#Pittsburgh International Airport Upgrade | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

brookstonalmanac · 3 months ago

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Events 9.8 (after 1960)

1960 – In Huntsville, Alabama, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally dedicates the Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA had already activated the facility on July 1). 1962 – Last run of the famous Pines Express over the Somerset and Dorset Railway line (UK) fittingly using the last steam locomotive built by British Railways, BR Standard Class 9F 92220 Evening Star. 1966 – The landmark American science fiction television series Star Trek premieres with its first-aired episode, "The Man Trap". 1970 – Trans International Airlines Flight 863 crashes during takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, killing all 11 aboard. 1971 – In Washington, D.C., the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is inaugurated, with the opening feature being the premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Mass. 1973 – World Airways Flight 802 crashes into Mount Dutton in King Cove, Alaska, killing six people. 1974 – Watergate scandal: US President Gerald Ford signs the pardon of Richard Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office. 1975 – Gays in the military: US Air Force Tech Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, appears in his Air Force uniform on the cover of Time magazine with the headline "I Am A Homosexual". He is given a general discharge, later upgraded to honorable. 1978 – Black Friday, a massacre by soldiers against protesters in Tehran, results in 88 deaths, it marks the beginning of the end of the monarchy in Iran. 1986 – Nicholas Daniloff, a correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, is indicted on charges of espionage by the Soviet Union. 1988 – Yellowstone National Park is closed for the first time in U.S. history due to ongoing fires. 1989 – Partnair Flight 394 dives into the North Sea, killing 55 people. The investigation showed that the tail of the plane vibrated loose in flight due to sub-standard connecting bolts that had been fraudulently sold as aircraft-grade. 1994 – USAir Flight 427, on approach to Pittsburgh International Airport, suddenly crashes in clear weather killing all 132 aboard, resulting in the most extensive aviation investigation in world history and altering manufacturing practices in the industry. 2000 – NASA launches Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-106 to resupply the International Space Station. 2004 – NASA's uncrewed spacecraft Genesis crash-lands when its parachute fails to open. 2005 – Two Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft from EMERCOM land at a disaster aid staging area at Little Rock Air Force Base; the first time Russia has flown such a mission to North America. 2016 – NASA launches OSIRIS-REx, its first asteroid sample return mission. The probe will visit 101955 Bennu and is expected to return with samples in 2023. 2017 – Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announce the beginning of the Deir ez-Zor campaign, with the stated aim of eliminating the Islamic State (IS) from all areas north and east of the Euphrates. 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom dies at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. Her son Charles, Prince of Wales, ascends the throne upon her death as Charles III. 2023 – A magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes Morocco, killing nearly 3,000 people and damaging historic sites in Marrakesh.

#Events

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is6621 · 6 years ago

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Why You’re Going to Want to Take Uber Everywhere and Treat Your Drivers Nicely by Tristar To

A couple weeks ago, Uber rolled out its Rider loyalty Rewards Program to San Francisco and a couple other cities. This feature calculates how much you’ve spent on Uber and Uber Eats in the last six months and awards you perks, which include no-fee cancellations when you re-book rides, guaranteed prices between your two favorite spots, and free car upgrades. Below is a list of other rewards available for the different tiers. Uber confirms that this feature will be available to the entire U.S. soon. Personally, I believe that this program will discourage users from checking other ride-sharing apps if Uber puts more emphasis on this.

There are four tiers in this reward program as seen above: Blue, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. At first, I found it interesting that Uber named the base or lowest tier “blue.” I think this is a smart thing for them to do though, since all the tiers have a positive association with their name. If they were to use tier names such as “Silver” or “Bronze” like many other reward tier systems do, this feature might be more so off putting to some people.

When I first heard about Uber’s Reward Program, it reminded me of credit card reward programs. But unlike credit cards, you don’t have to apply to their reward program. It will happen automatically once the program is rolled out in your area. You get 1 point per dollar spent on UberPool, Express Pool, and Uber Eats; 2 points on UberX, Uber XL and Uber Select; and 3 points on Uber Black and Black SUV.

So how easy or hard is it to recognize some of the rewards? Well, to earn 500 points and reach the gold level, you’d need about 48 UberPool trips, 6 Uber Xs and 6 UberEats orders. I use Uber a fair amount, but I only have 101 points. I may have less than I originally expected, but that may be because I order Uber pool most of the time. It’ll take me about 400 points by June 18th to reach gold, which I estimate to be between $300 and $400. Once you do hit gold, you’ll get flexible cancellations that refund your $5 cancellation fee if you rebook within 15 minutes, plus priority support.

At 2,500 points you join Uber Platinum, which gets you the Gold benefits plus price protection on a route between two of your favorite places regardless of traffic or surge. Platinum members also get priority pickups at airports. To earn 2,500 points, you’ll need to take about UberX four times per week and order Uber Eats twice per month.

Finally at 7,500 points, you get the Gold and Platinum benefits plus premium support with a dedicated phone line and fast 24/7 responses from top customer service agents. You get complimentary upgrade surprises from UberX to Uber Black and other high-end cars. You’ll be paired with Uber’s highest-rated drivers. And you get no delivery fee on three Uber Eats orders every six months. Reaching 7,500 points would require UberX 8 times per week, Uber Eats once per week and Uber Black to the airport once per month.

Uber Rewards is now available in Boston, Dallas, Orange County, Houston, New Orleans, Kansas City, Indianapolis, LA, SF, Fort Collins, Rockies, Pittsburgh, Lehigh Valley, Gettysburg, Erie and Western Massachusetts. That’s on top of the launch cities of Miami, Denver, Tampa, New York, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, San Diego and anywhere in New Jersey. Once Uber has nailed the experience in the U.S., it plans to roll it out to international locales.

Even though Uber’s competitor, Lyft, try to steal the spotlight by announcing its own reward program two days before Uber did, Lyft’s program remains unseen. Even though Lyft might launch its own program soon, Uber could flex its deeper pockets and cultural cache to differentiate itself from any other ride-sharing app in the United States. Overall, this initiative will further separate Uber from the rest of its competitors and increase their revenue since this feature allows customers to view and use Uber like a video game where they are trying to rack up points to get to the next level, that next benefit, and that higher social tier.

Sources:

https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/22/uber-loyalty-program/?sr_share=twitter&utm_source=tctwreshare

https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/14/uber-rewards/

https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/12/lyft-is-launching-a-rider-loyalty-program-in-december/

#is6621 #uber #ubereats

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paxtonontravelblogs · 4 years ago

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Buying Cheap Airline Tickets

When you book directly with an airline, you’ll solely be capable of fly that airline and any companion airways it has. That means your options shall be restricted in terms of discovering the perfect itinerary or saving probably the most money. Additionally, keep in mind that most pupil reductions transfer over to airline companions. For example, Delta offers a pupil discount which implies you need to use that discount on associate airlines corresponding to KLM and Air France.

Price monitoring will ship you an e mail when your flight’s price will increase or decreases. Price Graph exhibits you the pricing trends in your route and lets you see what days may be cheaper to fly. Orbitz Rewards enables you to earn Orbucks that may be applied to lodge bookings.

With Bargainairticket you could have all the outcomes in your display, simply scroll down and evaluate and e-book the best flight deal. Make certain your airline will waive change charges (which might amount to $200 per ticket on American, Delta and United) when you determine not to fly. We haven’t seen many flat-out refunds thus far however the change charge waiver permits you to rebook your trip into 2021 – and in some cases, 2022.

We will look into it and make a determination of whether or not it’s a fantastic contender. In the meantime, please remember that this isn't an all-encompassing piece and it’s only designed to supply an concept of the way to discover low cost flights. There are many web sites which offers information relating to the air journey deals up to forty% off, however this website could be very helpful. In this search, I wasn’t taking something other than worth into consideration.

Airline rewards programs are the #1 way avid travelrs like me earn free flights, journey perks, and free hotel stays. They provide flight upgrades, large welcome bonuses, credit towards rideshares like Uber or Lyft, access to free occasions, entry to airport lounges, and much more. Instead, book your New York to London flight as one ticket and then your London to Paris ticket with one other airline. That will let you shop round for one of the best bargain.

No matter how typically you fly, you should be signed up for a reward program. I earn over a million miles a 12 months — without flying or spending extra cash. That translates into dozens of free flights for myself and my household. These days, you can fly a lot of the means around the globe on a finances airline. Sure, they might not be as comfortable and you could have to pay for premium upgrades like checked baggage and meals, but they carry the world to the doorstep without breaking the bank.

Then enter them into an airfare search site to get a feel for costs. Traditionally cheap U.S. destinations include southern Florida, Boston, Denver, and often southern California, but through the pandemic there have been extra super-cheap cities. I usually persist with one website (ticket booking web site, e.g. Trip.com). You may feel like it's a loss in the quick term as you possibly can’t compare all the costs across all the attainable websites. But in the long run, having all your journey factors, hotel stays benefits, and so on, on one platform is helpful.

As airlines cut extra service, as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, Pittsburgh International Airport has closed considered one of its four runways to retailer close to 100 planes. Several dozen Delta Air Lines jets are parked at Kansas City International Airport. The airline began mothballing planes in early March, when it parked 300 planes and cut 40% of its capability.

Finally, once you select a destination, do a little analysis. It’s actually fun; try your favourite travel authors, talk to travel-joyful associates and always check out the ‘official’ tourism sites on your city or nation.

Budget airlines now service many lengthy-haul routes, making it potential to fly around the globe for little or no money. Please access the website of the airways of your flight to verify the bags rules from the “Overseas Reconfirmation & Baggage Regulations” web page.

Without additional ado, have enjoyable searching our flight search engine as you look for very cheap worldwide flights to anywhere on the earth! Booking your next flight for your subsequent trip comes easy with FareDepot as we’re the group behind huge savings without burning a hole in your pocket.

This is normally handled “behind the scenes” on other web sites. Cruise firms say pent-up demand, once the U.S. no-sail order is lifted, will result in larger ticket costs. The city is seeing an increase in violent occasions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finding the lowest airfare has turn out to be a favorite frugal pastime, and there are web sites that will help you nail down cheap fares. I lately got here across an article that resonated with me. It was about our tendency—though nicely-based—to place getting an excellent deal ahead of getting a great journey. While it’s true on this economy that many of us have had to really matter every additional greenback in terms of reserving a visit, what can typically happen is that the trip can go dangerous.

Airfares average inside 5% of their lowest costs during this era. It is the perfect time to hunt for bargains and guide your flights. It's not a good idea to purchase flight tickets directly from the airport.

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civilarchitectconstruction · 6 years ago

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Design Inspired by Nature, Technology and Community Developed by Gensler + HDR in Association with luis vidal + associates The concept design for the new terminal, to be built adjacent to the current airside facility between Concourses C and D and scheduled to open in 2023 This concept for Pittsburgh International Airport has officially been approved! Teamed with @hdr_inc and @luisvidalarchitects, the design draws inspiration from nature, technology and the local community. For passengers, this means a smoother way to travel with the shorter walking distances, indoor and outdoor green plazas and gathering spaces, an emphasis on sustainability and tech upgrades. #civil #structures #renovation #architecture #engineering #design #innovation #concept #art #construction #technology #engineers #contractors #architects #landscape #facade #constructiontechniques #interiordesign #architecturephotography #cityscape #arquitectura #sustainability #pittsburgh #architecture #design #urbanism #cities (at Pittsburgh International Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv9n1wWlSG-/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1sim4syn1sx7q

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babcouturiindia · 5 years ago

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8 TRAVEL CLOTHING ACCESSORIES THAT YOU SHOULD ADORN FOR A LONG-HAUL FLIGHT

Source: 8 TRAVEL CLOTHING ACCESSORIES THAT YOU SHOULD ADORN FOR A LONG-HAUL FLIGHT

For non-frequent flyers, a long travel journey can choke you, especially when you have Long hours of the continuous journey that can leave you exhausted by the end of the trip.

If you are sitting for an international journey for the first time, you are sure to face issues with your convenience.

The inconvenience increases with the person traveling in economy class.

Whereas, in case you are traveling in business class or first class, special amenity kits are provided.

These kits include all the products that you might need during the course of your journey.

Some flights even offer pillows, lowers, trousers, socks, and top-wear in the flights.

But, in case you have availed cheap flights to India through economy class, you can check this list and get yourself dressed accordingly.

Lower your Tiredness in Economy Class during your travel

You can make your long-haul journey in economy class pleasurable only by keeping yourself in comfort.

One must wear clothes that are easy to wear and do not cause any irritation to the skin.

1. Jackets

When you are planning a trip to India and have booked flights to Ahmedabad during winter, wearing a jacket becomes a necessity.

Wearing a coat gives you a fresh look, and you can even request an upgrade, as you are already looking like a gentle person.

Carrying a jacket along with adds to the advantage, you can wear it whenever you feel cold, fold it, and place it in the cabin above in case you do not feel the need.

2. Pullovers

When you are traveling on a long-haul flight, you can never be sure about what you will need during the course of your journey.

You might be chilling at one point, and at another point, you will need an air-conditioner to lower the temperature.

Having a cardigan or a pullover gives you a feeling of warmth all around and makes it easier for you to sleep in-flight.

3. Jeans

Jeans should not be included in your dressing material for a long-haul journey unless they are loose-fitted ones.

Tighter jeans might cause rashes and irritation on the skin as you need to sit in fixed posture all through your journey.

Also, you will not be able to sit properly, change postures, and sleep in tight fitted jeans.

4. Leggings

An alternate for jeans, leggings give extra comfort to the travelers when it comes to long international journeys.

Not only comfort, but these are also a style icon for all kinds of dresses. These leggings are stretchable that can give you a relaxing trip.

5. Scarf

Taking a scarf is better than wearing a blanket in case it is not too cold. Carrying a scarf will help you with reducing the stress of taking your blanket along for covering.

Moreover, it saves space as it can be easily fitted anywhere in your carryon baggage.

6. T-Shirt

T-shirts give more comfort to travelers when compared to designer tops and dresses.

You can go for loose fitted t-shirts that are made of breathable fabrics.

Taking a tight t-shirt can be uncomfortable when you make movements within the flights to Mumbai or any other destination.

7. Shorts

When the weather is moderate, wearing shorts is a good idea. They are comfortable and give ease of traveling.

If you are a frequent traveler, you can very easily adjust to the need for the journey.

Wearing shorts for a long haul journey will prevent you from irritating skin and rashes.

8. Shoes

The shoes that you have chosen for your next trip to India should be comfortable and easy to remove.

The shoes that you wear should also be able to adjust to your dressing style. They must at least be able to take you to your hotel room directly from the airport departure.

Sneakers can be a better option in such cases; they can be worn comfortably and gives ease and warmth all through the journey.

You need to do proper planning beforehand to enhance your appearance during your journey, with utmost comfort.

In case you are a business traveler, traveling with a business suit seems to be a struggling option for a long-haul flight. But you have to wear it if no other option is available.

One can go for cheap business class flight tickets for extra comfort. Whereas, this is not possible in all the cases, following the options mentioned above can be very useful.

Also Read: asl airlines reviews, last minute flights pittsburgh, dutch antilles express, flights from austin to key west, asl airlines reviews

#buy tickets #booktickets #flightdeals #flight booking

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architureme · 5 years ago

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#gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Airport

1- Istanbul airport (Turkey) The just-opened Istanbul New Airport will be bigger than Manhattan when it’s fully completed in 2027. The layout—inspired by Istanbul’s history and culture—was dreamt up by London-based firm Grimshaw, along with Haptic and Nordic. The control tower looks like a tulip (Turkey’s national flower), and the main transit hall is molded after the Bosphorus Strait.

2- Beijing Daxing International Airport (China) Beijing’s newest airport, the city’s second, is a 7.5 million-square-foot hub that’s now the world’s largest single structured airport. Zaha Hadid’s starfish-shaped terminal was planned for both aesthetics and efficiency, as the flexible floor plan can be adapted depending on traffic. By the firms calculations, passengers will only need to walk a maximum of eight minutes to reach any part of the airport.

3- Singapore Changi Airport Safdie Architects—the masterminds behind the seminal Marina Bay Sands Singapore—pioneered the eco-friendly vision of the Changi Airport. The main highlight is the Jewel Changi, a revolutionary garden terminal with the world’s tallest indoor waterfall thundering from the top of the toroidal structure’s steel dome. The Rain Vortex is the centerpiece of the Shiseido Forest Valley, a five-story greenhouse of living walls. On the upper level is Canopy Park, a 13,000-square-meter complex of gardens, walking trails, playgrounds, and an animal topiary. It will also have 280 shops, restaurants, and a hotel.

4- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (Illinois) Studio Gang beat out stiff competition, including Santiago Calatrava and Norman Foster to construct the $8.5 billion O’Hare airport extension. The new Global Terminal has a skeletal, otherworldly façade contoured like the Chicago River. The concourse’s soaring atrium will be filled with plants, a natural wood ceiling, and skylights to lend a serene vibe.

5- Kuwait International Airport Acclaimed British architect Norman Foster is overseeing the state-of-the-art Kuwait International Airport. Built to withstand one of the hottest and most intense environments on earth, the structure centers around an 80-foot room that features special skylights that both brighten the halls and deflect direct radiation, a roof covered in solar panels to conserve energy, and towering concrete columns that look like traditional dhow sailboats. The project (due in 2020) is aiming to get LEED Gold standing, which would make it the first terminal in the world to do so.

6- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (Louisiana) Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects are behind “The New MSY,” a $1.1 billion terminal coming this fall. The project involves a 987-square-foot area with three concourses, 35 gates, and a three-story atrium. But the beauty is in the details—the design pays homage to NOLA, with curving canopies, glass walls, and terrazzo floors depicting the twists and turns of the Mississippi River Delta. There will also be pop-up performances throughout the terminal and a Jazz Garden for live music.

7- Pittsburgh International Airport (Pennsylvania) Pittsburgh’s airport is getting a major upgrade thanks to architecture firms Gensler, HDR, and Luis Vidal. Slated for 2023, the 635-square-foot T-shaped terminal evokes a wave, with an undulating roof and rounded windows.

8- Tocumen International Airport (Panama) When it opened this past January, the terminal at Tocumen could be likened to an alien spaceship. The sleek edifice—created by Norman Foster—is supposed to mirror the Panamanian landscape and bring the lush scenery indoors. At the heart of the hangar is a vibrant garden, planted with flora from Panama’s tropical forests.

Airport designed by famous architecture 1- Istanbul airport (Turkey) The just-opened Istanbul New Airport will be bigger than Manhattan when it’s fully completed in 2027.

#architecture

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sheminecrafts · 6 years ago

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Uber Rewards is rolling out. Here’s how the perks work

Did you blow enough money on Uber to get Diamond status? A lot of users are finding out tonight as Uber rolls out its rider loyalty Rewards program to San Francisco and a slew of other cities. The feature calculates how much you’ve spent on Uber and Uber Eats in the last six months awards you perks like no-fee cancellations if you rebook, guaranteed prices between your two favorite spots, and free car upgrades. Uber confirms to TechCrunch that Rewards will roll out to the entire US soon but now is available in 25 places across the country.

Uber Rewards is still a bit complicated to be easy enough for everyone to quickly understand, but it does a good job of offering powerful perks and a way for everyone to earn $5 rebates. The program could discourage users from checking other ride hailing apps if their Uber’s ETA or price seems too high.

Meanwhile, Lyft’s loyalty program remains unseen. The competitor tried to steal the spotlight by announcing its own rewards system just two days before Uber, yet it seems like that was vaporware as it still hasn’t launched. Uber was far from first here, as Southeast Asia’s Grab has had rewards since 2016. But Uber could flex its deep pockets and cultural cache here by using slick product design to differentiate itself in a crowded market of lookalikes.

Uber launches rider loyalty Rewards like credits & upgrades 9 cities

How To Use Uber Rewards

Luckily, almost everything in Uber Rewards happens automatically. All you have to do is look out for the invitation to join at the bottom of the home screen and activate it. You’ll then see your tier and the associated perks that you’ll get to keep for the next six months.

The only non-retroactive perk is the $5 credits you get for each 500 points you earn going forward. You get 1 point per dollar spent on UberPool, Express Pool and Uber Eats; 2 points on UberX, Uber XL and Uber Select; and 3 points on Uber Black and Black SUV. The one perk you have to configure yourself is if you’re platinum, you’ll have to choose which route to get price protection for. You probably want to pick your home and your most frequent destination or one of reasonable distance that you often travel to or from during rush hour.

Uber Rewards is now available in Boston, Dallas, Orange County, Houston, New Orleans, Kansas City, Indianapolis, LA, SF, Fort Collins, Rockies, Pittsburgh, Lehigh valley, Gettysburg, Erie, and Western Massachusetts. That’s on top of the launch cities of Miami, Denver, Tampa, New York, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, San Diego, and anywhere in New Jersey. Once Uber has nailed the experience in the US, it plans to roll it out to international locales.

Uber Rewards Levels

Now, here’s a breakdown of the Uber Rewards tiers, the best perks, and how much Ubering it takes to earn them (from our November post announcing the feature):

Blue: $5 credits

The only Uber perk that doesn’t reset at the end of a period is that you get $5 of Uber Cash for every 500 points earned regardless of membership level. “Even as a semi-frequent Uber Rewards member you’ll get these instant benefits,” Janakiram says. Blue lets you treat Uber like a video game where you’re trying to rack up points to earn an extra life. To earn 500 points, you’d need about 48 UberPool trips, 6 Uber Xs and 6 Uber Eats orders.

Gold: Flexible cancellations

Once you hit 500 points, you join Uber Gold and get flexible cancellations that refund your $5 cancellation fee if you rebook within 15 minutes, plus priority support Gold is for users who occasionally take Uber but stick to its more economical options. “The Gold level is all about being there when things aren’t going exactly right,” Janakiram explains. To earn 500 points in six months, you’d need to take about 2 UberPools per week, one Uber X per month and one Uber Eats order per month.

Platinum: Price protection

At 2,500 points you join Uber Platinum, which gets you the Gold benefits plus price protection on a route between two of your favorite places regardless of traffic or surge. And Platinum members get priority pickups at airports. To earn 2,500 points, you’d need to take UberX 4 times per week and order Uber Eats twice per month. It’s designed for the frequent user who might rely on Uber to get to work or play.

Diamond: Premium support & upgrades

At 7,500 points, you get the Gold and Platinum benefits plus premium support with a dedicated phone line and fast 24/7 responses from top customer service agents. You get complimentary upgrade surprises from UberX to Uber Black and other high-end cars. You’ll be paired with Uber’s highest-rated drivers. And you get no delivery fee on three Uber Eats orders every six months. Reaching 7,500 points would require UberX 8 times per week, Uber Eats once per week and Uber Black to the airport once per month. Diamond is meant usually for business travelers who get to expense their rides, or people who’d ditched car ownership for ridesharing.

from iraidajzsmmwtv https://tcrn.ch/2T5bvqc via IFTTT

#IFTTT #iraidajzsmmwtv

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brookstonalmanac · 3 years ago

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Events 9.8

617 – Battle of Huoyi: Li Yuan defeats a Sui dynasty army, opening the path to his capture of the imperial capital Chang'an and the eventual establishment of the Tang dynasty. 1100 – Election of Antipope Theodoric. 1198 – Philip of Swabia, Prince of Hohenstaufen, is crowned King of Germany (King of the Romans) 1253 – Pope Innocent IV canonises Stanislaus of Szczepanów, killed by king Bolesław II. 1264 – The Statute of Kalisz, guaranteeing Jews safety and personal liberties and giving battei din jurisdiction over Jewish matters, is promulgated by Bolesław the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland. 1276 – Pope John XXI is chosen. 1331 – Stefan Dušan declares himself king of Serbia. 1380 – Battle of Kulikovo: Russian forces defeat a mixed army of Tatars and Mongols, stopping their advance. 1504 – Michelangelo's David is unveiled in Piazza della Signoria in Florence. 1514 – Battle of Orsha: In one of the biggest battles of the century, Lithuanians and Poles defeat the Russian army. 1522 – Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation: Victoria arrives at Seville, technically completing the first circumnavigation. 1565 – St. Augustine, Florida is founded by Spanish admiral and Florida's first governor, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. 1565 – The Knights of Malta lift the Ottoman siege of Malta that began on May 18. 1655 – Warsaw falls without resistance to a small force under the command of Charles X Gustav of Sweden during The Deluge, making it the first time the city is captured by a foreign army. 1727 – A barn fire during a puppet show in the village of Burwell in Cambridgeshire, England kills 78 people, many of whom are children. 1755 – French and Indian War: Battle of Lake George. 1756 – French and Indian War: Kittanning Expedition. 1761 – Marriage of King George III of the United Kingdom to Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. 1775 – The unsuccessful Rising of the Priests in Malta. 1781 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Eutaw Springs in South Carolina, the war's last significant battle in the Southern theater, ends in a narrow British tactical victory. 1793 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Hondschoote. 1796 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Bassano: French forces defeat Austrian troops at Bassano del Grappa. 1810 – The Tonquin sets sail from New York Harbor with 33 employees of John Jacob Astor's newly created Pacific Fur Company on board. After a six-month journey around the tip of South America, the ship arrives at the mouth of the Columbia River and Astor's men establish the fur-trading town of Astoria, Oregon. 1813 – At the final stage of the Peninsular War, British-Portuguese troops capture the town of Donostia (now San Sebastián), resulting in a rampage and eventual destruction of the town. 1831 – William IV and Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen are crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 1831 – November uprising: The Battle of Warsaw effectively ends the Polish insurrection. 1860 – The steamship PS Lady Elgin sinks on Lake Michigan, with the loss of around 300 lives. 1862 – Millennium of Russia monument is unveiled in Novgorod. 1863 – American Civil War: In the Second Battle of Sabine Pass, a small Confederate force thwarts a Union invasion of Texas. 1883 – The Northern Pacific Railway (reporting mark NP) was completed in a ceremony at Gold Creek, Montana. Former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in an event attended by rail and political luminaries. 1888 – Isaac Peral's submarine is first tested. 1888 – The Great Herding (Spanish: El Gran Arreo) begins with thousands of sheep being herded from the Argentine outpost of Fortín Conesa to Santa Cruz near the Strait of Magellan. 1888 – In London, the body of Jack the Ripper's second murder victim, Annie Chapman, is found. 1888 – In England, the first six Football League matches are played. 1892 – The Pledge of Allegiance is first recited. 1900 – Galveston hurricane: A powerful hurricane hits Galveston, Texas killing about 8,000 people. 1905 – The 7.2 Mw  Calabria earthquake shakes southern Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between 557 and 2,500 people. 1914 – World War I: Private Thomas Highgate becomes the first British soldier to be executed for desertion during the war. 1916 – In a bid to prove that women were capable of serving as military dispatch riders, Augusta and Adeline Van Buren arrive in Los Angeles, completing a 60-day, 5,500 mile cross-country trip on motorcycles. 1921 – Margaret Gorman, a 16-year-old, wins the Atlantic City Pageant's Golden Mermaid trophy; pageant officials later dubbed her the first Miss America. 1923 – Honda Point disaster: Nine US Navy destroyers run aground off the California coast. Seven are lost, and twenty-three sailors killed. 1925 – Rif War: Spanish forces including troops from the Foreign Legion under Colonel Francisco Franco landing at Al Hoceima, Morocco. 1926 – Germany is admitted to the League of Nations. 1930 – 3M begins marketing Scotch transparent tape. 1933 – Ghazi bin Faisal became King of Iraq. 1934 – Off the New Jersey coast, a fire aboard the passenger liner SS Morro Castle kills 137 people. 1935 – US Senator from Louisiana Huey Long is fatally shot in the Louisiana State Capitol building. 1941 – World War II: German forces begin the Siege of Leningrad. 1943 – World War II: The Armistice of Cassibile is proclaimed by radio. OB Süd immediately implements plans to disarm the Italian forces. 1944 – World War II: London is hit by a V-2 rocket for the first time. 1945 – The division of Korea begins when United States troops arrive to partition the southern part of Korea in response to Soviet troops occupying the northern part of the peninsula a month earlier. 1946 – The referendum abolishes the monarchy in Bulgaria. 1952 – The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation makes its first televised broadcast on the second escape of the Boyd Gang. 1954 – The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) is established. 1960 – In Huntsville, Alabama, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally dedicates the Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA had already activated the facility on July 1). 1962 – Last run of the famous Pines Express over the Somerset and Dorset Railway line (UK) fittingly using the last steam locomotive built by British Railways, BR Standard Class 9F 92220 Evening Star. 1966 – The landmark American science fiction television series Star Trek premieres with its first-aired episode, "The Man Trap". 1970 – Trans International Airlines Flight 863 crashes during takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, killing all 11 aboard. 1971 – In Washington, D.C., the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is inaugurated, with the opening feature being the premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Mass. 1974 – Watergate scandal: US President Gerald Ford signs the pardon of Richard Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office. 1975 – Gays in the military: US Air Force Tech Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, appears in his Air Force uniform on the cover of Time magazine with the headline "I Am A Homosexual". He is given a general discharge, later upgraded to honorable. 1978 – Black Friday, a massacre by soldiers against protesters in Tehran, results in 88 deaths, it marks the beginning of the end of the monarchy in Iran. 1986 – Nicholas Daniloff, a correspondent for the U.S. News & World Report, is indicted on charges of espionage by the Soviet Union. 1988 – Yellowstone National Park is closed for the first time in U.S. history due to ongoing fires. 1989 – Partnair Flight 394 dives into the North Sea, killing 55 people. The investigation showed that the tail of the plane vibrated loose in flight due to sub-standard connecting bolts that had been fraudulently sold as aircraft-grade. 1994 – USAir Flight 427, on approach to Pittsburgh International Airport, suddenly crashes in clear weather killing all 132 aboard, resulting in the most extensive aviation investigation in world history and altering manufacturing practices in the industry. 2004 – NASA's unmanned spacecraft Genesis crash-lands when its parachute fails to open. 2005 – Two Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft from EMERCOM land at a disaster aid staging area at Little Rock Air Force Base; the first time Russia has flown such a mission to North America. 2016 – NASA launches OSIRIS-REx, its first asteroid sample return mission. The probe will visit 101955 Bennu and is expected to return with samples in 2023. 2017 – Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announce the beginning of the Deir ez-Zor campaign, with the stated aim of eliminating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from all areas north and east of the Euphrates.

#Events

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technicalsolutions88 · 6 years ago

Link

Uber launches rider loyalty Rewards like credits & upgrades 9 cities

How To Use Uber Rewards

Uber Rewards Levels

Now, here’s a breakdown of the Uber Rewards tiers, the best perks, and how much Ubering it takes to earn them (from our November post announcing the feature):

Blue: $5 credits

Gold: Flexible cancellations

Platinum: Price protection

Diamond: Premium support & upgrades

from Mobile – TechCrunch https://tcrn.ch/2T5bvqc ORIGINAL CONTENT FROM: https://techcrunch.com/

#Technical Solutions #SEO #Online Earning #Youtube Marketing #Android Developer

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toomanysinks · 6 years ago

Text

Uber Rewards is rolling out. Here’s how the perks work

Uber Rewards is still a bit complicated to be easy enough for everyone to quickly understand, but it does a could job of offering powerful perks and a way for everyone to earn $5 rebates. The program could discourage users from checking other ride hailing apps if their Uber’s ETA or price seems too high.

Uber launches rider loyalty Rewards like credits & upgrades 9 cities

How To Use Uber Rewards

Uber Rewards Levels

Now, here’s a breakdown of the Uber Rewards tiers, the best perks, and how much Ubering it takes to earn them (from our November post announcing the feature):

Blue: $5 credits

Gold: Flexible cancellations

Platinum: Price protection

Diamond: Premium support & upgrades

source https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/22/uber-loyalty-program/

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fmservers · 6 years ago

Text

Uber Rewards is rolling out. Here’s how the perks work

Uber launches rider loyalty Rewards like credits & upgrades 9 cities

How To Use Uber Rewards

Uber Rewards Levels

Now, here’s a breakdown of the Uber Rewards tiers, the best perks, and how much Ubering it takes to earn them (from our November post announcing the feature):

Blue: $5 credits

Gold: Flexible cancellations

Platinum: Price protection

Diamond: Premium support & upgrades

Via Josh Constine https://techcrunch.com

#TechCrunch

0 notes

investmart007 · 7 years ago

Text

Pennsylvania News: Governor Wolf Administration Announces Investments to Improve 14 Airports

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/dHOLNx

Pennsylvania News: Governor Wolf Administration Announces Investments to Improve 14 Airports

Harrisburg, PA – Fourteen airports will make safety upgrades or expand operation opportunities with the assistance of $15 million in state investments, Governor Wolf announced Friday, May 25, 2018.

“Aviation serves as a catalyst for our economy across Pennsylvania and features more than 400 airports serving a variety of customers,” Governor Wolf said. “Hundreds of thousands of jobs are at stake, and these investments help airports bolster commerce and attract more customers.”

Seventeen projects will be supported by $9.8 million through the state’s Aviation Transportation Assistance Program, and $5.2 million through the aviation portion of the Multimodal Fund created by Act 89.

Following is a county-by-county list of approved Aviation Development Program projects under the programs:

Transportation Assistance Program projects:

Allegheny County

Allegheny County Airport — $888,000 of state funds for a total project cost of $1.2 million for restoration and improvements to the terminal building.

Blair County

Altoona-Blair County Airport — $1.1 million of state funds for a total project of $2.2 million to demolish and construct a new county building at the airport and $1.5 million of state funds for a total project cost of $3 million for a new corporate hangar.

Bucks County

Quakertown Airport — $270,000 of state funds for a total project of $540,000 to acquire land to clear approaches to Runway 29.

Chester County

Chester County/G.O. Carlson Airport — $337,000 of state funds for a total project of $674,000 for a new hangar apron and $513,000 of state funds for a total project of $1 million for new hangar facilities.

Erie County

Erie International Airport/Tom Ridge Field — $1.7 million of state funds for a total project of $2.3 million for rehabilitation of the terminal building.

Lackawanna and Luzerne counties

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport — $147,500 of state funds for a total project of $295,000 for relocating a TSA checkpoint to reduce queues.

Lawrence County

New Castle Municipal Airport — $375,000 of state funds for a total project of $500,000 for land acquisition to control development around the airport.

Lycoming County

Williamsport Regional Airport — $150,000 of state funds for a total project cost of $300,000 to replace hangar doors.

Monroe County

Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport– $800,000 of state funds for a total project of $1.6 million to construct T-hangars.

Washington County

Washington County Airport — $1.3 million of state funds for a total project of $1.7 million for a new taxiway and $700,000 of state funds for a total project of $933,000 for a second section of taxiway.

Multimodal Fund projects:

Allegheny County

Pittsburgh International Airport — $1.6 million of state funds for a total project of $2.2 million for airfield pavement joint crack rehabilitation.

Centre County

University Park Airport — $2.2 million of state funds for a total project of $5.4 million for an access road to the airport.

Lancaster County

Lancaster Airport — $691,150 of state funds for a total project of $921,534 for a new aircraft maintenance hangar and office.

Lehigh County

Lehigh Valley International Airport — $700,000 of state funds for a total project cost of $1.4 million to rehabilitate a parking lot.

For more information on aviation in Pennsylvania visit www.penndot.gov.

_____

SOURCE: news provided by GOVERNOR.PA.GOV on May 25, 2018

#airport improvements #Governor Wolf #Pennsylvania #Pennsylvania news #TodayNews #Tom Wolf

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touristguidebuzz · 7 years ago

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Complications of Getting Catering to the Plane — Airline Innovation Report

A catering truck — called a high-loader in industry lingo — might cost $200,000, according to an executive with Gate Group. That's part of the reason airline food is so expensive. Gate Group

Skift Take: Are you upset some airlines charge $3 for a soda? There's a reason prices are higher than at a convenience store. It's not easy or cheap to get provisions onto an aircraft.

— Brian Sumers

The Skift Airline Innovation Report is our weekly newsletter focused on the business of airline innovation. We will look closely at the technological, financial, and design trends at airlines and airports that are driving the next-gen aviation industry.

We provide insights on need-to-know developments in passenger experience, ancillary services, revenue management, loyalty, technology, marketing, airport innovation, the competitive landscape, startups, and changing passenger behavior. The newsletter, sent on Wednesdays, is written and curated by me. We will look closely at the technological, financial, and design trends at airlines and airports that are driving the next-generation aviation industry. You can find previous issues of the newsletter here.

United Airlines has been around for 90 years, and yet it’s still not sure of the most efficient number of Coca-Cola cans to board for each flight.

I tweeted this recently, after someone at United forwarded me catering news. “To help reduce unnecessary soda overstock, beginning Dec.1, we will reduce the amount of soda provisioned on all single-segment domestic flights,” United told employees, while promising it still seeks to “provide the right balance of beverages to meet customer demand.”

I bring this up because this week we published an interview with Anne De Hauw, vice president of innovation for Gate Group, the world’s largest caterer and airline retail company. Part of her job includes bringing true innovation to airline catering and retail, but much of it has another purpose — to help carriers reduce costs. On each meal served to a passenger, she said, “every penny [airlines] can reduce is significant.” That includes drinks.

We spoke about how some U.S. airlines have resumed free food service on longer domestic flights. But mostly, she said, the trend is going in the other direction, with airlines charging for meals. Her research tells her passengers in their 20s and 30s — the next-generation of important executives — don’t mind. “Millennials want to have great food,” she said. “It can be simple, but it needs to be good. They would rather pay for good than get free food which isn’t good.”

We also discussed sodas. It’s a topic I’ve found fascinating since I interviewed then-Frontier Airlines President Barry Biffle a couple of years ago in Denver. He and I spoke about how passengers dislike paying for sodas, since most assume a Coke costs an airline 20 cents or less. But because of the supply chain expenses, he said, a Coke costs Frontier a lot more than passengers pay at Costco.

How much? This is an answer I tried to learn from De Hauw. She declined to give exact numbers, but defended Gate Group’s pricing.

“The cans need to be sorted in the catering unit at the airport,” she said. “They need to be sorted into trolleys. It is all planned in advance how much Coke goes into each trolley. The catering then needs to be driven by the high-loaders of the caterer at the airport and loaded on the airplane. That area is a highly secure area. And the price of a high-loader is around $200,000 — of one high-loader.”

For more catering tidbits, including her thoughts on the recent Listeria scare in at Gate Group’s Los Angeles facility, read the interview.

— Brian Sumers, Airline Business Reporter

News and Notes

Allegiant to Mexico: For roughly five years, executives at discount U.S. carrier Allegiant Air have said, on and off, that they want to fly to the Caribbean and Mexico. But it still hasn’t happened.

In occasional statements, they’ve suggested they have enough worthy U.S. markets, and don’t need to rush international expansion. But recently I spoke with Kristen Schilling-Gonzales, Allegiant’s director of planning, for my Airline Insiders interview series, and she told me part of the issue is airline’s technological system. It’s not ready to support international flights.

“Our website is also part of our booking engine and it’s all internally created,” she said. “The same thing goes with international. We’re looking to build our own departure control system, making sure that we’re sending all the right data to government agencies, all that stuff. We’re still working on that.”

She said she doesn’t know when the airline will be ready. But the airline’s planning team knows what routes it will suggest when, or if, the time comes.

“I’ve got a roughly five-year plan of several hundred routes that we could be running once international is up and going,” she said. “The routes aren’t the issue, it’s the infrastructure and updating our systems to handle it.”

Look for the entire interview after Thanksgiving.

Want to be the next interviewee for the series? Email me.

Stories of the Week

Airline Food Conundrum — Paid Meals Winning Out Over Freebies: Airline food isn’t always tasty, but passengers probably shouldn’t compare it to what they find in a restaurant. Delivering food to an aircraft is a logistical challenge, and it’s amazing the system works as well as it does.

Delta Puts a Better Business Class on Routes Where Travelers Will Buy It: When deciding which planes to send where, U.S. airlines usually keep it simple. Domestic routes, with few exceptions, get narrowbody jets with first class recliner seats. International routes get flatbeds, regardless of whether there’s a premium market. But this week, Delta said it will try something different in 2018. It’ll deploy flatbeds on more U.S. routes, while some flights to Iceland, Portugal and Ireland will lose them. It’s smart business since more passengers may buy first class on New York-San Diego, than from New York to Ponta Delgada, Portugal. (Did you know Delta flew to Ponta Delgada?)

United Is Making Tech Changes to Boost Wi-Fi Speeds on Many Planes: I heard for months United was having modem trouble on its Panasonic-equipped Boeing 777s, 767s, 757s, and Airbus A319s and A320s. But while I once received a $175 travel certificate after flying with broken Wi-Fi, I never learned the exact problem. Last week, though, United admitted it had an issue. “We are working with Panasonic to improve the quality of the wireless access points on all of our Panasonic aircraft,” United said, promising more travelers soon will be able to “….tap into a strong, steady connection at the same time.” The upgrade should be done by May.

Alaska Airlines Blames Trump Administration for Decision to Pull Out of Cuba: Our chutzpah award goes to Alaska Airlines, which blamed “changes in Cuba travel policies,” for why it canceled its Los Angeles-Havana flight. The Trump Administration’s recent regulatory changes may not have helped, but this was almost certainly a marginal route from the beginning. Remember, no other airline wanted to fly from the West Coast to Havana. In its release, Alaska said it would deploy the 737 to “markets with higher demand.” Blogger Brett Snyder tweeted, “not sure why they bothered saying ‘higher’ there, could have just said ‘Aircraft and crew will be re-deployed to markets with demand.'”

Airlines Personalize the Passenger Experience With New Apps and Devices: At almost every conference I attend, someone asks about the line between creepy and cool, when it comes to customer service. Do passengers want a flight attendant to wish them happy birthday? Do they want someone to bring them their favorite drink before they ask? Or might they want the airline to suggest where they should fly next, as Netflix recommends movies to subscribers? In many cases, airlines have the data they need. But they’re often not sure how, or when, to use it. Bloomberg’s Justin Bachman has details.

Why Airbus Lost Its Super Jumbo Deal With Emirates: Bloomberg’s Benedikt Kammel and Benjamin Katz report Airbus and Emirates recently shook on a deal that was to send 36 more A380s to the Dubai-based carrier. But it hasn’t happened. Why? “At the heart of the turnabout was concern at Emirates about the commitment of Airbus to carry on developing the A380, with the carrier loath to place on order only to see the program terminated a few years later,” the two reporters write.

‘Pay Least, Board Last’ — British Airways Unveils Its Newest Policy: Is any mainstream global airline brand mocked more than British Airways? The airline said it will require passengers buying its cheapest tickets to board last. It’s a similar strategy to what American, United and Delta use with basic economy. Many British newspapers, including The Telegraph, criticized the move, using colorful language to describe it. But this is a common business practice, right? People who pay less get less.

Airport to Pay Nearly $1.5 Million for Qatar Airways Flights to Pittsburgh: Over a one-year period, Pittsburgh International Airport could give Qatar Airways almost $1.5 million in exchange for twice-weekly cargo flights to Doha that began in October, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The airport may avoid some payments if the airline reaches its financial goals next year. But no matter what, the newspaper said, Pittsburgh’s airport will pay the airline about $15,500 per flight — or $744,000 total — to subsidize service for the first six months. Is that money well-spent?

Correction: Last week, I poked fun at Ed Wegel, founder of the reboot of Eastern Airlines in 2015. He has a new project, World Airways. In last week’s post, I suggested that the new Eastern is still flying, albeit under different management. Technically, that’s not true. There might be some planes in Eastern’s livery still operating, but the carrier no longer has an operating certificate. “Earlier this year, Swift Air acquired two Boeing 737-800s that Eastern Airlines Group was leasing,” an FAA spokesman told me. “Eastern Airlines surrendered its Part 121 certificate on Nov. 13, 2017.”

The Skift Airline Innovation Report is curated by Skift Airline Business Reporter Brian Sumers [[email protected]]. The newsletter is emailed every Wednesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send me an email or tweet me.

Subscribe to the Skift Airline Innovation Report

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rollinbrigittenv8 · 7 years ago

Text

Complications of Getting Catering to the Plane — Airline Innovation Report

A catering truck — called a high-loader in industry lingo — might cost $200,000, according to an executive with Gate Group. That's part of the reason airline food is so expensive. Gate Group

Skift Take: Are you upset some airlines charge $3 for a soda? There's a reason prices are higher than at a convenience store. It's not easy or cheap to get provisions onto an aircraft.

— Brian Sumers

United Airlines has been around for 90 years, and yet it’s still not sure of the most efficient number of Coca-Cola cans to board for each flight.

How much? This is an answer I tried to learn from De Hauw. She declined to give exact numbers, but defended Gate Group’s pricing.

For more catering tidbits, including her thoughts on the recent Listeria scare in at Gate Group’s Los Angeles facility, read the interview.

— Brian Sumers, Airline Business Reporter

News and Notes

She said she doesn’t know when the airline will be ready. But the airline’s planning team knows what routes it will suggest when, or if, the time comes.

Look for the entire interview after Thanksgiving.

Want to be the next interviewee for the series? Email me.

Stories of the Week

Subscribe to the Skift Airline Innovation Report

0 notes

deniscollins · 7 years ago

Text

Following the (Bike) Trail to Amazon’s Second Headquarters

If you were an Amazon executive choosing a second headquarter city for 50,000 employees, what would be your 5 highest criteria in choosing the city? Why? What are the ethics underlying your decision?

Amazon said this week it had received proposals from 238 cities and regions across North America that are vying for its new, second headquarters, called HQ2. No wonder: With a prize of 50,000 high-paying jobs, a promised $5 billion in construction spending and the prestige of having a headquarters for one of the world’s fastest-growing, best-known tech companies, the contest is vastly more important than a World Series or Super Bowl.

Although Amazon has stressed that it is approaching the process with no preconceived ideas and has just begun reviewing the applications, that hasn’t stopped a nationwide parlor game of picking a winner. Moody’s Analytics has already crowned Austin, Tex. The New York Times Upshot chose Denver.

Amazon will probably narrow the list to a group of finalists before conducting site visits and meeting with elected officials and community leaders. It has said it expects to reach a decision next year.

Still, Amazon’s stated objectives and past behavior — along with interviews with people working with the company on the selection process (none of whom were willing to be named because of their Amazon ties) and corporate governance and location experts — yield some insights into what factors the retailer values most highly and where the new headquarters may end up. (An Amazon spokesman declined to comment.)

First on Amazon’s list of “key preferences and decision drivers” is “site/building,” which the company describes as being of “paramount importance.”

This means far more than an attractive building or campus. Amazon prides itself on having its existing headquarters embedded in the urban fabric of Seattle. Just this month, the company said it would take over the top six floors of the Macy’s department store downtown — a move rich in irony, given how Macy’s has struggled in competing with online retailers — and it will occupy all of the office space at the Rainier Square development that is planned for the city’s downtown area.

The idea of inhabiting the sort of self-contained suburban corporate parks so common in Silicon Valley seems anathema to Amazon. The company has said that 20 percent of its employees in Seattle don’t use motorized transport to get to work. Fifty-five percent walk, ride bikes or use public transportation. Fifteen percent live in the ZIP code where they work.

Amazon deliberately provides cafeteria space for only a third of its employees, which encourages people to venture out of the office. The company provides retail space on the ground floor of its Seattle buildings and tries not to rent to generic national chains (its headquarters has a dozen local coffee roasters.) It has developed a sense of the kind of urban community that attracts and retains highly educated, talented and creative workers.

In practical terms, this kind of dense, vibrant and architecturally distinctive urban environment exists mostly in cities that developed before the advent of the automobile, industrial cities in the Midwest and Northeast and older cities in Canada.

The Alliance for Biking and Walking has ranked American cities based on the percentage of people who walk or ride bikes to work. In order, they are Boston, Washington, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Ore., New York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Chicago and Baltimore.

Cities like Pittsburgh, Detroit and Baltimore are rich in underutilized historic buildings and neighborhoods that could be imaginatively repurposed, offering Amazon the opportunity to be a transformative force, something that seems to be part of the company’s DNA.

New York, Chicago, Boston and Washington already have vibrant urban centers, not that they couldn’t be improved. They are also the kinds of places where local opposition to Amazon’s potential arrival would be more likely, based on factors like the impact on their already congested streets and criticism of the company’s workplace practices.

Cyril Bouquet, a professor at IMD, an international business school in Lausanne, Switzerland, and an expert in companies with dual headquarters, said the choice of a second headquarters sends an important symbolic message.

“Amazon has the opportunity to help build and shape a city and region,” he said. “That’s easier in a Detroit than a San Francisco. It’s much different than just tapping the talent that’s already there. Amazon will attract people and other companies that are inspired by that.”

Next on Amazon’s wish list are capital and operating costs” and “incentives,” which Amazon identifies as “high priority” considerations. That is as it should be, said Charles M. Elson, a professor and director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. “Amazon’s first obligation is to its investors,” Professor Elson said, which means finding “the most cost-effective city in which to locate a second headquarters,” one that “will produce the most value for the company.”

Most contenders have been secretive about their bids, but the incentives will probably be substantial. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and state lawmakers, for instance, have offered a $7 billion package of tax breaks on behalf of Newark. Any city that really wants Amazon will have to ante up, and most will find the wherewithal to do so.

The accounting and consulting firm KPMG ranks major cities by costs in its biennial “Competitive Alternatives” survey. A score of 100 is equal to the United States baseline, so costs in a city with a score of 105 are 5 percent higher than the baseline; cities with a score of 95 are 5 percent lower.

New York City, with a score of 104.7, and San Francisco (104.5) are two of the most expensive cities in the country, making them long shots. (Seattle, at 100.8, is just above the baseline.) Boston, at 101.2, would probably barely make the cut. Washington’s score is 99.4.

The lowest-cost American cities are mostly in the Sunbelt; Austin’s score is 96.2. But many older industrial cities also offer cost advantages: Cincinnati (94), Baltimore (96.5), Pittsburgh (97), Chicago (98.3) and Philadelphia (99.8) are all below the baseline. Thanks to the strong dollar (which could change over time), Canadian cities fare especially well: Montreal’s score is 85.2; Toronto’s is 85.6. Both cities also have vibrant urban cores and have emphasized Canada’s talent-friendly immigration policies.

“Labor Force” is third on Amazon’s list. The company appears to be bumping up against the limits of Seattle’s talent pool.

The commercial real estate firm CRBE produces an annual ranking of cities based on what it calls “tech talent,” which considers factors like technology positions as a percentage of all jobs, growth in tech jobs and tech-degree completion.

The top cities on that list are San Francisco and the Bay Area, Seattle and New York — no surprises there. But other cities also fare well: Washington is No. 4, Toronto is No. 6, Boston is No. 9 and Baltimore is No. 11.

Conversely, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Milwaukee and St. Louis all rank so low it is hard to see them as viable contenders.

Detroit, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh fall somewhere in the middle, but could still be competitive. Amazon appears less concerned with how many tech workers already live and work in an area than with its ability to attract the talent it wants. Seattle was hardly a tech magnet before Amazon, Microsoft and then a host of once-fledgling technology firms set up operations there. Amazon expects its arrival in a new city to have a similar impact.

Amazon adds that “a strong university system is required.”

Many contending cities offer first-rate universities, including highly ranked programs in technology. Boston is a standout, with Harvard, M.I.T., Boston College, Boston University, but Baltimore offers Johns Hopkins University and Toronto has the University of Toronto and York University.

Amazon cites logistics as “critically important,” specifically the presence of an international airport that offers direct flights to Seattle, Washington, New York and San Francisco. (These cities are likely to have a large Amazon presence no matter who wins the competition for the second headquarters.)

Virtually every major American airport could use an upgrade, but most big cities have international airports with many direct flights to the cities where Amazon does business. Pittsburgh lacks nonstop flights to Seattle and offers only limited nonstop service to international destinations. But the city was once a major hub for US Air, which made substantial investments in infrastructure there before it was taken over by American Airlines. The number of flights to and from Pittsburgh has dwindled since then, but they could easily be revived.

In addition to major airports, Boston, Baltimore and Philadelphia are all on Amtrak’s northeast rail corridor, with easy rail access to New York and Washington.

“Community cultural fit” and “community quality of life” are last on Amazon’s list of preferences. Along with the usual amenities, Amazon specifically mentions “a diverse population” and, again, “excellent institutions of higher education.” If weather and independent coffee roasters are important, Austin would be a good fit.

Most major cities offer an array of cultural, culinary, recreational and sports attractions, and any that they lack will most likely spring up if Amazon arrives.

That puts a premium on diversity and education, factors important in attracting a talented work force. Given Amazon’s vocal support for diversity and inclusion, it seems unlikely it would choose a city or state perceived as intolerant or that has moved to curb civil rights, like North Carolina’s widely publicized effort to curb gay and transgender rights.

There are obviously many variables still to be assessed, but based on these criteria and the weight I expect Amazon to place on them, here are my finalists, in descending order: Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Toronto, Chicago and Boston.

#Amazon

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