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How to fuck up an airport

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Re: How to fuck up an airport

#231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You can use a standard subway ticket almost. the airport is one stop into zone C, and a “standard” ticket would only be valid in zones A and B. you need either an ABC ticket or a standard ticket + extension ticket.

How often do the ticket inspectors come in right after the airport stop? If it's relatively rare, you theoretically could ride that one stop without a ticket (but of course that would be totally illegal, do not do it).

[deleted]

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You can use a standard subway ticket almost. the airport is one stop into zone C, and a “standard” ticket would only be valid in zones A and B. you need either an ABC ticket or a standard ticket + extension ticket.

How often do the ticket inspectors come in right after the airport stop? If it's relatively rare, you theoretically could ride that one stop without a ticket (but of course that would be totally illegal, do not do it).

They tend to check the airport trains frequently. Usually there are a few people with the wrong ticket.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you listen to the podcast they explain that it wasn't his fault. Spoilers: he designed BER for fast passenger transit, just like Tegel, but the airport authorities wanted more shopping space. So they crammed as many shops as they could in detriment of the passenger experience. And then there's the situation with the rise of low-cost airlines who weren't allowed to use the jetway... I definitely recommend listening…

This glosses over some stuff that is definitely his fault. The first issue that caused the issues, the fire system, was designed to suck air underground, because the architect did not want a fire system to obstruct his roof, never mind that smoke and hot air naturally rise. https://www.thegermanreview.de/p/the-real-story-behind-berli...

Even by the claims of your article, it doesn't sound really like it was his fault. The system was designed to a specification, whether or not the architect was given too much free reign is entirely on the board.

If you hire a design team to create a car with a massive hole where the engine and wheels should be, because it is more "clean", and then neglect to hire an engineer to check their work is feasible, is it on the design team or on you being incompetent?

You can say all you want "hot air naturally rises", true, but I doubt an architect has the training to be a safety engineer, and before you say "oh well that's obvious", consider that heavy objects naturally fall to the earth, and yet we have airplanes.

They had a design which would work, but nobody in charge actually did the legwork of bothering to check if it was feasible or not, and/or bungled it so badly even if it were feasible it was like attaching a helicopter to an airplane and then wondering why it didn't fly...

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#235
post #169

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.…

> I like flying lufthansa. They have the shortest flight times to Asia from the west coast. Can you elaborate on this? Where do you mean by "west coast"?

If no country is specified you can assume it’s an American talking about their country. So west coast, USA (California or Washington)

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#236

I don't care about ascetics much at an airport except decorating around functionality. Around 2005, the newer Shanghai airport had information boards that didn't contain information except various permutations of Windows' BSODs. IIRC, it was that terrible, inefficient design of long and narrow. In general, DFW is a better layout: almost circles of gates globbed almost contiguous to each other as lettered terminals re…

The new terminal D at DFW is very nice. I like lovefield as like a “working persons” airport. No frills, no BS, just show up, get on the plane, and leave. However, given the choice, I would pick dfw term D every time.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#237
Airports make 2/3rds of their money by renting space to shops, and the remaining third by allowing planes to fly. They have a strong incentive to be inefficient, so you will feel you need to arrive 2 hours before departure, or even more, because you don't want to risk losing your flight.

I flew ~1,000 times, and saw ~300 airports. I could write tens of books on how to make airports better... But the problem is that the incentives are such that this is not the way to go. Airports want to make money by selling you stuff. Period. They don't care about giving you a great experience.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#238
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.

Security lines can make or break airports imo. LAX is nice because there are so many of them so they never get as absurd like they do at say DEN. Another perk to LAX is how fast you can get to and from your gate. It feels like 7 smaller airports wired in series versus some hulking ginormous beast. You can get off your flight and have your bag in hand in 10 minutes at LAX. At DEN you are waiting on a tram to get to baggage and I've gotten lost trying to find my correct carousel at that airport. It's basically impossible to get lost on the way to your bags at lax otoh, because once again 7 smaller airport effect in action means the baggage carousel is not a far walk from your gate.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#239
post #142
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seemingly all of them across Europe done that. There are talks to hire experienced people from Turkey to help with the workers shortage. My guess, most people saw the airport job as a jumping board and just needed a push to quit and never come back.

Importing Turkish workers to handle Schiphol is going to cause a clusterfuck in Dutch politics through the islamophobes. The Turks were the biggest initial group of immigrants that caused backlash here.

Not to mention it won't help at all since the workers will have to pass background checks, here in Germany it's 3-4 months...

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#240

Oh this is an article about how someone else screwed up an airport? I was hoping to learn how to mess them up myself :(

Pull a fire alarm. Sneak through security or run past the TSA agent falling asleep near the exit of the secured area. Try to open one of those secured doors marked "alarm will sound". There's lots of ways. Note: This is not actual advice. Not responsible for any resulting fines or prison sentences.

Heh “run past the TSA agent” means gunfire is involved. That would definitely mess up an airport (and likely you too).
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