Cartagena airport - gateway to Colombia’s Caribbean coast

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Cartagena de Indias, often described as one of South America’s true jewels, certainly is a fascinating city. I have actually never seen so many colourful, colonial houses next to each other. And since Cartagena is the premier weekend destination for rich Colombians and the place of choice for festivals and exhibitions, the city is always packed with people looking for a good time.

And since the easiest way getting from Colombia’s major cities like Bogotá or Medellin is the air, Cartagena has a sizable airport which is even offering some international direct flights. Rafael Núñez International Airport (IATA: CTG) as it is officially called is located only a short taxi drive north of Cartagena’s walled city. It’s not the most exciting airport, but there are (as always) still a few things you can do if you get bored:

• Enjoy a last Caribbean heat flash in the courtyard before the arrival hall
• Walk to Kekoriko (on the corner where the taxis get off the main road) and try this ubiquitous fast food chain (I wasn’t that impressed though).

And after security:

• Buy a last-minute-packet of Juan Valdez coffee
• Renew your flip flops at the small shop (from 35,000 pesos)
• Buy refreshments from the small yet surprisingly fully stocked stall in the waiting lounge
• Check your emails through the free Wifi (connect to “Sacsa”)

Airport Name	Rafael Núñez International Airport Cartagena de Indias
Website	http://www.sacsa.com.co/
IATA Code	CTG
Design
Shopping
Toilets
Overall
	no duty free Shop
	no duty free Shop

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Miami Airport - Gateway to South America

When you first arrive at Miami International Airport (IATA: MIA) you wouldn’t necessarily think you entered American soil as airport staff mostly speak Spanish and the general crowd looks different from what you would consider “typical” Americans. Of course this is no coincidence since Miami has long been a gateway to South America for the West and a first port of call for South and Central Americans visiting North America. Further more it is no surprise that throughout Miami and its airport you can easily get by without speaking English at all.

America’s third largest airport in terms of International passengers does feel fairly big with its nine different terminals or concourses as they are called here. These alphabetically named areas, A to J, are physically connected, however, once you go through security you can mostly not move between them. My Avianca flight to Bogotá (see related post about Bogotá airport) departed from the J concourse. This is Miami airport’s newest terminal which opened on August 29, 2007 under Miami International Airport’s South Terminal Renovation Project.

Check out these things to do when your flight departs from the H or J concourse (these two are connected):

1. Get yourself (or treat your girlfriend) a 10 minute manicure for $15 between the H and J concourse
2. Get another one of these delicious Coronas at “Corona Express” next to gate J4
3. Change into something warmer at the fairly spacious toilets as the air conditioning is freezing throughout the terminal
4. Recharge your iPhone at one of the many power stations
5. Read the poetry written on the floor all along the J gates and accidentally pump into that beautiful, Colombian lady

Airport Name	Miami International Airport - Concourse J
Website	http://www.miami-airport.com
IATA Code	MIA
Design
Shopping
Toilets
Overall
	$99.00 (£62.30)
	$38.00 (£23.90)

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Bogotá Airport mucho gusta?

My recent travel brought me to Colombia’s capital, Bogotá. Even now with improved security and a thriving economy, Colombia is still an adventure, even for the most experienced traveller. On the other hand, the contrast in this fascinating city, 2,640m above sea level, is stark. The south of the city is a very poor area and not safe for tourists while the north is wealthy and houses modern eateries and bars that don’t have to hide from top-notch addresses in other countries.

So how does the airport rate? Basically, the airport is divided into two passenger terminals: El Dorado International, the main terminal for all international flights, built in 1959 and Puente Aéreo Terminal (Air Bridge Terminal, in English), built in 1989 which serves Avianca’s and its subsidiary SAM’s, domestic and regional flights. As I had the pleasure to experience both terminals, here’s what you can do if your flight is delayed:

Regional Terminal
Make sure you don’t go through security until shortly before your flight as after that there is nothing more than a few toilets and a couple vending machines. Therefore the subsequent tips are for the area before security:

1. Buy some strawberries at “Aerofresas” for 4,000 pesos (they looked a bit unripe but tasted actually really nice)
2. If you are the sweet type, get some dark Lindt chocolate from “Colosinas”, not far from the strawberries place
3. And of course, don’t forget to taste another of these wonderful Colombian coffees. I had an Espresso at “Inter-Cafe”, right next to the chocolate place.
4. Now that you’re well fed you can walk south to the slightly more upmarket part of the terminal and stroll around the stores there
5. By now your flight should be ready, if not, you probably shouldn’t board it anyway. Just kidding. If you still have time, go to the Orbitel shop on the north side, call your family and tell them about how nice Bogotá was and that there is nothing for them to worry about.

International Terminal “El Dorado”
Again, the better area for spending time is before security. But here you don’t want to leave it to the last minute as you will have to go through the passport control and another security check before getting to your gate. Also, be prepared for a detailed bag search.

1. After you checked in, go upstairs as all the shops and restaurants are on that floor. If your flight is in the morning, go to “Crepes & Waffles” for a descent breakfast (if not see 2.). Even though I was not very lucky with what I ordered, the food looked really good and the place is an institution throughout Bogotá
2. If you are still hungry or your flight is later in the day, go to “El Corral”, Colombia’s best burger chain and order a 1/2lb “Corralisima”. You will have to wait about 15 minutes, but, oh boy, this burger is worth the wait - trust me!
3. Go to one of the music shops and buy that Colombian music you have heard throughout your stay. I bought the CD of Silvestre Dangond with the song “Me gusta, me gusta“.
4. If you still have time, go through security and buy that delicious coffee from the Juan Valdez store towards the end of the small stalls.

 The rating below is based on the International Terminal: 

Airport Name	Bogotà El Dorado International
Website	http://www.elnuevodorado.com/
IATA Code	BOG
Design
Shopping
Toilets
Overall
	$99.00 (£57.20)
	$50.00 (£28.90)

[Picture from Flickr]

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Lower Rhineland airport Weeze: worth a visit?

I’m sure you have all seen various types of airports in your lifetime. There are tiny grass or dirt based landing strips that function as airports on remote locations, small huts with paved runways in rural areas, airports that serve as regional hubs and then there are the big and bigger international airports like London Heathrow, JFK and the likes. But there is a new set of airports out there: converted military airfields transformed to regional hubs for low(est) cost airlines. The Lower Rhineland airport Weeze (IATA: NRN) fits into that description.

50 kilometres northwest of Dusseldorf and 30 km southeast of the Dutch town of Nijmegen, Weeze airport used to be the military airbase RAF Laarbruch. According to Wikipedia, the airport serves 6 airlines but its main customer clearly is the Irish run Ryanair with a fairly good selection of flights to various destinations in Europe.

My flight back to London Stansted (IATA: STN) that day was slightly delayed, but other than that operations at the airport were efficient and I passed through the security checks fairly quickly only to discover there was absolutely nothing on the other side. Well, okay, nothing is a strong word. There was a bar and a small kiosk but that was about it (it did find my price checking items though, see below). So, what can you do in such a situation? Here are 3 suggestions:

1. Find your next destination through the selection of available Lonely Planet guidebooks at the small kiosk (the selection actually was pretty decent!)
2. Look through the magazine offerings and find the one magazine with the weirdest freebie (in my case it was an inflatable sword added to a children’s magazine called “Benjamin Blümchen”)
3. Flick through your iPod and find the song of the day (I went for “Hellsongs - Symphony of Destruction” although not because of the lyrics or the title, simply because I like the tunes and it’s funny)

Airport Name	Airport Weeze
Website	http://www.airport-weeze.de
IATA Code	NRN
Design
Shopping
Toilets
Overall
	€87.00 (£68.80)
	€34.90 (£27.60)

[Picture from Flickr]

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London City Airport: Small but efficient

Last week I had the pleasure of taking a flight from London’s smallest commercial airport, London City airport (IATA: LCY). The airport is conveniently located in London’s docklands, east of the financial district and can be accessed easily by Docklands Light Railway (DLR). It is even in London Transport’s zone 3, so it won’t cost you much to get there either.

So what is the catch? There of course is one - as always. The airport is small, has only one runway which is not very long (1319 m) and therefore is restricts to STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) airliners. Its operating license says, aircrafts have to be capable of a 5.5 degree or steeper approach. Plus there is a strict noise regulation in place. Therefore only small planes are predominant, particularly the BAe 146 aircraft which means the number of destinations offered are limited.

So, how does the airport terminal rate? Even though the airport is small, a lot of people are passing through on a daily basis. In 2006 2.3 Million people travelled through the City airport according to Wikipedia. Particularly on week days, the airport is at its full capacity affecting the limited space in the terminal. But its not all bad, they have recently increased seating space and anyway, with low delay rates, you can expect to be in and out of the terminal faster than you can say “delay”. In the rare occasion where you do get delayed, here are my Top-X-Things to do:

1. Check out the 2 big bars and mingle with the business men who enjoy their evening beer
2. Sit at the north side of the terminal and count the number of BAe 146 aircrafts taking off
3. Guess the nationalities of the business men and women rushing to the gates
4. Find the biggest TV screen to watch the Olympics coverage
5. Count the number of destinations you can fly to from the departure screens

Airport Name	London City Airport
Website	http://www.londoncityairport.com/
IATA Code	LCY
Design
Shopping
Toilets
Overall	(Because of its convenient location)
	£58.40
	£49.99 (cellar box vintage 2002)

[Picture from Flickr - some rights reserved]

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Shopping desert at San Francisco International

San Francisco is a destination I frequently fly to for my job. When I took off there last time, there was no delay and in fact, when you take off from San Francisco International (IATA: SFO) in 98% of the times your flight is on time according to Flightstats.com. The Northern Californian airport was also recently rated best US airport. Despite all that, there will still be the odd occasion when your flight actually is delayed (my colleagues who flew back with BA the next day were in fact delayed for about 2 hours), plus, with international flights it is recommended to get to the airport 2 hours prior to departure which often means you have plenty of time to kill before the boarding announcement.

So, what’s there to do at San Francisco International? Well, according to the airports own statistics, the terminal is the largest international terminal by square footage in North America. There are two different boarding areas, A and G with most non-US carrier flights departing from area A. Whilst the size of the terminal is definitely adding to your relaxation, you would also expect plenty of shopping opportunities (even more so with the current weak dollar). No such luck - there are hardly any! For example, if you hoped to buy that last minute Apple iPod for your friend at home, you will be disappointed as none can be found at SFO. So, better get your shopping done before you get to the airport. But what can you then do at the airport? Here are my top 5:

1. Sit at the North side of the terminal and watch the air traffic
2. Search the few stores for that one Vitamin Water flavour you haven’t tasted yet
3. Count the number of public announcements that were generated with a computer voice
4. Connect online and download your latest emails (connect through T-Online for US$6/hour or use your companies connection software)
5. DeleteUpload those crazy photos you took last Saturday night at that party in the Castro

Happy travelling!

Airport Name	San Francisco International (International Terminal, A Gates)
Website	http://www.flysfo.com
IATA Code	SFO
Design
Shopping
Toilets
Overall
	$66.00 (£33.20)
	$99.00 (£49.80 - or click to see other currencies)

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What the hell can you do at Berlin’s Tegel Airport?

Despite its capital status Berlin has no representative airport so far – which leads to the hassle of few direct flights to international destinations and the question of how to spend your time at Tegel or Schönefeld when your flight is delayed since both airports are very small.

When you have several hours, go back home or to the city center as both airports are close to the city. If you have less time try this:

1. Find out that “Tegel” is only one label – which man is honored by giving his name to the airport as well? (No internet research allowed!) One tip: He died in a plane crash.
2. Find the Starbucks in the airport (This is a tricky one! I once thought I was at the wrong airport when somebody told me to meet at the Starbucks.)
3. Walk around the circle of Tegel and count your steps. Add some entertainment for the other passengers by a) counting loudly b) running c) running trailing your luggage behind you! I assume that should take less than 3 minutes when you shout out loud enough so people jump out of your way (“Bahn frei, Osterei!”).

Please write down your records and I will try to beat them next time I fly from Tegel!

Christiane

Facts
Airport name: Berlin Tegel Airport.
IATA code: TXL
Website: http://www.berlin-airport.de/EN/
Design factor: 1/5
Shopping factor: 1/5
Toilets factor: 2/5
Overall factor: 3/5 (because it’s just 10 minutes from my home and easy to reach!)

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Girl’s heaven at London’s Terminal 5

15 minutes delay for my flight to Berlin? GREAT! Because - LADIES - that’s all you need! Head downstairs to the A departure level and check out my Top 3 which are just next to each other:

• Go to the comfy ladies bathroom and realize by checking your make-up that you look just gorgeous! This wonderful body needs to be treated well with…
• … chocolate! Stop at the chocolate waterfall of “Chocolate Box” next door and spend your money on your favourite bar.
• … gems! Your desire for eye candies can be satisfied at “Accessorize”. One can never have too much jewellery!

After all that, head happily to your gate with the nice thought of enjoying your chocolate while looking at London from the sky).

Christiane

Facts
Airport name: London Heathrow (Terminal 5) Short code: LHR
Website: http://www.heathrowairport.com
Design factor: 4/5
Shopping factor: 3/5
Toilets factor: 4/5
Overall factor: 4/5

P.S. I am curious what the guys have to say about Terminal 5! I saw them handing out free shots of Whisky at the Worldofdutyfree, that should make it on to the list. As well as the comfy sofas in the waiting area. But  don’t forget to check out Gucci and Tiffany’s and buy some small souvenir for your lefthome girlfriend!

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Reliable Zurich

Well, I think you saw it coming, didn’t you? Of course, there was no delay at Zurich airport on my Swiss flight back to London last night. But don’t be disappointed just yet! As Zurich is kind of home turf to me, I’m still able to give you the lowdown about this airport:

After the major rehaul of the entire airport in 2003, Switzerland’s main hub is now back on the radar of decent airports. Particulary nice is the so called “Airside Centre”, the main area for shopping, restaurants and the starting point to all gates. It offers an attractive high roof and a nice wooden floor. However, the main problem with the airport overall is that other than at most airports, the security checks in Zurich are located close to the actual gates, so after the main shopping area, and not after the passport checks, which means you need to plan ahead and be very contious of your remaining time. Also, if you depart from the E gates you need to take the shuttle train to the midfield terminal which adds another 10 to 15 minutes to your journey. This terminal contains some shops as well but the selection is far smaller than in tha Airside Centre.

But without further adu, here are my top 5 things you can do while waiting at Zurich airport (if that ever happens…):

1. Choose your favourite “Luxemburgerli” flavour from the Lindt & Sprüngli shop
2. Hop on the “Gates E”-train and experience the Heidi and alpine scene animations from Swiss Tourism (there’s a different one each way)
3. Count how many times the friendly Swiss greet you with a “Grüezi“
4. Press your nose against the Rolex glass cabinets in the Swiss watch store and dream of your lottery win on Saturday
5. Try to find someone who actually can speak the 4th official Swiss language Romansh

Facts
Airport name: Zurich Airport / Zurich Kloten
Short code: ZRH
Website: http://www.zurich-airport.com
Design factor: 4/5
Shopping factor: 3/5
Toilets factor: 2/5
Overall factor: 3/5

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Top 5 things to do while waiting in…. Copenhagen

Thanks a lot for all your feedback on my first blog entry. One of many comments was that you would like to see a top X list of things to do. Fair enough, so here’s the one for Copenhagen’s Kastrup airport:

1. Visit the tiny but iconic Lego store - DKK 0
2. Decide between the brown and the black leather jacket in the Puma store - DKK 2,000
3. Drink a large beer at the Sportsbar while watching the Euro Soccer - DKK 67
4. Make room for the next beer downstairs in the roomy toilets - DKK 0
5. Watch the gorgeous blond across the hallway - priceless

Again, comments are of course more than welcome

(Image from Flickr - some rights reserved)

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