New Munich Airport Stresses Ease of Travel

Munich’s new international airport was expected to officially begin service today, following years of controversy over environmental concerns and rising construction costs. The futuristic development is equipped with state-of-the-art amenities, such as a maze of moving sidewalks linking terminals and parking structures, and a modern rail system providing easy access to the city center. It cost an estimated $5.17 billion, far outstripping the initial $1.22 billion projected, and took more than 10 years to complete. Construction was halted for several years for hearings on charges that the airport would not meet acceptable safety and noise limits. As a result, the airport was reduced in size from three runways to two parallel ones in order to minimize the effects of takeoff and approach noise on nearby areas.

Planners expect the new Franz Joseph Strauss Airport, situated 17 miles northeast of Munich’s city center, to handle between 18 and 20 million travelers a year by the end of the decade. The old airport, Munich Riem, was scheduled to close at midnight Saturday and will be converted into fairgrounds to be used, among other things, for Oktoberfest, which now is held in the city, according to a spokesman for Lufthansa Airlines.

Rail service from the new airport to downtown Munich will collect passengers directly below the airport’s main building and will cost about $5 one way, with trains departing every 20 minutes for the 38-minute trip. By comparison, shuttle buses will cost $7.50 and a taxi to the city center costs about $50.

Travel Quiz: What is the largest state, in area, east of the Mississippi River?

Shaping Up the Ship: American Hawaii Cruises’ ship SS Independence, which was taken out of service in March after 300 passengers and crew on two successive Hawaiian cruises came down with gastrointestinal illnesses, is in dry-dock for five weeks of galley refurbishing, which will include new refrigeration and other equipment, the renovation of the butcher and bake shops and new stainless-steel walls. While dry-dock renovations normally occur periodically, such detailed renovations to the food service areas are unusual. The Independence is scheduled to return to service June 13.

One Slow-Down Affects On-Time Performance: The largest U.S. airlines showed more on-time arrivals and better baggage handling this March than in the same time period last year, but those ratings were lower than the previous month’s, according to the Department of Transportation. The 10 largest airlines posted an 80.9% on-time arrival record in March, up from March, 1991’s 80%, but below the 83.4% showing in February. DOT attributed the performance drop to a two-hour shutdown of the air traffic control radar system at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on March 10 (because of electrical problems caused by bad weather) that disrupted air traffic across the country, causing numerous flight delays and cancellations.

Going Wild in Yosemite: Yosemite National Park is having the best wildflower bloom since before the five-year California drought, according to Keith Walklet of the Yosemite Park and Curry Co. “So far it has been fabulous, with species we’ve never seen before,” Walklet said. Dogwoods are in full bloom along the rivers in the Yosemite Valley. But should immediate viewing not fit into your vacation schedule, there are three more months of flowers to look forward to. While the floral season begins on Yosemite’s valley floor in March, the wildflower bloom keeps marching upward with time and altitude until it reaches 13,000 feet in early September. If it follows a normal schedule, according to Walklet, there should be wild irises, azaleas and cow parsnips in the meadows below El Capitan in June; yellow California coneflowers, white rein orchids, shooting stars, Camas lilies, rockfringe, yampah, bistort and lupines in Summit Meadow and Crane Flat in June and July; yellow-orange Indian paintbrush, purple shooting stars, pink elephant heads, crimson columbine, owls clover and magenta Lemmon’s paintbrush blooming at 8,000-9,000 feet in July and August, and the scarlet or magenta penstemon, mountain pride, blue flowers called Sky Pilots and Coville’s columbine at 9,000-13,000 feet in August and September. For a Yosemite flower update, call the National Park Service in Yosemite: (209) 372-0265.

Quick Fact: Number of Consumer Reports “Travel Letter” readers who were successful last year in getting advertised airline “sale” fares on their first choice of dates: about 75%, according to a survey of readers last fall.

Art in the Alhambra: Hispano-Islamic art treasures from around the world have been collected for the first-ever exhibition at the Alhambra, the medieval Moorish palaces perched on a hill overlooking Granada, Spain. Called “Al-Andalus--Islamic Art in Spain,” the exhibition brings together 130 art treasures from 70 institutions in 15 countries, and is being mounted 500 years after Spain drove out its Arab conquerors. The exhibition celebrates the artistic heritage of eight centuries of Moorish rule in Spain. It runs through June 7, after which a smaller selection will go on display at the Metropolitan in New York. Among the highlights are a gilt, ivory and enamel encrusted sword and scabbard that belonged to Boabdil, the last Moorish ruler of Granada.

Comparatively Speaking: Cost of a cup of coffee in Milan, Italy, $4.58; in Copenhagen, $3.13; in Sydney, Australia, $2.95; in Madrid, $1.98; in Johannesburg, South Africa, 81 cents. (Source: Runzheimer International.)

Fair Warning: More than half a million people are expected to attend Carnaval ’92 in San Francisco’s Mission District next weekend, May 22-24. San Francisco’s version of Mardi Gras is always celebrated in May with a parade, three balls and a free, two-day outdoor festival that includes music and dance and spicy ethnic food. Carnaval is a fund-raising project for Mission Neighborhood Centers. For more information, write the San Francisco Visitor Information Center, P.O. Box 429097, San Francisco 94142-9097, or call the Carnaval information line: (415) 824-8999.

Quiz Answer: At 58,876 square miles, Georgia is largest, but 20 states west of the Mississippi are larger.