BWI Airport

Travel Tidbits

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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:

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.”

Seasonal news from PIT, LAX, BWI, MKE, PHX & SAN airports

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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.

So, for the second winter in a row, Wisconsin’s Milwaukee Mitchell Internation Airport (MKE) has opened it popular coat check service.

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

Fun and games from BWI

New experiences from SAN’s artist-in-residence

And, thanks, LAX for reminding us that it is December. Already.

BWI & LAX airports mark anniversaries

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Two airports celebrate dedication anniversaries this week: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

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).

A few years later, in 1964, Lucille Ball was at LAX to inaugurate the first “Astroway” – or moving walkway – at LAX .

Travel Tidbits from JetBlue, BWI and Dane County airports

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JetBlue goes all-in on carbon offsets

Feeling guilty about flying?

Here’s something that may help.

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

Great airport amenity: loaner books!

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.

Have you seen a great amenity at an airport? If you do, snap a photo and send it along to StuckatTheAirport.com.

Go to BWI airport, eat chocolate

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BWI_SPAGnVOLA storefront AIRMALL BWI

Like chocolate?

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.