Finland is celebrating 100 years of independence this year and Helsinki airport is part of the party.
In January, the airport opened the Arctic World of Santa Claus space, where visitors can see see and experience Finland in fifteen minutes. In April, a photo exhibition highlighting Finish nature photography was opened.
Now the airport transfer buses are getting make-overs to celebrate Finnish themes.
They’ve started with a sauna-themed bus, a bus dedicated to Finnish national composer Jean Sibelius and one dedicated to Formula 1 car racing, which is evidently also dear to the Finns.
At least two more themed buses are promised.
We’re declaring this the Airport Amenity of the Week.
Airports – good ones – do their best to offer service and amenities that will make your time in the terminal bearable and, increasingly, enjoyable.
What amenities are offered most?
What amenities are airports poised to add?
And what amenities are disappearing from airports?
The folks at Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) did a survey of their members to find out and are sharing the results today of the 2017 ACI-NA Guest Experience Management and Passenger Amenities Survey.
The top 10 most commonly offered airport amenities and services in 2017 are:
ATM Services
Gift Shops / News Stands
Airport Websites
Electrical Charging Stations
Restaurants and Bars
Lost and Found
Parking / Taxi and Limousine Services
Free Wi-Fi
Pre-Security Pet Relief Facilities
Food and Beverage Vending Machines
No big surprises there, but ACI-NA found out that over the next three to five years, passengers can expect new and expanded airport amenities and services such as:
Nursing mothers’ rooms and pods
Post-security pet relief facilities
Children’s play areas
Airfield observation areas
Adult changing and washroom facilities.
And, as passenger needs change, ACI-NA notes, airports are beginning to phase out unnecessary or redundant amenities and services.
So, get ready to say bye-bye over the next three to five years to: payphones, banking services, and smoking rooms at airports.
Why no more pay phones?
“Pay phones take up a lot of valuable real estate considering their low usage now in the smart phone age,” said ACI-NA spokesman Scott Elmore, “They are being replaced with electrical charging stations and free Wi-Fi to keep people connected.”
But what about kids or people who don’t have cell phones. Or have cell phones that are out of power?
“Airports are very cognizant of the need to remain accessible,” said Elmore, “So we expect to see the deployment of more courtesy phones with free local and international calling or calling cards for passengers in need.”
Seattle, like many hip cities, has a variety of car-share and ride-on-demand services – including Uber, Lyft, Zipcar and car2go.
Back in April, we got another – BMW Groups’ ReachNow, which set up its North American headquarters here and announced plans to expand this car sharing program to three other cities by the end of 2016 and, eventually to 10 North American cities.
The fleet of cars caught my eye, and includes the BMW i3, the BMW 3 Series and the MINI Cooper, but my main question was: Will I be able to drive one of the cars to or from the airport?
Back then, I couldn’t.
But starting August 10, nicely coinciding with a week-long summer trip out of town, ReachNow started its airport service, which allows members to pick up a car anywhere within the Home Area, drive to Sea-Tac Airport and park at the Wally Park Premier Garage in one of the 30 spots dedicated for ReachNow cars. From there, it’s a quick shuttle van ride to the terminal.
It works the other way too – from the airport, back into the city – and, thankfully, the cars are accessible at 2 a.m., which is when my flight home to Seattle from Boston landed and I decided to take my test drive.
Finding the car in the garage and exiting the lot was a snap and I felt safe on the 18 mile ride home in a Mini Clubman, which I could park near my front door.
I had promotional credit to cover the ride and the bill ($0.41 per minute) came to considerably less than my other options at that time of night, which were a taxi, a shared van, an Uber ride, or calling in a favor from a friend.
Want to try it out – now or later? ReachNow is offering free lifetime membership as well as that $0.41 per minute introductory rate through the end of August and they’re landing in Portland, Oregon in mid-September.
Courtesy State Library of New South Wales , via Flickr Commons.
Disclosure: National Car Rental sponsored this project.
You finished your meetings, filed that report and now there’s not much else to do but take another pass at the breakfast buffet, check out of your hotel and head to the airport to hang out before your flight.
But don’t return that rental car just yet.
If you plan it right and do a little homework, you can squeeze in a leisure adventure on the way to the airport.
Here’s are some great attractions nearby 5 major airports:
San Francisco International Airport: Burlingame sits on San Francisco Bay, and is home to the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia. Nearby is the Coyote Point Recreation Area, which offers a beach promenade, marina and great viewing spots for watching planes take off and land.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is just seven miles from the sprawling Museum of Flight, with more than 160 air and spacecraft, flight simulators and a brand new, 3-acre Aviation Pavilion that features many of the large commercial aircraft in the collection.
New York’s LaGuardia Airport is less than 2 miles from the Louis Armstrong House and Museum in Corona. The world famous jazz musician and his wife, Lucille, lived in a modest house in Queens and guided tours of the home are offered every hour.
Los Angeles International Airport – The Flight Path Learning Center and Museum is on the south side of the airport in the LAX Imperial Terminal and features airplane models, uniforms, photographs and a wide variety of historic artifacts relating to the aviation industry and the history of Southern California. In-N-Out Burger, a favorite among plane spotters, has a branch in nearby Westchester, less than 2 miles away.
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport: Founders’ Plaza, on airport property (but almost two miles from the terminal), has an observation area offering great views of airplanes landing and taking off, telescopes, picnic tables and a radio broadcasting air traffic control communications. Historic downtown Grapevine, with wine tasting rooms, public art, shops, restaurants and an entertaining glockenspiel clock tower, is just 7 miles away.
The easiest and most time-efficient way to reach most of these near-the-airport locations is by car. A good option: National Car Rental, where some of the time-saving benefits offered to Emerald Club members make it easy to squeeze in leisure time on a business trip.
At these busy airports and many others, Emerald Club members get to bypass the lines at the check-in counter, pick out any midsize (or above) car from the Emerald Aisle and, when they return to the airport, skip the paperwork and get an email receipt after dropping off the car.
I’ve got a work trip planned to Denver and I’m planning now to squeeze in a drive out to Golden to see the Buffalo Bill Memorial Museum and grave before heading back to Denver International Airport, returning my rental car and heading home.
Don’t give that rental car back just yet. Take a fun side trip before heading back to the airport.
Ride-hailing service, Uber, and Visit St. Pete/Clearwater have teamed up to offer some travelers free rides in Chicago.
On Wednesday mornings during February, starting at 6 a.m., Chicago Uber users will see a “Warm Up Wednesday” message in the app and a promotional code to unlock a way to request a free ride.
It should work at the airport because Uber is now authorized to serve both O’Hare and Midway Airports.
In addition to the offer for a free ride, every Uber rider who unlocks the promotional view is automatically entered to win one of four 4-night getaways for two, including airfare, to St. Pete/Clearwater.
And as a bonus: a handful of specially wrapped Uber cars will have virtual reality goggles on board, offering riders a chance to tour St. Pete/Clearwater’s Gulf beaches during their Chicago rides.
