Greetings from Rome Fiumicino FCO, where I was officially informed today by an Alitalia Customer Service Operator that, and I quote... "In this airport the minimum wait for baggage is 45 minutes". It appears the average is even more, like 1 hour and in my case 1 hour, 20 minutes, so beware when checking in luggage for a flight to Rome!
Italian Aviation overall these days has gone beyond decline to Mental Meltdown! To start Volareweb collapsed recently and Alitalia has been on the brink of ceasing operations for years and the current National outfit is merely the bare bones of its former self. What's worse is that Air One the only viable alternative is part of the same operating group called CAI and the service is actually no better. To add insult to injury, the poor travelling Italians have to suffer a vastly reduced time-table created to further cut costs and for many its wholly inadequate.
Ryanair and the "Budget Boys" are filling the void, but only by hand picking routes and not always calling to the principle airports on cost grounds, so one ends up in Bergamo instead of Milan for example.
Italy is full of tatty airports, worse for wear and operated with the inefficiency that gives one an unpleasant arrival (delayed baggage with often contempt for the traveller) in addition to a bitter farewell, a lasting effect that impacts negatively on Tourism.
This is a crying shame for a country that hosts some of the worlds most attractive cities, arguably the planets best cuisine and the globes most creative and fashionable design culture. Its even harder to get my head around this negative concept when I personally know so many intelligent, articulate and visionary people in Italy. After all, Rome once dominated all global power on our planet!
Tracing the root cause of the Italian Aviation fiasco is not actually too difficult when one makes a little investigation, although as everything in Italy its a little complex, emotional and multi-faceted. Firstly, there is a problem with Politics hence direction, which has been the case for decades. It appears there are too many political parties and to gain power the formation of a dodgy coalition is necessary to run the country. Italian Politics has shown that when Media merges with Public life all that remains is a mess.
In conclusion there is no bright horizon for the Italian Aviation Industry in the current form and genuine outside investment is unlikely due to the over-regulation, over-taxing and over-control that any new prospective sane Company does not want to enter into.
I would like to close this article on a positive note however, by stressing the success of one significant player in the field of Tourism. Costa Crociere now successfully operates 14 mega cruise ships and despite the recession they are performing well in a challenging climate. Costa is part of the Carnival Group, however they are very much Italian, with Italian flagged ships, Italian Officers and an Italian Corporate structure for their worldwide operations. The organization, training, quality, reliability, value for money and consistency of the product is simply outstanding and as the only true Italian branded Cruise Line they are a shining example of what is possible in Italy, despite the evident complications of the country. Well done to Costa, if only they operated flights!
Enjoy the cruise of life!
Grant Holmes
Editor
Perpetual Traveller
Showing posts with label Airports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Airports. Show all posts
Monday, September 21, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
The great Airport location deceit
Greetings from Orio al Serio Airport, otherwise known as Milan Bergamo by Ryanair and other Budget Airlines. In actual fact this airport is located far away from Milan and it takes a short hour by Bus or Car to get there, though somewhat less by train, once you arrive to the station of course!
It seems that in the era of Budget Airlines there is a strong trend for cheaper Airports to name themselves by the nearest major city. Point in fact is last weeks announcement for the airport in Oxford UK, to call itself (brace yourself) "Oxford, London", even though they are some 60 miles away!
There are many other examples of this trend such as Malmo Copenhagen, Girona Barcelona (completely another city) and Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (1.5 hour drive from the main Frankfurt airport). It was in fact Prestwick, Glasgow that started this low cost fashion that has caught many a traveller out, giving them the wrong impression that they are in fact somewhere close the the main city mentioned.
In conclusion, we strongly advise all Perpetual Travellers out there to research carefully where the airport you are travelling to actually is, especially if booked online through a Budget carrier. After all the additional transportation cost by Taxi or (roughing it) by Bus may eliminate the saving you are pretending to make in the first place, esepcially when considering all the add-ons the Budget Airlines are attempting to trick us with these days.
By Grant Holmes
Editor
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Greetings from the futuristic Berlin Hauptbahnhof station
Late summer greetings from the magnificent train station of Berlin Hauptbahnhof, which has the appearance of a futuristic universal travel centre, with its tubular glass lifts, its array of stainless steel moving stairways feeding multiple levels and a healthy selection of services.
Most trains appear to operate to a time precisioned and extremely well organised stress free system, without any evasive security checks whatsoever. The whole experience for the traveller is fluid, hassle free and convenient. So why is it that travel through an airport these days is so inconvenient, stressful and sometimes leaves one with a degrading feeling?
Trains carry hundreds of passengers, they frequently cover cross border routes, the main terminals cater for thousands of people and yet no intrusive or security or paranoia about liquids exists.
I am not campaigning for more security in train stations; on the contrary, I am saying we have gone too far in airports and I am calling for a more intelligent, less intrusive, sensible big picture approach. Everytime we succumb and are fearful enough to build a fortress somewhere like an airport, the terrorists have won another battle and they gain free publicity of fear. The loser is the average man or woman that through the hyped up fear factor allows Governments to erode general liberty and freedom (the very thing they are supposed to protect) and the cost in addition to all that extra inconvenience has to be swallowed.
The average innocent traveller in reality can do little to improve their plight at airports to reverse the trend, as authorities seem not to care about the consumer in this case.
Subsequently, the average innocent traveller is left with one realistic option in the form of damage limitation, by navigating through security at airports, following the path of least resistance.
Most trains appear to operate to a time precisioned and extremely well organised stress free system, without any evasive security checks whatsoever. The whole experience for the traveller is fluid, hassle free and convenient. So why is it that travel through an airport these days is so inconvenient, stressful and sometimes leaves one with a degrading feeling?
Trains carry hundreds of passengers, they frequently cover cross border routes, the main terminals cater for thousands of people and yet no intrusive or security or paranoia about liquids exists.
I am not campaigning for more security in train stations; on the contrary, I am saying we have gone too far in airports and I am calling for a more intelligent, less intrusive, sensible big picture approach. Everytime we succumb and are fearful enough to build a fortress somewhere like an airport, the terrorists have won another battle and they gain free publicity of fear. The loser is the average man or woman that through the hyped up fear factor allows Governments to erode general liberty and freedom (the very thing they are supposed to protect) and the cost in addition to all that extra inconvenience has to be swallowed.
The average innocent traveller in reality can do little to improve their plight at airports to reverse the trend, as authorities seem not to care about the consumer in this case.
Subsequently, the average innocent traveller is left with one realistic option in the form of damage limitation, by navigating through security at airports, following the path of least resistance.
Navigating through Airport Security
The concept of this article was born towards the end of my recent marathon journey vacation, which ended as we arrived to London Heathrow to see a rather disturbing sign posted just prior to the Immigration check with these unwelcoming words...
"Tougher checks take longer"
My instant reaction was to say to myself "Only in a disorganized system with insufficient trained staff and advanced equipment to manage". Besides most travellers never asked for the extra checks and many believe that a more intelligent approach could be adopted, which would avoid every senior citizen and child being over processed. Moreover there are other less intrusive ways to counter the liquid threat.
The above statement sums up the curse of travelling today, which treats civilized decent people like cattle and empowers often low-paid Security staff to control and check us like convicted criminals. Security staff are notoriously rude in many airports across the world and the whole experience is a huge inconvenience apart from being unpleasant.
The sad reality, is that there is no way to completely turn this around as a mere traveller, however there are a number of measures you can take to minimize the inconvenience and emotional damage. This article gives you a few pointers…
DON'T STAND OUT
Immigration, Customs and Security all treat anything out of the ordinary as suspicious, so as an otherwise innocent traveller, make sure you do not wear or do anything that attracts unwarranted attention, or else it could increase your inconvenience risk factor, meaning you could be searched or questioned, often seemingly from the standpoint that you are guilty until you prove innocence.
Here are some classic mistakes that people make...
(1) EYE CONTACT
Never wear sunglasses within the confines of the airport or especially when coming into contact with officials of any creed. Open eye contact on first impact is important to create the right impression of openness, so if you wear sunglasses regardless of what the weather is like outside and even if the airport is primarily a glass structure, it will only serve to indicate that you may potentially want to hide something.
On the topic of eye contact when passing through customs do not make direct eye to eye contact with officials and do not look away either. Instead focus your vision on the exit or way out. For Security officials take the same stance as for customs and focus on the pathway to the exit. For Immigration officials maintain eye contact when they are checking your passport, but of course do not stare. Similarly at the check-in maintain eye contact too and follow the directions indicated in the conversation section below.
In general when walking around zones where officials frequent, maintain your vision upwards above head height, but not to the sky. Avoid looking down and looking around too much unless it’s at indication signs or flight listing screens.
(2) WALKING
When walking in the monitored zones of potential Immigration, Customs or Security checks, it is strongly advisable to never walk too quickly or for that matter too slowly either. Reason being that irregular walking activity will be considered as unusual, meaning that you will be targeted for further questioning. It happened to me once! I arrived to Miami from Venezuela and urgently had to collect my luggage, pick up a car and drive to Orlando (4 hours away) for a meeting. Mindful of the fact there are generally long queues to pass through US Immigration, I naturally rushed from the plane to the Immigration area. A plain clothed officer stopped me in my tracks and took me aside for questioning. Of course I was innocent, but it took 20 minutes of interrogation style questioning to demonstrate the obvious, which lost my place in the queue and subsequently caused an hour wait at the Immigration, as many flights arrived simultaneously just after mine. I was forced to learn the hard way!
With respect to posture, its best not to bury your head in the ground and look down too much, as it’s like showing you are avoiding something. Try to show reasonably good posture confidence by walking upright without slouching, which shows you are open and not nervous about anything.
(3) CLOTHING
Needless to say, you should not wear anything weird, wacky, offensive or overly colorful that attracts unwarranted attention to yourself. Your clothing should be conservative and leaning towards smart casual, always blending in with the flight you are taking. For example if you are on a business flight to New York and you are dressed like a Japanese Tourist with cameras hanging form your neck or a new age traveller, your percentage risk of being stopped will be far greater than otherwise. In contrast if you purchased a Charter flight from London Gatwick to Orlando with Thomson Fly for example and you are dressed in a suit and tie, again you are likely to be stopped. Many customs officials are already scanning you at the baggage reclaim via cameras or even directly, depending upon the airport.
I once flew to Orlando for a business meeting from London Gatwick dressed in a suit as I had to meet the contact at the airport. Sure enough I was stopped and questioned!
MANAGING CONVERSATIONS
Here its important to know when to speak and when shut up! Generally when dealing with officials its best not to stimulate any kind of conversation, so that you are not subject to unnecessary automatic cold profiling. If an Immigration officer, Customs official or Security guard, asks you a question then answer it honestly, but in as few words as possible. Do not chat or volunteer additional information, as it may open you up to yet more questions. It seems that many officials possess the skill of making one feel like a criminal in their tone of voice and body language, so don’t prolong the agony. Officials have the power to detain you, embarrassingly uncover all your personal possessions for all to see and generally make life difficult depending where you are on the planet, so the less said the better.
At the check-in, it’s a completely different case scenario. Here you need to be chatty! If you would like to get an upgrade or a good seat, your goal is convince the check-in assistant that you are the ideal person to upgrade. As you approach the desk open conversation with a broad smile and ask how are you today? Then comment on what you see. If it’s busy, show empathy for their work etc. Ask key questions like is the plane full? Is it on time? Are there lines at the security? If you get a negative response (note that you should be seeking negatives to demonstrate your empathy) like yes the plane is totally packed, do not moan, show understanding and be extra nice, as your chances of getting to the business seats just increased. Do not be afraid to politely ask; are there any free seats up front? If the plane is delayed, the check-in assistant cannot do anything about it, so be kind, as it may help you gain some emotional leverage if your baggage is just a little overweight or to obtain a seat in the EXIT row.
GETTING THROUGH THE SECURITY DEHUMANISATION PROCESS
Apart form the US Immigration experience whereby all visitors have to leave fingerprints and have their pictures recorded, by far the worst part of traveling through an airport is via the dreaded Security check. Here are some tips to minimize the damage…
1. Wear slip on shoes with no metal buckles or tips.
In the US, UK, Middle East and parts of Asia where you are required to take off your shoes, it will make life easier to slip them on and off. No metal parts on your shoes will avoid the alarm going off, to prevent taking your shoes off in many parts of Europe, where it is not automatically compulsory.
2. Wear a Jacket and keep your personal items there.
Your Jacket can securely store your Mobile, Passport, Wallet, Coins, Watch and other metal items. You can put your Jacket through the X-Ray scanner in a tray with all your items safe in one place. Theft at airports in the Security area is commonplace in some countries, so this is an important counter measure. The deeper your pockets the better, especially those with zips or buttons. My travel Jacket is custom-made for extra Security.
3. Wear comfortable partly elasticized or stretch trousers.
By doing this you avoid wearing a belt, which you would otherwise have to take off and put on again.
4. Prepare in advance your liquids in a see through bag.
You could lose valuable places at the entrance of the Security queue if this bag is not prepared in advance. Write in a marker pen 100ml on all your liquid bottles, to show you know the rule.
5. Use a Laptop cover.
Do not let people see your Laptop! By using a skin cover you protect your Laptop from scratches and it prevents thieves easily seeing what make it is. Apple Mac and Sony Vaio are in greatest demand from opportunist thieves.
In essence your core objective should be to avoid dressing and undressing, the hassle of belts and tying shoelaces, as all your attention should be focused on being vigilant about your personal valuables and avoiding extra inconvenient Security checks.
I do not expect the airport experience to get better any time soon, so I hope the above tops come in useful. When one takes 100 flights a year, such measures take the negative edge of the process.
Travel safe and be prepared.
Grant Holmes
Editor, Perpetual Traveller
"Tougher checks take longer"
My instant reaction was to say to myself "Only in a disorganized system with insufficient trained staff and advanced equipment to manage". Besides most travellers never asked for the extra checks and many believe that a more intelligent approach could be adopted, which would avoid every senior citizen and child being over processed. Moreover there are other less intrusive ways to counter the liquid threat.
The above statement sums up the curse of travelling today, which treats civilized decent people like cattle and empowers often low-paid Security staff to control and check us like convicted criminals. Security staff are notoriously rude in many airports across the world and the whole experience is a huge inconvenience apart from being unpleasant.
The sad reality, is that there is no way to completely turn this around as a mere traveller, however there are a number of measures you can take to minimize the inconvenience and emotional damage. This article gives you a few pointers…
DON'T STAND OUT
Immigration, Customs and Security all treat anything out of the ordinary as suspicious, so as an otherwise innocent traveller, make sure you do not wear or do anything that attracts unwarranted attention, or else it could increase your inconvenience risk factor, meaning you could be searched or questioned, often seemingly from the standpoint that you are guilty until you prove innocence.
Here are some classic mistakes that people make...
(1) EYE CONTACT
Never wear sunglasses within the confines of the airport or especially when coming into contact with officials of any creed. Open eye contact on first impact is important to create the right impression of openness, so if you wear sunglasses regardless of what the weather is like outside and even if the airport is primarily a glass structure, it will only serve to indicate that you may potentially want to hide something.
On the topic of eye contact when passing through customs do not make direct eye to eye contact with officials and do not look away either. Instead focus your vision on the exit or way out. For Security officials take the same stance as for customs and focus on the pathway to the exit. For Immigration officials maintain eye contact when they are checking your passport, but of course do not stare. Similarly at the check-in maintain eye contact too and follow the directions indicated in the conversation section below.
In general when walking around zones where officials frequent, maintain your vision upwards above head height, but not to the sky. Avoid looking down and looking around too much unless it’s at indication signs or flight listing screens.
(2) WALKING
When walking in the monitored zones of potential Immigration, Customs or Security checks, it is strongly advisable to never walk too quickly or for that matter too slowly either. Reason being that irregular walking activity will be considered as unusual, meaning that you will be targeted for further questioning. It happened to me once! I arrived to Miami from Venezuela and urgently had to collect my luggage, pick up a car and drive to Orlando (4 hours away) for a meeting. Mindful of the fact there are generally long queues to pass through US Immigration, I naturally rushed from the plane to the Immigration area. A plain clothed officer stopped me in my tracks and took me aside for questioning. Of course I was innocent, but it took 20 minutes of interrogation style questioning to demonstrate the obvious, which lost my place in the queue and subsequently caused an hour wait at the Immigration, as many flights arrived simultaneously just after mine. I was forced to learn the hard way!
With respect to posture, its best not to bury your head in the ground and look down too much, as it’s like showing you are avoiding something. Try to show reasonably good posture confidence by walking upright without slouching, which shows you are open and not nervous about anything.
(3) CLOTHING
Needless to say, you should not wear anything weird, wacky, offensive or overly colorful that attracts unwarranted attention to yourself. Your clothing should be conservative and leaning towards smart casual, always blending in with the flight you are taking. For example if you are on a business flight to New York and you are dressed like a Japanese Tourist with cameras hanging form your neck or a new age traveller, your percentage risk of being stopped will be far greater than otherwise. In contrast if you purchased a Charter flight from London Gatwick to Orlando with Thomson Fly for example and you are dressed in a suit and tie, again you are likely to be stopped. Many customs officials are already scanning you at the baggage reclaim via cameras or even directly, depending upon the airport.
I once flew to Orlando for a business meeting from London Gatwick dressed in a suit as I had to meet the contact at the airport. Sure enough I was stopped and questioned!
MANAGING CONVERSATIONS
Here its important to know when to speak and when shut up! Generally when dealing with officials its best not to stimulate any kind of conversation, so that you are not subject to unnecessary automatic cold profiling. If an Immigration officer, Customs official or Security guard, asks you a question then answer it honestly, but in as few words as possible. Do not chat or volunteer additional information, as it may open you up to yet more questions. It seems that many officials possess the skill of making one feel like a criminal in their tone of voice and body language, so don’t prolong the agony. Officials have the power to detain you, embarrassingly uncover all your personal possessions for all to see and generally make life difficult depending where you are on the planet, so the less said the better.
At the check-in, it’s a completely different case scenario. Here you need to be chatty! If you would like to get an upgrade or a good seat, your goal is convince the check-in assistant that you are the ideal person to upgrade. As you approach the desk open conversation with a broad smile and ask how are you today? Then comment on what you see. If it’s busy, show empathy for their work etc. Ask key questions like is the plane full? Is it on time? Are there lines at the security? If you get a negative response (note that you should be seeking negatives to demonstrate your empathy) like yes the plane is totally packed, do not moan, show understanding and be extra nice, as your chances of getting to the business seats just increased. Do not be afraid to politely ask; are there any free seats up front? If the plane is delayed, the check-in assistant cannot do anything about it, so be kind, as it may help you gain some emotional leverage if your baggage is just a little overweight or to obtain a seat in the EXIT row.
GETTING THROUGH THE SECURITY DEHUMANISATION PROCESS
Apart form the US Immigration experience whereby all visitors have to leave fingerprints and have their pictures recorded, by far the worst part of traveling through an airport is via the dreaded Security check. Here are some tips to minimize the damage…
1. Wear slip on shoes with no metal buckles or tips.
In the US, UK, Middle East and parts of Asia where you are required to take off your shoes, it will make life easier to slip them on and off. No metal parts on your shoes will avoid the alarm going off, to prevent taking your shoes off in many parts of Europe, where it is not automatically compulsory.
2. Wear a Jacket and keep your personal items there.
Your Jacket can securely store your Mobile, Passport, Wallet, Coins, Watch and other metal items. You can put your Jacket through the X-Ray scanner in a tray with all your items safe in one place. Theft at airports in the Security area is commonplace in some countries, so this is an important counter measure. The deeper your pockets the better, especially those with zips or buttons. My travel Jacket is custom-made for extra Security.
3. Wear comfortable partly elasticized or stretch trousers.
By doing this you avoid wearing a belt, which you would otherwise have to take off and put on again.
4. Prepare in advance your liquids in a see through bag.
You could lose valuable places at the entrance of the Security queue if this bag is not prepared in advance. Write in a marker pen 100ml on all your liquid bottles, to show you know the rule.
5. Use a Laptop cover.
Do not let people see your Laptop! By using a skin cover you protect your Laptop from scratches and it prevents thieves easily seeing what make it is. Apple Mac and Sony Vaio are in greatest demand from opportunist thieves.
In essence your core objective should be to avoid dressing and undressing, the hassle of belts and tying shoelaces, as all your attention should be focused on being vigilant about your personal valuables and avoiding extra inconvenient Security checks.
I do not expect the airport experience to get better any time soon, so I hope the above tops come in useful. When one takes 100 flights a year, such measures take the negative edge of the process.
Travel safe and be prepared.
Grant Holmes
Editor, Perpetual Traveller
Thursday, July 30, 2009
No such thing as a free lunch on British Airways
The recession is biting the travel industry hard and as our sister online publication Off Radar recently reported "No such thing as a free lunch on the Oasis of the Seas". Now its the turn of British Airways who as of this coming Monday will eliminate all free meals sandwiches and drinks on short haul flights.
Not even a simple bottle of water will be served for free on flights less than 2.5 hours long! This is a sad reflection of the airline industry today in the west, as one of the mighty carriers that once prided itself in quality service succumbs to the age of low service.
No longer can BA distinguish itself as a much better overall service experience than rivals EasyJet, as the meal was really the last tangible in-flight deliverable left. It would be true to say that BA's Monopoly on Terminal 5 gives it a better airport experience at Heathrow T5 at least, but the line is wafer thin between the service levels of many Budget carriers and BA right now.
The general service and over-penny pinching of Ryanair still places it a level below BA and then EasyJet, however FlyBe and other low cost outfits provide a reasonable comparative service at an affordable price.
It appears to me that BA's decision to axe its Budget wing GO some years ago now was a disastrous decision in hindsight for the middle to long term fortunes of BA.
As the lines of differentiation and product merge, at Perpetual Traveller we also learn that BA will replace bottles of water on longer flights with small "Cuplets" and hot towels will only be the reserve for First Class passengers.
BA were keen to stress that passengers on all flights will receive a small drink and bag of savoury snacks instead. Sounds like Alitalia to me and look what happened to them!
The degrading of the service was brought about by Mark Hassel, BA's new head of customer experience, no doubt under pressure to slash costs due to the operating losses BA have recently incurred.
It all sounds like a U Turn to us at Perpetual Traveller, as CEO Willie Walsh vowed just 2 weeks ago to "focus on customers". Sounds like he meant to focus on what BA can take away from customers! Union chiefs are reported to have stated concerns that the move could backfire and drive thousands of loyal customers away to competitors.
Let's see if other major carriers crack and opt for the degrading of their services too under the current climate! The age of comfortable quality service air travel in Europe is following America and sinking fast. Let's hope Asia and the middle east holds out to keep luxury air travel alive.
Not even a simple bottle of water will be served for free on flights less than 2.5 hours long! This is a sad reflection of the airline industry today in the west, as one of the mighty carriers that once prided itself in quality service succumbs to the age of low service.
No longer can BA distinguish itself as a much better overall service experience than rivals EasyJet, as the meal was really the last tangible in-flight deliverable left. It would be true to say that BA's Monopoly on Terminal 5 gives it a better airport experience at Heathrow T5 at least, but the line is wafer thin between the service levels of many Budget carriers and BA right now.
The general service and over-penny pinching of Ryanair still places it a level below BA and then EasyJet, however FlyBe and other low cost outfits provide a reasonable comparative service at an affordable price.
It appears to me that BA's decision to axe its Budget wing GO some years ago now was a disastrous decision in hindsight for the middle to long term fortunes of BA.
As the lines of differentiation and product merge, at Perpetual Traveller we also learn that BA will replace bottles of water on longer flights with small "Cuplets" and hot towels will only be the reserve for First Class passengers.
BA were keen to stress that passengers on all flights will receive a small drink and bag of savoury snacks instead. Sounds like Alitalia to me and look what happened to them!
The degrading of the service was brought about by Mark Hassel, BA's new head of customer experience, no doubt under pressure to slash costs due to the operating losses BA have recently incurred.
It all sounds like a U Turn to us at Perpetual Traveller, as CEO Willie Walsh vowed just 2 weeks ago to "focus on customers". Sounds like he meant to focus on what BA can take away from customers! Union chiefs are reported to have stated concerns that the move could backfire and drive thousands of loyal customers away to competitors.
Let's see if other major carriers crack and opt for the degrading of their services too under the current climate! The age of comfortable quality service air travel in Europe is following America and sinking fast. Let's hope Asia and the middle east holds out to keep luxury air travel alive.
Greetings from London Heathrow
Greetings from an overcrowded and tired Terminal 3 at London Heathrow! With all the hype and attention on Terminal 4 and 5 in recent years, the others are looking worse for wear. In particular Terminals 1 and 2 have reached the point of no return, as they cannot be patched up any more. The new Spanish operator that bought BAA are bargaining with the British Government to invest in combining Terminals 1 and 2 (completely new development) in exchange for a third Runway. The environmentalists and locals will love that!
So if you are not flying with BA (see new BA article) and you are going to the older Terminals of Heathrow, expect a crowded, low ceiling feeling and rough around the edges experience.
Grant Holmes
Editor
Perpetual Traveller
So if you are not flying with BA (see new BA article) and you are going to the older Terminals of Heathrow, expect a crowded, low ceiling feeling and rough around the edges experience.
Grant Holmes
Editor
Perpetual Traveller
Sunday, July 26, 2009
What makes Munich Airport popular?
Hot summer 09 greetings from a mild Munich Airport, a facility that is reported to be one of Europe's best. So what makes this airport so popular?
Nevertheless Munich overall scores well and its nice to see something different to the usual cloning that takes place at airports, so well done Munich for that!
Is it the bright shiny granite looking floors or the Germanic organisation? The long efficient Schindler walkways maybe or the rather unique retail area that includes a SPA, Sex Shop and high street type boutiques in the mix? Perhaps its the presence of window to window light filled glass, featuring glass fronted shops, a cluster of Camel sponsored glass Smoking cubicles (highly frequented and no Flu masks in here) and glass backed Cafes.
Or even my favourite the Viennese Sausages with bread for 4.90 euro and the Napcab a little safe sanctuary of privacy. The Napcab is in essence a cubicle in the middle of gate H32 with a bed, screen, table, Internet connection, atmospheric lighting and of course a glass door! It costs 10 euro per hour from 10pm - 6am, then 15 euro outside these times (minimum consumption 30 euro). It is a neat little idea and could prove to be a great alternative to the VIP Lounge. I also like the little details at Munich airport, like the picture of a fly inside the porcelain urinal! At first sight you think its real, then when you realise they all have a fly in the same spot, it helps you aim!
Nevertheless Munich overall scores well and its nice to see something different to the usual cloning that takes place at airports, so well done Munich for that!
Grant Holmes
Editor
Sunday, July 12, 2009
What happened to Duty Free?
Seasonal summer greetings from the Marco Polo Airport of Venice, where a new first floor extension was recently opened in the Departure area, but its nothing to get excited about as its boils down to a little extra floor space, a couple of VIP Lounges, a Cafe and some over-priced commonly branded shops.
Did you ever wonder what happened to the great Duty Free experience and deals of the past? In Europe anyhow Duty Free was destroyed by the VAT taking EU. Airports all of the world seem to be more expensive than the high street today though. International airports maybe Duty Free, but they are certainly not profit free, nor are they free from extraordinary high rents from Airport Operators, which natural impacts on consumer prices. Moreover, leading luxury brands these days are focussed on positioning, marketing and hyping up products that are more often than not made in China or somewhere else in Asia even if the brand is essentially European or American.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Be the First in the NEW Larnaka Airport
Hermes Airports invites you to be the first to experience the new Era of travel in Cyprus.
Prior to its official opening to the public in November 2009, the new Larnaka International Airport will welcome a group of privileged volunteers to the Trial Operations which will take place during specific days within September and October 2009. These trials will allow for the fine-tuning of the airport and will support the smooth commencement of operations.
Read more
Prior to its official opening to the public in November 2009, the new Larnaka International Airport will welcome a group of privileged volunteers to the Trial Operations which will take place during specific days within September and October 2009. These trials will allow for the fine-tuning of the airport and will support the smooth commencement of operations.
Read more
Thursday, April 23, 2009
HEATHROW: UK’s worst Airport
London Heathrow is the busiest airport in the world and the letters LHR are instantly recognizable to any frequent traveller. Yet, as often is the case in life, the busiest does not mean the best! A recent survey by consumer Watchdogs has branded Heathrow along with Gatwick and Stansted as the worst in the United Kingdom.
Interestingly all these airports have one significant thing in common, they are operated by the best described as shameful BAA; so much for the monopoly! Dissatisfaction with BAA run airports has been common knowledge amongst the British and the poor international frequent transit passengers for some years now. However, now there is proof for this general feeling, following a customer satisfaction survey involving 9,000 people that was carried out by the consumer watchdog Which? Subsequently the findings are not surprising, with complaints varying from the dreaded “Long Queues” at security to “long waiting times” for flights, poor food quality, not enough time for shopping (a consequence of long queues) and the general treatment from security, which can range from patronizing to condescending.
Terminal 1 finished rock bottom of the Which report? The west London airport's Terminals 2, 3, and 4 were the next least-popular amongst those polled. London Gatwick's two terminals (North & South) only finished just above the Heathrow terminals, so the BAA performance state of affairs is pretty miserable. As reported earlier in the year by Perpetual Traveller however, T5 scored well for shopping & eating and is overall a significant improvement from T1, T2, T3 and T4, though too little, too late for the consumers to stomach.
Communication in the form of Signs and flight details were considered poor at Heathrow Terminals 1-4 and also at Manchester's Terminal 1 and at Coventry airport.
Southampton Airport, which is the hub of low cost airline Fly Be, scored the best of the seven airports operated by BAA with an overall score of 71% . Top of the crop all things considered with an overall score of 80%, was Blackpool airport, with London City airport (78%) second and Doncaster Sheffield (formerly Robin Hood) coming in third place with 76%.
So what does the Monopoly of BAA actually own and operate? Well here is the list of passenger unfriendly BAA controlled airports in alphabetical order…
· Aberdeen Airport
· Edinburgh Airport*
· Glasgow International Airport
· London Gatwick Airport*
· London Heathrow Airport
· London Stansted Airport*
· Southampton Airport
* This denotes the airports BAA are currently Selling
For clarification of the Which report, here are the 10 best operated airports in the UK, which clearly indicates what a poor job BAA are doing…
10 BEST
1. Blackpool airport - Annual passengers: 439,200 - Best feature: Check-in, food outlets, airside amenities, return waiting times, experience Worst feature: Shops Score: 80 per cent
2. London City
3. Doncaster Sheffield
4. Exeter
5. Southampton (BAA operated)
6. Humberside
7. Norwich
8. Bournemouth
9. Inverness
10. Durham Tees Valley
10 WORST
1. Heathrow Terminal 1 (BAA operated) Annual passengers: 14.3 million Best features: None Worst features: Time and distance, shops, return waiting time, experience Score: 31 per cent
2. Heathrow T4 (BAA operated)
3. Heathrow T2 (BAA operated)
4. Heathrow T3 (BAA operated)
5. Gatwick South (BAA operated)
6. Gatwick North (BAA operated)
7. Stanstead (BAA operated)
8. Manchester
9. London Luton
10. Glasgow Prestwick
In conclusion, the Which report clearly identifies that the BAA Monopoly has occurred for too long now and the passengers that are forced to endure the BAA operated airports (being the UK’s most strategic) are sick and tired of the long queues, poor passenger services, almost perpetual building works, patronizing and rude check-in experiences, overly strict regulations, condescending security control checks and poor services.
The good news is that BAA will ultimately be forced by the body that oversees Monopolies and Mergers to sell off Gatwick, Edinburh and London Stansted. This will create some urgently required competition and hopefully increases standards.
There is however a long way to go before we can expect to receive a quality airport experience in the principle airports of the United Kingdom!
Sharon Mckinley, Publisher
Perpetual Traveller
Interestingly all these airports have one significant thing in common, they are operated by the best described as shameful BAA; so much for the monopoly! Dissatisfaction with BAA run airports has been common knowledge amongst the British and the poor international frequent transit passengers for some years now. However, now there is proof for this general feeling, following a customer satisfaction survey involving 9,000 people that was carried out by the consumer watchdog Which? Subsequently the findings are not surprising, with complaints varying from the dreaded “Long Queues” at security to “long waiting times” for flights, poor food quality, not enough time for shopping (a consequence of long queues) and the general treatment from security, which can range from patronizing to condescending.
Terminal 1 finished rock bottom of the Which report? The west London airport's Terminals 2, 3, and 4 were the next least-popular amongst those polled. London Gatwick's two terminals (North & South) only finished just above the Heathrow terminals, so the BAA performance state of affairs is pretty miserable. As reported earlier in the year by Perpetual Traveller however, T5 scored well for shopping & eating and is overall a significant improvement from T1, T2, T3 and T4, though too little, too late for the consumers to stomach.
Communication in the form of Signs and flight details were considered poor at Heathrow Terminals 1-4 and also at Manchester's Terminal 1 and at Coventry airport.
Southampton Airport, which is the hub of low cost airline Fly Be, scored the best of the seven airports operated by BAA with an overall score of 71% . Top of the crop all things considered with an overall score of 80%, was Blackpool airport, with London City airport (78%) second and Doncaster Sheffield (formerly Robin Hood) coming in third place with 76%.
So what does the Monopoly of BAA actually own and operate? Well here is the list of passenger unfriendly BAA controlled airports in alphabetical order…
· Aberdeen Airport
· Edinburgh Airport*
· Glasgow International Airport
· London Gatwick Airport*
· London Heathrow Airport
· London Stansted Airport*
· Southampton Airport
* This denotes the airports BAA are currently Selling
For clarification of the Which report, here are the 10 best operated airports in the UK, which clearly indicates what a poor job BAA are doing…
10 BEST
1. Blackpool airport - Annual passengers: 439,200 - Best feature: Check-in, food outlets, airside amenities, return waiting times, experience Worst feature: Shops Score: 80 per cent
2. London City
3. Doncaster Sheffield
4. Exeter
5. Southampton (BAA operated)
6. Humberside
7. Norwich
8. Bournemouth
9. Inverness
10. Durham Tees Valley
10 WORST
1. Heathrow Terminal 1 (BAA operated) Annual passengers: 14.3 million Best features: None Worst features: Time and distance, shops, return waiting time, experience Score: 31 per cent
2. Heathrow T4 (BAA operated)
3. Heathrow T2 (BAA operated)
4. Heathrow T3 (BAA operated)
5. Gatwick South (BAA operated)
6. Gatwick North (BAA operated)
7. Stanstead (BAA operated)
8. Manchester
9. London Luton
10. Glasgow Prestwick
In conclusion, the Which report clearly identifies that the BAA Monopoly has occurred for too long now and the passengers that are forced to endure the BAA operated airports (being the UK’s most strategic) are sick and tired of the long queues, poor passenger services, almost perpetual building works, patronizing and rude check-in experiences, overly strict regulations, condescending security control checks and poor services.
The good news is that BAA will ultimately be forced by the body that oversees Monopolies and Mergers to sell off Gatwick, Edinburh and London Stansted. This will create some urgently required competition and hopefully increases standards.
There is however a long way to go before we can expect to receive a quality airport experience in the principle airports of the United Kingdom!
Sharon Mckinley, Publisher
Perpetual Traveller
Thursday, February 12, 2009
PT Airport Review
As the days of the second month of 2009 unfold and we reflect on the progress of Tourism from a global perspective, 2008 will be seen as a remarkable year for airport development and dramatic events. All this in the face of the onset of one of the worst global credit crunches and astonishing downturns our planet has ever seen.
This review focuses on the quintessential positives of 4 airports across the globe that are making the life of travellers in transit and more uplifting experience. Perpetual Traveller is however objective by nature, so we have indicated some of the downfalls of each airport for balance.
HONG KONG HKIA
Once again Hong Kong HKLIA Airport was officially awarded by Industry experts as the best airport all things considered on our planet. HKIA has consistently won this award with only a few gap years since its construction.
Certainly its a feat of engineering, with an epic glass cathedral type entrance, a slick modern design, extremely clean cut feel, passenger friendly throughout the entire process and pleasingly quick to connect through concerning immigration and security! This is especially remarkable considering the numbers of passengers the facility processes. There is free WiFi too!
Clearly HKIA is supremely organized and hosts a wide range of facilities and services on a constant basis. In fact everything in Hong Kong seems to be perpetually open around the clock, as many of the people in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island live in shifts, as there's simply not enough room for everyone to walk around on the ground level at the same time; thus securing its reputation as the most crowded territory on earth.
The Shopping is in HKIA is okay, but no real bargains can be obtained here and you may as well be in London, Milan or Paris, as the vast majority of Shops seem to sell internationally higher-priced brands, as they cater for Chinese and Asian consumers overly besotted by designer goods to parade as status symbols. This reflects an unfortunate trend the world over, whereby regardless of what airport one is in, everything is becoming the same like a global Shopping Village. Luxury goods are more desirable if they are exclusive or unique to a given region. When luxury becomes multiple and freely available everywhere with precisely the same methodology of display, it leans on the side of ordinary.
Anyhow, all the positives of Hong Kong's new airport mentioned above in addition to its well managed transportation access and connections are true to their word and much of the hype is warranted,. This said, in our humble objective Perpetual Traveller view, the airport is lacking a little soul and has a somewhat cold feel! There are preciously few reflections, touches or goods from Hong Kong itself within the Airport and on my last visit, I had to keep reminding myself where I was!
So in a few words HKIA its a modern, futuristic, practical, fast paced, always open, slightly cold and a trifle soulless airport.
TERMINAL 5 LHR
The long awaited Terminal 5 London Heathrow all British Airways extension to the world's busiest airport opened in 2008 with fanfare a mist baggage and organizational chaos. Things have settled down now however and even the most critical travelling Brit has to admit that Terminal 5 is a refreshing change. With spacious, stylish and modern lounges, advanced systems, processes and facilities, high ceilings (especially compared to terminal 1 , 2 and 3) and a surprisingly passenger friendly outlook Terminal 5 is a sea change from
The only moan is the length of time it takes in transit due to the long immigration and security processes, which is the root cause of many travellers opting to avoid connections through the famously hassle guaranteed LHR. Additionally LHR charges on the nail for WiFi taking the same anti traveller stance of other similar European Airports, which really annoys the frequent travellers.
Considering that LHR is the worlds busiest airport, its somewhat surprising that there are still only 2 runways. The British Government have finally confirmed however that they will permit the development of a 3rd runway and a 6th terminal linked to a raft of sensible environmental measures and the obligation to operate a high speed train connection from Paddington to LHR direct. Despite this, a legal challenge is immediately expected along with staunch protests by environmentalists. Subsequently, building cannot commence just yet. Meanwhile, Paris CDG and Schiphol Amsterdam continue to expand without opposition, so LHR needs to hurry along if they want to maintain the desirable position of being the main hub or gateway to Europe and the worlds busiest airport.
TERMINAL 3 DUBAI
Towards the end of 2008 the all Emirates dedicated airport termed "Terminal 3" opened much to the delight of the Emirates Skywards Gold members, as the Lounge facilities for First Class, Business and Gold card holders is nothing short of exceptional in terms of space, size, comfort, facilities, high staff / passenger ratio and overall passenger friendly amenities.
The facilities in the massive Lounge area located on the first floor encourage anyone with a long connection to upgrade. Apart from the expected, they feature an X.Box and hi-tech games area with the new Microsoft table interactive technology, several complimentary Buffet Restaurants and Bars operated to meticulous sanitation standards, a 24 hour SPA, Children Games room, numerous showers and amenities with extreme comfort. Another thing I liked were the little practical touches, such as the variety of seating types with easy plug connections, free WiFi throughout and a comprehensive selection of different ambiances each with its own feel.
The Terminal itself like the Dubai International Terminal does not disappoint on the Shopping front either with 8000 Square Meters of retail space. Designed to feature a vast range of open / easy access Duty Free Shops 24 hours a day. All international brands are present blended with some quality local and regional products for good measure. Shopping is a national past-time in Dubai itself and all the airports of Dubai from the Perpetual Traveller Shoppers viewpoint comprise to offer the world's best airport Shopping experience with some great bargains to match. No wonder they average a revenue spending figure of around $68 USD for every single passenger that enters the transit area, make it to our knowledge the best sales performance of any airport from a retail perspective.
Terminal 3 is more slick and clean cut than the older adjacent airports with marble white and black floors, aerodynamic designs and bright lights. There's always a Pharmacy at hand regardless of what gate you are at and now that its open it has freed up Dubai International which was becoming over-crowded in the months leading to October 2008.
CHANGI AIRPORT, SINAPORE
Asian airports dominate the world for quality, design, facilities, efficiency and overall passenger friendly services.
As reported earlier, Hong Kong secured top position and Changi that has previously won the award and is a worthy competitor came in second place yet again. The airport of Seoul, Korea was third and Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Malaysia fourth. For many frequent passengers Changi should feature on the top depending upon how you measure what is best?
The main fear of Changi is living in the shadow of Hong Kong’s HKIA, by always coming second in the world’s best airport list. At Perpetual Traveller we like Changi how it is and we urge the authorities there simply to consolidate its identity and not to become another global village with the usual brands and décor, which are becoming dull and monotonous the world over.
Changi is the ultimate passenger friendly airport with its own unique atmosphere, which reflects a local Singaporean hospitality and a sense of calm yet slick organization. It seems to achieve a sense of village feeling, for example over Christmas they exposed quality Carol singers to the public areas in order to warm the festive souls of travellers caught in the Christmas rush.
Shopping is extensive in Changi and highly competitive in price especially for electronics, though not with an aggressive approach like Dubai. In line with Hong Kong HKIA, Changi is an example to the world on how to design, build and operate an airport.
THE DARK SIDE OF GLOBAL AIRPORTS
You will notice that not one single airport of the Americas or Africa was mentioned in this report nor do any feature in the worlds top 10. This is a reflection of the lower quality and passenger satisfaction one can expect when in transit in these regions on the world. Clearly the airports of these continents need to get there act together and learn from essentially the Asians, who are the masters of airport design and operations. The Europeans are not so much better and only have Munich that consistently features in the top 5 or 6. We like LHR Terminal 5, which is a step in the right direction, but we cannot compliment Britons other airports and terminals to any pleasing degree. Athens, Venizelos, Franfurt, Schiphol Amsterdam, Viena, Zurich and Copenhagen all show promise in Europe, however each falters in either pricing, strike action, operations or unfriendliness.
Perpetual Traveller will feature more on Airports this year focusing on new openings, naming and shaming poorly operated terminals and giving updates on the positive developments.
Grant Holmes
Editor
This review focuses on the quintessential positives of 4 airports across the globe that are making the life of travellers in transit and more uplifting experience. Perpetual Traveller is however objective by nature, so we have indicated some of the downfalls of each airport for balance.
HONG KONG HKIA
Once again Hong Kong HKLIA Airport was officially awarded by Industry experts as the best airport all things considered on our planet. HKIA has consistently won this award with only a few gap years since its construction.
Certainly its a feat of engineering, with an epic glass cathedral type entrance, a slick modern design, extremely clean cut feel, passenger friendly throughout the entire process and pleasingly quick to connect through concerning immigration and security! This is especially remarkable considering the numbers of passengers the facility processes. There is free WiFi too!
Clearly HKIA is supremely organized and hosts a wide range of facilities and services on a constant basis. In fact everything in Hong Kong seems to be perpetually open around the clock, as many of the people in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island live in shifts, as there's simply not enough room for everyone to walk around on the ground level at the same time; thus securing its reputation as the most crowded territory on earth.
The Shopping is in HKIA is okay, but no real bargains can be obtained here and you may as well be in London, Milan or Paris, as the vast majority of Shops seem to sell internationally higher-priced brands, as they cater for Chinese and Asian consumers overly besotted by designer goods to parade as status symbols. This reflects an unfortunate trend the world over, whereby regardless of what airport one is in, everything is becoming the same like a global Shopping Village. Luxury goods are more desirable if they are exclusive or unique to a given region. When luxury becomes multiple and freely available everywhere with precisely the same methodology of display, it leans on the side of ordinary.
Anyhow, all the positives of Hong Kong's new airport mentioned above in addition to its well managed transportation access and connections are true to their word and much of the hype is warranted,. This said, in our humble objective Perpetual Traveller view, the airport is lacking a little soul and has a somewhat cold feel! There are preciously few reflections, touches or goods from Hong Kong itself within the Airport and on my last visit, I had to keep reminding myself where I was!
So in a few words HKIA its a modern, futuristic, practical, fast paced, always open, slightly cold and a trifle soulless airport.
TERMINAL 5 LHR
The long awaited Terminal 5 London Heathrow all British Airways extension to the world's busiest airport opened in 2008 with fanfare a mist baggage and organizational chaos. Things have settled down now however and even the most critical travelling Brit has to admit that Terminal 5 is a refreshing change. With spacious, stylish and modern lounges, advanced systems, processes and facilities, high ceilings (especially compared to terminal 1 , 2 and 3) and a surprisingly passenger friendly outlook Terminal 5 is a sea change from
The only moan is the length of time it takes in transit due to the long immigration and security processes, which is the root cause of many travellers opting to avoid connections through the famously hassle guaranteed LHR. Additionally LHR charges on the nail for WiFi taking the same anti traveller stance of other similar European Airports, which really annoys the frequent travellers.
Considering that LHR is the worlds busiest airport, its somewhat surprising that there are still only 2 runways. The British Government have finally confirmed however that they will permit the development of a 3rd runway and a 6th terminal linked to a raft of sensible environmental measures and the obligation to operate a high speed train connection from Paddington to LHR direct. Despite this, a legal challenge is immediately expected along with staunch protests by environmentalists. Subsequently, building cannot commence just yet. Meanwhile, Paris CDG and Schiphol Amsterdam continue to expand without opposition, so LHR needs to hurry along if they want to maintain the desirable position of being the main hub or gateway to Europe and the worlds busiest airport.
TERMINAL 3 DUBAI
Towards the end of 2008 the all Emirates dedicated airport termed "Terminal 3" opened much to the delight of the Emirates Skywards Gold members, as the Lounge facilities for First Class, Business and Gold card holders is nothing short of exceptional in terms of space, size, comfort, facilities, high staff / passenger ratio and overall passenger friendly amenities.
The facilities in the massive Lounge area located on the first floor encourage anyone with a long connection to upgrade. Apart from the expected, they feature an X.Box and hi-tech games area with the new Microsoft table interactive technology, several complimentary Buffet Restaurants and Bars operated to meticulous sanitation standards, a 24 hour SPA, Children Games room, numerous showers and amenities with extreme comfort. Another thing I liked were the little practical touches, such as the variety of seating types with easy plug connections, free WiFi throughout and a comprehensive selection of different ambiances each with its own feel.
The Terminal itself like the Dubai International Terminal does not disappoint on the Shopping front either with 8000 Square Meters of retail space. Designed to feature a vast range of open / easy access Duty Free Shops 24 hours a day. All international brands are present blended with some quality local and regional products for good measure. Shopping is a national past-time in Dubai itself and all the airports of Dubai from the Perpetual Traveller Shoppers viewpoint comprise to offer the world's best airport Shopping experience with some great bargains to match. No wonder they average a revenue spending figure of around $68 USD for every single passenger that enters the transit area, make it to our knowledge the best sales performance of any airport from a retail perspective.
Terminal 3 is more slick and clean cut than the older adjacent airports with marble white and black floors, aerodynamic designs and bright lights. There's always a Pharmacy at hand regardless of what gate you are at and now that its open it has freed up Dubai International which was becoming over-crowded in the months leading to October 2008.
CHANGI AIRPORT, SINAPORE
Asian airports dominate the world for quality, design, facilities, efficiency and overall passenger friendly services.
As reported earlier, Hong Kong secured top position and Changi that has previously won the award and is a worthy competitor came in second place yet again. The airport of Seoul, Korea was third and Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Malaysia fourth. For many frequent passengers Changi should feature on the top depending upon how you measure what is best?
The main fear of Changi is living in the shadow of Hong Kong’s HKIA, by always coming second in the world’s best airport list. At Perpetual Traveller we like Changi how it is and we urge the authorities there simply to consolidate its identity and not to become another global village with the usual brands and décor, which are becoming dull and monotonous the world over.
Changi is the ultimate passenger friendly airport with its own unique atmosphere, which reflects a local Singaporean hospitality and a sense of calm yet slick organization. It seems to achieve a sense of village feeling, for example over Christmas they exposed quality Carol singers to the public areas in order to warm the festive souls of travellers caught in the Christmas rush.
Shopping is extensive in Changi and highly competitive in price especially for electronics, though not with an aggressive approach like Dubai. In line with Hong Kong HKIA, Changi is an example to the world on how to design, build and operate an airport.
THE DARK SIDE OF GLOBAL AIRPORTS
You will notice that not one single airport of the Americas or Africa was mentioned in this report nor do any feature in the worlds top 10. This is a reflection of the lower quality and passenger satisfaction one can expect when in transit in these regions on the world. Clearly the airports of these continents need to get there act together and learn from essentially the Asians, who are the masters of airport design and operations. The Europeans are not so much better and only have Munich that consistently features in the top 5 or 6. We like LHR Terminal 5, which is a step in the right direction, but we cannot compliment Britons other airports and terminals to any pleasing degree. Athens, Venizelos, Franfurt, Schiphol Amsterdam, Viena, Zurich and Copenhagen all show promise in Europe, however each falters in either pricing, strike action, operations or unfriendliness.
Perpetual Traveller will feature more on Airports this year focusing on new openings, naming and shaming poorly operated terminals and giving updates on the positive developments.
Grant Holmes
Editor
Thursday, January 1, 2009
What do you dislike most about Airports?
Well there is a lot to dislike about airports when you really think about it; there’s the Pre-travel arrangements for a start, getting to the airport, especially a Budget airport and if that isn’t bad enough we then have the pleasure of actually arriving to the airport itself, not knowing what we may find when we get there!
Depending upon which airport you find yourself in, the service, attitude and facilities can vary dramatically often lacking consistency when it comes to Rules and Regulations by this I also refer to Security. It’s difficult to find two airports who operate by exactly the same system and layout.
What we need is a team of independent international “Airport Inspectors” representing consumers to check and regulate Airport facilities in order to ensure that the Perpetual Traveler out there has it least some fundamental comforts concerning communications, toilet related conveniences, clean water, soap and somewhere to eat and adequate public seating, I’m surprised how few airports provide quality services to meet the number of passengers they process.
When it comes to travel in the 21st Century in the era of downgraded Budget services, its not always an easy or pleasant experience, so it pays to prepare pack for all eventualities, yet still try to travel with Hand luggage only to avoid the increasing problem of lost and delayed luggage.
As the “Airport Issue” is generating more moans than ever from travellers these days we decided to create our own POLL with the help of our friends at Plaxo. We asked a simple question “What do you dislike most about Airports”.
The below results demonstrated that since the introduction of the liquid rules, the security process is the resounding winner in this hotly contested airport complaint contest. Of course even if we dared to mention this to the authorities it would fall on deaf ears as they and we will rc the same old rhetoric about terrorists and the important need for security. We understand this to a degree, although security is still lax in many airports and re are surly better ways to deal with this issue. The main point is that security officials are often rude and queues in some airports are still unacceptably long.
In joint second place is unfriendly check-in staff (cannot blame terrorism for that) and long check-in queues. This comes as a result of Airports in collaboration with Airlines seeking to find cost efficiencies by reducing staff levels and by employment of lower quality staff with less training. Check-in staff are under more pressure with new security rules, electronic demands, luggage restrictions and related charges in addition to dealing with passengers already arriving angry to the desk due to long queues. They tend to receive on average less and less customer service training, which is why we perceive them as unfriendly.
Expensive food is another sore point, as clearly most airports around the world with a captive audience hike prices. There are few exceptions.
Parking has always traditionally been high at airports as space is limited, coupled with the fact that the Airport Authorities take advantage wherever they can.
WiFi costs are usually a rip off, although some proactive airports actually offer free WiFi. For frequent travellers and users, we recommend signing up to a BOINGO account. Boingo boast 100,000 Hot Spots and its reasonable if you are a regular user. See www.boingo.com/ for details.
Moving back to the survey, check out the below responses, as they seem reflective of the current status all things considered of Airports on a global scale.
TOP 10 THINGS WE DISLIKE ABOUT AIRPORTS
The Security process - 24%
Unfriendly check-in staff - 20%
Long check-in queues - 20%
Expensive food and drink costs - 14%
Expensive Parking - 8%
Expensive WiFi costs - 4%
Immigration check - 4%
Customs control - 2%
Repetitive Duty Free Shops - 1%
Lack of comfortable seating - 1%
So who’s doing it right? On the bright side there are some spectacular passenger friendly airports out there. See below for the cream of the worlds airports. Clearly the Asians have mastered how to structure and operate an airport. Its fascinating to see no US or UK airports featured in the top ten and just a few European Airports all of which are in the North of Europe. One other point worthy of mention is that I am sure Middle Eastern Airports such as the new terminal in Dubai, that of Abu Dhabi and perhaps Qatar will all figure in the best of the rest in the future.
The Top 10 Airports in the world for 2008
For Hong Kong to be named winner of World’s Best Airport title for the 7th time in ten years is a truly notable achievement. To retain this title amidst such strong competition is testament to an airport that is clearly serving it’s customers well.
1 Hong Kong (1)
2 Singapore Changi (2)
3 Seoul Incheon (2)
4 Kuala Lumpur KLIA (5)
5 Munich (4)
6 Kansai (9)
7 Copenhagen (11)
8 Zurich (6)
9 Helsinki (12)
10 Cape Town (13)
*Source Travellers choice awards
Further Information: link to: www.airlinequality.com
Depending upon which airport you find yourself in, the service, attitude and facilities can vary dramatically often lacking consistency when it comes to Rules and Regulations by this I also refer to Security. It’s difficult to find two airports who operate by exactly the same system and layout.
What we need is a team of independent international “Airport Inspectors” representing consumers to check and regulate Airport facilities in order to ensure that the Perpetual Traveler out there has it least some fundamental comforts concerning communications, toilet related conveniences, clean water, soap and somewhere to eat and adequate public seating, I’m surprised how few airports provide quality services to meet the number of passengers they process.
When it comes to travel in the 21st Century in the era of downgraded Budget services, its not always an easy or pleasant experience, so it pays to prepare pack for all eventualities, yet still try to travel with Hand luggage only to avoid the increasing problem of lost and delayed luggage.
As the “Airport Issue” is generating more moans than ever from travellers these days we decided to create our own POLL with the help of our friends at Plaxo. We asked a simple question “What do you dislike most about Airports”.
The below results demonstrated that since the introduction of the liquid rules, the security process is the resounding winner in this hotly contested airport complaint contest. Of course even if we dared to mention this to the authorities it would fall on deaf ears as they and we will rc the same old rhetoric about terrorists and the important need for security. We understand this to a degree, although security is still lax in many airports and re are surly better ways to deal with this issue. The main point is that security officials are often rude and queues in some airports are still unacceptably long.
In joint second place is unfriendly check-in staff (cannot blame terrorism for that) and long check-in queues. This comes as a result of Airports in collaboration with Airlines seeking to find cost efficiencies by reducing staff levels and by employment of lower quality staff with less training. Check-in staff are under more pressure with new security rules, electronic demands, luggage restrictions and related charges in addition to dealing with passengers already arriving angry to the desk due to long queues. They tend to receive on average less and less customer service training, which is why we perceive them as unfriendly.
Expensive food is another sore point, as clearly most airports around the world with a captive audience hike prices. There are few exceptions.
Parking has always traditionally been high at airports as space is limited, coupled with the fact that the Airport Authorities take advantage wherever they can.
WiFi costs are usually a rip off, although some proactive airports actually offer free WiFi. For frequent travellers and users, we recommend signing up to a BOINGO account. Boingo boast 100,000 Hot Spots and its reasonable if you are a regular user. See www.boingo.com/ for details.
Moving back to the survey, check out the below responses, as they seem reflective of the current status all things considered of Airports on a global scale.
TOP 10 THINGS WE DISLIKE ABOUT AIRPORTS
The Security process - 24%
Unfriendly check-in staff - 20%
Long check-in queues - 20%
Expensive food and drink costs - 14%
Expensive Parking - 8%
Expensive WiFi costs - 4%
Immigration check - 4%
Customs control - 2%
Repetitive Duty Free Shops - 1%
Lack of comfortable seating - 1%
So who’s doing it right? On the bright side there are some spectacular passenger friendly airports out there. See below for the cream of the worlds airports. Clearly the Asians have mastered how to structure and operate an airport. Its fascinating to see no US or UK airports featured in the top ten and just a few European Airports all of which are in the North of Europe. One other point worthy of mention is that I am sure Middle Eastern Airports such as the new terminal in Dubai, that of Abu Dhabi and perhaps Qatar will all figure in the best of the rest in the future.
The Top 10 Airports in the world for 2008
For Hong Kong to be named winner of World’s Best Airport title for the 7th time in ten years is a truly notable achievement. To retain this title amidst such strong competition is testament to an airport that is clearly serving it’s customers well.
1 Hong Kong (1)
2 Singapore Changi (2)
3 Seoul Incheon (2)
4 Kuala Lumpur KLIA (5)
5 Munich (4)
6 Kansai (9)
7 Copenhagen (11)
8 Zurich (6)
9 Helsinki (12)
10 Cape Town (13)
*Source Travellers choice awards
Further Information: link to: www.airlinequality.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
