Up and close at Sydney’s Domestic Airport

Posted by Tom in Airports, Oceania, Reviews, Top-X-Things on Sunday, 21 February 2010

Sydney's Domestic Terminal - Up & Close

Usually the inner sections of airports are closed to non-travellers. I often think that modern airports with their great offers miss out on opportunities when they restrict access to people with tickets on that day only. Imagine: you could go inside London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and dine a last meal at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant with your close friend who visited you from Far-Away-Land before their long flight back home. Or imagine the family from Singapore that could enjoy some last moments in the Butterfly garden of Changi Airport’s Terminal 3 with their son departing for an exchange year at a university in the United States.

Well, the good news is that there are airports that do allow non-travellers into their inner core – the post security zone; domestic airports that is. The slightly bad news is that they are often not the most aspiring of places. Nevertheless, they do allow you to drop off or pick up your loved ones directly at the gate.

One such airport is Sydney’s Domestic Airport (IATA: SYD) on the North-East corner of the runways. There, once through the security check, you come down a set of escalators and can then either turn left towards the Virgin Blue gates or right in direction of the Qantas and JetStar boarding gates. Turning right will first lead you to a food court with some usual suspects such as McDonalds, Krispykreme, a Middle-Eastern Outlet, Subway, Sumo Salad and the Australian institutions of Red Rooster and Boost Juice among others.

There are, however, a few more exciting things to do beyond stuffingfilling yourself up prior to your cheap flight where you don’t plan to spend any money on their dry sandwiches. Here are my favourites:

  • Check out some serious outback clothing from R.M. Williams at the “And Beyond” store
  • Buy your kiddo (or some random kid you happen to know…) one of those cool dinosaur eggs that you have to submerge in water for 10 days before a little, wait for it, yes, you guessed it, Dinosaur pops out. You can find them at the well stocked “Kaboom” kids store.
  • Stock up on your SPF 30+ sunscreen for your island trip to Vanuatu (oooops, okay, if you are in the domestic terminal heading for Vanuatu, then you’re seriously in trouble, as that flight most likely leaves from the International terminal, a $5.50 bus trip away). So let’s say your Magnetic Island trip then… You’ll find it in the Pharmacy next to the Kids store.
  • Browse through the ubiquitous Peter Lik Australian landscape photography books and postcards
  • Try on some new boardies in the “Beachculture” shop towards the 31-40 gates
  • The ladies among you might also want to pop into the Mimco store close-by (while we lads wait in the Pub & Winestore called “Taphouse” across from it)
  • Finally, browse through the rather good selection of iconic Australian films at the Virgin Media store

Airport Facts and Ratings

Airport Name Sydney, Domestic Terminal
Website http://www.sydneyairport.com.au
IATA Code SYD
Design LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Shopping LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Toilets LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Overall LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Chanel No 5 Eau de Parfum, 100ml at the Duty Free Shop n/a
Bottle of Veuve Cliquot at the Duty Free Shop n/a

[Picture from Flickr - all rights reserved]



Singapore, Changi Terminal 3 - designed with a true traveller in mind

Posted by Tom in Airports, Asia, Reviews, Top-X-Things on Monday, 21 December 2009

The Green Wall at Changi Airport, Terminal 3

Where do I start?
Well, the question you first have to ask yourself before coming to Changi Airport, Terminal 3 (IATA: SIN) is: how much time do I have? This could be one of the few airports you actually wish to be delayed in. Of course many passengers (37.7 Million passed through the airport in total in 2008) transit through Singapore between flights so typically have between 2 - 6 hours to spend and, oh boy, can they be spent well!

The next question is, what mood are you in?
Tired from your previous flight? Go to one of the many quiet zones throughout the terminal or chill out while getting a foot massage in one of the countless, free foot massage chairs throughout the terminal. Or watch a Koi feeding at the Koi pond which you find on the runway side of the terminal.
Need to spend the remaining cash? Visit the only FIFA store in an airport anywhere in the world and stock up on 2010 World Cup merchandise.
Interested in nature and the environment? Go to the butterfly garden and watch 1,000 butterflies of 47 species swirl around the outdoor exhibit. You’ll find it roughly in the middle of the Terminal on the runway side (see the interactive map for more details on how to get there).

Changi’s Terminal 3 not only gives you a wonderful experience, it thinks on a much bigger scale!. The airport’s flagship terminal, opened in January 2008, also puts a mark on its environmentally friendly approach. For example, the ceiling includes 919 panels to direct the incoming sunlight, therefore, reducing the need for artificial lighting thus conserving massive amounts of electricity. Furthermore in the middle of the massive terminal you will see a 5 storey high and 300m wide live green wall, made of plants (see picture). The green wall is visible from both the departing and the arriving side of the structure making the airport green in the truest sense of the word. That and the meticulously designed sound proofing elements of the airport make your travel experience a truly calm and enjoyable one.

Okay, let’s do the top list but other than my usual ritual of giving you just one list, here are 3 depending on how much time you have at hand:

Under 2 hours

  • Grab a quick espresso and a chocolate treat from the only Guylian Belgium Chocolate cafe in an airport
  • Men: Enjoy the views from the urinals in the pristine toilets of the main section of the terminal
    Women: Check out the “powder room” and work on your soon to be pretty faces. You will find the entrance just below the escalators to the SilverKris lounge
  • Grab a quick foot massage in one of the many free massage chairs
  • Go to the butterfly garden and watch the beautiful creatures feast on the flower and fruit nectar provided- a must see!
  • Quickly check your new email messages on one of the 500 free internet kiosks across the 3 terminals (and decide to answer them later)

2 to 5 hours
All of the above plus

  • Go shop-aholic and check out the numerous retail outlets neatfully aligned in sections by category
  • Grab a movie in the terminal’s own and free movie theatre (tipp: go there first and check out what movie you’d like to see and plan your time around that)
  • Retrieve to one of the quiet zones and nap for a bit
  • Check out the sculpture in the “A gates” zone arrival hall called “coming home” (it’s visible from the departure section too)
  • Find all the “green elements” of this clever airport design (challenge question: what are the nuzzles you see throughout the airport, above head hight and why are they where they are?)
  • (Re-)check your email and decide to respond to a few this time (see “under 2 hours”, above)

More than 5 hours
All of the above and/or

  • Consider purchasing lounge access at the Ambassador Transit Lounge (which also contains sports equipment for your immediate workout needs)
  • Book yourself into the Transit hotel upstairs; they sell rooms in 6-hour blocks
  • Go on a free City tour around Singapore (they depart in 2 hour blocks from 9am to 4pm and you won’t have to go through immigration)
  • Cross over to Terminal 1 for a swim in the rooftop pool (you didn’t forget to pack your swimsuit, did you? Don’t worry if you did, there are plenty of retail shops selling you a new pair!)
  • If you’re in a group - challenge each other on who can make a full round tour around the 3 terminals quicker (one group clockwise, one anti-clockwise)

If you do have more time and don’t mind queuing the 20 or so minutes it took me both times for immigration, then do go into Singapore. The city is only a 30 minute, very affordable taxi ride away. Let’s face it, you have to be able to tell your friends you’ve enjoyed a Singapore sling in the world renown Raffles Hotel on your stopover!

Airport Facts and Ratings

Airport Name Singapore Changi Airport, Terminal 3
Website http://www.changiairport.com
IATA Code SIN
Design LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Shopping LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Toilets LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Overall LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Chanel No 5 Eau de Parfum, 100ml at the Duty Free Shop S$ 168 (£74.20)
Bottle of Veuve Cliquot at the Duty Free Shop S$ 95 (£41.95)

[Picture from Changi Airport Group - all rights reserved]



When little airports grow up, they become…: Hong Kong International, Terminal 1

Posted by Tom in Airports, Asia, Reviews, Top-X-Things on Saturday, 14 November 2009

Hong Kong International Airport - Departures in Terminal 1

Did you miss me? Well I’m back!

It has definitely been a while since my last post. Don’t worry, I didn’t run out of interesting airport stories, but l did run out of time.. As a little treat, you’ll get a whopper of an airport reviewed now: Hong Kong.

I guess everyone has heard of the dangerous, yet spectacular approach at the old Hong Kong International airport (commonly known as Kai Tak Airport). I personally experienced two landings there back in 1991 where my window seat proved to be the best allocation ever. It was simply spectacular!

So, the first time I flew into the then known, newly built airport, Chek Lap Kok (赤鱲角機場), I was quite disappointed as l didn’t get any of that great view l remembered. However, on a recent trip to Hong Kong we flew over this magnificent city with a perfect view of the spectacular Victoria Harbour and all of Kowloon! My tip is - try to sit on the right hand side of the aircraft and chances are good you’ll get the “wow factor” on your next approach to Hong Kong International Airport (as it is known today).

On the ground, terminal 1 is the flagship building and home of Cathay Pacific and it’s code share partners including British Airways. Overall, the airport is very spacious and the check-in hall reminded me of Kuala Lumpur, which is similarly generous in terms of space.

Before you pass security you have a good selection of stores (Wing Wah, Newslink, Canton Market, Kee Wah Bakery, Toys & Games, Okashi land, Ying King tea house, etc.) and restaurants (Popeyes, Fairfood and Maxim’s upstairs).

After security the airport is split into 2 levels, upstairs you’ll find a food court, a few shops and a multimedia lounge with free internet plus more stores downstairs.

My must-check-out- things are:

  • Aji Ichiban on the North side of the terminal. Go crazy and buy from their funny, sometimes strange selection of Asian and Western sweet and savoury snacks. A perfect surprise for a co-worker or friend
  • Check out the big spenders in the posh shops (Tiffany’s, Chanel, Hermes,, etc.) on the lower level
  • Indulge on one of the seasonal Latte’s at Starbucks opposite Gate 20
  • Stock up your travel care gear at the “Travel Care Express” store after gate 27
  • Go on a hunt for the Airbus A380. Yes, you should be able to see one as Singapore Airlines flies them between Hong Kong and Singapore. (For a video of the first A380 I spotted a while back in Hong Kong, click here).
  • Lastly, send a few emails from your iPhone through the free WiFi connection throughout the airport

Airport Facts and Ratings

Airport Name Hong Kong International Airport
Website http://www.hongkongairport.com
IATA Code HKG
Design LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Shopping LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Toilets LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Overall LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Chanel No 5 Eau de Parfum, 100ml at the Duty Free Shop HKD 950 (£73.40)
Bottle of Veuve Cliquot at the Duty Free Shop HKD 450 (£34.75)

[Picture from Hong Kong International Airport's official website]



Hello Kitty, hello Taipei International Airport

Posted by Tom in Airports, Asia, Reviews, Top-X-Things on Thursday, 10 September 2009

Hello Kitty Lounge at Taipei International Airport

Have you ever seen an entire departure gate transformed to a popular children’s brand theme? No? Then you haven’t been to Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport airport - terminal 2.

When you get dropped off from the busy streets of Taipei at Taiwan’s largest, international airport (IATA: TPE) (traditional Chinese: 臺灣桃園國際機場; simplified Chinese: 台湾桃园国际机场), you expect a very crowded scene, but when I was there on a regular Thursday evening, the airport was surprisingly quiet. Who knows, maybe the large check-in hall and the usual Asian way of building airports for the future (read: big) might have deceived my senses as my flight to Hong Kong was full to the last seat.

After the equally quick security check (luckily the stupid liquid restriction hasn’t arrived in Taiwan yet), you end up in an area between two main arms to the right and left containing all the departure gates.

I first walked left to the A & D gates where I discovered an art exhibition of Chinese (errr, probably Taiwanese) hats painted by children from the “Taoyuan County Sinpo Elementary School” followed by a good selection of shops and a rich media & internet access lounge (close to gate D2).
On my way back to the other arm of gates (B/C gates) I stumbled onto an interesting nursery room. It was turned into the Hello Kitty theme. This surely is a nice alternative to the usual dull, grey rooms provided by airports (don’t worry, I’m not going to become a nursery room expert any time soon though…).

The B/C arm overall is nicer than its sister on the other side as it appears to have been renovated. However, it contains a similar selection of shops. Mind you, there is one really big reason to visit this side of the airport: gate C3. Yes, that’s the Hello Kitty gate with an adjacent shop. See this blog’s picture for an impression of what awaits you there (or our previous cover of the gate earlier this year). How cool is that? But the climax was that my flight actually departed from this gate. Fear not, you don’t have to dress up for boarding although the atmosphere does lend itself to silly, childish fun! Travellers seemed delighted, they smiled, laughed and took photos. What else could you want in a usually stressful environment like an airport?

Overall, if you have some time to kill at the Taipei airport terminal 2, here are my favourites:

  1. Buy some authentic Taiwanese Oolong tea from one of several “Hsin Tung Yang” shops (e.g. close to gate D4)
  2. Visit the pharmacy and beauty store for your last minute travel needs (close to gate C4)
  3. Buy the latest gadgets from the Electronics store (there is one on either gates side)
  4. Play a round of Xbox games at the Chimei rich media & internet access lounge (more mature travellers might divert to checking their emails)
  5. Speaking of emails, WiFi is free throughout the airport, so download your latest episodes of Britain’s next Top Model on to your iPhones
  6. Purchase the latest sports gear at the 3 adjacent sports stores Adidas, Nike and Puma on the C/D gates side
  7. Lastly, a must see, check out the Hello Kitty gate C3 (as mentioned above)

Airport Facts and Ratings

Airport Name Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport airport
Website http://www.taoyuanairport.gov.tw
IATA Code TPE
Design LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Shopping LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Toilets LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Overall LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Chanel No 5 Eau de Parfum, 100ml at the Duty Free Shop TWD 4,030 (£74.65)
Bottle of Veuve Cliquot at the Duty Free Shop TWD 2,300 (£42.60)

[Picture from LateDeparture - all rights reserved]



Golden sun streaming over London Luton Airport

Posted by Sarah in Europe, Reviews, Top-X-Things on Thursday, 13 August 2009

Take-off at London Luton airport

London Luton Airport (IATA: LTN) has excellent connections with key towns and cities across the country. Arrive at Luton by bus and you have almost door to door service but be dropped off by a friend - walk an extra 30 seconds to the entrance - and hello - pay £1 for the privilege!! Mmmm. However, once inside Luton International Airport the flat wide floor plan is inviting and user friendly.

With the “must have” M&S and WH Smith to scoop up your trashy mag & bottle of water, the concourse also offers variety of food options including snacks and a full bar from the open style, spacious Cafe Bar.

You’ll also find Bar Des Voyageurs, a beautiful Parisian style bar offering a selection of hot and cold snacks and a choice of wines from around the world.

Once checked in, take a simple flight of escalators to level 2, straight through security and voila, you have entered the international gateway!

Here you will find the typical homage to capitalism, but after wading through duty free shops & alike (some l might add have amazing bargains) you are greeted by the golden sun streaming through the massive windows.

For those sceptics: On the other 364 days of the year you are still greeted by an abundance of wonderful light ;). This is truly an underestimated advantage to any flight where you might be suffering the dreaded late departure… natural light.

So, you have now entered the perfectly positioned open/free flowing bar Est … offering freshly prepared cocktails, juice combinations, Italian coffee and a delicious selection of antipasti platters.

Opposite is the cosy sister restaurant, Est … where you have a full menu to choose from including freshly made pizza, pasta, focaccia, salads and more.

A helpful Amusement Arcade called “Game Grid” is also positioned directly opposite: fun for all the family! Drop the kids off & watch them whilst sipping a glass of Chardy!
Once called for your flight you wind through a rabbit warren walkway of fibro but you will get there in the end.

Let’s Talk Arriving in Luton…
As above, your friends and family can chose to pay £1 to greet you at the virtual door OR you can jump on a bus. Although travel time is only 2 minutes down the road to the “free section”, who can be bothered after a long flight? Mmmm.

Top 3 adventures in Luton International Airport:

  1. The attractive open Bar Cafe smack-bang in the middle of the check in/entrance area lends itself to a payback drink with your friend who just lost £1 by dropping you off.
  2. Indulge your retro pacman fantasies in the amusement arcade, Game Grid.
  3. Watch the chefs carve your roast or take out the freshly baked bread from the exposed ovens at The Real Food Company. Fresh fruit is on display so why not choose your own smoothie! (A new children’s play area has just opened too!)

Airport Facts and Ratings

Airport Name London Luton Airport
Website http://www.london-luton.co.uk
IATA Code LTN
Design LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point.5 (points for super functional layout)
Shopping LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Toilets LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Overall LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point

[Picture from Flickr - some rights reserved]



Horses and Barns at Göteborg City Airport

Posted by Tom in Airports, Europe, Reviews, Top-X-Things on Wednesday, 22 July 2009

Göteborg City Airport

The word “City” usually refers to a thriving metropolis, a large or important town, so you would therefore think an airport with this noun attached is either very close to such a place or at least reflects a certain grand scale. Well, in Göteborg City Airports case it’s - wait for it - neither!

The airport isn’t particularly close to the centre of Göteborg, or Gothenburg in English, (alright being situated 14 km north-west of the town is not terribly far away, but definitely not right next to it), nor is it particularly sizable. In fact Göteborg City Airport (IATA: GSE) comprises of little more than a farm house and an extension; seriously, you will see horses next to the landing strip, it’s tiny!

This quaint little airport now mainly serves as a Ryanair destination anywhere from Dusseldorf Weeze to London Standsted. However, I have to admit, it’s actually closer to Sweden’s second largest city than its big brother Göteborg-Landvetter Airport (IATA: GOT). Given the size of the airport and my natural shyness of horses, there isn’t much to do there, so my first suggestion is to arrive as late as your nerves can afford :).

But this wouldn’t be LateDeparture.com if I didn’t find a few selected things you might like to do to kill some time. Here are my suggestions:

  • Indulge with a “Somersby Pear Cider” for SEK 48 at the airport restaurant (the tin shed on your right as you enter)
  • Watch the arriving and departing aircraft from the outdoor seating area in the restaurant, it’s amazing how close you’ll feel to the runway!
  • Top up your fluids with some free filtered water from the dispenser in the restaurant
  • Buy a legendary Swedish wooden butter knife and cheese grater at the small but fully stocked airport gift shop
  • With each incoming aircraft, watch the main road out of the airport being closed off for vehicles. Not something you see every day!

Airport Facts and Ratings

Airport Name Göteborg City Airport
Website http://www.goteborgcityairport.se
IATA Code GSE
Design LateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Shopping LateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Toilets LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Overall LateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Chanel No 5 Eau de Parfum, 100ml at the Duty Free Shop SEK 969 (£77.60)
Bottle of Veuve Cliquot at the Duty Free Shop not available

[Picture from Göteborg City Airport (http://www.goteborgcityairport.se)]



Viva Barcelona Airport!

Posted by Tom in Airports, Europe, Reviews, Top-X-Things on Thursday, 2 July 2009

Sunset over Barcelona Airport
I’m sure you agree with me that Gaudi’s Barcelona is always worth a visit!

The city offers something for everyone: From tasty Catalonian cuisine, cultural festivals, haute couture on Passeig de Gracia to the alternative scene around Gracia. And how about good old “La Rambla”, with its equal amount of stalls, tourists and thieves. If you fancy an overpriced, flavourless margarita served in a gold fish bowl this is your heaven :-). Or try the overcrowded beaches with all its shame- and topless youngsters.

It is then not surprising that the gateway to this multi-coloured, metro sexual city leads through a rather large airport, second only to the ridiculously massive Madrid Barajas Airport. In fact, Barcelona (IATA: BCN)  just expanded its airport by opening a brand new terminal on 16th June: T1.This new structure houses all Star Alliance flights whereas Spain’s national airline Iberia remains in Terminal T2 … exactly where I base my review.

Without further ado, here are ‘The Top 7 Things to Do’ in Terminal 2:

  • Stock up your wardrobe at the Terminal’s local Zara shop
  • Buy that Jamon Iberico you ate in the tapas bar the night before and loved so much (“Sibarium”, opposite Zara, Jamon Iberico, 100g for €13.90)
  • Stock up some exquisite wine from the Duty Free store (my suggestion: the 2005 Celeste Ribera del Duero)
  • Don’t forget that small thing for your girlfriend at “Etam” lingerie
  • Now the lady is sorted out, you can get yourself that new season FC Barcelona T-shirt from the local FCB fan shop
  • You went for the full Monty at the lingerie store? Winner! Congratulate yourself with something red from the Ferrari store (Terminal 2B).
  • Flying back on a Sunday and want a laugh? Watch all the hung over hen and stag parties go by in terrible pain :). You can easily recognize them by their gender uniformity and their similar facial expression (aka “why did I do this?”)

Viva Barcelona, viva Barcelona airport!

Airport Facts and Ratings

Airport Name Barcelona El Prat Airport - Terminal 2
Website http://www.aena.es
IATA Code BCN
Design LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Shopping LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Toilets LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Overall LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Chanel No 5 Eau de Parfum, 100ml at the Duty Free Shop € 92.00 (£78.80)
Bottle of Veuve Cliquot at the Duty Free Shop € 35.00 (£30.00)

[Picture from Flickr - some rights reserved]



Oktoberfest atmosphere at Munich airport

Posted by Tom in Airports, Europe, Reviews, Top-X-Things on Sunday, 21 June 2009

Oktoberfest atmosphere at Munich airport

Germany’s Munich airport, Franz-Joseph Strauss (IATA: MUC) was recently voted Europe’s second best Airport after Zurich in a “Skytrax” survey; and in my view quite rightly!

Munich is a fairly big airport with 2 terminals serving as Lufthansa’s second hub airport after Frankfurt. With airports however, size is not everything…

It’s not surprising then that Munich airport has two faces: The rather boring and older Terminal 1 which opened in 1992 is not the most exciting place. This terminal serves all non-Star Alliance flights and is divided into subsections A to E. Once you are through security, it’s a very limited experience in terms of what you can do there!

Terminal 2 on the other hand is the flagship terminal of the airport and hosts all Star Alliance flights. It offers a wide range of shops and restaurants even after passing the security section. So, you shouldn’t get bored anytime soon. My personal favourite is the Dallmayr shop: try the fresh “Bretzen” for example. Delicious!

Overall however, I’d recommend you spend as much time as you can in the airports “Zentralbereich”. This is the central area located between the two main terminals.

Here my top 5 things to do:

  1. Enjoy an Oktoberfest atmosphere and super friendly staff at “Airbräu’s” outside beer garden between the terminals
  2. Stock up for an authentic, Bavarian Weisswurst breakfast at the well equipped grocery store “Edeka
  3. Still haven’t sent the bundle of postcards and gifts you promised? No problem. You can send them off with the all important German post stamp at the “Deutsche Post” office next to “Edeka”.
  4. The ever present Starbucks can sort out your early-flight coffee needs. You find it on the way to Terminal 2 from the outside area.
  5. Oh and did you really, really, really like that waitress from the Airbräu (see first point)? Buy her some red roses from the beautiful flower shop “Airport Flower” next to the Starbucks

Airport Facts and Ratings

Airport Name Munich “Franz Josef Strauss” Airport
Website http://www.munich-airport.de
IATA Code MUC
Design LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Shopping LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Toilets LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Overall LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Chanel No 5 Eau de Parfum, 100ml at the Duty Free Shop € 87.90 (£74.30)
Bottle of Veuve Cliquot at the Duty Free Shop € 34.50 (£29.15)

[Picture from Flickr - some rights reserved.]



Go nuts at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport

Posted by Tom in Airports, Americas, Reviews on Saturday, 6 June 2009

Go nuts at Las Vegas airport

If you’ve been to Las Vegas, I’m sure you’re longing to go back! I know l was! Ever since I visited “Sin City” for the first time in my adult life last summer (and posted a video review in this post) it was clear to me that I was destined to return to this forbidden place. So when the opportunity presented itself over an adjacent long weekend to a business trip to close-by California, I grabbed the chance, booked a ticket on Virgin America and two nights at the Mirage.

But enough praise for this wonderful crazy city, after all, this is an airport blog and not a boring destination guide. Nor is it my personal diary, so let’s get down to business:

I trust it already came through in my video review last year, McCarran airport (IATA: LAS) is not your usual airport. But who would expect this in Las Vegas anyway? Surely you expect the airport to have slot machines everywhere, and it does, but did you know that it even features a language course vending machine? It’s true: in the A and B gates departure lounge, you can purchase Rosetta Stone language courses in every language from Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew to even, yes, you guessed it, English. For little more than your winnings at the Blackjack table on the Strip ($299.99) one of these courses can be yours!

But if study is not your thing and perhaps you’re dealing with the legacy of a huge night before, you can cure even the worst hangover with something perfectly greasy from the guys at the “Great Steak” outlet before the gates B17-25.

Maybe you’re still thinking about the scantily clad ladies dancing on the speakers of the XS nightclub at the Encore? Then probably a sweet, dice lollypop is what you are looking for: You will find it at “The Candy Shoppe” in the middle of the A and B gates lounge.

Finally, if you’re trying to be good to make up for some recent, umm, “indulgences” why not go crazy with a fine selection of fruit and nuts from the “Las Vegas Fruit and Nuts” store.

Hey, who said airports are boring?

Viva Las Vegas Airport!

 

Airport Facts and Ratings

Airport Name Las Vegas McCarran International - Terminal 2
Website http://www.mccarran.com/
IATA Code LAS
Design LateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Shopping LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Toilets LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
Overall LateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award PointLateDeparture.com Plane Award Point
   
   
   

[Image from Flickr - some rights reserved]



Terminal with a view: Heathrow Terminal 5 - B Gates

Posted by Tom in Airlines, Airports, Europe, Reviews on Friday, 15 May 2009

London Heathrow, Terminal 5, B Gates (Terminal 5B)

On my business trips to California I usually prefer to fly Virgin Atlantic, but this time, unfortunately, the economics were against my preference. Well, to be honest, British Airways isn’t actually that bad even though their Premium Economy product lacks all the benefits of its arch rival but I guess value for my employer value for money was pretty okay this time. But there is one very clear benefit of flying with BA out of Heathrow (IATA: LHR): you can leave from Terminal 5. And that, you have to admit, is despite all the BAA bashing, is a fantastic terminal.

LateDeparture.com has previously written about Terminal 5 but we then focused on the main building, housing the “A gates”. Terminal 5’s full structure, however, consists today of the main building and a satellite terminal with the B gates (Terminal 5B). A third complex, the C gates (or Terminal 5C), is currently in construction and due to open in May 2010. British Airways mainly operates their long haul flights from the B gates, hence I now got the chance to have a closer look at it.

Reaching the satellite terminal is simple and quick: you hop on a short underground shuttle from the main building. Make sure you set aside 10 to 15 minutes for the journey with the actual shuttle ride only taking about 1 minute. There, by the way, I suggest you ride in the front as it travels pretty fast and looking out to the track is a somewhat exciting (I know boys will be boys…).

Once at the terminal, you will find a few shops (see PDF map for details) including a nicely stocked Boots (I liked their selection of miniature travel essentials), a WHSmith, a Duty-Free Shop, a “Caviar House Seafood” bar with a great view towards the main building and a sandwich & coffee place. None of them are actually interesting enough for you to leave the shopping and gourmet heaven of the main building in a hurry, but there is one very distinct advantage of the satellite: it is quiet. Because fewer flights depart from this terminal, less people are present which again means you can easily find somewhere to sit and relax. This, together with the 360 degree view of everything that is going on at Britain’s busiest airport makes it an attractive option for people like me who are fascinated observing the airport’s operations, landing and departing aircrafts (try to spot Singapore Airline’s A380). With the satellite’s close proximity to the main terminal, it could even be an attractive alternative for sitting out longer delays occurring in the main terminal.

[Photo by LateDeparture.com - all rights reserved]



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