How to fuck up an airport • Hacker News Board

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#191

Post by nikanj » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 2:12 AM UTC

aldebran wrote: post #122

Frankfurt airport is marginally better. Flights stop in the middle of the runway. Take a bus. Buses are late. Walk for what feels like eternity. No regard for accessibility. I’ve met multiple senior citizens frail, waiting for their wheel chairs and worried that they’re going to miss their connecting flights. As good as German engineering is, the airport infra is equally worse. It’s a shame. I like flying lufthansa.…

There's a really popular piece of writing constantly making the rounds [1], that celebrates airports that make people walk around aimlessly.

[ https://stephenshapiro.com/walk-wait-innovation/ ]

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#192

Post by lotsofpulp » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 2:24 AM UTC

xxpor wrote: post #157

lotsofpulp wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> First: post-security you will find some of the most disgusting food ever served in an airport, but hey it’s also expensive and the servers don’t hide how much they hate being there! This also describes all 3 major NYC airports. I have to plan around it and bring food with me.

The food at terminal C at EWR post renovation is perfectly fine, if ridiculously expensive. Terminal A sucks though. Can't say anything about B, I've only used EWR for domestic travel.

I beg to differ. Compared to PDX, TPA, DEN, SAN, SEA and even SFO, I would say the updated Terminal C is still lacking, especially at those appalling prices. The whole OTG iPad thing is stupid too, and I assume leads back to corruption at Port Authority.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#193

Post by b112 » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 2:29 AM UTC

rglullis wrote: post #145

b112 wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nowadays I have to arrive 3-4hrs before This is true many places, although I tend to show with a tighter timetable myself. But it's so absurd, so silly. It's actually faster to drive from Ottawa to Toronto(4 to 5 hr drive) than take a plane, and cheaper.. even with current fuel costs, too. What a way to ruin a mode of travel.

Wait until you find out about this amazing invention called the train . You can take them at the city center, you stop at the city center, no waiting times, faster, safer and cheaper than driving... In all seriousness though, any country serious about climate change should ban short-haul flights.

Last time I took the train, it was more expensive than driving, and took longer too.

And certainly far, far slower than a plane could be, with no hours of pre-flight waiting.

More comfortable than a plane, with its cramped seating, for sure.

Really, a prop plane is not horrible for the environment, especially compared to cars.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#194

Post by whymauri » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 2:30 AM UTC

anonu wrote: post #152

The new LGA terminal is probably a lesson in how not to fuck up an airport. It's beautiful. You'll notice design decisions that take into consideration the post 9/11 security setup: lots of security lines and automation to help move you along. It dawns on you that every airport in USA had to retrofit today's security setup in a space that previously never had it or is too small to create a good people flow.

The public transport situation at LaGuardia is terrible, but the design of the new terminal makes traversing it really nice.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#195

Post by Aeolun » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 2:45 AM UTC

kriz9 wrote: post #135

biztos wrote: post #115

Arguably off topic, but having suffered through BER several times, I have a few tips to share which might reduce your own suffering. First: post-security you will find some of the most disgusting food ever served in an airport, but hey it’s also expensive and the servers don’t hide how much they hate being there! However, there is a little shop near the left-side stairs that sells better alcohol as well as soft drink…

I would add two more suggestions here: 1) If you have 50€ to spare always take the taxy to the city center. If you take the train you will hate this airport as much as the one at Frankfurt. You can thank me later. 2) Use security lanes 1 or 5. They are the furthest and less busy. Everyone usually just queues up by the nearest one. Don't trust the indicators.

I was so surprised going through security in Schiphol Airport recently. I swear there were 3000 people in line, but they have like 30 security checkpoints, and everyone goes in the same line (maybe one per terminal?), so we were through in 15 minutes.

It was amazing. I also never realized how much I appreciate everything in that airport being connected by corridors until I had to navigate CDG and it’s stupid trains and buses.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#196

Post by Aeolun » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 2:48 AM UTC

Atsuii wrote: post #178

xxpor wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The whole not using the jetway thing in Germany blows my mind. I flew Lufthansa SEA-FRA in 2019, and the fully packed 747 had to walk onto the ramp, and load up into buses to get to the terminal. Outrageous. The only time I've ever done that in NA is flying at places like CAK in a micro regional jet.

Apron buses are very common in large airports and I always found it really efficient. From memory I’ve used them at Haneda, Narita and KL. Perhaps the ones in Germany are just altered metro buses though, which would be terrible. Apron buses are efficient due to being low to the ground, having very wide doors to accomodate quick loading and unloading, typically no seats.

They may be efficient for the airport, but they suck balls for the passengers.

The last thing I want to do after a long and tiring flight is load up into a bunch of packed buses.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#197

Post by nradov » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 2:53 AM UTC

Atsuii wrote: post #178

xxpor wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The whole not using the jetway thing in Germany blows my mind. I flew Lufthansa SEA-FRA in 2019, and the fully packed 747 had to walk onto the ramp, and load up into buses to get to the terminal. Outrageous. The only time I've ever done that in NA is flying at places like CAK in a micro regional jet.

Apron buses are very common in large airports and I always found it really efficient. From memory I’ve used them at Haneda, Narita and KL. Perhaps the ones in Germany are just altered metro buses though, which would be terrible. Apron buses are efficient due to being low to the ground, having very wide doors to accomodate quick loading and unloading, typically no seats.

Buses are a lot less efficient than proper jetways. Why are European airports so far behind?

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#198

Post by wyclif » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 3:00 AM UTC

adam_arthur wrote: post #161

Have a bunch of geographically clustered terminals with no ability to walk between them

NAIA (in the Philippines) is like that. Terrible design and layout. None of the four terminals are connected to each other, which means if you arrive internationally and are transferring to a domestic flight, you have to either get a shuttle bus or a taxi, the latter of which are notoriously scammy.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#199

Post by rootusrootus » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 3:00 AM UTC

Aeolun wrote: post #195

kriz9 wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would add two more suggestions here: 1) If you have 50€ to spare always take the taxy to the city center. If you take the train you will hate this airport as much as the one at Frankfurt. You can thank me later. 2) Use security lanes 1 or 5. They are the furthest and less busy. Everyone usually just queues up by the nearest one. Don't trust the indicators.

I was so surprised going through security in Schiphol Airport recently. I swear there were 3000 people in line, but they have like 30 security checkpoints, and everyone goes in the same line (maybe one per terminal?), so we were through in 15 minutes. It was amazing. I also never realized how much I appreciate everything in that airport being connected by corridors until I had to navigate CDG and it’s stupid trains a…

My brother just went through Schiphol two weeks ago. Scheduled his connecting flight with a five hour layover just to be sure. Took him 5 hours and 20 minutes to make it through security.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#200

Post by rootusrootus » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 3:02 AM UTC

lotsofpulp wrote: post #192

xxpor wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The food at terminal C at EWR post renovation is perfectly fine, if ridiculously expensive. Terminal A sucks though. Can't say anything about B, I've only used EWR for domestic travel.

I beg to differ. Compared to PDX, TPA, DEN, SAN, SEA and even SFO, I would say the updated Terminal C is still lacking, especially at those appalling prices. The whole OTG iPad thing is stupid too, and I assume leads back to corruption at Port Authority.

One of the decisions the Port of Portland made long ago that I really appreciate is that any chain restaurants at PDX (e.g. McMenamins) must charge the same menu prices as their non-airport locations.