Newark Airport Is Going to Trust the Googles and Start Using Satellites to Land Planes

Landing planes is a serious business. That's why so many people -- from the pilot to the guys with the bright orange glowing thunder stick things to the people I presume live up in the tower and tell the planes where to go -- are involved in the process.

But Newark Airport is going to take a bold step towards the future and decide to trust technology when it comes to guiding these huge winged chunks of metal onto a tiny concrete strip by implementing satellite technology.

The new technology, known as the Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS), will enable planes to fly closer together and land more efficiently, without affecting safety, said the port authority. The new technology is particularly beneficial when planes are landing in low-visibility conditions, added the airport operator.

Radar is inefficient at busy airports because of the length of spacing necessary between planes, the port authority said.

And in doing so, it will cost only ... $2.5 million! Actually, that's kind of a steal -- provided there's no government bailout involved. On the same note though, do any of us really want less space between planes, simply based on the principle of trying to be "more efficient" (read: make more money for the airlines while pretending to be consumer friendly)? Because as much as I like getting places faster, I'm not a huge fan of rear ending another airplane. So, yeah, note to self: don't fly through Newark for the next 75 years.

FareFinder: Continental.com discounts make Weekend Warriors happy

Continental.com offers special eDeals on its Web site for weekend travelers, and depending on your preferred destination, there are some good airfares to be had directly from the airline.

Continental offers Saturday through Monday/Tuesday tickets on the cheap roundtrips for selected cities each week, mostly traveling out of the their main hub in Newark, which also serves the New York City region and Houston, with a majority of these fares falling in the $119 to $179 range.

This week's specials include:

Houston to West Palm for $179
Newark, NJ to Montreal for $128
Houston to New Orleans for $119
Newark, NJ to Greensboro for $119

There are about two dozen deals this week, which change on a weekly basis, so keep an eye out, but as always, Farefinder will keep you updated when more hot deals come down the pipeline.