Monday 26 September 2016

Brexit and the impact on travel - Travel bloggers

Have 3 months really passed since the Brexit vote?
At the time the Brexit decision was a done deal, we did a high level capture of predictions on what the UK's move out of the EU could mean for travel. Since then, we have been watching, and listening.

What interests us most is what travel bloggers have to say about the subject. Here's a sampling:

Day after Brexit on Paros
Pamela Munro Travel Blog

Recent posts...

The UK Is OK Thanks! - Adventures of a Digital Nomad
Brexit and the Future - Roaming Ryan
Lifestyle: What does Brexit mean for us? - Strangeness and Charm
Almost Dutch - Expat Live With a Double Buggy
Does Brexit Effect Your European Health Card? - A Backpacker's Tale
Summer Recap, Brexit Blues and Going Back to University - The Culture Map
Staycation & Style in the Great British Countryside - Hey Dip Your Toes In

Less recent, but still thought provoking... 

Brexit and the Traveler: Europe Just Got Even More Interesting - Rick Steves
Why We Need Travel More Than Ever - This Battered Suitcase
What Does Brexit Mean for Accessible Travel? - Barrier Free Travels
Reflections on Brexit - The Last Ditch
Brexit: Why Brexit won’t happen - The Flaneur
What happens to expats after Brexit? - Sage & Simple
What will be the impact of brexit on travel? - Amanda's Wanderlust
What Does Brexit Mean for Travellers? - Twins That Travel
What does Brexit mean for Brits travelling abroad? - My Funky Travel
Brexit: How will this impact the travel and tourism industry - Life as a Butterfly
Brexit: How much should Politics Impact Travel? - Soul Travel Blog
Getting Dumped By Your Homeland - Chucking Roosters
20 Reasons To Move To New Zealand If You’re Pissed Off At The Brexit - Anita Hendrieka Travel Blog
We could all do with a holiday (Brits Abroad) - The Mum Blog
7 Reasons Leaving the EU Will Affect Travel Loving Families - The Family Freestylers

Have you seen the Patrick Stewart sketch?

On a lighter note...

'Brexit: the Musical' is coming to London - TimeOut
Patrick Stewart sketch: what has the ECHR ever done for us? (video) - The Guardian

Related stories

Opera boss gives up UK citizenship over Brexit - Truelinked Blog
Planning your next Euro Trip? Here’s what you need to know - SandeepaChetan's Travel Blog
Scotland after Brexit (an October event in Edinburgh) - Nordic Horizons


May we suggest...
Airport Beacons 2.0
Airports of the Future - New Perspectives
What is a Data Driven Airport?
The Burning Man 747
Famous fare: Nimoy drives JFK

Friday 23 September 2016

Luxury Layover: London.

Afternoon tea at the historic Maison Bertaux in SoHo
Wikicommons image
Do you crave a day of luxury in London? Or perhaps a whole weekend?

There are lots of possibilities. We've sourced the following to give you some ideas. ... [read more].


Want more layover ideas?
• Read more stories on the LayoverIdeas Blog
• Explore cities worldwide on LayoverIdeas.com

Related resources
Mugging: are you a target? 10 resources
Spot the deadly fake taxi on your international travels!
Dealing with taxi drivers
Dealing with touts
Airport arrival advice

Thursday 15 September 2016

Airport Beacons 2.0

You've heard of Bluetooth, but what are AltBeacon, iBeacon and Eddystone? They are all part of what is called proximity technology, and they are working hard to make your airport experience less painful and more connected. But just what are beacons and how they impact your travel experience?

You could call Steve Statler a beaconologist. Formerly of Qualcomm, Steve was part of the team responsible Gimbal, one of the industry's leading Bluetooth beacons.

Steve's new book, Beacon Technologies: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Beacosystem, is creating buzz and interest in the transportation technology community, so we thought we'd bring you some highlights.

Our digital and physical worlds collide - beacons

We’re witnessing the collision of our digital and physical worlds at the airport terminal as Bluetooth beacons begin to change customer experiences at venues around the globe. So what are the implications for airports? By Steve Statler, author of ‘Beacon Technologies: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Beacosystem’ [read the full article on Air Transport IT Review].

Beacons at San Diego International Airport

San Diego International Airport has over a long period of time worked to integrate the infrastructure into the airport and has deployed 300 beacons around the campus, highlighting different areas for deployment; check-ins, retail, parking... [read and listen to the interview on Proxbook].

Beacon pioneers "light up the way" - Hong Kong Airport, Miami Airport, Nice Airport

Beacons are lighting up the way for better airport operations and passenger experiences, as a building block in the Internet of Things. Many airlines and airports have been forging ahead with SITA to harness the potential... [read the full article on Air Transport IT Review].

10 Airports Using Beacons to Take Passenger Experience to the Next Level - Bologna Airport, Hamad Airport, Hong Kong Airport, London Heathrow Airport, Miami Airport, Mumbai Chhatrapati Airport, New York JFK Airport, Nice Airport, San Francisco Airport, Tokyo Haneda Airport

Given the huge promise of iBeacon technology, leading airports across the globe have already invested in the technology. We have compiled a list of 10 airports that are leveraging iBeacon technology in order to deliver enhanced passenger experiences and improve operational efficiency... [read the full article on Beaconstac].

More from Steve Statler on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Beacosystem

The book

The book trailer

The website

The podcast


Related resources
Unacast Writes About Beacon Networks in the Definitive Book on Proximity - Unacast
Beacons, Beacons, Everywhere: Airports - RadiumONE
Aeroporti di Roma CEO turns focus to self-service, beacons and mobile wayfinding - Future Travel Experience
Chiltern Railways to pilot Bluetooth beacon mobile payments - The Drum
Airports and Airlines Using Beacon Tech to Send Location-Based Messages to Travelers - Samsung Insights
Beacon Technology will transform how we travel through airports - Skift

Resources from IHateTaxis
The Burning Man 747 - IHateTaxis blog
Brexit and the impact on travel: news stories - IHateTaxis blog
Ray the Parking Robot Valet (at Dusseldorf Airport) - IHateTaxis blog
Heathrow's Slick New Transport Screens - IHateTaxis blog

Friday 9 September 2016

Airports of the Future - new perspectives

Heathrow's hub airport of the future design concept by Grimshaw
How will the airport of the future differ from today's leading edge airport? In what ways can airport leaders look at the passenger experience (PaxEx) they provide to meet the needs of tomorrow's traveller? Here are some fresh new perspectives:


5 things air transport stakeholders must do now to avoid missing out on huge industry transformation opportunities


At Future Travel Experience Europe 2016 in Amsterdam, hundreds of the most pioneering passenger experience-focused minds came together to share their plans and visions for the end-to-end travel experience of 2025. As part of FTE’s strategy to drive positive industry change, here we highlight five of the key conclusions from the event and suggest potential ways forward... [read the full article on Future Travel Experience].

 

The Future of Airports - Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports


When I think of my own personal journey, it began while talking with someone who ran an airport. I was working for an airline and asked how they viewed customer relationships. He said: “We see airlines as suppliers of our customers.” That was when I personally realized that attitudes and approaches had to change; and I decided to move into airports [read the full interview on Air Transport IT Review].


Preparing for the airport terminal of the future - Future Travel Experience


"Driven by an increase in automation, commercialisation and the importance of ‘sense of place’, in addition to evolving passenger demands, airport terminal design has been changing. It will continue to do so as technology developments, especially in relation to passenger processing, shape how terminals look now and how they will differ in the future. To provide insight into the key factors impacting terminal design and to explore the latest developments in this space, FTE spoke to American Airlines’ Managing Director of Real Estate, Katherine Goudreau; LaGuardia Gateway Partners’ CEO, Stewart Steeves; SOM Director, Derek Moore; UNStudio Founder and Principal Architect, Ben van Berkel; and Merchant Aviation’s CEO, Kiran Merchant... [read the full article on Future Travel Experience].



Related resources
From Robots to Augmented Reality: Envisioning YVR of the Future - Apex
The Airport of the Future Is Coming, But It’s Still Not Here - Skift
Heathrow selects Grimshaw to design ‘hub airport of the future’ concept - Future Travel Experience
The Airport Of The Future Isn’t An Airport: It’s A City (and you don't need to be a passenger to visit) - Popular Science


Resources from IHateTaxis
What is a data driven airport? - IHateTaxis blog
Heathrow's sleek new transport screens - IHateTaxis blog
A few thoughts on Frankfurt Airport - IHateTaxis blog
Mamava lactation pods - LayoverIdeas blog

Monday 5 September 2016

The Burning Man 747

Burning Man's 747 night club
Burning Man 2016 - Image copyright Apex
Every year, the build Black Rock City Airport from scratch. Every year it comes alive with Burning Man participants. And every year it vanishes without a trace. It's all in keeping with the Burning Man principles.

And, no, you can't fly on a jet to Burning Man. Think Cessnas. Yet, this year, there was a 747 on the ground.


Burning Man PaxEx: An Ephemeral Airport and a Boeing 747 Nightclub - by Jordan Yerman

From its humble beginnings on San Francisco’s Ocean Beach, Burning Man has become a global destination for artists, dreamers, doers and those who want to spend a week in the desert with a makeshift pop-up community of over 70,000. The playa, where Burning Man takes place, is officially known as Black Rock City, and it (and its airport) only spring into structured existence during the festival, taking place this year from August 28 to September 5, 2016 [read the full article on Apex].

Appearing to rise out of the desert, the 747 art project
begins to be assembled in Black Rock City

 Black Rock Metropolis’s Largest Artwork Automotive: Transformed 747 Lands at Burning Man

A temporary metropolis for tens of thousands built annually in Nevada’s remote Black Rock Desert, the Burning Man festival is famous for its extreme architecture and creative art cars, the latter now including a transformed Boeing 747. The carved-out jumbo jet invites people to hop on board for speakers, parties and other events. It is being towed around the dusty playa by a surprisingly small service vehicle, a bit like one might see on the tarmac at an airport... [read the full article, with pictures, on Globotimes].

The 747 Project was powered by volunteers (IndiGoGo)

How The Journey Began: Drawings in the Dust - The 747 Project IndiGoGo page

The story of the project began in 2009 when Ken Feldman first sketched a 747 with the top cut off in the dust of the Playa while camping with Robot Heart.  “This” said Ken, “would be the craziest art car of all time!”  So crazy that he put the idea aside... In 2014, returning from Burning Man, he shared his long dormant 747 idea with Will Lundy, who told him about the Mojave Airport where a fleet of 747s lay grounded at the boneyard...   He shared the idea with his old camp mate Jon Teo, who grabbed him by the shoulders and said “Let's do this!"... [read the rest of the story on the project's IndiGoGo page].
Burning Man from the air
Related resources
Black Rock City Municipal Airport Website - the 2016 airport site
Burning Man - the official website
Revolution against 'rich parasites' at utopian Burning Man Festival as 'hooligans' attack luxury camp - The Telegraph
Temple burn brings Burning Man events to a close - Reno Gazette-Journal
Burning Man's loving engine powered by wealth, privilege - USA Today
Dust to dust: mourning the dead at Burning Man - The Guardian

For your reading pleasure
Brexit and the impact on travel: news stories - IHateTaxis
The 420 from PDX - IHateTaxis
Famous Fare: Nimoy drives JFK - IHateTaxis
What I learned from my taxi driver - IHateTaxis