CHARGING FOR CARRY-ONS

This is just so RyanAir-esque. Charging for carry-ons, I can barely even write such a sentence without a scowl on my face. Low cost carrier Allegiant Air will start charging about $35 per carry on bag. Come on now…

THE $1 BILLION RESORT-

Real Madrid, quite possibly the world’s most renowned football club, announced it will spend US $1 billion on a luxe resort complex complete with multiple hotels, marina and amusement park in the UAE. “Real Madrid Resort Island” will also feature an Oceanside stadium, hi-tech club museum and fabulous beachside bungalows with views of a hologram show scrolling Real Madrid’s most thrilling goals. And, in case you were worried, rest assured there will be a 10,000-seat stadium as well.

WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS AIRPORTS

Whether they’re big, small, innovative or antiquated, if you’re an avid traveler, chances are that airports of any type intrigue you in some way. It’s challenging to fully grasp how these micro-cities function, and beyond that, how their design concepts even arise. Have a look some of these feats that have been named to the list of “World’s Most Dangerous Airports”- and consider this if you’ve ever flown into any!

-Kansai Int’l Airport- Osaka, Japan- Engineers here had to head 3 miles offshore into Osaka Bay to construct this artificial island that battles daily against potential earthquakes, cyclones, storms, unstable seabeds and global warming that may eventually impact rising water levels that surround the complex.

-Gibraltar- Moonlighting as a base for the UK’s Royal Air Force, commercial flights land here on a strip that is bisected by Gibraltar’s busiest road. Railroad gates drop each time a plane lands or takes off. Eek.

-Madeira International Airport- Portugal- A runway built literally on a bridge- thankfully it’s strong enough to handle a 747 but to look at this photo, it’s easy to have doubts.

-Courchevel International Airpot- France- Pilots landing at this airport in the French Alps would be best served by slalom lessons in addition to the required special certification before attempting this runway- takeoff is downhill, landing runs uphill literally, at an 18.5% incline grade.

-Ice Runway- Antarctica- Surprise, no runway here at all! Just a long thick sheet of ice that is groomed carefully and frequently, so supersized aircraft used to haul researchers and supplies can travel in and out with relative ease, as long as Mother Nature cooperates.