Music

Stuck at the Airport: SEA shares music. AUS presents podcasts.

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Music Wall at SEA Airport

In a ‘normal’ year, we’d be going to airports all the time. And in many of those airports, there would be local musicians playing for us while we wait for our flights.

The pandemic means that in most airports, live music isn’t happening. And it also means the musicians who would have been playing at airports have lost those gigs. And the income from those gigs.

Pre-pandemic, for example, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) was programming live music 7 days a week in multiple places in the terminal. In 2020 and 2021, the schedule was being expanded, with more stages and more music.

While we wait for that programming to come back, SEA is doing what it can for the musicians. And for passengers who miss the music.

The airport has just installed a new 12X7-foot, high-resolution digital LED music wall on Concourse C that is showing a two-hour program highlighting more than 30 musicians who played at the airport before the pandemic.

Enjoy it here or in the airport. And tip the musicians if you can.

Podcasts from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

Fans of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) will want to start downloading and listening to the airport’s podcast series, The Austin Approach, which gives listeners “a look into all things AUS.”

Episodes will drop twice a month and feature interviews with airport staff, news and updates from around the airport, and insider stories about airport life.  The episodes are on the AUS website and available to stream on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and PodBean.

One-on-one concerts at Stuttgart Airport

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Even though few people are hanging out in airports right now, airports are still doing their part to be part of the cultural community.

A perfect example: Germany’s Stuttgart Airport (STR).

This week the airport is hosting several one-on-one concerts in an empty terminal.

On May 8 and 10 single musicians will perform personal concerts for single listeners who will be each be seated at a safe distance.

The idea takes inspiration from artist Marina Abramović’s performance “The Artist Is Present.” The concept is to provide a personal musical experience despite the restrictions being caused by the corona pandemic.

Stuttgart Airport is just one of the sites for the one-on-one concert project, which is the creation of the Stuttgart State Opera and the SWR Symphony Orchestra.

To attend one of the concerts in town, potential audience members apply for a slot. Then, musicians and lucky audience members are paired randomly.

Ten tickets for the concerts in the empty terminal are being offered via a contest on the airport’s website.

The musicians are performing for free, however donations are permitted.

Great idea, right?

23 airports hosting 1 big music festival May 6

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Airports are really lonely and miss serving as the front doors to their cities.

So they’re working hard to stay in touch with their communities with updates on their Covid-19 responses, of course, but also with educational and cultural activities.

Case in point: 23 North American airports are joining together on Wednesday, May 6 to host the JetStream Music Festival.

The online event celebrates local music from each of the host cities and kicks off at 5 p.m. CST on May 6 on each of the participating airports’ Facebook Live.

Here’s how the JetStream Music Festival will work:

Each airport will feature a 10-minute set from a local musician.

Each musician will have a virtual tip jar so you can contribute during the stream.

Here’s the lineup:

  • Gina Chavez – Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) 
  • Don Hicks – Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
  • Eddy Fabrizio Castellanos – Jacksonville International Airport (JAX)
  • Jane Kramer – Asheville Regional Airport (AVL)
  • Chuck Courtenay – Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV)
  • Lauren Eylise – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
  • Kendal Conrad – Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE)
  • Chill Moody – Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
  • Julian Taylor – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
  • Honey & Blue – John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)
  • Big Blitz – Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
  • Key to Adam – Yeager Airport (CRW)
  • Zuriel Merek – Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL)
  • John Hayes – Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
  • The Honey Vines – Evansville Regional Airport (EVV)
  • Robin Barnes – Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
  • Rhythm Kings – Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE)
  • Leah Leyva – Albuquerque International Airport (ABQ)
  • Patrick Contreras – Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT)
  • Tyler F. Simmons – John Wayne Airport (SNA)
  • Jordan Richard – Portland International Airport (PDX)
  • Nico Hueso – San Diego International Airport (SAN)
  • Tomo Nakayama – Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

Stuck at the Airport: Music, masks and lots of lights

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Very few people are flying right now, but airlines and airports are still in the news.

Masks – on the plane and in the airports

The list of airlines requiring crew members and passengers to wear masks, and the number of airports requiring anyone passing through to cover their mouth and nose keeps growing.

United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, JetBlue and Lufthansa are among the airlines already doing it. More will do the same.

Many of these airlines are also requiring that passengers wear masks during check-in, boarding and deplaning. And because an increasing number of airports are and soon will be requiring anyone in their terminals to wear masks, it’s a fair bet that wearing masks in airports is already the ‘new normal.’

Virtual music festival hosted by 23 airports

On May 6, starting at 5 p.m. CST, 23 airports across North America will be hosting the JetStream Music Festival, an online celebration of local music.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, located in the “Live Music Capital of the World” will be the official host airport, but the 23 participating airports will each stream the festival on their respective Facebook Live pages and each will feature a local musician from their city. Viewers will be able to tip the performers during each set.

Participating airports include:

  • Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) – host 
  • Albuquerque International Airport (ABQ)
  • Asheville Regional Airport (AVL)
  • Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
  • Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL)
  • Evansville Regional Airport (EVV)
  • Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
  • Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT)
  • Jacksonville International Airport (JAX)
  • John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)
  • John Wayne Airport (SNA)
  • Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE)
  • Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
  • Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE)
  • Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
  • Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
  • Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
  • Portland International Airport (PDX)
  • San Diego International Airport (SAN)
  • Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV)
  • Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
  • Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
  • Yeager Airport (CRW)

Airports lighting up

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Dulles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and many other airports are lighting up their terminals in different colors to show their support for health care workers, first responders, front line workers, hospitality workers and airport and airline employees who are helping people get where they need to go.

Here’s SFO’s color-code and its upcoming lighting schedule.

  • First responders: red, white and blue (most Thursdays)
  • Front-line workers: gold (most Tuesdays)
  • Health care workers: blue (most Wednesdays)
  • Hospitality workers: purple (most Mondays)

Airport news from Seattle, Denver & San Francisco

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Good news for passengers during this busy travel season.

As the busy holiday travel season kicks into gear, we’ve gathered up some airport news that may make your journey as wee bit smoother.

Concert at Sea-Tac Airport

At noon on Friday, November 22, Washington State native soul and R&B singer Allen Stone, will perform a live show in Central Terminal featuring songs from his new album, Building Balance.

The performance will be live-streamed Sea-Tac Airport’s Facebook and will celebrate the expansion of the already robust live music program at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Skating at Denver Airport

Friday is also opening day for the ice-skating rink at Denver International Airport (DEN).

Located on the outdoor DEN plaza, between the main terminal and the Westin Hotel, the rink will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily through January 20.

There’s no fee to skate. And there are free skate rentals as the on-side “Skate Shop” Airstream trailer near the ice rink.

The ice rink will feature music daily and host special activities and performances on the ice throughout the skating season including Colorado Avalanche Ice Patrol, Denver Figure Skating Club, E-Gals Ice Crew, curling lessons, little tykes’ hockey and more.

Holiday Open House at Pittsburgh Airport

Pittsburgh International Airport will its annual open house this year on Saturday, December 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Open to all who register, the in-terminal event features shopping and dining specials, live music, kids’ entertainment and visits with Santa.  Registration closes December 4.

Here’s a rundown of the entertainment:

  • Juggler: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. 
  • Balloon Artist: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
  • Touch-A-Truck: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
  • Face Painting: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. 
  • Children’s Museum Activity: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. 
  • Lovebettie: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
  • Photos with Santa: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. 
  • Caricature Artist: 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. 
  • Airbrush Tattoo Artist: 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. 
  • The Pittsburgh Pirates Pierogies: 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. 

SFO Airport pilots premium Uber pick-up

To reduce congestion at curbsides, in June 2019 San Francisco International Airport (SFO) moved domestic terminal pickups for ride-hailing services Uber, Lyft and Wingz away from the terminal curbside to the 5th floor of the Domestic Hourly Parking Garage, with pickups in the International Terminal at the center island of the Departures level roadway.

Now, just in time for the holiday travel season, SFO has kicked off a two-month pilot program with Uber to offer a premium curbside pickup option for travelers.

Passengers who choose a premium Uber product, including Uber Comfort, Uber Select, and Uber XL, Uber Black and Uber Black SUV will be picked up curbside at designated locations in each Domestic Terminal: Terminal 1 at Door 9; Terminal 2 at Doors 5 and 6; Terminal 3 at Doors 12 and 13.

Pickups at the International Terminal will continue in the current location, which is at the center island of the Departure level roadway.

Passengers choosing (basic) UberX and Uber Pool in the Domestic Terminals must still go to the domestic hourly parking garage for pickup.

Airport pianos you can play

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Make Music Day may be over, but airports around the country are celebrating all summer long.

St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) will keep its piano with an octopus theme in Terminal 2 across from gate E33 through Labor Day.

STL has another, year-round “Play Me” piano in Terminal 1, at the Aero stage across from Starbucks. 

Over at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), they have a couple of new pianos as well.

On Make Music Day, June 21, LAX debuted two new Kawai G-40EP manual and self-playing baby grand pianos. These are located in the Terminal 4 connector and on the Upper Level of Terminal 7. 

Performances by airport employees, including the LAX Chorus, were part of the celebration.

We’re putting together a list of all U.S. airports with sit-and-play pianos. Help us out by letting us know where you’ve seen one – or played one.

British Airways & Heathrow Airport honor Freddie Mercury

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Before he sang with Queen, Freddie Mercury was a baggage handler at London’s Heathrow Airport.

And today, September 5, 2018 – on what would have been Mercury’s 72nd birthday – Heathrow Airport and British Airways came up with the idea to put modern-day baggage handlers together with choreographers to create a performance of Queen’s “Break Free.”

If you happen to be in Heathrow Terminal 5 today, keep an eye out of these baggage handlers performing the dance in person during the airport’s “Freddie for a Day” tribute.

Or watch a video of the dance here.

Want more Queen and Freddie Mercury?

On September 5, passengers at Heathrow will find Queen songs on the Arrivals boards in Terminal 5.

Also on September 5, any travler named Freddie, Frederick or Farrokh (Mercury’s real name) departing from Terminal 5 will be invited (along with their traveling companions) to use British Airways’ First class lounge.

And on November 2, Twentieth Century Fox will release a film about Queen and the life of Freddie Mercury, called “Bohemian Rhapsody,” in the U.S. (The UK opening is October 24.)

Travel Tidbits: free inflight wif + a call for your vacation audio

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As we head into the Labor Day holiday, here are some travel tidibts for you.

Free Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi on Labor Day 

Free Wi-FI at airport

Here’s a nice Labor Day perk for anyone flying on a Gogo-equipped domestic flight:

On Monday, Sept 3, you can get 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi, courtesy of T-Mobile. The off is good even if you’re a Verizon or AT&T customer. (T-Mobile customers get a free hour, as always; a great perk!)

Get more details about the free Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi offer from T-Mobile for Labor Day.

 

Heathrow Airport seeking your vacation sounds

Pictures from vacations help us remember a great adventure, but so do sounds.

Studies show that the same part of the brain in charge of processing the senses is also responsible for storing emotional memories. That means sounds, noises and songs you might hear on your trips will be part of travel memories that will be able to transport you back in time.

Think: waves lapping on the beach; the “Mind the Gap” announcement on the London Tube; and that street busker you stopped to listen to in Paris.

Heathrow Airport has decided to capture the essence of great vacations by gathering audio from travelers and commissioning a composer to create a collection of travel mood music and vacation sounds.

Heathrow says submissions sent in by the public will be turned into a “captivating and immersive soundscape” by British Academy Award-winning composer and sound artist Nick Ryan.

“We all record holiday memories with pictures, yet listening to the sound of a voice or a place can trigger far more intense emotions than a photograph on a phone,” Ryan said in a statement.

Travelers are invited to submit their holiday sounds over the next four months as an mp4 clip at soundescapes@heathrow.com. 

Ryan will collection the audio, do this thing with it and release the inaugural Sound Escapes audio installment in January 2019.

What vacation sounds will you send in? 

Airports join police lip sync challenge. And rock it.

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Police departments at some airports around the country are joining the viral police lip sync challenge that is sweeping the country.

And from the looks of it, everyone is having lots of fun.

The airport police lip sync videos I’ve found so far come from the San Antonio International Airport (SAT) and the Orlando Melbourne International Airport (MLB), which says it is “#MLBproud of our brave police officers and their epic lip sync skills.”

If you learn of other airport police lip sync videos, please let me know and I’ll add them to the collection.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/SAAirportPD/videos/236141510317717/

British Airways gets a makeover from Late, Late Show’s James Corden

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The Late, Late Show spent a week in London and we get some fun video souvenirs.

British Airways let show host James Corden and his crew give one of its jets a makeover.

In addition to decorating the cockpit and different cabin areas with props to evoke New York City and Mexico, Corden introduces a ‘new’ in-flight tool crew members might use to calm down frantic pasengers: tranquilizer darts. “If you don’t do it, Delta will,” he says.

 

And if you haven’t seen it yet, watch this instantly classic Car Karaoke video with Paul McCartney. Try not to cry, but definitely sing along.