Airports

More airports offering food, other support for federal workers during shutdown

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We shared information a few days ago about how Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and others are joining with community groups to offer food and other support to TSA officers, air traffic controllers and other federal workers who aren’t getting paychecks during the government shutdown but are still expected to show up for work at airports.

Now more airports are joining the list.

Tampa International Airport (TPA) is working with United Way Suncoast and Feeding Tampa Bay to gather resources for the airport’s approximately 1,100 federal employees from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Support includes a food pantry and assistance with childcare, utilities and transportation.

The assistance (called Operation Bald Eagle II) is set to begin next week to align with when those federal employees will start missing money out of their paycheck, the airport told us. Two weeks later, they would miss their first full paycheck should the government shutdown continue.

And Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) announced today that it is partnering with local social service groups, the Children’s Cabinet and the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, to assist federal workers working without pay, including TSA, Customs and Border Protection and Federal Aviation Administration staff.

An assigned rep from the Children’s Cabinet will help provide affected federal employees (those with children or not) with resources such as food, diapers and household items. The Food Bank of Northern Nevada is making its pantry program and other food resources available to affected federal workers.

We’ll update this list as more information becomes available.

Remote terminals? It could happen.

Airports

Sea-Tac security line

What if you could go through airport security before you got to the airport?

For most travelers, one of the most stressful parts of air travel is getting to the airport and waiting in line to get through the security checkpoint.

But what if you could park your car off-site, check your bags through their final destination, go through security screening and then get on a bus that takes you directly into the secure side of the airport?

That’s what the folks at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) have in mind.

For a pilot program set to begin in the Summer 2026, Logan Airport plans to test a new service for passengers using the Logan Express bus from Framingham, which is 23 miles and at least a half-hour ride from Logan.

Passengers will be able to check their bags at the remote bus stop AND go through security screening at the remote bus stop as well.

Then, once they’re at the airport, they’ll get dropped off on the post-security side of the terminal and head to their gate.

Will it work?

There’s no reason why not.

Many cities and airlines already offer secure remote check-in for bags at parking lots, at in-city locations such as convention centers and on cruise ships.

And American Airlines offers Landline service, which offers motorcoach service between a handful of regional airports and Chicago O’Hare (ORD) or Philadelphia (PHL). For those trips, passengers check their bags and clear security at the remote airport and then travel to ORD or PHL.

We’re looking forward to seeing how Boston Logan International Airport’s remote terminal works.

Travel tidbits from airports near you

Airports

Just catching up on some airport-related events and amenities posted on X the past few days.

At George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) a cat took an unusual ride, and a new vending machine has Pokémon and sports cards.

Calgary International Airport (YYC) set up a make-your-own welcome sign station. (Our Airport Amenity of the Week!)

And Quad Cities International Airport (MLI) has a new art exhibit that looks charming.

World’s Best Airports (according to Skytrax)

Airports

For the 13th time, Singapore’s Changi Airport has been named the World’s Best Airport in the Skytrax World Airport Awards.

Changi also won awards for the World’s Best Airport Dining, the World’s Best Airport Washrooms and as the Best Airport in Asia.

It’s no wonder. Changi Airport is a destination on its own, with free snooze lounges, game rooms and movie theaters, a butterfly garden, a swimming pool, great art, a fitness zone and, over in the Jewel entertainment and retail center, the world’s largest indoor waterfall.

Here are some of the other awards:

Greetings from Houston by Daniel Anguilu and Frank Nathan

Houston Airport System got the award for having the World’s Best Airport Art for the third successive year.

Vancouver International Airport ranked as the top airport in North America

New York’s LaGuardia Airport was awarded the best regional airport in North America

Tokyo Haneda Airport received an award as the World’s Cleanest Airport among major airports

Seoul Incheon Airport got the nod for having the World’s Best Airport Staff.

Istanbul Airport received the award as the World’s Most Family Friendly Airport.

Crowne Plaza Changi Airport collected the award as the World’s Best Airport Hotel.

The TWA Hotel at New York’s JFK airport received the award as the Best Airport Hotel in North America for the second time.

The Skytrax awards are based on the World Airport Survey questionnaires that evaluate customer experience across a wide varfiety of indicators, from check in, arrivals, transfers, shopping and security / immigration through to departure at the gate.

Big trouble at London’s Heathrow Airport

Airports


Giant headaches for travelers and airlines around the world today and no doubt for many days to come as London’s Heathrow Airport closed completely after a power outage caused by a nearby electrical substation that shut down power at the airport.

Heathrow initially announced it would be closed throughout Friday, March 21, but has since announced that it is restarting flights with a priority on “repatriation and relocation of aircraft.”

As you may imagine, a lot of travel plans are a mess.

More than 1000 flights to and from Heathrow – and to and from other airports around the world – have been canceled – so far – leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers affected.

As always, if you’re scheduled to fly to, from or through Heathrow or, really pretty much any European airport (many Heathrow-bound flights were diverted elsewhere), be sure to check with your airline for the latest news. And, if your schedule is at all flexible, consider taking the flight change waivers for this incident.

Here are links to the change fee waivers offered by just a few airlines – including, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, and British Airways. Check your airline’s website for the latest “Travel Alerts” to make sure you don’t end up getting stuck at an airport.

IATA Director General, Willie Walsh, clearly not a big fan of Heathrow, is thanking travelers for their patience, but saying that the shutdown “is yet another case of Heathrow letting down both travelers and airlines.”