Houston Hobby Airport

Flying this week? Look for this airport art

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Cool Clay exhibit at Denver International Airport

Artist: Dean Goss

We’re not sure how we missed the announcement of this cool exhibit at Denver International Airport (DEN). But if you’re passing through DEN this month, be sure to take a moment to visit the Colorado Clay exhibit near the A-Bridge checkpoint.

Visual Artists at Work at IAH & HOU Airports

Houston Airports owns one of the country’s largest public art collections. Now it has an Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program.

During a three-month-long residency, visual artist and educator Jaymes Earl will work with textiles at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). Visual Artist and educator Mathieu JN Baptiste will paint at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU).

Houston Airports will provide each artist with an easel, a workstation, and a monthly stipend to cover their art supplies. And the traveling public will get to see artists at work. Both artists will be working in prominent spots in the airport and, to maximize interaction with travelers, they’ll be doing much of their work in the evenings and during weekends.

“As air travel returns to pre-pandemic levels and with these artists in the airports during the holidays, our travelers will have an extraordinary experience to enjoy art and culture without ever having to leave the airport,” said Alton DuLaney, Curator of Public Art for Houston Airports.

Airport news from here and there

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MKE’s Coat Check service, holiday decor, & Santa sightings

Check your winter coat at MKE

One of the smartest, best, and most reasonably-priced seasonal airport amenities has returned for a third winter to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE): coat check service.

Offered in partnership with Paradies Lagardère inside the pre-security Summerfest
Marketplace, the service allows travelers heading to warm clime the option of checking their winter coats for just $2/day or $10 a trip. The service is available 7 days a week and will be offering through at least the beginning of winter.

Santa, elves, and more holiday fun at airports

Like many other travelers, we had to cancel our holiday flights due to COVID-19 concerns. But we’re still keeping an eye on all the fun things airports are rolling out to celebrate the season.

Here are few things we spotted on Wednesday.

And look at these snaps shared by Washington’s IAD & DCA Airports

Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) have done a great job of lighting and decorating the terminals. Thanks so much for sharing the slide show.

Tips for traveling with gifts

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Getting your gifts through airport security

Flying this week?

Stay safe, stay sane, and pay attention to the gifts you put in your carry-on bags.

TSA officers may ask you to unwrap a package if they need to get a look at what’s inside. That can be slow you down, of course, but it could also spoil a holiday surprise if the gift you’ve carefully wrapped is for one of your traveling companions.

One suggestion – offered in the TSA Travel Talk below – is to pack presents in gift bags so that checkpoint staff can look at the contents without ruining a great wrapping job.

But Alton DuLaney, who happens to be both a world-famous gift wrap artist and Houston Airports’ public art curator, isn’t a fan of gift bags.

“I feel like gift bags are a little lazy when you’ve gone to all the trouble to find the perfect gift for someone,” he told us in a pre-holiday interview. He offered a few more creative, TSA-friendly, wrapping alternatives.

One idea is to use a box with a lid and wrap the bottom of the box and the lid of the box separately.

“That way you can open the box to show TSA what’s inside. And when you get to where you going just tie on a ribbon and you’re ready to give the gift,” said DuLaney.

Another option is to put gifts in decorated tins or containers that can be easily opened and reclosed at the security checkpoint.

“You can also wrap gifts in clear colored or printed cellophane. And that way TSA can still see what’s inside as well.”

On Monday, December 20 from 9 am to 3 pm, both Hobby Airport (HOU) and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston will be hosting free gift-wrapping stations. DuLaney will be at Hobby Airport but says he’s carefully trained the teams that will be staffing the tables at both airports.

Many other airports around the country will be offering free gift wrap stations during this busy travel week as well. Some will be collecting donations for local charities, so tip generously and take the opportunity to do some last-minute shopping at your airport. Those stores could really use your business this year.

Stuck at the Airport: Friday Round-up

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Happy Friday. We’re ending the week here at Stuck at The Airport with some tidbits that caught our attention, like this #TBT – “Throwback Thursday” – tweet from O’Hare International Airport

And this #TBT tweet from Houston’s Hobby Airport (HOU)

All month long, we’re been paying attention to – and learning from – the tweets from St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) highlighting the people featured on the airport’s Black Americans in Flight mural.

We’re sad we missed seeing this exhibit at Orlando International Airport (MCO).

And we’re impressed that Delta’s Flight Museum is being used as a mass vaccination site in Georgia.

Hard hat tour of Southwest’s Houston Hobby terminal

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Houston Hobby Airport - hat keychains

In October, 2015, Houston’s Hobby Airport will celebrate the opening of its international terminal, featuring a new concourse with 5 gates (but space for up to 12), a Federal Inspection Services (FIS) facility, a new parking garage with more than 3000 spaces and assorted roadway modifications and improvements.

The $156 million project is a joint effort between HOU and Southwest Airlines, currently the airport’s largest carrier, which will initially operate four of the five gates in the new terminal with plans to add flights to and from several cities in Mexico, Costa Rica and Belize. Southwest currently serves Aruba from HOU.

Here are some pictures from a recent hard hat tour of the terminal:

Houston Hobby - shovelHouston Hobby - stiltsP1010371 (2)

houston Hobby Airport - Southwest Terminal - escalator