Airport reviews

September 23rd, 2014 at 10:48:55 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
Quote: Pacomartin
It sounds like you live in Naucalpan


Close.

Quote:
He wanted to know if he could survive on public transportation. Some people warned that if taxis crossed the line from DF into the state of Mexico the fares could legally jump threefold.


A taxi crossing from the DF to Mexico State, or vice versa, cannot pick up passengers in the area of their destination. Therefore they're legally allowed to charge double for the portion outside their jurisdiction. Say a trip takes ten km, one of them in Mexico State. Then the cab can charge double only for the last kilometer.

That's in theory. In practice most cabbies will charge double for the whole trip.

I don't recommend using public transportation. it's not safe.

Short of getting a car, and maybe a driver, too, I would recommend finding a taxi base (sitio de taxis) near either his workplace or home. If he needs to cross boundary lines, he can call a cab from the sitio and take just it. I do that myself when I need a cab to or from work for any reason. Just tell him to ask the price beforehand.
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September 26th, 2014 at 3:20:38 AM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Here are the 2013 largest airports in the world by millions of air passengers MAP

94.4MAP Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
83.7MAP Beijing Capital International Airport - 1958
72.4MAP Heathrow Airport
Tokyo International Airport
O'Hare International Airport - 1955
Los Angeles International Airport
Dubai International Airport - 1960
Charles de Gaulle Airport
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport - 1973
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Indonesia) - 1985
Hong Kong International Airport - 1998

For 2014 nobody will pass 100MAP, but Dubai is expected to zoom 4 places to #3 (behind Atlanta and Beijing), and Hong Kong to jump up 3 places.

Although all airports are heavily renovated over the decades, the new ones are planned for over 100 MAP.

Predictions are that in coming decades Atlanta won't make the top 10.
10 Mega Airports That Are On Their Way
  • New London Airport Thames Estuary Airport (United Kingdom)
  • Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (Germany)
  • New Lisbon Airport (Portugal)
  • Istanbul New Airport (Turkey) Up to 150 MAP
  • Dubai World Central (United Arab Emirates) Up to 160 MAP
  • New Islamabad International Airport (Pakistan)
  • Kertajati International Airport (Indonesia) Supplemental Airport
  • New Manila Airport (Philippines)
  • Long Thanh International Airport (Vietnam) Up to 100 MAP
  • Beijing Daxing Airport (China) Up to 200 MAP

September 27th, 2014 at 8:40:43 AM permalink
terapined
Member since: Aug 6, 2014
Threads: 73
Posts: 11786
Had a call from a client that needed to bop around China for business.
Bouncing him all over China and his final city to visit is XFN.
Getting in and out of XFN, not a lot of convenient flights and I book a lot of people to that city for business.
Anyway he wants AA out of PEK to go home and he's in XFN.
I tell him that's a problem because AA leaves in the morning, that's fine if you are in PEK but if you are in XFN, cant make that flight.
So I look the day before, one morning nonstop that he didn't want and some weird connections later in the day he was interested in.
I look at this stuff all day and I was seeing stuff I don't normally see.
I saw airline code JR and equipment code MA6.
I'm like wtf, who is JR what is a MA6.
JR is Aero California. never heard of them. Weird name for a China airline. Fly between XFN and XIY.
Took a look at the equipment, a Yunshuji Turboprop. Never heard of that plane, uncomfortable putting somebody on one.
Well I let him know, he declined, we changed everything to take UA out of PEK. they leave late in the day, can easily connect from XFN.
Sometimes we live no particular way but our own - Grateful Dead "Eyes of the World"
September 27th, 2014 at 10:15:21 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
Quote: terapined
JR is Aero California. never heard of them. Weird name for a China airline.


That's really odd. There was an airline in Mexico named Aerocalifornia, which went bankrupt and ceased operations a few years ago. I flew with them once, roundtrip to GDL the same day, on a very nice vintage DC-9. I wonder how the name made it to China. They used to fly to Vegas, too.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
September 27th, 2014 at 2:19:16 PM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Quote: terapined
I saw airline code JR and equipment code MA6.
Took a look at the equipment, a Yunshuji Turboprop. Never heard of that plane, uncomfortable putting somebody on one.



That would be unique to fly a plane that is not licensed to fly in Europe or North america. It's fairly economical at $12 million for a 60 passenger plane.

The ATR (Aerei da Trasporto Regionale or Avions de transport régional) 42 is a twin-turboprop, short-haul regional airliner built in France and Italy by ATR . They cost $19.5 million and only seat a nominal 42 passengers. The ATR's were quite common at one time, especially in Florida.


Quote: terapined
I saw airline code JR and equipment code MA6. JR is Aero California. never heard of them.


I have flown Aero California. They were based in Baja California and went bankrupt in summer of 2008. The JR designation has been reassigned to Joy Air who doesn't find it worthwhile to off an English translation for their website.
September 27th, 2014 at 3:05:35 PM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
Quote: Pacomartin
The JR designation has been reassigned to Joy Air who doesn't find it worthwhile to off an English translation for their website.


That makes a lot more sense.

BTW, Volaris will premiere a Vegas to Cancun route on Dec. 18th. It will run on Sundays and Thursdays.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
September 27th, 2014 at 4:30:31 PM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Quote: Nareed
BTW, Volaris will premiere a Vegas to Cancun route on Dec. 18th. It will run on Sundays and Thursdays.

Promo fares as low as $379.44 (if you join frequent flyer club).

Even if you don't have big bucks to take a vacation, it would be worth going and staying downtown for that price.

Volaris has been targeting passengers who are visiting friends and relatives, or VFR, but are expanding into leisure travelers in Mexico and to select destinations in the United States.

The ten cities that they serve in the United States are home to some of the most populous Mexican communities.
September 30th, 2014 at 7:15:10 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
There was a short item in the paper today stating the Mex City airport is completely, 100% saturated and cannot add even one more flight between 6 am and 11 pm. The item mentioned Toluca airport as a place to handle the overflow.

Well, maybe. What's certain is the city urgently needs either a new airport or a complementary one. Toluca cannot handle much more without an expansion (it has one runway). Also there should be cheap, quick transportation between airports. I favor a new, larger one.

In the meantime, Toluca could, and should, do what it takes to attract more travelers. I don't know exactly what, but whatever they've been doing since Mexicana went bust isn't it.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
September 30th, 2014 at 4:46:41 PM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Quote: Nareed
Well, maybe. What's certain is the city urgently needs either a new airport or a complementary one. Toluca cannot handle much more without an expansion (it has one runway). Also there should be cheap, quick transportation between airports. I favor a new, larger one.

In the meantime, Toluca could, and should, do what it takes to attract more travelers. I don't know exactly what, but whatever they've been doing since Mexicana went bust isn't it.


Well AICM has two runways, but they can't be used at the same time. It's not a whole lot better than one runway.

Complementary airports work to a very limited degree if the secondary airport is an older one with an established base. In the America's Canada and the USA tried to build complementary airports from scratch, Canada in Montreal, and USA in Washington DC. The Montreal airport was a disaster, and IAD (Dulles) in Washington DC took two decades to become profitable. Only the wealth of the federal government could keep the airport functioning for those first 20 years.

I think my opinion on brand new complementary airports at Vegas, Los Angeles, an other cities has been voiced.

Unquestionably Mexico City needs a single larger replacement airport. But they are only building the runways in phases (3 runways and then another 3). The entire terminal is to be constructed at one time. It will be the nicest airport in the Western Hemisphere, but it will be expensive.

Proposed terminal in world ranking
  1. Dubai International Airport Terminal 3(18,440,000 sq ft)
  2. Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3 (10,610,000 sq ft)
  3. Atlanta Airport all terminals combined (6,800,000 sq ft)
  4. Schiphol Airport (6,500,000 sq ft)
  5. Hong Kong International Airport Terminal 1 (6,100,000 sq ft)
  6. Suvarnabhumi Airport Thailand (6,060,000 sq ft)
  7. Barcelona Airport Terminal 1 (5,880,000 sq ft)
  8. Mexico City International Airport Terminal 1 (5,860,000 sq ft)
  9. Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal 3 (5,400,000 sq ft)
  10. Incheon International Airport South Korea Seoul (5,340,000 sq ft)
  11. Barajas Airport Terminal 4 main building Spain Madrid (5,100,000 sq ft)
  12. Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal 1 (4,990,000 sq ft)
  13. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminal 2 (4,800,000 sq ft)
  14. Narita International Airport Terminal 1 Japan Narita (4,700,000 sq ft)
  15. Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 (4,100,000 sq ft)
    ...
  16. Denver Airport Jeppson Terminal (1,500,000 sq ft)

The Palazzo Las Vegas (6,948,980 sq ft)
The Pentagon (6,600,000 sq ft)

In the USA, 25% of the air traffic goes through the Big 6.
ATL Atlanta
LAX Los Angeles
ORD Chicago
DFW Fort Worth
DEN Denver
JFK New York

In Mexico the Big 6 carry 75% of the air traffic
Mexico City
Cancún
Guadalajara
Monterrey
Tijuana
San José del Cabo

As I said earlier, the Mexican airlines are investing very heavily in a new fleet, and they will need to fly them somewhere. Winning back some of the USA flights that were lost when Mexicana went bankrupt, dissipating some connections to MTY and GDL will help, more foreign expansion in Europe, S America and Canada will also help. But bottom line is that they need a mega airport.
October 1st, 2014 at 7:31:34 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
Quote: Pacomartin
Unquestionably Mexico City needs a single larger replacement airport. But they are only building the runways in phases (3 runways and then another 3). The entire terminal is to be constructed at one time. It will be the nicest airport in the Western Hemisphere, but it will be expensive.


I think they can shift the costs to the airlines, hotels and other interested third parties. For instance, they could sell 20-year retail space leases now. Later those who buy them could either sub-let them, transfer them, re-sell them or actually open a business.

Interjet is warning, in a low-key way, they may scrub some flights to small cities using "smaller" planes. Or that they may route some of those flights to Monterrey and Guadalajara. no word un expanding operations in Toluca. I don't blame the for the latter. they could run a shuttle service between Toluca and AICM, but they cannot guarantee a timely arrival.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER