Category Archives: Reviews

Hello Kitty, hello Taipei International Airport

Thursday, 10 September 2009 Tom 7 Comments

Have you ever seen an entire departure gate transformed to a popular children’s brand theme? No? Then you haven’t been to Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport airport – terminal 2.

When you get dropped off from the busy streets of Taipei at Taiwan’s largest, international airport (IATA: TPE) (traditional Chinese: 臺灣桃園國際機場; simplified Chinese: 台湾桃园国际机场), you expect a very crowded scene, but when I was there on a regular Thursday evening, the airport was surprisingly quiet. Who knows, maybe the large check-in hall and the usual Asian way of building airports for the future (read: big) might have deceived my senses as my flight to Hong Kong was full to the last seat.

After the equally quick security check (luckily the stupid liquid restriction hasn’t arrived in Taiwan yet), you end up in an area between two main arms to the right and left containing all the departure gates.

I first walked left to the A & D gates where I discovered an art exhibition of Chinese (errr, probably Taiwanese) hats painted by children from the “Taoyuan County Sinpo Elementary School” followed by a good selection of shops and a rich media & internet access lounge (close to gate D2).
On my way back to the other arm of gates (B/C gates) I stumbled onto an interesting nursery room. It was turned into the Hello Kitty theme. This surely is a nice alternative to the usual dull, grey rooms provided by airports (don’t worry, I’m not going to become a nursery room expert any time soon though…).

The B/C arm overall is nicer than its sister on the other side as it appears to have been renovated. However, it contains a similar selection of shops. Mind you, there is one really big reason to visit this side of the airport: gate C3. Yes, that’s the Hello Kitty gate with an adjacent shop. See this blog’s picture for an impression of what awaits you there (or our previous cover of the gate earlier this year). How cool is that? But the climax was that my flight actually departed from this gate. Fear not, you don’t have to dress up for boarding although the atmosphere does lend itself to silly, childish fun! Travellers seemed delighted, they smiled, laughed and took photos. What else could you want in a usually stressful environment like an airport?

Overall, if you have some time to kill at the Taipei airport terminal 2, here are my favourites:

Buy some authentic Taiwanese Oolong tea from one of several “Hsin Tung Yang” shops (e.g. close to gate D4)
Visit the pharmacy and beauty store for your last minute travel needs (close to gate C4)
Buy the latest gadgets from the Electronics store (there is one on either gates side)
Play a round of Xbox games at the Chimei rich media & internet access lounge (more mature travellers might divert to checking their emails)
Speaking of emails, WiFi is free throughout the airport, so download your latest episodes of Britain’s next Top Model on to your iPhones
Purchase the latest sports gear at the 3 adjacent sports stores Adidas, Nike and Puma on the C/D gates side
Lastly, a must see, check out the Hello Kitty gate C3 (as mentioned above)

Airport Name	Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport airport
Website	http://www.taoyuanairport.gov.tw
IATA Code	TPE
Design
Shopping
Toilets
Overall

	TWD 4,030 (£74.65)
	TWD 2,300 (£42.60)

Europe, Reviews, Top-X-Things

Golden sun streaming over London Luton Airport

Thursday, 13 August 2009 Sarah 1 Comment

London Luton Airport (IATA: LTN) has excellent connections with key towns and cities across the country. Arrive at Luton by bus and you have almost door to door service but be dropped off by a friend – walk an extra 30 seconds to the entrance – and hello – pay £1 for the privilege!! Mmmm. However, once inside Luton International Airport the flat wide floor plan is inviting and user friendly.

With the “must have” M&S and WH Smith to scoop up your trashy mag & bottle of water, the concourse also offers variety of food options including snacks and a full bar from the open style, spacious Cafe Bar.

You’ll also find Bar Des Voyageurs, a beautiful Parisian style bar offering a selection of hot and cold snacks and a choice of wines from around the world.

Once checked in, take a simple flight of escalators to level 2, straight through security and voila, you have entered the international gateway!

Here you will find the typical homage to capitalism, but after wading through duty free shops & alike (some l might add have amazing bargains) you are greeted by the golden sun streaming through the massive windows.

For those sceptics: On the other 364 days of the year you are still greeted by an abundance of wonderful light ;). This is truly an underestimated advantage to any flight where you might be suffering the dreaded late departure… natural light.

So, you have now entered the perfectly positioned open/free flowing bar Est … offering freshly prepared cocktails, juice combinations, Italian coffee and a delicious selection of antipasti platters.

Opposite is the cosy sister restaurant, Est … where you have a full menu to choose from including freshly made pizza, pasta, focaccia, salads and more.

A helpful Amusement Arcade called “Game Grid” is also positioned directly opposite: fun for all the family! Drop the kids off & watch them whilst sipping a glass of Chardy!
Once called for your flight you wind through a rabbit warren walkway of fibro but you will get there in the end.

Let’s Talk Arriving in Luton…
As above, your friends and family can chose to pay £1 to greet you at the virtual door OR you can jump on a bus. Although travel time is only 2 minutes down the road to the “free section”, who can be bothered after a long flight? Mmmm.

Top 3 adventures in Luton International Airport:

The attractive open Bar Cafe smack-bang in the middle of the check in/entrance area lends itself to a payback drink with your friend who just lost £1 by dropping you off.
Indulge your retro pacman fantasies in the amusement arcade, Game Grid.
Watch the chefs carve your roast or take out the freshly baked bread from the exposed ovens at The Real Food Company. Fresh fruit is on display so why not choose your own smoothie! (A new children’s play area has just opened too!)

Airport Name	London Luton Airport
Website	http://www.london-luton.co.uk
IATA Code	LTN
Design	.5 (points for super functional layout)
Shopping
Toilets
Overall

[Picture from Flickr – some rights reserved]

Airports, Europe, Reviews, Top-X-Things

Horses and Barns at Göteborg City Airport

Wednesday, 22 July 2009 Tom 2 Comments

The word “City” usually refers to a thriving metropolis, a large or important town, so you would therefore think an airport with this noun attached is either very close to such a place or at least reflects a certain grand scale. Well, in Göteborg City Airports case it’s – wait for it – neither!

The airport isn’t particularly close to the centre of Göteborg, or Gothenburg in English, (alright being situated 14 km north-west of the town is not terribly far away, but definitely not right next to it), nor is it particularly sizable. In fact Göteborg City Airport (IATA: GSE) comprises of little more than a farm house and an extension; seriously, you will see horses next to the landing strip, it’s tiny!

This quaint little airport now mainly serves as a Ryanair destination anywhere from Dusseldorf Weeze to London Standsted. However, I have to admit, it’s actually closer to Sweden’s second largest city than its big brother Göteborg-Landvetter Airport (IATA: GOT). Given the size of the airport and my natural shyness of horses, there isn’t much to do there, so my first suggestion is to arrive as late as your nerves can afford :).

But this wouldn’t be LateDeparture.com if I didn’t find a few selected things you might like to do to kill some time. Here are my suggestions:

Indulge with a “Somersby Pear Cider” for SEK 48 at the airport restaurant (the tin shed on your right as you enter)
Watch the arriving and departing aircraft from the outdoor seating area in the restaurant, it’s amazing how close you’ll feel to the runway!
Top up your fluids with some free filtered water from the dispenser in the restaurant
Buy a legendary Swedish wooden butter knife and cheese grater at the small but fully stocked airport gift shop
With each incoming aircraft, watch the main road out of the airport being closed off for vehicles. Not something you see every day!

Airport Name	Göteborg City Airport
Website	http://www.goteborgcityairport.se
IATA Code	GSE
Design
Shopping
Toilets
Overall

	SEK 969 (£77.60)
	not available

[Picture from Göteborg City Airport (http://www.goteborgcityairport.se)]

Airports, Europe, Reviews, Top-X-Things

Viva Barcelona Airport!

Thursday, 2 July 2009 Tom

I’m sure you agree with me that Gaudi’s Barcelona is always worth a visit!

The city offers something for everyone: From tasty Catalonian cuisine, cultural festivals, haute couture on Passeig de Gracia to the alternative scene around Gracia. And how about good old “La Rambla”, with its equal amount of stalls, tourists and thieves. If you fancy an overpriced, flavourless margarita served in a gold fish bowl this is your heaven :-). Or try the overcrowded beaches with all its shame- and topless youngsters.

It is then not surprising that the gateway to this multi-coloured, metro sexual city leads through a rather large airport, second only to the ridiculously massive Madrid Barajas Airport. In fact, Barcelona (IATA: BCN) just expanded its airport by opening a brand new terminal on 16th June: T1.This new structure houses all Star Alliance flights whereas Spain’s national airline Iberia remains in Terminal T2 … exactly where I base my review.

Without further ado, here are ‘The Top 7 Things to Do’ in Terminal 2:

Stock up your wardrobe at the Terminal’s local Zara shop
Buy that Jamon Iberico you ate in the tapas bar the night before and loved so much (“Sibarium”, opposite Zara, Jamon Iberico, 100g for €13.90)
Stock up some exquisite wine from the Duty Free store (my suggestion: the 2005 Celeste Ribera del Duero)
Don’t forget that small thing for your girlfriend at “Etam” lingerie
Now the lady is sorted out, you can get yourself that new season FC Barcelona T-shirt from the local FCB fan shop
You went for the full Monty at the lingerie store? Winner! Congratulate yourself with something red from the Ferrari store (Terminal 2B).
Flying back on a Sunday and want a laugh? Watch all the hung over hen and stag parties go by in terrible pain :). You can easily recognize them by their gender uniformity and their similar facial expression (aka “why did I do this?”)

Viva Barcelona, viva Barcelona airport!

Airport Name	Barcelona El Prat Airport – Terminal 2
Website	http://www.aena.es
IATA Code	BCN
Design
Shopping
Toilets
Overall

	€ 92.00 (£78.80)
	€ 35.00 (£30.00)

[Picture from Flickr – some rights reserved]

Airports, Europe, Reviews, Top-X-Things

Oktoberfest atmosphere at Munich airport

Sunday, 21 June 2009 Tom 1 Comment

Germany’s Munich airport, Franz-Joseph Strauss (IATA: MUC) was recently voted Europe’s second best Airport after Zurich in a “Skytrax” survey; and in my view quite rightly!

Munich is a fairly big airport with 2 terminals serving as Lufthansa’s second hub airport after Frankfurt. With airports however, size is not everything…

It’s not surprising then that Munich airport has two faces: The rather boring and older Terminal 1 which opened in 1992 is not the most exciting place. This terminal serves all non-Star Alliance flights and is divided into subsections A to E. Once you are through security, it’s a very limited experience in terms of what you can do there!

Terminal 2 on the other hand is the flagship terminal of the airport and hosts all Star Alliance flights. It offers a wide range of shops and restaurants even after passing the security section. So, you shouldn’t get bored anytime soon. My personal favourite is the Dallmayr shop: try the fresh “Bretzen” for example. Delicious!

Overall however, I’d recommend you spend as much time as you can in the airports “Zentralbereich”. This is the central area located between the two main terminals.

Here my top 5 things to do:

Enjoy an Oktoberfest atmosphere and super friendly staff at “Airbräu’s” outside beer garden between the terminals
Stock up for an authentic, Bavarian Weisswurst breakfast at the well equipped grocery store “Edeka”
Still haven’t sent the bundle of postcards and gifts you promised? No problem. You can send them off with the all important German post stamp at the “Deutsche Post” office next to “Edeka”.
The ever present Starbucks can sort out your early-flight coffee needs. You find it on the way to Terminal 2 from the outside area.
Oh and did you really, really, really like that waitress from the Airbräu (see first point)? Buy her some red roses from the beautiful flower shop “Airport Flower” next to the Starbucks

Airport Name	Munich “Franz Josef Strauss” Airport
Website	http://www.munich-airport.de
IATA Code	MUC
Design
Shopping
Toilets
Overall

	€ 87.90 (£74.30)
	€ 34.50 (£29.15)

[Picture from Flickr – some rights reserved.]

Airports, Americas, Reviews

Go nuts at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport

Saturday, 6 June 2009 Tom

If you’ve been to Las Vegas, I’m sure you’re longing to go back! I know l was! Ever since I visited “Sin City” for the first time in my adult life last summer (and posted a video review in this post) it was clear to me that I was destined to return to this forbidden place. So when the opportunity presented itself over an adjacent long weekend to a business trip to close-by California, I grabbed the chance, booked a ticket on Virgin America and two nights at the Mirage.

But enough praise for this wonderful crazy city, after all, this is an airport blog and not a boring destination guide. Nor is it my personal diary, so let’s get down to business:

I trust it already came through in my video review last year, McCarran airport (IATA: LAS) is not your usual airport. But who would expect this in Las Vegas anyway? Surely you expect the airport to have slot machines everywhere, and it does, but did you know that it even features a language course vending machine? It’s true: in the A and B gates departure lounge, you can purchase Rosetta Stone language courses in every language from Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew to even, yes, you guessed it, English. For little more than your winnings at the Blackjack table on the Strip ($299.99) one of these courses can be yours!

But if study is not your thing and perhaps you’re dealing with the legacy of a huge night before, you can cure even the worst hangover with something perfectly greasy from the guys at the “Great Steak” outlet before the gates B17-25.

Maybe you’re still thinking about the scantily clad ladies dancing on the speakers of the XS nightclub at the Encore? Then probably a sweet, dice lollypop is what you are looking for: You will find it at “The Candy Shoppe” in the middle of the A and B gates lounge.

Finally, if you’re trying to be good to make up for some recent, umm, “indulgences” why not go crazy with a fine selection of fruit and nuts from the “Las Vegas Fruit and Nuts” store.

Hey, who said airports are boring?

Viva Las Vegas Airport!

Airport Name	Las Vegas McCarran International – Terminal 2
Website	http://www.mccarran.com/
IATA Code	LAS
Design
Shopping
Toilets
Overall

[Image from Flickr – some rights reserved]

Airlines, Airports, Europe, Reviews

Terminal with a view: Heathrow Terminal 5 – B Gates

Friday, 15 May 2009 Tom

On my business trips to California I usually prefer to fly Virgin Atlantic, but this time, unfortunately, the economics were against my preference. Well, to be honest, British Airways isn’t actually that bad even though their Premium Economy product lacks all the benefits of its arch rival but I guess value for my employer value for money was pretty okay this time. But there is one very clear benefit of flying with BA out of Heathrow (IATA: LHR): you can leave from Terminal 5. And that, you have to admit, is despite all the BAA bashing, is a fantastic terminal.

LateDeparture.com has previously written about Terminal 5 but we then focused on the main building, housing the “A gates”. Terminal 5’s full structure, however, consists today of the main building and a satellite terminal with the B gates (Terminal 5B). A third complex, the C gates (or Terminal 5C), is currently in construction and due to open in May 2010. British Airways mainly operates their long haul flights from the B gates, hence I now got the chance to have a closer look at it.

Reaching the satellite terminal is simple and quick: you hop on a short underground shuttle from the main building. Make sure you set aside 10 to 15 minutes for the journey with the actual shuttle ride only taking about 1 minute. There, by the way, I suggest you ride in the front as it travels pretty fast and looking out to the track is a somewhat exciting (I know boys will be boys…).

Once at the terminal, you will find a few shops (see PDF map for details) including a nicely stocked Boots (I liked their selection of miniature travel essentials), a WHSmith, a Duty-Free Shop, a “Caviar House Seafood” bar with a great view towards the main building and a sandwich & coffee place. None of them are actually interesting enough for you to leave the shopping and gourmet heaven of the main building in a hurry, but there is one very distinct advantage of the satellite: it is quiet. Because fewer flights depart from this terminal, less people are present which again means you can easily find somewhere to sit and relax. This, together with the 360 degree view of everything that is going on at Britain’s busiest airport makes it an attractive option for people like me who are fascinated observing the airport’s operations, landing and departing aircrafts (try to spot Singapore Airline’s A380). With the satellite’s close proximity to the main terminal, it could even be an attractive alternative for sitting out longer delays occurring in the main terminal.

Airports, Middle East, Reviews, Top-X-Things

Black gold and camels at Abu Dhabi airport?

Tuesday, 5 May 2009 Tom

I counted 34 camels and found millions of barrels of black gold at Abu Dhabi International Airport (Arabic: مطار أبو ظبي الدولي‎; IATA: AUH). Well, upon closer inspection the camels were stuffed and more aimed at children (and anyone shy of a bring-home gift for their young ones). And the oil barrels turned out to be a bit of a mirage.

But is everything a mirage in the airport of the capital of the United Arab Emirates? Not really. The shiny terminal 2 which was built to accommodate the fast growing number of passengers before the new Terminal 3 will be opened later this year is definitely real. It’s real but it lacks a bit of character. More of the latter can be found in Terminal 1 which reminds you of the days when this was a small desert airport serving mainly business people from the Emirates capital. These days the airport is the main hub for the UAE’s national carrier, Etihad Airways. Founded in 2004 the airline already serves 45 destinations and has even ordered the new Airbus A380. It’s no surprise then that the airport is a 24-hour operation with shops and restaurants constantly serving the arriving and departing of mostly transiting passengers.

Besides looking for black gold or animals, there a some other things you can actually do between your flights:

Check out the food court on the first floor of Terminal 2 – you will find something for everyone (Upper Crust, Burgerking, Gino’s Pizza, Yum Cha Asian Food, Oriental buffet, bars and coffee shop)
Stretch your legs and walk to terminal one (about a 10 minute walk). There you will also find free internet terminals
Visit the food store on the lower ground floor of Terminal 1 where you can find some products from the Emirates (dates, nuts, etc.)
If you have some more time and are in desperate need of a shower, check in to the airport’s own transit hotel

Airport Facts and Ratings

Airport Name	Abu Dhabi International Airport
Website	http://www.abudhabiairport.ae/
IATA Code	AUH
Design
Shopping
Toilets
Overall

	AED 465.00 (£84.40)
	AED 270.00 (£49.00)

[Picture from Flickr – some rights reserved]

Airports, Asia, Reviews, Top-X-Things

Spacious Kuala Lumpur International Airport

Sunday, 19 April 2009 Tom 3 Comments

Last week my thirst for travelling frequently as far as possible brought me to Kuala Lumpur where I visited a Swiss friend of mine who recently migrated to Malaysia for work love. I have never been to Malaysia before and wasn’t sure what to expect. Surely, I’ve heard good things, particularly about the countries diving and its capital, Kuala Lumpur, or KL as it is referred to by nearly everyone. While my limited time didn’t allow for checking out any of the diving, I did have a good look around Malaysia’s biggest city and of course the airport – Kuala Lumpur International Airport, or KLIA (IATA: KUL) in short.

As most of the Asian airports I have experienced so far, KLIA was built for the future with plenty of space meaning you feel relaxed from the moment you arrive. But relaxation actually starts even earlier: the Air Asia and Malaysia Airlines hub is very well connected with the city centre by an express train which only takes 28 minutes non-stop. This also means, that even if you are just stopping-over for a few hours, it may make sense to quickly get into the city and see the magnificent Petronas Twin Towers or have a bite to eat at one of the many Indian or Thai influenced eateries around the city.

In terms of what you can do within the airport, there are quite a few options. After passing the passport checks and the security, you will find yourself in the terminal which mainly serves domestic flights. All international flights leave from the C gates which you reach through a short ride with the Aerotrain. Don’t bother checking out the shops before you get to the C gates as there are only a few there. You are a lot better off taking the shuttle immediately and spend your time in the satellite terminal.

There, I’m sure you will be pleased shocked to hear, they even have a Harrod’s store. I have always thought this was a typical London thing, but apparently not. Great weird. Besides that, you will find the usual shops including a Starbucks (on the first floor), Bodyshop, Mango and Versace stores. My top suggestions to kill some time, however, are:

Check out the rather nice architecture of the satellite terminal (see picture above)
Grab a final Carlsberg beer at the Forrestier bar and reflect on your trip to Malaysia
Read your emails at one of the free Internet terminals (before gates C31,33 and C21,23)
Visit the “Made in Malaysia” store and find the most ridiculous souvenirs – who could you surprise with one of them?
Try to find a bottle of Veuve Clicquot for LateDeparture.com‘s price comparison (I couldn’t find one!)

Airport Name	Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Website	http://www.klia.com.my
IATA Code	KUL
Design
Shopping
Toilets
Overall

	MYR 432.00 (£77.80)
	n/a

[Picture from Flickr – some rights reserved]

Airports, Europe, Reviews, Top-X-Things

Geneva Cointrin – not your usual airport

Tuesday, 31 March 2009 Tom 1 Comment

Genève Cointrin (IATA: GVA) as the airport, situated in the French part of Switzerland, is called in the local language, is quite an odd one. Don’t get me wrong it is actually quite a convenient airport as it is small and therefore rather accessible. But from both, an architectural and a usability point of view, it’s not exactly your standard airport.

Switzerland’s second largest international airport after Zurich is comprised of a mix of buildings from various decades. It looks a bit like an unthoughtfully assembled mosaic. Besides, the airport has a French and a Swiss side – so beware of from what “country” you are departing or arriving from. The good news is that if you are coming from France, you do not have to go through customs if you remain on the French side. The following review, however, is based on the Swiss part of the airport.

My first advice is, not to go through passport control until it is absolutely necessary (but of course allow ample time for security checks). The reason is that there are hardly any shops after passport control other than your usual, boring duty free and watch stores. The suggestions below are therefore based on the “outside”, public area of the airport:

Your best option is to go to the railway centre (also called “centre commerce”). There you can check out various stores and restaurants. You will find it right next to the main terminal building. My top picks there are:

Migros – a grocery store and a Swiss institution. They normally don’t have branded products, but trust me, their quality of produce is excellent. Here you can find anything from chocolates, Swiss specialties like cheese or dried meet to a delicious airline sandwich alternative to take on the plane.
Check out the “Manor” shop with a decent range of contemporary Swiss souvenirs for you to bring home.
And finally, if you sadly experienced bad weather on your skiing holidays, go to the centre’s solarium and freshen up your tan.

In case you are just looking for a quick bite before you board your economy flight, go to an area called “Les jardins de Genève”. You will find it on the 1st floor of the main terminal building. There you will find a Starbucks, Upper Crust, Burger King, a Sushi place (Bento), an Italian eatery (Le Sud) a bar and an outdoor area for when the weather is nice (mind you, smoking is not permitted there).

My final suggestion is a restaurant called “Swiss Chalet” which you will find in the arrivals area. The nicely decorated place offers typical Swiss meals like cheese Fondue, Raclette, Rösti and other delicacies. Oh and by the way, Geneva is only about 8 minutes away by train with trains leaving frequently, so if you have a lot of time, check out Switzerland’s second biggest city.

[Picture from Flickr – some rights reserved]

Airport Name	Geneva International Airport
Website	http://www.gva.ch
IATA Code	GVA
Design
Shopping
Toilets
Overall

	CHF 116.00 (£71.10)
	CHF 57.90 (£35.50)

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