Posts Tagged ‘airports’
It’s downright horrifying to realize you don’t have your bags when you arrive in a new city. The logistics of traveling is complicated enough than to do it without your luggage, but hey, it happens.
The first thing to remember is not to panic. Take it from me, you’re less likely to make good decisions when you’re freaking out. Fortunately, there are tried and true systems in place to locate lost luggage – the airlines have been losing bags since commercial flight began and usually know just what to do.
The first thing you need to do when you realize your bag isn’t coming down the chute is to visit the airport’s baggage claims office. Every airport should have one located in the baggage claim area.
While a taxi ride from the airport in a new city may be one of the most exciting parts of your arrival – you’re almost guaranteed a hair-whitening, eye-opening, heart-stopping gallop – unfortunately taxis can be as expensive and potentially dangerous as they are thrilling, depending on where you are.
They can also be an unexpected budget-killer if you’re not careful. Not to mention if any of the drivers decide you’re naïve enough to pay double. And since getting into the city from the airport is something you just need to do, alternatives I’m sure are as welcome as a breath of fresh air.
Below are 10 cities that have great public alternatives that will save you from the inevitable “taxi ride from hell”.
*All prices are in USD.
In order to get to the world’s remote locations or else simply to get the best prices, connecting is an unavoidable inconvenience. The time-consuming nature of landing an airplane, the de-boarding, re-boarding and making sure your bags follow can add up to a ruinous day. Stops may be a necessity but the headaches will usually rise in correlation with the number of times your plane touches down.
Here are the world’s worst places to route through, and why:
To end 2009 with a festive heart, here’s a wonderful little video of what can happen in the most utilitarian of spaces if creative people want it bad enough.
Employees of Portugal’s national carrier, TAP Portugal and the Portuguese Airport Authority gave a little back to their customers this Christmas holiday in the way of irreverent and lighthearted entertainment.
Not every multi-stop itinerary can be as smooth as a peanut butter sandwich. With airlines having uncompromising schedules and the world simply being an imperfect place, your weary butt sometimes will get caught in the middle of a long layover. It’s a fact of travel life. Since airports are not always known for their scintillating entertainment, what you do can turn that shockingly long wait from excruciating to exceptional.
Here are some suggestions on how to make the most of your itinerary hiccup:
It’s official: People don’t like Heathrow. In a poll of nearly 15,000 subscribers to Priority Pass, the leading independent airport lounge program, London’s Heathrow Airport came in at the bottom of their Sept 2009 survey of world airports.
The unmitigated hate is likely stemming from last year’s T5 opening, commonly known as a debacle, where people missed flights, lost luggage and simply sat around complaining about everything.
Commenting on the survey results, Jonathan French, the head of Priority Pass said: “The travelers who took part in this survey took almost 250,000 flights between them over the last year, and that means they know a thing or two about airports.
“Sadly, Heathrow remains firmly entrenched as the airport the world loves to hate.”
Back in June, Skytrax, the web’s most noted airline rating service, released their list of the top 10 best airports in the world. Since every round-the-world or multi-stop trip could at least come close to landing at or departing from one of these places, it may be worth your while to take a gander at the list. It way even be worth a small detour on your itinerary to check them out! You never know, a sweet spa treatment or shopping find may be in the cards before your next flight.
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