These People's Alliance for Democracy protesters don't quit! Almost a full week after seizing control of both airports in Bangkok, the PAD is still occupying Suvarnabhumi and no commercial flights are arriving or departing, though some empty planes are being moved to other airports in the region.

The tourism minister of Thailand says the PAD's actions have stranded 240,000 tourists, though as an employee of the current government, we're a little dubious of the accuracy of that figure. Still, there's no denying that several thousand holidaymakers have been inconvenienced by the airport closure. PAD is handing out water as a PR gesture, but most of the reports from BKK we've seen show passengers more interested in getting the hell out of Thailand than hydrating.

Even if protesters clear out of Suvarnabhumi today--and that doesn't seem likely, does it?--it'll be at least another week before it's back in business, the director of the Airports Authority of Thailand has said. In the meantime, regional hubs Changi Airport in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur International in Malaysia are open as usual. If you can get the change fee on your ticket waived because of possibly-coup-inciting protests, let us know!

Related Stories:
· 240,000 Tourists Stranded in Thailand [The Nation]
· Thai Protesters to Focus on Airports [NYT]
· Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport Still Shuttered [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-12-01T09:00:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/26/112320/41

Protesters calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat overwhelmed Suvarnabhumi Airport Tuesday night, some bombs reportedly exploded nearby and BKK remains closed today, with People's Alliance for Democracy camped out in the terminal. The New York Times described the scene:

Confidently striding across a makeshift stage, Mr. Sondhi added: “Are we going to stay here tonight? The answer is definitely, Yes!” Stranded passengers were evacuated by airport staff from the terminal throughout the day Wednesday, many of them sent to Bangkok hotels. “Canceled” flashed across the flight schedule screens and check-in counters were empty.

Protesters set up cooking equipment and prepared vats of food in the terminal building, giving parts of the building a festival-like atmosphere. But with tension running high among both demonstrators and government supporters, the possibility of further violence remained high.

Reportedly PAD supporters have even occupied the control tower. Airport officials are now calling on the army for help to restore order and get Suvarnabhumi open again.

Related Stories:
· Thai Army Chief Advises PM to Quit [NYT]
· Thai Protests Heighten Crisis [WSJ]
· Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport Shut Down by Protesters [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-11-26T11:24:57-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/25/17949/744

And so it begins: An all-out assault on airports in the United States starts in earnest tonight, as holiday travelers try desperately to fly home to green bean casserole and whatever other strange foods their families are cooking up for Thanksgiving.

Before your trip to the airport, gear up with this collection of essential tools and information. Because being stranded at the airport is actually fun bearable when you're prepared.

Related Stories:
· Arm Yourself with Info at the Inimitable FlightStats [Official Site]
· Get Official Airport Statuses from the FAA [Official Site]
· Keep Praying for Good, Airport-Friendly Weather This Week [WSJ]
· Memorize Wendy Perrin's Airport Advice [Perrin Post]
· And Print Our Airport Cheat Sheet Before Leaving [Jaunted]

[Photo: lookoutbelow]]]> pbb 2008-11-25T17:11:44-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/25/103142/60

Departing flights out of Bangkok's international airport have been canceled, news wires are reporting, though BKK's website makes no mention of service interruptions.

Protesters affiliated with the People's Alliance for Democracy swarmed Suvarnabhumi International and forced its closure, an airport spokeswoman told Reuters, while other PAD supporters rallied at Don Mueang International, also in Bangkok. If you're scheduled to fly, now would be a good time to call your airline to confirm your seat--or rebook.

Despite the seemingly endless protests and at times violent clashes between the PAD and its political rivals, parts of Thailand's capital remain as safe as usual, says Bangkok-based blogger Newley Purnell:

It’s the early evening, darkness has fallen, and people are heading home from work. Taxis cruise by along the road outside my window. People jog around a scenic park. And motorcycle taxi drivers ferry people about. It’s business as usual.

Related Stories:
· Reports: Bangkok Airport Shut Down [CNN]
· Thai Flights Disrupted as Protesters Storm Airport [Reuters, via WaPo]
· Bangkok Protests: Shots Fired [Newley.com]

[Photo of BKK: rogerwp]]]> pbb 2008-11-25T10:32:56-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/20/83718/946

A fire engulfed an wooden office building at Berlin-Tegel Airport overnight, interrupting air traffic for about 30 minutes while more than 100 firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.

The hexagonal passenger terminal building at the city's busiest airport was undamaged, and two Lufthansa and two Austrian Airlines flights were diverted because of thick smoke rising over the runways. Passengers on those planes touched down at Schoenefeld, in the south of Berlin, which will be converted into Berlin-Brandenburg International in 2011. Berlin's third airport, Tempelhof, wouldn't have been an alternative; it was shuttered on October 31.

Until last night, the burned building was occasionally used by the military and visiting VIPs; it was also set up as a quarantine office but never saw any action in that capacity.

Related Stories:
· Berlin Airport Blaze Brought Under Control [Reuters]
· Fire Breaks out at Berlin Airport [BBC]
· Airports coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-11-20T08:38:35-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/13/125352/48

Traveling on Thanksgiving is like competing in the Olympics--if the games were populated by knuckleheads who hadn't taken a flight since we started taking our shoes off for the TSA. If you're reading Jaunted, you're already ahead of the pack, but maintain your lead through hurdles like involuntary schedule changes and forgetfulness with our super-guide to the airport.]]> egw 2008-11-13T13:32:51-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/3/02358/6078

Air New Zealand thinks it’s pretty clever. During the next month or so the national Kiwi carrier is introducing a bunch of so-called innovations which they say are world firsts at cutting check-in times at the airport.

Now, we do agree that Air New Zealand is good at doing new stuff: They were the proud hosts of the first perfect flight and they’ve got their flying concierges, too. But the changes they’re making to reduce check-in times all kinda sound like stuff we’ve heard before.

There’ll be lots of online options for advance check-in and seat selection, and you’ll be able to use a bar code on your cell phone as a boarding pass. A new array of check in kiosks and luggage handling systems will cut wait times, too.

The $30 million super system is meant to make it 40 percent faster for passengers and we’re definitely happy with that. We just think that claiming a “world first” might be blowing your own trumpet just a bit too loudly.

Related Stories:
· Air New Zealand’s World First Check-In System to Cut Queues [The Age]
· Perfect Flights: Only Air New Zealand Knew There Was Such a Thing [Jaunted]
· Air New Zealand Concierges Almost Ready [Jaunted]

[Photo: code_martial]]]> amandak 2008-11-05T09:45:07-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/