Airport Spotting Blog » international Archives – Blog Title

Taipei Taoyuan’s new observation area

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:07:40 +0000

Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan has opened a new observation area for watching aircraft.

Built for people to wave off family, and watch them arrive, it’s also perfect for the enthusiast with its views over one of the runways and many of the parking stands at the terminal.

The area is believed to be indoors, which makes it sheltered and air conditioned, but it’s likely to mean photography is through glass.

Have you visited? What’s the observation area like?

Harrisburg International Airport – Guest post by Stephanie Gehman

admin — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:00:18 +0000

Harrisburg International Airport is a relatively new facility in Pennsylvania, USA.

We recently spoke to the airport’s Marketing Manager, Stephanie Gehman about the airport, which is relatively unknown to our European readers, but offers an interesting alternative to the other airports on the Eastern Seaboard. So, here’s a bit of information from Stephanie:

1. What is your role at Harrisburg, and what experience do you have there?
I am the marketing manager at Harrisburg International Airport (MDT). My job responsibilities include researching, developing, planning and implementing all of the airport’s tradition and emerging communications, including: relationship and community building, branding, marketing, advertising, public relations, website, social media, customer communication and more. Additionally I oversee the development and improvement of the in-terminal experience for airport customers and guests, along with the staff that implements these initiatives and information. I also serve as our staff photographer and videographer. In a nutshell, I am “jill-of-all-trades” and doing my utmost to master and manage all of them!

2. Tell us briefly about Harrisburg as an airport – where is it? who does it serve? what kind of operators do you have?
Harrisburg International Airport is located in Middletown, PA, the reason why our airport code is “MDT.” Our facility serves the business and leisure travelers in the 8 counties surrounding us in South Central Pennsylvania. MDT is served by Air Canada, AirTran Airways, American Eagle, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and US Airways to 14 great nonstop destinations and to 100s of connections worldwide.

3. What plans for the future does Harrisburg have – expanded facilities? new routes/airlines?
We’re continually in discussion with airlines about market’s potential at Harrisburg, but at this time there are no new service announcements. Our facility was constructed just 7 years ago, so no new expansions are in progress either.

4. You mentioned a Federal Grant on your recent interview with the Airplane Geeks. What will that help you with?
As described on Airplane Geeks the Department of Transportation grant money can be used toward securing a new airline partner or new destination in the nonstop cities served by the airline partners at MDT.

5. Does Harrisburg have any other notable operators, such as FBOs, flight training, cargo, or military?
The airport authority that owns and operates MDT, also owns three general aviation airports in the state of Pennsylvania. At MDT, there is an fixed base operator (FBO), AvFlight, and we’re also the site of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard 193^rd. We are served by air cargo carriers: UPS, FedEx and DHL.

6. Lastly, are there any great places to watch aircraft movements at Harrisburg? Are there any rules that spotters must follow if they want to watch aircraft (eg contact security or stay away from a certain area)?
We have a public observation deck located on the third floor of our terminal that is open to the public 24 hours a day. There are many other great locations on the airport campus to aircraft spot as well.

Thanks very much to Stephanie for taking the time to speak to us. You can follow her on Twitter at @airport_girl and Harrisburg’s official feed on @HIAairport

A New Airport for San Bernardino, CA

admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:30:45 +0000

As the new airport at San Bernardino, CA nears its official opening, the locals are asking whether it will ever actually attract and airlines.

The San Bernardino International Airport is opening on the site of the former Norton Air Force Base, which closed in 1994. A new terminal has been built, and is already fitted with check-in kiosks, arrivals and departures screens, escalators, offices, and an automated voice which warns passengers not to leave baggage unattended. Coupled with 3000 new jobs being created in the surrounding areas recently, on paper the outlook seems rosy. But in these times of airlines cutting back routes or closing down, and recession hitting hard, does this part of California need another airport?

You can read the full story here.

If the airline does start to attract operators, you can be sure we’ll cover the opportunities for enthusiasts. If you’re a local, why not tell us what the new airport is like by leaving a comment?

Spotting at Denver International Airport

admin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:57:43 +0000

Denver is the largest airport in Colorado, and one of the busiest in the USA. It plays host to a large number of movements by Frontier and United Airlines. It also has services from all other main US airlines, and a number of international airlines.

Denver Airport has three terminals – A, B and C

Terminal A hosts Frontier’s regional fleet, operated by Lynx, and is the best terminal for spotting. Inside, walk to the end of the terminal where there are large glass windows. This overlooks the commuter aircraft, and across to the United gates. This is the best spot for covering most movements, although the airport is so big and has so many runways that it is impossible to cover everything.

Terminals B and C also both have large windows at their gates, which offer views of aircraft moving around.

There are few accessible views from around the perimeter due to a lack of public roads.

Anyone know of any other good spots? Please comment.