Burning Man Festival

RNO: 5 Things We Love About Reno-Tahoe International Airport

We continue celebrating features and amenities at airports around the country and the world with our series “5 Things We Love About …”

Today we’re visiting Reno Tahoe International Airport (RNO).

Keep in mind that some of the amenities we love may be temporarily unavailable due to health concerns. We are confident they will be back.

If we miss an amenity you love at RNO, please let us know in the comments section below.

And feel free to nominate another airport to be featured in the 5 Things We Love About… series.

5 Things We Love About Reno Tahoe International Airport (RNO)

1. RNO’s Kindness Take Flight Team

Passengers traveling through RNO often encounter members of the airport’s Kindness Takes Flight team marking a holiday or just doing something fun and, yes, kind.

On National Compliments Day they handed out free compliments.

On National Chocolate Cake Day, it was complimentary chocolate cupcakes and on National Popcorn Day (which we celebrate every day), the team distributed popcorn. And on National Dog Day, traveling pups received milk bones.

Sometimes, the teams gets a little far out. Like when they went to a galaxy far, far away for inspiration for their May the 4th Be With You celebration.

2. RNO’s Paws 4 Passengers team

Like an increasing number of airports around the country, RNO has a pet therapy program to help passengers destress while in the airport.

Before the program was put on pause (you thought I was going to say ‘paws,’ didn’t you) due to health concerns, RNO’s Paws 4 Passengers pups were “sanitized for your protection.”

3. RNO and Burning Man

Each year – except this year – about 20,000 of the 70,000 attendees at the extravaganza in the Black Rock desert known as Burning Man arrive and depart Nevada through Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

RNO goes all out to welcome and send-off the Burners from around the world. The airport rolls out everything from art and entertainment in the Connector Collections Gallery and elsewhere in the airport to staffed information booths for those who need to figure out how to get to the Burning Man site.

For tired and dusty revelers on their way home, the airport makes sure to have giant containers for the trash that must be taken off the festival site and plastic bags to wrap the luggage covered in Black Rock sand.

There is even a place where bikes purchased for transportation on the Burning Man site can be donated to local community groups instead of being thrown away.

4. Shopping at RNO

Here at StuckatTheAirport.com, we are big fans of shopping for offbeat and locally-themed items in airport shops.

RNO does not disappoint.

5. Bonus amenities at RNO

In addition to free local calls, bicycle parking and the common-use Escape Lounge, Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) has real gaming machines on both concourses, in the Taphouse bartops and in the lobby of the terminal.

Did we miss any of the features and amenities you love at Reno-Tahoe International Airport?

If so, please leave a note in the comments section below. And let us know which airport you would like to see featured in our “5 Things We Love About…” series next.

Reno-Tahoe Int’l Airport readies for Burning Man fans

The Burning Man Festival is a seven day celebration of art, community and fire held annually in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.

Burning Man Festival - stilts - images from Reno Airport Exhibit

The 2010 festival takes place from August 30th through September 7th and tens of thousands of people from around the world are expected to attend.

That includes about 14,000 people who will arrive via flights into Reno Tahoe International Airport (RNO).

Reno Airport Burning Man exhibit - "Uncle Ira" by Scott London

To welcome all those travelers, the airport will have a welcome table set up to help with transportation information and tips on where to shop for the supplies festival attendees will need out in the desert.

Burning Man Festival photo at Reno Airport

Through October 15th, the airport is also hosting an art exhibit in its Connector Collections Gallery. “From Playa to Runway: The Culture of Burning Man” includes photographs of Black Rock City and of the art work, sculpture, art cars and participants that make up this wildly spectacular event.

Thinking of going to this year’s Burning Man Festival? In addition to this great art exhibit, Reno-Tahoe International Airport also offer travelers slot machines, a nice dog park, slot machines, free Wi-Fi and free local calls from phones in the airport’s three Productivity Centers and on several of the cylinders located in Baggage Claim.

telephone