5 Pages: RunwayGirlNetwork.com

5 Pages is our way to highlight great travel resources. In a nutshell, we share a resource we recommend and highlight five of the website's most notable sections, tools or articles. Here's our pick this month:

RunwayGirlNetwork.com

Runway Girl Network is unlike any other aviation news service in the world. Representing a collective of talented aviation journalists, the award-winning outlet combines deep industry intelligence with first-hand knowledge of the airline passenger experience (#PaxEx on Twitter) to provide unrivaled news and insight to both industry stakeholders and the traveling public (from the Runway Girl Network website).

1. Up-Front

Stories about flying in comfort, from airport lounges to life in the First Class cabin.
Up-Front

2. Coach Confidential

Air travel for the rest of us: airports, seating in coach, connectivity, the yearning for a few extras, and so on.
Coach Confidential

3. Details & Design

It's all about design... of all you experience while flying. Those lovely dishes, service, seating design, airport dining, even airplane livery.
Details & Design

4. PaxEx Podcast

Hosted by Mary Kirby, Runway Girl founder and passenger experience ("PaxEx") advocate, the PaxEx Podcast is the perfect way to stay current and dream about flying in ultimate comfort.
PaxEx Podcast

5. Lean Into Aviation

Great content profiling individuals and initiatives promoting diversity in aviation: women pilots, women in aviation, LGBTQ in aviation, etc.
Lean Into Aviation

A few bonus pages...
Video flight reviews move from hobby to lifestyle (must watch!)
Pet pigs and other potential problems on planes
Three airlines reveal their most stolen onboard items
The underrated charms of flying in a rear-facing seat
Flying with kids: The Camaraderie of Coach

Our Review
Lots of geeky av content, plus all the latest in #PaxEx innovation. Not a surprise, given that Mary Kirby first coined the Twitter hashtag. If you fly, for a living, for business or leisure, you'll find something of interest.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Pros: Great stories by 18 aviation journalists.
Cons: While we appreciate the efforts to organize content into streams, the distinctions between them were lost on us. Would also appreciate an index of tags on the home page.

Handy Links
Website: https://runwaygirlnetwork.com
iTunes: PaxEx Podcast
Facebook: RunwayGirl
Twitter: @runwaygirl

More from IHateTaxis
5 Pages: RentalCarReviews.com
5 Pages: Trails.com
Death by Selfie
Help! I Left My iPad on the Plane!
What Counts as a Country Visited?
14 Great Cities Where You Can Eat Like a Cabbie

WiFox: Free Airport WiFi

On the balance of things, last week was a pretty good week for travelers in search of airport connectivity.

On the downside, we are hearing reports of some airports cutting back on free WiFi. Whaaattt? It's apparently true, according to articles in both Travel+Leisure and Travel Weekly. Are they crazy? If airports haven't learnt anything about what passengers want, they are totally missing the point of the "passenger experience" (PaxEx) movement.

On the upside, WiFox has got travelers everywhere talking! WiFox is a continually updated interactive global map of free airport WiFi spots. WiFox features both free airport WiFi information and restricted-access airport WiFi, complete with passwords.

You can follow @foxnomad on Twitter

We can all thank Anil Polat, the techie, blogger and world traveller (aka Robin Hood hacker) who created the app.

A digital nomad who has been living on the road for the past 5 years, Anil has clearly thought of everything:

• A low price for the iPhone and Android apps makes WiFox affordable for all 
• The WiFox website version is free - perfect for travelers
• An offline version of WiFox can be easily downloaded prior to travel, giving you the information when you most need it
• Users are encouraged to submit passwords to WiFox when they discover restricted-access airport WiFi during their travels

Giveaway: enter to win 1 of 20 promo codes for a free copy of the WiFox App (ends at midnight on October 16)!

Isn't life grand?

Our suggestion for airport authorities who are worried about the annoying their rent-paying tenants who are offering WiFi access to their customers only - and wish to keep it that way:

Wake up and smell the virtual roses: implement, bring back or keep FREE AIRPORT WIFI for all airport visitors.

Related resources
WiFox App Provides WiFi Passwords for Airports Around the World - Hole in the Donut
Find Free Airport Wi-Fi With This Interactive Map - Life Hacker
WiFox App - FoxNomad
@foxnomad - follow Anil Polat on Twitter
#WiFox - check out the hashtag on Twitter


Suggested reading
Brexit and the impact on travel - travel bloggers
Brexit and the impact on travel - new stories
Airport Beacons 2.0
Airports of the Future - New Perspectives
What is a Data Driven Airport?

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

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

The 420 from PDX

Just a week ago, as part of it's World's Best Awards, Travel+Leisure placed Portland Airport (PDX) at the top of it's World's Best Airports - Domestic Airports list. Or, rather, readers of T+L Magazine voted PDX to the top spot during an extensive readership survey.

Putting aside the conundrum-causing juxtaposition of words the title evokes*, there is a new development that could take "Fly PDX" to a whole new level, if you get our drift. Check out this headline in the International Business Times:

Marijuana Legalization In Oregon: Portland Airport Allows Travelers To Bring Weed On In-State Flights

Yes, that's right. The Portland, Oregon airport has indeed declared it acceptable for passengers to carry recreational marijuana - which is now legal in Oregon - on flights departing PDX, as long as the destination is within the state. And that's recreational marijuana, not medicinal.

Known for it's focus on service and its willingness to innovate, this latest move can only be descried as accommodating. What's funny is that there is no mention of this on the PDX website, however social media and news feeds are alive with the news.

If PaxEx means keeping travellers at your airport happy and relaxed, then PDX takes the cake. Oh, speaking of munchies...

Where to eat at Portland PDX - Portland Eater

So many people love PDX's trippy carpet
that they've created a way for fans to buy
a piece of the carpet when they are replaced!

Curious? Read on How the Portland Airport
Carpet Became a Hipster Icon

*Do you share our conundrum? How can a list of domestic airports in the United States can be considered "world's best" (wouldn't that be "World's Best Airports - Domestic Airports USA" or "United States Best Airports - Domestic Airports"?!?).... We get what T+L is trying to do, but the liberties they take with wording their award titles makes us (non-Americans) shake our heads, just a little..

Related resources
Oregon’s Portland International Airport to allow passengers to carry recreational marijuana
Is PDX the best airport in America? Travel+Leisure says so (poll)
Portland International Airport (PDX) transportation guide
Private transfer from Portland Airport - arrive stress free!
Private transfer from Portland Airport in a stretch limo - arrive in style!

All images creative commons - click each image for source info

Heathrow's slick new transport screens

Real time traffic, weather and transportation options come to Heathrow T2 baggage claim, in the traveller's language

A new innovation has been unveiled in the Baggage Claim area at London Heathrow Airport's Terminal 2.

Conveniently located where most arriving passengers will do most of their waiting - for their luggage to arrive at the carousels - the new digital smart screens will display all transportation options. Information on the Heathrow Express airport train, Heathrow airport bus service and London taxi service is now available for the traveller to browse.

What's innovative is the way the screens integrate real-time weather and traffic information, as well as updates on rail service. With this data, the screens can generate relatively accurate travel times for each transport method. They will even estimate taxi fares, allowing the traveller to compare with other options.

Equally innovative is the way the screens will adapt the displayed language translations to those of most passengers arriving on each flight. For example, Japanese translations will be displayed when All Nippon Airways flights arrive, and Egyptian for flights arriving from Cairo or Luxor.

We laud the innovation, as this is the kind of relevant, just-in-time up-to-date information consumers are coming to expect from their portable devices, and from the institutions they frequent. By pulling all this data together and displaying it in baggage claim, when arriving passengers may not have connected their devices, and are most in need of it, Heathrow is setting the standard.

Expect to see the initiative rolled out to Heathrow's other terminals in the not so distant future. Expect to see a mix of adoption of the technologies in the industry as a whole: we wonder who the early adopters will be (a favourite airport near you, you hope!), and fully anticipate those airports that are still charging for WiFi to remain in the PaxEx dark for some time to come.

Related resources:

Heathrow’s new transport screens are such a cool and useful airport amenity
Journey comparison screens simplify onward travel options for Heathrow passengers
Heathrow announces Microsoft as the launch partner on the Towers@T5
Heathrow clinches ACI EUROPE Best Airport 2015 Award
London Heathrow International Airport (LHR) transportation guide
London Heathrow Private Car Transfer - BOOK NOW

Even taxi drivers are chill about Cairn's free airport bus

Even the Cairns taxi drivers support the new airport bus

Cairns Airport has a new airport shuttle bus service - and it's FREE.

The new service, Airport Connect, provides a vital missing link between the city's public transportation system, and the Cairns International Airport, which has no public transit options. Passengers, airport staff and pedestrians who have no desire or budget to pay for a taxi or shuttle, or who are not staying at hotel with shuttle service, have had little choice but to walk.

Airport Connect will operate just once an hour, so it may not work for most passengers. But now, at least, they have a choice.

The motivation behind the move is sad, but also inspiring: 2 months ago a pedestrian died after being struck while walking along Airport Avenue. The new service means that Dinah Boughton's life was not in vain.

The Airport Connect service is not without its detractors, but we'll take a free bus service over no bus service at all. If the only thing better is a direct bus service from the city centre, well maybe that would be a good outcome. And if advocates for cycling and walking paths are heard, and additional facilities are created, then all the better.

The free bus experiment is limited to a 3-month trial period, which we think is a shame, as this isn't nearly enough time for visitors to learn about the service and begin to use it.

Nonetheless, it's a brilliant idea, and whoever seized the funding to get the project off the ground should be congratulated. Now it's up to both the public to show their support - by using the bus - and for airport executives to show their leadership - by standing their ground and extending the service. If government officials drop the ball by failing to permanently fund the initiative, then it really will be a shame.

Cairns taxi drivers not fazed by free Cairns Regional Council bus service to Cairns Airport
The Cairns Airport bus service is set up to fail
How the Cairns Airport Connect shuttle bus works
Cairns International Airport (CNS) transportation guide
Cairns Layover Ideas & Things to do in Cairns

A few thoughts on Frankfurt Airport

This feature originally appeared on our LayoverIdeas blog:

creativecommons image by bortescristian on Flickr

While we are often inspired by innovative airport design and unique features, Frankfurt International Airport takes the cake, by going above and beyond what has become to be expected of world class airports.

Among the many passenger-friendly services at Frankfurt International Airport, the following strike us as definitely created with human creature comforts in mind [continue reading... ]

Related resources
Layover City: Frankfurt
Frankfurt Layover Private Sightseeing Tour with Airport Transport
Frankfurt International Airport private transfer service from IHateTaxis
Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) transportation guide
Frankfurt Hahn Airport (HHN) transportation guide (120km away)