Airports

Category Archives for Airports.

Two Airports Are Up For the Best Public Restroom in America Award

by Gary Leff on August 11, 2019

Aug 11 2019

You’d never expect a U.S. airport to be nominated for the country’s best public restroom. At Dallas Fort-Worth, for instance, when they renovated the A terminal they didn’t even refresh the bathrooms and when they re-do terminal C they’ve scaled back the budget so there’s no money to do the restrooms there, either.

However a new restroom in Seattle’s North Satellite terminal is a finalist for American’s best. And so is a restroom in the refreshed New York LaGuardia Terminal B. Say what?

What are the Best – and Most Garbage – Airports in the U.S.?

by Gary Leff on August 10, 2019

Aug 10 2019

The best airports are the ones get are easiest to get to and get through. They make your travel more efficient, rather than adding to an already cumbersome and stressful experience. That has little to do with how much high-end retail there is (airports offer expensive shopping for their benefit, not for yours).

That means the best airports are close-in, and once you get there security is near the entrance and gates are near security. There’s enough taxiway space and runway capacity to handle flights, too, minimizing delays.

New York LaGuardia Meltdown: It Was Like a Post-Apocalyptic TV Series on the Syfy Network

by Gary Leff on August 9, 2019

Aug 09 2019

Things got so bad yesterday that “the Port Authority shut down Terminals C and D to all traffic except Port Authority buses.” There were children walking down the highway, like refugees, hoping to escape the war zone for the airport.

Today? Things could even be worse.

Monday’s London Heathrow Airport Strike Called Off, Tuesday’s is Still On

by Gary Leff on August 4, 2019

Aug 04 2019

The last planned strike was called off but London Heathrow workers were planning a strike for this Monday and Tuesday. Now they say Monday’s strike is off. As of now, though, Tuesday’s is still on.

Slot Controls Don’t Reduce Flight Delays

by Gary Leff on August 3, 2019

Aug 03 2019

Interesting research from Alexander Luttmann at UC Irvine suggests that slot controls don’t actually reduce delays at congested airports because large airlines at major airports “already internalize congestion” when planning their schedules.

That makes sense. Heavily congested airports take longer to get planes in and out. Flight times are longer. That means flights are more expensive — they take up more aircraft time and airlines have to pay their crews more, too.

While the busiest airports see plenty of flights, their largest airlines don’t just keep adding flights because that’s expensive, both for the new flights and for all of their existing flights which suffer greater delays and ultimately get longer flight times.

How Much Does a Chef Get to Put Their Name on Recipes at an Airport Restaurant?

by Gary Leff on August 3, 2019

Aug 03 2019

When you eat at an airport restaurant it may be a familiar brand you’re buying from but it’s usually not that restaurant’s company that’s making the food or serving it to you. Instead the ‘concept’ gets picked up by one of the big airport retailers like Delaware North or OTG.

You may be surprised by how much money these companies will pay a chef to write recipes for food that you’ll order by iPad.

AVOID: London Heathrow Airport Strike Expected Monday and Tuesday

by Gary Leff on August 2, 2019

Aug 02 2019

If your flight does make it out there will be carry on bag restrictions and limited catering on many flights.

San Francisco Airport Bans Sale of Plastic Water Bottles

by Gary Leff on August 2, 2019

Aug 02 2019

In a nationwide first, the San Francisco airport has banned the sale of single-use plastic water bottles effective August 20th.

Flavored waters are exempt from the rule, which applies to “restaurants, cafes and vending machines” throughout the airport.

TSA Confiscated a Missile Launcher at Baltimore Washington Airport Yesterday

by Gary Leff on July 30, 2019

Jul 30 2019

An active duty military member returning from Kuwait wanted to keep a missile launcher as a souvenir, so packed it in his checked luggage. It was hard to miss when the luggage was screened.

United Offering New Discounts for CLEAR (Airport Security) While American Blocks Expansion

by Gary Leff on July 29, 2019

Jul 29 2019

United has entered into a partnership with CLEAR for expedited security screening. This is surprising because CLEAR is owned, in part, by Delta however United will be taking an equity stake as well. This will mean (1) expansion for CLEAR and (2) discounts for United elites and credit card customers.