airport history

Happy 90th birthday, Phoenix Sky Harbor Int’l Airport. Party on!

Aviation history, History, Uncategorized, , ,

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), which calls itself ‘America’s Friendliest Airport,’ was surely the funnest airport to be at this week during an anniversary party commemorating the purchase of the rural airport in 1935.

90 years ago, ‘Sky Harbor’ was nicknamed ‘The Farm’ time because of its location. And back then, the purchase price was $100,000.

At the airport’s 90th birthday party, local leaders presented a proclamation and made some speeches.

Then it was time for a 90s-themed dance party and a parade of airport Navigator Buddies from the pet therapy program dressed in neon, as rock stars, as movie characters from “Clueless,” sports heroes, and more.

After all the dancing was over, airport personnel and the pups paraded through Terminal 4 and then boarded the PHX Sky Train to Terminal 3.

PHX has been celebrating its 90th anniversary all year with monthly events hosted in the Culture Corner, located post-security in Terminal 3. Check here to see if something will be happening next time you’re visiting PHX.  

Other anniversary activities at PHX include trivia with Amelia, the Airport’s mascot and music through the decades as part of the weekly Traveling Tunes programming.

The Airport Museum also has a special 90th anniversary exhibition on display in Terminal 4 called “From Farm Field to Airfield,” showcasing the airport’s beginnings and its significant milestones over the years.

You can read and see the exhibit from home starting here.

And, as a nice bonus, PHX travelers can stop by the Airport Information Counters to pick up a commemorative 90th anniversary airport trading card. Super collectible!

PHX Party photos by Mark Skalny Photo, courtesy of PHX

Happy 30th birthday, Denver International Airport

Airport Terminals,

Thirty years ago, on February 28, 1995, the future staff of StuckatTheAirport.com was having a hard time leaving Denver’s Stapleton International Airport.

It wasn’t that we loved that airport so much.

It was because operations were switching over from Stapleton to the brand new Denver International Airport (DEN) facilities, 19 miles down the road. And, as workers were, literally, rolling up the rugs and stacking up furniture, computers were shutting down and flights were getting later and later.

Those of us who received food vouchers for our delayed flights were having a hard time spending them at the one concession still open that was selling soda and juices for $10 a pop.

Eventually, our flight took off and Denver International Airport (DEN) opened for business.

The airport, which is now the 3rd busiest airport in the country, celebrated its 30th birthday on February 28 and shared some great images, an informative timeline plus a cool timelapse video of the airport’s impressive growth over the years.

Take a look. And let us know your favorite amenities, and if you’ve encountered any aliens from other planets, at Denver International Airport.

Seattle-Tacoma Int’l Airport’s 75th Anniversary

Aviation history,

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and plans to keep the party going all year long with in-terminal events, music, entertainment, community partnerships, artwork, and other activities. As part of the anniversary kick-off, the Port of Seattle is sharing photos from the airport’s history. Here are a few of our favorites.

United Airlines plane landing at the dedication ceremony for the new administration building at Sea-Tac.

Opening Day at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on July 9, 1949

SEA Gift Shop sometime in the 1950s.

Early SEA Bag Claim. Even then people crowded the bag delivery spot.

SEA Barber Shop – 1950s

Airports Celebrate National Trivia Day

Fun Stuff, ,

We gathered up some of the factoids airports, the FAA, NASA, and others shared for National Trivia Day, January 4.

Test your knowledge. Learn some factoids. And let us know what we missed.

What I learned about Dallas Love Field Airport

Aviation history, History, , ,

The team that produces “Love Field Stories,” the official podcast of Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL), was kind enough to include me as a guest for two upcoming episodes.

The two-parter delves into the unique history of the airport and highlights some of the wonderful art that can be spotted in and around the terminal.

The episodes will be live-streamed on Tuesday, April 12, and on May 10 at 12:30 p.m. (Central) on Love Field’s Facebook and YouTube and will include images of many of the historical events and artwork we discuss.

The podcast can also be heard on Apple Podcast, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Pandora.

To produce the podcast, DAL teamed me up with Bruce Bleakley, who is an aviation historian and co-author of The Love Evolution: A Centennial Celebration of Love Field Airport and Its Art.

We called it a conversation. But really, it’s me getting to pick the brain of the airport’s historian. I asked Bleakley about how, in 1958, Dallas Love Field’s new terminal building came to have the first moving walkway at any airport in the world. And why there was an ice-skating rink in the terminal. And about the role that Dallas Love Filed played on that day in 1963 when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas and Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president on the DAL tarmac.

In this two-part podcast, we also learn the stories behind some of the great art that passengers walk over and walk by at DAL.

And I get Bleakley to tell us which city’s name is spelled wrong in the airport’s first commissioned piece of art. A detail he didn’t even share in his book.

I hope you’ll tune in!

Courtesy Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas