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Tempelhof Airport in Central Berlin to Close

With Brandenburg International Airport scheduled to open in 2011 at the site of Schonefeld military airbase to the southeast of Berlin, both Tegel and Tempelhof airports will be closed.  Tempelhof in central Berlin was the first metropolitan airport to be serviced by a subway station when it opened in 1927. It is three years short of being the oldest operating major airport (Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney is the oldest).  Protests and a lawsuit have failed to change the plan to close Tempelhof in the fall of 2008.  Tegel, to the north of Berlin, would close after Brandenburg opens, the two closures eliminating competition for the new airport project.

Tempelhof is one of the last true city-center airports and its history is remarkable.  The physical location is said to be land of the Knights Templar in medieval Berlin. In 1909 Orville Wright made a flight demonstration at Tempelhof. The German national airline, Lufthansa, was founded at Tempelhof in January 1926. The original terminal was constructed in 1927and replaced by the work of Nazi architects in 1934 and 1941. The crescent-shaped halls and the neighboring buildings were envisioned as a European gateway and a symbol of Hitler's Germania.  The structure forms a massive 1.2-kilometer long quadrant with an enormous overhanging canopy.  The space and architecture of Tempelhof is a treasure in a world of degrading air-travel courtesies and infrastructure.  It is perhaps typical that Tempelhof has become in recent years a hub for discount European airlines.  With its massive space, central location and business particulars it can't make a profit.  It will close next October.  The German national rail has signaled interest in a project using the space.

Unsanitary at any Altitude - How Clean is the Aircraft?

There was a moment when it hit me hard about the cleanliness of aircraft.  Three smartly dressed airline employees boarded my flight, chatting amiably with the working crew.  They stored their gear neatly and professionally before taking up a three-seat row.  Then, before pushback, each of them in unison pulled out sanitizing cloths, pulled down each tray table and began to work it over, back and front. 

Record flight delays and crowded airplanes are causing more commercial aircraft to remain in circulation beyond their scheduled cleaning (here for consideration is the site of a commercial aircraft servicing company).  Stories like overflowing toilets leaking down aircraft aisles don't help matters (this reportedly happened in June on an Amsterdam-to-Newark Continental Airlines flight - there was some press that the passengers might group together and bring a lawsuit while Continental says it gave the 168 passengers flight vouchers and that one of the passengers caused the problem by trying to flush a latex glove).  Southwest, JetBlue and American Airways say that each plane in the fleet gets a thorough, industrial cleaning once a month.  Continental says every plane gets an overnight cleaning including replacement of soiled pillows and blankets, vacuuming of the cabin floor and total lavatory treatment.  This is comforting, but rushing for turn-around between flights it is fair to expect that planes get a pretty cursory cleaning.  According to American, for instance, limited ground time prevents the wipe down of all tray tables.  Only those trays with noticeable issues get treatment, thus, I suspect the three employees on my flight know that if they want a clean tray table for their flight they had better expect to clean it themselves.

A long, unairconditioned wait for takeoff often underlines a sense of comfort and hygiene.  The aircraft can usually use the auxiliary power unit to run the air conditioning (using the aircraft engines for airconditioning is expensive overkill that can cause a plane to burn enough fuel to have to pull out of the departure sequence for a re-fill).  Sometimes the auxiliary power unit can fail, and many report that in any event the air conditioning doesn't function as well on the ground as in the air.  The same is true for lavatories that use a pump for the flushing function on the ground, but generally enjoy the benefit of a pressurized cabin to turbo charge a flush when the plane is in flight (here is the Howstuffworks page on the topic). Having passengers lower window shades on bright, sunny days can help ease the cabin temperature before takeoff.  Then there are carriers like Cathay Pacific that runs its air conditioners an hour or even two before planes board. 

Business Class Seating Begins to Rival First Class

United Airlines announced its international business-class airline seats. Revamped seats will recline to a 180-degree, 6-foot, 4-inch bed not unlike first-class transatlantic seat.  The new "lie-flat" seats will be available in planes as early as this fall, making it the first domestic airline to take the leap.  Domestic carriers began souping up their business-class offering in 2006.  Back then American Airline offered a mostly reclining seat that wasn't quite the space hog of usual first-class seats. In January 2007, Delta offered lie-flat seats for the BusinessElite cabin that will be available in 2008. 

International airlines have been ahead all along with in-flight sleeping options for years. British Airways started a trend with business-class flat-bed seats in 2000.  These flat-bed seats are the variety with a swivel chair that meets up with an ottoman (described in this posting about the first-class transatlantic experience).  Lie-flat seats offer a full recline without the ottoman portion. Virgin Atlantic and the vaunted Singapore Air followed with flat seating soon after BA. Virgin Atlantic Airways' Upper Class service upped the ante with complimentary ground transportation to and from airports in 26 international cities, in-flight manicures and access to airport "clubhouses" where travelers can work, dine or get a haircut.  Emirates Airlines has perhaps the plushest first-class offering with a private suite, a seat in a pod-like, private space and a chair with massage capability. Qantas recently unveiled plans to provide similar suite-like seating aboard planes in 2008.

The Skyline Drive this Fall.

Just to the west of Washington is a drive that makes the most of the season change.  Virginia's Skyline Drive runs through the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park.  The drive is about 100 miles in length and has a speed limit of 35 mph that makes it leisurley.  Seventy-five overlooks afford panoramic views of the rolling countryside that comes aflame about this time each year.  The drive is listed by the National Scenic Byways organization.  They suggest that you allowing six to eight hours duration and notes 1.4 million visitors each year.  This link suggests a one-day drive starting in Front Royal, VA and ending in Waynesboro, VA. Eight stops are suggested and outlined.

Skyline Drive has a 70-year history and owes much to Herbert Hoover and his search for a summer residence. In 1929, President Hoover sent an emissary to search for a suitable, summer residence in the area.  When Hoover finally visited the new site for the 'Summer White House,' he was impressed with the potential it held for recreation if people could easily and safely get to it.   Hoover wanted to see a road built along the tops of these mountains so that others could access the area by motorcar.  FDR made this a reality in 1935 as part of a depression-era public works project. In 1939, when the entire 100-mile highway was completed. 

How the Butler Packs for Travel

Backpackers and students on long journeys learn how to pack only what is essential to keep the hauling weight within bounds and not impinge on travel flexibility.  It's great to be so compact and so sleek that you have only what you need and know just where to find it.  With age come other travel considerations that eat up space and pose new challenges.  Your vacation is supposed to be perfect and you want just the right outfit for each occasion, plus a joker or two in the deck.  There are meteorological uncertainties you have to factor in, and sometimes the threat of a formal or business outing that scores what you put in the back and how you pack it.  A nice jacket packed wrongly will come out of the bag looking as though it had been chewed. 

I read a suitcase review suggesting that soft-sided suitcases are every bit as maneuverable and effective as hard suitcases.  The article also suggested that hard cases, like Samsonites, are lightening rods for rough treatment by baggage handlers and so actually have a downside in terms of potential baggage mishaps.  Whether this is true or not there is something to be said for packing your clothes so they come out of the bag how you want them to look.  A British company called Luxury Explorer provides travel services for upscale clients.  Their staff includes professionals like Peter Pritchard, a former domestic employee of Buckingham Palace and head butler at the Dorchester Hotel in London, considered a pantheon of luxury.   Mr. Pritchard's advice on packing?  The key is to keep things flat and use copious tissue paper to cushion the blows of traveling.  Pack trousers first, laying them out in the full length of the suitcase and covering them with tissue paper to absorb potential creases.  Roll belts and pack shoes in corners to prevent the weight of the case from pressing these hard items into clothing. Insert long rolls of tissue paper up the arms of jackets, lie them full length in the suit case, cover with more tissue and fold the sleeves in an "X" to avoid unwanted creases in the sleeves.  Pack toiletries last so you can reach them first.