Today ( Saturday, June 6, 2009)  if you’re flying to or through Seattle-Tacoma (SEA), Portland (PDX), and Spokane (GEG) airports,  go over to the Southwest Airlines gates and ticket counters and see if you can get it on their party.

The airline is celebrating 15 years of service to these airports with history and trivia “gate games” that give customers the chance to win prizes, including free tickets.

Maybe there’ll be cake.

Tags: Portland International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Southwest Airlines, Spokane International Airport
No Comments »

Several airports around the country will be marking Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22 with free gifts for travelers.

At Denver International Airport (DEN) they’ll be distributing these reusable grocery shopping bags to passengers in the (main) Jeppesen Terminal.

At Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), more than two dozen kids from the East Boston YMCA will join airport staff to greet arriving passengers with  free plant-able postcards embedded with wildflowers.

“We have lots more postcards than we have arriving passengers that day, so we’ll be handing these out for a few days,” says an airport spokesperson.

And at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, (SEA) they’ll be having a full-fledged Earth Day Fair complete with information booths about local sustainability projects, examples of green products, samples of organic food, and presentations about recycling everything from food scraps to building materials. The fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sea-Tac Airport in the Gina Marie Lindsey Arrivals Hall.

Tags: Airport amenities, Boston Logan International Airport, Denver International Airport, Free stuff, Fun stuff, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
No Comments »

Happy Souvenir Sunday!

Whenever I’m stuck at the airport, I always spend a little time poking around the stores in search of a fun “of that city” souvenir.

I have just a few rules:

1. No shot glasses or t-shirts.

2. The souvenir must be under $10.

3.  Nothing generic or simply stamped with the city’s name. (See rule 1).

This Sunday:  Space Noodles from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

You can buy these in town at the gift shop at the Space Needle itself and in shops that sell local and northwest-made products. But I particularly love the idea of buying funny-shaped pasta at the airport.

Do you have a fun, offbeat souvenir you’ve found at an airport? Let me know and I may feature it in Souvenir Sunday.

Tags: Airport amenities, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Souvenirs, airport shopping
No Comments »

You wouldn’t think the folks at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) would spend much time thinking about what goes on at airports, but it seems they do.  And they’ve awarded Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) a Proggy Award (Proggy, as in “progress”) for being the Most Progressive Airport.

Why SEA? PETA likes the fact the SEA uses radar, lasers, and pyrotechnics to keep birds away from airspace that could put them on a collision course with aircraft.

The airport has also installed netting over storm-water ponds, put in plants to deter birds from nesting, and installed underground fencing to prevent burrowing animals from reaching runways.

(SEA officials say these baby horned owls were removed from a nest near the runway, raised by a foster owl, and then safely released in northern Washington)

PETA’s press-release about the Proggy didn’t mention it, but last August, in an effort to find an environmentally safe way to rid the airport of invasive plants, Sea-Tac Airport officials invited a herd of goats (and three sheep) from Goat Trimmers over for lunch and let them munch their way through scotch broom and other pesky plants.

(Photo courtesy Goat Trimmers)

Tags: Airport safety, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
No Comments »

At last night’s charter meeting of SCOOT (Seattle Consortium of Online Travel) Seattle folks were jumping with joy when an Alaska Airlines’ rep announced that the airline would be picking up the Wi-Fi tab at Sea-Tac airport for the next few months.

Seems she may have just been swept up in the excitement of the moment, because today Tech Flash is reporting that, no, there will not be free Wi-Fi at SEA  for the next few months.  Instead, Alaska will be sponsoring free Wi-Fi at Oakland International Airport from April 13th through July 5, 2009.

Tags: Airport amenities, Alaska Airlines, Free stuff, Oakland International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
No Comments »

It’s not just passengers who are having their flight plans disrupted by the repeat eruptions of Mt. Redoubt.  Many cargo freighters heading to Anchorage for refueling are instead diverting to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

According to airport officials, so far SEA is getting at least three times  the normal arrivals of  international cargo planes: 45 during the first four days of diversion, the equivalent of a full week’s regular schedule at SEA.  Now the airport is figuring out where they’ll put more diverted wide-body planes if the volcano stays active.

So are passenger planes being pushed aside to make way for the giant, thirsty, visitors?  ”Nope, no delays for passenger traffic,” says airport rep. Perry Cooper, “A passenger may see a big cargo plane next to them at the terminal, but it won’t delay any of their flights. This, of course, is outside what passenger delays are created by the flights Alaska has had to cancel due to the volcano. What has created the cancellation for those flights is creating the extra traffic in the cargo area for us.”

(Photos of visiting cargo planes courtesy Port of Seattle)

Tags: Air travel, Airline safety, Cargo flights, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
No Comments »

Here’s a good news story for dogs in Seattle, courtesy of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

The folks at SEA-TAC Airport needed to test out a luggage x-ray system and followed the manufacturer’s advice to use big bags of dog food and jars of peanut butter to see how the system performed.

The dog food was used to simulate weight inside baggage.  The peanut butter was a fluid stand-in to help set off the explosives alarm.

The test was a success.  And all that dog food? It’s going to local animal shelters.

Woof!

Tags: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Traveling with pets
No Comments »

Someone has been pointing lasers at airplanes landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, distracting pilots and creating some really dangerous situations.

Not anymore.

Tonight, the Port of Seattle Police sent out a message confirming that yesterday, March 6^th,  a 24-year old was arrested for suspicion of Unlawful Discharge of a Laser – 1st Degree, a Class “C” felony.

Tags: Airport safety, Aviation safety, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
No Comments »

I’m due to fly home to Seattle tonight after testing out Alaska Airline’s Wi-Fi equipped “WI FI ONE” plane and wondering if I have to worry about our plane getting lasered on the way in.

According to  the Seattle Times newspaper, the pilots of four planes reported seeing a bright laser light Wednesday night as they headed to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The planes landed safely, but everyone is understandably concerned because those lights are very distracting to pilots.

This isn’t the first time lasers have been focused on airplanes here.  According to the newspaper a dozen planes were targeted on February 22 and the pilots of another plane reported seeing a green laser last Sunday night.

Cut that out!

Tags: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
No Comments »

Need ideas for what to do when you’re stuck at the airport?

The folks at CreativeApplications.net are inspired and impressed by Jetset - a game about airports that you can play on your iPhone or iPod touch.

According to the game’s creators,

“Security is there to make you feel safe and get you to your plane in one piece. However, today’s regulations change frequently and are often different from airport to airport. Now, you too can stand in the shoes of a security agent trying to avert terrorism while getting everyone through a checkpoint quickly. This is a game that’s just as fun as waiting in line – and one you can play in line as well.”

Prizes? Digital airport souvenirs.  Cheap and easy to carry.

If you buy it and play it, let me know what you think.

(Norman Andersen’s Rainmaker’s Baggage installation at Sea-Tac Airport)

If, like me, you don’t have an iPhone or iTouch, you might be looking for free airport entertainment. How about watching luggage move along on the luggage carousels?

The folks at FlightsfromHell.com are inspired this week by a web report about airport luggage carousels from the Dull Men’s Club, which is keeping track of how many airports have carousels that go clockwise, how many go counter-wise and how many have no carousels at all!

I kid you not. Here’s a link to their listings of airport carousels and their directions.

Tags: Airport amenities, Baggage, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
1 Comment »