IATA Code: SEA – Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

April 19, 2019 by thetravelercarl

International Air Transport Association (IATA) Location Identifier uses a 3-letter code to identify locations of airports throughout the world.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport or also referred to as Sea-Tac Airport is the primary commercial airport servicing the Seattle metropolitan area in the US state of Washington. It is located in the city of SeaTac which is south of Seattle and northeast of Tacoma. SEA is the largest airport in the Pacific Northwest region of the continent and is owned and operated by the Port of Seattle. The airport has flights to cities throughout North America, Europe, Middle East and Asia. It is the primary hub for Alaska Airlines. It is also a hub and international gateway to Asia for Delta Air Lines.

SEA has about 80 gates with 4 concourses and 2 satellite buildings. I arrived in concourse A from DFW airport. It was exhausting since I just got off of work and went directly to the airport for my flight to Seattle to meet my mum. I got in Sea-Tac Airport at 0045H PST. The airport was ginormous and tidy. They have this high ceilings that made it look more airy and spacious. The whole area was lit with lights not too blinding, just the right glare. The signs were positioned right where tourists can see them and not get lost. The flight boards were well-monitored so, everything that happened in the air, the travelers were aware. It was the first day of Spring but the temperature inside was well-maintained. Security wise, they never failed to make the passengers feel safe and secured. Restaurants and stores were everywhere, lining the hallway to your boarding gates by stalls.

When it was my flight back to Texas, departure was not stressful. It was organized. My flight was at 0500H but the airport was jampacked with travelers. It was still spacious though. The boarding gates were linked thru a train passing through the 6 different concourses.

Sea-Tac Airport is an international gateway of the United States and it is expanding due to the increase number of passengers. Washington State is a must-see state, thus, the airport should be able to accommodate all the guests it can get. It’s a good thing, SEA can do it.

IATA Code: HNL – Honolulu International Airport

March 1, 2019 by thetravelercarl

International Air Transport Association (IATA) Location Identifier uses a 3-letter code to identify locations of airports throughout the world.

HNL/ Daniel K. Inouye International Airport or also known as Honolulu International Airport is the principal aviation gateway of the city of Honolulu on Oahu Island in the state of Hawaii. It is identified as one of the busiest airports in the country. The airport is named after the US Senator and Medal of Honor recipient Daniel K. Inouye who represented Hawaii. The airport is located 3 miles northwest of Honolulu’s CBD.

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport serves as the main hub of Hawaiian Airlines which is the largest Hawaii-based airline. It offers flights between the various airports of the Hawaiian islands and also serves the continental US, Canada, Australasia, the Asian nations and Pacific Rim. I arrived in HNL Airport around 1030H from Sydney, Australia. Upon de-planing, I instantly noticed that the airport building is old. I saw the ceilings need fix, the travelators were not working, and the smell of a wet carpet. I was in a hallway on my way to US Customs and Border Protection. The lightings were dim but relaxing to look at and they incorporate small trees and gardens making in the arrival area making it a more environment-friendly airport. They also have a pick-up zone for ride share such as Uber and Lyft.

For the departure part of HNL airport, I was dropped by at Terminal 1 since I am still flying via Hawaiian Airlines. The departure area was congested. But kudos to the employees of the airport for helping out travelers to get their boarding passes for their flights. They also have this ginormous flight board.

After I was done with TSA check, I went to the boarding area. As what most of the airports have, Honolulu International Airport has stores and fastfood chain for the traveling population. It was still not a surprise with holes on the ceilings. It was easy to navigate to get to my boarding gate since there were signages everywhere.

When we were in the plane and ready to takeoff, it took about 5 – 10 minutes to get to the tarmac. We passed a bridge just to get to the runway. That was my first time to see the runway on a separate island from the airport building. When we were on the air, the view outside my window was just mesmerizing.

As a summary, HNL airport is a decent airport but needs improvement. It really needs renovation and fixing. Honolulu is one of the best places to visit for tourists making the restoration of the airport a priority. We don’t want our travelers to have a negative comment about our airport even though they haven’t seen the beauty of O’ahu island.

IATA Code: SYD – Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport

January 11, 2019 by thetravelercarl

International Air Transport Association (IATA) Location Identifier uses a 3-letter code to identify locations of airports throughout the world.

SYD or Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport is an international airport in Sydney, Australia. It is located 5 miles south of Sydney city center, in the suburb of Mascot. SYD is the primary airport serving Sydney and is the primary hub of Qantas, as secondary hub of Virgin Australia and JetStar Airways. Sydney Airport is one of the world’s longest continuously operated commercial airports and the busiest airport in Australia.

Deplaning process started and I got off the plane fast. It was indeed a great day in Sydney, the sun was out and took a quick photo of JetStar since it signifies, I am in Australia. After I got out of the gates, stores welcomed the passengers. Stores selling cosmetics, perfumes, and more goodies lined the walkway to immigration counters. When I got to Immigration Counters, it was divided to all other passport holders and ePassport self service for citizens of Australia, UK, US, Singapore, Switzerland, Italy, Japan, and other eligible countries. It was an easy breezy passing the immigration counter. I made sure that I got my tourist visa and passport in my hand. Next was the baggage claim.

I was already in the arrival area, tourists can have their money exchange to Australian dollars in a money exchange booth. There were also restaurants, fastfood chains, and meeting point.

To get to the city center, travelers can choose variety of modes of transportation. They have choices of using the public trains, public buses, rental cars, private limousines and share/ transport app like Uber. I used the former by walking from the arrival area to the specified location for Uber pick-ups. I was directed by the app to head to P7 Express Pick-up.

Then, I saw this waving at me, welcoming me officially to the Land Down Under, Australia

Getting back to the airport is easily accessible just by riding the train. It has 2 stops, the domestic airport station and international airport station. I got off of the international airport station and headed to the international departures area. The whole area was spacious, clean, well-planned as well as the ventilation and lighting were good. Check-in Information screens were in every check-in counter.

Welcome to International Airport Station – Sydney

Like every airport in the world, after passing check-in counter, passengers need to undergo routine checks such as security check, immigration clearance, and border patrol. After passing those checks, I was able to roam around the boarding gates. The airport has clean bathrooms but they don’t have bidet like Japan airports has. I just did window shopping to kill time since I already have what I needed at that moment. Then, I went to the boarding gate while waiting for my flight back to the US. I had a quick stop at the money exchange booth.

Foreign Money Exchange Booth inside the Boarding Gates

The whole time I stayed in Sydney Airport while waiting for my flight was easy breezy. I got hungry but I got access to food. I needed to charge my phone but they have charging stations. Fairly, it was a good place to spend time waiting for your flight.

IATA Code: HND – Haneda International Airport

December 14, 2018 by thetravelercarl

International Air Transport Association (IATA) Location Identifier uses a 3-letter code to identify locations of airports throughout the world.

HND/ Haneda International Airport is one of the two primary airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area. It is also the primary base of Japan’s two major domestic airlines, Japan Airlines and ANA or All Nippon Airways. The airport is located in Ota, Tokyo which is 8.7 miles south of Tokyo Station. HND was used to be the primary international airport serving Tokyo but was changed in 1978 when all international flights were diverted to NRT/ Narita International Airport. Thereby, making Haneda Airport only serving domestic flights and some chartered flights to nearby East Asian’s cities. It was then changed in 2010 when a dedicated international terminal was opened along with the completion of a 4th runway that allows long-haul flights. In 2014, HND was back to serving international flights. The Japanese government is currently encouraging the use of HND airport for premium business routes and the use of NRT airport for leisure routes and low-cost carriers.

I was down in Tokyo, exploring. It was almost my time to go back to the airport for the continuation of my trip. I was in Harajuku Train Station and for me to get to HND Airport, I have to get to Hamamatsucho Station and change service train to Tokyo Monorail.

It was a relief since my friend offered to go with me to the Hamamatsucho station. But after I got to the Tokyo Monorail platform, I got a speed bump. There were 3 trains servicing the line. I was a little bit confused on when to ride the train. I asked 3 people and none of them speaks English. A red train arrived and was waiting for passengers and there was me, still looking for answers. The last person I asked, still has limited English communication skill but told me that the red train will go to HND airport. I was still questioning if it was a right information but the signs were so fast that I can’t even read the English translation. Time was clicking and I don’t want to miss my flight and then suddenly, I made up my mind and rode the red train. Thank goodness, it was indeed the right train. I got to the International Departure area with ample time to check-in.

After I got my boarding pass, finding the boarding gate was easy. I passed the security, immigration officer in less than 10 minutes. I have enough time to walk around the airport while waiting for boarding time. In boarding gates, there are more international stores like Cartier, Victoria’s Secret, Chanel, and etc.

I was so tired after the stressful day in Tokyo. I found my boarding gate for my flight. I took a quick nap while waiting while charging my phone for my next flight.

Haneda International Airport is a pretty new and nice airport. It was wide and the whole time I was there was good. I was really tired that I didn’t have the energy to see some of the services the airport offers. It was a long day for me in Tokyo but at the end of my journey in Japan, I found refuge in HND Airport.

IATA Code: NRT – Narita International Airport

November 30, 2018 by thetravelercarl

International Air Transport Association (IATA) Location Identifier uses a 3-letter code to identify locations of airports throughout the world.

NRT or known as Narita International Airport is located approximately 37 miles east of Central Tokyo in Chiba Prefecture, straddling the border between the city of Narita and adjacent town of Shibayama. It is an international airport serving the Greater Tokyo Area of the country. NRT was the second-busiest passenger airport in Japan right after Haneda International Airport. The airport has the record of the longest runway in Japan. NRT serves as the main international hub of Japan Airlines, ANA, and as a hub also for low-cost carriers such as JetStar Japan, Peach and Vanilla Air. In 2017, Narita International Airport has ranked 49th on the list of the busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic.

We deplaned in Terminal 1 and after the plane made a complete stop and the door was opened. I went out to see NRT Arrival Terminal 1. I was welcomed with these signs.

While I was walking to the arrival area, the hallway was spacious and tidy. We were scanned by their thermal-imaging cameras making sure that everyone is screened for passengers with high temperature and is not sick. Right after the body heat scanner, I followed a queue to the immigration officer. The immigration counter was divided into 2, the foreign passport holders and the local passport holders. They have a lot of IOs making the processing easy and fast. Since I was already in Japan, the country is famous of how their toilet seat looks like. So, I went into the bathroom and took a photo of how sophisticated their toilet seats are.

I’ve been to different places but I have never seen such bathroom as complex as this, LOL. While a person is taking a dump, an individual has an option to turn the music on for privacy if he/she has gassy situation. It has volume functionalities thus, able to control how loud privacy is needed. The best part of the seat is the bidet. There are two options for bidet, the rear and the front. The rear bidet is used to clean the butt after taking a dump while the front bidet is mostly used for women after taking a piss. It can be controlled by pressing on/off button and also can be managed by increasing or decreasing the water pressure. This toilet is indeed an invention of a genius. After my Japanese bathroom encounter, I went to the luggage claiming area. It is again spacious, well maintained, orderly and tidy.

I didn’t have any luggages. Right after I took pictures, I went directly to customs. I completed the Customs Form easily since I don’t have anything to declare.

Then, I got to the South Wing Arrival Area. The arrival area is spacious too but with huge numbers of passengers around. It was chaotic for me to find where I needed to go. It took me several minutes to compose myself. I was looking for the direction to get a ticket for the train to go to the city. I was wandering around only to find out that it was just infront of me. In the arrival area, there are money changers where travelers can change notes.

Since I only have limited time to see Japan. I went directly downstairs and followed the railway sign. I was able to secure a ticket to Tokyo via Narita Express. Narita Express has automated machine for tickets but I prefer to talk to an agent rather than getting a wrong ticket and get lost.

After I got my one-way ticket, I went another level down to get to the train. In the ticket, it will show the departure time, cart number, and seat number. The train arrived but passengers need to wait for 5-10 minutes for them to clean it. Travelers need not to worry, every sign is translated to English. There are also employees who will help and assist and they speak English.

Upon getting in the Narita Express train, it was clean, easy to locate seat numbers, and luggages where placed in a safe location with locks. The legroom is wide so, for tall passengers, no problem sitting comfortably. Most important information in the train is the route map which is visible to passengers.

The airport is where the travelers get their first impression of the country they are about to explore. When it comes to NRT/ Narita International Airport, it was an amazing experience. I always thought that I will get lost and no one will help me find my way but it was not true. I may have only seen the arrival area of terminal 1 of NRT but I could say that the whole operation in the airport is the handled the same.

Visa to the State of Japan

October 26, 2018 by thetravelercarl

I’ve gone to East Asia. I’ve already been to South Korea and one other country popular in East Asia is, of course, the land of the rising sun, Japan. I have dreamt of visiting Japan when I was a kid. Thus, I made sure to go and visit the capital of Anime. I am currently holding a Philippine passport. For a Filipino citizen to enter the nation of Japan, he/she should have a visa.

Visa is a form of documentation issued by the nation’s government allowing the bearer to enter or leave that country.

Japan’s Transit Visa

Japan or officially called as Nippon-koku or literally the ‘State of Japan’ is an island country in East Asia. It is located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian mainland and stretches from the sea of Okhotsk in the north of the East China Sea and China in the southwest. The symbol that make up the nation’s name which mean, ‘sun origin’, that’s why it is called the Land of the Rising Sun. Japan lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire consisting of more than 6,000 islands. The largest islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku.

I have a layover in Japan for about 8 hours and I would rather go out of the airport and explore the city than staying inside the boarding gates for the whole duration of the layover. So, I have decided to get a transit visa to see Japan. Since I live in Ohio, I have to check online where I can lodge my application. I found out that I have to send my requirements and paper application to Consulate General of Japan in Detroit, Michigan. Here are the following documents that I needed to mail:

Valid Passport
Visa Application Form
One Passport-sized Photo to be attached to the Application Form
Proof of Current Address in the States of Michigan or Ohio
Proof of Legal Residency Status in the US
Documentation Necessary to Enter the country after Japan
Flight Itinerary
Release of Liability
Self-addressed envelop with tracking system

Since the Philippines and Japan have a travel agreement, thus, Filipinos don’t have to pay for visa fees if they stay in Japan less than 30 days. Another additional requirements are if your stay exceeds one night, you have to provide itinerary in Japan and bank statement.

I mailed my application on the 18th of September and the consulate called me on the 21st, telling me that I got the transit visa to visit the country. I received my passport with the visa pasted on one of the pages on the 25th of the same month. The whole application was fast. Now, my bags are packed to travel and I’m ready to have a transit trip to Tokyo.