Jaunted

Tags: AIrport News / Airport Transportation / LHR / London Travel / Technology / → All Tags

Passengers Don't Need Drivers at London Heathrow

London's busy Heathrow Airport is way down the list of our favorite airports – yes, it's the airport named worst in the world recently, but there is something brewing there that we really do love.

Last year we heard about the cute driverless vehicles that should form a Personal Rapid Transport system by sometime in 2009, and now they're really here. Each of the 21 pods carries four people and their luggage from the car park to the terminal; at the moment, it seems, just to the much-maligned Terminal 5.

Heathrow is promising maximum waiting times of one minute, although we've kind of learned to ignore Heathrow's promises already. Just the same, we still think these travel pods are damn cute.

Related Stories:
· Heathrow Airport Rolls Out Driverless Travel Pods [news.com.au]
· We've Fallen For Heathrow's Cute Vehicles [Jaunted]
· London Heathrow Coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Scams / JFK / Airport Transportation / Airport Hell / → All Tags

Welcome to New York, Now Get in The Van

When the airports say avoid transportation solicitors in the terminal, they really mean it. Five French tourists had to find that out the hard way. They were approached by a "steerer" after arriving at JFK on their Air France flight who directed them towards a van that would take them to Manhattan. The NY Post reports:

PA cops recognized [Ian] McFarland as a longtime "steerer" and Officer Michael Bestany reached inside the van to try to grab the keys, the source said.

The driver floored it, knocking Bestany to the ground.

With cops right behind, the driver roared west along the Belt Parkway and onto Linden Boulevard, forcing other cars to get out of the way.

It then snaked through residential streets, went in circles and crashed through the mechanical gate arm of a US Postal Service facility on Forbell Street in East New York.

more ›

Tags: Airport Transportation / FCO / Rome / Italy Travel / Airports / → All Tags

On the Road Again: How to Reach Rome-Fiumicino

Your flight has landed, you've claimed your luggage and now you're trying to get the hell out of the airport. To erase confusion and get your on your way, all week long at Jaunted we will be detailing the various ways to get to and from major airports, and what those modes cost, from cheapest to the big blowout entrance. Got any tips or an airport suggestion? Let us know.

· COTRAL/Schiaffini Buses: As the cheapest option, taking a bus obviously involves the most hassle. Purchase tickets for the bus in the sundries shop down by baggage claim, and don't forget to validate it in the the little box machines inside of the bus. Head to Terminal A's ground transportation area to find the bus stop, and make sure you board the right bus. The one to Rome's main Termini station is "Aeroporto-Termini-Tiburtina," or there are also "Aeroporto-Roma Cornelia" to connect with subway line A and "Aeroporto-Roma Magliana" to connect with line B.
Total cost: €1.60 to €3.60 per person, each way depending on your route.
Total time:35 to 45 minutes

more ›

Tags: Airport Transportation / CDG / Paris / Paris Travel / Airports / → All Tags

On the Road Again: How to Reach Paris-Charles de Gaulle

Your flight has landed, you've claimed your luggage and now you're trying to get the hell out of the airport. To erase confusion and get your on your way, all week long at Jaunted we will be detailing the various ways to get to and from major airports, and what those modes cost, from cheapest to the big blowout entrance. Got any tips or an airport suggestion? Let us know.

· RER B-line Extraurban Train: Although the cheapest route into Paris proper, opting for the RER means quite a bit of slogging around with your luggage. First, know what terminal you'll be arriving into; if Terminal 1, you must take a green transport shuttle to the RER station there, and if Terminal 2, take a blue shuttle to the station where the TGV train also stops. In exchange for the run-around, your RER into the city gives you a whole host of jumping off chocies: Gare du Nord, Chatelet-les-Halles, Saint-Michel/Notre Dame, Luxembourg, Port-Royal, and Denfert-Rochereau.
Total cost: €8.40 per adult or €5.90 per child, each way
Total time: 35 minutes to Gare du Nord

more ›

Tags: Airport Transportation / NRT / Tokyo / Airports / → All Tags

On the Road Again: How to Reach Tokyo-Narita

Your flight has landed, you've claimed your luggage and now you're trying to get the hell out of the airport. To erase confusion and get your on your way, all week long at Jaunted we will be detailing the various ways to get to and from major airports, and what those modes cost, from cheapest to the big blowout entrance. Got any tips or an airport suggestion? Let us know.

Tokyo's Narita is a tricky airport in terms of airport transportation; there is no one single uber-fast way, and yet the 38-mile commute to the airport can cost an arm and a leg if you don't know what you're doing. Our best advice? Avoid taxis and town cars at all costs; read below to see why.

· Keisei Railway: When in doubt as to the cheapest mode of airport transportation, just follow the locals, and chances are they'll be hopping aboard a Keisei Limited Express, which is a normal commuter train making stops along the route from Narita into town. For a bit of an upgrade and a chance at a reserved seat, the Keisei railway also runs the slightly more expensive Skyliner to Keisei Ueno station.
Total cost: 1000 on the Limited to 2000 on the Skyliner ($10 to $20) per person, each way
Total time: 75 minutes, 60 minutes

more ›

Tags: Airport Transportation / LHR / London / Airports / → All Tags

On the Road Again: How to Reach London-Heathrow

Your flight has landed, you've claimed your luggage and now you're trying to get the hell out of the airport. To erase confusion and get your on your way, all week long at Jaunted we will be detailing the various ways to get to and from major airports, and what those modes cost, from cheapest to the big blowout entrance. Got any tips or an airport suggestion? Let us know.

· The Underground, aka The Tube: If you're a typical London tourist, you'll be going underground many times during your visit, so why not start early by getting familiar with the system from the airport? Catch the Tube at any terminal, and it'll run you right into town, with usual stops at places like Victoria Station, Kensington, West End, and Paddington Station.
Total cost: £4.00 ($6.19) per person, each way
Total time: 45 minutes

more ›

Tags: Airport Transportation / JFK / New York City / Airports / Airtrain / Helicopters / → All Tags

On the Road Again: How to Reach New York's JFK Airport

Your flight has landed, you've claimed your luggage and now you're trying to get the hell out of the airport. To erase confusion and get your on your way, all week long at Jaunted we will be detailing the various ways to get to and from major airports, and what those modes cost, from cheapest to the big blowout entrance. Got any tips or an airport suggestion? Let us know.

For our first airport in this series, we're going with our home base of JFK and it's myriad of options for making the commute into Manhattan (or Brooklyn). Just remember that all times listed below are approximate; New York is a city where crazy things happen to gum up the works.

· Airtrain to Subway: While this is absolutely the cheapest way to JFK, it is the one most susceptible to delays and wonky weekend construction schedules. Nonetheless, New York City is to be found both above and below ground, and so we find ourselves on this route more often than the others.
The options: Hop the Airtrain for $5 at any of the terminals; the train to Howard Beach will hook up with A subway train ($2) which can get you to downtown Brooklyn or continue on into lower Manhattan. Our favorite, the Airtrain to Sutphin Blvd/Jamaica Station deposits you at the Long Island Railroad station ($5.25-$7.25 to take this into Penn Station) or the subway E train for $2, which goes across Queens and into Midtown Manhattan.
Total cost: $7.00 per person, one-way; $7.25 in June with the MTA rate hike; $10.25-$12.25 with the LIRR)
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes from JFK to Midtown (1 hour with the LIRR)

more ›

Tags: First Class Travel / Japan Travel / Airport Transportation / Bus Travel / → All Tags

Pretty Seat Doilies Decorate the Limousine Airport Buses in Japan

Airport transfers can be a bit of a nightmare, and if you're heading off to a first class flight you really should be in a limousine, right? Japan has a good compromise that even those without first class tickets can afford: the Airport Limousine Bus service.

Running at both the major Japanese airports--Tokyo's Narita airport and Osaka's Kansai hub--as well as at regional spots, the Japanese seem to have got this transport thing figured out well. Limousine buses are, as you'd expect, pretty comfortable buses, and they pick you up from major train stations around town to transport you relatively hassle-free to the airport.

The bonus is that by Japanese standards they're definitely not too pricey. For example, a typical fare from central Tokyo all the way out to Narita is 3,000 yen ($30). Compared to battling the subway crush or negotiating an expensive taxi ride, the Limousine Bus idea seems like a good choice. Plus you get to see these pretty crocheted seat covers close up (we never said the décor was great).

Related Stories:
· Airport Limousine Bus Japan [Official Site]
· Narita International Airport Is In The Future [Jaunted]
· Japan Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: s.yume]

Tags: Trains / Train Travel / Russia Travel / Airport Transportation / → All Tags

Airport Connections: Improving at Moscow's Sheremetyevo

Moscow might be a blossoming tourist destination with pricier hotels than nearly anywhere else, but until now getting into the city from any of the airports has been a bit of a nightmare. But things are looking up.

With a tongue-twister of a name, the Savyolovsky Station--Sheremetyevo Airport Rail Link has just opened, whizzing travelers from Sheremetyevo into downtown Moscow in just 35 minutes--half the time it used to take on the bus.

Of course, now you miss out on sitting on that smoggy gray traffic jam known as Leningradskoye Highway, but don't worry, it'll still probably take you ages to get through the immigration line.

Related Stories:
· Moscow Sheremetyevo Gains New Rail Link [Business Traveller]
· Moscow Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: jystewart]

Tags: London Heathrow / Airport Transportation / → All Tags

We've Fallen For Heathrow's Cute Vehicles

While we've complained a lot about lost luggage and flight delays at London Heathrow, we're quite excited about the new Terminal 5, and even more excited about the planned PRT that should be there by 2009.

A PRT is a Personal Rapid Transport system, which at Heathrow will consist of 18 low-energy, driverless vehicles that run themselves back and forth on a track between Terminal 5 and the car park. Not only are they conveniently not slowed down by other traffic, they're also incredibly cute!

We can see plenty of potential for colorful advertising on these pods, turning them in to Disney characters or grinning animals. However, with a top speed of just 25 miles per hour, the most suitable character would probably be a turtle.

Related Stories:
· Are Driverless Pods the Future? [BBC]
· Heathrow's T5 On Tap [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ubergizmo]

Tags: MHT / Airports / Airport Transportation / → All Tags

Manchester Airport Also Obsessed With Being From Boston

A Jaunted reader points out that Skybus isn't the only airline with Boston lust. Turns out Manchester New Hampshire airport, MHT, which is a good 54 miles from Boston, now calls itself "Manchester Boston Regional Airport." Please.

We know with the Red Sox winning the World Series, the Patriots working on an undefeated season and the Celtics ready to return to glory, everybody wants to claim they live in Boston these days, but New Hampshire is not Boston. MHT might as well call itself "Manchester, NH--Manchester England Regional Airport".

That said, Manchester does offer a new high frequency bus service operates every two hours, 24-hours a day, seven days a week between MHT, the Anderson Regional Transportation Center in Woburn, MA and the Sullivan Square MBTA Subway Station. This service is free to all passengers. Very cool. So tell us this MHT: Why not just call yourself what you are, a small airport about an hour from Boston with excellent transportation options to and from the city, instead of going all Skybus on us and trying to convince noobs that Manchester is a suburb of Boston?

Related Stories:
· Skybus So Wants Portsmouth to be Boston [Jaunted]
· Skybus coverage [Jaunted]