United Airlines' long-haul network is growing once again.
16.01.2024 - 13:15 / afar.com
Have you ever noticed that whenever you board a commercial airplane, be that from a jet bridge or by ascending steps from the tarmac, you always board on the left-hand side of the plane? Do you know why?
While it’s a universally followed method, the reason isn’t commonly known. The answer lies in a combination of historical traditions and operational efficiency.
“It is one of the many aviation practices that goes back beyond aviation itself to the traditions of ships,” said Michael Oakley, managing editor of The Aviation Historian, a quarterly journal that explores the history of flying. “Much of aviation terminology had its origins in maritime lore (rudder, cockpit, cabin, bulkhead, knots, etc.), and similarly, the aeronautical ways of doing things owe a lot to sailing. Just as boats and ships have a port side—the side of the vessel conventionally adjacent to the dock when in port—aircraft are the same. Sensibly, people decided to continue to board on the port (or left) side.”
But in the the early days of commercial aviation, it didn’t “matter too much which side passengers boarded,” Oakley added. That was because passengers would always embark and disembark down steps on the tarmac.
“In the 1930s, the Boeing 247—the first modern airliner—had the passenger door open on the right, as was customary with United Airlines at the time,” said Bob van der Linden, a supervisory curator in the aeronautics department of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. “When United purchased the excellent Douglas DC-3 in the mid-1940s, they ordered the aircraft with a right-hand door while most other DC-3 operators requested a left-hand door. Over time, as the industry grew and airports became increasingly busy, the left-hand door became the preferred arrangement so that airport operations could be streamlined and standardized.”
According to Matthew Burchette, senior curator at the Museum of Flight in Tukwila, Washington, standardization became more necessary in the 1950s, when star-shaped or “pier finger” terminals started to appear in the United States and Europe. These are airports like Chicago’s O’Hare, Amsterdam’s Schiphol, and London’s Gatwick, where passengers congregate in a central area and walk out into the fingers, or points of the star, to depart.
“Planes could now load passengers directly from the fingers into planes. During the 1960s, the design evolved to accommodate Jetways—the covered corridors that telescope out from the main terminal we are familiar with now,” Burchette said. “Since the pilot sits on the left, airports began to be built with gates on the left so the pilot could better judge distances as they taxied to the gate.”
Oakley echoed that explanation: “As soon as more complex
United Airlines' long-haul network is growing once again.
If there was any doubt about the health of the transatlantic aviation market, look no further than Phoenix. The city has just announced a new route with Air France, connecting the Arizona state capital with Paris. While air services come and go, to secure a European flag carrier on a new city pairing like this is notable.
Holland America is taking inspiration from the 1920s again for its latest over-the-top Mediterranean cruise.
While traveling in a country as big as the USA can be daunting, you have to start somewhere. Why not a weekend getaway?
From air traffic control strikes to extreme weather, last year saw millions of passengers face flight delays across Europe.
When JetBlue first announced it would acquire Spirit Airlines for $3.8 billion in April 2022, it seemed like an unlikely marriage.
The Mediterranean has long been a region of ancient history, incredible cultures and delicious cuisines. The countries surrounding the sea from which the region gets its name offers diverse opportunities for exploration, for every type of travel style.
The passport you hold is a powerful tool when it comes to effortlessly visiting countries around the world.And some passports provide far more access than others, according to the Henley Passport Index.The just-released 2024 index shows that for the first time in 19 years of producing the ranking, six countries are tied for the top spot of having the most powerful passports.The countries leading the ranking are France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain—meaning citizens from all of these countries are able to visit 194 destinations around the world either visa-free or by obtaining a visa-on-arrival.The Henley Passport Index is the only ranking of its kind and is developed based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). The index compares 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.While Japan and Singapore have made it into the number one slot for the past five years running, according to CNN, the European countries that are now also ranked number one on the list is a new development.
Last week Lufthansa made history. Weeks ahead of its major European rivals, the airline resumed scheduled services to Israel. As of last Monday, the German carrier is offering four weekly flights between Frankfurt and Tel Aviv and three from Munich. The routes mark the first time the company has operated to the country since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in early October.
How happy would you be living in Mexico?
A passport is more than permission to travel across borders; holders of the world's most powerful passports have access to different ways of living that other passport holders do not. Heading into 2024, new data reveals not only the passports that give access to the most countries, but also where you might find a better quality of life.
Six countries now have the world's most powerful passport, according to the 2024 Henley Passport Index — but the US isn't one of them.