Here at Stuck at the Airport, we are all about cool amenities and shops and restaurants that reflect the local community.
So, we’re curious to check out the newest addition at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport: The Cocktail Room at 18th and Central in Terminal 1 Concourse A.
A collaboration
between HMSHost Tattersall Distilling, The Cocktail Room at 18th and Central shows
off the craft distilling movement in Minnesota and beyond.
The new bar gets its
name from Tattersall Distilling’s location in Northeast Minneapolis, and one of
its most popular drinks.
Tattersall Distilling is a nationally acclaimed Minneapolis-based craft distiller, which makes organic vodka, straight rye whiskey, apple brandy, aquavit, gin and an extensive portfolio of liqueurs, all with an emphasis on using local ingredients and sustainable practices.
In addition to the unique drink options and specialty cocktails on the menu created for the MSP venue, many of the bar bites and plates are made from locally sourced ingredients.
Signature items menu items include smoked salmon, lemon pepper wings, house-made onion dip, and chicken bacon flatbread.
There’s also house popcorn, so we’re totally
there.
More than a million cruise passengers pass through Seattle on their way to and from Alaska each summer and they bring a lot of luggage with them through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
To keep out all those bags out of the airport check-in halls, the Port of Seattle offers Port Valet. The complimentary service allows passengers to check in for their flights and check in their bags on board their cruise ships and then explore the city luggage-free before heading to their flights. The luggage transfer is free; but regular checked bag fees apply.
Learn how to save a life while waiting for a flight
Los Angeles International is the latest airport to get a Hands-Only CPR Training Kiosk from the American Heart Association.
More than a dozen other airports have these kiosks as well and just five minutes – the time it takes scroll through your Instagram feed again – you can watch a short instruction video (in English or Spanish), practice on a rubber manikin, get feedback on your technique and learn how to save a life.
Get coffee made by a robot
In two locations at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and one brand new one in Terminal 3 at San Francisco International Airport, travelers can order coffee drinks prepared and delivered by a robotic barista in a Briggo automated Coffee Haus kiosk.
Orders can be sent ahead via the app, no pre-caffeine chit-chat is required, local coffee blends are features, and there’s a robot on duty 24 hours a day.
Food and sundries
delivered to you at your gate
You found an empty seat by a working power plug near your gate and now you’re hungry.
Lucky for you gate delivery services are available in an increasing number of airports. The fast-expanding, app-powered airport order and delivery service At Your Gate rolled out this month in Terminal A at Boston Logan International Airport with plans to expand to Terminal C by the end of summer.
The service is also available in all or parts of Newark (EWR), JFK, LGA, MSP, PDX and San Diego International Airports (SAN) with more on the way.
Tour Tampa
International Airport without a ticket
Go to the airport – and through the TSA
checkpoint- if you don’t have to?
You might say yes if you wanted to greet or say goodbye to a friend or family member at the gate. Or if you wanted to check out the art, shopping, and the bars and restaurants inside the airport.
Since May, the All Access program at Tampa International Airport has been giving passes to 100 non-ticketed visitors each Saturday (25 per airside terminal). Pittsburgh International Airport’s MyPIT Pass program issues passes for post-security access on weekdays.
Free do-it-yourself piano concerts
Many airports
provide live music in the terminals during busy holiday periods and year-round.
Some also provide pianos and invite passengers to make their own music before or after a flight.
St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) recently installed a “Play Me” piano in Terminal 1. And Los Angeles International Airport recently debuted to new Kawai G-40EP manual and self-playing baby grand pianos; one in the Terminal 4 connector and one on the Upper Level of Terminal 7.
Just Plane Fun at Philadelphia International Airport
It’s
like a summer camp at the airport.
The summer-long Just Plane Fun program at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) offers travelers an eclectic schedule of free activities that includes live music, magic shows, artist demonstrations and workshops, beauty demos, local celebrity appearances, and, our favorite, free sips and food samples.
Check the PHL website for scheduled events or pick up a flyer at an airport information counter.
Airport trading
cards – collect them all
They’re cool.
They’re collectible. They’re free. And they can be a challenge to find.
Over the past
few years, more than 70 airports have created trading cards as part of the North
American Airport Collectors Series trading card program. The 2019 series is
scheduled to debut in September.
There doesn’t
seem to be a master list of participating airports, nor a formal way to acquire
the cards. But to start your collection we suggest stopping by an information
desk in any airport you happen to be traveling to or through this summer.
Let’s all go to the movies – at the airports
The 17-seat free Hollywood
Theatre micro cinema at Portland International Airport (PDX) has
a fresh reel of short films by Oregon filmmakers, including Rob Tyler’s “The
Way We Melt,” starring brightly-colored, rapidly thawing frozen confections.
Summer travelers may also watch free films at
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) courtesy of the SFO Museum’s Video Arts
Program, at Minneapolis-St. Paul International
Airport (MSP) in the See
18 Film Screening Room on Concourse C, near Gate C18.
Sensory-friendly
Space with real airplane seating
Going to the airport and getting on a
plane can be stressful for anyone, but kids or adults with autism or other
special needs may need extra help acclimating and adjusting.
To help out, Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) just opened Presley’s Place, a 15,000 square-foot sensory-friendly space in Concourse A, by Gate 9. In addition to a calming transition foyer, family room, soundproof adult area, and restroom with adult changing table and adjustable sink, Presley’s Place is the first airport sensory room to also have the walls and floor of a real jet way and a seating section from a realistic airplane cabin, courtesy American Airlines.
Have a favorite airport amenity? Let us know; maybe it will be featured here on Stuck at The Airport.
Welcome to all the new Stuck at The Airport subscribers who have signed up over this past week. We suspect many of you found us through the mention of our site in this recent New York Times article about airport lounges.
But however you found us, we’re happy you’re here.
Here are some airport amenities we’re been researching this week.
Cruise to SEA airport
luggage-free
Thnking abot taking a cruise to Alaska? Good for you!
More than a million cruise passengers pass through Seattle – and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) on their way to and from Alaska each summer.
And they all seem to bring along a lot of luggage.
When all those people finish their cruises and head back home, the bag check-in lines at the airport get really, really long.
In fact, Port of Seattle officials often point out that it is cruise season, not the Christmas/New Year holiday when the airport experiences its peak passenger count.
A good solution is the complimentary Port Valet service.
Cruise passengers can check-in for their flights and check their bags before they get off the ship. Port Valet does the bag transfers and the cruisers can hang around the city luggage- free before heading to the airport.
Whle the luggage transfer is free; regular checked bag fees apply.
Learn how to save a life while waiting for a flight
Los Angeles International is the latest airport to get a Hands-Only CPR Training Kiosk from the American Heart Association.
More than a dozen other airports have these kiosks as well and in just five minutes – the time it takes scroll through your Instagram feed (again) – you can watch a short instruction video (in English or Spanish), practice on a rubber manikin, get feedback on your technique and learn how to save a life.
Get coffee made by
a robot
In two locations at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and, starting this week, in Terminal 3 at San Francisco International Airport, travelers can have coffee drinks prepared and delivered by robotic baristas in a Briggo automated Coffee Haus kiosk.
Orders can be sent ahead via the app, no pre-caffeine chit-chat is required, local coffee blends are featured, and there’s a robot on duty 24 hours a day.
Sensory-friendly Space with real airplane seating
Going to the
airport and getting on a plane can be stressful for anyone, but kids or adults
with autism or other special needs may need extra help acclimating and
adjusting.
To help out, Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) just opened Presley’s Place on Concourse A.
In addition to a calming transition foyer, family room, soundproof adult area, and restroom with adult changing table and adjustable sink, Presley’s Place is the first airport sensory room to also have the walls and floor of a real jet way and a seating section from a realistic airplane cabin, courtesy American Airlines.
Have you come across a new airport amenity during your travels? Let us know in the comment section below. If your tip is featured, we’ll send you a fun travel-themed souvenir.
The 5,770 square foot east terrace patio is located post-security on the mezzazine level between Gates 1-2.
To reach it, walk up the stairs or take the elevator to what the AUS airport calls its “hip terrace patio.”
The space is open 24 hours, is non-smoking and is located adjacent to the new Detla Sky Lounge.
The patio has a view of the 9,000-foot east runway and offers a great opportunity for plane spotting as well as a view of ramp and apron-level airport activities.
Austin can get very hot, so there’s an air-conditioned section of AUS’s patio.
In the outdoor section, patio is partially covered with sunshade blade panels to mimic the wings of an airplane.
The décor of the patio is modern-outdoor round tables, patio-furniture type seating and awnings that cover the family-style bench picnic tables.
Landscaping includes water-friendly native drought-tolerant plants.
And, for those of you into statistics: the airport tells us the patio flooring is covered with 428 wood pavers and 276 concrete pavers. Each concrete paver weighs 150 to 206 pounds and is 30 inches wide x 30 inches long and 2.25 inches thick.
Enjoy! And please send StuckatTheAirport.com a photo of what you see when you’re enjoying this new outdoor space at AUS airport.
The full story has more than 30 photos, so be sure to take a look over there, but here are some of my favorite photos shared by airports.
Observation Deck at Friendship International Airport – now Baltimore/Washington International Airport. Observation Gallery at BWI Airport – now Missoula International Airport. Courtesy Dan NeumanOklahoma’s City’s Will Rogers World Airport once had an Observation Tower When the Central Terminal opened in 1954, the building included an Observation Deck – look for the railings on the upper level. SFO’s brand new observation deck has plants, art and chaise lounges. Nice, right?
Where are your favorite airport observation decks?
