I’m not a big fan of spending a lot of money while traveling and certainly not a big fan of overpaying for things just because I’m away from home.  So it’s always bugged me that any deals offered by “real-world” Starbucks never seem to be available in airports, where prices for even a cup of drip coffee can be quite a bit higher than out on the street.

So I’m pleased to see that from now through September 29^th, 2009 airport Starbucks branches (which are operated by HMS Host) will be offering what they say is an airport-only deal:

If you buy a Starbucks drink at one airport in the morning – keep your receipt.  When you arrive at another airport, you can use that receipt after 2 PM to buy any iced Grande drink for $2.

The offer is geared at promoting the Vivanno smoothies Starbucks is rolling out mid-July that will surely cost way more than $2, but you can use that receipt to knock down the price of other iced Grande drinks as well.

(I saved quite a few bucks when they were offering a similar deal last summer at neighborhood Starbucks by channeling the Five Easy Pieces Jack Nicholson and asking for an iced coffee, “but just hold the ice. And use hot coffee. Please.”

Now, what would go well with an afternoon coffee at an airport? The Chicago Airports have an idea:

The Taste of Chicago is in full swing now at Grant Park and runs through July 5^th.  If you don’t have the time or the inclination to join the crowds there, you can still get a taste of both the food and the music at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports.

From now through Sunday, July 5, restaurants at both airports are offering specially-priced “Taste” portions.   Both airports will also have live music in the terminals on July 2 and 5 from 2pm until 5 pm.

Performances at O’Hare will take place beyond the security checkpoints in each domestic terminal and in the Arrivals Level of International Terminal 5. Live music at Midway will take place in the Baggage Claim area.

Tags: Airport amenities, Chicago Midway Airport, Chicago O'Hare Airport, airport food
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Thursday night (June 25, 2009) there was a party at Miami International Airport (MIA) to unveil two iconic murals that might have ended up in the trash had it not been for a casual conversation between an airport skycap and a passenger heading home to Brazil.

Maybe you remember the two giant, colorful murals that used to be in the east concourse of the old American Airlines terminal at JFK airport in New York.  Created by Brazilian artist Carybé, who won both first and second prize in a 1959 contest to create art for the terminal, the murals are titled Discovery and Settlement of the West and Rejoicing and Festivals of the Americas.

These two murals had been part of the terminal since 1960 and at 17 feet tall and more than 50 feet long each, they were hard to miss. They were also hard to care for. Over the years, the colors faded, small coins and other objects embedded in the pieces fell off, and layers of grime and bird droppings accumulated.  So when it came time to demolish the terminal and build a new one, the plan was to destroy the murals along with the building.

But after a woman heading home to Brazil learned what was about to happen to the murals from JFK skycap Darren Hoggard, she went home, made some calls, and eventually American Airlines  donated the murals to Miami-Dade County for display in the new terminal being built at Miami International Airport.

They couldn’t just take the murals off the walls because the artwork had been painted directly onto the walls. So the walls themselves had to be taken down and the murals had to be restored before being trucked, in giant sections, down to the Miami.

(Photo courtesy Steven Brooke Studio)

Now, the murals are in their new home at Miami International Airport, in the pre-security area of the south terminal, on the 3^rd level of the international greeters lobby area.

It’s a great story. And these are really impressive murals.  If you can’t go see them for yourself, check out the photo gallery that accompanies my recent USATODAY.com column on these murals.

(Photo courtesy Steven Brooke studio)

Tags: Airport amenities, Airport art, Miami International Airport
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It’s been a good news/bad news year for Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG).

For years, the airport topped the list for most expensive air fares.

But then, some good news: in an effort to keep travelers from driving to nearby cities to catch cheaper flights, Delta Air Lines announced in February that it was significantly reducing all domestic fares to and from the city.

But now: some bad news: as part of Delta’s system-wide capacity reduction, two international flights from CVG to Frankfurt and London will be cut starting in September.

The airport still offers service to Paris, Montreal, Toronto, Cancun, Punta Cana, Nassau and Amsterdam, but losing those routes has got to hurt.

It’s really too bad. Because, amenity-wise, CVG is a pretty great airport. It’s got:

• Free wireless internet in Terminals 2 & 3 and in the Cell Phone Lot;
• Carvel ice-cream and Gold Star Chili;
• An Equestrian Program that gives horse owners access to several miles of riding trails on airport property;
• And fourteen, priceless 20-by-20-foot Art Deco mosaics by Winold Reiss. The murals were originally in the city’s Union Terminal train station, but were moved to the airport to save them from being demolished. You can take a virtual tour of the murals here.
• And someone at that airport has a sense of humor.  Check out this video they found and posted on their Web site.

Tags: Airport Wi-Fi, Airport amenities, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport
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Lambert-St.Louis International Airport has joined the growing list of airports that have opened “rest areas” for pets and service animals.

STL’s two gated pet parks are each 400 square feet, with park benches, trash cans, plastic clean-up mitts and fire hydrants.  The Main Terminal park has synthetic turf and is on the upper level, just outside exit MT-6. The East Terminal pet park has natural grass and some tree shade and is located outside baggage claim on the lower level

STL also has some new perks for people: two new pre-security dining venues.

Brioche Dorée Café serves salads, sandwiches, pastries, and other casual menu items. Missouri Vineyards, serves wines from local boutique vineyards (who knew?) and beyond.  In addition to a menu that includes fruit & cheese plates and other small bites, Missouri Vineyards will have regular Thursday wine tasting events.

Tags: Airport amenities, Airport bars, Airport music, Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, Pet relief areas at airports, Pet travel
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Reno-Tahoe International Airport is working its way up the “cool airport” list.  The airport has slot machines, free Wi-Fi, and complimentary “productivity centers” (thank-you Reno-Gazette Journal) complete with electrical outlets and work tables. The airport also offers free local and toll-free calls from phones in the three Productivity Centers (the Main Lobby by Brew Brothers; Gate C1 and in the Gate B2 area) and on several cylinders in the Baggage Claim area.

And through September 14, 2009, the airport is hosting an exhibit featuring artwork from the Burning Man art event and celebration that takes place in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada each summer.

FROM PLAYA TO RUNWAY: THE ART OF BURNING MAN – includes photos from 2000-2008, a wall devoted to the festival’s non-profit outreach groups, and artifacts from the event.

Look for it in the 2nd floor Concourse Gallery, between Concourse B and C, until September 14, 2009.

(Photo courtesy Flickr user weststudio)

Travelers seem to be enjoying this exhibit; in the Burning Blog comment section, an airport employee wrote that she’d overheard a traveler leaving a voice message for a friend, “that went something like this: ‘Hey, I’m in Reno and I am looking at a Burning Man exhibit in the airport. I’m sure that I’ll find you in one of these photos…yep, there you are. You look like you’re having a great time. Call me.”

Tags: Airport amenities, Airport art, Reno/Tahoe International Airport
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The summer series of art exhibits at Nashville International Airport (BNA) includes works by a photographer who documents musicians and music festivals, a family of artists, and the Lost Boys of Sudan.

(Ryan Mastro, Centeroo Fountain, 2007)

In Concourse C, look for photographs by Ryan Mastro, who’s been documenting musicians and music festivals since 2005 and is one of the official photographers for several large music festivals including Bonnaroo, Coachella and Outside Lands.

(Eric Oglander, Untitled)

In various places throughout the airport, you’ll also see work made by Gary and Eva Oglander and their sons, Daniel and Eric, who live and work together in a studio/home in the woods outside Nashville.

(Old Wise Man III , Chol Garang)

And, staying on in Concourse A, you’ll find masks, sculptures, paintings, and photography by 11 Lost Boys of Sudan, young men dislocated by civil war.

The summer Flying Solo Series will be on display at Nashville International Airport (BNA) from  June 7 through Aug. 30, 2009.

Tags: Airport amenities, Airport art, Nashville International Airport, Uncategorized
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I had a short layover and a long walk at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport yesterday, but had to stop and take a picture of this little guy outside the Shoe Hospital at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in Terminal 1, near Gate B10.

I was also in search of a souvenir to feature for Souvenir Sunday (Rules: under $10, no generic shot glasses.) So I stopped to chat with Hector Diaz, who was patiently waiting for customers.

His family runs the airport’s five shoe shine stands and this full-service Shoe Hospital, which has been open for just nine months. He says with the downturn in the economy and the shop’s inability to advertise in the airport, business has been slow. His best customers: pilots and flight attendants who have discovered how convenient it is to have a shoe repair shop at the airport that not only repairs shoes, but can also fix broken zippers and bags.

The shop carries shoe polish and other accessories, but Diaz says, thanks to the TSA, his bestselling item is two-packs of shoelaces, which sell for about $5.  “Lots of shoelaces get broken when people are putting their shoes back on after going through security.”   A great – and useful – souvenir for Souvenir Sunday!

Tags: Airport amenities, Chicago O'Hare Airport
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Hong Kong International Airport offers travelers free wireless Internet access.

Now, with the installation of five free power poles, everyone can recharge all their gadgets for free and access the Internet even they don’t have a laptop with them.

According to this article, each pole is equipped with a 22-inch LCD monitor and a computer unit and outfitted with two power socket outlets and four USB ports.

Free Wi-Fi and free charging poles are great.  But the airport also has a nine-hole golf course, an aviation discovery center, a game zone with sports simulators, and lots of other entertaining ways to spend your time when you’re stuck at the airport.

Tags: Airport amenities, Hong Kong International Airport, Power outlets, Wireless Internet, airport golf
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“For a limited time only,” which could end up stretching throughout the summer, you’ll be able to get $5 meals at both Philadelphia International Airport and New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

Between the two airports, there are 50 restaurants and food vendors participating in the WOW! $5 CHOW! promotion, which includes special offers for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

If your summer travel plans include either airport, I’d suggest printing out the list and tucking it into your carry-on.

Here’s a link to the participating restaurants at LaGuardia Airport and here’s a link to the participating restaurants at Philadelphia International Airport.

Also, keep in mind, that T.G.I. Friday’s, which has more than 18 airport branches, is offering full size portions of 16 salads and sandwiches for $5 through the month of May.  If you sign up for their Give me more Stripes program, you’ll also get other free stuff throughout the year. (T.G. I. Airport branches include:  Detroit, DFW – 6 locations, San Francisco, San Antonio, MSP, ATL, Tampa, Newark, Indianapolis, Islip, Tulsa, and Pittsburgh.

Tags: Airport amenities, LaGuardia Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Uncategorized, airport food
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With all the swine flu news lately, a lot more travelers are a lot more germ conscious.

So it’s good to know that more airports around the country are equipping their restrooms with toilet seats that have plastic-seat covers that change automatically.

In an article I wrote for MSNBC.com in October, 2008 (Fresh amenities for pooped out travelers ), I mentioned the self-changing seat covers in the restrooms at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and a company that had installed this amenity at Iowa’s Des Moines International Airport and a few others.

Last week the folks who make Brill seats got in touch to remind me that germ-phobic travelers will also find toilets with self-changing toilet seat covers at:

Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City

New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport

Bluegrass Airport ( Lexington, Kentucky)

Burlington International Airport (Vermont)

North West Arkansas Regional Airport

Portland International Jet Port (Maine)

Gulf Port Biloxi Regional Airport (Mississippi)

Quad City Airport in Moline, Illinois

Stuart Jet Center in Stuart, Florida

And, coming this summer,  at Newport News National Airport in Virginia.

Of course, airports aren’t the only place where travelers will need to seek out clean restrooms, so be sure to visit WorldToilet.info, one of the Web sites featured this quarter at the Museum of  Online Museums.

WorldToilet.info includes photos, descriptions, and instructions for how to ask for and use restrooms in airports, restaurants, and tourist attractions around the world.

The loo-reviews also include comments. For example, under the photo and description of the restrooms at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, it says: “It is what is known as an automatic toilet seat cover! What an extreme cleanliness taste! That is going too far.”

Speaking of going too far – be sure to check out the restroom at the Mumin Papa Café in Japan:  it’s built into an aquarium.

There are other scenic lavs in this article featuring some of the restrooms from Luke Barclay’s book Loo with a View.

Tags: Airport amenities, airport bathrooms
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