TalkBoard Topics - Airport Forum?

Hi board members,

I propose an Airport forum.

It should be an important aspect of this site as all commercial planes take off and land at airports.

I personally fly into a new airport about once a year. For me (and I'm sure many posters) knowing a bit about the airport before I arrive is helpful for some of the following reasons listed below:

terminal layout
food and restaurants
shuttles parking
hotels onsite
frequent flyers clubs
wait times
baggage issues
duty free - shopping
airline check in/kiosks
airport construction

to name a few.

I know I would certainly pipe in if there were questions about my home airport (YOW). As a FT member I would be there for help and advice where needed.

Anyways, I hope you will look favourably on my proposal and I extend my best wishes to you all.

Armeee

There were airport forums for some airports up until several years ago. It was (wisely, imo) decided that airport-specific questions would be best served in the Destinations forums. You'll find lots of airport threads in those forums.

There were airport forums for some airports up until several years ago. It was (wisely, imo) decided that airport-specific questions would be best served in the Destinations forums. You'll find lots of airport threads in those forums.

Agree. For example, there are several very useful threads about LAX in the Los Angeles forum.

I am not sure the traffic is there to warrant a dedicated forum for each and every airport. The current system seems to serve the FlyerTalk membership quite well.

That said, if you want to continue to support this proposal, might I suggest you have a look at this post (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/talkboard-topics/918161-what-talkboard-how-new-forums-other-suggestions-considered.html#post11201697) before continuing?

That said, if you want to continue to support this proposal, might I suggest you have a look at this post (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/talkboard-topics/918161-what-talkboard-how-new-forums-other-suggestions-considered.html#post11201697) before continuing?and maybe here...http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/suggestions/1347094-where-ask-questions-about-airport.html

Nope, no sense in continuing.... just as I predicted. Management has spoken.Agree. For example, there are several very useful threads about LAX in the Los Angeles forum.

I am not sure the traffic is there to warrant a dedicated forum for each and every airport. The current system seems to serve the FlyerTalk membership quite well.

That said, if you want to continue to support this proposal, might I suggest you have a look at this post (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/talkboard-topics/918161-what-talkboard-how-new-forums-other-suggestions-considered.html#post11201697) before continuing?

Huh? Who is "management"?

TalkBoard is the body that considers new fora and the like, and they are volunteers, not "management"; moderators are also volunteers, not "management". One moderator provided some historical perspective.

Be sure to read the "sticky" thread that discusses What is the TalkBoard and How are New Forums and Other Suggestions Considered? (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/talkboard-topics/918161-what-talkboard-how-new-forums-other-suggestions-considered.html) if you are serious about proposing anything regarding a new forum to TalkBoard, and give the TalkBoard some concrete reasons to consider your proposal.

Nope, no sense in continuing.... just as I predicted. Management has spoken.

It does seem IMHO an unnecessary duplication to have both destination and airport forums so don't believe we should be going backwards to the way it was and feel it's working well enough as is.

Talkboard is the place to request a new forum. As a TB member I'll ask you to do that we've asked others do when they're requesting a new forum - make a case for it.

Part of the way to do that is to answer the following questions.

The following are qualitative criteria that the TalkBoard believes are useful to consider when evaluating proposals to create, close, split, or move forums. Whenever a forum change is discussed on the TalkBoard Topics, the TalkBoard encourages posters to fully address these criteria in addition to any other reasons supporting or opposing the change.

1. Will the forum be (or is it now) beneficial to FlyerTalk?

2. Will the new forum benefit a relationship with FlyerTalk? E.g., does the forum provide value for FT members, such as a friendly ear highly placed in the company

3. Is FT the best place to discuss this subject?

4. Is there a passionate following? This is essential in order to provide dedicated expert helpers to get questions answered.

5. Is a critical mass of posts and readers anticipated or existing? We need adequate traffic to keep everyone visiting frequently. One living forum is more valuable than two mostly dead ones.

6. Is this the best place on FlyerTalk for this subject? This is the classification issue. The answer depends primarily on achieving and maintaining critical mass. It also depends on whether or where the discussion might (or does) occur in the absence of the forum.

7. For proposals to split a forum, is the split expected to improve the signal to noise ratio? Why?

Cheers.

Huh? Who is "management"?

TalkBoard is the body that considers new fora and the like, and they are volunteers, not "management"; moderators are also volunteers, not "management". One moderator provided some historical perspective.

Be sure to read the "sticky" thread that discusses What is the TalkBoard and How are New Forums and Other Suggestions Considered? (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/talkboard-topics/918161-what-talkboard-how-new-forums-other-suggestions-considered.html) if you are serious about proposing anything regarding a new forum to TalkBoard, and give the TalkBoard some concrete reasons to consider your proposal.

Agree. I was simply providing my opinion. It can be changed with some evidence to support your argument that your suggestion is better. :)

It does seem IMHO an unnecessary duplication to have both destination and airport forums so don't believe we should be going backwards to the way it was and feel it's working well enough as is.

Exactly.

Those who remember when there were airport forums know that there were many forums that had virtually no traffic (FAT, e.g.)

And which airports do you want to there to be separate forums for? Should FT have forums for all airports that the FAA classifies (in its four categories) as Large-, Medium-, Small-, or Non-Hubs? Only airports with commercial service? (and what happens when that service ceases? Delete the forum? What happens if service starts up again? New forum? Undelete the old? PRC, for example, for years has bounced between carriers and sometimes had no service). If only airlines with "commercial" service, do you count just those airports with Part 121 operations, or do you include Part 135 ones too?

This is solution seeking a problem, imo.

Agree. For example, there are several very useful threads about LAX in the Los Angeles forum.

I am not sure the traffic is there to warrant a dedicated forum for each and every airport. The current system seems to serve the FlyerTalk membership quite well.

That said, if you want to continue to support this proposal, might I suggest you have a look at this post (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/talkboard-topics/918161-what-talkboard-how-new-forums-other-suggestions-considered.html#post11201697) before continuing?I agree as well and speaking as a UA flyer, there are several threads about "connection times at XXX" in the UA forum and the moderators to a good job about consolidating posts into those forums and moving threads for non-UA hub airports into the various "regional" threads and with that (and although I can't speak for other forums), I don't think there is a need for a separate airport forum.

That's what I am talking about. In this forum we have a suggested format for those who wish to impact TalkBoard's opinion.

In my personal opinion as a member, the airport threads in their respective regional fora are well placed and evidence shows they are well used; in my 12 years here, it feels like a better "fit" than when we attempted airport fora. So, I tend to agree with several other members ho have posted - cblaisd, goalie, tcook052 and you, for example.

But I am certainly always willing to listen to other opinions and be swayed by persuasive evidence and logic. :)

Agree. I was simply providing my opinion. It can be changed with some evidence to support your argument that your suggestion is better. :)

Many people post airport questions in their respective hub airlines' forums- so MSP questions in the DL forum, CLT in US, CDG in FB etc... What about this overlap?

Correct. What it looks like often is airline-specific hubs or terminals tend to be in airline fora - e.g. American AAdvantage has a MCT / Minimum Connection Time for CX inbound --> AA outbound at SFO, but more general SFO questions and issues are in the California Forum. DFW is mostly an AA hub with not o much traffic from other airlines, so there are numbers of questions in the AA forum that relate mainly to AA procedures, connections, etc. and some in the Texas forum dealing with interline connections, restaurants lr hotels in the DFW area, etc.

Many people post airport questions in their respective hub airlines' forums- so MSP questions in the DL forum, CLT in US, CDG in FB etc... What about this overlap?

There were airport-specific forums years ago. I visited them and there was almost no traffic. I agree that it was a good decision to shut them down, and see no reason to re-create them.

And I think I'm pretty far from "management". And I must have missed the prediction.

I do recall the airport forums, occasionally with fondness. Those few airport forums which had a lot of traffic were great resources to really understand how to get the most out of an airport, and it is a little more difficult to find that information in the destination forums, today.

That said, many of the forums had little traffic and getting questions answered in those forums was difficult, because they weren't well monitored by FT members.

Decisions have to balance the good with the bad, and I think, overall, it was the right decision to eliminate the airport forums and merge them with the destination forums.