Contests

Want free tickets to Bonnaroo 2015? Make airport art

Art, Contests, Festivals, , ,

Bonnaroo 2014 Wednesday-photo by David Barnum

Want two free tickets to the 2015 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival? It will help if you’re an artist.

The annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival takes place each June on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee and many event attendees make their way to and from the festival through Nashville International Airport.

To welcome everyone (and help promote the event), each year the airport features artist-made, Bonnaroo-themed artwork in five skylights on the secure side of the terminal.

Here’s a sample of the artwork from this past season on display through January 2015:

Bonnaroo

By AK Lamas

 

Proposals for next year’s Bonnaroo-themed skylight art will be taken through November 9, 2014.

Each selected artist will get an honorarium of $2,000 to create skylight art that incorporates or reflects iconic Bonnaroo festival elements (but not the full Bonnaroo brand logo), the festival location and the Bonnaroovian Code: Prepare Thy Self, Play as a Team, Radiate Positivity, Respect The Farm, Don’t be that Guy/Gal, and Stay True Roo.

Each selected artist also gets two free tickets to Bonnaroo 2015.

Good luck!

Pie-eating contest at CVG airport

Contests, , ,

pie osu

Like pie?

Allegiant Air is launching service between Tampa Bay/St.Pete (PIE) and Cincinnati /Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) on Thursday, May 15 and to mark the day the airline is hosting a pie eating contest at the Cincinnati airport.

The winner of the pie eating contest will receive two round trip tickets on the first flight to PIE and a hotel stay at the Postcard Inn from May 15 – May 18, 2014.

To enter the contest, you’ll need to register and get a raffle ticket. Five pie-eating contestants will be drawn from those raffle tickets and the person who eats their pie the fastest will win the contest.

The prize gets awarded right away, and the winner has to be prepared to leave on the inaugural flight to Tampa Bay/St. Pete, departing CVG at 5:25 pm on May 15.

If you’re intent on winning, we suggest you bring along a change of clothes so  you don’t have to board the flight with pie-stains on your shirt.

Full contest rules can be found here.

Monkey spotted at Reno Airport + SFO Contest

Books, Contests, Fun Stuff, , , , , , ,

Monkey spotted at Reno-Tahoe International Airport

RENO CURIOUS George

About 80 kids and their parents showed up at Reno-Tahoe International Airport on Wednesday for activities in celebration of International Children’s Book Day. (The holiday takes place each year around Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday, which is April 2.)

Everyone listened to an airport fire captain and a police sergeant read Curious George books, learned a little about fire safety, did some dancing, visited with the airport therapy dogs and had some snacks.

Sounds like a great event for an airport!

Fly Irish from SFO contest

SFO DUBLIN

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) now has non-stop service to Dublin via Aer Lingus and is celebrating with a sweepstakes on Facebook.

The “Fly Irish from SFO!” sweepstakes asks participants to vote for one of 17 cities in the Aer Lingus network they would most like to visit. Entries will go into a random drawing and one winner will be awarded two round-trip Economy Class tickets on Aer Lingus to the destination they voted for.

Deadline for entry: April 11, 2014.

Good luck!

Has travel made your life different or better?

Contests, ,

Is your life different or better because of where you’ve traveled?

That’s what Alaska Airlines and the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) want to know. And to encourage you to make a short film about that topic, they’re offering prizes of round-trip trip travel for four on Alaska Airlines to any city Alaska Airlines serves, full festival passes to the Seattle International Film Festival and some other perks.

SFO art exhibit

Here are some details about the contest rules – and the prizes:

Films may be anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes long, in any genre from documentary to stop-motion, and must include an Alaska Airlines element (such as website, mobile app, aircraft or other).

Other than that, you’re on your own, although examples of possible themes put forth include those of “experiencing somewhere you’ve never been, experiencing food unique to a destination, enabling travel for those who may never have had the opportunity, experiencing a natural geological phenomenon – and anything that changed you as a result from going from Point A to Point B.”

Three winners will be selected by a panel of representatives from SIFF and Alaska Airlines in these three categories: Critics’ Choice, Best Emerging Filmmaker (18 to 24 years old) and Best Individual Youth Film (to a filmmaker under 18 years old).

Good luck!

Thanksgiving events at U.S. airports

Contests, Holidays, ,

HEATHROW TURKEY

If you’re going to be spending any time in an airport this Thanksgiving holiday, hopefully it will be in one of these airports offering some holiday fun.

Terracotta Warriors at IND airport

Real Terra Cotta Warriors from the army built by the first emperor of China to protect him in the after-life will arrive in May, 2014 at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis for a blockbuster exhibit.

Right now, though, there’s a six-foot tall replica warrior at Indianapolis International Airport. Beside it is a cut-out warrior, for photo opportunities.

IND WARRIOR

Santa is also scheduled to make a visit to IND on November 30 between 11 and 2 pm for photos and free holiday activities (Hopefully he’ll snap a photo with the Terra Cotta Warrior).

IND SANTA

Southwest Airlines offer free Nintendo

Denver Nintendo

Nintendo games set up at Denver International Airport.

Nintendo has partnered with Southwest and set up free Wii U Gaming Lounges where travelers can play Super Mario 3D World and other newly released games at Dallas Love Field, Chicago (Midway), Denver, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and St. Louis.

The games will be installed through December 22, but through December 25 you can enter a contest to win one of 30 prize packages containing a pair of Southwest Airlines round-trip tickets and one Wii U system. A new winner will be selected each day.

Bonus coupons at LaGuardia Airport; free shipping at DFW Airport

Passengers traveling through DFW from now through December 24 can get free domestic shipping as well as free gift-wrapping on gifts purchased at participating shops.

If you’ll be traveling through New York’s LaGuardia Airport anytime before January 2, 2014, be sure to use this coupon good for 20% off an item at the Food & Shops in Terminal B.

Surprises in Houston

zappos

Some lucky passengers heading to baggage claim to pick up their luggage at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) are in for some big surprises on Wednesday, Nov 27. Zappos has taken over one of the carousels and will be handing out gifts to travelers as they grab their bags off the belt beginning at around 8:30 am local time. Prizes will include everything from $25 Zappos gift cards to Kitchen Aid mixers.

Free meals for military at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

And from Thanksgiving Day through midnight January 1, 2014 all active-duty United States Military flying through Austin-Bergstrom International airport will be treated to complimentary meals, courtesy of concessionaire Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services.

Active military with ID can receive sandwich or slice pizza, a side of or bag of chips and a medium (non-alcoholic) fountain drink at Annie’s Café, Ray Benson’s Roadhouse Bar, Mangia’s Pizza, Austin Java, Schlotzsky’s Deli, The Salt Lick Bar-B-Que, Earl Campbell’s Sports Bar, Maudie’s Tex-Mex, Hill’s Café, Nuevo Leon Mexican Restaurant, SoCo Market, and Saxon Pub.

Hobbit fan? Air New Zealand has a contest for you.

Contests, Fun Stuff, liveries, , , ,

Hobbit fan?

Air New Zealand, which calls itself “the official airline of Middle-earth,” is holding a contest to send three Hobbit fans (and their friends) to the red carpet premiere of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in Hollywood on December 2 and to send one big winner (and a guest) to New Zealand (aka Middle-earth).

Sound like fun? Here are the details:

1. Watch the fun video above.
2. Then go here to enter.
3. Entries must be in by Tuesday, November 26, 2013

AIR NEW ZEALAND HOBBIT

On December 2, Air New Zealand will also be unveiling a Boeing 777-300 aircraft with a special Hobbit film-inspired livery. The plane will start out in Auckland and arrive in Los Angeles in time for the premier of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Perhaps they’ll reprise this Middle Earth briefing video – or offer up something new.

Win a plane with the new Air New Zealand livery

Contests, liveries, ,

Take a look at the new Air New Zealand livery bearing the New Zealand fern:

ANZ New Livery

Pretty, right?

The new livery is being rolled out across most all of Air New Zealand’s domestic and international aircraft and there’s even a chance to win your own – scale model – version of an Airbus A320 with the design. Download a paper plane version of the plane and follow the instructions for sharing a photo of what you create on Instagram or Twitter.

ScreenHunter_52 Sep. 26 21.27

Travel tidbits: contests and cool things

Airports, Contests, ,

As this week’s Powerball winners will tell you, you can’t win if you don’t play. So here are few travel-related contests.

Virgin America donut plane

Cheeky Virgin America is turning six and celebrating with a fare sale, two-for-one flight vouchers for everyone attending “Virgin America Day at AT&T Park on Saturday, August 10th, 2013 and an on-line Bingo/trivia contest.

Special Japanese Edition Starbucks Travel mugs

National Geographic and Delta Air Lines have teamed up for a contest that includes a bullet-train ride between Tokyo and Kyoto. The prize package includes roundtrip airfare for two on Delta Air Lines, a city tour of Tokyo, rail passes and hotels in Tokyo and Kyoto. Enter here through September 30, 2013.

Some cool things:

LGA SKYBAR

The Food & Shops at LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B and The Cradle of Aviation Museum will be celebrating National Aviation week August 19-23, 2013 with an aviation-themed exhibit and activities, special store discounts and a Twitter contest.

The Cradle of Aviation Museum will host a “Story of Flight” exhibit with model airplanes and banners with images of historical LaGuardia Airport scenes. Look for that on the Departures Level of Terminal B, near Gates C. From 11 am to 3 pm on Friday, August 23rd, look for the costumed “Amelia Earhart” and the Cradle of Aviation’s mascot “Soaring Sam” who will be site to entertain kids and, no doubt, many adults.

In addition to the discounts being offered in the shops there will be an aviation-themed Twitter contest with prizes that include a retro Pan Am duffle bag and a one-year membership to the Cradle of Aviation Museum. The contest will run August 19-25 and two winners will be picked on August 26th.
Watch for details here.

Beyond big scissors: LAX seeks opening day ideas

Contests,

LAX GATE 134

In September 2013 flight operations will begin at the Antonio R. Villaraigosa Pavilion and south concourse boarding gates in the the $1.5-billion New Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at Los Angeles International Airport.

There will be an opening day ceremony, of course, but LAX officials are hoping to have something more exciting going on than speeches and the cutting of a ribbon with a pair of giant scissors.

So they’re turning to the public for unusual and creative opening day ideas that are “cost-effective, creative and out-of-the-box.

If you’ve got something to suggest, e-mail your idea laxpr@lawa.org by Sunday, August 11, 2013.

The winning concept will be used as the official grand opening ceremony of New TBIT and the winner or winners will also receive a gift basket, which we hope will be filled not with just t-shirts and mugs, but with gifts that are also somewhat out of the box.

What’s so special about the New TBIT: it will double the size of the existing TBIT; have 18 new boarding gates (nine of which will be able to accommodate the double-decker Airbus A380 and other new-generation aircraft); and offer lots of new shopping and dining options.

Travel Tidbits: contests, TSA finds & fast airport access

Contests

Catching up on some travel tidbits from the week:

You can’t win if you don’t play

prizes

In a recent contest round-up, I missed one from Hilton HHonors and ATT called Travel is Calling You. Include your phone number when you fill out the form and then be sure to answer your phone for a chance to win two free night hotel night certificates, a $500 American Airlines gift card and a $500 American Express gift card. The contest runs through August, 2013.

TSA makes it easier to get through security – for a fee

TSAS PRECHECK

Although the TSA’s plan to allow small knives and some currently prohibited sports equipment back on planes as carry-on items is still on hold, the agency is going forward with some programs.

On Friday, in fact, the TSA announced that it is expanding the popular TSA Pre✓ program, which gives expedited screening to pre-approved travelers.

Until now the main way to get into the program that allows passengers to keep their shoes and light jackets on at the airport security checkpoints was to be invited by an airline’s frequent flier program or pay a fee and get enrolled in the Global Entry, SENTRI or NEXUS Trusted Traveler programs.

But later this year, travelers who haven’t yet qualified for the program other ways will be able to apply for the TSA Pre✓ program online and, after clearing a background check, go to an enrollment site to show identification and get fingerprints on file.

The first two enrollment sites will open at Dulles International and Indianapolis airports, and there are plans to open other enrollments sites at a later date.

This next stage of the TSA Pre✓ program won’t be free. It will cost $85 for a five-year membership; $17 a year.

More details here.

And, while we’re talking about the TSA, each Friday the TSA Blog issues a report about the firearms, knives and other prohibited items that travelers try to take with them through airport security checkpoints.

This past week, 49 firearms were nabbed at checkpoints. 36 were loaded and, of those, 10 had rounds chambered.

Houston firearm

Loaded gun found at an airport checkpoint in Houston. Courtesy TSA

You can read more about the knives, throwing stars, fireworks and other, sometimes truly bizarre and prohibited items TSA officers found at airport checkpoints this past week here.