Live data from Hacker News

How to fuck up an airport

radiospaetkauf.com

271–280 of 320 posts

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#271
post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was just there over this weekend, they sold us those 9 eur train tickets saying you can use it for any train anywhere. Then we board the first train that Apple Maps suggested and the first thing we hear from the announcer "9 eur tickets are not valid on this train".

Was the train from BER? I'm pretty sure any train from BER airport would be covered under the 9-euro ticket. The trains not covered under the ticket are primarily ICE (inter-city high speed) and anything operated by another company (e.g. FlixTrain).

Yes from BER, it was an IC, but we didn't actually need to go to another city, it just happened to stop near where we were going in Berlin and be the fastest way to get there (first option that navigation apps suggested). Ended up fine, just got on some slower train that was fine for those tickets.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine having "spare" 50€. Unless you're absolutely rich, you probably shouldn't default to using a cab in a city known for it's amazing public transport.

$50 after walking off a $1200 flight, $60 upgrade to board early, and $12 in cocktails is not a substantial amount. Plus lunch/dinner on the way to/at the airport for $40. And you're gonna pay $8-12 to get downtown via public transit, then make a transfer to a bus and walk two blocks to your hotel. Fifty bucks for a taxi is a lot, but a rounding error on a transatlantic flight/trip, and will drop you off in front of…

[deleted]

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#273
post #7

Best way: close the actual city airport that was functioning like a well-oiled machine and was loved by the city population. Even better, do it against their explicit wishes with a shady decision that reeks of corruption. Any follow-up to that will always end up being "fucked up".

It was in need for a big renovation itself and the whole of north Berlin will disagree with your statement. Since its closed, every place, flat/house and especially parks/lakes etc. are so much more livable. Having the airport for a city of this size a little outside of the city and not the outer part of the city centre is very reasonable in my opinion.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#274
post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

If you live in an area with poor rail infrastructure, the solution is to improve it.

Why?

Yet before we get into that, you should realise what you've done. This whole thread was just about how sad these exessive delays are.

Now I have no problem with diverging threads, my initial comment did just that!

However, you're definitely talking about "where you think we should be" vs "right now".

And right now, you're saying all short hop flights should be banned.

Yet as many have indicated here, that is just not feasable in some cases. Even if you believe rail is always better (it isn't, not for all flights compared to all rail), you actually need rail before banning short hops.

And as others have indicated, loads of people driving, instead of short prop plane hops, is worse than that plane ride by far!

Is your goal to harm the environment? If not, then "just ban it" isn't sensible. You need to plan first.

And really, just ban it means you support just banning all cars, the concept is the same, yet this is literally impossible for many, many reasons.

For example, banning all cars would mean an end to rural livability, and a further exodus from rural Canada.

Canada, whos crops and meat feed massive parts of the world.

Are you planning to force people to farm? Make them stay, and work, if they are entirely isolated without cars?

Of not that, then is your goal to cause world wars, and death, and destruction, and likely the release of tailored plagues, and nuclear weapons?

Because in a world pf starvarion, the knives come out very fast and strong.

Yet this is what wide sweeping car bans could mean, as it is already hard to keep farms manned, and profitable, without banning things from a city centric view.

Would you also ban short hops for prop planes, from rural areas too?

It would be a disaster to put trains everywhere. Literallly bad for the environment, to run a rail line for 50 people a day. A prop plane is far, far more energy efficient, than maintaining all that rail infrastructure for so few people, through hundreds of km of forest.

Just the regular chainsaw usage alone, to prune back trees, makes it worse.

What are you thinking?? Hurting the environment like this, suggesting policies which end in plague, nuclear war, death, destruction!!

Think of the whole cost, or you may kill us all!!

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The same architect who designed Tegel did BER. Sometimes, past performance is not indicative of the future.

I’ve been to some bad airports but by God Tegel is by far the worst I’ve ever been to.

Interestingly, Tegel (old terminal) is my favourite airport of all times due to the unmatched efficiency. It wasn't beautiful but it required a fraction of time compared to anything else.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#276
post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you live in an area with poor rail infrastructure, the solution is to improve it.

Why? Yet before we get into that, you should realise what you've done. This whole thread was just about how sad these exessive delays are. Now I have no problem with diverging threads, my initial comment did just that! However, you're definitely talking about "where you think we should be" vs "right now". And right now, you're saying all short hop flights should be banned. Yet as many have indicated here, that is jus…

We were talking within the context of a connection between Ottawa and Toronto, not some two random corners of Manitoba.

Nice try at argumentum ad absurdum, though...

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#277
post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I'm sorry it is a national shame.

The security staff was seriously underpaid and they got fed up with it. During COVID a lot of them switched to better paying careers. It will take months for new staff to be hired and trained unfortunately.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#278
post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? Yet before we get into that, you should realise what you've done. This whole thread was just about how sad these exessive delays are. Now I have no problem with diverging threads, my initial comment did just that! However, you're definitely talking about "where you think we should be" vs "right now". And right now, you're saying all short hop flights should be banned. Yet as many have indicated here, that is jus…

We were talking within the context of a connection between Ottawa and Toronto, not some two random corners of Manitoba. Nice try at argumentum ad absurdum, though...

Yet you were making wider sweeping statements, too.

My argument has some merit, just look at Sri Lanka!

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/07/world/asia/sri-lanka-orga...

The connection is more direct for them, but some say that all we did, with environmental targets and oil, was to outsource it all to crazy Putin.

He now uses that cash to slaughter and kill. And may yet, as a result, bring about a world war.

That is a real, direct outcome of a positive environmental policy(reduce production), causing mayhem, death, destruction.

Of course, bad things often happen regardless. I admit to this, yet, I feel short sightedness got us into these environmental issues, and trying to get us out must not make the same mistake.

We must play the long game.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I was there recently for a conference, didn't know about the 9eur ticket and got the 10eur 24 hour ticket for zone ABC on the machine. Anyway, forgot to stamp the ticket, of course. The controller didn't give us a fine but warned us to stamp it before we get to the central station.

Re: How to fuck up an airport

#280
post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We were talking within the context of a connection between Ottawa and Toronto, not some two random corners of Manitoba. Nice try at argumentum ad absurdum, though...

Yet you were making wider sweeping statements, too. My argument has some merit, just look at Sri Lanka! https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/07/world/asia/sri-lanka-orga... The connection is more direct for them, but some say that all we did, with environmental targets and oil, was to outsource it all to crazy Putin. He now uses that cash to slaughter and kill. And may yet, as a result, bring about a world war. That is a…

You're doubling down on the Chewbacca defense, please stop.

No one is saying that we should "reduce production". Of course, any ban on short-haul flight could only be enacted after there was a better/cheaper infrastructure available.

And it so happens that for a lot of cases, the infrastructure exists, it is mostly a matter of ending up with subsidizes and ensuring that government policy accounts for all externalities. For North America, even if proper rail does not exist yet, intercity buses usually are a feasible alternative, and they also have no-to-little waiting times, they can also drop passengers at the city center and are more fuel-efficient per person than flying or driving solo.

It makes no sense to have flights between Toronto/Ottawa/Montreal, much like it makes no sense to have flights between Boston/NYC, LA/SF/Las Vegas, Seattle/Vancouver. And this is just off the top of my head.

Post reply on HN