Comments 551 to 600 of 5,167
Free coffee and hot chocolate
Lufthansa supplies free self-serve coffee and hot chocolate in their waiting area. The cups are tiny, but you can get as many refills as you want, and the machine makes a wide variety of coffee types. If only they offered free WiFi as well ...
Broken WiFi
There were only two open WiFi signals showing up in my departure area (the B gates), and both of them redirected to the same server error on 2010-03-14. Unless you have your own 3G stick, don't count on working online while waiting for your flight.
Arrive early for your flight
GVA is a only medium-sized hub, but it's slower than a lot of big airports like LAX or CDG.
When I arrived for an Air Canada flight on a Sunday morning, there were already hundreds of people in several confused long lines for the AC checkin counter more than two hours before the departure time, and service was very slow (most of them had skis in huge bags to check). The security line was also long and slow, and I heard loud British passengers complaining they were late for their flights. After security, you have to line up a third time to show your passport for exit control (that wasn't a long line), then you line up a fourth time to show your passport and boarding card at the gate about 30 minutes before boarding, then you line up the fifth (and final) time to board the plane.
The moral is not to cut it close: at least on the weekend, 2 hours early for an international flight from Geneva should be a minimum, not a maximum. Or if you can, pick an airport like Paris CDG or Frankfurt FRA that's a bit better organized.
Ground transportation from GVA
Taxis are expensive in Geneva, even for the short distance from the airport to the Pâquis or downtown (CHF 34, more than EUR 20, for a few kilometers).
The good news is that you can take the train to the main station in the Pâquis in 10 minutes (there's a train every 10 minutes or so), or the 5 bus in about 20 minutes (it passes the exposition hall and the United Nations on the way). If you're staying at a Geneva hotel, when you check in you'll get a card for free Geneva public transit — including the tram, bus and train — for the duration of your stay, so the ride back to the airport will be free.
Still maintained?
I'm curious if this is still maintained as an emergency highway landing strip.
Probably closed
Looks like another former Soviet airstrip. The runway pavement is seriously decayed.
Closed?
There are no markings and no signs of aircraft, but the pavement looks like it may still be usable. I'm guessing this is another former Soviet airbase.
Closed
This airport appears to be closed -- the outline of the former runway is barely visible in the satellite view.
Closed?
From the advanced decay of the runway pavement, it looks like this airstrip (former Soviet airbase?) is closed. Can anyone confirm?
Former Soviet Base?
This looks like an abandoned Soviet airbase. There are no longer any markings on the runway, and some tracks seem to cross it, but it still looks usable. Does anyone know if this airstrip is still open?
re: Closed for public use
Reply to @fferm: that's bad news -- I hate to see yet another airport close.
re: Runway closure.
Thanks for the info - I've marked 18/36 as closed.
re: Lovely caribbean airports.
Here's a YouTube video of a landing — I love that they stop in time for the turnoff halfway down:
Story about camp life for US troops at Bashur in 2003
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/bashur.htm
re: aka 6q6?
That seems to be a former identifier - I've added it to the keywords.
re: Update
Thanks - I've marked it as closed. Are you sure no one uses it occasionally (gliders, ultralights, etc.?).
re: NDB installed
Reply to @PrinceJ: if you can point me to more information about the NDB, I can add it to the site. I need name, identifier, latitude, and longitude (at least).
Thanks,
David
re: pilot info
Reply to @juf: Thanks - I've marked the airport as closed for now, and can change the status back when the new runway is ready. I'm guessing it won't be only a glider airport in the future.
re: Hawke Field
Reply to @prattsoplenty: Thanks - I've changed the status of the airport to show that it's operational, and added a "private" tag.
re: Hawke Field
Reply to @prattsoplenty: Is this no longer in use, or is it just closed to the public?
Vietnam-War era reliever
The US built this strip as a reliever for Nha Trang Air Base (VVNT) during the Vietnam War. In the satellite photo, it appears abandoned.
History
This was built as a US air base during the Vietnam war, and was captured by North Vietnam in 1975. The airport received major reconstruction during the early 2000s, and starting in 2004, it took over scheduled civilian air traffic for Nha Trang from VVNT.
Vietnam War
This was originally a French colonial air base built in 1949, and it served as a major US and South Vietnamese air base during the Vietnam War, until its capture in 1975. Until 2004, the base handled civilian traffic for Nha Trang as well, but that now goes through VVCR.
re: Name During WW2?
According to the Japanese-language Wikipedia article, this base was opened in 1942 for the Empire of Japan's Naval Air Corps, seized by US forces in 1945, and handed back over to the Japanese military in 1954 (where it later became the home of the JADF's "Blue Impulse" aerobatic team). There is no mention of what name the US might have used for the base during the occupation.
Training school
The German Army uses this field for their Airborne and Air School (Luftlande- und Lufttransportschule, LL/LTS).
re: Map to be changed
When Google updates its maps and satellite imagery, the new terminal will show up.
re: Airfield now closed
Thanks for the update -- I can see a ditch or path cut across the runway in the satellite view.
re: WOW!
Luxembourg's main airport is Luxembourg-Findel International Airport (LUX):
http://www.ourairports.com/airports/ELLX/
Good luck with your project!
re: IATA code?
Reply to @pak21: The 2008 ICAO publication doesn't list any corresponding IATA code for this airport, so I've deleted it. Thanks for catching it.
Post-quake: airport of entry
Private GA relief flights are landing here to clear customs, instead of at PAP:
Post-quake: donate instead of flying
Since traffic is heavy and landing slots are needed for larger aircraft that can carry more cargo and personnel, AOPA recommends that instead of volunteering to fly down supplies, small-aircraft owner/pilots donate what the flight would have cost them:
Post-quake: U.S. airliners returning empty
U.S. airlines are flying in relief supplies, but because of a lack of functioning security screening, the U.S. won't let them evacuate most American visitors back out, so the flights are returning empty:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=15626.blog
re: '7TN5' differs code
Reply to @rrobledo: thanks -- moving the code over. Can't find a code for this airport, so maybe it's closed.
re: Neato!
Reply to @bcrosby: I haven't tried Herb's yet (not sure about permissions and runway length), but it seems that there are now two easy fast-food stops in the area -- this service centre, with its own runway, and Les Cèdres Airport (CSS3 -- "Cedars" to anglophone pilots) a bit to the south, which has a truck stop right across the highway from the airport last I was there.
Private airstrip
This is a private, paved airstrip attached to a service centre (rest stop) near Vankleek Hill, Ontario, at the junction of highways 417 and 34. I found out about it reading comments on the web, and verified its location (and some parked planes) using Google satellite view.
re: Airport
I often fly low-ish over this field on my way to CYAM. I was curious about the selection of planes there. Some day I'll land and say 'hi', but after 3-4 hours of flying from Ottawa, I usually just want to finish my flight to the Soo.
re: Website
I haven't had any luck yet finding an official web site for this airport. There's a bit of information (not much) in the Wikipedia article, if you follow the links.
re: Beja airport
Does that mean that the airport is actually open to airline service now? The last news I saw (2 November) still mentioned the opening in the future, and the Portuguese-language website still says it's in the last phase of construction (at least, as far as my limited Portuguese skills go -- too lazy to use Google Translate for a language so similar to Spanish).
Only Albanian airport with scheduled service (?)
It looks like TIA may still be the only airport in the whole country with scheduled airline service, though there have been efforts to upgrade Kukës (LAKU) and Gjirokastër to handle scheduled service as well. The Italian government was helping with Gjirokastër at one point.
Airport status?
This was intended to be Albania's second airport with scheduled civil airline service, but some of the comments suggest that things aren't quite working out. Here's Google Translate's (not so great) attempt at translating the Albanian-language comments below (oldest to newest):
"Kukes": do not understand why it is not a airoport such work but should be left at the mercy of fate is all north of Albania who can use ......
"uran uka" (uranium boom): The ndertojete airport in Kukes is a good thing ......................................... .............
"Mendimet e mija" (My thoughts): S SOPI GOSTIL
A Arirport so good and beautiful, especially at night by colored lights, and vihvet not at work, there is something good by the state, who have need for this aireport all Albanians of the north and Kosovo .... ...........
"eshte nje nevoj njerezore" (is a human need): would be better that these comments that we are giving, go to the right ear because this is a national loss but also the first time is a precise mosvleresim Albanian government in the management of this airporti. would be a great help for the area of the northern and south western Kosovo wide. and a fact that is very real in economine Albanian, would have enabled many families and help areas for about employing their relatives.
re: airport
You can get the latitude/longitude from the "Pilot Info" tab.
re: Closed
I confirmed online and changed the status -- thanks.
re: Can't find this airport
This certainly looks more convincing. I'll put it at the location you suggested, at least until we find more official information.
re: Wrong Coordinates
Thanks for the correction, Thorsten -- I can see the runway clearly at those coordinates, and have edited the airport.
About the airport and Kapuskasing
Came here on 2009-09-12 for a Hope Air flight in low IMC, right at minima.
There are three significant buildings at the airport. From left to right, looking from the apron, they are: (1) an older white building, which apparently houses the airport's weather observer, (2) a newer building which is the main terminal, and (3) an older building a bit further to the right, which is the Kapuskasing Flying Club. You can tie down for free on the grass at the Flying Club -- the chains are marked with pylons. Even in bad weather, there are a lot of people hanging around the flying club on the weekend -- they're very friendly, and sometimes monitor the traffic frequency (there's no official FSS or Unicom): on my way in, they gave me a warning about a big flock of geese.
I'd originally planned to stay at the Comfort Inn or Super 8, but they're far out of town on the opposite side from the airport. The Park Inn is on Highway 11 (called Government Rd.) just a three or four blocks south of the town's business district and about 5 km from the airport, next door to a 24-hour Tim Horton's (like the American Dunkin Donuts chain, but far more popular) -- the Park Inn is nothing special, but it's clean and inexpensive ($64/night in September with the AAA/CAA discount). The town's business district is centred around "The Circle", a traffic circle with a park in the middle and nice shops etc. around the outside. The shops continue for a block or so on each of the spoke roads.
Unusually for a small Northern Ontario town, Kapuskasing is nice and walkable, with decent sidewalks -- there's even a coffee shop/bistro called "Back to the Grind" on the north side of The Circle. Beware that things close early, though: after 6:00 pm on a Saturday, even the big supermarket is shut down, and you're pretty-much limited to Tim's or the bars.
re: Landed in Craiova
Reply to @robert: at EUR 130, that's actually more expensive than landing at Toronto's Pearson Airport (CYYZ)! When they set a landing fee that high, it's really a "keep out!" sign.
re: Closed
Reply to @robert: changed LZVB status to 'closed'. Thanks.
re: Closed
Reply to @robert: Updated -- thanks.
re: When does it open
According the the Italian Wikipedia article, the airport has been open since the 1920s, and expanded its runway in April 2009 to handle jets like the B737 and A320. Current scheduled service is to Verona only.
Free Wifi!
🔗 Mon, 15 Mar 2010
— @david at Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, Canada
YOW now offers free WiFi to everyone in their departure areas. With short security lines and free WiFi, the airport really beats the crap out of bigger ones like YOW and YUL. Customs lines can be long in rush hour, but are pretty good the rest of the time.