Tag: plane spotting

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Hanging Out at Singapore's Changi Airport: So Many Gardens

February 7, 2012 at 10:24 AM | by | Comments (0)

There's a reason Singapore-Changi International Airport consistently wins awards; it's because the place is ah-may-zing. After spending much time at the three main terminals earlier this week, we're sharing with you our favorite, can't-miss bits of this massive travel hub.

Today: The variety of indoor and outdoor gardens in Terminals 1 and 2

So a weird thing happened while we were at Changi. Well, we were chilling in a cactus garden watching a Qantas 747 taxi around the tarmac when it suddenly began raining in a soaking downpour that nearly ruined our passport. What's odd about this isn't the raining on the cacti, but the fact that all this was happening in an airport.

Changi is a massive airport of four terminals, but only three are worth talking about (the fourth is a tiny terminal for budget, regional airlines). The main three are packed with all kinds of shops, all kinds of eateries, a flume slide, a pool and lovely, lovely gardens:

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The Three Airbus A380s to Look For at Los Angeles International Airport

Where: LAX International Airport [map], Los Angeles , CA, United States
October 27, 2011 at 5:25 PM | by | Comment (1)

It never fails. We'll be at an airport, chilling at a gate awaiting a flight boarding announcement, and every time an Airbus A380 rolls up nearby, other travelers around us will stand and head to the windows for a better look.

There's just something about the double-decker jet, maybe that it's easy to spot or maybe because it's simply so massive that makes people pay attention. Flyers who wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a 737 and a 777 will point and reverently whisper, "that's that new superjumbo. Cooool."

LAX may not have as many airlines arriving with A380s as JFK, but they're inching up there. On the other hand, LAX has only two gates best equipped to service the beasts, so you'll usually know where to find them at the large airport. That'd be gates 101 and 123. Of the 7 airlines currently flying A380s, 3 have routes to LAX. Here's who to look for:

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Plane Spotting at Bangkok's Golf Course Sandwiched Between Two Runways

Where: Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand
October 13, 2011 at 11:22 AM | by | Comments (0)

In our Prime Plane Spotting series, we've discovered quite a slew of odd places to get right up near the big jets; there've been coffee shops, a pool, Venetian water taxis and even an IKEA, but never before have we found a golf course.

At Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport, an entire 18-hole, par 72 golf course sits between the two runways. It's called Kantarat. Seeing it is believing it, and even better is crossing from hole to hole in a golf cart, waiting for a red light to change so you can drive across the tarmac for your next shot.

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Join Lufthansa's A380 Plane Spotting Party at SFO Tomorrow for Prizes and Free Flights

May 9, 2011 at 11:37 AM | by | Comments (0)

Have you spotted the behemoth Airbus A380 yet? If not, or if you'd just like to enjoy a festive chance to see it again, Lufthansa will be celebrating their A380's inaugural arrival to San Francisco International Airport tomorrow with a plane spotting party, sweetened by giveaways.

From 11am to 12:30pm PST tomorrow at Bayfront Park, SFO and Lufthansa will welcome aviation enthusiasts, photographers, press and passersby to train their eyes to the sky as the big bird swoops in to begin service between San Francisco and Frankfurt.

If you attend, there are many ways to win prizes (and free flights!). For one, the first 100 people there will score a box lunch. For more details on prizes, how checking in to Foursquare could get you even more goodies, and directions on how to reach Bayfront Park, check out the official event page here.

[Photo: FlyingWithFish for Jaunted]

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Sneak Up the Stairs to Find MSP's Secret Observation Deck

February 10, 2011 at 9:59 AM | by | Comments (3)

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport might not be one of the mighty hubs for Northwest Airlines any longer, but Delta is still around sending plenty of planes to and from the Twin Cities each day of the week. There’s a slew of windows at the airport to check out the aviation action, but there’s actually a somewhat secret observation deck within Terminal 1-Lindbergh.

We say it’s a secret because anytime we’ve visited, there has been no one there, and it’s not even on the airport maps. It’s located in Concourse D up some stairs and kind of behind one of the gift shops in the area—we think it’s called Airport Express or something like that.

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Virgin Atlantic Welcomes You to Stalk Their Airplanes via iPhone

December 17, 2010 at 8:28 AM | by | Comments (0)

Just as some airline iPhone apps are adding additional functions like charts of baggage fees or sudoku, Virgin Atlantic doesn't have to worry about anything like that. It just needs to deal with its own airplanes, which currently don't have baggage fees or in-flight WiFi (yet, for the latter). Thus, their latest app upgrade debuts an improved flight tracking tool, for watching as your friend/family member/coworker's flight slowly creeps across the globe.

Or—if you believe their little spoof video introducing the new feature (watch it above)—it's for stalking and forming romantic attachments to their actual airplanes. But forget English Rose; this obsessive planespotter can have her. If we had to stalk a Virgin Atlantic 747, then it would definitely be the Dita von Teese-decorated Cosmic Girl, which is usually found flying the London-Las Vegas direct.

To start your own stalking of VA's planes, download the free app from iTunes here.

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Camp Out in Burlington Airport's Old Control Tower for Prime Plane Spotting

October 19, 2010 at 2:00 PM | by | Comment (1)

If big 747s or even 737s are not your cup of tea and you instead prefer to see the smaller regional jets, private jets and a few Airbus A320s scattered in there, then plane spotting at Vermont's Burlington International Airport is for you. Aside from the concentration of regional jets that visit BTV, the airport is unique in that the public can come up to the old Control Tower to enjoy the best view for free.

The trick is to go to the second level of the terminal—don't go through security—and there's a hallway with a simple sign pointing to the "observation tower." Up a few flights of cramped stairs and you're in the old control booth. Now all it's got are stools, but a wise plane spotter will bring the binoculars and professional camera lenses to capture shots of the planes taking off with the mountains in the background.

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Plane Spotting Isn't the Wurst at Hamburg Airport's Coffee To Fly

Where: Holtkoppel 100, Hamburg, Germany, 22415
September 28, 2010 at 11:49 AM | by | Comments (0)

If you're ready for the big leagues of plane spotting, then the place to do with a cup of hot cocoa in hand is just outside the fences a Germany's Hamburg International Airport, at a little food stand called "Coffee To Fly." This shop, which also will happily sell you little sandwiches, muffins, beer and even a 2 Euro glass of Glühwein (a hot, mulled wine), occupies prime plane spotting property on a hill known as the "Fotografenbrücke," or "photograph bridge." From here, Hamburg's runways are laid out in front of you.

If, on the day you go spotting, there's a some exotic aircraft expected, like perhaps a giant Antonov cargo plane or a surprise visit from an A380, you'll be elbow-to-elbow with photographers for whom this a true passion. Read a great story about these guys here.

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Park Yourself on a Bench Outside of SFO for Some Prime Plane Spotting

Where: Bayshore Highway [map], Millbrae, CA, United States
July 1, 2010 at 2:31 PM | by | Comment (1)

The next time you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, hold off on immediately heading to your hotel downtown and take a little detour right outside the airport. On the border of Millbrae and Burlingame sits a park with the opportunity for some prime plane spotting.

Bayfront Park is just one stop along the San Francisco Baytrail. There’s several parking spots, but just make sure that you don’t accidentally take a ticket and park in the Marriott’s paid lot. There were several taxis and shuttle vans waiting for their next assignment, so you might have to circle the block a couple times to score a spot in the lot.

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Where to Find Continental Jets with a Side of Swedish Meatballs

Where: 1000 Ikea Drive [map], Elizabeth, NJ, United States, 07201
June 3, 2010 at 10:43 AM | by | Comments (0)

We bet you would never think that a place exists where you can both planespot Continental jets by the buttload and also chow down on some meatballs by the forkload. But lo, such a place does exist and—surprise, surprise—it's in New Jersey, as the IKEA near Newark-Liberty International Airport.

Long a favorite haunt of local plane spotters, we were only turned on to the place recently when, after taking off from EWR ourselves, we looked out the window to see the big blue ox that is Elizabeth, New Jersey's IKEA store. It was right across the highway from the tarmac! Later investigations uncovered that not only is IKEA ideally positioned for catching most of EWR's runway action, but that the store's cafeteria conveniently offers the best views.

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Plane-Spotting from a Rocking Chair at CLT

May 18, 2010 at 1:15 PM | by | Comments (4)

On a recent layover at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, we noticed these cute rocking chairs just outside the E gates. Even better, several of the chairs were located near outlets meaning you could charge your phone, observe the tarmac scene and rock yourself. And if you want to use your laptop, CLT has free WiFi! Pretty cool!

Another interesting service we noticed at CLT was that they have bathroom attendants in the bathrooms. Yes, just like the ones you see in NYC restaurants and fancy nightclubs. We liked this service because the bathrooms were nearly pristine and very orderly. But the pressure to tip--a plastic jar with the word "HAVE A NICE DAY" on them--was uncomfortable. Eeee.

Related Stories:
· Plane Spotting coverage [Jaunted]
· Airport WiFi coverage [Jaunted]
· CLT Airport [Official Site]

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Some of the Best Caribbean Plane Spotting is in Mikhail Baryshnikov's Backyard

May 13, 2010 at 5:20 PM | by | Comments (0)

Typically when you talk about going plane spotting, it usually involves some stealth tactics like parking far away or camping out on a barren hillside for the perfect picture. Never do you dream that plane spotting could instead involve chilling beneath a palm tree, with a Cinnabon in hand, but it does if you're hanging out at Punta Cana International Airport in the Dominican Republic.

Since the majority of the airport is open-air and thatched-roof, you have a view of the tarmac from almost every angle, but no better place than at the outdoor viewing area. It's a quick walk away from the food court (with its Wendy's, Cinnabon, Nathan's Famous and other more local chains), but it's close enough to the gates so that you can stand out there almost the whole time before your flight without missing the boarding announcements.

So how does Baryshnikov enter the pictures? Find out after the jump!

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