Air traffic control

All eyes on Japan

March 13, 2011Harriet BaskasAir traffic control, Air Travelearthquake, Haneda Airport, Japan, Narita Airport, Sendai Airport, Tsunami

Like everyone else, I’ve been holding my breath waiting for news – and hoping for bits of good news – about the aftermath of the earthquake in Japan.

I’ve also been watching – over and over – the incredible footage of the tsunami racing over the land. Especially the footage captured from Sendai Airport.

Some flights to and from Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda airports are resuming, but getting back to ‘normal’ is still a long way off. Narita’s website has a very brief update about the Influence of the Earthquake on the airport. Haneda’s website is showing some international flights departing and arriving, but no updates on the status of the airport facilities have been posted.

Look for Santa at Indianapolis International Airport

November 26, 2010Harriet BaskasAir traffic control, Airports, Entertainment, Events, Kidsairport events, Indianapolis International Airport, kids t, kids travel, Santa

You may still be eating Thanksgiving leftovers at your house, but at Indianapolis International Airport they’ve already moved on to Christmas.

On Saturday, Santa Claus will arrive at the airport at 11 a.m. and hang out for a few hours in the airport’s pre-security Civic Plaza.

While he’s there, he’ll pose with kids for free digital pictures. There will also be a cookie and ornament-decorating station as well as a chance to enter to win tickets for entry to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and other attractions. And everyone who enters the contest ‘wins’ free parking.

Get airline miles for airport purchases

June 10, 2010Harriet BaskasAir traffic control, Free Stuff, Mileage Programs, Shoppingairline mileage program, miles for purchases, Paradies Shop

You’re spending that money anyway, so even if you’re not a frequent traveler, it makes sense to enroll in at least a few miles and points programs associated with airlines, car rental companies and hotels.

If you can’t cash your miles or points in for a free flight, a free rental day, or a free night’s lodging, you can at least take advantage of some of the complimentary amenities these programs provide.

So here’s one more program to join. And one more way to accumulate airline points:

The Paradies Shops – represented at 65 airports nationwide – have partnered up with Thanks Again for a program that awards airline miles for purchases made in airport stores.

Participating airlines include Alaska, Continental, Delta, United and US Airways. The Paradies Shops include CNBC News, PGA TOUR Shops, Brooks Brothers, Brighton Collectibles, Harley-Davidson, and The New York Times Bookstores.

Sign up for the Paradies Thanks Again program – it’s free – and make at least a $10 purchase in one of the stores before June 30, 2010 and you’ll get a kick-start of 100 bonus points.

Capt. Sullenberger and Amelia Earhart at the Museum of Flight

March 9, 2010Harriet BaskasAir traffic control, Air Travel, aviation, Aviation history, Celebrities, Exhibits, HistoryAmelia Earhart, Capt. Sully Sullenberger, Museum of Flight, US Airways Flight 1549

Monday evening I was fortunate to be in the audience at Seattle’s Museum of Flight for a presentation by the recently retired Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the now-legendary pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 who was able to successfully land a plane in New York City’s Hudson River.

He began the evening by showing the NTSB’s animated version of the US Airways 1549 flight path (below) and then went on to talk a bit about his family, his upbringing, his training as a pilot, the importance of preparation and teamwork, and his philosophy of work and life. After he was done, some of the kids in the audience got to ask a few questions as did some of the aviation geeks from our high-tech community.

(Here’s a link to a more detailed report on the evening by SeattlePI.com aerospace reporter Aubrey Cohen)

Before Captain Sullenberger’s speech, I spent some time in the Amelia Earhart exhibit, which will be at the museum until May, 2010. In addition to photo panels and film clips telling Ms. Earhart’s life story, there’s a section showing some of the products she endorsed to help pay the bills, including Amelia Earhart luggage and Lucky Strike cigarettes.

All in all, quite an inspiring evening.

Inside Santa’s Flight Center at the North Pole

December 14, 2009Harriet BaskasAir traffic control, Air Travel, Baggage, Carry-ons, Fun Stuffbaggage tips, Santa Claus, Spokane International Airport

On Saturday, while everyone else was plotting how to get a first view of the 787 Dreamliner during its (probable) Tuesday test flight, I joined a group of children from Spokane for a flight to the North Pole.

One of the perks of being welcomed into the elf brigade for the night was a visit to Santa’s flight center, where I was able to snap photos of these very important internal memos.

And, my favorite: