Florida airport lifts their chewing gum ban

by Scott Carmichael on

What do Singapore and Palm Beach Airport have in common? They both ban the chewing of gum. At least, that was the case until last week.

Palm Beach airport had long been a gum-free zone. The airport operator banned the sticky candy in 1988 when they opened their newest terminal.

Back then, the airport was too afraid to deal with the rude and inconsiderate passengers who spit their gum out on the floor, or stick it to the bottom of chairs and tables (you know who you are!).

But as is often the case, money talks, so the airport finally lifted the ban, citing the possibility of $225,000 in extra revenue from gum sales alone.

That figure would mean the local county snags itself a not too shabby $50,000 in free money each year.

Honestly, do people buy that much gum at the airport?

Check out these other stories from the airport checkpoint!

Layover: Amsterdam Schiphol

by Annie Scott on

Layover in Amsterdam at Schiphol Airport? Perhaps not even sure which European country you’re in? Allow me to help.

You are in The Netherlands, or Nederland, as the Dutch call it (I wish we all called it that; the plurality is grammatically vexing). The people, the language, and all things from there are called “Dutch.” These different names are to confuse you. Some people get all messed up and call The Netherlands Holland, which is incorrect; North and South Holland are provinces of Nederland. If you are at Schiphol, you are in the province of North Holland. The Netherlands is part of The Kingdom of the Netherlands, which includes Caribbean countries Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles.

Map here: The Netherlands

So. Now you know where you are. Here’s what you can do!

Shorter (2 hour) layovers

Nederland is known for windmills, tulips, cheese, art, wooden clogs, and letting people do drugs. You can find all these things, with the probable exception of the last one, right at Schiphol airport.

Schiphol is a sprawling airport with a lot of floors of a lot of stuff. You’ll find gift shops stocked with mini windmills and porcelain imitations of wooden shoes sold right alongside fancy cheeses and chocolates. If you’re really up for the chocolates, though (wherever you’re going, it never hurts to show up with a box of Dutch chocolates), hit Leonidas for an excellent selection. They’re cool about selling you just one truffle, too, if you just want a quick little nom.
Up for more shopping? Hit up the duty free shops. You’ll get one of those bright yellow “See Buy Fly” bags; a status symbol for when you’re sipping cocktails afterward. If you’re not headed home yet and don’t want to carry your purchase on your vacation? You can pick it up when you get back to Amsterdam with their Pick Up On Return program.

If you’re on the way back from roughing it and are hurting for some Americanization, there’s Burger King, Starbucks, McDonalds, and Sbarro, but I’ve always been a fan of the oddly placed, impromptu-seeming Sushi Bar. It’s near Lounge 2 and very tasty. Amsterdam is not terribly famous for food, so don’t kill yourself trying to find an authentic local dish. Just get a Heinkein or a gin (the Dutch originated Jenever) and eat what you want.

Harried? Hit up the Silence Centre. Alternatively, hit the restrooms for the calming tulip images emblazoned all over the stalls.

The most important thing to see at Schiphol? Not the massages, not the exclusive club with the iris scan, not the Kids’ Forest (unless you have kids), not the casino, but the museum that’s right there! Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol is a great (and free) place to forget you’re at the airport. Good info here, and I highly recommend the Schiphol Museum Shop, too.

Longer layovers (4+ hours)

Got 4+ hours? Good news: You are already at the train station.

Ditch your bags in the basement of Schiphol for just a few dollars (they have these crazy high-tech storage lockers), and get on the train to see some of Amsterdam!

For interested parties, here’s a good guide to buying drugs in Amsterdam, but as you know, you really, really can’t take it with you on the plane (and shouldn’t try), and airlines have the right to refuse passengers who’ve had too many beers, let alone too many mushrooms. If you’re not staying the night in Amsterdam, I’d advise you not to step through the looking glass, so to speak.

Here are some ideas for what you can do pretty quickly:

Here’s all the info you’ll need to get around.

Alternatively, you can hit the Sheraton Fitness & Spa facility (open 24/7) — a day pass is just EUR 20 — or take a nap by booking a tiny room at YOTEL (minimum four hours).

Other tips

Lastly, here’s how to say the name of the airport without sounding like an idiot: “SKIH-pole.” Hope that helps!

Mango scare at Columbus airport

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The bomb squad at the Columbus, Ohio airport simply was not trained for the task. It’s not their fault: after all, few pickled mangoes have actually exploded. Nonetheless, there’s bound to be some sort of inquiry about the produce risk in today’s airports.

When x-ray equipment detected something suspicious, the bomb squad was summoned. The concern arose from the fact that an item was sealed in a canister labeled “baby food.” This, in itself, wouldn’t have been a problem, but the women’s description of the contents didn’t match the label.

The bomb squad actually did detonate the item, which is when they discovered the non-volatile contents.

Check out these other stories from the airport checkpoint!

Seven mile airport van ride from hell ends with guns pulled

by Scott Carmichael on

In what is probably one of the worst ways to start your trip in the United States, five French tourists took a seven mile ride through several New York neighborhoods while being chased by cops.

The tourists just arrived at JFK and had been directed towards a waiting van for hire by a “steerer”, who waits for unsuspecting tourists arriving at the airport, sending them to unauthorized taxi cabs and vans.

When cops spotted the steerer, they tried to apprehend him and his driver, but upon approaching the van, the driver floored it and drove away.

The van took cops on a 7 mile chase through New York, though they were finally able to arrest the driver and his accomplice after their van hit a gate at a USPS facility.

One police officer was injured when he tried to grab the keys out of the speeding van and one passenger hurt her arm when she tried to climb out of the moving van.

The big lesson here is to pay attention to all those annoying warning messages at the airport to avoid unauthorized transportation services, and to stick to pre-arranged car services and the official taxi line.

Layover: Paris

by Grant Martin on

Oft voted among the worst airports in the world, Charles De Gaulle outside of Paris doesn’t have a great reputation among travelers. The terminals are disjointed, sprawling and confusing, public transportation is mind boggling and security is amazingly frustrating.

With enough practice and preparation, however, the beast can be tamed. Connected to the heart of Paris by regional RER trains, it takes about one hour to get from terminal to city center, so it’s very possible to get in some quick sightseeing during a long layover.

With CDG, the keys are in managing security and the train station to minimize time wasted in transit. Stick around for a few tips from the experts and to learn how to take advantage of your next layover in Paris.
Shorter Layovers (2 hours)

CDG is so expansive and confusing that it’s usually not worth the effort of leaving your terminal if you’ve got a shorter layover. If you’re in the right terminal, however, you can still take advantage. International passengers in terminal 2E will meet the fortune of wide open spaces, duty free shopping, a few couches and even video game consoles to pass the time.

Other terminals, such as 2A are a little thriftier. But at least each terminal has a cafe where you can enjoy lovely French espresso, sit back, and try to adjust to the time zone of your destination.

Longer Layovers (4+ hours)

If you’ve got enough time to sneak out of the airport, it’s actually fairly easy to get into the city from Paris. If you’re flying international, the RER train station is between terminals 2E and 2ABCD at CDG, and these frequent trains run straight into the heart of the city.

You’ll need either cash (just over 8€) or a credit card with a smart chip to get tickets, the latter of which few American’s have. So as you’re passing down to the train station, stop by the HSBC on the right at the top level, withdraw some cash and head downstairs. Since the ticket machines don’t take bills and the line for RER tickets is always crazy long, head into the (RER, not SNCF) ticket office and look right immediately. There will be a change machine two meters away from you where you can get coins. Take these to the ticket machines outside and get billets into Paris, dodging around the dozens of confused travelers trying to use regular credit cards in the machines.

Downstairs, all trains lead into Paris, but some are express and can save you 15 minutes inbound. If there are two trains waiting, take a look at the scheduled stops and jump on the train will take you faster to Gare du Nord. That’s the beginning of Parisian stops.

Be prepared for the quaintest and Frenchest performers playing the accordion on the train. It happens every time.

Once inside the city you can connect to almost anywhere from Gare du Nord (North train station) by hopping off of the RER and transferring to the Metro. The Eifel Tower is either off of Trocadero on the 9 or Ecole Militaire on 8.

If you’re short on time, consider taking the RER one stop further to St. Michel – Notre Dame, where you can surface from the trains and see the magnificent church with a very short walk. You can also walk south from this stop into St. Michel and grab a crepe and beer in St. Michel, which despite being touristy and pricy, is still a lovely experience.

Finally, the Louve can be reached from either the 1 or 7 at Louvre Rivoli or Palais Royal. Be forewarned, however, that lines at the famous museum can be very long, and on a short layover you may not be able to justify seeing a fraction of the museum for the entry fee.

Other Tips

While the RER trains are frequent and fast, make sure you leave plenty of time to connect back into CDG from the city. Northbound trains don’t all run to the airport, either, so make sure you get on the right train when you board at Gare du Nord or St. Michel.

Though you’ll already have your boarding pass, also remember that you probably need to go through immigration when you return, so plan on spending a little extra time waiting in line at the kioks.

Also remember that you can’t bring any of that wonderful French wine with you on your trip, but vacuum packed cheese is totally allowed!