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Tags: Helictopter Travel / US Helicopter / JFK / EWR / Airport News / Delta / Airline News / → All Tags
It's A Sad Day For Frivolous Travel As US Helicopter Abruptly Shuts Down
US Helicopter, which ran Sikorsky choppers from the Wall Street and Midtown West heliports to JFK and Newark airports, shuttered its service abruptly on Friday. What a bummer for ballers in the NYC-area, and for Jaunted too since we've splurged on the 8-minute flight a few times—one review is here.
The 'copter company, which landed at Delta terminals at the airports and offered seamless transfers to your Delta flights, only began 3 years ago and yet has been plagued with financial problems from the first. Sometimes their desperation for cash would work out for us, since their $99 special would appear every so often and drive us batty with fantasies of flying in friends from the airport as a gift and totally blowing their minds.
The good news is, US Helicopter claims that this stop is only temporary for, as their Vice-President says, "getting our act together." Once they do get their act together, we hope that $159 one-ways that take 8 minutes to get to the airport still include a few specials.
Related Stories:
· US Helicopter Halts Shuttle Service To JFK and Newark [NYT]
· First-Person Flight Reviews: US Helicopter Is Real-Life Google Earth [Jaunted]
· US Helicopter Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: US Helicopter]
Tags: Airport News / SFO / JFK / DFW / Travel Health / EWR / → All Tags
Pill Popping And Flight Hopping: Airport Pharmacies Proliferate
It's crunch time for your flight and you're desperate to pick up your prescription or some nasal spray or just some St. John's Wort *wink*, but you know the airport is notorious for having lots of only one thing: a greasy, overpriced food court. Thankfully, this is no longer the case as some airports welcome Harmony Pharmacies, regular pharmacies stocking necessities and more when you don't have the time to hook yourself up with some last-minute NyQuil.
Back in 2007, Newark International was the first United States airport to welcome a functioning pharmancy with on-site nurse practitioner and prescription service, all of which is still located in Terminal C1, near Gate 91.
Then, during last fall when T5 at JFK opened, another Harmony moved in near Gate 7. And now the health has spread to San Francisco Intl Airport and it won't stop there; Dallas/Ft. Worth, Cleveland-Hopkins, and Baltimore-Washington Intl should all have their own Harmony airport pharmacies by the end of next year.
Until then, feel free to fill your Viagra Clarinex prescriptions with the full-time pharmacist or check your blood pressure; SFO's Harmony Pharmacy is located in the "F" hub of Terminal 3.
Related Stories:
· SFO Welcomes Airport Pharmacy [SFO Press Release]
· Harmony Pharmacy [Official Site]
· On the fly and forgot to pack your meds? San Francisco Airport's new on-site pharmacy [Examiner]
· Airport News Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Harmony Pharmacy]
Tags: Upscale Airport Restaurants / EWR / Steakhouses / → All Tags
Belly Up At Newark Airport's Gallagher's
Newsstand snacks are for kids! Before your next long-haul flight, enjoy a meal that will take the entire journey to digest. At least, that's what we think the impetus was for New York steakhouse Gallagher's to open up an outpost in the Continental terminal of Newark-Liberty International Airport.
Stagger to your gate after some prime rib with a side of creamed spinach or attack the "chilled medley of seafood" (serves 4-6, or one college student on his way home from a semester abroad). Opened in 2002, Gallagher's doesn't take any leaps in the decor of its Terminal C outpost -- checkered cloths and black and white photos abound. But that angle might actually be comforting after a culinarily adventurous trip.
"For airport food it was GREAT!" raves (sort of) a Yelp commenter, but a Bonaire message-board wag faults the joint for closing earlier than posted hours. But if you can get there when it's open, sounds like you'll walk away satisfied.
Related Stories:
· Aloha-Mex at EWR: Smashmouth Delish [Jaunted]
· EWR to ORY Means Business [Jaunted]
· Moishe's Steakhouse in Montreal [Jaunted]
[Photo: Conferencing News]
Tags: Flight 3407 / Tragedy / Continental / EWR / BUF / → All Tags
More Info, More Mysteries For Buffalo Crash
As investigators rush to recover information about Continental Connection Flight 3407, which took the lives of 50 last Thursday night when it crashed outside of Buffalo, the pieces still don't add up. But here's what we learned about the flight from this weekend:
Flight 3407 did not nosedive, but rather crashed flat. This pattern may explain why the plane only landed on one house, killing Douglas Wielinski, a man who lived there (and sending his family to the hospital with minor injuries), but sparing his neighbors.
The plane did, in fact, have major ice build-up. The theory floated early Friday that icing may have hastened 3407's descent is given grounding by the black boxes, which demonstrate that the flight crew both noticed the ice and had the plane de-icer on at the time of the crash.
The plane may have been on auto-pilot, violating airline regulations. It's the policy of Colgan Air, which operated Flight 3407, that pilots manually operate the plane in cases of "severe" icing, which may not have been present that night. Still, it's chilling to think that anything might have kept the captain and crew from righting the plane in case conditions in the air suddenly changed.
Related Stories:
· Flight 3407 Plummeted Straight Down, Killing 50 [ABC News]
· Stunned N.Y. town mourns amid questions about Flight 3407 procedures [LA Times]
· Unease Over Weather’s Role in a City Known for Snow [NY Times]
· Friday: 49 Dead In Upstate N.Y. Continental Crash [Jaunted]
[Photo of Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Flight 3407's final destination: darkwater]
Tags: Airport Bars / EWR / Newark Travel / → All Tags
Heineken Taps Into Newark Intl Airport
When you think of an airport bar, what usually comes to mind is some bland space halfway down a terminal, whose sole focus is to overcharge you as much as possible while getting you as drunk as possible before your flight. Thankfully Newark International Airport is helping to change this image with the introduction of their new Heineken Lounge, boasting Amsterdam's best-known beer and an interior worthy of the jet set.
If you thought good design, comfortable furniture and a view out onto the tarmac were features strictly reserved for first class lounges, the Heineken Bar will happily prove you wrong with its white leather couches, semi-private conversation nooks and ambient lighting. We suppose that just much as the bar gives you an impression of the Heineken brand, it also serves as a kind of unofficial Netherlands outpost before you even step onto your Amsterdam flight.
Of course they'll have a fully stocked bar in addition to Heines, but we're really loving that this place gives us another option for airport workspace. Out ticket to starting a flight off right is if we can get a beer, a clean tabletop and a comfy chair; we'll be starting a tab here soon enough.
Related Stories:
· Heineken Lounge by UXUS [Dezeen]
· Airport WiFi: Fuggheddaboutit at Newark Airport [Jaunted]
· Newark Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: UXUS Design]
Tags: Runway Incursions / EWR / Airport Hell / → All Tags
More Near Misses At Newark
Months after we wrote about a near miss on the runway at Newark Liberty International Airport, they're still happening. Reader Jay Decker writes in with a spine-tingling tale the day before US Airways Flight 1549's near miss:
My wife, son, and I were on Continental flight 855 from West Palm Beach into EWR. We were running late, about an hour, and were supposed to land at about 4:10pm Jan. 14.We were just touching down, the rear wheels were kissing the ground, when the pilot powered up and nosed up and we struggled our way back into the air. I guess this is commonly referred to as a "touch and go." The pilot apologized, even as the in cockpit alarm was still beeping, and said that Newark had a "space" issue and we would be landing shortly. I turned to my wife and translated: "There was something on our runway."
Needless to say, we were all happy when we finally landed some time later.
Senior Editor Juliana's mom experienced something similar on the same route in November, except, she noted, the pilot did not apologize. Hey Newark, it's 2009: Time to turn over a new leaf and figure out what's causing all these near misses! Controlling errant flocks of birds may be outside of ATC's reach, but adjusting traffic patterns isn't.
Got a near miss story at Newark or elsewhere? Tip us off!
Related Stories:
· Near Misses at EWR Keep on Keepin' On [Jaunted]
· Flight 1549 Coverage [Jaunted]
· Airport WiFi: Fuggheddaboudit at Newark Airport [Jaunted]
[Photo: skoobie99]
Tags: Airport Hell / LGA / JFK / EWR / Airline Delays / Travel Weather / → All Tags
Winter Storms in the U.S. Leave Snarled Flights and Snarling Passengers
Snow, sleet, and rain in the Midwestern and northeastern United States grounded hundreds of flights this weekend, majorly screwing up travel plans for thousands of people and giving news outlets a timely opportunity to run their annual holiday travel chaos stories. Airports in Detroit, Chicago, and even Las Vegas had rampant delays and cancellations, while Milwaukee's General Mitchell airport shut down entirely to focus on snow removal. Things were pretty grim in the New York area as well, with more than 500 flights canceled at LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark airports. Since New York is such a major airline hub, its delays and cancellations caused ripples throughout the entire country, making more people than usual shake their fists in anger at the Big Apple.
We're actually kind of surprised so many flights were cut, because it didn't seem like we got that much snow. It came down pretty steadily yesterday, but ultimately left only a couple of inches on the ground and coat of ice on the plastic crocodile (pictured) that Louie, our landlord, keeps in the garden. Sub-freezing temperatures must have compounded the problems, because what's on the streets now isn't going to be melting on its own any time soon. If you're flying this weekend, Google your flight number to see if you'll be making it to Grandma's house before Monday, and pack a good book just in case.
[Photo: Victor Ozols]
Related Stories
· Storms Snarl Flight Schedules in Midwest, Northeast [USA Today]
· Retreat! Retreat! NYC Snowed In [Jaunted]
Tags: US Helicopter / Getting to JFK / JFK / EWR / → All Tags
Why Aren't You Flying US Helicopter Yet?
New York air taxi service US Helicopter has a couple of deals going right now that have us wondering why anyone would bother to cab it out to JFK or Newark.
First, the Fall Fare Sale is back on, offering $99 fares for airport transfers anytime between now and the end of 2008. You'll need to buy by October 17, when the one-way trip will go back up to the usual $159.
You can get an even better deal if you're holding certain Continental tickets for flights out of EWR. Through October 31, you can tack on a helicopter transfer for $45 if you're buying an H-class fare. (The fare class of tickets is listed when you shop Continental's website.)
Still not convinced you should be skipping an NYC taxi? Check out our review of the service for more details on why you should be taking a helicopter to the airport.
Related Stories:
· Fall Fare Sale [Official Site]
· Continental Offers Bargain Helicopter Rides [WSJ]
· US Helicopter coverage [Jaunted]
Tags: Airport Hell / New York Area Airports / EWR / JFK / LGA / Mary Peters / Chuck Schumer / → All Tags
New York Port Authority Starting Slot Auction Smackdown
"Just try it, Peters," seems to be the message from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which announced today that it would disallow departures or arrivals that are "issued by auction or similar process," saying such slot sales "would be illegal without Congressional authorization."
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is lining up behind the authority, agreeing with the position that auctions will only cause fares to go up while doing nothing to alleviate the congestion that has choked New York area airports over the past few years.
So what does he propose instead? Schumer thinks upgrading air traffic control equipment and adding staff at control towers will rid the region of delays and cancellations. Maybe he could interest you in a six-figure hiring bonus?
Related Stories:
· Port Authority Will Block US Plan to Auction Airport Slots [NYT]
· Port Authority Acts to Block Flights [Official Site]
· Secretary Mary Peters Wants to Touch That Paper [Jaunted]
[Photo: ATIS547]
Tags: Airport Hell / New York Area Airports / EWR / JFK / LGA / Mary Peters / Chuck Schumer / → All Tags
Policy Wonk Travel: Secretary Mary Peters Wants to Touch That Paper
While last year's summer of airline hell has yet to repeat itself, the US government is still working on a way to keep it from happening again. And Transportation Secretary Mary Peters thinks that slot auctions are the way to go, something she's been hyping since at least last December.
But the airlines don't want to pay more for landing rights they already have--especially when they're already bleeding cash. And while Secretary Peters makes some decent points in her latest defense of auctions, her case is more than a little thin.
Tags: All Business Class Carriers / OpenSkies / L'Avion / British Airways / Open Skies / JFK / ORY / EWR / → All Tags
Unshakable Faith Travel: British Airways Buys L'Avion
L'Avion, the last independent transatlantic all business class carrier, just got bought up by British Airways. The backer of the new premium airline OpenSkies directly competed with L'Avion for Paris to New York passengers--until today.
The deal cost BA €68 million ($108 million), though L'Avion had €33 million in cash in the bank. More importantly than eliminating the competition and getting two 757s, OpenSkies will also get L'Avion's landing slots at ORY.
We have two big questions. First, where will the newly-expanded OpenSkies fly? L'Avion served Newark, while the BA offshoot lands at JFK. A company press release mentions "up to three daily flights between Paris Orly and the New York area." The second question: Will OpenSkies make a dime off this deal?
Related Stories:
· British Airways Buys L'Avion to Expand OpenSkies [Bloomberg UK]
· All Business Class Carriers coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Mohsan]
Tags: Airport Hell / New York Area Airports / EWR / JFK / LGA / Mary Peters / Bobby Sturgell / Chuck Schumer / → All Tags
Senator Sez: NYC's Airports Still a Mess
The Feds are still trying to sort out the mess plaguing New York area airports even though this summer (so far) has nothing on last year's nightmarish streak of delays and cancellations. At issue now are the slot auctions proposed by the Bush administration in May and whether they'll be able to save American aviation from itself.
Surprisingly, the airlines and New York's Port Authority--which controls the airports--are lining up behind Democrats, who say President Bush's market-based scheme won't work. Says Sen. Chuck Schumer:
Instead of focusing on real, tested solutions to solve this problem, like upgrading decades-old technology and hiring an adequate number of controllers to staff New York's towers, the [Department of Transportation] continues to miss the point.
Republicans--and the DOT--insist that auctioning off some takeoff and landing slots is the best way to spur competition while maintaining flight caps. Of course, no one's ever tried that before, so they have no idea if it's actually going to work.
By the time all the debate is over, though, the congestion problem may be a non-issue. With fuel prices going up and carriers lurching closer to bankruptcy, there may soon be plenty of room for the few airlines still in business!
Related Stories:
· Debate Over Auctioning of Airport Landing Slots [NYT]
· Airlines Moving to the Grown-up Table [Politico]
· New York Area Airports coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: triplexpresso]
