Hans Christian Andersen is credited with penning that oft-repeated quip: To travel is to live.

But, as I noted a few days ago here on StuckatTheAirport.com, at the Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense, Denmark, I learned that the author of “Thumbelina,” “The Little Match Girl,” “The Ugly Duckling,” and many other well-known fairy tales, was a skittish traveler who always packed a heavy coil of rope in his trunk in case he needed an emergency fire escape.

That got me wondering about the objects — life-saving or otherwise — that today’s travelers keep in their suitcases. Here’s a sampling of what I found:

Catherine Stifter, a freelance editor and media trainer living in the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, always carries a pocket edition of Lao-tzu’s “Tao Te Ching” to help her keep “a balanced perspective.”

Chandra Smith, office manager of Aviation Training Center in Burien, Wash., totes a well-worn 1976 edition of “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, “just in case I get stuck at the airport and need something to read.”

When she hits the road, Christine Cunanan, publisher and editor-in-chief of TraveLife Magazine, takes along a piece of green felt that is “supposed to bring me more luck for amazing travels.” It was given to her years ago by a friend.

Debbie Twombly, a teacher in Jewell, Ore., never travels anywhere without her bandana bearing a print of the Virgin of Guadalupe. “She’s been down the Colorado River and on several other raft trips,” said Twombly. “Also to Mexico several times. That’s her favorite.”

Neil Glassman, of WhizBangPowWow, a marketing company in New York City, packs a laundry bag he got from the Parisian hotel Prince de Galles — a “most memorable use of points,” he recalled.

And Greg Principato, president of the Airports Council International – North America, the organization that represents most of the nation’s airports, keeps a tiny bottle of liquor in his TSA-approved baggie. “My wife and I had Baileys Irish Cream at dinner on the last night of our honeymoon,” said Principato. “I got the

Categories: Uncategorized
Comments Off

I spend a lot of my time interviewing other people for the stories I write for various outlets and it always feels a bit strange when people turn the tables and ask to interview me.

But probably because this is the hectic holiday travel season, I’ve answered questions posed by Travelocity’s Roaming Gnome, Travergence, Rudy Maxa’s radio show (the podcast should be posted shortly) and, now, the Moodie Report’s Foodie Report. (Go to pages 24 & 25 to hear the audio clips, or read the story below.)

Categories: Air Travel, Airport shops, Airports, Food, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Uncategorized
No Comments »

The director of the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport in Jackson County, Ore., has decided that the proposal to sell advertising space on the airport control tower is a bit too controversial right now, so he’s dropping the plan.

“There were some in the community that didn’t think it was a good idea,” airport director Bern Case told msnbc.com. “I could see the writing on the wall, so this morning we withdrew our application.”

The airport had been seeking a change in the city code so that a 675-square-foot sign could be placed on each side of the airport control tower. Negotiations were underway with an aviation company that would have paid $3,000 a month for tower ad space, or $360,000 over the course of a 10-year lease.

The Medford City Council had approved the idea on Nov. 17, citing the economic benefits of additional advertising income for the airport, but local and national controversy about the decision caused some councilmembers to reconsider.

“For crying out loud,” said Mike Boyd, an aviation consultant with Boyd Group International. “A control tower isn’t exactly a work of art not to be messed with. I think an ad for Pepsi or Levis, or even an air sickness potion, would be a great way of getting another revenue stream.”

If the project had gone through, the Medford airport would have been the first to have advertising on the control tower. “We were leading the way a little bit,” said Case. “But we all have political bodies to deal with, and it was their call. We’ll be fine.”

While tower ads are tabled for now in Medford, don’t be surprised if the idea pops up somewhere else.

“Non-aeronautical revenue generation is a never-ending effort for airports,” said Sean Broderick, spokesperson for the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). “If an airport can generate revenue from something that doesn’t cost it much to provide, that’s a win-win for everyone.”

This story first appeared on msnbc.com Travel’s Overhead Bin.

Categories: Airports, aviation, Uncategorized
1 Comment »

Brisket sandwich available at Austin-Bergstrom Int'l Airport

Gastronomic guru Anthony Bourdain’s new Travel Channel show, “The Layover,” offers viewers tips on how and where to fill up on local fare if you have just a 48-hour layover in a city.

But what if your layover is much shorter and you’re stuck at the airport looking for a tasty local meal to tide you over?

Not a problem.

It’s getting easier to eat well — and to eat local — at an increasing number of airports where branches of hometown restaurants and gift shops serve signature dishes and locally made foods.

For a story on msnbc.com, I asked around for some tips.

Marcos Martinez, executive director of Entre Hermanos in Seattle, is partial to the breakfast tacos and fish ‘n’ chips served at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport outpost of Anthony’s, a popular chain of local seafood restaurants. Nancy DeWitt, historian at the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum in Fairbanks, Alaska, says the blackened halibut tacos served at the Sea-Tac Anthony’s are a “don’t miss” for many of her friends and colleagues.

Rick Seaney, co-founder of FareCompare.com, looks forward to having crawfish etouffee at Pappadeaux at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston (IAH). And recently, Las Vegas resident Chris Jones was pleased to see that the popular local company that operates Pappadeaux at IAH also has outlets at Houston’s Hobby Airport.

“I flew into Hobby in mid-November and was elated to see this company had — by my count — three concessions in Hobby Airport,” said Jones. “I got a milkshake at the burger concept on my way into town and enjoyed some amazing enchiladas and rice and beans before I flew home.”

There’s a branch of New York City’s infamous Grand Central Oyster Bar at Newark Liberty International Airport, and at JFK airport’s Terminal 8, outposts of Bobby Van’s Steakhouse & Grill and Brooklyn National Deli. For many travelers, getting a bowl of Gold Star Chili at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is a sure sign that they’ve been through town.

All the food outlets in the International Terminal at San Francisco International Airport are branches of popular local restaurants, and the recently opened Central Terminal B at Sacramento International Airport boasts branches of Dos Coyotes, Jacks Urban Eats and other restaurants found in town.

“Airports aren’t just a way station for passengers anymore, but a shopping and dining experience,” said Jean-Pierre Turgot, general manager for Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality services, one of several national companies operating restaurants and shops in many airports. Turgot oversees Chef Allen’s Burger Bar at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, where passengers can purchase the local chef’s signature sauces and catch an occasional cooking demonstration.

At Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, “pre-packaged, specially wrapped BBQ brisket from the Salt Lick BBQ is a big seller,” said Terry Mahlum, regional director for Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services. The recipe for the BBQ sauce dates back to the 1800s. “We have regular customers who stop in our airport location just to get a to-go brisket for the holiday meal,” Mahlum said.

And it’s not just locally themed meals that travelers lap up during layovers. At shops throughout Nashville International Airport, Chattanooga-made, marshmallow-filled Moon Pies, in a wide variety of flavors, can be purchased individually or by the box.

Joe Brancatelli, publisher of the business traveler website JoeSentMe.com, is a big fan of eating locally on the road and puts together an annual guide to some of his favorite places to eat in — and nearby — many airports. (This year’s edition, which he says will include new options in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Charlotte airports, will be ready by Christmas.) He’s found, though, that in some airports “the master franchisees at the airport license the name to a local place or pub and then run it … so the local operator known for the great steak or burger at their downtown institution is not actually running the airport branch.”

So while certainly providing travelers more interesting fare than that offered by the standard national franchises found in most airports, Brancatelli warns that a “local” airport eatery may sometimes be local in name only.

Categories: Airport shops, Airports, Food, Uncategorized
No Comments »

If you’re one of those people who heads straight to the gate once you’re at the airport, then the B4 YOU BOARD smartphone app could come in handy.

The app is free and offers the option of having a meal delivered to you right at the gate. You can also use the app to order something ahead of time and pick it up once you’re at the airport.

The service has already been rolled out at JFK and Minneapolis-St. Paul International airports and, just in time for the holiday travel season, is available at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport where, so far, the Tuscany Café and Chili’s Too! In Terminal 1, Blackhawks Restaurant & Bar in Terminal 2 and Wolfgang Puck Café and Chili’s Too!, in Terminal 3, are participating.

During the busy Thanksgiving travel days, Los Angeles International Airport(LAX) is hoping to create a N.I.C.E. experience and “neutralize irritations customers experience. ” Instead of handing out parking citations or warnings, the officers will hand out information with alternative parking options and coupons for a free cup of coffee.

And, at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), there’s a turkey-themed Twitter and Foursquare contest scheduled for November 21-23. @flySFO will tweet pictures of Pardon the turkey at different locations at the airport and all you have to do is guess where he is. Prizes include an iPad and other goodies. Find more details here.

Categories: Air Travel, Airport shops, Airports, Contests, Food, Fun Stuff, Uncategorized
1 Comment »