Air Travel Europe: Europe travel troubles are piling up: How to avoid airport nightmares- Zach Wichter

Travelers heading to Europe this summer will have to pack a healthy supply of patience in addition to their passports. While passengers beginning their travels in Amsterdam tend to face the longest lines, Devin Matte said a flight delay leaving Boston caused him to miss his connection to Norway earlier this month. The Somerville, Massachusetts-based software engineer can attest to the customer service chaos travelers are facing in Europe firsthand.

"I talked to one guy who had flown from Atlanta to Amsterdam the night before, and he had to sleep in the airport. People in the airport, they said it was about six hours to get through security," Matte, 24, said.

When trying to rebook his flight, the customer service agent advised him to give himself at least six hours

to get through security if he wound up leaving the airport to stay in a hotel overnight.

While the pilot shortage has led to cancellations and delays in the U.S., a host of other issues overseas are leading to long lines at many major airports across the continent.

Read more at: Europe travel troubles are piling up: How to avoid airport nightmares

US Economy: Area Convention and Visitors Bureau paints bleak picture on virus' economic impact

 Over 350 teams and 10,000 spectators were supposed to be filling 29 different Springfield gyms this week for the Home School National Basketball Tournament.

But as with many other events, the tourney was cancelled because of the coronavirus threat. Tim Flatt, the Executive Director of the Home School National Tournament, said it was not an easy decision as tourney officials had to weigh the health concerns against the cherished memories for fans and players that would never be realized if the games weren't played.

"The parents think we made a great decision but the kids are heartbroken," Flatt said. "The last thing we wanted to do though was be responsible for bringing the virus to this area. We love Springfield.

We love the leadership and the friendliness of the people and we want to keep a long-term relationship here."

The emotional toll is not the only problem developing though.

According to officials with the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Sports Commission, the economic impact from losing the tournament effects everything from the city's potential gas and food revenue to over 7,000 room-nights at local hotels that are lost.

So now the tourism industry will have to wait and see how bad things get.

"I've never seen anything like it," Kimberlin said. "And I hope I never see anything like it again."

"How's this all going to play out?" Kettering added. "It's just uncharted territory."


Read more at: Area Convention and Visitors Bureau paints bleak picture on virus' economic impact

US Infrastructure: Decaying infrastructure taking a toll on America

America's infrastructure is in a state of crisis. Roads and train lines are old, dangerous and cost the country billions of dollars in economic growth. Trump wants to repair damages but he is at the mercy of investors.

The summer of hell began for New Yorkers last Monday. Beginning at four o'clock in the afternoon people hurried home from work, clogging midtown Manhattan's Pennsylvania Station.

Over 600,000 people trek to Manhattan daily from faraway places like New Jersey and Long Island, entering the city via Penn Station. More people transit through Penn Station than all three of New York's airports: JFK, LaGuardia and Newark. Yet on Monday many tracks were shut down for the summer so the city can begin tackling urgently needed repairs.

During his campaign, Trump promised trillions of dollars to tackle this issue. Yet a look at the budget says otherwise: The government will spend only $200 billion on the infrastructure package. The remaining $800 billion must come from states and municipalities - no major problem for wealthy states. But the rural areas remain in disrepair.

Decaying infrastructure taking a toll on America | Business | DW | 17.07.2017

Brussels Attack - Inadequate security - live updates: manhunt under way for airport suspect – by M.Weaver, H Siddique, R. Jalab

• There were several terrorist attacks this morning: two explosions in Zaventem and one in Maalbeck, which many killed and wounded.
• Two of the three men in the CCTV photo “very likely committed a suicide attack.’
• Van Leeuw confirmed that there is an active manhunt underway for the third man seen in CCTV footage at Zaventem airport dressed in white.
• Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack through its media wing, but it was still “too early to make a direct connection between the attacks in Paris [in November] and today’s attacks”, Van Leeuw said. Isis’s claim of responsibility has not yet been formally verified, he said.
• There are several raids under way across the country, but Van Leeuw warned of the risks of reporting details of active operations.
• Witnesses are currently being questioned, with more were being sought.
• Several explosions were heard at the airport after the initial two blasts, but these were controlled detonations by security forces, Van Leeuw said, before warning that there may yet be more controlled detonations of suspect packages.
• And with that, Van Leeuw declined to give any further information so as not to affect the ongoing investigations.

Note EU-Digest: It is remarkable how inadequately many European airports and train stations are protected . With a few exceptions,  there are no baggage controls or security gates/checks at most of the entrances into main airport terminals or train stations. European airports which have train stops below the airport or main train terminals usually do not have security checks for passengers and their luggage going into the main terminal. It is a disaster waiting to happen and the EU and local governments  better take immediate action to avoid even more of these horrible events.

 Read more: Brussels attacks: manhunt under way for airport suspect – live updates | World news | The Guardian

US Inrastructure - U.S. mayors desperate to fix crumbling infrastructure but states, feds hold them back

 The drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan illustrates two urgent and related challenges that are stressing many American cities. First, critical infrastructure systems such as roads, bridges and water networks are aging and underfunded. Second, cities are not getting the support they need from higher levels of government to fix these problems.

We are the authors of the 2015 Menino Survey of Mayors, conducted by the Boston University Initiative on Cities. In this survey we asked a nationally representative sample of mayors an open-ended question: which challenge, that they believe should be a primarily “state and/or federal issue,” most affects their cities. Almost half of the mayors homed in on crumbling infrastructure. Many said that higher levels of government were not providing their cities with enough money for infrastructure projects they believe their cities need.

These projects range from relatively mundane needs like repairing roads to more ambitious projects, such as building new mass transit, wastewater and stormwater systems. Addressing the 2015 U.S. Conference of Mayors last June, President Obama observed, “There’s not a mayor here who can’t reel off 10 infrastructure projects right now that you’d love to get funding for, and that would put people to work right away and improve your competitiveness, and help businesses move their products and help people get to their jobs.” Indeed, the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that America will need US$3.6 trillion in infrastructure investments by 2020.

These concerns spotlight what mayors see as a bigger problem. In their view, federalism – the division (and sharing) of powers between different levels of government – is not working. In the survey, mayors consistently identified ways in which general government dysfunction, burdensome regulations and laws that preempt local autonomy cause problems for cities. As political scientist Jessica Trounstine has pointed out, Flint is an extreme example of some of these issues. State governments can hamper city governments in a variety of ways, most frequently by cutting funding and/or introducing legislation that reduces local autonomy.

Read more: U.S. mayors desperate to fix crumbling infrastructure but states, feds hold them back

Listing of free wi-fi Airports around the world

Many Airport authorities are adding Free Wi-Fi high speed internet access as an amenity for travelers. Some offer access in the entire airport while others may limit access to specified terminal or waiting areas. In addition, many airline club lounges may have their own free access available.  

BEWARE of wi-fi networks called "Free Public Wi-Fi" in airports. You'll get online but most likely they are fake unsecure networks hoping to steal info. 

If you want to Add or Remove a Free Wi-Fi location please fill out the Form  

Read more at: free wi-fi Airports

Global Airport Outlet Retail And Shopping Malls a Profitable Business Model - by Chris LeTourneur

Creating Outlet Shopping Centres is potentially one of the most commercially successful ways of leveraging an airport location.

In the shadow of the global economic crisis, Destination Outlet Shopping Centres are the fastest growing retail concept across the Americas, throughout Europe and in Asia.

The potent combination of premium brand merchandise offered at value prices has attracted local population bases and the travelling public alike to enjoy ‘affordable luxury’.

Given this unique crossover between locals and tourists, Outlet Shopping Centre developers are strategically locating new retail projects at and around international airports to access this broad and appealing customer base.

They are also becoming a vessel for introducing international retail brands into evolving retail markets in countries ranging from Canada and Australia, to the emerging mega-markets of China, Brazil and South Korea.

Destination Factory Outlet Shopping Centres are proving to be one of the more lucrative land uses for airports as they leverage their landside properties to generate non-aeronautical revenue, stimulate regional economic diversification and become more active participants in property development. 

Read more: Outlet retail

Internet: Airports which provide free WIFI services popular - Listing of airports with free WIFI

Many airports around the globe are now providing free Internet WIFI connections to traveler. Given the ever increasing use of  Internet based communications travelers are scheduling trips whenever possible via airports providing a variety of amenities including free WIFI services.

Click here for a listing of airports which provide free WIFI services. Every attempt is made to keep this Directory accurate. If you want to Add or Remove a Free Wi-Fi location please fill out the Form

Read more: free wi-fi Airports

The 10 Worst Airport Terminals Slideshow at Frommer's

 Most airports are awful. Some are lovely, like the 10 prettiest airport terminals profiled last week. But most are at best joyless econoboxes, at worst purgatorial warehouses of stalled lives.

Some airports deserve special condemnation, though. In some cases, they deserve to be literally condemned. Assembling this top 10 list of misfits I scanned professional surveys and delay statistics and asked my frequent-traveler friends to come up with the ten airports where you'd least like to spend an extra hour.

Maybe you'll find your own least-favorite airport left off this list. What about Atlanta's immigration delays, Washington Dulles's absurd midfield terminal, or Heathrow Terminal 5's baggage indigestion problems? There are too many frustrating airports in the world to include here -- these are just my bottom 10 picks.

Read more: The 10 Worst Airport Terminals Slideshow at Frommer's

Israel: Terrorism: Can you really stop a bomber by asking, 'Are you terrorist?' - by David Rose

The security checks at Ben Gurion, Israel's main international airport near Tel Aviv, are intense. But they are surprisingly discreet. There are no groups of armed police patrolling through the concourses (though if necessary, of course, they will appear very rapidly).

The new intrusive body scanners that reveal naked bodies beneath clothing - recently introduced in America amid passenger resentment - are not in use. Instead, Ben Gurion's critical line of defense consists of polite, highly trained agents, most of them women. Fluent in several languages, they will speak to every passenger while they wait to drop their luggage or check in. 'We operate on the principle that it's much more effective to detect the would-be terrorist than try to find his bomb,' says a senior Israeli o fficial.

Ben Gurion's system is costly and labour-intensive. 

Last month, I waited more than hour queuing to see a selector; and while Ben Gurion handles about 11 million passengers per year, to introduce it at Heathrow in Britain, which has six times as much tra ffic, would bring the place to a halt. On the other hand, it works. The last attack at Ben Gurion - the juiciest airport terrorist target in the world - took place in 1972, and that was in the arrivals area, when three members of the Japanese Red Army armed with grenades and machine guns killed 24 after getting off a flight from Rome. No plane leaving Ben Gurion has ever been hijacked or blown up. >Until very recently, Ben Gurion's terrorist, not the bomb' approach has required human beings to operate it. But now, using machines that at first sight seem straight from science fiction, it can be automated - and in the process, greatly speeded up.

'The system you have in Europe and America is bull****. Unless you adopt an approach that actually works, whatever technology you care to use will make little difference. The terrorists will always be one step ahead,' says Rafi Sela, a top Israeli security consultant. Through his firm, AR Challenges, he is in charge of marketing the automated Israeli method to Europe and America as a complete package - what he calls Trust Based Security, or TBS. 'How many times in the history of aviation have the scanners and security procedures that currently cause such huge anger and inconvenience actually found explosives in baggage or on a passenger?' Sela asks. The answer, shockingly, is zero.

For more: Terrorism: Can you really stop a bomber by asking, 'Are you terrorist?' | Mail Online

IHT: The worst of the European airports - by Elisabeth Rosenthal

For the complete report from the International International Herald Tribune click on this link

The worst of the European airports - by Elisabeth Rosenthal

In that spirit, and as a frequent flier around Europe, I have polled my fellow road warriors over the past two months - on airplanes, in security lines and at taxi ranks - to come up with an entirely unscientific survey of Europe's worst. And though I am no statistician, I think it must be significant that nearly everyone gives the same response: London Heathrow is, hands down, the worst, cited by 100 percent of respondents, as the scientists say. Charles de Gaulle outside Paris came in a close second. Leonardo da Vinci at Fiumicino, near Rome, and the Frankfurt airport won honorable, or should I say dishonorable,

Telegraph.uk: British airports suffer worst delays in Europe - by David Millward

For the complete report from the Telegraph click on this link

British airports suffer worst delays in Europe - by David Millward

It has been disclosed Passengers at Heathrow and Gatwick suffered the worst delays of any major European airport this summer. The figures, for July to September, from the Association of European Airlines showed that 41.2 per cent of flights leaving Gatwick were at least 15 minutes late and 38.9 per cent of those leaving Heathrow were delayed by at least 15 minutes. The figures showed that the average flight delay was 33 minutes at Gatwick and 31.8 minutes at Heathrow.