Airports

Category Archives for Airports.

Austin Airport Plans To Use Eminent Domain To Seize Their Own Property

by Gary Leff on May 23, 2022

May 23 2022

This is a little bit insane. In 2015 Austin entered into a 30 year lease so that a private company could build a second airport terminal. The ‘South Terminal’ also has two 5 year extension options built into the lease. But the city wants to use eminent domain to terminate the lease, because it now prefers to expand the main terminal.

They’ve offered to compensate the builders less than $2 million for a project that cost as much as $20 million, while the city teaches every business it would be dumb to enter into a lease on city property because no deal with Austin is guaranteed.

New York Airports Promise Lower Priced Beer, Refunds For Overcharged Passengers

by Gary Leff on May 15, 2022

May 15 2022

Last summer a customer on Twitter revealed that airport concessions operator OTG charging $28 plus tax and tip for beer at Newark airport. This clearly violated their lease to abide by ‘street pricing’ rules.

OTG, famous for making you order everything via an iPad, quickly claimed the pricing was a mistake, corrected it, but still argued that it really wasn’t such a bad deal after all because it was a big pour ($28 beer was better value than they’re being given credit for). Several members of Congress sprung into action.

I Can’t Get This Song Out Of My Head, And To Me It’s All About Airports

by Gary Leff on May 10, 2022

May 10 2022

There are certain sounds, sights, and flavors that evoke travel. It wasn’t originally intended this way, but George Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue means United Airlines. For years Portico’s ‘white ginger’ smell meant Hyatt Regency, though I suppose Westin’s ‘white tea’ smell is more well-known. The flavor of Tortas Frontera sandwiches is the sine qua non of Chicago O’Hare airport for me.

But maybe there’s a new competitor, because there’s a sound which bellows down the hallways at terminals in Los Angeles, Chicago O’Hare, Las Vegas and Austin that I just cannot get out of my head.

When You Fly American Airlines To New York JFK, Many Of You Can Get A Free Meal

by Gary Leff on May 7, 2022

May 07 2022

Bobby Van’s is one of the better airport restaurants in the Priority Pass program. While you’re supposed to have a same day boarding pass to enter, that still lets you eat there both on arrival in New York and on departure as well.

In my experience they don’t actually check boarding passes, just swipe your card. If I were an American Airlines crewmember based in New York I’d definitely get a credit card that offers unlimited Priority Pass visits (not from American Express, which doesn’t cover restaurant visits).

Now That Mask Rules Are Over, Can We Stop Taking Off Shoes Too?

by Gary Leff on April 20, 2022

Apr 20 2022

Now that U.S. mask requirements on planes have generally been lifted, some people are starting to realize that not all restrictions are permanent and that at a minimum we should be doing cost-benefit analysis … and that much of the security theater we engage in wouldn’t pass critical scrutiny.

TSA Screener Faces Charges Over Creative Lie For Being Late To Work

by Gary Leff on April 20, 2022

Apr 20 2022

My dog ate my homework, I have a secret identity and had to fight crime, I was surfing the crimson wave.

Those classic excuses weren’t nearly creative enough for a Tampa airport TSA employee running late for work.

Philadelphia’s Mask Rules Still Apply At The Airport – But Not All The Terminals Are In Philadelphia

by Gary Leff on April 19, 2022

American's President Wants to Stop Paying Philadelphia Airport Until They Clean Up Filth

Apr 19 2022

Philadelphia recently re-imposed an indoor mask mandate, and as a result the Philadelphia airport announced that it still requires masks in order to comply.

Except not all of the Philadelphia airport is under the jurisdiction of Philadelphia. Terminals A East and A West (along with two runways, and gates end the end of the B Concourse) are actually in Delaware County,

The 7 Busiest Airports In The World Are All In The United States

by Gary Leff on April 16, 2022

Apr 16 2022

The world’s busiest airports have changed a lot due to changing travel patterns and the restrictions of the pandemic. Eight of the 10 busiest airports in the world in 2021 were in the United States. The seven busiest were all in the U.S. And not a single one was in Europe or the Mideast.

Travel In The New World Is Different Than It Used To Be, But Not Because Of Covid

by Gary Leff on April 2, 2022

Apr 02 2022

More variable wait times for Uber and Lyft, security lines stretching out the door, and airline telephone wait times stretching into the hours. Here’s how to beat the ‘new travel normal’ and even have your coffee in hand right after you breeze through security.

That Was Then, This Is Now: Here’s Odesa Airport’s Take On Future After Russian Invasion

by Gary Leff on March 30, 2022

Mar 30 2022

Odesa International Airport has a rather remarkable presentation in which it begins by reviewing its 2021 results, and pivots to outlining what happened to it during Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Airport leadership laid out lessons on “sav[ing] an airport on initial stage of war” – not something most airport authorities need contingencies for.