Airports Airlines and Airplanes

From:         Bob Rankin 
Subject:      TOURBUS - 23 JUN 2005 - Airports, Airlines, and Airplanes

TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC: AIRPORTS, AIRLINES, AND AIRPLANES

The Internet Tourbus - U.S. Library of Congress ISSN #1094-2239
Copyright © Bob Rankin and Patrick Crispen - All rights reserved

Leavin' on a jet plane? Today's TOURBUS will help you make air travel reservations, find airports, get airline information, and view real- time flight tracking data. Read on...

Today's TOURBUS is sponsored in part by ACSM Supplies, one of our most loyal advertisers over the years. People actually write me and say thanks for making them aware of ACSM's great prices and service.

A Short Detour - Ask Bob!

Got a burning question about your computer or the Internet? Need tech support? Don't be shy... ask me about computers, viruses, spyware, search engines or almost anything about the Internet. Chances are, you're not the only person who has that question. If I answer your question on my new blog, others will benefit too. There's no charge for the service, so pop in now...

Ask Bob Rankin - http://www.AskBobRankin.com

Travelocity

All trips begin with planning and reservations. And my favorite site for vacation and travel planning is Travelocity. They offer one-stop shopping for airline tickets, vacation packages, car rentals and hotel accommodations. If you're looking for a way to research business or vacation trips and book travel plans online, you should definitely pop in for a visit.

Travelocity - http://www.travelocity.com

About.Com Travel

We've mentioned About.com several times in Tourbus, because it's an excellent collection of sites, each maintained by an expert in that subject. The About.com Travel site is a great place to look for information on travel to almost any place on the globe. You'll find info on Air Travel, Bed & Breakfasts, Business Travel, Hotels, Resorts, Cruises, Theme Parks and Traveling With Kids. There are also guide sites specific to popular travel destinations, countries, states, and cities. The "New York City for Visitors" site, for example, gives insider tips on riding the NYC subway.

About Travel - http://home.about.com/travel

Airport Information Worldwide

If you're looking for links to official airport websites, airlines and travel services in over 200 countries, we've got you covered, everywhere from Austria to Zimbabwe. Information at the first site listed below is available in English, French, German, Spanish. You'll find help with Airport Guides, Tourist Attractions, and international Travel, Cruise and Weather Guides.

http://www.worldairportguide.com

http://www.hotelstravel.com/airports.html

The UK Airport Guide offers information you'll need when planning your trip how-to-get-there directions and advice, contact telephone numbers for local taxi, bus, and trains, local accommodation, and airport parking. Covers all major airports in England, Scotland and Ireland.

http://www.a2btravel.com/airports

And Then You Wait...

Okay, your trip is planned, and the departure day has arrived. You drive like a fool to the airport and then, you wait. But for how long? If you're flying from or to an airport in North America, Uncle Sam has some stats that may help to answer that question.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics has detailed information regarding airline punctuality. To find out how likely you are to encounter a delay with your airline, check here:

http://www.bts.gov/programs/airline_information/airline_ontime_statistics

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) provides security checkpoint wait time information to help travelers plan their flight departures. The wait times are historical (not real-time) so your actual wait time may vary.

http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov/index.html

If you make it through the checkpoint without setting off any lights or buzzers, you can proceed to the gate, and wait. The Federal Aviation Administration has a website that offers data on arrival and departure delays at most major airports. A graphical display shows green, yellow, orange and red dots to indicate how long you may have to wait in the airport, or on the plane for take-off and landing.

http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp

Dude, Where's My Plane?

Are you meeting a friend at the airport? Track a flight, with this graphical real-time monitor that shows the flight path on a map, along with the aircraft's altitude, speed and estimated arrival time.

http://www.rlmsoftware.com

That's all for now, don't know when I'll be back again. You know I really hate to go, but I'll see you next time! --Bob Rankin