NYC Airports Flight Guide

[OS501]

Does anyone know the final issue date for the NYNJPA-printed Airport Flight Guide? It is probably circa 2004.

Thanks.

[Speedbird1]

Excellent question. I used to save every copy of the Airport Flight Guide. It was indispensible to me as a spotter since I had no PC back then. I recall a copy showing a view of the Twin Towers on the cover. I don't recall seeing any Guides after 9-11. I used to pick-up copies at Delta or at the old IAB. One day, when I get the stamina and time, I will look. The PA NY/NJ used to print maps of all 3 airports which even included the cargo buildings.

[JHNA57]

The last Flight Guide I have somewhere, is from the summer of 2001. I picked it up on what was my last "spotting" visit to LGA that summer to catch a close-up glimpse (no camera) of the "new" Frontier Airbus. It was only a month or so after that visit that visit that the industry (and world) changed forever.

That summer was the last time you could roam the airport almost at will picking up schedules, baggage tags or any other "freebees" the airlines might be giving out. You could even enter the gate areas by going through "security" (old fashioned walk-through metal detectors) to view the planes close-up.

I believe that the observation deck was still open at that time also. It was from that observation deck that I got my first look at the then new United 767 on it's first day of service to Chicago in the early 1980's.

[OS501]

I just bought a copy of the Sept/Oct 2004 issue on ebay, so publication continued quite a while after 9-11. Someone did tell me that they were not distributed in as many places in the airports (and they probably printed fewer copies to boot) at that time.

[Speedbird1]

I just located the March-April 2004 Flight Guide which shows EWR shops on the cover. I thought that was the final edition as I never saw any afterwards but I guess I was mistaken. I have the copy showing the Twin Towers from JFK somewhere but I hid it away and forgot where I put it; hope I didn't dump it when I was cleaning-up!

[Speedbird1]

I guess they stopped printing the Flight Guide as a cost-saver; the same reason why most airlines no longer print timetables. I am old-fashioned and rather carry a printed timetable than see it briefly on the internet but at least it does conserve paper and trees! Any airlines still printing timetables? I found KAL,JAL, CPA, and CAL still printing. Strange. all Far Eastern carriers. Any others I forgot?

[OS501]

A couple of airlines still print timetables but it is hard to keep track as more and more carriers stop doing so each day. The only US airline still printing skeds is Great Lakes--and that is just those that list individual routes. For example, I picked up their sked at Moab last month that featured their DEN flights from/to Moab.

Many European and African carriers still print them, but nowadays it's mostly the Asian carriers as you pointed out.

There are still many airports in Europe still printing airport flight guides, but in the US only Fort Wayne (xerox sheets) and PHL (professionally printed) are still issuing them. ABE printed their last one for the July-Sept 2012 quarter. Unfortunately it's hard to justify them in these days of tight budgets and with the internet providing up-to-the-minute correct schedules.