Stuck at The Airport’s “5 Things We Love About…” series is back for the new year celebrating more features and amenities at airports around the country and the world.
5 Things We Love About Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
From Ron Baron’s ‘Baggage Claim” at IND Airport
1. All the Art at IND
Connections, by Cameron McNall and Damon Seeley at IND Airport
IND has a wonderful collection of permanent and temporary art collections displayed throughout the airport. Many of the pieces were created by artists or poets who live in Indiana or have ties to the Hoosier state.
2. The food at IND
IND is one of those airports where you want to arrive hungry.
The “World’s Best Shrimp Cocktail is served with a signature and very spicy cocktail sauce at Harry & Izzy’s steakhouse in Concourse A. The list of other eateries with local connections includes the Sun King Brewing Co., Shapiro’s Delicatessen, and Tinker Coffee. And check out this Reis and Irvy’s robotic yogurt kiosk.
3. Racing Cars in the IND Terminal
Indianapolis is home to the Indy 500, the largest single-day sporting event in the world. So IND airport displays vintage racing vehicles from the vault at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
Passengers will also hear revving engine sound effects in the pedestrian bridge.
4. Largest Airport Solar Farm
IND lays claim to being home to the world’s largest airport solar farm. The field of panels creates enough energy to power 3,675 average American homes per year. For more energy, the airport has human-powered charging bikes.
5. Souvenir Shopping at IND
Souvenir shopping at IND? Fun options include made-in-Indiana candy at Natalie’s Candy Jar; books by Indiana authors at INK by Hudson and, for a splurge, a crystal basketball from Scoreboard on Concourse A.
Did we miss one of the features you love about Indianapolis International Airport? If so, drop a note in the comments section below. Also let us know which airport you’d like to nominate to be featured in our series next.
Welcome to another episode of our 5 Things We Love About… series, which celebrates features and amenities at airports around the country and the world.
Today we land at ‘The Aviation Gateway to Central Oregon’: Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM), a small airport 15 miles north of Bend that has plenty of charm – and some surprises.
As usual, if we miss something you love about Redmond Municipal Airport, please leave a note in the comments sections below. And be sure to take a look at the other airports on our 5 Things We Love About.. series.
RDM is in Bigfoot country. And while few have ever seen the elusive creature alive in the wild, this Bigfoot statue lives in the terminal year-round.
2. Art and nature in the RDM terminal
The 100′” by 60″ American Flag quilt, above, was stitched together by 18 local women artists using various hand quilting techniques.
The tree, below, is an example of the beautifully gnarled and twisted Western Juniper trees that can be seen growing in the high desert of Central Oregon. RDM’s juniper tree is thought to be about 500 years old. A baby compared to the oldest juniper tree in Oregon, which is on a ridge east of Bend and may be more than 1600 years old.
3. Rocking chairs at RDM
We’re happy to see another airport with welcoming rocking chairs for passengers.
4. Kids play area and Flybrary Library
RDM has fun play areas for kids pre and post-security with activities for children of various ages. The airport’s Take One/Leave One ‘Flybrary’ is a partnership with the local library.
On clear days, you should be able to get a great view of the Cascade Mountain Range from RDM airport.
This viewing plaque will help you identify the 3 Sisters, Broken Top, Mt Bachelor, and other mountains.
If we missed one of your favorite amenities at Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM), please let us know. And if you spot Bigfoot in the wild near the airport, be sure to snap a photo and a send it along to StuckatTheAirport.com.
Despite challenges, airports landed welcome new amenities this year
[This is a slightly different version of the story we prepared for USA TODAY]
Despite the challenges set out by COVID-19 this year, airports pressed forward and introduced new features, new art, new technologies, and new amenities for passengers.
Here are some other new amenities airports introduced in 2020. Keep in mind that some may be temporarily unavailable due to health concerns.
New art, attractions, and a new terminal
Courtesy LaGuardia Gateway Parnters
As part of the much acclaimed rebuild of New York’s LaGuardia Airport, in November a 25-foot-tall water feature turned on in Terminal B, In addition to displaying various patterns and shapes, the water falling from the towers’ nozzles serves as a backdrop for projected laser shows.
During November, Denver International Airport (DEN) celebrated the arrival of the 27-foot-tall ‘Luminous Wind’ sculpture at the light rail station stop right before the airport.
Courtesy Denver International Airport
And in September and October, Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) debuted its new Terminal B. This is the first phase of the first new hub airport built in the U.S. in the 21st century.
Courtesy Salt Lake City International Airport
New Observation Decks and a record-breaking sky bridge
In February San Francisco International Airport (SFO) opened the SkyTerrace. The pre-security deck in Terminal 2 is open to the public and offers 180-degree views of the busiest section of SFO, where all four runways intersect.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) claimed a spot in the record books in February with the installation of a 780-foot long pedestrian bridge that is now the world’s longest structure over an active taxiway.
Courtesy Port of Seattle
And as part of its Gate Expansion Program, in November, Denver International Airport (DEN) unveiled an outdoor deck on the west side of Concourse B. In addition to outdoor seating, the deck has a pet relief area and fire pits.
Courtesy Denver International Airport
Entertainment
While most airports had to put their in-terminal music and performance programs on hold, airports continued to offer entertainment.
Almost two dozen airports banded together in August and again in May for JetStream music festivals. The free, multi-hour livestream events featured musicians from the entertainment line-up offered by the participating airports.
Over the summer, California’s Ontario International Airport (ONT), which has served as movie set for some popular films, set up movie screens and drive-in movie nights. In October, Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) and Nebraska’s Lincoln Airport (LNK) had drive-in movie nights for Halloween-season movies.
Courtesy ONT Airport
And Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) debuted an entertaining Coca-Cola themed lounge in Terminal D complete with charging stations, seating, activities, and memorabilia-filled exhibits.
Courtesy DFW Airport
Fresh Services for health and safety
Of course, in response to the COVID-19 health pandemic, airports have been focusing time, energy, creativity and, of course, money on making sure the terminals are clean and safe for travelers.
Since March, airports throughout the country have sprouted hand-sanitizing stations, PPE vending machines, and temperature-check programs. They have developed contactless systems for bag check, check-in, security screening, and boarding. And both Grab and At Your Gate have expanded their offerings for in-airport food ordering and delivery.
Cleaning and sanitizing robots have joined the permanent staff at airports in Pittsburgh, San Antonio and many other cities.
Courtesy PIT Airport
In May, Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) introduced a virtual information booth. Los Angeles International Airport, Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI), and Denver International Airport (DEN) now offer similar services. And as the holiday season kicks off, COVID-19 testing stations, many in partnership with airlines, are quickly proliferating at airports across the nation.
Courtesy SDF Airport
Did we miss a new airport amenity you spotted in 2020? Please let us know in the comments section below.
Then – Courtesy Washington State Historical Society
Boeing Field, officially King County International Airport (BFI), is located about 4 miles south of downtown Seattle and is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country.
A lot of avgeeks head to this airport for planespotting and there’s a dedicated outdoor viewing area on the north side of the terminal.
But today we want to share some photos of the aviation-themed artwork that is both in and outside of the terminal building.
The images and the descriptions come to us courtesy of Seattle’s 4Culture, which funds a wide range of cultural projects in King County. When Boeing Field’s circa-1928 Air Terminal Building was being refurbished and renovated for a 2003 reopening, 4Culture commissioned a collection of site-specific art for the terminal that celebrates aviation.
30,000 Feet – by Brad Miller
Brad Miller. 30,000 Feet, 2003. Rulers, neon, and color photographs. King County International Airport, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: Joe Freeman
30,000 one-foot wooden rulers flank the entry to the airport’s terminal building. They are arranged into two enormous arrows that point toward the ceiling and a pair of illuminated photographs.
One is a picture of clouds in a royal blue sky and is the view passengers often see when they’re flying at 30.000 feet in a commercial airplane.
The other photo is smaller and suspended below the first photo. This photo depicts a lush, dark evergreen forest that a passenger flying in a small aircraft at 2,000 feet might see.
Luminaries by Norman Courtney
Norman Courtney (1947 – 2017). Luminaries, 2003. Aluminum, stainless steel, and glass. King County International Airport, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: Joe Freeman
Bejeweled like 1930s pendants, these functional artworks by Norman Courtney reference Art Deco design elements and the history of the terminal building. They also conjure that era’s space-age imagery.
Our Place in Space – by Paul Marioni and Ann Troutner
Paul Marioni and Ann Troutner. Our Place in Space, 2003. Glass terrazzo. King County International Airport, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: Joe Freeman
The terrazzo floor inside the terminal building depicts the connection between the earth, the moon, and the cosmos.
The building’s front doors open to a series of land and sea forms that represent North America. From there, a dark blue expanse sparkles with embedded glass, suggesting deep space—vast, fragile, and flecked with countless stars and other astronomical objects.
On the other side of the room, an image of the moon evokes cycles of waxing and waning, light and dark. When people walk from the entryway to the ticket counter they are walking to the moon.
Metropolis Fence – Peter Reiquam
Peter Reiquam. Metropolis Fence, 2004. Powder coated steel. King County International Airport, Seattle, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: Joe Freeman
A fictional skyline with thunderclouds, searchlights, and a vintage Boeing 307 stretches across the steel fence by Peter Reiquam that links the main terminal building with the administrative building at King County International Airport.
Our “5 Things We Love About…” series celebrates features and amenities at airports around the country and the world.
Today we land at Bradley International Airport (BDL), in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, about 15 miles from Hartford. BDL is New England’s second largest airport and has a great tagline: Love the Journey
5 Things We Love About Bradley International Airport (BDL)
1. Rocking chairs at Bradley Int’l Airport
Rocking chairs scattered throughout the terminal are decorated by area high school students to showcase a school, town or region.
2. Art & exhibits highlighting area attractions
Two art pieces from the Dr. Seuss Museum in Springfield, MA (20 miles away) are displayed at Bradley International Airport. Travelers will also find two scale Lego models showcasing Connecticut’s iconic Mark Twain House and Museum as well as the Goodspeed Opera House.
3. Souvenir shopping at Bradley International Airport
You will find plenty of fun souvenirs in the BLD shops, including lobster lollipops and other items reflecting of the region to university themed apparel, such as clothing and memorabilia from Yale University and UConn, the University of Connecticut.
4. Therapy dogs at BDL
To help passengers “Love the Journey,” BDL airport partners with Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc. for its therapy dog program.
5. The New England Air Museum at BDL
The 90,000-square-foot New England Air Museum is the largest aviation museum in the region and it is located right next to Bradley International Airport.
The collection includes more than 100 aircraft ranging from early flying machines to supersonic jets. More than half of the aircraft are on display in three large exhibit hangars and in an outdoor display area.
The museum has a large assortment of engines, artifacts and historical exhibits, including this wicker balloon basket from the 1870s built and flown by Plymouth, Connecticut native and aeronaut Silas Brooks that is believed to be the oldest surviving American-built aircraft.
Bonus: Sheraton Hotel at BDL Airport
The Sheraton Hartford Hotel is located in the terminal at Bradley International Airport. AvGeek alert: in addition to an indoor pool, the hotel has many rooms offering great views of the runway.
Did we miss one of your favorites amenities at Bradley International Airport (BDL)? Is there an airport you’d like to see featured in the “5 Things We Love About...” series on Stuck at The Airport? If so, please leave a note in the comments section below.
