October 16, 2007
Pervez
Advertising takes wings!
Inspite of flying extensively in India for the last 10 months or so,
last week was the first time I flew Air Deccan. I understand that
this is an extremely innovative airline when it comes to revenue
maximization. Which is probably the reason it was acquired by
Kingfisher some time ago. Air Deccan was started with a mission to
bring air travel to the common man. Translation: cheap, low frills
airline!
You quickly begin to understand their success when you notice the
large ads painted on the exterior of the plane. You settle down
comfortably in your seat and you see an ad starting back at you from
the back of the seat in front of you. There are ads on headrest
covers ... ads everywhere!
The airline even has a silent auction that is conducted during the
duration of the flight. You can actually bid on items ranging from
keychains to watches. If you have a winning bid, you pay cash for
merchandise and pick it up before you deplane!
Pervez
An
englishman in Osaka
happy birthday kansai
airport September 06, 2008
On Thursday, Osaka's Kansai
International Airport celebrated its 14th birthday.
Built on an artificial island, the airport features a stylish
terminal with space-age design. Japan is tight for space at the best
of times so what better idea than to build a new airport in the sea
- or at least, on land dumped in the sea.
Construction workers systematically dismantled Ishizuchi-san,
formerly the highest mountain in western Japan, although after the
land had been taken for the airport, it became the third highest.
The bits of mountain were transported from Shiikoku to the new site,
across the water from Awaji Island.
However, the airport is not without its problems......
THAT SINKING FEELING
At first architects from around the world lauded its innovative
design and clever use of space. But after several years engineers
were called in when a thin film of water started to appear on the
runway at high tide. That was five years ago, and engineers are
still scratching their heads.
Meanwhile, on bad days, water continues to slew onto the runway, and
about three times a year it goes so far as the terminal building,
with passengers having to push their trolley carts through an inch
of water.
The main terminal building has already sunk a whopping 12 metres.
Independent analysts say that if it continues to sink at its current
rate, then by the year 2025 it will be completely submerged - a bit
of a nuisance for those who can't swim.
Here's a recent photo I took of a jet as it taxied to the main
arrivals terminal...
Kansai Airport. Once hailed as the
great floating airport. Now known as the not-so-great sinking one.
CROWDED AIRSPACE
Realising that building airports on water wasn't such a good idea,
the neighbouring prefecture decided to build an airport of its own -
on water. Kobe Airport opened in 2006 and is situated less than 30
miles from Kansai Airport.
Along with Kobe Airport, there are numerous others in the region.
Critics are asking how many airports the country can sustain.
On top of that, there are safety fears, with so many planes taking
off and landing in such close proximity.
The map below gives an indication of just how serious a problem it
is....
NO PLANES
Fears about safety may be allayed by the fact that fewer and fewer
planes are using Kansai Airport. In response to the lack of planes,
the authorities did the obvious thing - and built a second runway.
It's so under-used that on approach to landing, pilots now have the
luxury of choosing which runway to land on, depending on how they're
feeling that day.
The main reason for its lack of use is the extortionate landing
fees. For the biggest jets, airlines have to pay around GB£4000
(US$8000), a fee so high that some airlines have taken extreme
measures to cover their losses....
A passenger nearly chokes on his
food as a flight attendant demands cash in order to disembark.
Let's hope Kansai Airport can turn around its fortunes in the next
14 years to become Japan's most successful place for planes. Happy
birthday Kansai Airport!
