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Add this airport podcast to your list

Love airports and listen to podcasts?

Then add this one to your list:

Under the Canopy: Stories Behind the World’s Busiest Airport,” is a new podcast series from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

According to ATL officials, the podcast has multiple hosts from the airport’s communications team and offers “deep dives” into ATL’s “robust operations and the vibrant community that powers it.”

” ‘Under the Canopy’ aligns perfectly with our goals of transparency and community engagement, providing a unique opportunity to share the fascinating stories of how ATL continues to innovate and lead in the aviation industry, directly from the voices that drive our success,” said Interim Airport General Manager Jan Lennon in a statement.

What’s with the podcast name “Under the Canopy?”

ATL’s podcast draws its name, “Under the Canopy,” from the canopies that arch alongside the Airport’s Domestic Terminal, and have become a defining feature of Atlanta’s skyline.

The canopies symbolize ATL’s “expansive reach and dynamic presence” and the podcast explores the activities and stories that unfold daily beneath these architectural marvels, ATL says.

What you’ll hear on “Under the Canopy”

ATL promises short features, interactive digital media campaigns, and live event coverage on the podcast and has rolled out the first episode, with more episodes scheduled to be released monthly.

Give it a listen and let us know what you think.


Airports celebrate National Dog Day

Monday, August 26, was National Dog Day and airports around the country took the opportunity to celebrate the therapy dogs and their people who volunteer to hang out in the terminals helping passengers de-stress.

Here’s a sampling of some of the celebrations. Let us know if we missed yours.

And, look! After all the votes were counted, Barni from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has been crowned the Cutest Canine for 2024.

Kurt Vonnegut exhibit at Indianapolis Int’l Airport

We love it whenever a favorite airport teams up with a great museum.

And Indianapolis International Airport (IND) and the local Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library have done just that.

Through the end of 2024, the airport’s KIND Gallery, on Concourse A, is hosting an exhibit created by the museum that honors the late writer, artist, teacher, and Indianapolis native Kurt Vonnegut.

Like the dowtown museum, the Vonnegut exhibit at the airport tells the story of Vonnegut’s life and explores some his influences, from his upbringing in Indianapolis to his time as a prisoner of war during World War II to his journey to becoming a beloved writer of the 20th Century.

One of his typewriters is on display, along with photos, artwork, personal effects and, of course his books.

Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.”

Vonnegut gave those words to the character named Bokonon in his book, Cat’s Cradle.

“Kurt loved flying into Indy,” said Vonnegut Museum Founder and CEO Julia Whitehead. “Now to have his life, works and memory on exhibit prominently in the best airport in the country is a beautiful way to honor and share his legacy.”

All photos courtesy IND Airport.

Estonia’s Tallinn Airport

We received some snaps of Estonia’s Tallinn Airport (TLL) from intrepid traveler Cathy Raines, who said this airport may now be her favorite, “or right up there.”

On its Facebook page, the airport says it will never be the largest in the world “but it can be the world’s coziest airport.”

That sounds inviting. So we decided to take a closer look. And can now add this charming airport to our “5 Things We Love About…” series.

5 Things We Love About Estonia’s Tallinn Airport (TLL)

1. A Ping Pong Table

Here’s a way to entertain travelers while offering a bit of exercise at the airport.

2. A playground for kids

Shoes off and fun on. This looks like a great place for kids to hang out before a flight.

3. A giant chess set

Kids AND adults can enjoy this fun airport amenity while sharpening their strategy skills.

4. An airport library

This airport library stays open around the clock. And the shelves are stocked with books in English, Estonian, Russian and other languages. There’s also a separate section just for children’s books.

Travelers are invited to leave books in the library and, the airport invites readers to leave “an inscription in the book: a nice thought or wish for the next reader or a note of the destinations this book has visited.”

5. A piano

Again, a fun amenity that not only entertains airport travelers but lets them hone – and show off – a skill.

Thanks, Cathy, for letting us know about this charming and, yes, cozy, airport.

Snaps from the Alaska Airlines Lounge at SFO

Here’s what’s inside Alaska Airlines new lounge at SFO Airport

Alaska Airlines debuted its new lounge in Terminal 1 (by Gate B6) at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) this week and we visited for a preview.

This new lounge has 230 seats, a wide variety of seating options, upgraded food and drink options, plenty of charging spots and some welcome bonus extras.

Alaska’s popular lounger chairs are here and they’re lined up in front of floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the airfield. This is also the first Alaska Airlines lounge to install TalkBox phone booths for private conversations.

The lounge has two barista-staffed coffee stations serving espresso drinks made with San Francisco’s Ritual Coffee, a buffet food section, a bread station, and a candy station with jars of Ghirardelli chocolate square, Jelly Belly jellybeans and multi-colored Oakland Fortune Factory fortune cookies.

Love pancakes? Print them here

Pancake-printing machines are a highlight of all Alaska Airlines lounges. The new SFO Lounge has two!

If the complimentary food items aren’t quite enough for you, there’s also a food-for-purchase menu with pizza, cheeseburgers, chicken tenders, chicken teriyaki potstickers and taters tot or fries.

And of course, there’s a bar serving complimentary local craft brews, West Coast wines, cocktails and creative mocktails, along with premium wines and top-shelf spirits available for purchase.