— Will Rogers International Airport (OKC) (@fly_okc) January 13, 2026
Dallas Love Field opens an airport restaurant ‘first’
A dual-branded Applebees/IHOP restaurant opens this week at Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL). That makes DAL the first airport in the world offer this combo.
Located on the public access side of the airport, between bag claim area and the TSA security checkpoint, the restaurant allows you to mix and match from two menus at any time. If that’s what you need to do…
Dallas Love Field will be the first-ever airport to open a combined Applebee’s and IHOP location
Coming up on January 17 is a celebration of the country’s first Volunteer Fire Company, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1736.
The party takes place at Fireman’s Hall Museum, which is housed in a firehouse that dates back to 1902.
The museum displays vintage fire engines and fire fighting apparatus, alarm boxes, uniforms and fire house and engine models. There’s also a great collection of “fire marks,” which were decorative badges once issued by insurance companies to mark properties insured for fire.
We’re still in travel planning mode for 2026 and, as always, we’re putting a lot of museums on list.
Here are few we’d love to visit.
Olympic Museum
The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will take place from February 6 to 22, 2026 in a variety of Northern Italian cities, including Milan (Milano) and rhe mountain resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo.
So this might be a good year to visit to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, which is home to the world’s largest Olympic collection.
The museum displays the very first Olympic flag (1913), Olympics torches from every set of games since 1936, an exhibit on Olympic mascots and offers lots of interactive activities.
For the 2026 Winter Olympic games, the museum has created a downloadable guide and an on-site trail and exhibition inside the museum and out, in the museum’s Olympic Park, that celebrates the Olympic games held in Italy in 1956, 1960, 2006 and 2026.
The exhibition includes sculptures, photographs, the official 2026 torch, mascots and other artifacts.
Now Mississippi’s smallest museum has grown, a bit, and is now a destination.
The alley has a Pocket Theater, super-short films viewable through an eyepiece embedded in the wall, miniature dioramas, a Pocket Gallery, a Pocket Dance Spot and more.
Right now, one of the features in the pocket museum is small small scale art by @gigigunns_art in honor of Edgar Allen Poe’s January 19 birthday.
The Poe Museum
Since we’ve mentioned Edgar Allen Poe, let’s put the Poe Museum, which is housed in the oldest residential building in Richmond, VA, on the “let’s visit” wish list for 2026.
The museum collection includes Poe’s pocket watch, a fragment of his coffin, letters, manuscripts, first editions, his boot hooks, his waitcoast and more.
Have a favorite museum to add to the list? Let us know in the comment section below.
If you love dogs and need a 2026 calendar, you’re in luck.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has just released a downloadable 2026 TSA Canine Calendar featuring 13 of the more than 1,000 explosives detection canines that work at U.S. airports.
Bingo: San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC)
Chica: Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
Csipi-Simjee: Orlando International Airport (MCO)
Cypress: Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV)
Erika: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
Haver: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
Laki: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Rony: Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE)
Rosco: Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)
Rosh: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
Steeler: Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
Xaro: Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)
Each pup’s photo is accompanied with a profile that includes their birthday, breed, home base airport, favorite treat, favorite toy and other fun details.
And each calendar month highlights dates important to people and pets, including National Dog Biscuit Day (February 23), National Puppy Day (March 23), National Hug Your Dog Day (April 10) and others.
A lot of airports go all out during the holidays to entertain travelers with live music, festive decorations, free gift wrapping, costumed therapy animals, visits from Santa and more.
So this week it was especially difficult to choose which airport to feature for the Airport Amenity of the Week.
And Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) teamed up with Hometown Arcade to install free classic arcade games, such as Pac-Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong and more in baggage claim at Terminals A, B, and C and post-security in Terminal C near Shake Shack.
And these free games will be sticking around.
Have you spotted an amenity you think should be featured as Airport Amenity of the Week? Let us know in the comment section below.
We gathered some of our favorites for a story on the The Points Guy site, but we wanted to share some of those, and others, with you here.
We’ll add more tomorrow.
Celebrating 100 years in lights
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and making good use of the LED lighting on its massive, 900-foot-long North and South canopies.
The party started with a New Year’s Eve canopy countdown clock that announced “ATL 100” at the stroke of midnight and continued throughout the year. Whenever the canopies aren’t lit for a special day, ie. Valentine’s Day or Christmas, the default is “ATL 100.”
Airport dinosaurs come and go
While the T. rex fossil replica on loan for many years to Pittsburgh International Airport didn’t make it to the new terminal (yet), there are other airports around the country, including Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Salt Lake City International airport, that have dinosaur fossil replicas in the terminals.
To celebrate the 100th birthday of the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, IND Airport welcomed a 33-foot-long fossil cast of the museum’s famed Tyrannosaurus rex, dubbed Bucky the T. rex, to the terminal.
Pizza gets a place of pride
Connecticut, long known as ‘The Nutmeg State,’ also boasts of being home to the nation’s best pizza.
There’s a 20-stop Pizza Trail for pizza fans to test out the claim. And, this year a pizza-inspired artwork was installed at Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN).
Titled, “The Pizza State,” the art piece is made of Connecticut highway signs (which we’re sure were secured legally) and celebrates New Haven-style pizza.
The artist is Michael Pollack of the creative entity known as the New Haven Pizza Club (NHVPC).
A speakeasy & a roof-loving rap video for Portland International Airport
There’s a lot to love about the new main hall in Portland International Airport (PDX) that opened in 2024, including live trees, cool shops, restaurants and bars, and hang out areas that bring back the beloved PDX carpet pattern.
The Customer Experience Team at Maine’s Portland International Jetport (PWM), gained loads of fans a while back when they set up communal jigsaw-puzzle tables to entertain and relax travelers waiting for their flights.
Now the airport has a new amenity: custom-made Maine-themed cribbage tables where both novice and seasoned plays can sit down for a game before a flight.
Lots more airports you can visit without a plane ticket
We’ll add more of our favorite new airport amenities from 2025 tomorrow. But let us know if you spotted a new airport amenity this year that we deserves some praise.
Pixie Pilot & Jingle Jet making merry at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport
Airports around the country go all out during the holiday season with decorations, live music, visits from Santa and other festive events.
At Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), the activities include the adorable antics of Pixie Pilot and Jingle Jet, a pair of elves that make appearances throughout the terminal.
Here are just a few of their stops so far this season. Check out the airport’s social media channels for more elf action. And be sure to look around when you’re there.
✨✈️ They’ve landed! ✈️✨
Help us welcome our SDF Elves — Pixie Pilot and Jingle Jet — who have officially touched down at SDF again this year for another season of holiday fun!
These two are ready to take flight around the terminal, spreading cheer, causing mischief and… pic.twitter.com/77Oc2kesN7
Pixie Pilot and Jingle Jet are taking their tree adventures to new heights! 🎄✈️
This morning, our SDF Elves were spotted climbing through the big Christmas tree in the rotunda, trying their very best to hitch a ride on one of the shiny gold airplanes decorating the branches.… pic.twitter.com/jJzcBJAf0z
🎄✨ Our SDF Elves are feeling the holiday spirit! Today, Pixie Pilot and Jingle Jet dressed up in their favorite Christmas costumes and cozied up in the bourbon barrel chairs — the perfect spot to relax before their next airport adventure.
Free COVID test kits at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Remember when you couldn’t get on a flight without having proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test and proof of COVID vaccinations?
Those days are gone, but people are still getting COVID-19.
But now testing is no longer free. And neither are the test kits. After discovering that all the free test kits we gathered during and after the pandemic were expired, our household recently purchased a package of test kits that cost almost $30.
That’s why on my recent international flight home to Seattle, I willingly stopped at the table set up at the exit of the international arrivals area of the airport that had a CDC-branded sign saying “Swab at the airport and get a test for the road.”
The voluntary, anonymous COVID-19 nasal-swabbing took just seconds.
As a thank you, I was handed a box containing 2 COVID-19 test kits and was on my way.
For those who take the moment to stop, these free kits are a money saving and a useful welcome home souvenir.
JetBlue’s very cool, very New York and first-ever airport lounge
At 5 a.m. on December 18, 2025, JetBlue will officially open the doors to its first-ever airport lounge.
This one, called ‘BlueHouse,” is in JetBlue’s flagship Terminal 5 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The 9,000-square-foot, two-level lounge is designed with a NYC apartment-style aesthetic, Art Deco design, lots of art and some surprises.
For example, the celestial map on the downstairs ceiling is reminiscent of the one at Grand Central Terminal.
Drinks and deluxe grab-n-go food options are by Union Square Events, Joe Coffee, The Greats of Craft and Please Don’t Tell. There are plenty of power outlets, a game room and space for 140 guests in several different seating areas and configurations. JetBlue’s new lounge also has some special ‘surprise’ touches, such a photo booth and a bank of keyed mailboxes that contain small ‘prizes’ for guests.
Admission is currently complimentary to Mosaic 4 members, JetBlue Premier Cardmembers and transatlantic Mint customers with same day tickets, Blue Fare or above.
Beginning February 2026, limited access passes to the lounge will be available for purchase to Annual BlueHouse members, Mosaic 1-3 members, JetBlue Plus and Business Cardmembers, and non-transatlantic Mint customers with same-day tickets, Blue Fare or above.
Next up: Boston.
JetBlue plans to open a BlueHouse lounge in Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) Terminal C sometime in 2026.
Next time you find yourself at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), be sure to stop by Terminal A -West to snap a selflie with the Rocky Balboa statue that is now a permanent fixture.
The 10-foot-tall bronze scultpure is one of three original Rocky casts created in 1980 for the Rocky III film by A. Thomas Schomberg in collaboration with Sylvester Stallone.
A Philly icon has landed at PHL. We’re excited to share that the Rocky statue is now permanently installed in Terminal A-West, welcoming travelers with a true symbol of Philadelphia’s heart, grit, and spirit.
To mark the installation, PHL held a Rocky look-alike contest.
Contest registrants were encouraged to access the terminal using a PHL Wingmate Pass and were reminded that “raw eggs are subject to the TSA’s 3-1-1 rule for liquids and raw meat must be completely frozen and packaged.”
Pretty much everyone in Pittsburgh is delighted with the new $1.7 billion landside terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), which features plenty of space, lots of light, oodles of art and a new (probably temporary) spot for the selfie-friendly statue depicting the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Franco Harris making the famous Immaculate Reception.
But fans quickly pointed out that some of the details in the background collage were a bit off.
No worries, airport officials say, they’ll fix that.
San Diego International Airport (SAN), which recently opened a brand new Terminal 1, is expanding its visitor pass program allowing non-ticketed guests to visit the terminals.
Until now, visitors could only apply for a SAN Pass to enter Terminal 2, but now the program has been expanded to cover both Terminals 1 and 2.
“If you’ve ever wanted to see off family or friends at their gate or enjoy the outstanding dining and retail options in Terminal 1 and 2 without flying, this program offers that opportunity,” said Kimberly Becker, President and CEO, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.
How the SAN Pass works
To apply for a SAN PASS, visitors provide their full legal name, date of birth, and gender (as listed on a TSA-approved photo ID). If approved, visitors will receive their SAN Pass via email as a PDF attachment and go through general screening with their pass and a TSA-approved REAL ID.
And end to the government shutdown may be closer to reality.
But the Federal Aviation Administration has not yet lifted mandated flight reductions at the busiest airports around the country that in place to try reduce stress on the air traffic control system.
As a result, massive flight cancelations and delays are still a major issue.
As the day begins, Flightaware.com is reporting more than 1,100 flight cancellations for today (Tuesday) and about 600 delays.
But that is likely to increase over the course of the day, especially with weather issues in some parts of the country.
Updated airline refund/change fee waiver policies
Airlines are updating their travel advisories and travel alerts on a rolling basis to reflect the flights they have canceled in response to flight reduction mandates.
Refunds are available if you choose not to fly. Be sure to read the details about rebooking, as there are restrictions about when your flight was booked, and when you choose to fly.
And of course, keep checking back, as the policies are being updated each day.
Alaska Airlines: policies apply for flights scheduled through November 17. If you’re not requesting a refund, you can rebook to fly by November 24.
An update on the FAA-mandated flight reductions affecting Alaska Airlines and @HawaiianAir. Swipe for details.
Due to the ongoing federal shutdown and ATC staffing shortages, the FAA has directed all U.S. airlines to reduce flights at select airports. Please check your flight… pic.twitter.com/xzMKafGxM5
American Airlines is offering refunds and waiving changes fees for travel to/through or from more than 20 airports for flighs sheduled through November 15. The change fee waiver applies to rebooked flights through November 17.
Delta Air Lines: If you were scheduled to travel by 15, 2025, the change fee waiver applies to rebooked flights that occur by November 17.
Delta is temporarily reducing flights at 40 US airports to comply with federal directives. All planned FAA-directed flight cancellations through Nov. 12 have been completed.
To check your flight status, please use https://t.co/yQj0bzerMw or the Fly Delta App, where you can also…
Our schedule changes through Wednesday, November 12 are in place. You can find a list of canceled flights, at as well as additional information on how to rebook or request a refund, at: https://t.co/CxKTsRZZxu
There seems to be progress in getting to an end of the government shutdown. But even if a deal is made today, air travel will be a mess for a quite a while.
As the work week gets uderway, Flightaware is showing close to 1500 flight cancellations and more than 800 delays for Monday.
While some travelers can cancel their flights, there are people who really need to get from here to there.
And the change waiver policies have restrictions that are putting many travelers in a bind.
United Airlines, for instance is offering refunds on booked tickets adn waiving change fees for travelers booked to fly between now and November 13 to/from Cleveland, Denver, New York (EWR), Washington, DC (IAD), Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco.
But new flights must occur within 6 days of original booking. If not, fare differences will be charged.
Other airlines have a short rebook window as well.
The problem travelers are facing is that as airlines cancel more flights nationwide to comply with FAA mandates to reduce an increasing percentage of flights at high traffic airports, there are fewer alternative flight options for passengers that avoid new fees.
