New York holiday – pt2 Newark

Newark is not the most spotters friendly airport I’ve ever been to. The potential is there to make great photos, but since 9/11 everything has gone down hill (and those are the words from a PAPD officer).

On either side of terminal A there is a small outdoor platform from which you can see limited taxiing operations. Perhaps not necessarily intended to go spotting, but no-one seemed to care me being there. The western side has mostly AirTran and some Air Canada mainline and affiliates.

The eastern side has US Airways/America West and Northwest Airlines/KLM. Both 22L/04R and 22R/04L can be seen from here too, but the distance makes photography hard. Heathaze is a killer here. Mind you, while I was there the temps reached up to 40c, so photos from my toes would have suffered from heathaze! 😉

Another great spot, potentially, is the top of car park 4. Here you got a view over traffic coming in on runway 11/29 as well as part of terminal C (Continental)

Anyway, I said potentially as I was quickly send of. The person sending me of was very polite, and even offered to call in someone from the port autority so I could ask them for a photography permit. I was stupid enough to reject the offer, and proceeded to the terminal to speak to someone there. As it happens, the PA office is not at the airport. Since I had no car a phone call would have to suffice.

First call with PA Operations. After 2 persons they managed to inform me that I would have to call the media relations department. I did tell them I did not belong to a media organisation, but nonetheless the media department had to be called. So guess what, media relations said they could not help me since they only gave permission to the media. Well, that was unexpected! So a new contact person, PA Police Department this time! Making progress now?

So after a few times being tranferred around (“you again, did I not transfer you”), I spoke to a police officer. He started a whole story about him regretting me not being allowed to practise some amendments and the constitution came in and some more boring stuff. In the end he said (and I quote) “The PAPD does not grant licenses for photography. For as far as we care it not allowed. I advice you to use your own ingenuity”.

So while I was in the terminal anyway, my ingenuity decided that I might as well stay in the terminal area and shoot photos from there. Despite walking around with a pretty large camera, noone could be bothered. Unfortunately shooting is through glass (except for the previously mentioned terminal A spots), but it is largely clean. There is a tint though which is annoying. The following photos where shot at terminal B from the food court.

Day two at this airport was the last day stateside. This day I flew back home with a 5 hour stop at Detroit (will be a seperate thread some time later).

When I woke up at 8 I decided to take it slowly. Nice breakfast, long shower, slowly pack my stuff together. I put on the television to check the weather forecast, and guess what… the Met arrested a load of would-be terrorists.

So I decided to take no breakfast, very fast shower,shoved everything in my suitcase and took the first ride to the airport because I expected the queues to be somewhat longer then normally. Boy was I right! First sight from the airport where 3 TV vans (wonder if they had a permit). Now airports and TV vans is usually a baaaaad omen. This time no exception.

The queue was long. Very long. In fact, you could even say it was very very long. So there were a few 1000 people (I wish this where an exageration) in a line with journalists buzzin through them. “Hey boy, what passport is that…”. “the Netherlands sir”. “Are you being delayed”, stupid question really considering half the airport was between me and the security point. “Well sir, I heard of the mess on TV and came in early so I expect to catch my flight”. And off the journalist was, no doubt my story not being dramatic enough.

Another guy was carrying fish in a little box with ice. He got on TV, and promised the TV reporter that she would get the fish if it was not allowed on board. Never found out if she got a meal that day (Anyone? Was the 12 o’clock edition of channel 3 news).

My own check went relatively fast. Had to take of my shoes though (revealing my biological weapons more commonly known as feet, but noone fainted so no problem I suppose 😉 ). My backpack had to be opened revealing bugspray and sunlotion I had forgotten to put in the checked lugage. I really felt so much safer when it was thrown in the bin by the TSA loon.

Photographt airside is still no problem.

Next photos from Detroit!

p.s. Do not eat at the Italian restaurant in terminal B. It got me running to the toilet with the food coming out the wrong end.