Has anyone got any updated spotting information from Zurich or Geneva airports following visits for the recent Davos event?

It has come to light that a story I reported recently about the Heathrow Visitors Centre car park prices doubling is actually untrue. The report quickly spiralled out of control it seems, and I didn’t help that. So sorry for causing any confusion!

Martin Baird, the Airport Watch Co-ordinator, has confirmed that there are no planned changes in the price of car parking, and enthusiasts are welcome to be there.

Bedfordshire Police have announced a new photo ID scheme for aircraft spotters who visit London Luton airport.

They would like interested spotters to register with them and send two passport photos. You will then be issued with an ID to show if you are ever challenged at the airport.

Please visit this link for more information.

Quite what these schemes achieve is questionable, with many airports issuing or showing interest in issuing schemes like this over recent years. In fact, Luton has apparently issued a pass before which has never been used since.

Whether it is illegal to stand on a public road and look at aircraft is something the police have not commented on.

It seems Travelodge have an offer on hotel rooms at their London Heathrow hotel. This would be ideal if any of your are heading over there for some spotting this year.

The hotel is not ideal for viewing aircraft, but is located in a convenient place.

See this link

Airport Spotting Guides Europe – the guidebook to Europe’s best airports for spotting – is selling well and proving incredibly useful to those planning trips and those out visiting airports for spotting.

You can get a copy here if you haven’t already.

The next book in the series will concern airports further afield. I’m looking for suggestions of which airports would benefit you if you were to buy the book. Please leave comments with any suggestions outside of Europe.

From today (12 January 09) there are new rules about entering the US from places such as the UK. Whereas previously you filled out a green Visa Waiver (I-94) form before landing, you now have to register your details a minimum of 72 hours before flying to the US.

See this news story for more info.

Crankyflier blog has posted an interesting list of airlines we lost in 2008 for various reasons in his blog. See it at:

http://crankyflier.com/2008/12/31/airlines-we-lost-in-2008/

It seems the spotter-friendly scrooges at London Heathrow have come up with a fantastic scheme to encourage people to use their visitors centre, and to encourage the spotter community in general.

The prices to park at the visitors centre, which is the only official viewing location following the closure of the Queens Building terrace a number of years ago, are set to increase. They are as follows:

£2 per hour
£10 per day

This is not cheap. Therefore we suggest you park elsewhere (Hatton Cross tube station is a slightly cheaper option), or use public transport entirely.

Remember, buses that travel around the perimeter of Heathrow are free to use, and stop at Hatton Cross. So you can get the tube in from elsewhere in London and get to the visitors centre free on the bus.

London Heathrow has become one of the best places to see the current variety of Airbus A380 aircraft currently in operation. At the moment, Emirates and Singapore Airlines serve Heathrow at least 1x daily with the aircraft, and Qantas is due to launch flights from the end of January.

There is no access to the viewing deck or bus tours at Zurich Airport until February 2009 due to building work.

Keep an eye on this link for information on the bus tours and this link for the viewing deck.