Beijing’s new airport certainly looks very psychedelic. Which made us ponder about the history of airports. “An airport is a facility where aircraft, such as airplanes and helicopters, can take off and land.”
The first official airport opened in 1908 in Albany New York – by 1928 it had gone through a reconstruction, which added 3 runways.
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Airport Boom
Anecdotal evidence of that airport boom is everywhere: In the U.S., it’s in Salt Lake City (SLC), which is three years into a $3.6 billion reconstruction project aiming to open the first phase of its entirely new, two-terminal site starting in 2021. A decade after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has a gleaming new $1 billion terminal complex that will replace the creaking current facilities at Louis Armstrong (MSY) just in time for Mardi Gras next year. Overseas, there’s project overload, too: London’s much-delayed expansion of Heathrow (LHR)—adding a controversial third runway to juice capacity—seems likely to be finally greenlit, while it will cost $18 billion for Hong Kong (HKG) to dredge yet more of the South China Sea as the basis for its own third runway.
cntraveler – Mark Ellwood
The rise of budget airlines has greatly changed how we travel. More and more middle class families are able to afford trips and spend their airfare savings on a nice retail experience and perhaps better dining experience too at the airports. Where now airports are designed better to entertain travelers and non-travelers alike.
With Elon Musk planning to shorten long haul flights dramatically, who knows what else is possible? It’s all very exciting. Rocket travel at the price of an economy seat? I’m ready.
Seen our post on Why Experience Matters yet?