Wi-Fi

19 new ways to rock on at Boston Logan International Airport

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Rocking chairs at Logan

A highly appreciated amenity at Boston Logan International Airport is free Wi-Fi.  But travelers also really love the airport’s collection of rocking chairs.  Besides being comfortable, a lot of Logan’s wooden rocking chairs are decorated by local artists, so the seats are also public art.

Boston Logan Rocker

Now there are even more radiant rockers to relax in.

The airport recently unveiled 19 brand new brightly decorated rocking chairs, all painted by eastern Massachusetts artists.

19 new rocking chairs at Boston Logan airport

The designs depict everything from baseball, baked beans and jellyfish to themes from aviation and nature. Here’s artist Gail Marie Nauen with her “Cranberry Country” chair.

Boston Logan International Airport Cranberry Country chair

Look for the 19 new decorated chairs – and loads of others – next time you’re stuck at Boston Logan International Airport.  And… rock on!

Best airport amenity: Wi-Fi or rocking chairs?

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I got Caught in Boston magnet

What with my appointment to see how the new make-your-own ice-cream machine works and the three hours I spent cooling my heels waiting for a friend’s flight to arrive, I ended up spending a lot of time at Boston Logan International Airport last week.

Boston Logan Make your own Ice cream

That was fine with me. The ice-cream was yummy. The Wi-Fi was free. And there were plenty of comfortable rocking chairs to sit in.

Boston Logan Rocker

Most of the airport’s rocking chairs are plain white models, but a fair number of the chairs have been transformed into colorful works of art.  Next week, there will be even more: the airport is having a reception to celebrate the addition of 19 new art-adorned rocking chairs to the fleet.

We’ve put in a request for photos, so stay tuned.

Rockers at Boston Logan

Reno-Tahoe Int’l Airport readies for Burning Man fans

Air Travel, Art, Exhibits, Wi-Fi,

The Burning Man Festival is a seven day celebration of art, community and fire held annually in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.

Burning Man Festival - stilts - images from Reno Airport Exhibit

The 2010 festival takes place from August 30th through September 7th and tens of thousands of people from around the world are expected to attend.

That includes about 14,000 people who will arrive via flights into Reno Tahoe International Airport (RNO).

Reno Airport Burning Man exhibit - "Uncle Ira" by Scott London

To welcome all those travelers, the airport will have a welcome table set up to help with transportation information and tips on where to shop for the supplies festival attendees will need out in the desert.

Burning Man Festival photo at Reno Airport

Through October 15th, the airport is also hosting an art exhibit in its Connector Collections Gallery. “From Playa to Runway: The Culture of Burning Man” includes photographs of Black Rock City and of the art work, sculpture, art cars and participants that make up this wildly spectacular event.

Thinking of going to this year’s Burning Man Festival? In addition to this great art exhibit, Reno-Tahoe International Airport also offer travelers slot machines, a nice dog park, slot machines, free Wi-Fi and free local calls from phones in the airport’s three Productivity Centers and on several of the cylinders located in Baggage Claim.

telephone

Tidbits for travelers: Free Wifi at Toronto airport; fresh art at SNA; contraband at JFK

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Here at StuckatTheAirport.com we’re a big fan of free wireless Internet at all airports. Slowly but surely we’re moving in that direction. In July, Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) began offering free Wi-FI to all travelers and now comes word that Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) began offering free Wi-Fi at the beginning of this month (August, 2010).  Hooray!

Free Wi-Fi at Toronto Airport

Hooray! Free Wi-Fi at Toronto International Airport

There’s also some fresh art at John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Santa Ana, California.

Mt. Moran by Steven Gilb

Mt. Moran by Steven Gilb at John Wayne Airport

Photographs by Steven Gilb, who has been a contributing photographer for Arizona’s Highway Magazine since the 1970s are on display through September 7, 2010 on the Departure (upper) Level near the security screening checkpoints and on the Arrival (lower) Level near baggage carousels 1 and 4.  See more of Gilb’s photos here.

And through September 20, 2010, look for the collection of paintings depicting the Jazz Age that are on display in the Terminal A Vi Smith Concourse Gallery across from Gates 11 -14.

John Wayne Airport. Don't Eat Joe by Dong Moy Chu Kingman

Don't Eat Joe by Dong Moy Chu Kingman

The exhibition includes work by 12 California artists who explored geometric and angular abstraction during the Post WWII era. See more photos here.

And.. check out these photos by Taryn Simon that were published in the New York Times magazine on July 29, 2010.

Contraband confiscated at JFK Airport

Contraband becomes art

The photos – including one of a pitcher of salami – are from a set of more than 1000 photos of prohibited items taken from passengers – or discovered in express mail – over a five day period last year at JFK Airport.  (On-line, you can click on an image to see what’s what.) The photos will be part of an exhibition and a book (now on my wish list, Santa) titled “Contraband.”

You can learn more about this project on the New York Times Lens blog.

Fresh airport amenities for summer travel

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In my msnbc.com column this week –Fresh airport amenities make the wait fly by – I offered a run-down of some of the programs and services air travelers can take advantage of this summer.

One amenity that didn’t make it into the story is self-service ice-cream sundae machine at Boston Logan International Airport.

Make-your-own sundae machine at Boston Logan Airport

We all scream for ice-cream at the airport

Using a touchscreen, customers choose a flavor (12 are available) and a mix-in. The machine then prepares and delivers the dessert.  Boston Logan Airport has two  MooBella machines installed: one is at Terminal C at the Back Bay Café (Gates 11-21); the other is at Lean & Green (Gates 40-42).

If you test it out, please send a report – and a photo.

What else is fresh and new at airports this summer?

Philadelphia International Airport offers entertainment this summer

Mimes among the entertainment at PHL this summer

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) now has free wireless and a Passenger Chillin’ Zone with sofas, tables, chairs, ottomans and foliage (Gate D-3). Throughout the summer, PHL is also hosting a Just Plane Fun program with live music, appearances by mascots from local sports teams, contests and other activities.

From now through the end of August, Miami International Airport is throwing weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) parties with a different theme each week. This weekend’s theme is Havana Nights, with domino tables, mojito demonstrations, a DJ, rumba dancing and cigar rolling.  August 20-23 you’ll find a flamenco dance show, Latin food sampling and more.

Observation Deck at Los Angeles International Airport now open

Observation Deck at LAX now open on weekends

At Los Angeles International Airport, the outdoor observation deck on top of the Theme Building in the center of the airport is finally open. Closed since 9/11, and during the building’s $12.3 million renovation and earthquake retrofit, the deck is open weekends, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free telescopes offering great views of arriving and departing aircraft, the airport grounds and the surrounding area. Pink’s, an iconic Hollywood hot dog stand, has also opened a branch in the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

At Outagamie County Regional Airport (ATW) in Appleton, Wisconsin, they’re still lining up to get candy from the giant purple machine with flashing lights.

Candy-dispening machine at Outagamie Airport

Willy Wonka candy machine dispenses mixed candy treats

Located pre-security, the Willy Wonka candy machine is one of 25 such machines in the country (there’s one at the Mall of America) and is currently the only one at an airport.

Passengers had so much fun during the special events held at Vancouver International Airport during the 2010 Winter Olympics games that the airport decided to host Take-off Fridays festivals all summer, complete with face painting, DJs spinning music, prize drawings, meal specials and frees samples from a variety of airport shops.

And San Francisco International Airport is presenting You are Hear concerts again this summer. Performances take place every Friday through August 28th between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at three different stages in the airport. This week the line-up includes Quinteto Latino in the International Terminal, Lavay Smith & The Red Hot Skillet Lickers in the United hub and, in Terminal 1, Threeocracy. See the SFO website for the full season schedule.

Enjoy!

Free Wi-Fi & fresh art at Philadelphia Int’l Airport

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Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) has kicked off its summer-long “Just Plane Fun” program and well, it looks like fun.

Guy at laptop

Last week, just in time for the busy 4th of July holiday travel weekend, PHL announced that the airport-wide Wi-Fi service would now be free.

Now that’s fun!

This week? Well, there’s not much that can match free Wi-Fi for excitement, but on Wednesday there will a CPR/AED (Automatic external defibrillator) workshop.  And on Thursday and Friday – live music.

For times and locations, see the PHL website.

What’s next? Throughout the summer, travelers are promised art demonstrations, pep rallies with local pro sports teams and team mascots and, our favorite, free stuff.

Last week, the airport also unveiled a new art exhibit honoring the Liberty Bell.

PHL Mayor Nutter art exhibit

(Philadelphia Mayor Nutter was at PHL for the exhibit opening)

Picturing Liberty: Philadelphia’s Legendary Bell includes 50 black and white photographs about the history and legacy of this iconic American item. The exhibit is in Terminal A-East, post-security through June 2011.

Freedom for all Wi-Fi users at Philadelphia Int’l Airport

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Well this is a nice way to kick off the July 4th weekend:

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) now offers free Wi-Fi access to all travelers.

This is especially great news because PHL has long had a somewhat wacky Wi-Fi set-up. The service was free for students all the time and free for everyone else only on the weekends.

So free Wi-Fi for everyone traveling through PHL is a great leap forward!

Tidbits for travelers: LAX views, Orlando news, & KCI cruise

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Here’s great news for anyone who finds themselves stuck at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on the weekend.

The Observation Deck at the top of the Theme Building, which has been closed since 9/11, will finally re-open to the public this Saturday.

(A view of the old version of the observation deck; courtesy LAX. New version: under wraps!)

There will be a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday morning (June 21, 2010) but the official public hours of the deck will be Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Go take a look through the new telescopes and enjoy the view!

Orlando Airport getting Google-ized?


According to this story in the Orlando Sentinel, the Orlando International Airport (MCO) is in discussion with Google for a two-year deal in which Google would pay the airport more than $100,000 a year to sponsor the existing (free) airport Wi-Fi and provide a variety of other amenities, including free Internet kiosks for passengers traveling without laptops and phone booths at the international gates offering free long distance calling.

Sounds like Google is talking to other airports about this same sort of ‘experiment,’ but no word yet on where.

And this sounds like fun:

(courtesy Hot Rod)

This Saturday (June 19th, 2010) Kansas City International Airport will be hosting its fourth KCI Cruise. Not a sailing ship cruise, but the sort of cruise where hundreds – in this case up to 500 – owners of classic, muscle and special-interest automobiles gather in a parking lot to show off their cool cars.

The event runs from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. (weather permitting; wouldn’t want anything to happen to those cars!) and money raised from the sales of donated food and prizes will go to area charities. The prizes are nothing to sneeze at. They’ll be giving away Frontier Airlines tickets, Chiefs and Royals tickets, Justin Bieber concert tickets (!), hotel stays and more. For more details and for directions to the event, see the KCI Cruise page on the Kansas City International Airport website.

Tidbits for travelers: SNA gets free Wi-Fi; travelers get great art

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Today the folks at John Wayne International Airport (SNA) in Orange County, California announced a partnership with FreeFi Networks to provide free wireless internet access at the airport.

You’ll need need to watch a short commercial before getting to that free Wi-Fi service, but that’s a small price to pay for a service most of us would rather not be without when we’re stuck at the airport.  Thanks, SNA!

And there are several new art exhibits at a few airports around the country:

At Miami International Airport (MIA), photos by architect and award-winning photographer James Palma are on display in the mia Central Terminal Gallery, just past the security checkpoint on Concourse E. The 20 photographs in the exhibition were winners chosen by the National American Institute of Architects over 10 years.

At Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), a new art exhibit up through August 12, 2010 explores the theme of twilight with works from the Multicultural Artists Partnership of Austin. One nice example is Kay Hughes’ “View with Song Bird.”

And the summer installment of the art showcase at Nashville International Airport (BNA) has opened, with works by more than a half dozen local artists, including Pieces from the Past by Mike Andrews

And quilts by the The Zuri Quilting Guild of Nashville, Tennesse.


Tips and tidbits: free in-flight wi-fi and free travel e-book

Air Travel, free Wi-Fi, Travel tips, Wi-Fi

The march to make sure we’ll never be without Wi-Fi in the sky continues:

Alaska Airlines now has Gogo inflight Internet on six Boeing 737-800 airplanes and promises to have the service on all its planes by the end of 2010. To celebrate, there will be free Wi-Fi through July 31, 2010 anyplace those six Wi-Fi equipped planes fly: look for the Wi-Fi symbol by the airplane door and use the code: AlaskaVisa to log on.

And, a few of my travel tips about cool stuff you can find at airports are included in this free Travel Secrets e-book. It’s got tips from a wide assortment of travel writer notables and if you download it you’ll not only get useful tips about camping, driving, flying, staying healthy, staying in hotels and having fun, but Charity: Water will get a dollar, courtesy of the folks at Tripbase.