Exercise

Some options for workouts at airports

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MSP Walkway workstation - photo by Robert Little

MSP Walkway workstation – photo by Robert Little

 

*This story is by Robert Little, a high school student who has been working with StuckatTheAirport.com on a variety of project this summer. Thanks, Robert, for all your help!

Most travelers don’t associate airports with exercise, beyond the dreaded run to catch a flight, but some airports are putting these two together. Wishing to help maximize travelers’ precious time, some airports are providing experiences that allow passengers to exercise, while at the same time hopefully ensuring their continued business.

We found two great examples:

Partnering with Minneapolis International Airport since April 2015, Kari Severson, CEO of Minneapolis start-up Walkway, wants to kick the habit of sitting; seeing it almost as the next taboo.

Severson’s Walkways are treadmills that can be bought or leased through a partnership with the company.

Travelers passing through Terminal 1 of MSP airport are offered two free of charge.

Passengers can simply walk up to one for 30 minutes sessions before or between flights. The machines are programmed not to go above five miles an hour, which ensures the traveler will not break a sweat,  but will still receive a beneficial workout.

While the user is working out they’re shown a short commercial, after which they get free charging of their mobile device and Wi-Fi access.

Walkway hopes to expand to more airports in the future and has already partnered with the American Diabetes Association and other Fortune 500 companies in the Minneapolis area.

For the traveler looking for a more comprehensive workout, GoodLife Fitness has a club at Toronto Pearson Airport in Terminal 1. The advantage to having it on the pre-security side is that more airport visitors are able to access it, but it does limit the number of those are willing to clear security again.

All GoodLife members with “all clubs access” are able to access the club everyone else can use the club by purchasing a $15 day pass.

In addition to wide variety of cardo machines and free weights, the 10,000 sq. workout facility at Pearson Airport offers features that make it easy to work out, including luggage storage, showers and clothing and shoe rentals.

Toronto Pearson also boasts other health benefits for travelers, including two massage studios, (one in Terminal 1 and another in Terminal 3), as well as a walk-in clinic and pharmacy.

An even simpler option for the passenger just connecting to another gate are various walking paths in airports.

The American Heart Association has created a list of airports and the provided distances. Airports to look out for include Dallas/Fort Worth (1 ¾ mile), Indianapolis (~2 mile), Minneapolis (1.4 mile), Cleveland (1 ½ mile), and St. Louis (1 ½ mile).

 

Now: Yoga at Vancouver Int’l Airport

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YVR YOGA

Vancouver International has joined the list of airports offering travelers a yoga space.

A yoga program – “YYoga@YVR” – will be offered on Fridays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. from July 15 to August 26 and will be open to any passenger departing to a Canadian destination in Domestic Terminal C-Pier, across from Gate 46.

The program is being offered as part of YVR’s Take-Off Fridays, the airport’s summer event series of music, entertainment and family-friendly activities in the terminal.

The yoga pilot program is offered through a partnership between YVR and YYoga, a Canadian yoga and wellness company.

Passengers can use the yoga space to practice their own yoga flow, for meditation or for simple stretching.

A YYoga instructor will be on hand to welcome passengers, answer questions and suggest poses and stretches that are particularly beneficial during travel. Mats are provided.

“Yoga can offer tremendous benefits to travelers,” says Berk Kansu, Marketing Manager for YYoga. “It can help passengers feel relaxed and centered and help them move to their next destination in a refreshed, calm way.”

IND Airport or INDY 500?

Art, Exercise, Sports, ,

Throughout May, Indianapolis International Airport is helping celebrate the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 with audio installations that include the traditional call to “start your engines,” the sounds of revving engines and Jim Nabors’ final performance of “Back Home Again in Indiana.”

Through June, two art exhibits in the ticket hall at IND airport celebrate the 100th Indy 500 as well:

One exhibition features work by two of the 33 artists commissioned by the Arts Council of Indianapolis to create their interpretations of the “Welcome Race Fans” signs that appear throughout the city during May. A video running above the escalators leading down to the baggage claim is showing a video featuring the work of all 33 artists.

IND AIRPORT WELCOME RACE FANS 1

IND AIRPORT WELCOME RACE FANS 2

Also featured is an exhibit with work by Indianapolis painter Rene Crigler. Crigler, who works part-time as a race official at major events around the country.

IND AIRPORT IND RENE CRIGLER

Quito, Ecuador’s old airport now a park

Art, Exercise, , ,

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Quito, Ecuador’s newest airport – Mariscal Sucre International Quito Airport – is now three years old.

The city’s old airport – which was in the center of the city, with a reputation for being quite dangerous – is now Bicentennial Park, where people ride bikes on the runway and enjoy a wide variety of activities on the grounds.

Here are some snaps from my visit earlier this week:

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P1040768 (2)

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Airport amenities to be thankful for

Entertainment, Events, Exercise, ground transporation, , ,

My At the Airport column on USA TODAY each December is a round-up of some of the best new amenities airports have introduced through the year.

Here are some of the highlights from 2015.

SFO airplane cocktail shaker

 

Taming transportation

During 2015, a wave of airports around the country, including those in Chicago, Las Vegas, Louisville, Sacramento, San Diego and Washington, D.C. (both DCA and IAD) hammered out deals with ride-hailing services such as Uber/UberX, Lyft, Sidecar and Wingz to legally pick up and drop off passengers at the terminals.

Look for that trend to continue in 2016.

Helping others

Following the lead of airports in Denver and Columbus, Ohio, in January 2015 — when all the Super Bowl fans were flocking to town — Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport put out spare change collection boxes to begin raising money for the on-site USO hospitality center. In April, Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) in Allentown, Pa., added change collection stations to raise funds for a variety of local charities.

Helping moms

During 2015 many airports made space for properly equipped lactation stations for nursing mothers. Chicago O’Hare International Airport now has three Mother’s Rooms, while lactation stations and nursing rooms have been added at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport, Jacksonville International, Spokane International, Newark Liberty, JFK, LaGuardia, Pittsburgh International, Boise Airport and others.

Soothing stress, helping health

More airports are adding pet therapy programs to help fliers deal with the stress of traveling.

In September, Sacramento International Airport introduced the Boarding Area Relaxation Corps, (B.A.R.C.), which welcomes pet therapy dogs and their handlers to the airport twice a week, while in October, Denver International Airport introduced the Canine Airport Therapy Squad, referred to as C.A.T.S.

Other stress-reducing and health-inducing amenities we noted during 2015 included the beach oasis — complete with Adirondack chairs, umbrellas and artificial turf — set up inside Philadelphia International Airport during snowy February, and the healthy eating campaign at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport that handed out free fruit for travelers, along with prizes.

Complimentary treadmill desks were installed this year at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and, at JFK Terminal 5, JetBlue opened a rooftop lounge complete with dog walk, and created a farm out in front of the terminal where a wide variety of herbs and vegetables are now growing.

Fuel for the flight

Healthy airport dining options — both sit-down and take-away — are on the rise  and, in addition to the many upgraded great restaurants (and bars) rolled out this year, we saw the introduction of several free apps, including Grab and AirGrub, that allow travelers to order ahead, skip the line and streamline the task of purchasing a meal inside the airport to take to the gate or onto the plane.

Unique amenities, events and milestones

While SFO and DEN airports offer a mobile car-washing service in their airport parking lots (fees range from $24.95 to $49.95), travelers who park in the garages or in the outside parking lot at Spokane International Airport can get their cars washed for free. (Technically introduced at the end of 2014, I learned about this unique amenity in early 2015 and hope it catches on.)

In addition to being named the Grand Marshal of the Starlight Parade for the Portland Rose Festival, during 2015 the quirky carpet being replaced at Portland International Airport continued its reign as a social media darling, leading passengers to take a closer look at airport flooring nationwide.

To help with the year-long celebration marking the 20th anniversary of Denver International Airport, the Colorado Lottery created a special edition $2 scratch ticket game featuring four iconic images of the airport and, picking up on the newest old-fashioned craze, this year Dallas Love Field has a giant coloring wall in the terminal. Whenever the picture gets filled in, all they have to do is wipe the surface clean and start over.

Dallas Love Field _coloring wall

 

Did you spot a cool new amenity at an airport during 2015 that I didn’t mention?

Please share your fave in the comments below.