Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with airports

Planespotting at O'Hare: The Security Aspect

bryanzera — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:01:37 -0800

What should we be prepared with if a friend and I want to go plane spotting at O'Hare? I've got ideas on where we can watch planes from. As we check these locations out, it may arouse the suspicion of authorities who may come pay us a visit.

I plan on us taking our IDs, a camera and being honest about our motives with any security personnel we may encounter. Is this a good strategy? Does anyone have experience with plane spotting at O'Hare?

What is the law regarding photography on airports?

Danniman — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:42:23 -0800

Photography and travel. What is the law regarding photography on airports? Details inside. I will be traveling from Toronto, Canada to South-east Asia with stops at London, England and Bahrain, Bahrain. ( only on the airports of those cities for few hours)

What is the law regarding photography or airports, specially in London and Bahrain? Am I allowed to take pictures at all? Could my camera be confiscated? If I am allowed, are there are limitations as to what I can photograph?

If it matters, I will be carrying a DSLR with a 18-55mm lens.

Is there anything else I need to know before taking pictures?

Airports to avoid / favorite airports

pandabearjohnson — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:14:18 -0800

What airports do you try to avoid in western Europe and North America?Also what are your favorite airports in western Europe and North America? I am arranging a flight from Minneapolis to Nice. Normally we fly MSP - Amsterdam - Nice, but that route is not available this time. Now we are looking at MSP - O'Hare - Zurich - Nice; or MSP - Toronto - London - Nice; or MSP - O'Hare - London - Nice. Can anyone comment on airports they would definitely avoid on this route? For example, we always try to avoid Charle de Gaulle if possible. Thanks

Navigating London Airports

mannequito — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:29:54 -0800

London-Airports-Filter : Is this trip realistically possible? Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question but I'm not all that familiar with the airports around London (I've only ever been to Gatwick before).

So - I am planning a trip from Berlin to Vancouver in April, one way. I have managed to find a great combination of two flights that total out to a little over 400$ CAD and would just like to make sure that I won't end up missing the second.

My first flight would take me from Berlin to London's Stansted airport, which I am totally unfamiliar with. I would arrive at 10:25 am on a Thursday. Then, my flight to Vancouver would depart from Gatwick at 6:20 pm. Basically I would just like to be confident that this would leave me enough time in the morning to collect my bags, pass customs (do I go through customs if I'm coming from another European country?) and travel to Gatwick airport, I'm assuming by train, in time to check-in for the Vancouver flight. I'm guessing I should be there 2 to 3 hours in advance since it's an international flight. Oh, if it helps the firstr flight is RyanAir and the second is Air Transat.

If I've left out any important info just ask and I'll try to fill it in. I'm also open to any better travel suggestions to get me between these two cities although I don't expect it will get any cheaper than this. Thanks everyone!

Getting to Torun from London, via the rest of Poland

mdonley — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:38:28 -0800

I need to get between London and Torun, Poland around the end of the first week of September via public transport, but since I'm moving there for at least a year with lots of stuff, I'm having a hard time deciding the best way to do it. I'll be landing at London Heathrow from Los Angeles around 11:00 on the morning of Thursday, September 4 and have until Friday evening or so, let's say, to get to Torun; the earlier I arrive, the better, though. I'll be going to my new flat as soon as I arrive in the city. However, I'll have something like 25-30 kilos of luggage in a big rolling suitcase, plus a briefcase-style carry-on.

I've done this trip before, but with only a small backpack, and over an evening and an afternoon with a lot of time wasted in London and Warsaw (arrive at Heathrow, day in London lugging stuff around, train to Luton, flight to Warsaw, hostel, train the next afternoon to Torun). There must be a better way!

So: do I stay at Heathrow and fly to Warsaw from there (seems like the only option from that airport) or do I fly to Warsaw, Gdansk, Poznan, or Bydgoszcz from another airport on a budget airline? From there, a coach or a train to Torun? If the train is better: where do big suitcases go on Polish trains, anyway? (What if I booked a first-class seat?) If the coach is better: is there a place online where I can check Polish coach times/fares? And are there coaches that would get me from any of the airports directly to Torun?

Overall, it would be AWESOME if I could get to Torun on Thursday evening without staying somewhere else first. I can speak a tiny amount of Polish, have a phrasebook, and am registered with the Polish Railways e-ticket site if that's at all helpful.

Dziekuje!

Can I bring Imitrex in my carry on bag?

cptspalding — Sun, 04 May 2008 07:41:59 -0800

Airport Security Filter: Can I bring injectable Imitrex in my carry on bags without causing problems during security screening? I will be going through airports in US, UK, Africa. I'm about to embark on a three week work trip that will take me to Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Nigeria, UK, and Uganda. I use the injectable Imitrex for occasional migraines and would like to take my statdose kits and keep them in my carry on bag. I want them in my carry ons not because I anticipate having to use one in-flight, but in case my checked bag gets lost I can still stop a developing migraine once I'm at my destination.

Has anyone had any experience with airport security screeners' reaction to Imitrex? Since I will be gone so long, I'm planning on taking three of the statdose kits. I know the amount of liquid doesn't come close to violating the liquid ban, but I don't know how security will respond to the needle in the injection cartridge.

Information or experience at any airport would be helpful. However, here are all the airports where my carry on bag will likely be screened:
Charlotte, JFK, Brussels, Abidjan, Lagos, Abuja, Heathrow, Nairobi, Entebbe.

Realizing, of course, that security screening is a random process and just because Person "A" had a certain experience is no guarantee that Person "B" will have the same experience.

How did they know he had a ham?

RandlePatrickMcMurphy — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:49:41 -0800

How did US customs know he had a ham in his carry-on bag? So this friend is coming home from a trip to Spain and in the airport there buys a nice little piece of jamon iberico, which he sticks in his carry-on bag. Somewhere along the way, it occurs to him that US customs asks if you have any meat or food products, but figures they must mean vegetables and raw meat, not a piece of ham thats been vacuum sealed and bought at an airport, promptly forgets about it and marks NO on the customs form.

At the US airport, he goes through passport control, picks up his luggage and hands the form to the customs guy. Without even looking at the bag, they immediately send him over to secondary agricultural inspection, where he confesses to the ham, which is tossed into a bin, his bags go through some kind of x-ray-like machine and he's allowed to leave with a verbal warning about bringing potentially dangerous foodstuffs into the United States and the $300 fine for not declaring them.

Here's the thing: he's been through that airport customs at least 25 times in the last couple of years and never once been sent to secondary inspection, so its statistically very unlikely this was a random search. The bag never went through any kind of inspection and there didn't seem to be any dogs sniffing around.

How did they know he had a ham? Some kind of secret x-ray while they check your passport? Invisible dogs? Secret sniffing devices set to detect the faint smell of vacuum-sealed meat as well as anthrax?

Mid-December escapade.

913 — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:51:27 -0800

Where should I go in December? I want an adventure. I finish exams on the 11th of December, so I'm ready to fly out on the 12th. It really doesn't matter to me where I go...the more random the better.

Some requirements:

1) I can only fly out of Victoria International Airport (YYJ), Vancouver International (YVR), or Seattle-Tacoma (SEA).

2) I'd like it to be on the cheap. Yeap. I don't mind if I have to take connecting flights or have layovers. I would actually kind of like it. I'm thinking under $300 round trip...but I'm flexible.

3) It can be anywhere! All continents/countries/provinces/states apply.

So, MeFi, tell me where I should go. Websites/specific fares would be appreciated but so will suggestions.

Thanks

Great view of airports

exhilaration — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:04:56 -0800

Where is the parking lot with the great view of the Newark Airport runway shown at the beginning of the final episode of the Sopranos? Any other great spots like that near any airports you know of (bonus points if they're in NJ/NY). Remember that scene in Wayne's World where they're laying on the grass and planes take off right over their heads? No? Well I'm looking for awesome spots like that. Perhaps I've seen too many bad movies from the early 90's, but I think that would make a great spot to hang out.

Heard “Music for Airports” in an airport?

joeclark — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 13:10:10 -0800

Anyone actually heard “Music for Airports” in an airport? Have you ever been in an airport and, without a doubt, heard “Music for Airports” by Brian Eno playing as background music?

(There's also a mythology that the music has “long wavelengths” that somehow suit lengthy cavernous spaces, but I don't see how that's acoustically possible, unless somebody here knows about such matters.)

Help me stop sitting on the floor outside the Admiral's Club checking my email.

jessamyn — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 09:45:11 -0800

Starting in a few weeks I will be doing a lot of travelling with my laptop. Help me choose a wifi provider for airports and possibly other locations. I do not have a cell phone, so I can't add on to a cell phone plan. My home DSL ISP does not have any roaming plan. I would like to be able to access wifi primarily at airports, but hotels and/or other places would be good too. It would help if the plan were international so I could connect when I am in Australia, but other countries don't much matter. I have a MacBook so anything requiring a card is unlikely to serve my purposes, unless there is something I do not know about how they work.

Basically I would like a way to connect to multiple access points per day a small number of days a month [N=3-7 usually] in a fairly hassle-free manner.

I had a Boingo account briefly to try it out and thought it was pretty simple and just worked. Maybe that's the answer, but I'm wondering how the other providers work in terms of a) coverage and b) price, especially "Can I get the price down by paying for a year at a time?" since Boingo was $21.95/mo, no obvious discount for multiple months. Also if there are places to look for deals and/or sales on this sort of thing, please point me in that direction. I have already seen the Free Airport Wifi list. Thanks.

The Terminal.

crabintheocean — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 21:25:46 -0800

Random things to do in the New York airports while working there?... I'm going to be spending 12+ hours a day in the three main NY airports (Newark, JFK, Laguardia) almost every day for the next few weeks. I'm hitting two of them most days and driving between them. I'll be dividing my time between all the public pre-security areas (so no duty free, a limited range of shops and resturants).

I'll be working the whole time, but my schedule is mostly up to me, and I walk around with just a small bag or two. I supervise several people, but I essentially work on my own. So I can't disappear for hours, but I can decide where I'll be and when. The first few days I was there were frustratingly sterile and boring, but now I'm starting to find it funny and sureal. I'm enjoying people watching, but I don't get to stay still for long.

So what interesting games can I play by myself to make the most of this weird situation? I thought of time lapse photgraphy, but I'm too erratic. What should I make sure I see and do? Ideas can be airport specific, or just groundhog day related!

TSA rules make no sense! Surprise!

crush-onastick — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 14:31:17 -0800

More US TSA questions. So this all your 3 oz or smaller liquid/gel personal hygeine items must fit in a one quart plastic bag thing, is that including the lipstick & other cosmetics, or just including the liquids & gels? I've checked TSA and several airport/airline sites and all the examples just show shampoo & shaving cream, &c in the baggie. Even the "woman business traveler" video doesn't show lipstick in her baggie. The only people I know who have flown since the new requirement are men and they have no idea. Is there any woman of MeFi who has flown in the last week (bonus if you left from O'Hare) and can tell me whether *all* my cosmetics, as well as my toiletries, must fit in the single one quart zip top baggie?

Movies Scenes that Feature Airports

defcom1 — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 19:19:13 -0800

Can anyone recommend movies in which reunions and/or interesting experiences occur in airports? I'm not terribly interested in the typical gushing "Oh how WONDERFUL to see you again, my dearest dear!" teary meeting (although the montage at the end of Love Actually fits the bill quite nicely) but more in scenes in which the airport itself is intrinsic to the scene.
Examples - Leonardo DiCaprio and the stewardesses in "Catch me if you can", the voyueristic behaviour of Meg Ryan in "Sleepless in Seattle", the way in which status and class are defined by the airport farewell at the beginning of "All About Eve."

Other suggestions?

How to get from Laguardia to JFK

meeshelle39 — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 14:33:35 -0800

I am flying from Atlanta to Rome with a connection in NYC, however in NYC I have to change airports. There is a 3 hour layover time. So my concern is how do I get from Laguardia to JFK the quickest and cheapest way? Or more specifically how much would I expect to pay for this cab ride(probably the quickest)?

13 hours in Paris

icosahedral — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 08:47:52 -0800

Arriving at Charles de Gaulle at 7:35am, departing from Orly Sud at 8:30pm. Help? I have a (very) extended layover in Paris prior to heading over to Eastern Europe, and I'm wondering what the best way to spend that time would be. Also - how much time should I allow between each airport, and what are my best options for getting to them?

I unfortunately am an American monoglot, so I have that working against me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Pay more or drive a little, Van to Sea?

Kickstart70 — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 23:24:47 -0800

Why is it so much more expensive to fly from Vancouver than Seattle? And that applies to pretty much anywhere outside of Canada.

Examples:
(all examples are for one adult, in CAD, and prices are the cheapest on Travelocity, and other listing sites seem to have the same):

Vancouver to London: $573
Seattle to London: $405

Vancouver to Reykjavik: $1474
Seattle to Reykjavik: $929

Vancouver to Atlanta, GA: $408
Seattle to Atlanta, GA: $309

Vancouver to Bangkok: $1368
Seattle to Bangkok: $760

In 2004, 15.7million people flew through YVR (Vancouver), and 28.7 flew through Sea-Tac airport. I realize that there are economies of scale, but that was a record year for Sea-Tac and Vancouver is a very busy place with plenty of full flights.

It seems to me that there must be some obvious difference, but I don't know what it is, and if it's taxes I'd really like to complain about it to the new Canadian government.

Fun things to do in the Charlotte Douglas Airport (or nearby)?

artifarce — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 16:20:47 -0800

Fun things to do in the Charlotte Douglas Airport (or nearby)? I've been in airports that had small concessions to small children, tiny little slides and the like (not expecting the video game rooms of the Tokyo airport). What is in the Charlotte, NC airport to entertain 2 toddlers for a 3-1/2 hour layover? Alternately, what can we easily visit outside the airport, keeping in mind time to get back through security. Two easily bored children thank you in advance!

Military personnel on civilian flights?

Chrysostom — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 09:10:08 -0800

At Dallas-Fort Worth airport the other day, I saw dozens and dozens of Army soldiers. Presumably, they were about to ship over to Iraq (everyone was in desert gear, families were there, etc.). Were these soldiers traveling via commercial airliners? Aren't there military transport aircraft for that?

Unusual structure at an airport

yclipse — Fri, 15 Apr 2005 19:41:57 -0800

What is this three-walled structure seen at the edge of an airport taxiway? I have seen these at more than one airport. They do not have any building attached. The configuration would suggest sound shielding, but I cannot figure out the purpose. See this satellite view (thanks to Google Maps) of the one I see most often, just south of the A concourse at Mitchell Field in Milwaukee.

Show removal at airports?

tristeza — Sat, 19 Mar 2005 19:26:00 -0800

I am ready to Fight The Man and refuse to remove my shoes at airport security *unless and until* they set off the metal detector. Help my defense. I can't slog through the morass of info online about whether or not this is actually legal to do (refuse) or if it varies from airport to airport (it seems to).

The TSA site states "Avoid wearing shoes that contain metal or have thick soles or heels. Many types of footwear will require additional screening even if the metal detector does not alarm." Vague at best, eh?

At every airport I've been to, I've had no option but remove them preemptively 100% of the time: they don't care if I'm wearing flip-flops or boots, and I've even fought it verbally and gotten beat down. What can I site to the agents that wil allow me to keep them on *unless and until* they set off the detector, or will bolster my claims of "friendliness" until such time? I am ready to be detained for questioning if necessary to prove that this is not THE LAW (unless it is, then I'll just be pissed and suck it up). Am I just screwed?

Vector-Based PDF or High-Resolution Raster Image of DFW Airport Terminal Map?

the biscuit man — Wed, 08 Dec 2004 20:04:41 -0800

Does anyone know where I can find a nice map of the DFW airport terminal? Preferably a vector based PDF. If not a high res raster image would be fantastic. The only images I can find are low res GIFs. The best being from American Airlines.

Flights to France

o2b — Mon, 18 Oct 2004 07:59:35 -0800

I'm flying to France from the states at the end of next month, and I'm wondering what experiences are on different carriers. I've done plenty of travelling in the past, but this is the first time that cost isn't the primary issue (all grown up, I guess).

I know that intercontinental service and equipment tends to be much better in general, but do you have favorites? KLM v. British Air? Northwest (which I know is a partner with KLM) v. Air France?

Virgin's price just came down drastically, so I'm wondering if paying a few hundred more is worth, what I've heard is, a great flight.

All Around the World

oog — Mon, 12 Jul 2004 19:51:21 -0800

Any of you guys have experience with RTW (round the world) air travel tickets? Any particular ones to recommend? I have been looking into STA off and on, and several other options have been uncovered. But it seems all the data I can find is depressingly out of date. I tried futzing around on this webboard, but, not knowing much at all about airports, pro-level flying, and the like, I was incredibly intimidated to the point of "not knowing where to start." One of the few things I have discovered, though, is that it might pay for me to leave from the UK (I am American), since RTW tickets from the UK run on the average a bit cheaper than from the US. Any info you guys can give me, particularly experiential info, would be greatly appreciated.

For info, in case anyone cares or if it makes a difference, I am embarking on a year-long trip including NZ, Australia, China, (perhaps) Mongolia, Nepal, Tibet, and India. Trips to N. Africa (Egypt, Morocco) are a bonus, if I can fit it into my budget.