This is scary. According to this news report, a baggage container, or can, got sucked in the engine of an airplane pulling away from the terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Monday afternoon (May 11, 2009).

No doubt the folks at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) are glad that they’ve already scheduled their 8th annual FOD walk for this Thursday, May 14, 2009.

During a scheduled 30-minute shutdown, about 150 volunteers will sweep the runway, picking up FOB – foreign object debris – such as plastics, metals, luggage straps, the stray baggage container, and anything else that might become airborne and end up lodged in an airplane engine.

Tags: Airport safety, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport
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A day after my story, “Smelled any great airports lately?, ” about airports choosing and creating scents for their terminals, posted on USATODAY.com, and a full year after my USATODAY.com story about airports creating their own theme songs, comes this great story from CNN.com about the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport doing both!

According to the article, the airport purchased rights to some R&B classics, including “Shake your Groove Thing,” by Peaches and Herb, and changed the words to the lyrics. Now the songs encourage travelers to help keep the airport neat and tidy.   And, much like the UK’s East Midlands Airport featured in my story, ATL is pumping a specially-mixed ‘airport aroma’ into parts of the terminal in an effort to enhance the “travel experience.”  East Midlands Airport is filling the air with a light suntan oil scent; ATL is spritzing “Breeze,” which includes vanilla and lavender.

I smell a trend.

Tags: Airport amenities, Airport music, Airport smells, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
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It’s Airport Art Fashion Week at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and to celebrate the airport is unrolling “Paper Runway,” and exhibit that includes wearable clothing and accessories, all made from paper: ball gowns, business suits, stilettos, hats, vests and much more.

What kind of paper? Banana leaf fibers, recycled cotton rags and found objects, such as coffee filters.

The exhibit is presented by the airport and the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum, home to the world’s most extensive collection of paper and papermaking artifacts.

Look for “Paper Runway” in the gallery display cases in the walkway that connects the main security area and Concourse T through January 12, 2010.

Tags: Airport amenities, Airport art, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
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If you travel a lot, you’re bound to get sick. And if you’re sick while you’re traveling, then it’s a good chance you’ll be feeling ill while you’re at an airport.

Good thing, then, that drop-in medical clinics are popping up at more and more airports.  The newest one opened recently at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).

PHL’s AeroClinic is in the A/B Link.  The clinic offers minor ill-care and well-care treatment and is staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants who see patients in 15-minute increments, on a first-come, first-served basis.  Fees typically range from $25 – $100, depending on the service provided. Most major insurance plans are accepted.  There’s also an Aeroclinic at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

Tags: Airport medical clinic, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport
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Today is the U.S. holiday marking the birthday of the late civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and travelers passing through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) might want to spend a few minutes with the airport’s art exhibit honoring the slain civil rights leader.

The display is on Concourse E and has been at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport since the mid-1980’s. Included are images of the Montgomery bus boycott and fire hosing of demonstrators, family photos from the King family, and some special artifacts, including:

• The actual permit from Dr. King’s March on Washington;
• A rare image of the King family at home having dinner with a picture of Gandhi hanging over the doorway; along with Dr. King’s copy of “The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi,” edited by Pitirim H. Sorokin;
• The suit that Dr. King wore to his meeting with President Lyndon B. Johnson;
• One of the robes Dr. King preached in;
• Dr. King’s wristwatch, glasses and the transistor radio he took to marches and rallies to listen to news; and
• A photo of President Ronald Reagan with Mrs. King declaring MLK day as a national holiday.

All artifacts and photos are from the King Center, and if you can’t visit the exhibit -Legacy of a Dream…Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – in person at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, you can see a video of it here.

Tags: Airport amenities, Airport art, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
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The new Concourse D/E Connector at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) not only has a bunch of new shops and restaurants, including Borders, Brookstone, Vino Volo, Peet’s Coffee and Tech Showcase,  it has some cool new artwork by Elizabeth Billings and Andrea Wasserman on the escalator walls in each of the ticketing areas.

Gathering Contours: Urban (Terminal D) and Gathering Contours: Rural (Terminal E) is made of 84 aluminum framed panels, 42 on each side.

Photos courtesy Philadelphia International Airport

Tags: Airport amenities, Airport art, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Free stuff, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport
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Yup, that WAS a pink panther at the airport.

Travelers no doubt did a double-take this afternoon when they spotted a pink-panther in the atrium at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) this afternoon.

But never fear: it was just a promotion for The Pink Panther 2, the sequel to the movie that starred Steve Martin as the bumbling French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau.

Tags: Airport amenities, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
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If you’re traveling this weekend and have a Bank of America check, credit or ATM card (or a friend who does) you can get free admission at more than 70 museums in two dozen states as part of the Museums on Us program.

One good choice: In Atlanta, you can get immersed in a world of dinosaurs at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, where the regular admission is $15 for adults.

If you can’t get to the museum, keep in mind that a replica of a 33-foot-long Yangchuanosaurus skeleton (on loan from the Fernbank) is in the atrium at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Tags: Airport art, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
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The Luxaholics folks are making sure their readers are in the know about airports and air travel.

Last week they asked for my tips on making a coach seat more cushy and first-class-like.

This week, they’ve asked me to share a few tips on airport dining. I did my best, suggesting wine bars such as Vino Volo (various locations), the new One Flew South outpost at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), and a slew of others.  Moments after I sent along my tips (and walked out the door to the airport armed with a bag of leftovers from my fridge) this great article about airport dining by Matt Gross appeared in the New York Times.

Tags: Airport amenities, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
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Worried about getting stuck at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport this holiday season? An ATL elf sent along a long list of helpful “insider tips.” Some highlights:

You can get exercise and see some great artwork if you stroll along the transportation mall. The carpeted, mile and a half long corridor has a stunning collection of sculpture from Zimbabwe.

(Conversation- by Agnes Nyanhongo, courtesy ATL)

If you’re looking fro some peace and quiet, the airport’s two interfaith chapels (on Concourse E and in the terminal Atrium) are open 24-hours-a-day.

And if you’re traveling with a pet, the airport has a pet rest area with pick-up bags, a trash can, and trees (for sniffing) just outside of terminal north at the LN2 door. (Use the AA baggage area escalator on the north side of the Terminal. At the bottom of the escalator turn left toward the LN2 door. Once outside turn right and the dog walk area is just a few steps down the sidewalk.)

Tags: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
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