Sports

Alaska Airlines put NBA star Kevin Durant’s image on a plane

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Courtesy Alaska Airlines

Basketball fans will want to keep an eye out for Alaska Airlines’ new specially decaled 737-900ER aircraft featuring the likeness of Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors.

The design is made up of more than 34 giant decal pieces and covers approximately 560 square feet across the fuselage and, according to Alaska Airlines, it took six mechanics and electrical technicians 144 hours to complete this special installation.

Courtesy Alaska Airlines

Why Durant? He teamed up with Alaska Airlines last September to support the airline’s youth and education programs in the Bay Area.

 

Icelandair celebrating Iceland’s soccer team with stopover fun

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This year, Iceland became the smallest country ever to have its men’s soccer team qualify for the World Cup.

To celebrate, Icelandair, which sponsors the team, is launching a special soccer-themed version of its famed stopover program.

Passengers can apply to participate in Team Iceland Stopover: a selection of 90-minute, soccer-inspired experiences curated by members of Iceland’s men’s and women’s teams and taking place from May 29 through the end of June, 2018.

The experiences range from attending either a National Men’s or Women’s team match and hanging with midfielder Birkir Bjarnason at his favorite geothermal area to attending the June 16 party to celebrate Iceland’s World Cup match.

Anyone can apply to be part of the Team Iceland Stopover experiences, but there are limited spots. You’ll  need to be flying on Icelandair and your itinerary will need to match up with the program events. See the Icelandair website for more details.

Robots, cool art for basketfall fans at San Antonio Int’l Airport

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San Antonio International Airport (SAT) is geared up to welcome an estimated 93,000 visitors to the city for NCAA Final Four.

Arriving passengers will be greeted by SAT Ambassadors, NCAA Final Four volunteer greeters and art installations by local artist Cruz Ortiz,

Ortiz’s large-scale “Come as Rivals, Leave as Friends” artwork is in Terminals A and B and features flag-waving basketball fans, clasped hands and #Friends4Ever in Ortiz’s iconic style.

“This project at the San Antonio International Airport was super cool because it gave me the chance to present work on a large scale,” Ortiz said in a statement, “This special opportunity allowed me to show people getting off planes from all over the world what the soul of San Antonio is about.”

There are also robots helping travelers find food and other amenities at the airport:

How to get one of United’s Olympic athlete superhero action figures

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Olympic figure skater Nathan Chen as United Airlines superhero action figure King Quad. Courtesy United

United Airlines is so excited about being the official airline of the United States Olympic Committee that it has made superhero action figures of six athletes competing in the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and another half dozen action figures of United employees who do the magic on the planes and behind the scenes to fly the athletes to the games.

The athletes portrayed as action figures are:

Air Raider: freeskier Gus Kenworth

Artic Angel: snowboarder Jamie Anderson

Ice Lightning: short track speed track skater J.R. Celski

The Rocket: luger Erin Hamlin

King Quad: figure skater Nathan Chen

The Fury: sled hockey player, Nikko Landerson

(“Ice  Lightening” and “Winged Wonder” action figures)

There are also six superhero action figures portraying United employees, including one named Storm Tamer, representing an airline operations expert and my favorite, Departicus, who represents a customer service agent.

Want an action figure of your own?

In celebration of the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, United is giving out athlete action figures to customers at its hubs on Friday.

Look for the life-sized mannequins of the sponsored Team USA athletes at these spots. At each airport, the airline will be giving out the 100 action figure corrosponding to the life-size mannequin on site.

Houston (IAH): North Terminal, past gate C3

Dulles (IAD):  IAD: Intersection in C Concourse, en route to the trains

Denver (DEN): Concourse B, central plaza

Los Angeles ( LAX): Second level, Terminal 7 just above security

San Francisco (SFO) Rotunda near the food court

Newark (EWR) C3 Concourse

Chicago (ORD): Gate B12

At each airport, the airline will be giving out the action figure corrosponding to the life-size mannequin on site.

The airline has also been giving out action to figures to travelers at Penn Station in New York City who take a photo by the Team USA wall and then share the photo on social media (#TeamUnited).

 

 

 

 

MSP Airport is ready for Super Bowl fans to arrive – and leave

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The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is ready for the Super Bowl 52 fans to arrive – and leave .

“For many Super Bowl attendees, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will be their first and last impression of Minnesota, and we want to ensure it’s a great one,” said Brian Ryks, executive director and CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which owns and operates MSP.

The airport has spruced up with a special Super Bowl info page on its website, an enhanced Wi-Fi system, new carpeting, new furniture, new shops and restaurants and has added lots of NFL signage and pop-up Super Bowl souvenir shops in the terminals.

Extra volunteers have been recruited to help travelers with airport wayfinding and extra space has been arranged for all the taxis, rental cars, limos and Uber and Lyft cars that will be supplementing public transportation options at the airport.

Weather contingency plans are in place. Airport police and fire crews have been working with city, county and federal law enforcement agencies on how to deal with various scenarios. And the Transportation Security Administration is bringing in extra officers and passenger screening canines to help process passengers heading home after the game.

“TSA operations at MSP following the Super Bowl will be an ‘all hands on deck’ operation,” said TSA spokeswoman Lorie Dankers, “From uniformed staff to plain-clothes administrative personnel, everyone will be working.”

TSA and MSP expect to set passenger records on the Monday and Tuesday after Super Bowl, but airport officials are confident their team is up for the challenge.

“We have a solid plan in place to keep everyone safe, the operation running smoothly, and travelers’ experience positive,” said MSP’s Ryks.

Safe and smooth is good, but MSP’s Super Bowl welcome team is also offering fans of the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots some fun extras.

A 10-day “Performing Arts Spectacular” is underway, with a lineup of events featuring everything from Bollywood, hip-hop and flamenco dancers to vocal and drum performances. The airport’s animal ambassadors will be out in full force. And giveaways in the terminals will include a series of Super Bowl/Winter-themed MSP buttons and foldable terminal maps with disposable hand warmers attached.

Several airlines, including Delta, Southwest, American and United, have added flights to MSP from Boston, Philadelphia and many other major hubs for Super Bowl ticket holders and last-minute planners heading to the Twin Cities to partake of Super Bowl festivities.

In addition to the extra flights, American Airlines, the official airline for the Philadelphia Eagles, is handing out Eagles rally towels to all passengers flying on from Philadelphia to Minneapolis-St. Paul through Sunday, February 4.

And on Saturday and Sunday, United Airlines is serving “football favorites,” including hot dogs and macaroni salad, to customers visiting the carriers’ lounges in its hub cities. United Club visitors in Boston, Philadelphia and Minneapolis will also find extra treats, including lobster roll and New England clam chowder in Boston; Tastykakes and a build-your-own hoagie bar in Philadelphia; and Captain Ken’s Wagon Trail Chili (a Minnesota favorite) in Minneapolis.