Posts in the category "":

We want Wi-Fi

Slowly but surely airports large and small are getting with the program and making free wireless Internet access available in the terminals.

The latest major airport to join the party: Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).

Hooray!

Packing tips from Olympic athletes

Curious about what some Olympic athletes do when they’re traveling – or getting ready to travel? Them you may in interested in the video clips the folks at VISA (a 2010 Olympics sponsor) have posted of athletes talking about what they pack, how they prep for a trip, how skier Ryan St. Onge just had to have an airport burrito, and what Olympic Hockey player Angela Ruggiero packs in her carry-on.

Just as interesting, is the fact that the credit card company is giving away a trip to the Olympics – for life. To enter, you just need to charge something on a VISA card.

Seat tax on Air France for Seatmates of Size

And, just a day after announcing that it was introducing “the lightest and most comfortable short-haul seat in the world,” on some of its planes, Air France announced that passengers who cannot fit into a single seat (on any Air France flight) will have to pay for a second seat – at 75% of the cost of the first seat.

The new policy applies to tickets purchased beginning February 1^st for flights April 1^st and beyond.

Think the new rules may apply to you? Here’s the policy for Passengers with High Body Mass.

What do you think? Should seatmates of size be asked to pay for more than one seat?

Categories: Air Travel, Baggage, Carry-ons, Charge by weight, Contests, Events, Fees, Food, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Obesity, Seatmates of Size, Sports, Wi-Fi
No Comments »

Yesterday was the official holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

But you can learn more about the Nobel Peace Prize winner anytime you pass through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL).

Since the mid-1980’s, the airport has had an exhibit titled Legacy of a Dream…Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The exhibit, on Concourse E, includes family photos, the permit from Dr. King’s March on Washington, the suit Dr. King wore to his meeting with President Lyndon B. Johnson,  Dr. King’s wristwatch and glasses, the transistor radio he took to marches and rallies to listen to news, and other items.

All of the artifacts and photographs were provided by the Martin Luther King Center.

Categories: Exhibits, History, Uncategorized
No Comments »

New York’s Albany International Airport (ALB) may be unique among airports in having a gallery space open to the public and an on-site curator who is also an artist.  So it’s always a treat when a new exhibition kicks off.

The newest one, Material Witness, is no exception.

(Model City, 2009, Assorted study models, cardboard, paper, plastic, metal, glue, tape)

Produced in cooperation with the nearby Rensselaer Schools of Architecture, and Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, the exhibit includes drawings, photographs, study models and site-specific constructions, including floor-to-ceiling “trash walls” that reflect the possibilities found in discarded or recycled materials.

(Trash Walls, (detail), 2009, found material constructions)

Material Witness is in the Albany International Airport Gallery, pre-security on the third floor of the terminal through June 20, 2010.

Categories: Architecture, Art, Exhibits
No Comments »

In February, Vancouver, B.C. will host the 2010 Winter Olympics Games and, as you might expect, everyone up there is pretty gosh darn excited.

That includes the folks at Vancouver International Airport (YVR). During the course of the winter games, the airport expects to host about 230,000 Olympics-bound passengers. On March 1, the day after the closing ceremonies – the airport expects a record 30,000 people to pass through the airport on their way home.

A lot of those travelers will be looking to take home an Olympics souvenir.  And the airport has made sure visitors won’t be disappointed: all sorts of Olympics-related items are for sale right there in the terminals.

In fact, the airport’s official Olympics souvenir shops have been open for about a year.

Our souvenir budget here at Stuck at the Airport is pretty slim. So we’re always on the look-out for items that are $10 or below.  This week, we had plenty to choose from.

The most popular Olympics souvenirs are pins. There are pins for pretty much everything, and pin-trading has been elevated to an unofficial sport.  So the airport has set aside a special area inside the terminal where travelers can gather to trade.

Clothing, toys, accessories, wallets, pens, etc.:  anything with one of the Olympics mascots on it seems to be popular.

Including this cute cold pack, which would come in handy in case of a sports injury.

But, so far, the most popular and hard-to-keep-in-stock 2010 Vancouver Olympics items are these red mittens.

More than million have been sold already and every time a new batch hits the stores, they’re snapped up in moments.  Proceeds from mitten sales go toward supporting Canadian athletes. And at $10 a pair, they’re our pick for Souvenir Sunday.

Have you found a great souvenir while you were stuck at the airport? If it’s under $10, “of” the city or region and, ideally, a bit offbeat, please snap a photo and send it along.

Your souvenir may be featured on a future Souvenir Sunday!

Categories: Airport guides, Airport shops, Fun Stuff, Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs
No Comments »

Late Thursday afternoon  (January 14, 2010) Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano released a(nother) new statement about additional aviation security precautions being rolled out at the nation’s airports.

What will those new precautions entail?

According to Napolitano’s statement, “…Some of these measures include enhanced random screening, additional federal air marshals on certain routes and adding individuals of concern to our terrorist watch list system.”

None of that sounds all that new. But on the ground, says a TSA spokesperson, that means that, depending on what airport you’re in, you might notice “an increase in measures such as…behavioral detection officers and a wider use of tools like explosive trace detection.  Not just at the checkpoint but throughout the airport environment.”

The bottom line, says Napolitano: “…travelers should allot extra time when flying…”

Allotting extra time, of course, means getting to the airport even earlier than you do now.

But even with all these new procedures, it’s a fair bet that your trip through the security checkpoint will go smoothly and you’ll end up just hanging around the airport waiting for your flight.

If you’re at Miami International Airport (MIA) this Saturday, January 16^th, you can spend that extra time watching a fashion show in the Central Terminal (On Departure Level, Terminal G by the $10 Boutique).

The show will last for an hour, from 1:30 to 2:30, and feature women’s, men’s and children’s clothing and accessories from a variety of airport vendors. There will also be sampling of Toblerone chocolate, and a performance by Venezuelan composer, producer and singer Claudio Corsi, who now lives in the Miami area.

Not planning on being at Miami International Airport this Saturday?  If you’re across country at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), you can fritter away a few extra hours playing pinball – for free.

The free pinball machines are part of SFO’s exhibit about the history of pinball that will be on view through April 2010.

Categories: Air Travel, Events, Exhibits, Fashion, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Rules, Security, TSA
No Comments »