It’s all part of the airport’s ‘Celebrate Cleveland’ campaign.
Today, Tuesday, September 24, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., animals from Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s Professor Wylde’s Traveling Show will be at Gate C4 and Concourse A (across from the checkpoint).
On Thursday, September 26, the Cleveland Indians’ mascot – Slider – will walk the concourse handing out Malley’s Chocolates candy bars. Slider will also pose for selfies with travelers.
And on Friday, September 27, the airport is hosting an ice cream social, courtesy of Mitchell’s Ice Cream.
Mitchell’s will be handing out free scoops in front of Embers Fire & Ice Bar in the Main Terminal from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Sound like fun? We’ll give CLE’s Celebrate Cleveland party our nomination for “Airport Amenity of the Week”.
Today Alaska Airlines kicks off a campaign aimed at reducing the use of single-use plastics.
The secret weapon in
the plan? You.
The airline’s #FillBeforeYouFly
initiative is asking passengers to pitch in to reduce the use of single-use plastics
inflight by bring their own water bottle and filling it up at the airport before
they board.
To kick off the campaign,
today Alaska will be giving out complimentary reusable water bottles in all 7 Alaska Airlines’ lounges and on select flights leaving
Seattle and San Francisco International Airports.
In addition, the airline says it will plant a tree for
every passenger who brings a pre-filled water bottle onto their flight and
posts a photo to social media tagging @AlaskaAir with the hashtag
#FillBeforeYouFly.
“Our ultimate goal is
to work together with our guests and employees to improve the health of our
water by reducing plastic use,” said Diana Birkett
Rakow, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of external relations. ““Land, water, and animals are incredibly
special parts of the places we live and fly – and we’re in this for the long
term.”
Alaska estimates that
if just 10% of its passengers bring their own pre-filled water bottle when they
fly and choose reusables, it could save more than 700,000 plastic water bottles
and 4 million plastic cups per year.
This isn’t Alaska Airline’s
first step towards helping to save the planet: in 2018, Alaska became the first
airline to replace single-use, plastic stir straws and citrus picks with
sustainable alternatives and the airline recently
replaced bottled beer with aluminum cans, which are lighter and easier to
recycle.
Museums are great, but admission fees can sometimes make you think twice about checking out the exhibitions.
That’s why we love free museum days such as the Museums on Us program sponsored by Bank of America.
The program offers free general admission at more than 225 museums nationwide during the first full weekend of each month to anyone with a Bank of America, Merill Lynch or U.S. Trust credit or debit card.
This weekend, the first full weekend in September, you can get free admission in Chicago at the Alder Planetarium and the Art Institute of Chicago; in Atlanta at the Atlanta History Center and the High Museum of Art; and in San Francisco at the de Young Museum.
Check out the full list of museums offering free admission this weekend here.
Another year-round free entry program to keep in mind is the Every Kid Outdoors Program.
The program provides fourth graders with free, multi-use vouchers to national parks, wildlife refuges, marine sanctuaries, and forests and is a collaboration between the Department of the Interior, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Forest Service.
The bonus here is that because fourth graders aren’t likely to drive themselves to these sites, the vouchers not only provide free entry for fourth graders, but to all children under 16 in a group and up to three accompanying adults – or an entire car for drive-in parks.
Find details about getting the pass here. Vouchers are
valid now through August 31, 2020.
Airports across the country will be marking Mother’s Day with complimentary flowers, music and more.
Today between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the post-security Great Hall at Los Angeles International Airport, the Mother’s Day celebration will include a photo booth, complimentary wooden roses, and appearances by some of the pups from the Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUPs) program.
And, as they have for many years, this weekend volunteers at Florida’s Jacksonville International Airport will likely be handing out flowers to arriving moms and those waiting for their moms.
We’ll add more Mother’s Day activities as they roll in.
Delta Air Lines
rolling out free in-flight WiFI
Starting May 13, Delta Air Lines is kicking off a
much-welcome two-week pilot program to offer free in-flight Wi-Fi in all cabins
on 55 short, media and long-haul flights.
The carrier says this is the first step towards offering complimentary
Wi-Fi for everyone, all the time.
“Customers are accustomed to having access to free Wi-Fi during nearly every other aspect of their journey, and Delta believes it should be free when flying, too,” said Ekrem Dimbiloglu, Director of Onboard Product in a statement. “Testing will be key to getting this highly complex program right – this takes a lot more creativity, investment and planning to bring to life than a simple flip of a switch.”
The free
Wi-Fi service won’t support content streaming, but will let passengers browse,
email, shop, message, and engage with social media for free.
Delta’s Wi-Fi for purchase
and free mobile messaging will remain available throughout the test.
Don’t throw out – or delete – your airline boarding pass once you tough down.
Here’s a story I recently put together for CNBC about all the hidden perks airline – and railroad – boarding passes can provide.
Bonuses for air travelers include everything from free ski lift tickets, to complimentary wine tastings and discounts on meals, ground transportation and adventures.
Some
of the deals below are offered for limited times or only during certain
seasons. Others can be used multiple times. Read the program details and, of
course, don’t be too quick to delete your boarding pass image from your phone
or crumple up that paper pass after your trip.
Ski free
Skiers can score a free lift ticket and, in some cases, free or discounted gear rental by showing an Alaska Airlines boarding pass at a dozen ski resorts in Alaska, California, Canada, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Utah. Most of the deals invite travelers to hit the slopes on the days they arrive or depart and can represent a savings of up to $200.
At
some resorts, such as Squaw
Valley and Alpine Meadows in North Lake Tahoe, California, guests
who show a same-day boarding pass from any commercial airline receive a
complimentary lift ticket for the day they arrive.
Sip and ship wine for free
In
Oregon, Washington, Idaho and parts of California, an Alaska Airlines boarding
pass is a win-win for fans of wine.
Through
the airline’s “Wine
Flies Free” program, members of the airline’s Mileage Plan frequent
flyer plan may check a case (12 bottles) of wine for free when flying
domestically on Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air and SkyWest flights from 29 west
coast cities, including San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Boise, ID.
In
the wine regions of both Oregon and Washington, hundreds of participating
wineries also offer complimentary tastings to anyone showing an in-bound Alaska
Airlines boarding pass and proof of Mileage Plan membership.
And
as part of Washington’s Taste and Tote
program with Alaska, the drop-off fee will be waived for one-way Hertz rental
cars picked up in Yakima,
Pasco/Tri-Cities or Walla Walla and returned at one of the other two cities in
the program.
Boarding pass deals from
international carriers
Turkish
Airlines passengers with layovers of between six and 24 hours in Istanbul can
show their boarding passes at the Hotel Desk and join a
free highlight tour of the city.
Korean
Air’s Excellent
Boarding Pass program offers a full week of perks in Korea to
passengers who hold onto their international boarding pass from an overseas
region. Passengers traveling from Korea to an international destination can
take advantage of boarding pass offers for a full month.
In
Korea, the perks include discounts on everything from meals, attractions and
cultural performances to cell phone rentals, rail tickets and medical services.
Worldwide, the perks range from discounts at outlet malls in the United States
and 30 percent off single visits to the aquarium, zoo and other attractions in
Sydney, Australia.
Singapore
Airlines’ Boarding Pass Privileges program offers
Singapore Airlines and SilkAir passengers a full month of discounts on hotel
stays, car rentals, meals, purchases and attractions, including the Gardens by
Bay, the Singapore Flyer, and the Singapore Zoo. Deals are updated every six
months and include discounts on shopping, dining and spa services inside Changi
Airport as well.
The
Magic
Boarding Pass program from Asiana Airlines offers passengers
discounts on tours, transportation, hotels, restaurants, shopping, theater and
attractions around the world for up to a month after a flight. In Korea, the
perks include discounts at Seoul’s Lotte World Aquarium and JeJu’s Teddy Bear
Museum. In the U.S., Asiana Airlines passengers get a discount when riding the
Hawaii’s Waikiki Trolley. And in Rome, pass holders gets a free gift with
purchase at the Hard Rock Café.
Train travelers get boarding pass perks
too
The
boarding pass perks aren’t limited to air travelers. Amtrak and Eurostar riders
get bonuses too.
In California, Amtrak has
a discount offer on Disneyland Resort theme park tickets for passengers with
reservations on the Pacific Surfliner. Many
transit providers along the route also provide free
bus or shuttle rides to passengers who show their Pacific Surfliner
ticket. Train passengers may also purchase discounted day passes for the Los
Angeles Metro and San Diego MTS buses and trolleys in the Surfliner’s Café Car.
A “Car Free” promotion in
Santa
Barbara offers discounts on
tours, attractions and meals to Amtrak ticket holders as well.
And Eurostar boarding passes entitle passengers to 2-for-1 tickets on entry and special paid exhibitions at museums in destination cities including London, Brussels, Paris and Lille, France.
Have you found a hidden perk in your boarding pass? Let us know!
