Posts in the category "Airports":

What with my appointment to see how the new make-your-own ice-cream machine works and the three hours I spent cooling my heels waiting for a friend’s flight to arrive, I ended up spending a lot of time at Boston Logan International Airport last week.

That was fine with me. The ice-cream was yummy. The Wi-Fi was free. And there were plenty of comfortable rocking chairs to sit in.

Most of the airport’s rocking chairs are plain white models, but a fair number of the chairs have been transformed into colorful works of art.  Next week, there will be even more: the airport is having a reception to celebrate the addition of 19 new art-adorned rocking chairs to the fleet.

We’ve put in a request for photos, so stay tuned.

Categories: Airport shops, Airports, Art, Events, Exhibits, Fun Stuff, Seating, Wi-Fi, free Wi-Fi
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On the first Sunday of each month, the terminal at Düsseldorf International Airport turns into an event space. One Sunday last winter a circus showed up. Last month, it was a platoon of chefs.

This coming Sunday, it will be dancers.

During “Dance Terminal, Dance, ” professional dancers will descend on the airport to teach and perform Latin dance moves and compete in a dance tournament.

Travelers can watch the championship tournament, take a turn on an airport dance floor or join a workshop in Salsa, Merengue, Disco, Neotango, Bachata, West Coast Swing or Dirty Dancing.  There will also be a kids’ disco and performances by a variety of dance groups, including Step Dance World Champion Bernd Paffrath.

So when was the last time you danced at the airport?

Categories: Airports, Entertainment, Events, Festivals, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Layover, Music
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There are close to 700 aviation/space-related museums in the country.

Each Monday on StuckatTheAirport.com we profile one of them.

Eventually we’ll hit them all.

Today: The Kansas Aviation Museum in Wichita, Kansas

The museum is near the McConnell Air Force Base and is housed in the art deco-style building that served as Wichita’s municipal airport during the 1930s and 40s. Among the museum’s collection of about 40 airplanes is this Beech Starship,

and a B-52 bomber, a refueling tanker, and this 1927 Laird Swallow, which crashed in 1929, was put into storage for decades and then restored by museum volunteers.

Another charmer?  The Pretty Praire Special III, designed and built by Marion Unruh. According the museum website, this is the third in a series of airplanes named after Unruh’s hometown of Pretty Prairie, Kansas. Unruh designed the plane in 1951 but it wasn’t completed until 1957.

“It rolled, looped and could snap with the best acrobatic planes of the day.”

In addition to the airplane collection, the Kansas Aviation Museum has a wide variety of airplane engines on display and offers opportunities for volunteers to help with airplane restoration projects.

Do you have a favorite aviation-related museum you’d like others to know about? Tell us why you like it and it may be featured on a future edition of Museum Monday here at StuckatTheAirport.com.

Categories: Air Travel, Airplanes, Airports, Aviation history, Baggage, Exhibits, History, Museum Monday, Museums
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Good news, bad news for air travelers today.

In the good file:

If you book a 2-night weekend stay (Fri/Sat/Sun) at a IHG hotel (InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, , Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites and others), and check a bag on your flight there, you can get a rebate for up to $50 of your bag check fees. There are restrictions of course – you need to pay with a Visa, stay between Sept 1 and Dec 30th,  and accept your refund in the form of an IHG Visa Prepaid Card – but it’s still a good offer.

Kimpton hotels have had a similar offer for a while. It’s We’ve got your bag program promises a $25 room credit if you show a receipt for a checked bag.

Also: Chicago’s mayor announced the formation of a Blue Ribbon Committee to study whether or not express train service between O’Hare International Airport and downtown Chicago is a good idea.

Do they really need to study this? We say: just do it!  A lot of travelers would happily pay a premium over the current fare on the Blue Line to make it downtown in a hurry.

In the bad file: Joining the pack of other carriers, such as United, that will let you buy seats with extra legroom, American Airlines has announced a new fee today for what it calls “Express Seats:” the roomier seats in the first few rows of the coach cabin.

Pricing will be based on distance and range from $19 (i.e. St. Louis to Chicago) to $39 (Chicago to Honolulu) and the seats will be up for sale 50 minutes to 24 hours before a flight.  Buying one of those seats also allows you to board with Group 1.  Here’s their spin.

Categories: Air Travel, Airline policies, Airports, Baggage, Check-In, Hotels, ground transporation
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Ted Stevens, the former senator from Alaska who died in a plane crash earlier this week, had the pleasure of seeing a lot of things named for him while he was alive.

The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is one of them. 

The terminal offers free wireless Internet access and is home to the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame and an impressive display of Alaska Native Art.

photo courtesy Kathy Gronau

Photo courtesy Kathy Gronau

It’s been a while since I’ve been up there, but I’m planning to head that way soon.

If for no other reason than to wander the terminal checking out the airport’s collection of taxidermy Black Bears, Kodiak Brown Bears, Polar Bears and a Musk Ox.

Who says airports must be boring?

Categories: Air Travel, Airports, Art, Exhibits, Layover, Sports
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