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If you’re traveling to or through Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday, August 26, don’t be too alarmed if you see what looks like an emergency out on the tarmac.

It won’t be a real emergency, but a test of the airport’s emergency plan.

Every three years, the FAA requires the airport to do a full scale training exercise  and to make it as real as can be they use real aircraft, volunteer casualties, and simulated smoke.

Scary, but good to know.

Categories: Safety
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Stories of Home, a new exhibition in the International Terminal at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) features artwork by international alumni, students and faculty of  MICA, Maryland Institute College of Art.

Here’s a sample:

(Courtesy: Maria Karametou: FRAGMENTED)

The work in Stories of Home examines “the bearings of memory, identity, cultural affinity, politics, creativity and spirituality.”  Here’s a link to an on-line gallery of the works in the exhibit, which runs through Wednesday, Nov. 4 in the exhibition space of the upper level of BWI’s International Terminal.

Have you seen a fun, challenging, or educational exhibit at an airport? Tell us about it so we can feature it here on StuckatTheAirport.com.

Categories: Art, Exhibits
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Happy Souvenir Sunday!

Every Sunday here at Stuck at The Airport it’s Souvenir Sunday, when we look  at souvenirs you can pick up at the airport.

The rules: it’s got to be fun, under $10, and somehow “of” the city or region.

This week, all the cash for clunkers stories in the news have me thinking about Detroit.  And the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) , where the shops include the Henry Ford museum store and the GM Collection, where we found these great souvenirs:

Car cookies!!!

There are several different types of Car Cookies and each box sells for just under $3. So for $10 you could get one of each.

Have you found a great souvenir for under $10 at an airport?

If so, snap a photo of it and send it along. It may be featured on a future edition of Souvenir Sunday.

Categories: Souvenirs
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It’s getting sort of silly out there in air travel-ville.

A while ago the folks at Kansas City International Airport (KCI) hired a chimp to show how easy it was to use that airport:

Then the airport hired a bunch of clowns to help promote the economy parking lot.

And, now American Airlines is rushing to remind everyone that the company’s commercials were “squirrelized” long before an inquisitive squirrel horned in on a photo a couple was taking at Canada’s Banff National Park.

The airline is rolling out a photo contest that will award airline tickets to some lucky duck who submits a squirrelized photo, but in the meantime, they’ve made a few squirrelized samples of their own:

And you thought a naked guy on an airplane was news!

Categories: Weird
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In my At the Airport column on USATODAY.com this month, I offer a run-down of airport observation decks around the country.  I wanted to write about this because, while a lot of the amenities getting rolled out at airports these days are designed to make travelers forget they’re in an airport terminal, observation decks are all about airports, airplanes, and the magic of flight.

Unfortunately, a lot of airports that used to have official observation decks have shut them down. But here’s a round-up of some that still exist:

Minneapolis International Airport (MSP) MSP has an observation deck post-security on Concourse D, in Terminal 1. Built decades ago, the enclosed observation deck is only accessible via a set of stairs, but those who find their way up there are rewarded with great views in all directions.

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)

Years ago, when BWI was known as Friendship International Airport, there was an outdoor observation deck.  Today there’s an enclosed Observation Gallery on the upper level of the airport, in the pre-security area between Concourses B and C. In addition to great views of airfield activities, there are rocking chairs, a children’s play area, and several exhibits related to aviation, including the nose cone, cockpit, landing gear and other sections of a Boeing 737-200 aircraft.

Albany International Airport (ALB) A pre-security observation area on the 3^rd level of the terminal offers a panoramic view of both airport runways, all three wings of the terminal and, on a clear day, the southern Adirondack Mountains. A live feed of the chatter from the air traffic control tower is piped in and the airport’s art gallery is adjacent.

Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) At the Albuquerque airport, the observation deck is located post-security, between the two concourses.  Equipped with bench seating, leather couches and chairs, this area offers travelers great airfield views as well as views of the Manzano Mountains and the Rio Grande.

Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) At Gerald Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, MI., there’s an enclosed observation deck, pre-security, that overlooks the airport runways.

Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI) in Tennessee has an open-air deck, located pre-security, on the mezzanine level of the airport. The deck looks out over the airfield, Boone Lake, and off to the Appalachian Mountains.

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) opened a new observation area in July 2009 with floor-to-ceiling windows, complimentary telescopes, interactive kiosks, and several other amenities.  At the end of September, the observation deck on top of Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport will reopen. Like a lot of observation decks around the country, LAX had closed this area after 9/11.

Do you have a favorite airport observation deck or place to go outside the airport to watach plane?  If so, please tell us about it.

Categories: Observation Decks
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