Thanksgiving

Free meals for active military at airports on Thanksgiving

Food, Free Stuff, Holidays, ,

On Thanksgiving Day active-duty military members will be able to get a free meal at airports in restaurants (listed below) operated by Delaware North.

Traveling on Thanksgiving day but not active militiary? Your meal won’t be free, but you’ll find many airport restaurants have turkey and Thanksgiving-themed meals on (traditional and not) on their menus.

 

On Thanksgiving Day, active-duty military members who show their military ID will receive one free entrée item and a free non-alcoholic beverage at more than 150 participating restaurants in 18 airports where Delaware North operates food and beverage outlets.

Participating locations include venues in airports in Atlanta, Austin, Nashville, Boston and many other airports listed below.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

40/40 Club (Concourse D)

Argo Tea (Concourse T)

Atlanta Stillhouse (Concourse T)

Bojangle’s (Concourse T)

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Concourse D and T)

Einstein Bros. Bagels (Concourse D)

FabYo (Concourse D)

Famous Famiglia (Concourse D)

The Market by Food & Wine (Concourse D)

Freshen’s (Concourse D)

Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill (Concourse D)

Grindhouse Killer Burgers (Concourse D and T)

Harvest & Grounds (Concourse D)

Jamba Juice (Concourse T)

Mustard Seed (Concourse D)

Subway (Concourse T)

Terrapin Cigar and Smoke Lounge (Concourse D)

Uncle Maddio’s Pizza (Concourse T)

Wolfgang Puck Express (Concourse D)

 

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)

Annie’s Café & Bar (West Terminal)

Austin Java Coffee House (West Terminal)

Juice Land (Food Court)

Peached Tortilla (Food Court)

Salt Lick BBQ (Central Terminal)

iVini (West Terminal)

 

Nashville International Airport (BNA)

La Hacienda (Concourse A)

O’Charley’s (Concourse C)

Tootsie’s (Concourse C)

Whitt’s/Swett’s (Concourse C)

 

Boston Logan Airport (BOS)

Pei Wei (Terminal B)

WPizza (Terminal B)

 

Boise Airport (BOI)

13th Street Grille & Pub (pre-security)

Bardenay (Food Court)

Cross Grain Brewhouse (Concourse B)

Einstein Bros. Bagels (Food Court)

Harvest & Grounds (Concourse C)

Parilla (Concourse C)

River City Café (Concourse B)

Smashburger (Concourse B)

 

Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF)

Anchor Bar

Blue Zone

Checkers

Coffee Beanery

Lake Erie Grille

Queen City Kitchen

Tim Horton’s

Villa Pizza

Which Wich?

 

Charleston International Airport (CHS)

Burger King (Central Hall)

Caviar & Banana’s (Central Hall)

Charleston Beer Works (Concourse A)

DeSano’s Pizza Kitchen (Concourse B)

Harvest & Grounds (pre-security and Central Hall)

Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear Grill (Central Hall)

 

Denver International Airport (DEN)

Boulder Beer Tap House (Jeppensen Terminal West)

Denver Central Market (Concourse A)

Red Rocks Bar & BBQ (Jeppensen Terminal East)

 

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)

360 Burrito (Terminal D)

Einstein Bros. Bagels (Terminal D)

Fuddruckers (Terminal D)

Railhead BBQ (Terminal D)

Salt Lick BBQ (Terminal A)

Twisted Root (Terminal A)

 

Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (baggage claim)

Harvest & Grounds (McNamara Terminal C)

Hockeytown Café (North Terminal)

Le Petit Bistro (North Terminal)

Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen (McNamara Terminal)

Subway (McNamara Terminal A and C)

TGI Friday’s (North Terminal)

The Robert Mondavi Experience (McNamara Terminal C)

 

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)

Blue Bar (Terminal 3F)

Burger King (Terminal 4G East)

Casavana Restaurant (Terminal 4G)

Chili’s Restaurant (Terminal 3)

Cross Grain Brewhouse (Terminal 4)

DeSano’s Pizza Kitchen (Terminal 4G)

Einstein Bros. Bagels (Terminal 3F)

Espresso Bar (Terminal 3F)

Food and Wine (Terminal 3F)

Harvest & Grounds (Terminal E-6 and Terminal 4)

Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear Grill (Terminal 3E)

Kafe Kalik (Terminal 4G East)

Pei Wei (Terminal 3F)

Plane Box Food Company & Bar (Terminal 4G)

Steak ‘n Shake Signature (Terminal 3F)

Zona Fresca (Terminal 4G)

Casa Noble (Terminal 4G)

PIE Pizza Kiosk (Terminal 3 Las Olas)

Café Sienna (Terminal 3 Las Olas)

Cucina and Co. (Terminal 3 Las Olas)

 

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (pre-security and Terminal 5)

Earthbar (Terminal 6)

L.A. Farmers Market (Terminal 5)

Skewers by Morimoto (Terminal 5)

The Habit Burger (Terminal 6)

Wahoo Fish Tacos (Terminal 6)

Wolfgang Puck Express (Terminal 7)

Wpizza (Tom Bradley Terminal – pre-security)

 

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)

Angel Food Bakery (Concourse E)

Smack Shack (Mall)

Twin’s Grill (Concourse C)

 

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)

Air Meals (Concourse B)

Café Roux (Concourse B)

Café Roux Express (Concourse C)

Copeland’s Gourmet Kitchen (Concourse C)

Dooky Chase (pre-security)

French Market Cafe and Bar (Concourse B)

Le Petit Bistro (Concourse B)

PJ’s Coffee (Concourse C and D)

Taco Lab (Concourse B)

West Beignet (West Lobby)

Wow Cafe & Bar (Concourse D)

Ye Olde College Inn (Concourse D)

 

Will Rogers World Airport (Oklahoma City) (OKC)

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (East Concourse)

Cross Grain Brewhouse (East Concourse)

Moe’s Southwest Grill (East Concourse)

Oklahoma Station Bakery (East Concourse)

Rout 66 Bar (West Concourse)

Tuckers Onion Burgers (East Concourse)

Route 66 Grille (West Concourse)

Cinnabon (East Concourse)

Schlotsky’s (East Concourse)

Cool Greens (West Concourse)

Café 66 (pre-security)

 

Ontario International Airport (ONT)

Auto Club Speedway Café (Terminal 4)

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Terminal 4)

El Paseo Mexican Café (Terminal 2)

Schlotsky’s Deli (Terminal 4)

Wpizza (Terminal 2)

Rock & Brews (Terminal 4)

Einstein Bros. Bagels (Terminal 4)

Wahoo’s Fish Tacos (Terminal 4)

Cross Grain Brewhouse (Terminal 2)

Harvest & Grounds (Terminal 2)

 

Richmond International Airport (RIC)

Applebee’s (Atrium)

Caribou Coffee (Terminal A and B; Atrium)

Club Level Grille (Terminal B)

Cross Grain Brewhouse (Terminal A)

Cheeburger Cheeburger (Terminal B)

 

Tampa International Airport (TPA)

Auntie Anne’s (Terminal A)

Chick-fil-A (Main Terminal)

Four Green Fields (Terminal E)

Panda Express (Terminal E)

Café by Mise en Place (Terminal F)

PDQ (Terminal C)

NYNY Pizza (Terminal A)

RumFish Grill (Terminal C)

 

 

Thanksgiving travel forecast: challenging for fliers

Holidays, Travel tips, ,

[My story about Thanksgiving travel first appeared on Today.com]

Whether your family will make its way over rivers and through woods or race across town to catch a plane, traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday can be hectic and stressful.

That will certainly be the case this year, as a record 28.5 million holiday travelers are expected to fly on U.S. airlines, an increase of 3 percent over Thanksgiving 2016, according to airline trade group Airlines for America.

A4A pegs the increase to a strong economy and low airfares. But while airlines are adding seats to accommodate the spike in demand, crowded airports, full airplanes and bad weather can easily turn the holiday weekend into a travel turkey.

The data teams at Google Flights and Reward Expert confirm that the busiest days to fly over this holiday will be (no surprise) Friday, November 17 and Wednesday, November 22 – before the official holiday – and Sunday, November 26, when everyone tries to make their way home.

Google Flights expects airports in 10 cities – New York City, Boston, Chicago, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Honolulu – to be the busiest this holiday, while Reward Expert crunched Department of Transportation data from the past five years to predict which airports might give Thanksgiving travelers the most problems this  year.

While the Honolulu, Atlanta, Charlotte Douglas, Southwest Florida and Salt Lake City airports had the best on-time performance during Thanksgiving over the past five years, if you’re traveling through Sacramento, Houston Hobby, Oakland, Newark Liberty or San Francisco airports this year, the statistics says you’re likely to encounter delays.

Here are some tips that might make traveling during this holiday a bit smoother.

  1. Breeze through airport security

Some airport websites now have tools that report wait times at their security checkpoints, but assume lines will be longer than usual. Your best defense: get a good night’s rest and head for the airport extra early.

And keep in mind: If you haven’t yet signed up for TSA PreCheck you may still have access to some form of expedited lanes screening if you are 75 or older, 12 years or younger, in the military or a disability or medical condition.

  1. Pack for success

Thanksgiving is more about family (and eating) than showing off the latest fashions, so lighten up what you bring along and try traveling with just a carry-on.

Flying with food? Turkey (cooked or frozen) is permitted in carry-on and checked bags but check with your airline if brining a live turkey. Cakes, pies, bread, fruits and vegetables are also permitted in carry-ons, but gravy (a liquid) is not. TSA’s “Can I bring..?” tool can offer advice on other items you may want to bring along.

  1. Bring an emergency kit

Flares aren’t necessary (or allowed) in your carry-on bag, but a kit with some emergency supplies in case of a delay are advised.

Bring snacks (good options include fresh or dried fruit, nuts, energy bars and sandwiches), a refillable water bottle, charged gadgets and rechargers, books and magazines, toys for your kids and a print-out of the reservation information and phone numbers for your airline, car rental company, hotel and the friends or family members who have volunteered to pick you up.

Stash some “mad money.” If a delay gets especially infuriating you can use that cash to buy you and your traveling companions a massage, a fancy cocktail, chocolate or some other frivolous, stress-busting treat.

  1. Delights in the delays

Most people would rather get to their holiday destinations as soon as possible. But those who end up spending extra time waiting for their flights will find many airports offering holiday entertainment and many airport restaurants serving special Thanksgiving-themed dishes and full meals. And in dozens of airports there will be teams of therapy dogs and their trainers on duty to help calm jittery nerves.

Thanksgiving getaway? Still possible.

Holidays, , , ,

Thanksgiving-Chef

(A slightly different version of my story below first appeared on CNBC)

The bizarre election season is over and now Thanksgiving and the more-hectic-than-usual holiday travel season is kicking into gear.

But although Airline for American reports U.S. airlines will carry 27.3 million passengers over the 12-day Thanksgiving holiday travel period (Nov 18-Nov 29) – up 2.5 percent over last year – reasonable (though not cheap) fares and getaways may still be possible.

“Most searches will be done on the 11th and 12th, but most people will commit on the 13th, after thoroughly looking and comparing the previous prices offered,” said CheapOair’s travel expert Tom Spagnola.

Many airlines look at their inventory capacity with a 10-to-14-day window to determine when to lower fares for last minute shoppers, he said, “making the 13th the ‘tipping point’ for those committing to a Thanksgiving trip.”

Where to go?

Travel analysts from Expedia report that New York City and Las Vegas top the list of holiday destinations this year.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade draws 3.5 million to New York City each year, but you can avoid the crowds and still see the giant character balloons by watching the balloon inflation the day before the parade (November 23) in the streets around the American Museum of Natural History.

“The inflation takes place from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.,” says NYC & Company, “though earlier in the afternoon is the best time to see the inflation process as by about 9 p.m., most of the balloons should be fully inflated.”

In Sin City, you can escape the casino and nightclub scene for a while at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, where the 4,200-square-foot Boulevard Pool overlooking The Strip transforms into an ice rink on November 21, complete with fire pit, s’mores and cocktails.

Those seeking healing R&R during the Thanksgiving week might also consider destinations like the northern New Mexico town of Taos, which is home to spas offering everything from massages and facials to hot baths and mud soaks — and most all are open during Thanksgiving weekend.

Another place to head to if you want to avoid the holiday crowds is the Texas Hill Country River Region, where you can book a cabin near the site of the largest tree in Texas, and where fall foliage hikes through Garner State Park are an option straight through December.

For a more upscale escape, the Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole in Wyoming offers guests stargazing excursions and customized, four-hour luxury SUV wildlife expeditions (with food) in Grand Teton National Park, the Bridger-Teton National Forest and the National Elk Refuge, home to more than 5,000 elk.

And while others may be heading to the malls on the day after Thanksgiving, if you’re in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, you can avoid the crowds and relax with fresh cider and microbrews from more than two dozen of the Midwest’s craft breweries at the Black Friday Beerfest at the Harley-Davidson Museum.