Sports

Airport Amenity of the Week: IND’s basketball court

This must be what they mean when they say ‘Hoosier Hospitality.’

The 2024 NBA All-Star game will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana on February 18.

To promote the exhibition game and to make fans feel welcome, Indianapolis International Airport (IND) has turned its central terminal area, called the Civic Plaza, into a full-length basketball court, complete with stanchions, glass backboards, and a painted ‘hardwood’ floor.

The only thing missing? The basketballs.

No dribbling, dunking, or basketball playing is allowed.

Alaska Airlines has a deal for Kraken Fans

In some cities, it’s all about the basketball playoffs right now.

But in Seattle, hopes are pinned on the professional ice-hockey team known as the Seattle Kraken.

The Seattle Kraken will play against the Dallas Stars in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And to celebrate, Seattle-based Alaska Airlines is offering special fares to Dallas as well as sweepstakes for a chance to win tickets to Game 2 in Dallas.

Here’s the deal: through May 5, Alaska Airlines is offering

*$99 tickets each way between Seattle and Dallas – to either Dallas Love Field (DAL) or Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW);

*Priority boarding for any guests sporting Kraken gear at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport:

*And a chance to win two roundtrip tickets to Dallas and a pair of tickets to Game 2 of the second round of playoffs. Enter by retweeting the @SeattleKraken “I want to fly away” tweet.

(Official sweepstakes rules here.)

Alaska Airlines is the official airline sponsor of the Kraken, and they’ve even added another flight to Dallas from Seattle on May 2 with flight number #9232 in honor of the NHL’s 32nd franchise.

Skateboarders Invade Old New Orleans Airport

(Tate Malpass at Red Bull Terminal Takeover. Jonathan Mehring / Red Bull)

What Can You Do With An Empty Airport Terminal?

Stuck at the Airport is a big fan of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY).

It’s partly because the airport is the gateway to a city full of great music, art, history, and food. And it is partly because the ‘new’ terminal that opened in 2019 is also full of great food, art, music, and other amenities.

We also like the fact that the airport authority is making creative use of the “old” MSY terminal.

Some movies have been filmed in the old terminal building. And for the third year in a row, the empty terminal building has served as a skatepark for the Red Bull Terminal Takeover skateboarding competition.

Over the course of two days, April 14 – 15, ten teams of top-notch skaters from around the country took turns filming some outrageous skating sessions in the terminal.

Edited two-minute clips from each team will be posted on RedBull.com in mid-May for two weeks of public voting. The winning team will get a cash prize that they will be able to donate to an organization of their choice.

We’ll share the videos once they are available. But in the meantime, here are some of great pics of the Terminal Takeover, courtesy of Red Bull.

Imagine being able to do this next time you are Stuck at the Airport!

(Greyson Beal at Red Bull Terminal Takeover. Jonathan Mehring)

(Brandon Valjalo performs a 360 flip. Jonathan Mehring)

Help PIT Airport Mark the 50th Anniversary of Franco Harris’ “Immaculate Reception”

Football fans making their way through Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) love seeing the statue of former Pittsburgh Steeler fullback Franco Harris posed making the iconic “Immaculate Reception” on December 23, 1972, in a playoff game against the Oakland Raiders.

That game – and the play voted the biggest play in NFL history – was 50 years ago. And when the now-Las Vegas Raiders visit Pittsburgh to play the Steelers this year on December 24 – five decades and a day after that famous catch – the play will be honored during the game’s halftime and the Steelers will retire Franco Harris’ jersey.

To celebrate the play and the milestone, the NFL and PIT Airport are encouraging people to Franco” in front of the airport statue by mimicking the catch and sharing the photos on social media with the #Francoing tag.

Here are PIT’s firefighters “Francoing.”

Kraken fan? (Or have the t-shirt?) Wear it and get priority boarding on Alaska Airlines

Folks in Seattle are pretty darn excited that there’s now a professional hockey team in town.

And so is Alaska Airlines, the hometown airline that’s also the official airline of the Kraken.

To celebrate the ice hockey season, Alaska Airlines is offering priority boarding out of Seattle, Everett, or Palm Springs to anyone wearing a Seattle Kraken or Coachella Valley Firebird jersey. (The Firebirds are a new professional ice hockey expansion team of the Seattle Kraken.)

That means anyone sporting a Kraken or Firebirds hockey jersey will be able to board following group B.

The offer stands for passengers Kraken and Firebirds gear-wearing fans on all Alaska Airines flights departing from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Paine Field (PAE), and Palm Springs International Airport (PSP).

Don’t have the gear just yet? We suspect you’ll find shops at these airports selling the gear. Let us know what you find.