Events

Winter Market at Munich Airport

November 30, 2015Harriet BaskasEventsChristmas Market, Munich Airport

Here’s a great airport amenity: a Winter Market.

Each winter, Munich Airport turns the covered open space between the airport’s two terminals into a festive holiday market.

450 live Christmas trees plus one giant centerpiece tree help set the scene for the winter wonderland, with more than 46 stands selling charming gifts and yummy foods, such as mulled wine, sweet roasted almonds and gingerbread.

Better yet, there’s a large skating rink in the center of the market and another ice surface just for curling.

Santa Claus is scheduled to visit on December 6; on Saturday, December 19, Germany’s top figure skaters will perform on the ice; there’s live music on the weekends and hourly departures for the airport’s popular 50-minute twilight tours of the runways, fire stations, cargo terminal and maintenance hangars.

Sound like fun?

Here’s a link to more information and scheduled activities at Munich Airport’s Winter Market.

PHL & the Papal Visit

September 26, 2015Harriet BaskasEvents, SouvenirsPapal Visit, PHL airport

Thousands of people heading to Philadelphia for this weekend’s Papal Visit will be passing through Philadelphia International Airport.

The airport is ready with a special web page of helpful travel information, extra services and, on Monday, September 28, a free Papal Visit luggage tag for anyone who spends $25 or more in participating retail shops.

While Pope Francis’s arrival and departure at the airport are not public events, keep in mind he’s due to arrive at Atlantic Aviation at about 9:30 p.m. today (Saturday, September 26) and depart at 8 p.m. on Sunday, September 27.

The Pope will surely have a car service to meet him when he arrives, but everyone else should consider taking the SEPTA train into town. Especially because on Saturday and Sunday your special One Day Papal Pass for travel on the Airport Rail Line will also be a souvenir.

Party this week at Lambert-St. Louis Int’l Airport

May 3, 2015Harriet BaskasAirports, EventsLambert-St. Louis Int'l Airport, LambertThanks, Tourism Week

Lambert=St. Louis International Airport is celebrating National Tourism Week with a #LambertThanks event all this week.

Look for giant Chihuly-style balloon chandeliers suspended from the soaring ceilings in the ticketing areas and a full schedule of entertainment including live music in the concourses and visits from the St. Louis Cardinals’ Fredbird and the Looney Tunes characters from Six Flags St. Louis.

But wait – there’s more…. the airlines will joining in the celebration with “festive décor” and suprises, Schlafly Beer Bar & Grill in Concourse C will have daily prize drawings, with a grand prize drawing at the end of the week for a Schlafly Brewery tour for 10 people. St. Louis Brewmaster’s Tap Room, 1876, LaTapenade and Beers of the World will also hold daily prize drawings for Anheuser-Busch sponsored backpacks and duffle bags, and will give away a grand prize Callaway Golf Club Cover.

Sound like fun? Events kick off Monday morning. You’ll find a detailed schedule here.

JetBlue celebrates Record Store Day at JFK Airport

April 13, 2015Harriet BaskasAirports, Events, Musicindi record stores, JetBlue, JFK Airport, Record Store Day

Record Store Day – a fun event dating back to 2008 celebrating record store culture and the role independent record stores play in communities – officially takes place this year on Saturday, April 18, 2015, but JetBlue is kicking things off early on Tuesday, April 14 with live music and a pop-up record shop in Terminal 5 at JFK Airport.

The live music starts at noon with country-blues-soul singer Elle King at noon, punk pop artist Kevin Devine at 3pm and indie rock band Caveman at 5pm.

Earlier in the day, at 9 a.m., the New York City-based record shop Other Music will open a pop-up record shop complete withe turntable listening stations and music for sale. Giveaways and prizes are also promised.

(Photo courtesy Galt Museum & Archives, via Flickr Commons)

Living in the Age of Airplanes – preview on an A380

April 7, 2015Harriet BaskasAir Travel, Aviation history, EventsA380, films, Living in the Age of Airplanes

From “Living in the Age of Airplanes” – St. Maarten Fly Over

I was a fortunate guest for the in-flight preview of “Living in the Age of Airplanes”, a new National Geographic film by Brian Terwilliger, that is narrated by Harrison Ford, with an original score by Academy Award-winning composer James Horner.

The film opens this Friday in IMAX, giant screen, digital and other special specialty theaters but on Monday, Emirates hosted a reception in its new lounge at Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport and then invited guests on board one of the carrier’s newest double-decker A380s for a special film preview flight over the Los Angeles area.

The 47-minute “Living in the Age of Airplanes,” was shot in 95 locations in 18 countries across all 7 continents and starts off with a quick review of transportation history that reminds viewers that “in a single century aviation went from impossible to nearly perfected.”

After guests watched the film on the 20-inch seatback monitors in Business Class, filmmaker Brian Terwilliger chatted with reporters. “It’s not a movie about airplanes, but how the airplane has changed the world,” he said. “We don’t know what it’s like not to have airplanes, so it’s hard to imagine how life would be without them.”

Terwilliger is known to aviation enthusiasts for his 2005 high-definition documentary “One Six Right,” which told the story of general aviation and the role the local airports.
In his new film he calls airports “portals to the planet,” suggests that “If we couldn’t fly, we probably wouldn’t go,” and poses the question “And if we didn’t go, how different would our lives be?”

Iron Chef-style cook-off at O’Hare Airport

March 30, 2015Harriet BaskasAirports, Events, FoodAirport food, cook-off, Iron Chef, O'Hare Airport

If you’re traveling through Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on Tuesday, March 31, head over to Terminal 2 (across from Wicker Park Seafood & Sushi) at 11 a.m. for the live, Iron Chef-style cooking competition.

Organized by HMSHost, which operates food and beverage outlets at many airports (and along highways), the cook-off will feature the winners of a contest held earlier this year. (See the winning videos here.)

During the “Channel Your Inner Chef” cook-off at O’Hare contestants will have 30 minutes to prepare a dish using three “surprise” ingredients – a protein, a starch and vegetable –plus one additional ingredient plucked from the herbs and vegetables growing in the airport’s aeroponic garden.

The winner of the cook-off will have their specialty dish added to the menu at one of the airport’s HMSHost-operated restaurants and they’ll get a trip back to Chicago on May 4 to attend the 25th anniversary of the James Beard Foundation awards, being held outside of New York City for the first time.

Airports turn lights out for Earth Hour

March 28, 2015Harriet BaskasAirports, Environment, Eventsclimate change, Earth hour

Pylongs at LAX Airport will go green – and then go out – for Earth Hour 2015

During Earth Hour 2015 , which takes place this Saturday, March 28 around the world at 8:30 PM local time, individuals, businesses, cities, buildings, and more than 1,200 landmarks around the world – including the Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate Bride – plan to switch off their lights for one hour to focus attention on climate change.

Close to 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Acropolis in Athens and Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, are scheduled to go dark in support of Earth Hour and some airports around the world plan to participate as well.

At Los Angeles International Airport, the 100-foot-tall LAX Gateway pylons at the Century Boulevard entrance will be lit in various shades of green before Earth Hour. During Earth Hour – from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. – the pylons will turn off.

During Earth Hour Denver International Airport will turn off the illuminated DIA sign along Peña Boulevard, the illuminated sign marking the Jeppesen Terminal and the lights on the airport’s iconic “Mustang” statue.

Elsewhere, Athens International Airport will switch off the lighting on one runway and turn off lighting in the airport buildings and staff parking lots.

Dubai Airports has been switching off non-essential lights for an hour each day since March 5 at both Dubai International and Al Maktoum International Airports in preparation for Earth Hour.

And at Vancouver International Airport, they’ll be switching off the base lights on the control tower and the lights around the Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe (a key piece of airport art), in the Public Observation Area, on the exterior sidewalks and in the International Food Court.

St. Patrick’s Day events at Chicago Airports

March 12, 2015Harriet BaskasEventsChicago airports, Chicago Midway, leprachauns, O'Hare Airport, St. Patrick's Day

Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway Airports are joining the citywide celebration of St. Patrick’s Day with Irish dancing, green beer, live Celtic music and… roaming leprechauns.

Festivities at both O’Hare and Midway include the famous Trinity Irish Dancers on Friday, March 13, with performances from 5-7 p.m. in Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 5 at O’Hare and from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in Concourse A at Midway.

Live Celtic music from Sean Sullivan and his band One of The Girls will take place on Monday, March 16 from 4:30-7 p.m. at Chicago O’Hare Terminal 5 on the post-security side of the terminal.

And on St. Patrick’s Day, Monday, March 17, concessions throughout both airports will offer dozens of “Shamrock Specials” ranging from green beer, green popcorn and a wide variety of green merchandise. Leprechauns will also be popping up at both O’Hare and Midway and anyone who snaps a selfie with the Irish fairy can post the photo on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook (use hashtag #IrishatORD or #IrishatMDW) and share treats from, you guessed it, a pot of gold.

2014 round-up of best new airport amenities

December 18, 2014Harriet BaskasAirports, Entertainment, Events, free Wi-Fi, Fun Stuff, Pets, ShoppingAIRMALL, airport amenities, kids travel

Convenience is king for travelers hoping to spend as little time as possible in an airport. But for those who must hang around a while, it’s amenities that matter.

And during 2014, airports around the country introduced a wide variety of very welcome amenities for travelers.

Here’s the round-up I put together from my ‘At the Airport’ column on USA Today.

More ways to get to and from the airport – legally

Airports around the country are struggling to work out policies and permitting programs for on-demand rideshare services such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar. The services are currently banned at several airports, but in September Nashville International Airport became the first U.S. airport to officially recognize Uber and Lyft and in October San Francisco International signed agreements with Sidecar, Lyft and UberX. A few other airports have issued permits to some Transportation Network Companies as well, and we’ll likely see this amenity added to the ground transportation options at other airports during 2015.

‘Drinks on the go’

This year, Nashville International Airport (BNA) introduced “drinks on the go.” Thanks to an airport-wide beer and liquor license, passengers no longer have to sit at the bar or in a restaurant to enjoy their alcoholic beverage but can take it with them anywhere in the secure side of the terminal.

Pot and airports

During 2014, shops selling recreational marijuana became legal in both Colorado and Washington and the airports in those states had to decide how – or if – they’d go about enforcing rules prohibiting passengers from taking pot to and through security checkpoints and onto planes.

Most put up signs reminding passengers of the federal laws governing travel across state lines with marijuana – or did nothing – but in January, Colorado Springs Airport installed a pot amnesty box at the security checkpoint. Few travelers seem to be using the box to dispose of unused pot, but with images of the amnesty box being snapped and shared, the airport’s social media profile is certainly higher.

Airport workouts

During 2014, SFO airport opened its second yoga room (in Terminal 3, Boarding Area E) and following last December’s opening of a yoga room at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, in September Chicago’s Midway International Airport got a yoga space as well.

In July, Philadelphia International Airport partnered with a local fitness equipment retailer to install stationary exercise bikes at several locations throughout the airport and this year Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was among several airports adding marked walking paths inside (and sometimes outside of) its terminals.

For those who would rather exercise outdoors, in August bike-share company Zagster installed a rack of 10 reservable bikes in a rack outside the international terminal at BWI Marshall. For $5 (good for 12 hours), passengers can borrow a bike and ride it around the 12.5-mile scenic outdoor trail that encircles the airport.

Wi-Fi milestones

Travelers have come to expect unlimited complimentary Wi-Fi at airports, and in 2014, the Houston airports (IAH and HOU) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport joined the team of major airports that provide this much-appreciated amenity.

JetBlue has offered complimentary unlimited Wi-Fi in Terminal 5 at JFK for a while now, but earlier this year the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced its intention to offer free 30-minute Wi-Fi sessions for all travelers at JFK, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia airports.

The Port Authority and Wi-Fi provider Boingo are still working on those plans, but in a statement earlier this week said that free Wi-Fi will be available in at least one terminal at JFK, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia airports by month’s end, with the free 30-minute service at all terminals anticipated by the end of the first quarter of 2015.

“Complimentary 30-minute Wi-Fi sessions are now available in JFK Terminal 4 and Newark (EWR) Terminal C, with free service on target to be available at LaGuardia’s Central Terminal Building by month’s end,” according to a Boingo spokesperson.

Events

To show off a $10 million reboot of the shops and restaurants in the post-security AIRMALL at Pittsburgh International, PIT airport invited non-ticketed visitors to come out for a one-day holiday event in early December. More than 1,500 people attended the event, which may be repeated, and “someone tweeted us asking why the San Antonio airport can’t do the same,” said PIT spokeswoman Alyson Walls.

On National Compliment Day (January 24), the staff at Reno-Tahoe International Airport set up a booth to dispense kind words to passengers. Some travelers were complimented on their choices of glasses, colorful scarves and boots, said airport spokeswoman Heidi Jared, “and booth volunteers even admired a gentleman’s ‘confident gait’ as he rushed by.”

Let’s hope the smart, charming and lovely volunteers at RNO set up that booth again this year.

Airport trading cards

As a gift to aviation geeks and collectors everywhere, in September, more than 20 airports around the country teamed up to create the North American Airports Collectors Series of trading cards. Each card has an iconic image of an airport on the front, fun factoids about the airport on the reverse, and are being distributed in the terminals of participating airports. Twenty-three cards are currently in the series, with Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport set to begin distributing its trading card after Christmas.

And then there are amenities that aren’t necessarily airport firsts, but are proud 2014 additions for the airports that have installed them.

Seattle-Tacoma International, for example, is proud that during 2014, it not only added handy cup holders to many seating areas, but brought branches of two iconic local brands, Metsker Maps and indie music label Sub Pop, into the airport.

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is still giggling with delight over the children’s play area that opened in May. The 1,500-square-foot Magic House not only has a kid-sized plane and an air traffic control tower with a slide, it has car rental counters, a luggage conveyor belt and an airport screening area with a pretend x-ray machine.

Denver International Airport is proud of the popular water bottle refill stations it installed throughout the airport terminals this year, the new on-airport pet boarding facility, and its just-plugged in “Open Windows” experimental interactive digital customer experience on Concourse B that combines 128 LED rings of light and a 3D motion-detection camera to create an 11-foot-tall interactive tower of lights that react to a person’s movement.

Did I miss your favorite new airport amenity from 2014? Please add it in the comments below.

Bye-Bye Burning Man & all that garbage

August 31, 2014Harriet BaskasEvents, FestivalsBlack Rock City, Burning Man, garbage, Recycling, Reno-Tahoe International Airport

The Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert is wrapping up and more than 70,000 attendees are leaving Black Rock City – with their garbage.

There’s a recycling program at the festival, but all participants are required to remove their own trash and dispose of it elsewhere – in trash disposal stations in neighboring towns or perhaps in the giant trash bins set up at Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

(Photo courtesy Reno-Tahoe International Airport)