netconnector and the tale of the lost airport

7 smart ways to bypass baggage fees

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 15:14:00 +0000

7 smart ways to bypass baggage fees

Airlines rake in cash from charges, which means they're around to stay

If you need to pay a fee for every piece of hand luggage that you bring onboard, travelling easily becomes a even more expensive business. Read this article for the full story

OSL - CPH - DUS

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Thu, 21 May 2009 07:25:00 +0000

Oslo is a nice airport, but it costs you an arm and a leg to buy even the most basic stuff. So better bring your lunch bag.

Endless walkway at OSL airport

We only spent 15 minutes in Copenhagen for transfer on the flight from Oslo to Düsseldorf, but there is always time for a quick photo...

Estonian airliner at CPH Copenhagen Kastrup airport

Olympics Airlines

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:33:00 +0000

Well, you know, I never used Olympics Airlines before. Might be because I am not really that often in Greece. But yesterday I did and I do not know what to think of it. It took the poor check in clerks 1 and a half hour to check us in. We were not really more people than you would usualy expect on a plane. But the just took their pace. So we waited, and waited. The queue was hardly moving at all. Patience is what we needed.

When I arrived at the counter, they told me and the guys waiting behind me there are no seats anymore on the plane. Wait a minute... no seats? Yes, no seats. All blocked. We panicked, and they managed to get us checked in at last. This is not really how you want a flight to start.

The plane itself had something like the "80s are back" flair in it. They used a VCR based entertainment system, and the inflight magazines looked like the just wanted to go back to the 70s. But the legroom was remarkably large, and the food was all right as well. There was that steward (no, they are called flight attendant these days). He was so big that he hardly had enough room to walk down the aisle. I have never seen such a heavy guy serving as a stewardess before. But there is always a first to everything, I assume.

In the end I guess if I can I will avoid Olympics again. Dont know, there are more professional and convenient airlines around that you can use.

LIS - Portela Lisbon Airport

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:53:00 +0000

Getting there was a nightmare. The Brussels Airlines plane was so crowded, it was incredible. There was a felt 15cm space between my chair in Economy and the row in front, which was definitely to less for my knees.

TAP Boeing taxiing at LIS airport

But Lisbon is actually worth the tough ride to get there. Its a great city right at the ocean. Much to beautyful for a business trip...

LIS Lisbon Airport under blue sky,
palm trees at the front door - what elso could you want?

ATH - Athens Eleftherios Venizelos Airport

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 11:30:00 +0000

Athens is a fantastic city - it has the most beautyful sun when it is raining under grey clouds in Belgium. Simply fantastic and hard to not be in good mood. Also the airport reflects the sunny athmosphere, it is a light and functional architecture with great views on the taxiways under the blue sky.

Definitely worth coming back and spending more time!

ATH Athens International Airport under a perfectly blue sky

ARN - Stockholm Arlanda Airport

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:20:00 +0000

Stockholms airport is a big surprise. It is a quite, clean, friendly airpotr with virtually no crowds. What a contrast to buzzing Heathrow or Frankfurt! At ARN, you feel immediately at home, and start enjoying the great shops right away. Off course, there is not much else to do...

Stockholm is waiting!

Malaysian plane at ARN

Ethiopian plane at ARN. Wonder if they
got a cold as soon as they left the plane...

MAD Madrid Barajas

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 11:07:00 +0000

When I was about to fly to Madrid, I was afraid of a terrible airport with terrible Iberia staff. Check here for what happened last time we flew Iberia. But is was not like that at all. MAD is a really modern, nice airport with great architecture.

Iberia planes waiting at MAD Madrid Barajas

Great architecture at MAD terminal 4

Iberia airbus about to be boarded

MXP Milano Malpensa

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:46:00 +0000

MXP is a really nice airport. It is beautifully located at the southern rim of the Alps, and rather close to Milano. Not as close as Linate, but close enough. If one has time, and the weather is ok (meaning clear air to see the Alps), the view is marvelous.

Plans at Milano Malpensa with panoramic view on the Alps

Cargo liners at MXP

That was close...

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:14:00 +0000

Hope these passengers know the difference between well trained Lufthansa pilots and other low cost carriers now. Good for them this happened in a Lufthansa plane. Have a look:

IAD - Washington Dulles Airport

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:10:00 +0000

Actually we only wanted to visit the outpost of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum but we ended up visiting Washington Dulles Airport as well. They had these funny signs indicating a "cell phone area". Have never seen that before, and never again. Guess that means its only allowed to use a cell phone in these areas - but what happens if you get a call elsewhere? Wonder what happens if you call mom from the terminal building - will they kick you out?

Terminal Building at Dulles

Highway to the airport

Boarding passes piling up...

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:56:00 +0000

I could not believe it when I emptied my pockets to look for a receipt I was missing. Having already thrown away most of the boarding passes of the last three months, the remaining ones still piled up. Ok, there is other stuff too. But it looks like I can call airports home again after a very relaxing break in air travel over the past year or so.

Boarding Passes and stuff from my blazer pocket

YUL Montreal Trudeau Airport

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:31:00 +0000

I have never been there but friends brought this picture from the plane that brought them to us: the Air Canada Jazz flight on its way to Newark (EWR)

Air Canada Jazz at YUL Montreal Airport

EWR: Air Jamaica

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Wed, 16 May 2007 02:05:00 +0000

After several times at Newark without my camera I finally managed to bring it. It was either in the car or at home or the battery was low... I was waiting for nice and colorful planes to show up, and Air Jamaica came in the nick of time.

Air Jamaica and Alitalia at Newarks Terminal B

FRA Frankfurt Airport (Fraport)

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Thu, 10 May 2007 00:44:00 +0000

I really haven't been at FRA a long time. When I was in Germany the last time, I arrived at Düsseldorf's International Airport, or went to Brussels and then by car to Germany. This is why I asked somebody to take some pictures from Frankfurt airport to be posted here. I just felt it is time to have Germany represented here again. This is what I got.

A Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 at a Frankfurt terminal

A Lufthansa Airbus in Frankfurt.
What kind of Airbus is it? An A340?

MCO Orlando International

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 11:55:00 +0000

When you arrive at Orlando Airport (MCO), you know you are in Florida. There are palm trees between the runways and everything looks neat and clean. The sky is blue and clouds are not to be seen. It is a really nice airport with lots of extraordinary shopping like a NASA store, Universal studios and Disney stores, and many more.

Terminal A ,Orlando International Airport

Unfortunately my cameras memory chip was full (thanks to tons of Disney pictures), so I had to look around for other peoples pictures of the two airlines that seemed to dominate the MCO terminals:

Southwest Boeing, picture taken from www.mrprophead.com

Air Tran plane, picture taken from p.airliners.net

Lake Placid Airport

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 02:40:00 +0000

Little airfields without scheduled connections have their very own character. Lake Placid (IATA/FAA: LKP) is such an airfield. You hardly ever notice it, especially around this time of the year. Only offering scenic flights, it is even nice to visit and watch Cesna's take off from an all-white snow covered runway.

Lake Placid Airport

The airport is off Route 73, but the small connector from the road to the airport gate even has it's own street name. It's really cool looking...

Airport Lane @ Lake Placid

DELTA story belows consequences

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 02:21:00 +0000

Belows post was written in first anger. Never do that. But this time it seems there are consequences from high up for this airline...

Check it out ;-)

But in the end, it is not an airline thats doing extraordinarily well financially. It's also not quite appealing how this report seems to show.

DELTA Airline sucks, sucks, SUCKS

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 01:47:00 +0000

I hope this story really hurts Delta's stock. I could not believe it when I read that a breast-feeding woman was removed form a Freedom Air plane. Freedom Air belongs to Mesa Air Group, who in turn operates this particular connection (and many more) for Delta. Now breast-feeding women protest at airports around the U.S. to seek federal rights and protest this one mom's removal from that Delta flight.

Certainly, I will consider that when booking the next flight privately. When they have such a poor sense of what's healthy, what else can I expect? Maybe Delta's ethics towards customers is poor, too? I won't take chances. I don't book them. Period.

Read the stories:
Will nurse-in protests hurt Delta's stock? (And, should I go?): Blogging Stocks
Mothers stage national nurse-in: Los Angeles Times, CA
Metro moms stage 'nurse-in' protest: DetNews.com
Vermont incident sparks national nurse-in: BurlingtonFreePress.com
Nurse-in doing what's best for babies: OregonLive.com, OR
Mothers Stage "Nurse-In" at Airports Across US: World Hum, CA
Let nursing mothers be: Boston Globe, MA
Nurse In, Nurse Out: Nashville Scene, TN

See all related articles and believe me: DELTA SUCKS!

Air and Space Exhibitions at the Smithsonian

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 23:56:00 +0000

We all were looking forward to it. No we spend a day at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. That was really great - the Spirit of St.Louis or Space Ship One are indeed very impressing. Check it out.

The NASA X-15 flew 108km high (in the 60's!)- see pictures below. Really cool aircraft:

NASA X-15, displayed at The Smithsonian

NASA X-15, displayed at The Smithsonian

Cool details about X-15

Breitling Orbiter III, the balloon unit who took Bertrand Piccard (did I spell that right?) around the world:

Famous Breitling Orbiter III, displayed at The Smithsonian

Space Ship One, the first private space craft to reache space:

Even more famous Space Ship One, displayed at The Smithsonian

Lufthansa in bad luck

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 13:44:00 +0000

Ho can that possibly happen? A Lufthansa Boeing 747, headed for Frankfurt am Main, brushed a parking plane on EWR Newark Airport. Check full story at cnn.com.

Airplanes displayed on the USS Intrepid flight deck

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 01:36:00 +0000

Sometimes planes don't land on airfields but somewhere else instead. For instance on this nice boat in the harbor of Manhattan. The beautyful thing is, the flight deck was loaded with planes. I took more picture than I can show. Awesome.

USS Intrepid

Grumman E-1B Tracer, displayed on USS Intrepid

Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir,
displayed at USS Intrepid

Vought F-8K Crusader, displayed at USS Intrepid

Grumman F11F (F11) Tiger, display at USS Intrepid

McDonnell F3B Demon, displayed at USS Intrepid

Grumman F14 Tomcat, displayed at USS Intrepid

And the best to end this terrific sequence...

The one and only Lockheed A-71 (SR-71) Blackbird,
displayed at USS Intrepid with Manhattans skyline in the background

Niagara Falls Int'l Airport

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 00:52:00 +0000

I never touched down here, but it is nevertheless worth a picture. Just had to take one from this nice sign.

The right side of the plane

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Sat, 20 May 2006 20:41:00 +0000

If you are on the right side of the plane, you can enjoy a pretty good view on Manhattan. If not, you still see NJ ;-)

Manhattan from NJ side

Well, I prefer this side of the plane

Privat Air @ Newark Libert Airport

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Sat, 20 May 2006 20:31:00 +0000

I just found these images on my digicam. Looking forward to fly with Privat Air again. Hope it will be in late June.

Privat Air Airbus A319 at Newark Terminal

SAS at Newark Terminal

FedEex cargo liner at Newark Terminal

With Privat Air to Newark EWR

noreply@blogger.com (jottvau) — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 20:12:00 +0000

That was the best business class I ever experienced. On the flight from Düsseldorf DUS to New York - Newark EWR today I used Privat Air, an airline that cooperates with Lufthansa. We were five passengers and five or six crew members. Thus, service was one-to-one, just perfect. Ok, a passenger-crew-relation like this is maybe not the usual one on a flight, but on an Easter sunday it was just right.

Privat Air Airbus A319
Picture taken from Wikipedia

So, the flight over to Newark was really enjoyable, the food was excellent, the movie selection great,and the 8 hours passed by like nothing.