I've always considered boarding a plane through a sky bridge as a nice perk, even a luxury, because there have been too many times I've had to go upstairs, then downstairs, then board a bus, then up more stairs to the plane, because I buy cheap flights to tiny airports. There was more than once I recall hiking a half-mile across the tarmac, dragging all my luggage and children (although not in the US). But the skybridge and the stairs aren't the only ways to get on a plane. Tom Scott introduces us to alternate transportation available at some airports where you ride a vehicle that reminds us of the mechanized cherry pickers they use inside big box stores. Too bad you have to fly somewhere to take a spin in these things.
I saw a couple of them our pilot said were used to used to load the Concorde, as we taxied by a parked Concorde. Had to use them because the Concorde couldn't get close to the terminal. I thought it was Atlanta but it could have been Dallas or DC.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing a concept for a mobile boarding system sometime back in the '60s. People could check in at a remote location – downtown Chicago, let's say – baggage and all, then board a bus which would take them directly to the airport and right up to the plane. Don't know if it was ever implemented, or if it just remained a concept ... although knowing how, even back then, people were reluctant to give up their cars, I'm assuming the second.
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