Dina wins TSA’s 2023 Cutest Canine Contest
The votes are in. And Dina, a three-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP) explosives detection canine at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), is the winner of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) 2023 Cutest Canine Contest.
The contestants came from a field of 92 dogs nominated by TSA handlers from airports across the country. TSA employees weighed in and narrowed the field to four finalists. The public then voted on social media (X, Instagram and Facebook) for the cutest TSA canine of them all.
You’ll next see Dina on the front cover of TSA’s 2024 canine calendar, which will be released later this year.
Where to find fresh air at an airport
The Stuck at the Airport team is pleased to share some thoughts about the past and present of outdoor observation decks at airports for this Wall Street Journal article (subscription may be required to access).
Once a feature of almost every airport, outdoor spaces – especially free to access open spaces – are hard to find at airport terminals nationwide.
But you can find them. And, we’re happy to report, some new ones are on the horizon.
We love the outdoor decks (one pre-security, one post-security) at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the patios at Denver International Airport (DEN), the ‘wooftop’ at JetBlue’s Terminal 5 at JFK International Airport (JFK), and the outdoor gardens at Honolulu International Airport (HNL).
And we’re looking forward to the outdoor spaces that will part of the new terminal being built for Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT).
(SFO Airport post-security outdoor deck)
(Denver International Airport outdoor patio)
(Gardens at HNL, Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport)
Do you know of outdoor decks and public spaces at other airports? Share your favorites in the comments section below.
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