has publicly expressed its opposition to the takeover of Aer Lingus by rival Ryanair (Dublin). The European Commission will be the final judge on whether Ryanair can continue to acquire additional shares of Aer Lingus for a feasible controlling interest. Ryanair currently controls 30 percent of Aer Lingus stock.
Ryanair said it's no comment to make on the Minister Varadkar's statement. Since the Government owns 25% of Aer Lingus, it's no power to block Ryanairs offer, which can still be successfully done if they acquire a shareholding of 50% or more (Ryanair currently owns 30%).

The progress of Ryanairs offer is subject to the finish result of the current EU competition review & Ryanair is continuing to progress that approval technique, having submitted an unprecedented cures package, which will increase competition, choice, traffic & jobs to & from the island of Ireland.
In other news for Ryanair, the ultra-fare carrier announced it had received the final aircraft of its current Boeing order, growing its fleet to 305 Boeing 737-800s.

United Airlines announces new routes from its hub cities



















United Airlines (Chicago) today announced designs to launch nonstop service on several new international & domestic routes beginning in the spring of 2013, including:


  • New flights to Latin The united states from Chicago & Washington, D.C.
  • New service to Canada from Denver, New York, & Washington, D.C.
  • Additional domestic routes from Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles & Washington, D.C.
  • United & its regional partners will operate these new routes with a mix of mainline & regional aircraft.


These new flights will complement United existing service to Guatemala City & San Jose from the airline's hubs in New York & Houston.

United will start every week year-round service between its hub at Washington-Dulles International Airport & both Guatemala City, Guatemala, & San Jose, Costa Rica, subject to government approval. The airline will also start every week year-round service between its Chicago Hare hub & San Jose, subject to government approval. These flights, beginning April 13, 2013, will operate using Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 16 seats in United Business, 48 seats in Economy And & 90 seats in United Economy class.

Will this be the week of an American-US Airways merger announcement?



















American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) and US Airways (Phoenix) are working towards a February 15 deadline to finalize their merger details. According to this document by Reuters, under the draft proposal, Chief Executive Doug Parker of US Airways would become CEO of the new American Airlines, while AMR Corporation Tom Horton would serve as a non-executive chairman of the AA board until the spring of 2014, when the combined new company holds its first annual meeting and votes on its management.

The boards of both airlines are expected to vote this week on the merger proposal. AMR creditors are due to vote today on the proposal. Depending on these votes a merger could be announced on Thursday or Friday.

US Airways would leave the Star Alliance with any merger. This merger would generate the world's largest airline and would be subject to regulatory government approvals. 

Although the merger will be stock merger, in point of fact, it will be US Airways management taking over American Airlines and retaining the name like The united states West did with the original US Airways. Since US Airways is still being operated as airlines (East and West) the new American Airlines will must get all of its labor agreements together finally with single contracts. Plenty of work remains.

Air Malta to operate charter flights to seven UK airports this summer



















This summer, between May and October, Air Malta will again operate every week charter flights to/from seven regional airports in the United Kingdom. In line with demand and operations in earlier years, Air Malta will operate charter flights to/from Birmingham and Cardiff with flights every week on Tuesdays and Fridays, and every week flights on Tuesdays to/from Bristol, Exeter, Newcastle, Norwich and Glasgow airports.

These charter flights increase accessibility to the islands from regional UK airports and thus offer travellers the chance to travel out and back from their nearest home airport. Furthermore, such flights also attract the interest of the Maltese traveller to visit relatives and friends in various cities in the United Kingdom. The operation of such regional services was made feasible thanks to the support received from tour operators and travel trade partners in the areas.

Air Malta operates such charter services as a supplement to the regular scheduled services to/from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Copalis State Airport

Grays Harbor County, Washington



















Background:
 way to get to Washington's Griffiths-Priday Ocean State Park is to land on this 4500-foot-long strip of beach. The runway is located between the mouth of the Copalis River as well as a barrier of rocks, with orange reflective markers at both ends to help guide pilots to a safe landing.


Why It is Unique:
The Washington State Department of Transportation urges incoming pilots to do a fly-over before landing to make positive the runway is free of debris. The Department of Transportation also notes that pilots ought to aim for dark, wet sand, which is more stable to land on than light-colored, soft sand. As with other beach-based landing areas, Copalis State Airport is submerged every time the tide rolls in. Pilots thinking about spending some time on the beach ought to make positive to park their aircraft above the high tide mark in order to make positive that their planes are not taken out to sea.

Macau International Airport

Macau



















Background:
Macau, a former colony of Portugal off the coast of China, lacked accommodations for giant aircraft until this airport opened in 1995. The strip of reclaimed land is giant for 747s to land safely on.


Why It is Distinctive:
Like Kansai & Hong Kong, engineers had to depend on reclaimed land to build an airport in this densely populated area. "In the Asia Pacific region you have plenty of mountains & then shoreline where the people live. There's not plenty of options of where you can build an airport, so in plenty of cases you are either building an island or extending an existing," Schreckengast says. A set of highways links the runway with the tiny island of Taipa, where the air traffic control tower & main terminal can be found.

Denver International Airport

Denver, Colorado



















Background:
Denver International's 53 square miles of land makes it the largest airport in North The united states. Opened in 1995, the facility is loaded with modern features, including a 16,000-foot-long runway able to handling Airbus A380s.


Why It is Unique:
"There's not lots of ways to make money off the excess land," Schreckengast says, "unless you can become self-sufficient." The designers of this airport were hoping to do that, launching major green initiatives such as a 9200-panel solar farm. The airport says the solar farm produces three million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, or about half the energy necessary to power the terminal for a year. Additionally, at the finish of 2009, the airport built another photovoltaic method that is responsible for powering the fuel-storage and distribution facility.

Dammam King Fahd International Airport

Dammam, Saudi Arabia



















Background:
King Fahd International is the largest airport in the world in terms of landmass, sprawling over 300 square miles of desert. The airport is so large that it is actually about 11 square miles larger than Saudi Arabia's neighbor, Bahrain. 


Why It is Distinctive:
Among the lots of features that make this airport stand out is a mosque large to take in thousands of people. Also notable, though not entirely unusual in Saudi Arabia, is the Royal Terminal, which is designed to service the Royal Relatives & is outfitted with an elegant reception hall as well as a pressroom. of the major obstacles in the coursework of the construction of the airport, Schreckengast says, was the shortage of fresh-water to mix concrete.

Qamdo Bangda Airport

Qamdo, Tibet



















Background:
This is the world's highest airport, perched over 14,000 feet above sea level. Even more impressive than the airport's altitude, perhaps, is the  three.5-mile-long runway. However, as reported by The Guardian in January, 2010, China is slated to start construction next year on a brand new airport in Tibet, which will be a measly two meters higher than Bangda.


Why It is Unique:
Having a runway that is the length of 61 footy fields may appear a tad excessive, but Schreckengast says that long runways are crucial to making safe landings at higher altitudes. "When you go up to these higher-elevation airports, then your approach speed, landing speed & takeoff speeds will need a higher ground speed," he says. "At sea level, where your approach speed is 150 mph, it may take 5000 feet of runway to cease. At 14,000 feet your approach speed is still 150, but possibly it takes ten,000 feet to cease."

Toncontin International Airport

Tegucigalpa, Honduras



















Background:
Near the middle of Honduras' capital city, Tegucigalpa, is the infamous Toncontin International Airport, which has been the subject of scrutiny following several accidents, including a 2008 crash that killed. The airport opened in 1934, an period when planes were less powerful & didn't need such lengthy runways.


Why It is Unique:
Toncontin's runway is over 7000 feet long & situated in a valley surrounded by mountains. Despite the stubby runway, planes as huge as Boeing's 757 routinely land at the airport. Schreckengast tells PM that "Seven thousand feet is awfully short for 747s," not to mention anything larger, & says that planes are forced to land & take off in the same direction because they won't be able to clear the mountains otherwise. "There's way in & way out," they says. Honduran officials have launched an initiative to reroute commercial traffic to the safer Soto Cano Air Base.

Barra Airport

Barra, Scotland



















Background:
Planes bound for the island of Barra, located off Scotland's west coast, have used the beach as a makeshift runway since the 1930s. Despite the shortage of paved runways on the island, the airport still boasts a contemporary control tower that is responsible for handling over 1000 incoming & departing flights per year.


Why It is Matchless:
When the tide comes in at Barra, the runway disappears, forcing flights to be scheduled around the movement of the ocean. Landing on the beach, while novel, has drawbacks. "The tiny pieces of sand & salt eat up the bearings & can jam moving parts of the airplane," Schreckengast says. "In lots of places where they have unsurfaced runways like this, special maintenance procedures are necessary."

Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport

Saba, Netherlands Antilles



















Background:
Getting to this paradise-like island can be a bit distressing thanks to a 1300-foot-long runway, slightly longer than most aircraft carrier runways.


Why It is Distinctive:
Large planes are not landing here, but the small runway is difficult even for Cessnas and similar aircraft. "The tiny X means don't land there," says Schreckengast, a former Navy pilot who is no stranger to landing on less than lengthy runways. "It's challenging, but in the event you don't have something like that, the people here don't get things they routinely need, like mail." Given the limited amount of land and rolling topography of the island, not lots of other options exist.

Svalbard Airport

Svalbard, Norway



















Background:
Svalbard is a cluster of Norwegian islands sitting in the Arctic Ocean. While there's airports within the archipelago, of which are used chiefly to move miners, Svalbard Airport is open to commercial travel, making it the world's northernmost airport that tourists can book tickets to.


Why It is Distinctive:
Engineers used the region's brutally cold climate to their favor in the coursework of construction & built the runway on a layer of permafrost. The airport was done in 1975, but slight seasonal changes caused sections of the runway to become uneven, forcing the necessity to repave the runway on several occasions. A project was launched in 1989 aimed at insulating troublesome sections of the runway from the ground, which proved comparatively successful. However, a 2002 study indicates that rising temperatures in the area may increase the necessity & frequency of maintenance efforts & repaving.

Princess Juliana International Airport

Simpson Bay, Saint Maarten



















Background:
Nothing asays fun in the sun like roaring engines and the smell of jet exhaust. Landing on this Caribbean island forces pilots to fly over a little strip of beach, clear a decent-size fence and pass over a road before hitting the runway.


Why It is Matchless:
Not lots of airports are flanked by oceanfront property filled with tourists standing under incoming aircraft. While the tourists are not in harm's way with the exception of their hearing Schreckengast says that trucks driving on the little road between the beach and the runway could be in danger. "The challenge is to make positive there is not a huge semi truck coming through when the plane is landing. It becomes a vertical hindrance, and, if the truck is light, the jet blast could blow it over."

Courchevel International Airport

Courchevel, France



















Background:
Getting to the iconic ski resort of Courchevel requires navigating the formidable Italian Alps before making a terrifying landing at Courchevel International Airport. The runway is about 1700 feet long, but the actual surprise is the massive hill toward the middle of the strip.
Why It is Matchless:
"You take off downhill & you land going uphill," Schreckengast says. They adds that the hill, which has an 18.5 percent grade, is so steep that tiny planes could probably gain momentum rolling down it with no engines to safely glide off the edge. Landing at Courchevel is obviously no simple task, so pilots are necessary to get certification before trying to conquer the risky runway.

Congonhas Airport

Sao Paulo, Brazil





















Background:
Most major cities have an airport, but never are they built five miles from the city middle, in metropolises like Sao Paulo. Congonhas' close propinquity to downtown can be attributed in part to the fact that it was done in 1936, with the city experiencing fast development in the following decades. 

Why It is Matchless:
While having an airport only five miles from the city middle could be a convenience for commuters, it places a strain on both pilots & air traffic control crews. "It becomes a challenge in terms of safety to get the plane in there," Schreckengast says. "Then you throw on noise restrictions & these terribly awkward arrival & departure routes that are needed to minimize your noise-print & it becomes challenging for pilots." Fortunately, Sao Paulo's lots of high-rise buildings are far away from the airport that they are not an immediate hindrance for pilots landing or taking off.

Ice Runway

Antarctica




Background:
The Ice Runway is of major airstrips used to haul supplies and researchers to Antarctica's McMurdo Station. As its name implies, there's no paved runways here-just long stretches of ice and snow that are meticulously groomed. 


Why It is Unique:
There is no shortage of space on the Ice Runway, so super-size aircraft like the C-130 Hercules and the C-17 Globemaster III can land with relative ease. The actual challenge is ensuring that the weight of the aircraft and cargo doesn't bust the ice or get the plane stuck in soft snow. As the ice of the runway begins to break up, planes are redirected to Pegasus Field or Williams Field, the other airstrips servicing the continent.


Don Mueang International Airport

Bangkok, Thailand





















Background:

 From a distance Don Mueang International looks like any other midsize airport. However, smack-dab in the midst of the runways is an 18-hole golf coursework. 

 Why It is Unique:
Schreckengast, who has worked on consulting projects at this airport, says of the major issues is that the only taxiways were located at the finish of the runways. "We recommended that they build an additional taxiway in the middle, from side to side, & they said absolutely not, that will take out a green & fairway.'" The airport & the coursework were originally an all-military operation, but have since opened up to commercial traffic. Security threats, however, have limited the public's access to the greens.

Madeira International Airport

Portugal


















View:
River is a miniature island far off the seacoast of Portugal, which makes an airport that is competent of landing commercial-size bomb alive to its utilisation. This airport's first runway was exclusive most 5000 feet daylong, posing a vast danger to even the most older pilots and limiting imports and tourism.

Why It's Single:
Engineers considerable the runway to author than 9000 feet by building a monumental girder construction atop active 200 pillars. The support, which itself is over 3000 feet longitudinal and 590 feet opened, is reinforced sufficiency to manipulate the coefficient of 747s and correspondent jets. In 2004, the World Tie for Cards and Structural Bailiwick designated the increase program for its Owed Construction Honor, noting that the arrangement and thinking was both "alive to environmental and pleasing considerations."

Kansai International Airport

Osaka, Japan


















 Discoverer is a tight cleverness in Nippon, so engineers bicephalous roughly 3 miles offshore into Metropolis Bay to build this large artefact. Business on the manmade island started in 1987, and by 1994 jumbo jets were feat plume. Travelers can get from the aerodrome to the main island of Island via car, gauge or yet a high-speed ferryboat. 
Kansai's unlifelike island is 2.5 miles lank and 1.6 miles wide-so giant that it's visible from location. Earthquakes, serious cyclones, an explosive bed, and disobey attempts from protestors are vindicatory whatever of the variables engineers were strained to statement for. As grand as the airdrome is, Histrion Schreckengast, a professor of travelling study at Purdue University and a previous travel consultant with Surface, cautions that status alteration and improving sea levels world hot," he says. "In 50 age or so, this power be underwater."

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