Airports, airplanes & Alexander Calder
July 22 was artist Alexander Calder’s birthday, giving us an excuse to share some photos of his work in airports and on airplanes. The photo above is of Calder in →
Alarming & heartwarming TSA Tweets
We’re still missing the corny communications TSA’s Blogger Bob Burns once shared with the public, but Lisa Farbstein and the team on duty now are doing a great job of →
Travel Tidbits
Here are some of the attractions and news announcements we’re reading about this week. A Masterpiece Moment in a Museum During the pandemic, we discovered Bank of America’s Masterpiece Moment →
JFK loo a finalist in America’s Best Restroom contest
The finalists for the 2021 America’s Best Restroom contest. are out and we’re pleased to see a restroom in an airport on the list. That doesn’t happen very often. Which →
No cheese curd eating contest, but lots of summer fun
Giant cream puffs will be sold, but there will be no cheese curd eating contest at the Wisconsin State Fair this year. After last year’s cancellations due to Covid restrictions, →
Why We Spit on Viking Cruises
What’s the best part of taking a cruise around Iceland right now? The food? The views? The waterfalls? Take your pick. We’re fully vaccinated. But were we worried about traveling →
Pittsburgh Int’l Airport goes off the grid
A few years ago, there were some major power outages at airports that wreaked havoc with air travel in those regions. The list of airports affected was not inconsequential. Power →
You can go to space too! For free. Or with a donation.
That was pretty darn exciting to see Virgin Galactic take Richard Branson on a trip to space. Want to take that trip too? An estimated 600 people are ahead of →
Celebrities welcome you to Miami Int’l Airport
Here’s another sign that the world of travel is moving back towards normal: Miami International Airport (MIA) is bringing back celebrity welcome messages to its public address system. The Voices →
Space Travel for us? Looking possible.
What can we say? Space Travel for mortals, well, rich mortals, is now much more of a reality. Thanks, Richard Branson, and your enthusiasm, for kicking it off. →
Short films, courtesy the SFO Museum
While travelers are returning to airports, not all amenities are back up and running quite yet. That includes SFO Museum’s Video Arts screening room at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). →
Airplane etiquette. From kids.
We’re all delighted that travel is getting back to some sort of normal. And it is understandable that we’re all a bit rusty about our airplane etiquette. But, already, airlines, →
Airports brace for Tropical Storm Elsa
Tropical Storm Elsa is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday. In advance of the storm, Tampa International Airport (TPA) closed on Tuesday afternoon and is reopening Wednesday, early →
Free flights to Tennessee? That sounds good.
Travel is back in motion. And now cities, states, and countries are going to all out to get your attention – and your travel dollars. Case in point: Tennessee. Just →
Airports celebrate July 4th and the freedom to travel
Like you, airports are celebrating the freedom to travel (again) and also marking July 4th. And we’re gathering up some of the best July 4th messages airports are sharing. Kicking →
Ready for July 4th travel adventures?
(This is a slightly different version of a story we wrote for NBC News) Swimsuit packed? How about your patience? If you are heading out of town for the July →
Fresh art at Miami Int’l Airport
UFOs have been in the news lately. So we are pleased to see a piece of art featuring a UFO included in a new exhibition at Miami International Airport. Key →
This and that from an airport near you
Some people scroll through TikTok dances at the end of the day. We click through the airport and airline news on Twitter. Here are some items we stopped to read →
Airlines offering heat waivers & banning pets from cargo
A heatwave in the Pacific Northwest and some other parts of the country is adding another challenge to air travel as we head into a holiday weekend. As a result, →
TSA offering self-defense training to flight crews.
As airline passenger volume ticks up, many passengers are packing something the Transportation Security Administration and airlines would rather they’d leave home: a combative attitude. “Passengers do not arrive at →
Oldest wooden tugboat in the U.S.
If we can’t get where we want to go by plane right now, we’ll consider going somewhere by boat. And to get in the mood, we spent some time at →
Chocolate at IND Airport; Motivational Mirrors at ELP Airport; Merch at CVG
We can tell travel is inching back to ‘normal’ because airports are hosting fun events and encouraging travelers to stick around and engage. Two great examples: Indianapolis International Airport (IND) →
Airports mark National Selfie Day, Pride Month, and a magical painting
Sharing some of the Tweets airports shared on Monday about National Selfie Day, about short films to watch to celebrate Pride Month, and about the return of a magical painting. →
First a passenger drought. Now a water drought. Can California airports cope?
(This is a slightly different version of a story we wrote for NBC News online) First airports had to deal with a drought of passengers due to the pandemic. Now →
New airport names; new airline planes
Alaska Airlines’ new Pride-inspired plane We are totally loving Alaska Airline’s newly decorated Pride-inspired plane supporting the LGBTQ+ community. It’s the first of its kind in the United States and →
Airports Hope for Infrastructure Help
(This is a slightly different version of a story we wrote for NBC News) When low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines launched the first of 11 new routes to small cities and →
Celebrating the centenary of Bessie Coleman’s pilot license
On Monday, the National Air and Space Museum, and many others, marked the 100th anniversary of the day Bessie Coleman earned her pilot’s license – and changed history. Click through →
Museum Monday highlights from Viking.TV
We’re setting off for Iceland in a few weeks to join Viking for one of their Welcome Back cruises. So we have been poking around the company’s website. One impressive →
Another airport lets you reserve your checkpoint time
The uptick in air travel brings with it an uptick in airport security wait times. So airports around the country are getting creative in testing new ways to keep those →
Not flying? Try Amtrak’s $299 Rail Pass
It’s like the Eurail Pass, but for the U.S. If you’re not quite ready to get on a plane, perhaps you’re up for an adventure by train. Amtrak’s USA Rail →
Yes, Southwest Airlines will check your pool noodle.
The world – and a young woman named Sydney Fowls – now knows that Southwest Airlines stands by its promise to allow passengers to check two bags for free. Even →
PDX Airport’s Construction Comic
Here’s a great idea. There’s a lot of construction going on at Portland International Airport (PDX) right now. And lots of detours in the terminal for travelers. So the airport →
Giveaways for Southwest Airlines’ 50th Anniversary
June 18 marks 50 years since Southwest Airlines flew its first commercial flight and to celebrate the airline is giving away prizes through June 18 and celebrating all month long. →
Ready for International travel? Check the “where” and “when.
[This is a slightly different version of a story we wrote for NBC News] International travel is back on the agenda this summer for millions of Americans who have completed →
Snakes, scorpions, and Qantas planes
Like a lot of airlines, Qantas is storing planes in the Mojave Desert while it waits for travel to return to pre-COVID levels. The dry heat and low humidity of →
Stuck at The Airport: Tuesday Tidbits
Still not vaccinated? MIA Airport can help A COVID-19 vaccination site at Miami International Airport will be providing free one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines to all individuals 18 and →
When can you fly to the UK?
Note: I was compensated by Project Screen by Prenetics for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thinking of traveling internationally? Italy, France, Greece, Croatia, and Iceland are →
Roller skating at JFK Airport? Yup, at the TWA Hotel
Air travel is back on, but what about fun activities at airports? That’s back on too. At least at New York’s JFK Airport, where the TWA Hotel adjacent to Terminal →
SEA Airport reveals next phase of revamped North Satellite
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s 1970s-era North Satellite is undergoing a much needed, multi-year makeover to create a state-of-the-art facility to serve Alaska Airlines flights. Phase One of the project brought us →
Vaccinated? You could win free flights for a year.
Sweepstakes prizes include free travel Not wanting to contract, transmit, or die of COVID-19 is a darn good reason to get vaccinated. But some people may need a bit more →
Travel Tidbits from airports Here and There
Some tidbits from museums – and musicians – from around the world to get your week started. Flashy Fashion Photos at John Wayne Airport A new exhibit in the Thomas →
Touring Oregon’s Mid-Willamette Valley Food Trail
Vaccinated and mindful of the evolving advice on traveling to places beyond our kitchen, we load up the car and drive from Seattle to Oregon’s Mid-Willamette Valley Food Trail, including →
Ready for the summer travel tsunami?
(This is a slightly different version of a story we wrote for NBC News online) Summer travel may cause some headaches Memorial Day weekend and a unusual travel season are →
Want to be “the shuttle voice” at Tampa Int’l Airport?
Tampa International Airport (TPA) is hosting a fun contest that also raises funds for a good cause. Traditionally, the recorded voice on the shuttle vans wishing TPA passengers safe travels →
What’s up at Portland International Airport?
Our first post-pandemic road trip takes us to Oregon, starting at – where else – Portland International Airport (PDX). The airport is getting a new main terminal and we stopped →
Time to hit the road
Overnight car trips. Visits to roadside attractions. Airport hang-out time. It all seems possible now that the weather is getting nice and so many people are vaccinated and honoring all →
Passenger volumes picking up. So is satisfaction with airlines
While the U.S. Department of Transportation logged a record high number of complaints from airline passengers in 2020 – predominantly about ticket refunds – satisfaction with airlines now seems to →
Did you celebrate National Lost Sock Day?
Sunday was not only Mother’s Day, it was National Lost Sock Day. So today we gathered up some of the images we’ve been collecting of socks with airport themes. Some →
Travel Tidbits from here and there
We’re all for finding the odd in the world. So we’re pleased to see United Airlines adding a new “America, Who Knew?” filter to its Map Search program. Some of the →
Skateboarders takeover the old New Orleans Airport
We’re filing this under: Cool Things To Do With Old Airport Terminals It was pretty exciting when Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) opened its brand new terminal in →