10reasons to book the window seat
The words ‘Happy Landings’ take on a whole new meaning when the views are like these
Lets face it. Even in this day of jumbo jets and air travel as routine, there’s still something vaguely exhilarating about the landing – and some are more memorable than others. Those turbulent touchdowns with high wind gusts and low clouds can give even the most seasoned fliers a bit of a thrill. But then we quickly put those out of our minds and take off for the next journey.
Then, there are the spectacular scenic approaches – when you land here, you know you’ve arrived at something special.
Earlier this year PrivateFly, a global booking service for more than 7,000 private jets around the world, asked a well-traveled list of 23 panelists to narrow down their 2016 list of airport approaches to create a short list of 150. From there, the poll was opened up to travelers from all over, and more than 7,500 individual votes were cast.
The panel included Lee Abbamonte, the youngest American to visit every country in the world. His favorite scenic landings include Ice Runway, Antarctica, Paro, Bhutan and Aitutaki, Cook Islands.
When asked why he chose the Ice Runway, Lee said:“Simply the coolest approach and runway in the world. Landing on the blue ice in the middle of a white desert is something you’ll never forget and want to do again!”
Another panelist, Tiffany Dowd, chose Nice Cote D’Azure, Cape Town and Hong Kong International Airport for her top three favorite landings. Tiffany is founder and president of Luxe Social Media. One of her top choices, Nice Cote D’Azure, (a 2014 winner of the poll) is described by fellow panelist John DiScala this way:“Flying along the spectacular coastline of the Cote d’Azur is as every bit as glamorous as staying on the French Riviera itself.“
And Business Traveler’s own Ross Atkinson participated in the panel. His top three scenic landings are Tocumen International Airport, Panama City; El Dorado International Airport, Bogota, Colombia; and Reagan National Airport,