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First a couple of contests you might want to enter. The prizes include all-expenses-paid trips.

To celebrate the release of Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 3, Aflac is giving away a trip to Hollywood and a tour of Walt Disney Studios – for four people.

Prize includes: airfare, three nights in a hotel, a special Disney tour, a private screening of your favorite Pixar movie (which one would you pick?), and $500 cash.

Enter the Quacktastic vacation giveaway here.

(Auckland, New Zealand  airport welcomes travelers with this!)

The Great Kiwi Adventure contest has as its prize a trip for four to New Zealand.

Prize includes plane fare from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Auckland, New Zealand and a seven-night trip in the Bay of Plenty.

(Photo courtesy Daniel Incandela)

And, take a look at the growing list of airport profiles I’ve been working on for USATODAY.com.  The note at the top still says “the 25 busiest airports” – but the list is growing and will soon include short guides to 50 airports.  There’s a spot in each guide to add your comments and tips as well. Here’s a link to the USA TODAY Airport Guides.

Categories: Air Travel, Airport guides, Contests, Free Stuff
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Take a good look at this photo of the MD-80 jet that American Airlines recently donated to the George T. Baker Aviation School in Miami.  The school is just across the highway from Miami International Airport, but they couldn’t just fly the plane over. So the airline partnered with the Odebrecht construction and engineering company to move the 39-ton plane from the airport to the aviation school. They used a 500-ton crane equipped with a 400-foot telescoping boom.

The photo was sent to me by Miami International Airport and was taken by Joe Pries whose website is filled with really great aviation photos.

Categories: aviation, Aviation history, Fun Stuff, Photos, Planespotting
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The 2010 Jacksonville Jazz Festival takes place Friday, May 28, through Sunday, May 30, in downtown Jacksonville, Florida.  With Patti Labelle, Tito Puente Jr., the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Buckwheat Zydeco on the line-up, it looks like it will be a fine event.

But today, May 24^th, before the official festival even gets started, the Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) will be kicking off its own jazz festival with live music and visual art displays in the center courtyard of the airport.  The airport’s jazz festival continues through Sunday, May 30 with a line-up that includes local acts such as Class Act, PM Experience, Robbie Eccles, Aaron Bing, The Mike Bernos Band and Roger Glover, the “River City Music Man.”

Categories: Events, Music
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Each Sunday here at StuckatTheAirport.com we take a look at some of the inexpensive souvenirs for sale at airports.  Our favorites are items that are under $10, “of” the city or region and, ideally, a bit offbeat.

This week the folks at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers, Florida scoured their shops and sent along their favorite souvenirs: a tiny stuffed sea turtle (it looks like a frog, but you can sort of see a shell there in the background) and Fort Myers Pelican Poop candy.

Thanks!  (Some Sunday we’ll explore why every city has ‘poop’ candy…)

I’ve spent some time at Southwest Florida International Airport but in preparing a profile of RSW as part of the USA TODAY Airport Guides project, was pleased to learn about this lovely outdoor gazebo.

Have you found a great souvenir while you were stuck at the airport?  If your souvenir costs $10 or less, is “of” the city or region, and is a bit offbeat; please snap a photo and send it along.

It may end up featured on a future edition of Souvenir Sunday.

Categories: Airport guides, Airport shops, Shopping, Souvenir Sunday
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(Strahov Monastery library, Prague. Photos courtesy Curious Expeditions , via Flickr)

Over the years I’ve heard from one or two US airports that were toying with the idea of letting their local library have a cart somewhere in the terminal where travelers could check out and return library books.

But so far, it seems nothing much has come of that.

Now comes word that, come July, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport will have the world’s first airport library, complete with books, films and music. According to Radio Netherlands:

As the airport library is a place where people will pass time and then leave on their flights, visitors will not be allowed to take books, DVDs or other items away. There will, however, be a separate ‘download room’. A new device will allow visitors to not only watch films, but also to download them to mobile phones.

A brilliant idea! Hopefully other airports will team up with local libraries and do the same.

And, for fun and inspiration, take a look at this Librophiliac Love Letter from Curious Expeditions – a round-up of some of the world’s most beautiful libraries. Schiphol’s new library may not end up looking like any of these, but I bet they’ll create something quite inviting.

Categories: Air Travel, Airports, Delays, Entertainment, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Layover, Reading
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