Airports

Cherry blosssom time at Dulles & Washington National airports

Airports, Festivals, ,

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is in full bloom through April 27, 2012 and this year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry blossom trees from Tokyo, Japan to Washington, DC.

There are five weeks worth of exhibitions, programs, celebrations and, of course, opportunities to marvel at the pretty trees in the nation’s capital, but here at StuckatTheAirport.com we’re tickled (pink) to learn that both Washington Dulles International and Ronald Reagan Washington National airports are participating as well.

This week, Reagan Washington National Airport accepted the gift of 100 cherry trees from Narita International Airport Corporation in Japan and hosted a tree planting ceremony near Terminal A.  Through March, parking garages at DCA will also be lit pink.

Over at Dulles International, the iconic terminal is also bathed in pink lighting to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

(Airport photos courtesy Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority)

Tracking a toddler’s airport pat-down

Air Travel, Airports, Kids, Kids travel, Security, ,

I spent much of Monday morning trying to track down the parent who posted the video (below) of a 3 year-old in a wheelchair getting a very thorough pat-down at an airport security checkpoint.

It turned out the video was shot in 2010 and had been posted on YouTube over the weekend. But that didn’t stop it from going viral.

Here’s my story about the video – and the TSA’s response – that posted on msnbc.com.

A video shot in 2010 showing a 3-year-old boy receiving a pat-down from a TSA agent went viral today. The toddler was wearing a cast and sitting in a wheelchair.

In an annotated videotape of the incident posted March 17 on YouTube, the father is heard reassuring his son, whom he calls “Rocco,” while a TSA officer is seen patting down the squirming boy and taking swabs of the chair and the cast. After asking the parents to lift the boy’s shirt and offering them the option of going to a private screening area, the officer is also shown swabbing the boy’s back.

The video has been viewed more than 400,000 times. [updated]

Before conducting the check at the Chicago Midway Airport, the TSA officer tries to reassure the boy by asking what he likes — “Tigers? Animals?” — and then asks the boy to sit up. During the inspection he also tells the parents what he is doing and tells Rocco that he’s a good boy.

Comments added to the video by his father, said, “I was told I could NOT touch him or come near him during this process. Instead we had to pretend this was ‘OK’ so he didn’t panic.”

Reached Monday morning,  the boy’s father, Matt DuBiel, said the video was made in spring 2010 during a family trip to Disney World.

“We had a baby five weeks ago, and I was looking at some old family videos on Saturday night, and I got incensed and emotional watching it.”

DuBiel says he posted it on YouTube to share it with family members who have heard him talk about the incident but who hadn’t seen the video.

Noting that the incident took place more than a year ago, TSA, in a statement, said: “Due to the fact that this passenger was traveling in a wheelchair and had a cast he would have been unable to pass through the walk-through metal detector or imaging technology and therefore received alternative screening, a pat-down and use of explosives trace detection.”

“It doesn’t matter when it was,” said DuBiel. “That’s the TSA and that is my son. And he is wearing a body cast. The TSA agent did the best he could with a ridiculous situation, but someone should have stepped in and said, ‘That’s enough.’ ” He said he didn’t make a fuss at the time because he was worried about getting the whole family through security. The family was traveling to Disney World.

“At the time, they didn’t  have the rules in place for children that they have now. But, regardless of the new or old rules, my position is that it’s unacceptable to treat a toddler this way.”

Last fall, the TSA revised its rules for children 12 and under, saying they no longer have to remove their shoes at security checkpoints. The agency’s policy for Children with Disabilities states that “if your child is unable to walk or stand, the Security Officer will conduct a pat-down search of your child while he/she remains in their mobility aid, as well as a visual and physical inspection of their equipment.”

“While recognizing that terrorists are willing to manipulate societal norms to evade detection, our officers continue to work with parents to ensure a respectful screening process for the entire family at the checkpoint,” TSA said Monday.

 

What the TSA found at airports – last week

Airports, Security, ,

Once again, I find myself perusing the TSA’s weekly round-up of prohibited, illegal and downright bizarre items found at airport checkpoints and thinking… “What’s with people?”

Grenades, pistols, knives and my favorite from last week: thousands of hits of ecstasy stashed in someone’s underpants.

Here’s the photo of last week’s finds from the TSA.gov blog.  Wacky but, when you get right down to it, really quite alarming.

 

 

 

 

Airports tuning up their soundtracks

Airports, Music, ,

 

Next time you go to the airport, listen up.

Those scolding overhead announcements outlining the dos and don’ts at the security checkpoints may be tune-outs, but for my At the Airport column this month for USATODAY.com, I discovered that some airports offer travelers toe-tapping reasons to tune-in.

Blues and more in Chicago 

Since 2008, the Terminal Tunes program has been offering a wide range of jazz, blues, folk and other genres of recorded music by local artists on the overhead sound system at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports.

Like what you hear? The playlist is searchable online by terminal, month, day and time and currently includes everything from boogie-woogie piano tunes by the legendary Roosevelt Sykes to a polka played by the Northside Southpaws, a modern-day, left-handed mandolin/guitar duo that performs obsolete ragtime and obscure string-band music.

“Chicago is a world-class music city,” said Gregg Cunningham, special projects coordinator for the Chicago Department of Aviation. “But more than 50% of travelers at O’Hare are connecting passengers who never leave the airport. So we look to provide experiences at the airports that reflect our great city.”

Austin atmosphere 

In between the 15 live music performances that take place weekly at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, travelers hear a 24-hour soundtrack of recorded local music drawn from a 2,400-song playlist.

“We add songs frequently to keep the mix fresh and current,” says airport music coordinator Nancy Coplin. The playlist isn’t posted or streamed on the airport’s website just yet, but if someone wants to know more about a song they’ve heard at the airport Coplin is more than happy to look it up. “It happens quite frequently,” she said.

Seattle signs on 

It was the Austin airport that inspired the airport-wide local music initiative rolled out at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in January, 2012.

James Keblas, Seattle’s Director of Film and Music and Seattle Port Commissioner John Creighton flew to Austin in 2008 for a meeting. “When we got off the plane, we noticed how much stuff there was at the airport representing the music culture of Austin,” said Keblas. “And we both realized that Seattle, which is also known for its music scene, should be doing this too.”

It took a while for Sea-Tac’s music program to take shape, but eventually PlayNetwork, a Redmond, Wash.-based company that curates music for Starbucks and thousands of other businesses, stepped in to work on the project, pro bono, with the airport, the Seattle Music Commission and other local groups.

The soundtrack created for the airport includes music by Northwest artists spanning multiple decades and genres – everything from pop, rock and folk to urban, jazz, blues and electronic music – and features artists such as The Posies, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Heart, Alice in Chains, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, the Dave Mathews Band, Jimi Hendrix  and Kenny G .

“The final playlist was carefully crafted to ensure we have the right genre and energy level playing during the day,” said Nadine Zgonc, PlayNetwork’s vice-president of client management. “So there’s more chilled-out music in the early morning and a little more up-tempo and jammin’ music as the day goes on.” The music is turned off completely overnight.

In addition to the airport soundtrack, PlayNetwork created short music videos for the terminal monitors and a multichannel music player available at the airport on the free Wi-Fi, on the airport’s website and through Android and iPhone apps.

Music and messages 

Sea-Tac’s new soundtrack also extends to the welcome and safety messages heard inside the airport, with many notable Northwest musicians, including Sir Mix-a-Lot  and Chris Ballew, of the Presidents of the United States of America , voicing short announcements.

Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains  reminds travelers that smoking is only allowed outside the building, adding a sympathetic “Bummer, dude” at the end of his recorded message. John Popper  of Blues Traveler  squeezes a little harmonica-playing into his message welcoming travelers to Seattle and urging everyone to “rock out, man. But don’t forget your flight.” And rapper Macklemore  plays it straight, welcoming passengers to one of the world’s greenest airports and encouraging them to check out the free Wi-Fi, “Where you can listen to some great music created by Pacific Northwest artists.”

Several other airports around the country also use local celebrities in airport messaging.

At McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, videos dating back to 2004 and 2005 feature Las Vegas performers such as Wayne Newton, Rita Rudner, the Blue Man Group  and Carrot Top  offering tips for going through the security checkpoint.

At Nashville International Airport, Darius Rucker, Phil Vassar, George Strait  and Lady Antebellum  are among the country music stars that have recorded what airport spokesperson Emily Richard describes as “fun and quirky messages.” Andy Williams , Clay Cooper and many other entertainers have voiced parking, welcome and other helpful messages (along with promos for their shows) for Missouri’s Branson Airport.

And at Glacier Park International Airport in Montana, travelers waiting in line at the security checkpoint are entertained by a video by the local band, the Singing Sons of Beaches, crooning the TSA’s carry-on rules to a jaunty calypso beat.

TSA sends travelers age 75 and older to the front of the line

Air Travel, Airports, Security, Senior Travel, ,

TSA sending elderly travelers to the front of the line

Turns out age has its advantages.

Recent stories of a 95-year-old flier in Florida who claimed a TSA agent asked her to remove her adult diaper and an elderly flier who claimed she was strip- searched at JFK airport brought attention to the difficulties many elderly travelers encounter at security checkpoints.

Now the TSA  will begin testing new procedures that “enhance security and may improve the travel experience for passengers in this age group.”

Beginning Monday, March 19, modified airport screening procedures for passengers 75 and older will begin at four U.S. airports: Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Denver International Airport (DEN), Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Portland International Airport (PDX). According to TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein, the percentage of passengers in the 75 and older group is slighter higher at these airports.

The modified procedures being tested will be similar to those recently implemented for children age 12 and under who no longer need to remove their shoes and light outerwear at airport checkpoints and are allowed a ‘do-over’ through the advanced imaging technology to clear any anomalies. However, as with the procedures for young children, the TSA reserves the right to ask those over 75 to remove their shoes and undergo a pat-down if any anomalies detected during security screening cannot be resolved through other procedures.

Farbstein said there is no defined end to the pilot program, but noted that in August 2011, TSA began a pilot program of expedited screening procedures for travelers 12 and under and went national with that program a month later. “But I don’t want to be raising expectations too soon for this program,” said Farbstein. “Each airport testing the 75 and older program is doing so at only one checkpoint.”

Here’s where to get the expedited service:

  • Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD): Security Checkpoint 3, Terminal 1
  • Denver International Airport (DEN): South Checkpoint/USA Flag Checkpoint
  • Orlando International Airport (MCO): West Checkpoint
  • Portland International Airport (PDX): ABC Checkpoint, lane 7 and 8.

At the participating airport checkpoints, travelers will see a sign alerting them to the program. “We think people 75 and older will announce themselves,” said Farbstein. She added that officers will also do visual assessments and direct those who qualify to a special lane for expedited screening.

“We think this will improve security,” said Farbstein. “We know it’s not one-size-fits-all and this will allow us to focus more of our time on passengers we know less about.”

The TSA has implemented several other risk-based initiatives in the past year that have also reduced and/or changed the screening requirements for many passengers. Those programs include the Known Crew Member program, the use of expanded behavior detection techniques and the TSA Pre-Check  expedited screening initiative.

The agency also introduced TSA CARES,  a toll-free number (1-855-787-2227) to assist travelers with disabilities and medical conditions and answer questions about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at the airport security checkpoint.

The helpline hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. EST (excluding federal holidays) and accommodations are available for travelers who are deaf or hard of hearing. The TSA recommends that passengers call approximately 72 hours ahead of travel so that, if necessary, checkpoint support for a customer can be arranged with a TSA Customer Service Manager at an airport.

 

Sewing at San Francisco International Airport

Airports, Exhibits, Fashion, , , ,

While it would be great if you could get a skirt or a pair of pants hemmed while you were stuck at the airport, that sort of service is quite rare.

But San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is offering perhaps the next best thing: an exhibition about the history of sewing machines.

(Singer sewing machine c. 1895–99. From the Collection of the Museum of American Heritage, Palo Alto, CA)

Threading the Needle: Sewing in the Machine Age traces the development of the domestic sewing machine from the 1850s to the 1970s and celebrates more than one hundred years of sewing.

According to the SFO Museum:

When the sewing machine was first introduced to American homes in the 1850s, it was heralded as a laborsaving device that would transform the domestic lives of women everywhere. Sewing clothing and household linens, once a time consuming, never ending task, no longer had to be painstakingly completed by hand. The popular and influential Godey’s Lady’s Book soon coined the sewing machine “the queen of inventions” and declared that every family in the United States should own one.

In the exhibit, pattern illustrations highlight ladies homemade fashions throughout the decades and a variety of notions from sewing boxes and sewing birds are also on display.

(Sewing accessory stands, c. 1930. From the collection of Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, Berkeley, CA).

Look for the exhibit in SFO Terminal 3, F2 North Connect Gallery, March 2012–August 2012

Lost at O’Hare? There’s help – and a party – for that.

Airports

 

If you find yourself lost and confused at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Travelers Aid is one place you can turn to for help.

To help spread the word, on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Travelers Aid will be holding its 5th Annual Open House event in O’Hare’s Terminal 2, just past the security checkpoints.

During the party, Travelers Aid staff and many of the more than 100 volunteers will offer guests snacks, drinks and hourly door prizes, so be sure to stop by.

And, just so you’re ready for chit-chat, here are some Travelers Aid facts:

– It started in St. Louis in 1851 and is the oldest, non-sectarian, social welfare organization in the United States;

-It opened in Chicago in 1888 at downtown train stations and opened an O’Hare office in 1955;

– And it is a member of Travelers Aid International – a network of Travelers Aid programs with locations in 26 airports throughout the country.

The Travelers Aid office and booths at O’Hare are open Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Just in case.

Free ebooks at Harrisburg International Airport

Airport shops, Airports, Free Stuff, , , ,

Here’s a great idea: on Wednesday, Pennsylvania’s Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) introduced a free eBook Library for travelers.

 

Airport marketing manager Stephanie Gehman browsed through the more than 30,000 free titles offered by Project Gutenburg and picked out 15 ebooks for the MDT library. Passengers – or anybody – can download the books, which include classics and aviation-related titles, at www.flyHIA.com/ebooks.

What’s on the shelf?  The Adventures of Huck Finn, Aeroplanes, Andersen’s Fairy Tales, Around the World in 80 Days, Gulliver’s Travels, Little Women, Mother Goose, Oliver Twist, Opportunities in Aviation, Pride and Prejudice, Robinson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson, The Early History of the Airplane, The First Airplane Diesel Engine, and Wuthering Heights.

The ebooks are available for multiple formats directly from the website or by scanning any of the 15 different signs posted in gate areas and in a few other locations in the MDT terminal.

“The signs have a QR code that links directly to one of the fifteen titles in the ebook library,” said Gehman.  “Passengers can wander around the terminal, scan all of the signs and collect all fifteen titles.”

And what about the shops that sell books at the airports?

MDT has two Hudson News locations that sell books, “But we selected ebook titles that aren’t for sale at the booksellers in the terminal,” said Gehman.

Airports named for U.S. presidents

Airports, , , , , ,

In honor of Presidents Day, here’s a round-up of airports in the U.S. named for presidents.

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK): Originally Idlewild Airport (built over Idlewild Golf Course), it was airport rededicated as John F. Kennedy International Airport on December 24, 1963, in memory of the nation’s 35th president.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Texas was named Houston Intercontinental Airport until 1997.

(Drawing of proposed National Airport ca. 1935; courtesy DC Public Library Commons)

Washington’s National Airport (DCA) was renamed Reagan National Airport in 1998.

Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR)  in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was Kent County International Airport until December, 1999.

And let’s not forget Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (SPI) in Springfield, Illinois and Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport (DIK) in Dickinson, North Dakota.

Are we missing any?

Tidbits for travelers: tips and useful tools

Airports, Travel tips, ,

 

It’s hard to stay up to date on all the changes you might encounter at airports and on airplanes these days.

Cheat sheets come in handy.

In a blog post titled “Expedited airport security: We all want it but how do we get it?,” GateGuru put together a good run-down on how to get qualified to use the TSA’s expedited security lines at airports.

The take-away: you can pay to join some programs; you must qualify for others, but if you get ‘in’ you’ll save some time and hassle at many – but not all – airports.

And in a column “Handy Tips From Those in the Know,” in the New York Times, Joe Sharkey shares some great travel tips from expert travelers.

The take-away: In addition to reminding us to steer clear of the Cinnabons and to always wear clean underwear to the airport because “You never know when you’re going to get strip-searched,” Sharkey includes a travel tip from Christopher Schaberg, whose book “The Textual Life of Airports: Reading the Culture of Flight” (Continuum, 2011), is sitting here on my desk. “Pay attention not only to public art in airports, but also to your own place within, no matter how grim or humble a concourse might seem,” said Schaberg. “Think of your time spent in the airport as an art walk of sorts. You are actually part of a giant, living art piece, the architectural matrix and social swirl that we recognize as airport life.”

Sharkey didn’t ask for a travel tip from me, but if he had I would have told him: When you’re stuck at the airport, don’t just sit there, poke around. That’s how I found some wonderful art and history exhibits, my favorite skirt and shops selling everything from used books to locally-crafted treasures. And: don’t forget to look out the window.