Breaking News: Man runs onto runway at Heathrow

by Abha Malpani on

Heathrow airport is currently in chaos and on high security alert after a man with a rucksack jumped over the perimeter fencing and ran onto the runway.

20 emergency vehicles were sent, the man was arrested, sniffer dogs and explosive officers have been called in. No one is hurt and there isn’t any more information on the man yet.

Drunks, mentally unstable and protesters have done this before, but this case is particularly suspicious as tomorrow the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are due to open the new terminal 5.

Certain flights have been delayed or canceled, it is therefore advisable to call the airport should you have a flight today or tomorrow. You can watch and get constant updates on BBC.

Europe’s worst airports

by Jerry Guo on

Last week, I wrote about the worst airports in the states, at least when it came to delays. It’s probably no surprise that not a single US airport made it into the top 10 rankings for best airports in the world, according to the air travel consulting firm Skytrax. But Euro-lovers, don’t think your neighborhood, sprawling mess of an airport has escaped my attention (or that of the New York Times.)

They’ve given the honor of worst European airport hands-down to London’s Heathrow, with dishonorable mentions to Charles de Gaulle outside Paris, Leonardo da Vinci near Rome, and Frankfurt airport.

The irony here is that for Americans, these four airports can seem like walking in the park–on ecstasy. I, for one, would never have thought Heathrow or Frankfurt were particularly bad boys. Granted, I only had 20 minutes at Heathrow to go from an arriving flight from Beijing to a departing flight to New York. And it took me exactly 20 minutes at a full sprint to catch my flight. The airport is notorious for being one of those sprawling messes that take 20 minutes to get anywhere. But Frankfurt was pretty clean and well designed, I thought. Of course, the whole time I was consumed by rumors of a adult movie theater on the premises.

Anyone know if that exists?

Bedlam at Heathrow ensues, as British Airways 777 shorts landing

by Grant Martin on

London‘s Heathrow Airport was cast into disarray today when a British Airways (BA) 777 landed short of runway 27 and nosedived into the earth before the tarmac. Several landing gear were sheared off while the airframe sustained significant damage.

Amazingly, there were no casualties in the disaster, with only a couple dozen passengers being taken to the hospital for minor injuries and one concussion. The rest of the passengers deplaned from the emergency slides. It is perhaps a testament to the pilot’s aptitude and performance during the emergency that nothing worse happened.

According to the most recent reports, the aircraft appears to have lost power on approach, resulting in the plane gliding silently under only mechanical control onto its belly.

Operations at Heathrow shut down completely following the incident, with a graduated return to operations over the course of the day. Despite the resumption, dozens of flights were canceled, stranding passengers inside of the already cramped terminal and overtaking lounges. I can only imagine how pleasant that was.

Heathrow expects to resume operations tomorrow as the investigation continues.

Heathrow to get a facelift

by Martha Edwards on

Before I had been to England, Heathrow Airport seemed a magical place in my mind — a place that emblemized everything British, from black cabs to girls in Union Jack-flag dresses. Plus, the Beatles had been there, so it must be amazing. But when I got there and took my first few steps on British ground, I was surprised; it was dingy and a bit smelly, a mish mash of cultures and consumerism and not really what I’d imagined Britain to be at all.

It’s true — Heathrow is shabby and outdated, despite being one of the busiest and most important airports in the world.

But 2008 is set to be the year that all changes for LHR, according to this article — it’s getting a facelift in the new year, and construction is expected to end in 2012. What can the 68 millions travelers who pass through there each year expect to see? Well, for starters, a fifth terminal is being added. And renovations will be happening that are aimed at bringing the ‘glamour’ back to air travel.

Automated parking coming to Heathrow Airport

by Justin Glow on

Do you always forget where you parked your car?

I don’t remember where I came across this trick, but it’s come in useful several times: When parking somewhere — a mall, amusement park, or the airport, for instance — whip out your digital camera and take a picture of the location. Usually places with parking lots the size of small countries use some sort of number-letter categorization system to make it easier to remember where you parked, so just snap a picture of that A4 or G1 sign before you leave the area. Then, when you’re back and searching for your car, review the photo and find it right away. This is especially useful when leaving your car in long-term airport parking.

Britain’s Heathrow airport is unveiling a new terminal in March which will include an automated parking system. Engadget writes,

“A new automated system in the garage will snap a photo of your license plate as you head in, direct you to a space using illuminated arrows and an infrared camera tracking system, then issue a ticket which can be read at a kiosk when you get back. When you insert the stub into the reader, a digital display shows you a 3D map of the carpark, and points you to the exact location of your vehicle.”

Wow, this makes my digital camera trick look pretty lame.