Quirky airport stories

Japan's New Chitose Airport is using stockpiled snow in its cooling system.

Singapore's Changi Airport is working on customer service with a smile. The effort somehow involves celebrities such as Tommy Lee. Sounds counterintuitive...

While this has nothing to do with airports, consider this your Friday bonus.

If you're going to San Francisco

Acting FAA administrator Robert Sturgell will hold a press conference at San Francisco International Airport tomorrow to unveil environmental initiatives FAA is implementing in San Francisco, across the USA and in oceanic airspace.

Sturgell's announcement conveniently coincides with the arrival of “ASPIRE Flight 1,” an Air New Zealand flight between Auckland and San Fran that will use NextGen procedures and technologies.

The test flight "will demonstrate commercial aviation’s potential to reduce environmentally harmful emissions by millions of tons annually," FAA says in a statement.

San Fran mayor Gavin Newsome (pictured, swoon) is expected to attend, along with San Fran airport director John Martin and Air New Zealand officials.

Flock ewe

Goats and three sheep will take over the runway mitigation site at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport tomorrow to test their skills at removing invasive plants.

Normally a five-person crew keeps invasive plants in check. The goats and sheep will hopefully assist with hard-to-reach areas, Sea-Tac airport operator The Port of Seattle says in a statement.

Weed work certainly bodes better for animals than the last time goats hung out at the airport. Nepal Airlines sacrificed two goats to appease Akash Bhairab, the Hindu sky god, after having technical problems with one of their Boeing 757 aircraft last year. The ghosts were slaughtered in front of the plane at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

The port, which must maintain about 180 acres of land, contracted the goats through small business Goat Trimmers.

(No word if the animals picture above are the breed that will be used at Sea-Tac. Also, image is from the National Geographic Society)

Pittsburgh Strikes a Pose

Eye candy at Pittsburgh International Airport goes beyond airplanes this fall.

Artist Nancy Judd’s recycled trash fashions will be on display today through December 31.

Six pairs of shoes can be found in Concourse C, including lacy shoes made recycled office paper. Two outfits will be in Concourse D.

Junk mail and how to reduce it is the theme of the exhibit, Judd says.

She likes to display her educational works at airports because of the large, broad audience she reaches.

Recycle Runway creations also include a vintage bathing suit decorated with colourful 2 HDPE post-consumer plastic from detergent bottles (pictured) and a 1950s-style cocktail dress adorned with rusty nails.

While the bathing suit isn’t at Pittsburgh, you can catch it at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport starting in July 2009. Twenty looks will be on display in Concourse E for 12 months. Recycle Runway moves to Orlando International Airport in 2010.

(Photo from Nancy Judd)

New lighting, smaller bill

Albany International Airport will be testing ways to save on its electricity bill.

Energy-efficient fixtures-light-emitting diodes (LED)-will be installed in the parking garage this fall.

The fixtures are expected to save between $10,000 and $15,000 annually per floor, reports The Albany Times Union.

Electricity usage is expected to drop 75%.

Airports vs. emissions

European airports tackle pollution and more.

Check out the opposition to a third runway at London Heathrow Airport. Will anyone in the Detroit area follow suit?
















Photo by Alessia Pierdomenico/Reuters.

Will green airport be painted that color?

Northwest Florida is getting a new airport in 2010. Panama City-Bay County International airport will move into a facility with a runway large enough for international commercial service on 4,000 acres donated by Florida’s largest private landowner, The St Joe Company. Airport price tag roughly $330 million.

Airport executive director Randy Curtis (right) and St. Joe senior VP strategic alliances and communications Jerry Ray touted the forthcoming airport’s sustainability during a visit to Flight International. It will be the first airport certified according to the US Green Building Council's standards for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Ray says.

Curtis says the airport decided to pursue LEED silver certification because of the adversarial relationship it had with environmentalists.
“It evolved. How can we work together?” he says.

Construction materials will be sourced from locations within 500 miles of the airport and building material will be sustainable. Stormwater treatment will be 50% higher than required.

The airport will also pursue the use of technologies that enable it to be carbon neutral, Ray adds.

But before the location of the airport was determined, 41,000 acres were set aside for preservation, the West Bay Preservation Area, Ray says.

This makes West Bay the largest undeveloped bay in Florida. Thirty-three miles of West Bay shoreline and 44 square miles of the West Bay watershed will be protected.

Architectural renderings and site plan (below) courtesy of the airport.