O/T & FYI:
PLEASE READ the "..fine print..", folks..!!! .. We AMERICANS are having to spend $$..MILLIONS..$$ to improve our perfectly good Boeing-747 capable airports to accept the dam* Frog's "..SnobArse, European, Cost-Subsidized, AIRTRUCK el-BLOAT-O-PLANES .." on our airport runways and taxiways..!!!
******************************************************************
Airport Check-in: First flight of Airbus A380 departs JFK next month
Updated 2/19/2007 2:14 AM ET - By Roger Yu, USA TODAY - NEW YORK
A380 to make first U.S. stop, at JFK, on March 19
The Airbus A380, the ballyhooed superjumbo jet made by the European manufacturer, will land its inaugural flight to the USA at New York John F. Kennedy on March 19. The test flight from Frankfurt, Germany, operated by Airbus and Lufthansa, will have 519 passengers, including journalists, employees and customers. It's the first time that meals for more than 500 people would be prepared for a single flight, says Jennifer Urbaniak, a Lufthansa spokeswoman. The airline hopes to take delivery of its first A380 by summer 2009, and JFK will be one of its destinations.
The plane will park at JFK's Terminal 1 until the next day, when it flies to Chicago. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has spent $179 million at JFK in the past three years to get ready for A380s, including relocating and strengthening taxiways to handle the weight. Its maximum takeoff weight is about 620 tons.
But Airbus' decision to fly into JFK has upset officials at Los Angeles World Airports, a city agency that runs LAX. They believed that LAX would be the first destination in the USA and have spent $53 million on gates and runways. "I'm writing to express my shock and dismay at the news that Airbus has decided to change course (and fly to JFK first)," wrote Alan Rothenberg, president of Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners, in a fax to be sent today to Airbus CEO Louis Gallois. "I ask that you reconsider this stunning about-face."
Airbus hoped to land at LAX first but chose JFK at the request of Lufthansa, says spokeswoman Mary Anne Greczyn. Lufthansa's Urbaniak says the decision to fly to JFK first was jointly made by Airbus and Lufthansa, and the cities chosen are "the best choices for this specific flight."
SAN DIEGO
Feasibility study for cross-border terminal gets OK
This month, San Diego airport officials OK'd spending up to $385,000 for a feasibility study on a new cross-border terminal that would give local residents easier access flights boarding at Tijuana's Rodriguez International Airport. If built, it would be the first of its kind in North America.
Officials at San Diego International, which has one runway and is expected to reach its capacity as early as 2015, are looking to expand the airport. But it sits on less than 700 acres. Squeezed in by the Pacific Ocean and the city's downtown, it has little room to grow. Tijuana's airport, which has a longer runway, would provide access to international flights that San Diego doesn't have, including direct flights to Japan.
The idea of using Rodriguez — about 20 miles from San Diego International — has been around for years. But it's being revived as the airport continues to grow. Local residents rejected late last year a proposal to move the airport to nearby Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The government of Mexico would have to firmly express interest in the project for the study to move forward, says Diana Lucero, a San Diego International spokeswoman. Among the options to be studied:
•A parking structure in California linked to the Tijuana airport terminal by a secure walkway.
•A full-service terminal in California, where travelers check in, linked to the Tijuana airport by a secure walkway.
•A full-service terminal in California, where travelers check-in, linked to a new U.S. concourse at the Tijuana airport by a walkway.
•A terminal, concourse and gates in California with a taxiway across the border to the Tijuana airport.
BALTIMORE
Express parking rates lowered until May 15
Baltimore/Washington has lowered the daily rate at the Express Lot to $9 a day from $14. To get the rate, customers have to print coupons at the airport's website, bwiairport.com. The promotion, which runs through May 15, aims to draw more customers who use the cheaper long-term lots, which cost $8 a day, to the Express Lot.
PROVIDENCE
T.F. Green adds to lineup of retail offerings
T.F. Green International plans to expand its retail offerings. Part of a broader terminal expansion, the plan calls for nine stores to open possibly by the end of the year. The lineup of stores, located mostly after fliers pass through security, includes Brooks Bros., Borders books, CNBC News store and New York Times Bookstore.
TULSA
Modernization formally done
Last week, Tulsa International formally completed its three-year, $34 million project to modernize the main terminal. The airport features an open, airy corridor in the terminal, a consolidated security checkpoint, a new below-ground explosives-detection system for baggage and more restaurants and shops. Unlike the previous setting, the terminal now connects the two concourses at the U-shaped airport, allowing travelers on Concourse A to enjoy restaurants on Concourse B and vice versa.
Every Monday, we report on the latest news in airports across the USA. See something noteworthy in your travels? E-mail your suggestions to ryu@usatoday.com.
Posted 2/18/2007 9:10 PM ET
usatoday.com
. |
