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Bizarre airport finds – and 72 smart ones

03/08/10

If you stop and look around you should be able to find an exhibit case at many airports filled with some of the items the US Fish & Wildlife Service has confiscated from travelers. (Confiscated wildlife products, JFK. Courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service) Sadly, smuggling endangered species – and items made from the parts →

Ladies-only lavs on All Nippon Airways

02/24/10

When I toured one of Boeing’s test 787 Dreamliner planes recently, I was pleased to see that the lavatories feature touchless faucets and flushers, as well as a nifty feature that automatically puts down the toilet seat lid. (Photo by Jerome Tso) And back in November, 2009, I was intrigued by the news from ANA →

Sneak peek at Boeing 787 Dreamliner

02/03/10

A few weeks ago, with photographer Jerome Tso in tow, I got to tour the 787 Dreamliner Gallery, which is where airlines go to shop for the specific components they’ll put in their planes. My story about that visit (with Jerome’s great photos) will appear on USATODAY.com (and in the paper) next week, but I →

Airport art (and coincidence) at ATL and JAX

01/08/10

Over the holidays I spent a few hours hanging out at the (north) end of the International Concourse at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). When I wasn’t watching the TSA guys with the anxious-looking dogs, I was checking out all the art. I was intrigued by the set of sculptures stretched out on walls of →

Flying today? Be ready for long lines and confusion

12/28/09

Last week’s fizzled Christmas Day terrorist attack on Delta/NW Flight #253 from Amsterdam to Detroit ignited a wave of new security measures at airports and on airplanes. Airport and airline spokespeople and TSA officials say domestic passengers will likely notice some heightened security procedures, such as explosive-sniffing dogs and added law enforcement presence at many →

(ANA) All Nippon Airways’ flush-before-you-fly program.

10/09/09

I was pretty sure the story about ANA (All Nippon Airways) asking passengers to pee before boarding – to help lighten the airplane’s, uh, load – was an offhand joke that went viral. Especially when I couldn’t find anything about the campaign on the airline’s Web site. But that was just because I can’t read →

Airport bathrooms: sanitary and entertaining?

05/13/09

With all the swine flu news lately, a lot more travelers are a lot more germ conscious. So it’s good to know that more airports around the country are equipping their restrooms with toilet seats that have plastic-seat covers that change automatically. In an article I wrote for MSNBC.com in October, 2008 (Fresh amenities for →

swine flu

Airlines AND airports want more of your money

04/16/09

Airlines have been piling on fees for everything from in-flight meals and pillows to checked baggage service and a tiny bit of extra legroom. And just yesterday, in a story I reported on for MSNBC.com, United Airlines announced new charges for ‘seatmates of size.’ After toying with putting pay-boxes on airplane lavatories, travelers gave Ryanair →

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In-flight toilet tax? Plumb crazy.

02/27/09

Some folks were predicting that this would be the year that some airlines start charging passengers by weight. But it looks like this will be the year that some airlines – or maybe just those wacky nickel-and-dime’em folks at RyanAir – are going to start charging folks to use the lav. What do you think? →

Award winning designs at airports and on airplanes

01/09/09

The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Center for Architecture and Urban Studies have announced their 2008 Good Design Awards. One winner: the Dyson Airblade Hand Dryer, which is installed in some restrooms at the Los Angeles International, San Francisco, Phoenix, Detroit, Minneapolis, Nashville, Boston Logan, and Anchorage airports. Another winner: →

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