It’s been another busy airport week with stories pouring in from all corners of the world. It’s equally been a busy week here at LateDeparture as we’ve done a little marketing blast for our recently launched airport-only-trip with OutTrippin. Check it out for yourself.
Let’s do the news now though and start off with an airport renaming story from the United States. Remember when we reported the news about San Francisco International Airport (SFO) bearing the name of gay rights activist Harvey Milk? We even did a little photo montage playing with the idea. Well, this week it emerged that the airport won’t be renamed in Milk’s honor. ABC News wrote on Tuesday that a San Francisco lawmaker said that he has abandoned a proposal to rename the airport after the slain gay rights leader and instead plans to pursue getting an airport terminal named his honor. According to the article supervisor David Campos said he gave up on the idea […] after the plan generated a fair amount of opposition, including from the city’s daily newspaper and Mayor Edwin Lee.
Over in the Middle East news received us about a futuristic looking initiative that looks like something out of an Alien movie. We’re talking about the newly installed sleep pods at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH). Business Insider reported that the Finnish-designed “GoSleep” chairs feature a sliding door/roof designed to either partially or fully enclose passengers within the pod, shielding them from surrounding noise, light and crowds. According to the article ten pods now reside in Terminal 3, and ten more in the Al Dhabi Lounge at Terminal 1, while a further 35 are to be fitted later this year. Once all are installed, the pods will be upgraded to provide internet access, storage space for luggage and other valuables,.as well as a power source for laptops, mobiles and other electronic devices. The pods are currently available at a cost of US$12 (45 AED) per hour, payable using a credit card.
An to end our weekly news-round-up for this week, we found this story from the United Kingdom: The British Telegraph Newspaper reported yesterday that a conman forged a pilot’s licence and medical certificates to obtain a job flying into one of Britain’s major airports. According to the articl Michael Fay, an American who settled in Alton, Hampshire, spent eight months piloting an Airbus A320, landing repeatedly at Gatwick (LGW). The 59-year-old is now being hunted by police after he failed to appear in court to be sentenced for fraud. He is believed to have fled the UK and may be seeking work as a pilot or flying instructor, police said. An international hunt for him us now under way and the Civil Aviation Authority has also been alerted.
That all for this week – safe travels!
[Featured graphic is a LateDeparture photo montage – all rights reserved]