miniature golf

Best Airport Amenities 2022

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From a first-place win for “America’s Best Restroom” to free miniature golf and ice skating, in 2022 airports around the country did a great job of offering passengers some great new amenities.

We did a full round-up of some of our favorites for The Points Guy site.

But here are some of the highlights of the Best Airport Amenities from 2022.

Award-winning loos

Airports were on a roll in 2022, with two finalists in the running in the contest for America’s Best Restroom.

Newark Liberty International (EWR) was nominated for an innovative all-gender restroom suite. But Tampa International Airport (TPA) cleaned up as the winner, for its new, locally themed loos.

Tampa International Airport also won our hearts for the ‘adoption’ of an impossible-to-miss 21-foot-tall sculpture of a pink flamingo in the terminal. The artwork by Matthew Mazzotta is titled “Home.” But after a community-wide vote, the flamingo was named Phoebe.

The Return of Marriage Licenses & Free Ice-Skating

Some ‘best airport amenities’ from 2022 were actually the welcome return of amenities that were set aside during the pandemic.

Jacksonville International Airport (JAX), Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), and several others celebrated Valentine’s Day with free carnations for travelers. And in Las Vegas, the Marriage Capital of the World, the Clark County Clerk’s Office brought back its pop-up marriage license bureau to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS).

And Denver International Airport (DEN) brought back free programming to the outdoor public space between the Jeppesen Terminal and the Westin Hotel.

Free miniature golf was offered in the summer and free ice-skating in the winter.

See the rest of our picks for Best Airport Amenities of 2022 here.

Miniature Golf Day – at the Airport

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Back in 2012, Air New Zealand had a week-long in-flight putting competition to promote the fact that the airline was hosting a Pro- Am tournament.

Back in the day, Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) had a small putting green outdoors, on the secure side of the airport that was closed down after 9/11.

Today, though, you can still play miniature golf at Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) in West Palm Beach, FL.

For $3.20, passengers and visitors can play the 9-hole putting green located next to Sam Snead’s on Level Two, in the Main Terminal. Bonus: your golf ball is yours to keep.

And golf fans traveling through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) can stop at PGA-MSP where there’s a shop, a lounge, golf course simulators, and a putting green.

Find it in Terminal 1, on the Mezzanine Level of the MSP Mall.

Did we miss any? Please let the Stuck at The Airport golf pro know.

Denver Int’l Airport’s open-air plaza reactivated

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Here’s a great sign that airports are coming back to life just in time for summer travel.

Denver International Airport (DEN) is reactivating the open-air public plaza between the main Jeppesen Terminal and the Westin Hotel.

Over the years, the plaza has hosted everything from outdoor movies and skating rinks to a beer garden, a concert space, and a miniature golf course.

The pandemic put a halt to that. But now the plaza is once again being used to offer a relaxing outdoor space where travelers and locals can get some fresh air and relax before, after, or between flights.

As we head into the busy travel season, DEN has once again turned the plaza into an outdoor oasis offering lounge seating, grass-like turf, native plants, and trees.

Entertainment options include live jazz performances, cornhole, and, soon, free miniature golf.

On select Fridays from 3-6 pm, the Jazz on the Park series will present a variety of local jazz bands in the plaza. Here’s the schedule:

·       June 3, Danny Showers Trio

·       June 17, Tenia Nelson Trio

·       July 1, Danny Showers Band- “A Salute to America”

·       July 15, Tenia Nelson

·       Aug. 12, Danny Showers Trio

·       Aug. 26, Paul Trunko and Steff Kull

A free nine-hole miniature golf course will open daily from June 17 through July 17. The hours will be from 10 am to 7 pm.

No question about it, this is definitely the Airport Amenity of the Week.

At Denver Int’l Airport: Mini-golf, rock-climbing, more

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Denver International Airport has released the line-up for the “Events at DEN” series that will take place throughout the summer, fall and winter out on the covered plaza connecting the main terminal and the Westin hotel.

If you’re landing in Denver and taking the train into town (and you should), you’ll be passing right by these events, so take note and plan to spend some extra time having fun at the airport.

Here’s the run-down:

May 19: Jazzfest: A free jazz concert stretching from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a variety of Colorado bands, including Dotsero, the Mary Louise Lee band and the Hazel Miller Band. 

June 1- 30: Putt-Putt on the Plaza. This was a success last year, so DEN is bringing back a free 18-hole miniature golf course. Hours: 10 a.m to 7 p.m. daily. Show an ID to get a putter, golf ball and scorecard.

August 1 – 20: Colorado Adventures: From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, head to the DEN Plaza for zip-lining, a rock climbing wall and a virtual fly fishing experience.

Sept. 28 – Oct. 9: 4th Annual Beer Flights: Coinciding with Oktoberfest celebrations and the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, DEN’s beer garden will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with happy hour entertainment performances daily 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Admission includes a souvenir glass to taste your samples.

 Nov. 24 – Jan. 7: Ice skating. Free ice skating was popular last year, so that’s going to come back again this year – but bigger, with entertainment. Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Free WiFi – and more – at Spokane Int’l Airport

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Well, here’s an airport moving in the right direction.

Washington’s Spokane International Airport, which serves about 3 million passengers a year, is now offering travelers free Wi-Fi (well, for 20 minutes..) inside the Terminal Building and, starting in September, will be providing baggage carts at no charge.

“In today’s climate, people are unhappy with the pricing models of air travel companies and are suffering from declines in customer service,” said airport director Lawrence Krauter.
“This is just the beginning of our commitment to explore new ways to provide greater customer satisfaction at Spokane International Airport.”

Just the beginning? Wonder what will come next? Maybe a circus, like the one offered each year at Dusseldorf International Airport. Or a miniature golf course, like they have at Florida’s Palm Beach International Airport.

After all, this is the airport that serves as the gateway for the Spokane Fantasy Flight to the North Pole each December for 60 kids and their elf escorts – so you know they know how to have a good time.