airports: what's the longest distance or journey time, in your experience, between an airport and the city in its name?

For example, last summer I went to "Stockholm Vasteras", which is an awfully long way from Stockholm. The bus journey took something like two hours, and that was without any stops on the way.

http://www.topnews.in/files/ryanair-logo.jpg

checking the airport on google maps has become second nature

paris beauvais is kinda the most famous one. It's a shed.

well, exactly. I was just curious to know which airport has the biggest cheek in naming itself after a particular city

I once got a cheap flight to "Barcelona". Actually landed at Girona Airport, over 100 kms from Barcelona.

Oxford is now claiming to be a London airport.

it's not the longest distance but denver's airport sure seems way out in the middle of nowhere

Yes, Stevie, that was what prompted the thread. Should've mentioned that.

Frankfurt Hahn Airport, which I'm going to use next week, is 126km from Frankfurt.

I would pity the tourists who think they're going to London and find themselves in a field 6 miles north of Oxford, with a half-hour bus ride to the centre (certain times of day only) before they can get on a bus to London (2 hours in the middle of the night, 3 during the daytime)... except the only commercial flight currently going there is once a week from Jersey anyway.

No way is it 2 or 3 hours to London from Oxford. More like an hour. Even less on a train.

Didn't Ryanair once have a Scandinavian or thereabouts flight that landed in a the wrong country?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2002/mar/13/theairlineindustry.travelnews

Copenhagen flight that lands in Sweden.

There's always the couple flying to Sydney, Australia who landed in Sydney, Nova Scotia...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2172858.stm

(Every time I've got the coach it's been at least 2 hours to the stop I wanted, but yes, less for more western stops, and only 1 on the train. Currently there isn't a particularly comfortable route from a field outside Kidlington onto a train if you're carrying two weeks' worth of luggage, but I suppose if anyone actually starts regular flights to Oxford this will get fixed.)

(Also I haven't done it in years and they were digging up half the route last time I went, but I assume that you're always going to go through some kind of traffic chaos to get to/through London)

i love the Girona to Barcelona coach journey - it's just about the right length before you start thinking ffs why can't i just be in placa real drinking voll damm right now

i semi-regularly get the x90 "espress" and it's almost always about 90 mins actual coach travel time, end to end, gloucester green to victoria.

(xp)

About London-Oxford Airport's rebranding: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8208996.stm

Question: Is Girona Airport actually called Girona Costa Brava or Barcelona Girona Airport? A quick google proved inconclusive.

Houston is the worst I've experienced. But I guess I shouldn't complain after seeing the others on this thread.

KCI is about 35 minutes north of Kansas City.

using google maps driving directions, i will attempt to get to the bottom of this:

VST to stockholm:80 minutes
BVA to paris: 74 minutes
GRO to barcelona: 61 minutes
OXF to london: 87 minutes
HHN to frankfurt: 86 minutes

whoever said Houson is lol, there are two airports and both are within a 22 mile radius of the city center.

my personal longest airport journey is Tokyo-Narita to Tokyo. The fastest express train takes about 80-85 minutes.

via google maps driving directions:

NRT to tokyo: 72 minutes

but I would like to also add the distinction that unlike many of the above, you have NO OTHER CHOICE of flying into Tokyo (internationally), this is not some 3rd or 4th suburban option, this is one of the busiest airports in the world servicing the largest city in the world so that has to take precedence at some point.

also Girona/Costa Brava gets you close to Roses where El Bulli is... oink oink.

!!! I did just look up G. Bush Itn'l distance from dowtown Houston and it is indeed like 20 miles! No joek, I took an hour+ cab ride both ways to and from my downtown hotel. did I get rooked?

I was going to say Narita.

yeah in terms of lengthy journeys into town, Narita crossed my mind too.

As for the biggest chutzpah in using a city in the name of the airport, Frankfurt Hahn is the naughtiest I've come across. It's closer to Luxembourg than to Frankfurt.

xxp that's happened to me in Naples before. On the way in, 45 min trip all the way round the ring road and then back into the city. On the way out, straight out to the airport, 15 mins.

(I should also note that traffic wasn't particualrly bad either way. hmmm)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2002/mar/13/theairlineindustry.travelnews
Copenhagen flight that lands in Sweden.

that sounds stupid but malmo is a lot closer to copenhagen than other examples that are in the same country

Yes, Google maps put it at 62km, plus you get to cross the huge Oresund Bridge

http://leuco.net/MB/images/stories/oeresund_Bridge.jpg

Yeah, but it's a 40minute bus ride to Malmö before you can get the train over the bridge. maybe there's a direct bus though. Or hire a car. Copenhagen Airport to Malmö is really quick though.

I wonder what the answer to the inverse of this question is - what airport is closest to the city of which it bears its name?

most central airport you mean?

Milan Linate is good - midway along a local bus route from the city centre, if memory serves

yes! apologies for convoluted (and probably incorrect) grammar xp

london city airport?

las vegas?

hong kong kai tak (RIP)

it's closed now but Berlin Tempelhof would surely be up there

the old Hong Kong airport was located right in the middle of Kowloon - that's really central

xp you beat me to it!

everytime I pass by it on a bus I wonder when they're going to build something over it

Berlin Tegel is only 7 miles or so, but that's closing soon too. The big airport isn't much further I think. London City's about 9 miles according to Google.

I remember walking to Nice airport from the centre so it can't be far. Although it may have been a very long walk.

i had a five minute walk to the aspen, co, airport

Vegas is a good one for closest; so is Washington National (I'm not calling it by its "new" name).

xxpost at least it was nice though?

It was very nice. :)

farthest-from-city major airports in US: Denver, Kansas City
not a major airport, but absolutely in the middle of nowhere: Fayetteville, AR (XNA)
surprisingly convenient, now that the tunnels are finished: Boston
very convenient, if you're in Orange County and your airline flies there: Santa Ana

San Diego's airport is right in the center of the city

But they are (at least in recent years) proposing moving it out into the desert.

that's some prime fucking real estate if they ever do

Wait, apparently that's not true anymore. Now they're trying to redevelop it right where it is. Earlier this year someone proposed creating a floating airport in San Diego Bay, which was met with jeers and derision.

My hometown (San Jose) airport is tragically close to downtown, requiring height limits which have helped to create a super ugly, bland business district composed of mid-rise buildings that top out at about 8-10 stories. I was so bitter about this as a kid.

"i was a child urban planner"

haha I desperately wanted them to move the airport elsewhere!

"No way is it 2 or 3 hours to London from Oxford. More like an hour. Even less on a train."

Oxford Airport is in north Kidlington and while it's not a huge distance from Oxford, it can easily take between 40 minutes to an hour to get from there to Oxford's train and bus stations when students are about. It just took me 90 minutes to get from Paddington to Oxford via train (admittedly the last train). Coaches into central London often take longer than that, if you travel at the "wrong" time.

I guess it only half counts but "Manchester-Boston Regional Airport," in Manchester, NH, is like 70 miles as the crow flies (and like a 3 hr drive) from Boston.

the existence of these airports is basically the only reason I could see most of europe on a budget. pretty painless once you get to the tiny ass airports too. super classic imo.

I'll add my vote for Narita. Yay for an hour and a half train ride after just getting off a 14 hour flight. Flights to North America almost always leave late morning, so the journey to the airport begins with riding packed rush hour trains lugging heavy baggage. Haneda, the domestic airport in Tokyo, is actually somewhat centrally located.

Honolulu International Airport is pretty darn central. 5 minutes to downtown, 10 minutes to Waikiki when the traffic is light.

i didn't even know Oxford had an airport

Glasgow International is about seven miles from the centre of Glasgow. Glasgow Prestwick is in the arse end of nowhere.
― ailsa, Wednesday, 19 August 2009 18:18 (Yesterday)

I don't know why Prestwick gets such a bad rap on this front. It's a 30~45 minute train ride away directly from Central Station to slap bang at the airport, linked via a covered walkway. It's no harder to get to than Glasgow Airport. Argueably easier/better in fact, as trains kick the arse out of buses almost any day.

I can't compete with Honolulu (xxpost) but Luxembourg Airport is 10/15 minutes by bus from my flat in the city centre.

Yeah, Prestwick isn't bad, but it's definitely 45 mins, not 30. And you can get to Glasgow Airport proper in 20 mins in a taxi.

Pisa airport is really central, as I recall. 20 mins walk from the centre.

And you can get to Glasgow Airport proper in 20 mins in a taxi.

A taxi ride that'll cost you less than a train ticket from a London airport...

Edinburgh airport is more-or-less wedged between two main train lines, but a station on either is apparently unnecessary.

Pisa Airport is central to Pisa, but doesn't it claim to serve Florence?

Oh I take it back. It claims to be Tuscany's airport. It almost looks on the airport's website http://www.pisa-airport.com/index.php?lang=_en&id_sect=267 like they use that famous tower as the control tower.

So which airport is the cheekiest in using a particular city in its name?

Fucking Denver. And O'Hare may be close as the crow flies to downtown Chicago, but the traffic on the Kennedy makes it a super painful trip.

Washington Dulles is about as far away from DC as Denver International is from Denver. Denver feels much longer to me though - what a desolate drive.

Pisa airport suxx. i spent like 8 hours there tho.

it was a while ago but i remember Taipei and Bangkok being a good distance away from the city. it might have just been the incredible traffic tho.

according to google maps i'm remembering wrong.

how far is the new york one that's near astoria? i forget the name

everytime I pass by it on a bus I wonder when they're going to build something over it
― a being that goes on two legs and is ungrateful (dyao), Wednesday, 19 August 2009 16:01 (2 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

oooh you live in hong kong dyao??

I don't have a huge problem with Prestwick apart from it being labelled as a Glasgow airport - it's a pain in the arse to drive to and the trains aren't terribly useful for early/late flights. Glasgow Airport will be perfect when they finally get round to putting in the new rail link (suits me because I live like a mile away from it, but it is pretty well placed for actual Glasgow, really)

Narita for the win, the traffic is often bad and slow and it seems as if the most boring possible part of Japan has been laid out en route for your viewing pleasure- but man Tokyo sure looks great when you finally get there!

Denver airport otm for the USA, is it equidistant between Denver and Boulder or something? Whatever it is, it's really boring and far away and a muy expensive taxi ride.

There is something in Denver called SuperShuttle. It's the most amazing concept. You call a number and a guy in a van comes to get you and take you to the airport. It's ridiculously cheap too. 10 bucks maybe?

ooooh sonned in an internet beef

Just remembered another shitty trip:

Kuala Lumpur Malaysia if you fly any discount airlines to KL they route you to their LCCT ("low cost carrier terminal") which looks close to the main airport but is a good 10-15 minutes by shuttle or taxi due to traffic and no direct roads. From the main airport it's about an hour into downtown KL. Almost as bad as Tokyo Narita IME.

oooh you live in hong kong dyao??

― ken "save-a-finn" c (ken c), Friday, August 21, 2009 11:33 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark

yah starting my second year

http://newsarse.com/2009/08/every-uk-airport-to-be-prefixed-with-the-word-london/

haha nice

xpost that's awesome whereabout do you live? my family lives in tai po and we used to live in hung hom

Spoof imitates life

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2006/feb/09/post71

A new advert for Ryanair in a Norwegian newspaper offers flights from Oslo to "London Prestwick" airport. Prestwick international airport is located 30 miles from Glasgow, and nearly 400 miles from London.

it's closed now but Berlin Tempelhof would surely be up there

Tempelhof was incredible. We flew there once, and were able to walk from the airport to our hotel in happening Kreuzberg. I don't know why they closed it. Apparently there is some plan to make Schonefeld Berlin's only airport. The big problem with this plan is that Schonefeld is a kip.

xxp right now I'm living in a serviced apartment in Jordan, but just signed a provisional tenancy agreement for a studio in Wong Tai Sin - public housing, no less! - that I hope to move in to by the end of the month.

Tai Po is awesome! I spent last year at the Institute of Education and Tai Po (the urban center) is one of my favorite places in HK. Bourdain featured two restaurants from the area on his show - the barbecue place in Tai Po square and the bamboo noodles place in the Cooked Foods Centre - and they are both great, great, great.

this year I'm working at the community college of City U, really looking forward to living in Kowloon for a year.

There is something in Denver called SuperShuttle.

don't all american airports have this?

A somewhat definitive list

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

from my experience:
jfk to manhattan - could take 90 minutes in rush hour

where in manhattan? washington heights?

also, are those distances listed in Elvis' as the crow flies?

Yes, Steve, some strange-looking distances in that list.

The Narita one simply isn't true, if google maps is anything to go by.

dyao i'll see if i can find those places next time i visit my mum!

off on a tangent slightly i love the train to narita just because the seat can turn 180 degrees around so you can sit forward facing as you please and also creating your own custom 4 seater booths.

I don't dislike the Narita train itself - it's actually a pretty cool introduction to Japan in its own way, especially where it runs alongside high streets - it just flippin' takes forever, especially when you're knackered having just got off a long-haul flight. Can't wait to try those seats, Ken.

Ken's talking about the Narita Express which is also known as the "Tourist Train".

The Keisei Skyliner is like 1/2 the price of the NEX and in general, about 5 minutes slower.

does it have rotating seats though????!?!?!??!

I lived in Japan for years and always took the NEX. It's mostly ridden by Japanese! Don't know what you are talking about with this "tourist train" nonsense.

The NEX is often a much better choice than the Skyliner. The Skyliner dumps you in Ueno or Nippori, which is less than ideal for many final destinations in Tokyo. If I'm going to a stop on the Sobu or Chuo lines west of Shinjuku, then taking NEX would be easier, faster, and about the same price as the Skyliner.

That said, I dislike NEX. I can't tell you how many times I've been on an NEX train that was seriously delayed.

I dislike every option to and from Narita. I took a limousine bus once, which actually worked out pretty well and was definitely cheaper. I just don't trust surface roads when I have a flight to catch.

pretty sure ryanair's "vienna" is actually in slovakia

― ❊❁❄❆❇❃✴❈plaxico❈✴❃❇❆❄❁❊ (I know, right?), Wednesday, 19 August 2009 18:15 (5 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ya btw I should rly remember the name of the city oh welp

bratislava is sthing like 38 miles from vienna though

ya thats the one

quite possibly a fine destination for a weekend trip in its own right

ya I think so. at the time Vienna was the starting point of a month interrailing so it wasn't ideal but we did claim the extra country in our tally