Entertainment

Souvenir Sunday: musical treats at Austin-Bergstrom Int’l Airport

Entertainment, Music, ,

Nancy Coplin, the music coordinator at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, has an enviable and very important job.  The airport has four performance venues and eleven live concerts each week and she’s the one in charge of the schedule.

In Austin, of course, you can’t spit without hitting a Grammy-winner or two, so when Nancy drops a note to say she was tickled by the performers at the airport that day, I take notice.  Here’s her report on some special guests at the airport earlier this week:

“Today we had the Bill Carter Trio. Bill is probably the premier songwriter in Austin-having written songs for Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and many more. Stephen Doster, is a great musician and a great record producer. The 3rd person today is Denny Freeman, who is playing the airport for the 1st time.  He just finished touring as Bob Dylan’s guitarist and has played with many greats, including Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan.”

Why didn’t she send out the alert earlier?  “We didn’t know they’d all be here!”

We’ll let her off the hook – this time – but only because Nancy was kind enough to send these photos along for Souvenir Sunday – the day we take a look at some of the fun, inexpensive treats you can find while being Stuck at the Airport. Great music – for free -certainly fits the bill.

Group shot: Denny Freeman, Bill Carter and Stephen Doster


(Denny Freeman)


(Bill Carter)


(Stephen Doster)

Curious to see who may be playing next time you pass through Austin-Bergstrom International Airport?  Check the airport Website. The schedule for at least one of the stages is usually posted.

And.. if you find a great souvenir while you’re stuck at the airport – something under $10, “of” the city or region and, ideally, a bit offbeat, please take a photo and send it along. It may end up featured on a future edition of Souvenir Sunday.

All Photos Sandy L. Stevens, courtesy of City of Austin

Airport smackdown: it’s “gloves off” when dissing rivals

Advertising, Air Travel, Airports, Entertainment, Etiquette, Fun Stuff, , , , ,

My “At the Airport” column for USAToday.com this week – Gloves are off as airports go after their rivals in ads – is about airports rolling out funny, “in your face” campaigns.

In a video about San Francisco International Airport, Mayor Gavin Newsom has a cameo. So do Marion and Vivian Brown, the kooky 83 year-old identical twins who have become beloved San Francisco icons.  Designed to promote SFO as the connecting hub of choice for travelers coming to the United States from New Zealand or Australia, the video compares SFO’s airy, light-filled, international terminal to an unnamed airport simply referred to as “the bad airport.”

In this video, the bad airport does look pretty bad. But, marketing experts tell me, that’s what airports have to do these days to stand out.

Another example is the new campaign from Canada’s Edmonton International Airport (YEG), which serves about six million passengers a year. On March 1st the airport rolled out a “Stop the Calgary Habit” campaign, urging residents of central and northern Alberta to stop connecting through or driving to Calgary International Airport (YYC), which serves about ten million passengers a year.  Using the tag line “When you go south, so does your air service,” (Ouch!), the campaign includes short (:15) videos portraying repentant passengers.

There’s also a tool kit that includes a shake-able Magic 8-ball-like sphere offering habit-breaking tips and – my favorite – an “Emergency Hypno Cure.”

Barf bags and skywriting

For years Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport’s (MKE) was marketing itself to northern Illinois as “Chicago’s Third Airport” and back in 2005 mailed out a “Sick of O’Hare?” media kit that included (now highly collectible) air sick bags that said “Feel Better, Fly MKE” and a package of breath mints. A few years later, when the Chicago Cubs were playing the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field, MKE hired a skywriter to write the address of the MKE website in the airspace over the game.

Airport spokesperson Patricia Rowe says they don’t do that ‘in your face’ stuff anymore. “Now we spend more time focusing on what’s great about our airport instead of attacking O’Hare.”

Nicer, maybe. But nowhere near as much fun.

To read my USAToday.com story about airport smackdowns, please see Gloves are off as airports go after their rivals in ads.

SXSW Music Festival at Austin Bergstrom International Airport

Entertainment, Events, Music, , , ,

Heading to the SXSW music festival? There’s no need to wait until you’re right in town to start enjoying the music. The Austin Bergstrom International Airport, which has live music year-round, is hosting the first sanctioned performances of the music conference.

The kick-off performance takes place today, Tuesday March 16th, 2010 at 1 pm with the Marshall Ford Swing Band and special guest Ray Benson (the front man for Asleep at the Wheel ).

They’ll all be at Ray Benson’s Roadhouse, right in the airport, post-security, between Gates 10 -11.  Warren Hood will perform from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.

The airport will also host the final showcase of the music conference on Monday March 22nd with indie alt rockers Sounds Under Radio from 1-3 p.m and Grammy U band Automatic Cycle from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.

But wait, there’s more!  During SXSW, the airport will expand it’s regular live music line-up from 11 shows to a total 22 performances. In addition to the stage at Ray Benson’s Roadhouse, you can see those extra shows at Lefty’s, Earl Campbell’s Sports Bar, and Austin City Limits/Waterloo Records & Video.

Check the website for more information about the music at Austin Bergstrom International Airport.

Dance at ORD & MDW, drop your pants at PHL

Airport shops, Entertainment, Events, Fun Stuff, Shopping, , , , , ,

Ready for St. Patrick’s Day festivities?

The Chicago airports are. Today, Friday, March 12, Irish dancers from the Trinity Academy will perform at both O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and at Midway International Airport (MDW). Performances will be 3 to 5 p.m. at O’Hare (in Terminals 1, 2, 3, and 5) and at Midway in Concourse A near the “Battle of Midway” exhibit.

And if you are traveling through Philadelphia International Airport (PHL ) between now and Sunday, March 14th, the Gap store there would like you drop your pants.

Old blue jeans collected by Gap stores nationwide will be turned into cotton fiber insulation.  And anyone who leaves a pair of pants will get a coupon good for 30% off their next denim purchase.

The project is a partnership with the Cotton. From Blue to Green campaign, which has so far turned 200 tons of recycled jeans into insulation for more than 540 houses built in areas destroyed by natural disasters .

Connection conundrum: SFO or LAX?

Celebrities, Entertainment, , , , , , , ,

If you’re traveling to or from New Zealand or Australia, you’ll have a make a connection in California at either LAX or SFO.

San Francisco would like you to make your connection through San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and has kicked off the “I Wanna Go Through SFO” campaign to urge folks to consciously make the choice to connect through SFO rather than LAX. The campaign includes this sort of cute video, which includes cameos by Mayor Gavin Newsom and the iconic SF Twins and lines like “…there’s the bad airport and then there’s San Franscisco International Airport.”

OK, LA. Let’s see what’s you’ve got!

Millionaire at Reno-Tahoe Airport and fun with lost baggage

Baggage, Carry-ons, Entertainment, , , , ,

According to recently released statistics from the Department of Transportation (DOT),  airlines appear to be getting better at keeping track of checked bags.  Plenty of bags still go missing. And some bags do get stolen.  But according to the Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), in 2009 the mishandled bag rate was 3.91 per 1,000 passengers, down from 2008’s 5.26 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers; and the lowest rate of lost bags in quite some time.

The numbers are going in the right direction, but it may be because fewer people are traveling and many travelers are doing whatever they can not to pay a checked bag fee.

But just about everyone will get a big kick out of this YouTube video of Rhod Gilbert talking about his luggage problems.

And while Mr. Gilbert may have had bad luck at the airport, on Sunday, February 21st, Denver resident John Johnson had some very good luck at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Johnson, his wife, and his bowling team went to Reno for the US Bowling Congress Open Championship and, after putting $20 in a Megabucks machine at the airport, Johnson won $10.4 million.

Singapore’s Changi Airport celebrates Year of the Tiger

Air Travel, Airplanes, Airports, Entertainment, Events, Exhibits, Festivals, History, , , ,

The Chinese New Year will be celebrated this Sunday and Singapore’s Changi Airport is ready with giant displays to welcome in the Year of the Tiger:

Changi Airport also opened up an Aviation Gallery in Terminal 2, with loads of information stations, interactive kiosks, and 600 tiny airplanes hanging from the ceiling.

Here’s a “please-touch” fire-fighting suit worn by airport emergency officers:

And here’s a bench in the Changi Aviation Gallery that doubles as a scale to show how airports tally up the weight of baggage.

(Photos courtesy Changi Airport Group)

World’s first airport indoor ski jump at Düsseldorf International Airport ski jump

Entertainment, Events, Festivals, Fun Stuff, Sports, , ,

Is this too much fun for an airport?

This past December, right before Christmas, Germany’s Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) hosted a circus competition in the shopping arcade with contortionists,  jugglers and trapeze artists.

Now comes word that on February 6th and 7th, 2010, the airport shopping arcade will be the site of the world’s first airport indoor ski jump.

They’ll be trucking in a heap-o-snow and making a real ski jump.  Then, they’ll have snowboarders and ski stars perform all sorts of stunts.

They’ve even drafted former British Olympic ski jumper Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards to open the event.

Edwards was the somewhat inept skier who somehow made it to the 1988 Calgary Games.

And although he finished last in his events, he became a goofy, folk hero.

In addition to the ski jump demonstrations, the airport will be hosting a travel show and offering  sports demos, comedy and musical performances, and free airport flights and tours.

Can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

Christmas karaoke at Detroit Metro Airport was a big hit

Air Travel, Entertainment, Environment,

Right now, when most of us think of Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) we think about that failed attempt to blow up an airplane on Christmas Day.

But a few days before that awful event, the Detroit Airport hosted a four-day karaoke fundraiser.  Performers were asked to contribute at least $5 for each song and, thanks to fact that many people paid more than $5 a song and the fact that many passersby also contributed, “Sing Because You Care” raised more than $2600 for the  Salvation Army.

Here’s an example of what people sang:

Dancing up a storm at Lisbon Airport

Air Travel, Entertainment, Events, Fun Stuff, Holidays, , ,

Here’s something we need more of at airports: dance numbers!

Imagine being at the Lisbon Airport during the Christmas rush when a voice on the public address system announces Flight 0000:  a special flight on which “No sad children or adults are permitted” and where “Only happiness is allowed on board.”

And then, all of sudden, TAP Air Portugal and Aeroports de Portugal employees rush from their posts to perform a spirited flashmob-style dance routine to a medley of songs ranging from the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive to Mariah Carey’s All I want for Christmas is You.

https://youtu.be/Yks7GCeTQHc

Wild right?  There’s even a dancing Santa!