Pixie Pilot & Jingle Jet making merry at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport
Airports around the country go all out during the holiday season with decorations, live music, visits from Santa and other festive events.
At Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), the activities include the adorable antics of Pixie Pilot and Jingle Jet, a pair of elves that make appearances throughout the terminal.
Here are just a few of their stops so far this season. Check out the airport’s social media channels for more elf action. And be sure to look around when you’re there.
Free COVID test kits at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Remember when you couldn’t get on a flight without having proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test and proof of COVID vaccinations?
Those days are gone, but people are still getting COVID-19.
But now testing is no longer free. And neither are the test kits. After discovering that all the free test kits we gathered during and after the pandemic were expired, our household recently purchased a package of test kits that cost almost $30.
That’s why on my recent international flight home to Seattle, I willingly stopped at the table set up at the exit of the international arrivals area of the airport that had a CDC-branded sign saying “Swab at the airport and get a test for the road.”
The voluntary, anonymous COVID-19 nasal-swabbing took just seconds.
As a thank you, I was handed a box containing 2 COVID-19 test kits and was on my way.
For those who take the moment to stop, these free kits are a money saving and a useful welcome home souvenir.
JetBlue’s very cool, very New York and first-ever airport lounge
At 5 a.m. on December 18, 2025, JetBlue will officially open the doors to its first-ever airport lounge.
This one, called ‘BlueHouse,” is in JetBlue’s flagship Terminal 5 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The 9,000-square-foot, two-level lounge is designed with a NYC apartment-style aesthetic, Art Deco design, lots of art and some surprises.
For example, the celestial map on the downstairs ceiling is reminiscent of the one at Grand Central Terminal.
Drinks and deluxe grab-n-go food options are by Union Square Events, Joe Coffee, The Greats of Craft and Please Don’t Tell. There are plenty of power outlets, a game room and space for 140 guests in several different seating areas and configurations. JetBlue’s new lounge also has some special ‘surprise’ touches, such a photo booth and a bank of keyed mailboxes that contain small ‘prizes’ for guests.
Admission is currently complimentary to Mosaic 4 members, JetBlue Premier Cardmembers and transatlantic Mint customers with same day tickets, Blue Fare or above.
Beginning February 2026, limited access passes to the lounge will be available for purchase to Annual BlueHouse members, Mosaic 1-3 members, JetBlue Plus and Business Cardmembers, and non-transatlantic Mint customers with same-day tickets, Blue Fare or above.
Next up: Boston.
JetBlue plans to open a BlueHouse lounge in Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) Terminal C sometime in 2026.
(JetBlue BlueHouse images courtesy JetBlue)
