Turkish Airlines plane mistakenly lands at Georgian military base

by Scott Carmichael on

Woops! A Turkish Airlines 737 on its way from Turkey to Tbilisi, Georgia (yeah, that Georgia) took a wrong turn somewhere and landed at a military airbase instead of Tbilisi International airport.

The 2 airports are just under 5 miles apart, but in the world of aviation I’d say that is far enough apart to be called a pretty big mistake.

According to reports, the military airbase has a similar runway pattern to the commercial airport, and that this is already the 5th time a passenger plane landed at the wrong location.

The source article mentions that the choice of runway approach may (or may not) have been influenced by the recent crash involving a Turkish Airlines jet at Amsterdam airport.

Delta wonders about Atlanta

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Is Delta playing chicken with Atlanta? The airline is getting ready for negotiations with Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport … and has opened by threatening to lean on secondary hubs like Memphis and Cincinnati. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution questions the airline’s likelihood of pulling the trigger, though.

Delta is concerned that the costs of running through Hartsfield-Jackson, the world’s busiest airport, could be twice as high as those of other airports. Moving two-thirds of connecting traffic away could save a pile of cash for a company in a perpetually struggling industry.

When you need an expert, you can always find one to take your side, it seems. Airport consultant Jerry FitzGerald believes that pulling out of Atlanta could cost Delta a good chunk of business traveler dollars – and that Memphis or Cincinnati may not be able to cover the difference.

Well, like anybody sitting on the tarmac, all we can do is wait and see.

[Via USA Today]

Delta adds 7,000 seats to Augusta, GA for Masters

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Every April, golf fanatics descend on Augusta, GA to sneak a peek at the best-manicured lawn in the country. The Masters Tournament fills hotel rooms and keeps local bartenders busy. If you haven’t been through the airport down there, then you have no idea why Delta has decided to add 7,000 seats between Augusta and its Atlanta hub, not to mention daily service to LaGuardia and JFK in New York. This 50 percent increase in seating capacity is necessary. There aren’t many flights into Augusta from anywhere. So, for a week and a half every April, the rules have to be changed.

According to Bob Cortelyou … yes, the Bob Cortelyou (senior vice president of network planning at Delta), “you talk about the Masters, no airline is better positioned to carry fans from around the world to this premier sporting event than Delta.” And, since Bob Cortelyou says it, it must be true!

When you are flying home, don’t get to the airport too early. Dining options are extremely limited, and you are guaranteed to be bored out of your mind. I only flew through once, and it was a drag. Of course, an event like the Masters is bound to force more people through that airport in a week than these folks see all year. Do the math: small airport + much larger crowds than usual = miserable you. Bring a book. Hell, bring two.

Photo of the Day (10.12.08)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

My fellow bloggers have a been on a Photo of the Day nature kick this past week, so I figured I would keep up the theme. This Sunday’s nature shot comes to us from Flickr user ben.rulesalot, who noticed these two serene specimens on his trip to the Georgia Aquarium.

As much as any photographer might be tempted to crowd the frame of their shot with as much detail as possible, I happen to like Ben’s approach here. Sometimes, “simple is better.” And even though there are no humans in this photo, there’s definitely an interesting “interaction” occurring between these two jellyfish that creates a story for the viewer to decipher. Jellyfish in love? Jellyfish protecting their turf? I’ll leave it to you to decide…

Have any jellyfish photos you want to share with our readers? Or maybe some tasty seafood jambalaya? Why not add them to our Gadling pool on Flickr? We might just pick it as our Photo of the Day.

Photo of the Day (8-20-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

This fountain in Madeira, Portugal says summer. How great would it be to run through this on a hot day?

I’m reminded of the other fountains where water arcs upwards from the ground. There’s the fountain that Matt Harding of “Where the Hell is Matt?” dances in along with other dancing folks in Atlanta, Georgia, the one at the playground in Knights of Columbus Park in St. Cloud, Minnesota and the pop jet fountain at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado.

This fountain shot by Donner00 looks almost animated. I can hear the sounds of the water–almost.

If you have a shot that has captured your fancy, capture ours at Gadling’s Flickr photo pool. It could be chosen as a Photo of the Day.