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Spotting, for those of you who don't know and who can't figure out from the name, is the watching of aircraft for recreation (sometimes refered to sarcastically as "foaming," as in "from the mouth"). "Classic" spotting, which is more popular overseas, consists of watching the planes and taking down their registration numbers in a logbook. This is quintessentially English (it started with the trains back in Victorian times; remember Sherlock Holmes?) Most American spotters and a fair number of Europeans and others find taking just down registrations to be pretty boring so we take photographs instead.
Spotting is an extremely knowledge-based hobby, and you really have to keep up with what's happening to do it well. For more information on spotting, check out the Spotters WWW Page, Plane Spotting, and Just Planes Videos. A few lucky SOBs have actually spun this nonsense into money-making enterprises (Joe and Michel, both Airline list members, leap quickly to mind). There are countless amateur practitioners of the hobby, though, many of whom have their own web pages (like this one of mine) or have posted some of their shots on Airliners.net. I have links to a few of my favorite personal spotters' pages on my Links page. The two principal "must-read" publications for airline spotters are Airways Magazine and Airliners Magazine, available from large independent bookstores (or well stocked newsstands), as well as the major chains like Barnes & Noble or Chapters.
I'm no professional photographer, but I enjoy going round to airports and taking some pictures. I don't have very high-end equipment so I don't get professional quality results, but they are satisfactory - sometimes even very good - and entertaining nonetheless. To see some of them, click here.
Lucky for me, the thrill of the hunt is as good as the actual catching. I really do enjoy hitting the airports and having a look about. Where I live, I am blessed to be nearly equidistant (roughly three hours) from three very different major hub airports: Pittsburgh to the south (#17 in movements, #40 in passengers: 140 mi/225 km), Cleveland to the west (#38 in movements, #68 in passengers: 160 mi/260 km), and Toronto to the north (#23 in movements, #25 in passengers: 180 mi/290 km). (Traffic figures are available from the ACI web page.) The latter two are preferable since they have outdoor observation decks that are better for photography and just more fun anyway (I love the noise of jet engines).
Greater Pittsburgh International (PIT) is a good airport, though. I've flown in and out of it lots of times and like it a lot from that perspective. So do other passengers; PIT is consistently rated among the Top 5 airports in the world in surveys of passenger satisfaction (Detroit is usually dead last). The terminal is well designed and efficient. There is plenty of food (a real blessing if you've ever been trapped in an airport with no food, like Houston-Intercontinental for example) and lots of shopping.
Spotting at PIT is something of a birthright for me. My grandfather took my mother and my uncle there, to the old Greater Pitt terminal, when they were kids to spot from the observation deck, back in the old days of Allegheny Airlines. There is, depending on the active runway, decent viewing of the arrivals and departures from the parking lot of that old terminal, though spotting from inside the new terminal and on the short-term parkng garage are generally more convenient. You can email me for more information, I have an excellent map of the airport and environs that I send out.
The traffic at Pittsburgh doesn't have much variety; lots and lots of US Airways., which has PIT as its largest hub. There is international service by Air Canada to Toronto (with the Canadair RJ) and US Airways to Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt-Main (a flight which I call the "Aspirin Express"), and to major cities in eastern Canada, Bermuda, and the Caribbean.
As of the end of October, 1999, British Airways has suspended its London-Gatwick service (most recently operated with a 767), though US Airways has received permission to pick it up. Besides US Airways and the international carriers, all the major U.S. domestics fly to PIT, mostly with DC-9/MD-80 and 737 equipment. US Airways operates most every plane in its fleet here: F-100, DC-9, MD-80, 737, A319/320/321, 757, and 767; US Airways Express B-1900D, Do-328, Dash-8, and Saab 340.
Check out the PIT pictures on Airliners.net to get the taste of the place.
Cleveland (CLE) is a decent airport, too. It isn't as busy as Pittsburgh but there is a lot more variety in traffic. Continental Airlines operates a smallish hub here (major North American destinations, smaller regional cities, and London-Gatwick). Cleveland also has the major low cost airlines: Southwest and its competitors, US Airways' lowfare MetroJet service and Delta Express. Air Canada and airOntario (one of Air Canada's regional affiliates) serve Toronto. Air Canada's colors are my favorite, so it's nice that they fly to all three of my main airports (Toronto is, of course, their fortress hub). There are also lots of charter carriers operating at Hopkins and a NASA research center on site.
The airlines, on average, fly slightly larger aircraft to Cleveland than they do to Pittsburgh: American, TWA, and Northwest fly some 727s instead of only DC-9s, United flies an occasional DC-10 in addition to the 737s that serve Pittsburgh, and Air Canada's schedules include the DC-9 instead of the tiny Canadair RJ. airOntario operates Dash-8 turboprops. Continental Express and American Eagles's Embraer-145 ExpressJets are in greater abundance here than probably anywhere else.
There is an excellent observation deck in B concourse. Take the elevator by the Southwest gate up one level. There is an indoor, climate-controlled area, and an outside terrace, which is sometimes locked. The principal runway runs directly in front of the observation area and aircraft gate all around, just one storey down, which makes for even easier photography than at Toronto.
Construction - which once made arriving and departing from Hopkins by car a nightmare - seems to be mostly finished. The two new parking garages are nearly complete, and the pedestrian walkway between them and the terminal is an excellent improvement. The new regional terminal is also finished, making connections between Continental and Continental Express flights far easier than before. Security screening has also improved, thanks to what appears to be better training, though each concourse is screened separately. There are still improvements to be made, but the place is coming along. Two years ago, I had a damning review on this page.
See some Hopkins photographs on Airliners.net.
Toronto-Pearson (YYZ) is my favorite of all. Its observation deck is actually the top of a parking garage (although the lower floors offer better viewing, I can't stand the dirt and car exhaust), and offers 360º of viewing. Take the elevator near the entrance to Terminal 1 to the top floor, go up one more flight of stairs, out the doors, and have a blast. There are also excellent runway approaches and some nice places around the terminals where you can get very close without much hassle, even have a little picnic on the grass beyond the runway threshold of 24L!
My favorite spot: By foot, exit Air Canada's Terminal 2 and head to the right along the front (towards the International gates). Keep walking in the grass along the access road after the sidewalk ends. You'll pass around the end of the terminal and have a fantastic panorama of the back side, as well as some close up views of the end gates (including the justly famous gate 115). Continuing along the highway (crossing if necessary but, in any case, with caution), you will eventually end up at the 24L threshold, a very nice spot indeed. You'll probably find some other fanatics there. It's sort of a conspicuous spot, so you may end up speaking with the RCMP (the Mounties) or Peel airport police, but they are said to be generally pretty tolerant. I dunno, you may not actually be allowed to be there, but people always are anyway.
The sights are a little bit different up north: lots of Air Canada, Canadian, and several charter carriers for the snowbirds. There are lots of bigger jets than anywhere else in the area. 747s and A340s abound. Toronto is also one of the few airports in the world where there are Lockheed TriStars still to be seen. And Toronto has the best variety of airlines to be found nearly anywhere. Better variety is rare; Heathrow, JFK, LAX, and a few others only. There are some real rarities, even airlines that can't fly to the U.S., principally Cubana. Architecture is good, too; the new Terminal 3 reminds me of O'Hare's Terminal 1, except maybe even nicer. I just love the look of glass and steel frame construction. The attached Sheraton hotel is a great place to stay in Toronto. Get a room facing the airfield. (Undocumented tip: the hallways upstairs have windows facing the action; just try and be discreet.)
Terminal 1 is an overcrowded dump, though with Air Canada and Canadian moving their international flights in during their merger process, it will probably be getting a bit of a face-lift. Terminal 2 is about half as big as it needs to be, though immaculate. Both of these terminals are due to be replaced by a single "SuperTerminal" sometime in the next decade. This picture shows the layout of these terminals rather well.
Terminal 2, currently home to Air Canada, and, as of June 3, Canadian domestic and transborder, is rather nice inside. The Rapidair departure lounge doesn't have too many windows, though. Further down in the domestic area, there are more spotting opportunities (and some decent shops as well). I can't speak for the Transborder and International areas of the terminal, though I imagine they are decent for photography as well. However, like all Canadian airports, access to the concourse area is strictly limited to ticketed passengers. Don't expect to beg or bluff your way through. But the good news is that all the best places at Pearson are available to everyone anyway.
More Pearson info is provided by toronto.com. A good central place to find links to Pearson web pages, pictures, news, and more is my Yahoo! club. There are a shitload of YYZ photos on Airliners.net. You could also rent the recent movie Pushing Tin, which I understand was filmed at Pearson (but I haven't seen it).
Another nice, nearby airport is Buffalo/Niagara International (BUF) (90 minutes away at most). I've used Buffalo for travel several times, though I've never visited just for fun. The terminal is brand new and beautiful, with the steel and glass frame construction I adore. There is an ancient Bell helicopter in the ticketing hall, a very cool touch. Service there is quite good, all the majors except TWA with flights to all the major hubs. Also flying in are jetBlue, airTran (the former ValuJet), which I don't see anywhere else in my usual circuit, Southwest, and US Airways MetroJet. Because of Niagara Falls, airlines fly bigger aircraft here than even to Pittsburgh, a much larger city (especially in the summer tourist season). United, Northwest, and Delta all fly 727s. US Airways has a pretty sizeable operation here, many jet flights to PIT and Philadelphia and New York City, and a bunch more commuter flights to other regional destinations, Syracuse, Rochester, etc.
Buffalo is rapidly becoming a much more interesting airport, with the arrival of jetBlue, Midway, and Southwest. Fares at BUF have traditionally been on the steep side, so these are good developments. Concerning Southwest, my friend Albert from Hamilton put it best when he said "God has finally answered my prayers."
There is also a Niagara Falls International (IAG) in the vicinity, about 20 miles away on the Niagara Falls Blvd. right in the city of Niagara Falls, NY (only about a ten minute drive from downtown Niagara Falls, ON with its myriad seedy attractions). Though all commercial service to the region is based at BUF, this airport has a lot of charters (hockey and football teams come to mind), private, and military aircraft.
Closer to home, if less (and I do mean less) exciting are a few regional airports. The only airport that I can just drop by on a whim is Jamestown, NY (JHW), about 20-30 minutes away (depending on how fast I tear up Route 62). This regional airport only gets US Airways Express Beechcraft 1900D flights to PIT but they are frequent and you can walk right out onto the ramp to watch and take pictures. The noise is really loud, just as I like it. There are also private planes (including a few jets) and FedEx Cessna Caravans connecting to jet flights at Cleveland (viewing of the JHW cargo terminal is good, too). The restaurant is passable and there is free parking and an observation area on a hill nearby. The spotting there may get better as I have read in the Jamestown newspaper that local officials are not too happy with US Airways Express' service and have been trying to lure another airline into flying there, probably either Continental Express or Mesaba (Northwest Airlink). US Airways has padded its schedule (but also, unfortunately, its fares), though,so new service seems unlikely at this time, especially given what is not exactly a splendid economic situation in this area. The restuarant will definitely be getting better, though, it has been purchased by the owners of a fantastic Italian bistro - The Italian Fisherman - in Bemus Point (on Lake Chautauqua), so that ought to yield good things.
Very similar to Jamestown is Bradford/Warren/Olean Regional Airport (BFD). Although it does bear the name of my town, most people in Warren fly out of Jamestown instead, a significantly shorter drive. There is less general aviation traffic here but the airline service is virtually identical. Just like JHW, BFD has an outdoor viewing area where you can watch the aircraft. The only real difference between the two is that the restaurant at BFD is a bit funkier than at JHW. It is quite well known by area general aviation pilots. Called the "Piper Pub," its decor is devoted to the Piper Aircraft Company, which was founded in Bradford before moving to its famed headquarters in Lockhaven, PA.
Nearby Erie, PA (ERI) is a step up. It boasts turboprops of Continental Express (to Cleveland) and Northwest Airlink (to Detroit) and US Airways jet equipment plus Express turboprops, mostly to PIT I believe. US Airways brings in 737s and DC-9s, Continental flies Beechcraft 1900Ds, and Northwest Airlink operates Saab 340s. Unfortunately the spotting is very bad since the concourse is sterile (ticketed passengers only) and there is an opaque perimeter fence obscuring viewing and photography from the outside of the terminal. The US Airways gate can be seen easily from the parking lot but that is it. For spotting of the runway and Northwest gate (Continental is totally hidden behind the terminal), one must peek through a crack in the fence (it is chainlink with plastic strip weave). This isn't the best way to spot. I have found, however, that the sterile concourse rule isn't well enforced, so it is possible to sneak by and prowl around the small but nice terminal viewing areas. Check out this web cam.
A little further than Erie is the Youngstown (Ohio) Regional Airport (YNG). I've flown out of this airport before and it is really pretty nice with lots of service. In addition to similar service as Erie (minus the pure jets of US Airways), United Express flies the unspeakable BAe ATP to Chicago's O'Hare International (ORD). The airport has an outdoor observation deck on the roof with very good viewing but it is enclosed in chainlink, so photography takes a delicate touch. There are lots of private jets and General Motors has a private Saab 2000 that makes periodic showings. Airborne Express, a cargo carrier, operates the rare NAMC YS-11, a 1950s era Japanese turboprop that is very attractive looking.
The YNG observation deck actually almost killed me on one occasion. It was Christmas Eve 1996 and I was awaiting my uncle's arrival (on the monstrous United Express flight). It was about 3º F out and the wind chill - I could hardly stand up - had to have lowered the overall temperature down to well below -20º F. I stood out there for 45 minutes watching the flights come and go. Most of the turboprops there are reasonably quiet (Northwest Airlink operates Saab 340s, Continental and US Airways B-1900Ds) so the noise didn't bother me at first. Then the hideous ATP arrived; it was so loud I actually couldn't hear myself think. I used to think that was just a figure of speech. Now I know better. Anyway, I had a nasty cold all through vacation and had to ask people to repeat themselves a lot. But it was worth it. I'm a certifiable airplane nut.
OK - those are the airports close to home. But I've visited others (in no special order):
Washington, DC Area Airports: I haven't been to National (DCA), one of the busiest airports in the United States, since they opened the new North Terminal but it is supposed to be really nice now. It certainly has to be nicer than the old terminal, a confusing labyrinth of passageways and stairwells. The "Interim Terminal" (where US Airways and Delta were consigned to) was actually nicer than the old terminal, despite the fact it was just a converted hangar. The best part of the Interim Terminal was this restaurant called "Frank 'n Stein," which specialized in, you guessed it, hot dogs and beer. I didn't eat there but I sure did like that name. Spotting is good from the terminal but parking costs are outrageous and all the best spots taken by congressmen. Depending on the runway being used, off-airport spotting is good either near the Tidal Basin or on Roosevelt Island. The view from the National terminal is quite impressive as you can see here.
While National is for the short haul domestic flights, less busy Dulles (IAD) is for transcontinental and overseas flights. The main terminal by legendary architect Eero Saarinen is breathtaking. (Saarinen also designed the TWA terminal at JFK and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.) Like National, a new terminal just opened, which has to be better than the old Terminal 2 (concourse C and D) that you went to via stupid mobile "lounges" (who do they think they are kidding, they're goddamn buses). IAD is a major United Airlines hub (although they are currently duking it out with US Airways) and when I was there I saw about five of their Boeing 777s. The active runway that day ran along the main terminal and from the T.G.I. Fridays where I dined I could see the planes landing beautifully.
Many major international airlines fly to Dulles and there are always VIP aircraft parked on the west side of the airport, near the long term parking lot. Ever seen a Luftwaffe A310 or Royal Australian Air Force 707? No? Go to Dulles and you might luck out. Dulles has an outdoor observation deck but the viewing is not too great (though it might be better now that the midfield terminal has opened). A great feature of Dulles is the aviation memorabilia stand just past security. This kiosk sells a wide range of high-quality display models and other great stuff. Needless to say, I dropped some cash there. Oh, and one last thing for you Die Hard II fans. The airport in the movie is not really Dulles, no matter what they claim. The closest the movie comes to Dulles is the picture on the video cassette box.
There is a third DC aiport, Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) (probably the only airport in the world that advertises on TV) but I've not visited there. The terminal is supposed to be fantastic. It does have an excellent indoor observation deck with a miniature aviation museum, a recommended stop for enthusiasts.
Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP): Northwest Airlines' home base is one of the nicer airports I've visited. If you like Northwest's colors and fleet, you'll enjoy spotting here. The arrangement of the concourses is very unusual and seems to require more walking than necessary but is actually very easy to navigate around and you can't get lost (unlike the smaller Memphis, which I've been lost in everytime I've visited). There is an observation deck on a rotunda at the junction of the Green and Blue concourses (the old North Central Airlines ramp control tower). Viewing from this deck is good but there aren't many possibilities for photography (here is what you see). It is a nice place to escape the current for a while, though.
Minneapolis has two long parallel runways and you often are taking off at the same time as another plane on the other side of the terminal. Although Detroit is busier in total number of flights, Northwest boards more passengers at MSP. This is becuase they use more larger aircraft: you'll see more A320s, MD-80s, 757s, and DC-10s here than at Detroit, which is more heavily DC-9s or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, 747s. Northwest does have more overseas flights out of Detroit though, most of their European services and Asian services. From the Twin Cities, they mostly serve Tokyo, Hong Kong (a very long flight), Amsterdam, and points in Scandinavia.
Memphis International Airport (MEM): Further down the Mississippi River from MSP is Northwest's smallest (and most pleasant) hub airport. The minimum connection time here is only 25 minutes (cf. 40 minutes at Detroit and MSP) so you know it's smaller. I've made 30 minute connections several times and it really isn't a problem except that it denies me the pleasure of eating the barbeque. BBQ is the official food in Memphis (the city hosts the international BBQ competition every year) and it is well represented at the airport. I love BBQ but have never laid over in MEM long enough to get to try any there.
The approach into MEM is excellent, the Mississippi River and its muddy little tributaries, and Memphis' suprisingly modern-looking downtown. I always try to find Graceland but never can. Memphis is not jam-packed like MSP and DTW so there isn't as much waiting to take off or pushing your way through thick crowds of irate passenger (both fixtures of the travel experience at Detroit). And there is that famous southern hospitality! The employees here are much friendlier than the indifferent pricks at Detroit. KLM serves MEM with a daily flight to AMS using MD-11s or 767s. At night, MEM transforms from a bustling domestic hub into the busiest cargo airport in the whole world. If you send anything by FedEx, it probably goes through here.
Northwest must realize passengers' preference for this hub, starting this year they are expanding service by 25%.
Montréal Dorval International Airport (YUL): Montréal's bustling Dorval airport is not as busy as Toronto and doesn't have the wide range of facilities for spotters, nor does it have quite the variety in traffic, but it is still a bustling and exciting little airport. The terminal facilities are pretty decent, and are undergoing further improvement. The funding for these developments comes from the FAA, which is not the Federal Aviation Administration, but the frais d'améliorations aeroportuaires, or, in our vernacular, the airport improvement fee, a C$10/passenger fee that must be paid before every departure (connections excluded).
Unlike at Toronto, Canadian Airlines' presence is quite limited. Air Canada, which is headquartered in Montréal, has kicked its arch rival's ass in la belle province and it shows. Canadian has a few domestic flights with small 737s and F-28s but that doesn't compare to AC's many domestic and international flights. Of course, Air Canada is in the process of purchasing Canadian, so this is unlikely to change. The terminal building at YUL is '50s vintage but unlike the comparably aged Detroit Metropolitan, the government has actually spent some money to keep it up and it seems brand new everywhere except in the basement (baggage claim and, on the west side, International Arrivals). The Transborder concourse is a bit nicer than the domestic concourse, believe it or not. There's a Starbucks, surprise surprise. The U.S. Customs and Immigrations facilities are, likewise a bit plusher than the Canadian welcome-wagon in the basement. Canadian agents are more civil, however. Try to get a young French-Canadian woman anytime you enter Canada (by car, that means the bilingual lane); in my experience they are the most pleasant but just as thorough (I'm sure I just jinxed something saying that).
The domestic Canadian area is not so bad, though. Air Canada and mainline Canadian jets load from the main terminal (Rapidair is just past security) and everything else loads from the Aeroquay, connected to the main terminal by an underground tunnel.
Montréal-based spotter David Hill maintains an enthusiast's page for Dorval (as well as Montréal's general aviation field Saint-Hubert) with news and photographs, and Doug Bull also has lots on his hometown's aviation scene on his site. Montréal has an all around well developed aviation industry. I have a whole separate page dedicated to the world of flight in the City of Pride.
As some of you may know, Dorval will become my home airport this coming August, so, of course, this section will be expanded then. In the mean time, here are photos from Airliners.net, just as was provided for the three principals above.
Halifax International Airport (YHZ): This airport, which is still run by the Canadian federal government (Toronto and Montréal, as well as Vancouver and maybe others, have been privatized), has the typical Canadian airport design, one long, straight concourse with cars and ticket counters on one side, planes on the other (just like Dorval and Terminal 2 at Pearson). Air Canada and Canadian are both well represented here, along with charter carriers, U.S carriers, and two international carriers, Icelandair and Air Saint-Pierre (France). It's generally a nice airport, though a little short on food (aside from the fact that live lobsters can be bought there; they are packed in wet moss and I'm told they keep very well) and unnecessarily far from the city. Being the largest city in Atlantic Canada, Halifax is a regional hub for the Maritimes and Air Canada flies to London on a regular basis, so YHZ is reasonably busy for an airport in a relatively small city in (ahem) the middle of nowhere.
Detroit/Wayne County Metropolitan (DTW): Consistently rated the worst airport in the U.S., DTW is an embarassment to the city of Detroit and Northwest Airlines, which maintains its largest hub there. When I last flew through in May of 1998, it was somewhat better than the last time I'd been there (renovations were finished and there were no massive weather delays filling the airport far beyond capacity) but it was still quite unpleasant. The one thing that was exactly as I remembered was the smell. The whole airport quite reeks of nicotine, even though smoking is no longer permitted in the concourses. There is really little that can be said about the crappiness of this airport that hasn't already been said (the Wall Street Journal once called it a "mosh pit at peak times"), so I won't launch into a tirade here. Relief is on the way, though. Construction will soon begin on a brand new terminal to be opened sometime in 2001. From the looks of the photos in the 1999 annual report, it looks pretty slick. That is good news.
There aren't any special places at Detroit for spotting but the large windows in the concourses are kept quite clean so you can see most everything pretty well. The only planes that are difficult to photograph are the commuter planes, which park far away from the regional gates in G concourse, and the 747s in the F concourse rotunda (International Departures) simply becuase they are so big. But standing in the F rotunda is very neat nevertheless becuase, during a departure bank, there will be about 4 747s all around you and probably a DC-10 or two. When I flew to Montréal out of F concourse on a smallish DC-9, it felt quite tiny compared to the behemoth jumbo jets on all sides.
Chicago O'Hare International (ORD): This is it. This is the big one. The busiest airport in the world in aircraft movements (the only metric that really counts), O'Hare is a mammoth facility. It has four terminals each as big as most of the other airports on this list and it hosts huge hubs for the two largest airlines in the world, United and American. Its superlatives go on and on. I've visited it seven times and it was only on the fifth trip that I was able to finally cover the entire terminal. It is simply too big; its like a city (and has about as many Starbucks franchises). You can easily get lost if you don't follow the signs carefully.
The staggering size and diversity of this airport is its greatest attraction but its terminal buildings are all quite nice. All terminals save the relatively quiet Terminal 2 are virtually brand new and the result is quite nice. The airy ambience of United's Terminal 1 captures the grand dignity of classic train stations and lends a certain illusion of personal space, despite the fact that someone almost always has their luggage up your ass. American and Delta share Terminal 3, which is ultra-modern in style and has the greatest concentration of restaurants and stores in the while airport (including my favorite airport restuarant, The Chicago Taproom).
My favorite part of the airport is the underground walkway that connects the two concourses of United's Terminal 1. It is lined with glass bricks, backlit by different colored pastel lights and the ceiling has jaggety neon tubes running the entire length that are computerized to flash on and off like a lightning storm (this is purportedly the world's largest neon "sculpture"). Playing softly is a mellow new age tune that is actually based on the "Rhapsody in Blue," which United uses in some of its TV advertising. The effect is quite bizarre. Add to the effect the knowledge that, directly above your head, jumbo jets are taxiing around and you have one trippy place.
There is also a large Hilton Hotel on site, connected to the main terminal by a tunnel. It is a very nice hotel, which is fortunate becuase anyone who travels through O'Hare a few times is bound to get stranded sooner or later (I have). The in-room TV has about half a dozen channels of flight information, just like on the monitors in the terminals. That's kinda neat. If you get a room up high facing the air field, you can see quite a little bit.
O'Hare is definitely one of my favorite spots. I make a pilgrimage there every year to take a load of pictures. Some of my O'Hare pictures, and tons of other peoples', are available from Airliners.net.
Chicago Midway (MDW): In the heart of the city of Chicago itself is Midway Airport. Before O'Hare opened in the '50s, this was the busiest airport in the world and home to all arriving and departing flights from Chicago, as well as United Airlines' center of operations. For several years, Midway was closed but in recent times it has staged a comeback as a second airport for more convenient access to downtown Chicago and a sanctuary from the rigid slot-controlled O'Hare for low cost airlines. The biggest airline here by far is Southwest, which has a sort of minihub. Several major carriers, most notably Northwest and American, fly into both Midway and O'Hare but, for the most part, Midway is for smaller airlines only.
The grounds are exactly 1 mile square and you can walk (or drive) clear around the perimeter (i.e., four miles) if you have the time and/or energy. There are sidewalks on all sides and the neighborhood is predominately residential/light commercial. Appoaches into Midway come astonishingly low over street level so if you are in the right place at the right time, you could get some good photographs. If you have an aviation-band scanner, listen for the active runway and position yourself at the threshold and wait. Arrivals are not nearly so dense as at O'Hare but are reasonably frequent nonetheless.
The terminal building, an art-deco masterpiece used in the film North by Northwest, is due to be torn down and replaced by a newer one sometime soon. This is an historical tragedy, but that is the price of progress we are told. Go and see it before it is too late.
DuBois-Jefferson County (DUJ) and Franklin/Vengango - Chess Lamberton Field (FKL): Boy, these are real big international facilities! These two airports, and hour and some each from home, are virtually indistinguishable (Franklin has the better restaurant, excellent Italian that is a draw in itself; they also have a microbrewery, for the pilots I suppose). I have flown out of both several times on USAir Express, the only airline to serve them. In fact, my first venture into the air was on a USAir Express/Allegheny Commuter flight out of FKL a fair number of years ago (before there were new terminals at both Franklin and Pittsburgh). Franklin is also the only airport on this list that I have actually flown into in the sense that I have piloted an airplane that landed on the runway.
Austin Robert Mueller Municipal Field (AUS): [CLOSED] This was a terribly generic airport but was close to town and well laid out so I never complained. I've visited Austin just about every year since I was 7 years old, so I got to be pretty familiar with the place. The only real superlative I could lay on Mueller is that it had my favorite carpet of any airport I've been to (no joke).
Mueller has been replaced since May '99 with a new airport at the site of the old Bergstrom Air Force Base. The long runways there have spelled the end of the unbelievably terrifying approach/landing at Mueller. As many times as I flew it, it still scared my pants off. On one memorable night landing, I came in through the fog with power on (in a Northwest DC-9) and hit the runway hard. The thrust reversers and spoilers were deployed clear to the end of the runway when the pilot practically stood on the wheel brakes to try to stop us. We were still going very fast when we turned onto the last turnoff, threshold lights glaring in through the windows. I think everyone on the plane was glad when their heads were no longer pressed into the seat back in front of them. My uncle jokes that they (meaning the pilots) had to retract the landing gear for a moment when they went over this overpass at the end of one runway. Ha, ha: funny.
I haven't been to the new Bergstrom International yet, but I understand it is quite nice. Here's an unofficial site.
Houston George Bush Intercontinental (IAH): "Hay alguien que habla ingles?" Everything here is in Spanish as well as English but it looked like many of the people came in the Español-only version when I was there. I don't understand any Spanish and, to be quite frank, I am intimidated by the rapid northern encroachment of the Spanish language. Like the airport, Continental, the largest airline here, is also fully bilingual. To add to the south-of-the-border flavor, the airport is sweltering, or at least it was the days I was there, when it was over 100º F out. They really need to get some better air conditioning! Other aspects of the terminal are undesirable, too: very long walking distances (the longest of any airport I've been to, even longer than at Detroit) and crampled, ugly concourses.
Spotting here is good, lots of major overseas carriers: British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Air France, et al. plus Air Canada, Canadian and a host of odd-ball Latin American carriers (TACA, Aviateca, Mexicana, etc.) To see all of this interesting stuff, go to the International Airlines Building near the North Concourse (C14 - C27). It is the quietest and cleanest (and coolest) part of the terminal and the windows are huge. Jets park right up close and personal and the concourse is up quite high so you'll be at the same height as floor level of a 747. This makes photography quite easy, though you'll have to have a very wide angle lens to get an entire 747 in the frame. KLM and BA both fly 747-400s here and Lufthansa and Air France bring in A340s, so there is plenty of big iron to see.
Other than the foreign stuff, there is plenty of Continental, if you like that sort of thing (makes it sound like I'm talking about sodomy, doesn't it?). Windows in the main terminal are pretty crummy so good luck getting any pictures. There are also some severely obstructed gates so you won't be able to get a lot of shots. If you have a long lay over, there are some pretty decent places outside the terminal for spotting. Brian Miller has the scoop on them at his Intercontinental Airport Home Page.
(Note that the information in this write-up applies to Terminal C only. I haven't see any of the rest of the airport so I can't help you out there. But I've been told that Terminal C is the garden spot of the facility.)
New Orleans International - Moisant Field (MSY): This airport sort of reminds me of Cleveland. There are four concourses, each with separate security checkpoints and somewhat varying decor. All the major airlines fly here, including Southwest (many flights). There really isn't much notable about the airport except that it has a very nice approach over Lake Pontchartrain that is fairly cool, as well as the largest mens' room I have ever seen in my entire life. I really didn't have any time for spotting or anything else when I was there but for the average traveller, the biggest nuisance I can see is the lack of parking. Every lot was full when I was there. Also a pain, the baggage claim area is fenced off and you have to fight through a crowd to get to your bag (to guard against the crime the city is notorious for). Not what you are in the mood for after a long flight, believe me.
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG): A nice, modern terminal highlights this busy airport which is actually on the other side of the Ohio River in the state of Kentucky (hence the name). Delta operates its second biggest hub here and nearly all the traffic here wears the widget. Also basing its hub here is Comair, one of the United States' premier regional carriers, which is aligned with Delta. This is a lovely airport to connect through (jet services to every destination, virtually all U.S. cities and several international destinations), if you don't hate Delta like so many travelers.
Atlanta Hartsfield (ATL): By number of passengers, this is the busiest airport in the world, even bigger than O'Hare. And it shows. Unlike O'Hare, though, Atlanta doesn't have the variety of traffic. Nearly everything there is Delta or a Connection carrier, plus a few airTran flights (737s or DC-9s). The terminal complex itself is quite vast consisting of several long, thin island concourses running parallel to each other and connected by underground walkways and a people moving train (like at PIT). At aerial view was once used for an Absolut Vodka magazine ad, so you can guess at the shape. My only connection here was a distance of three whole gates but walking/riding distances could conceivably be very long: the whole airport is at least a mile long (longer than the takeoff roll in a fully-loaded 727 on a hot day, whatever that may be). There aren't very many stores or restaurants but the terminal is kept pretty clean and there is plenty to see, even if it is all rather homogenous. As for spotting, ATL has a near monopoly on scheduled L-1011 TriStar service in the U.S. as Delta is the only major U.S. carrier to still operate that majestic beast.
Colorado Springs (COS) and Denver International (DEN): Colorado Springs airport had a brief period of rapid growth and popularity about three years ago, back in the days when the late Western Pacific had its hub there and Denver's new airport still sucked. It was in those days that I visited there. It was a real delight, too. There were lots of fun WestPac LogoJets everywhere and a brand new terminal with lovely mountain flavor. Now a days, WestPac is out of business and most of the snafus at DIA have been fixed so Colorado Springs is pretty humble again. Too bad, it was a nice, funky airport.
The new Denver airport has a reputation for being tempremental, especially in comparison to the old Stapleton airport, which was revered by travelers (including my father, who made many flights in and out on business). First, DIA is in the middle of absolute nowhere. Second, it has this amazing baggage eating system that has resulted in a major flurry of lawsuits between everyone involved with it. And more recently, the underground train system (such as is in place at PIT and ATL) broke, trapping passengers in the dark for hours. United, which has a large hub there, had to cancel most of its flights becuase there were no passengers and no crew members. They were all stuck underground! It is for these reasons that when I vacationed in Denver two years ago, I flew into COS (though I briefly visited DEN). Although many of these problems are supposed to be fixed now, the latest debacle with the people mover was quite recent. Shy away from here, it is the airport of the damned.
San Antonio (SAT) and Akron/Canton, OH (CAK): I've been to the San Antonio airport a few times but I've never been in it. USAir, back in the days when they flew to Austin, routed their flight with a stop in San Antonio. They did away with that around 1994 and did away with AUS service completely two years later. Anyhow, I was too young to really remember much about it (plus, it was before I was into aviation in a big way). Southwest has a pretty considerable presence there. Dad, on one of his flights to Austin, got out to stretch his legs and told me it is pretty underwhelming, basically a big rotunda with a little restaurant and some seats. I guess I didn't miss much. It is a pretty busy airport though, with all the military bases in the area.
Likewise, I've been to CAK twice but never got off of the plane. United Express's ORD-YNG service stops in CAK both ways and picks most of its passengers up there. All I can really say about it is that it is brick on the outside and airTran (the former ValuJet) flies there, too Thrilling report, I know.
