5 things the philospher learnt about Heathrow Terminal 5

Nice piece from philosopher Alain de Botton in today's Guardian about the things he learnt while being writer-in-residence at London Heathrow airport.

I particularly liked point #2



2 There's a British Airways check-in employee at Terminal 5 who, if you manage to be especially rude to her, will pretend that her machine has suddenly designated you for an upgrade. Then, just as she observes your scowl turn into a deferential smile, she will take a second look at her screen, sigh empathetically and announce that sadly the system has mysterious changed its mind and there won't be an upgrade after all. "That's a lesson that normally lasts a lifetime," she reckons.

Kim Høltermand captures Copenhagen Airport with a cool clarity

A new job does not time for blogging make. Thankfully things are settling down. Here are some stunning shots of Copenhagen Airport taken by the architectural photographer Kim Høltermand. Back soon ... (via computer love)

Hey dude, how far is the airport?

You know the drill. Buying budget airline tickets often needs a close examination of the small print. Airports listed as serving major cities are often miles away from their supposed location. According to Skyscanner, a flight-comparison website, "if you jumped on a train that said it was going to London, but it was actually bound for Oxford, you’d be pretty annoyed ... so how come they can get away with it when it comes to airports?"

The service has gotten out the map and the tape measure and come up with a definative list.

Here's a list of the worst offenders:

1. Munich West (Memmingen) – 70 miles (112km) from central Munich
2. Oslo (Torp) – 68 miles (110km) from central Oslo
3. Frankfurt (Hahn) – 68 miles (110km) from central Frankfurt.
4. London (Oxford) – 60 miles (97km) from central London
5. Stockholm (Skavsta) – 59 miles (95km) from central Stockholm
6. Barcelona (Girona) – 58 miles (94km) from central Barcelona
7. Barcelona (Reus) – 58 miles (94km) from central Barcelona
8. Paris (Beauvais ) – 55miles (88km) from central Paris
9. Dusseldorf (Weeze) – 50 miles (80 km) from central Dusseldorf
10. London (Stansted) – 40 miles (km) from central London
11. Tokyo (Narita) – 37 miles (60km) from central Tokyo
12. Verona (Brescia) – 33 miles (53km) from central Verona
13. Glasgow (Prestwick) – 32 miles (51km) from central Glasgow
14. London (Luton) – 32 miles (51km) from central London
15. Milan (Bergamo) – 31 miles (50km) from central Milan