Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) celebrated its 75th birthday on June 24 with parties at various airline gates, refreshments, giveaways and a special water salute by the BWI Marshall Airport Fire and Rescue Department for the 75th daily arrival.
Singapore’s Changi Airport is also celebrating a birthday
Singapore’s Changi Airport is celebrating its 60th birthday this year with plenty of fun activities as well.
#NEW: Celebrate Singapore’s 60th birthday with an exciting line-up of activities at Changi Airport and Jewel! With a homecoming concert featuring local artistes, stunning horticultural displays and a charity walk – together, we make magic. Find out more: https://t.co/zxFIvQGSHJpic.twitter.com/omY2u6y6AT
San Antonio International Airport (still) has cows
Three painted cow sculptures have mooved into San Antonio International Airport and will be auctioned off in August. While the cows are hanging around, SAT is hosting a photo challenge.
CowParade has MOOOved into SAT, so we're hosting a photo challenge to celebrate! 🐄📸 Through the end of August, you can snap a picture with all three painted cow art pieces when you visit the airport. Be sure to tag SAT & use hashtag #CowParade2025 when you post to social! 🐮✨ pic.twitter.com/Sdp4KPrwb1
— San Antonio International Airport (@SATairport) June 24, 2025
Here’s a better look at those painted cow sculptures.
#CowParade2025 has MOOOved into SAT! 🐄🎨 We're excited to have 3 painted cows at our airport before they're auctioned off to benefit @CHRISTUSHealth in September.
MEET THE COWS! 🐮✨ -Stampede, Chris Celusniak -Good MOOd, Allison Gregory -Love Note to the Nations, Ashley Rogers pic.twitter.com/3XyKydjSqY
— San Antonio International Airport (@SATairport) June 10, 2025
BWI’s winning loos are part of a $55 million airport renovation program that includes expanded and improved restrooms on concourses B, C, and D.
Bright and spacious, BWI’s upgraded bathrooms have windows that provide both natural light and privacy.
The new restrooms also have features such as touchless fixtures, full-height stalls and doors, extra space for stowing roller bags, super-helpful red light/green light occupancy indicators for the stalls, and sensors that alert the airport’s custodial staff when supplies need to be refilled.
There are even seating areas where travelers may wait for their companions.
“We’re honored to be recognized by Cintas and contest voters for our commitment to providing a positive passenger experience and outstanding facilities,” said Ricky Smith, Executive Director/CEO of BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. “Passengers rank restrooms as an airport’s number one amenity. That’s why we work so hard to provide creative, clean, and inviting restrooms to make travel more enjoyable.”
BWI’s restrooms won out this year over a strong list of nationwide public restroom contenders that include clean and charming examples located in a dive bar, a hotel, a public rest area, restaurants, a craft brewery, a ski resort, and a lightship.
Here’s the list of the other finalists for this year:
• Clear Lake and Des Moines River Safety Rest Areas (Jackson, Minnesota)
• Drusie & Darr (Nashville, Tennessee)
• El Rio (San Francisco, California)
• Frying Pan (New York, New York)
• Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing Company (Melbourne, Florida)
As the winner of this year’s Cintas-sponsored America’s Best Restroom contest, BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport gets $2,500 in Cintas products and services to help maintain its award-winning restrooms.
The airport’s restrooms will also have a seat of honor in the America’s Best RestroomHall of Fame.
This isn’t the first time an airport has ascended to the throne in this contest.
Last year Tampa International Airport (TPA) took top honors for its first set of renovated restrooms featuring large Florida-themed graphics and a wide range of convenient features.
The new branch at PHL aipport will feature 1,500 square feet of state-of-the-art cardio equipment, free weights and a cable system, and connected fitness machines with on-demand and live classes.
Stretching space with yoga mats and props, an infrared sauna, and private shower rooms with towel service and Malin+Goetz products are also planned.
Travelers will be able to access the gym with a day pass ($25/day) or via an annual membership ($35/month). Day passes can also be purchased in packets of 3 and 5 for $65 and $100, respectively.
Workout gear to borrow or buy
For those who aren’t traveling with workout gear, ROAM Fitness has complimentary loaner gear that includes Lululemon technical athletic apparel and Brooks running shoes. Travelers may also purchase new gear including Lululemon, Girlfriend Collective and Rhone apparel.
And for those who prefer to exercise in their own gear, ROAM will vacuum seal sweaty clothes so odors don’t permeate carry-on items.
Showers
At the BWI outlet, ROAM Fitness offers guests private shower rooms, bookable for 15-minute slots.
Private showers are planned for the PHL branch as well, along with an infrared sauna that uses light to create heat. Those visiting on day passes may book shower time at check-in. Annual members can reserve a shower or sauna 24 hours in advance.
As with its BWI location, flight information display boards at the PHL facility will help travelers can keep an eye flight schedules and changes.
Here are some of the attractions and news announcements we’re reading about this week.
A Masterpiece Moment in a Museum
During the pandemic, we discovered Bank of America’s Masterpiece Moment digital series. The videos celebrate great works of art from museums across the United States.
Each video, hosted by a leading museum director, shares insights and commentary on a piece they have selected from their collection. Here’s the latest:
https://youtu.be/HrCeSMKWNkE
Sky Squad Lands at BWI Airport
SkySquad is a travel tech company that arranges for a ‘helping hand’ at airports. The service is designed to offer assistance to families, seniors, pet owners, or anyone who needs some help navigating the travel experience, and now travelers at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI) can book it.
With fees starting at $49, the concierge-style service provides assistants who can greet customers at their car door to help them unload luggage and then guide them through the check-in and checkpoint process and out to the gate.
Sound like something you or someone you know could use? SkySquad is also available at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG). Next up: Ft Lauderdale.
New PDX Coloring Book
There’s a lot of construction going on at Portland International Airport (PDX) right now, which can add an extra layer of stress to anyone’s journey.
To make getting through PDX easier and more fun – especially for families with kids – PDX has put together a new coloring book with whimsical characters and some fun facts about the airport.
The text is in English and Spanish, and each booklet has images that match larger counterparts on the walls and on the giant post-it notes throughout the terminal.
We’re making this an early nomination for “Airport Amenity of the Week.”
Whether or not you’re flying during the holidays, it pays to keep up to date with what airports are doing to serve passengers during what is sure to be another unusual season.
Here are some tidbits we’ve already spotted this week.
PIT has its holiday tree up
Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) won’t be having its annual Holiday Open House this year. And local choirs and bands won’t be offering holiday performances.
But PIT is setting up a holiday-themed selfie station in the Airside Center Core and hosting distanced (instrument-only) performances by local musicians. And there will be terminal visits from the PIT PAWS airport therapy dog team.
The holiday tree is already there. Here’s a fun time-lapse video of it going up. PIT reports that 20 people worked to raise the 26-foot-tall tree over a span of eight hours and that this year’s tree has 538 ornaments, 42 yards of fabric, and 166 strands of lights.
Take a 360 Virtual Tour of LAX
Missing airports? Us too. So we’re excited as all get out a new virtual 360-degree of the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) airfield.
This is the same airfield tour that used to be offered to students, community groups, and others curious about LAX operations before COVID-19 arrived. Now anyone can access the immersive, high-resolution 360-degree video experience online using a smartphone, tablet, computer, or VR headset.
Coat check reopens at MKE
If you’re flying from Milwaukee to Hawaii, Florida, or some other warm spot, you probably won’t need your winter coat when you arrive.
The Coat check program operates in partnership with retail partner Paradies Lagardère and is offered inside the Summerfest Marketplace store, which is located pre-security. Each coat is wrapped in protective plastic and the charge is a very reasonable $2 per day, or $10 per trip.
As far as we know, this is still the only U.S. airport offering this service.
Fresh art at PHX
Sky Curtain,” an artistic weather screen installation, is under construction at the future PHX Sky Train Rental Car Center Station. It features a series of brightly colored steel pipes, running along both sides of the station platform. Learn more on our Facebook page. pic.twitter.com/64c3n0IKUn
— Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (@PHXSkyHarbor) December 1, 2020
Fun and games from BWI
Here's a #TravelTuesday wordsearch highlighting some popular getaway spots of our passengers. 🧳
SAN Arts Program Fall Resident Artist, Margaret Noble, has released a new month’s of experiences based on the idea of a map. You are encourage to visit https://t.co/Tw7ajVqQrS to view them and ponder, “What are the points on your map? Where do you wish to go?” #SANArtspic.twitter.com/Xbi222QPvG
70 years ago, on June 24, 1950, President Harry S. Truman officially dedicated Friendship International Airport, which is now known as Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
11 years later, then-Vice President Lynden B. Johnson was on hand on June 25, 1961 for the dedication of the Jet Age terminals at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
On this day in 1961, then-Vice President Lyndon Johnson was at LAX to dedicate the $70 million "Jet Age" terminals, including the world-famous Theme Building in the heart of the new Central Terminal Area. Check out this rare footage from the ceremony! pic.twitter.com/g5UlYDIa2n
JetBlue will start offsetting carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) from jet fuel for all of its domestic flights beginning in July 2020.
The airline has been covering carbon offsets for flyers during specific promotions.
But with this new announcement JetBlue says it will become the first major U.S. airline to move towards covering carbon offsets fulltime.
JetBlue
currently works with Carbonfund.org, a U.S. based nonprofit carbon reduction
and climate solutions organization, on offsets. And with this expansion, JetBlue
expects to offset an additional 15-17 billion pounds (7 to 8 million metric
tons) of emissions per year.
That, says JetBlue, is the annual equivalent of removing more than 1.5 million passenger vehicles from the road.
There’s more.
JetBlue also announced plans to start flying with sustainable aviation fuel in mid-2020 on flights from San Francisco International Airport.
BWI shows its support for the Baltimore Ravens playoff run
And check out this great amenity from Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) in Madison, WI.
The airport not only has short story dispensers in the terminal, it has loaner books for kids.
Raise your hand if our children’s books have traveled more than you in 2019 ✋✋😅. If you fly out of MSN with children make sure to grab a children’s book right next to our story machine! Take them on your journey, add your trip to the log, then return them for others to enjoy! pic.twitter.com/nBZmUJniwQ
At Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI) Airport (Concourse A), Maryland gourmet chocolatier SPAGnVOLA now offers an array of handcrafted chocolate bars, bonbons and truffles made with cacao beans from a single-estate farm in the Dominican Republic that are roasted in Gaithersburg, Md. SPAGnVOLA was named one of the top 10 chocolate shops in the world by National Geographic.
Renting a bike via the Zagster app is $5 for up to 12 hours of use.
Why rent a bike at BWI?
So you don’t have to just hang out during a long wait for your flight and because BWI has a 12.5 mile scenic outdoor trail encircles the airport property that has a children’s playground and an observation area.
First opened in 1995 and closed since 2012 to make way for some terminal enhancements, the renewed Observation Deck has new exhibits and a new food outlet called Sky Azure.
New exhibits include a 28-foottall sounding rocket from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a half-sized model of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory’s Solar Probe Plus spacecraft and some new interpretive information about the large sections of a Boeing 737-200 aircraft that were originally on site.
There’s also a new photo mural near the aircraft cockpit that displays a pilot’s view when landing on Runway 33L at BWI Marshall, charging stations, a display case filled with aircraft models, new children’s play equipment and new binocular viewers so you can get a better view of airport operations.
Sound like someplace you’d like to hang out? The BWI Marshall Observation Gallery is located pre-security, on the upper level of BWI between Concourse B and Concourse C.
