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Airports on Veterans Day

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Veterans Day

Flying on Veterans Day?

Want to support veterans while you’re traveling?

HMSHost sent word that military veterans-turned chefs have created a special burger –the Pimento Cheeseburger – which is on the menu throughout November at more than 70 restaurants in dozens of airports.

The burger is topped with crunchy fried onions, pickle chips, lettuce and tomato; it is finished with pimento cheese and it is served on a brioche bun. 

Sound good?

Buy the burger during November 2019 and you’ll not only get a tasty meal but a portion of what you pay for that burger will go to Folds of Honor, which supports military families. 

Better yet, on Veterans Day, November 11, all active-duty and military vets with ID can order one of these special Pimento Cheeseburgers and have it for free at participating locations.

Participating burger locations include the Flying Dog Tap House at Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI); the Dallas Cowboys Club at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Soho Bistro at JFK Airport, the Rolling Stone Bar & Grill at LAX and a long list of other HMSHost airport restaurants.

NOT traveling on Veterans Day?

Don’t worry. HMSHost also offers a year-round military discount.

There is a 15% military discount on food and non-alcoholic beverages at HMSHost locations throughout the United States.

The 15 percent discount is valid any day of the week for military members with valid identification at HMSHost-operated airport and travel plaza locations nationwide. 

While we’re talking veterans and airports

Be(e) aware that Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is home to the Bee Veterans Apiary, which is tended to by U.S. military veterans.

The Bee Veterans Apiary is a partnership with the University of Minnesota and the unique apiary is located on the west side of MSP airport.

The program is donor-funded and they’re trying to raise $15,000 to expand the program now.

The program offers beekeeping classes for veterans and is part of the airport’s ongoing efforts to promote sustainability.

The public can’t visit the apiary right now, but honey from the hives is sold at Worker B at the nearby Mall of America, so you be a supporter of the effort.

Get “espresso boarding” on Alaska Airlines this weekend

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Alaska Airlines snowflake plane + Starbucks cup promotion

Alaska Airlines has put a snowflake-adorned plane in the air that will keep flying throughout the ski season.

And, through Sunday, November 10, the Seattle-based airline is also partnering with Starbucks for a “red cup = early boarding” treat.

Show up for your Alaska Airlines flight with a Starbucks drink served in a red holiday cup and you’ll be invited to board the plane in the “espresso lane,” following group B.

Some airport Starbucks, including San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) are piloting compostable cups. But those airport Starbucks will be serving drinks with a red holiday sleeve and those drinks will qualify for “espresso lane” boarding as well.

And, as a bonus, on some West Coast flights, passengers will be gifted a complimentary reusable Starbucks holiday cup and $5 Starbucks gift card.  

Free coffee and caffeine deals in celebration of National Coffee Day

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Perk up!

Sunday, September 29 is National Coffee Day and, starting today, bistros, cafes, donut shops, hotels and a variety of other venues will be celebrating with free coffee, discounts and deals.

Here are just some of the special offers we’ve found being offered around the country.

Free coffee

On Friday, September 27, a pop-up in Chicago hosted by Kimpton Hotel Allegro and Allegro Coffee Roasters will be offering complimentary cups of locally roasted coffee to guests and visitors from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Krispy Kreme: Caffeine seekers can score both a free small coffee and glazed donut on National Coffee Day.

On Sunday, September 29, High Brew Coffee and Whole Foods will be offering a downloadable coupon for a free can of the Austin, TX-based cold brew. Get the coupon at highbrewcoffee.com and redeem it at a Whole Foods store. (Coupon will be live on 9/29)

Participating Biggby Coffee locations around the country will be offering free hot brewed coffee (up to 24 ounces), on Sunday, September 29 as well.

Discount coffee will still get you buzzed

On Sunday, Sept 29, 7-Eleven is offering any size coffee for $1 all day through the 7Rewards app.

Also, on Sunday, September 29, Nutella Cafe locations in New York and Chicago) will be celebrating National Coffee Day by offering customers Buy One (1) Drip Coffee (Regular or Large) and get One (1) for free.

On International Coffee Day (9/29), you can receive a free 12-ounce hot or iced coffee at GODIVA Café locations with ANY purchase. At GODIVA Boutiques, coffee bags will be Buy 1 Get 1 50% Off on 9/29.

Participating Dunkin’ branches will be offering a buy one hot coffee, get on one coffee free on Sunday, September 29.

Also look for National Coffee Day deals from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Circle K, Cumberland Farms, PJ’s Coffee and Sheetz convenience stores.

Alaska Airlines’ secret weapon to reduce plastic use

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Today Alaska Airlines kicks off a campaign aimed at reducing the use of single-use plastics.

The secret weapon in the plan? You.

The airline’s #FillBeforeYouFly initiative is asking passengers to pitch in to reduce the use of single-use plastics inflight by bring their own water bottle and filling it up at the airport before they board.

To kick off the campaign, today Alaska will be giving out complimentary reusable water bottles in all 7 Alaska Airlines’ lounges and on select flights leaving Seattle and San Francisco International Airports.

In addition, the airline says it will plant a tree for every passenger who brings a pre-filled water bottle onto their flight and posts a photo to social media tagging @AlaskaAir with the hashtag #FillBeforeYouFly.

“Our ultimate goal is to work together with our guests and employees to improve the health of our water by reducing plastic use,” said Diana Birkett Rakow, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of external relations. ““Land, water, and animals are incredibly special parts of the places we live and fly – and we’re in this for the long term.”

Alaska estimates that if just 10% of its passengers bring their own pre-filled water bottle when they fly and choose reusables, it could save more than 700,000 plastic water bottles and 4 million plastic cups per year.

This isn’t Alaska Airline’s first step towards helping to save the planet: in 2018, Alaska became the first airline to replace single-use, plastic stir straws and citrus picks with sustainable alternatives and the airline recently replaced bottled beer with aluminum cans, which are lighter and easier to recycle.

At the Airport: Summer camp at PHL Airport

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It may seem as if Philadelphia International Airport has a summer camp.

The Just Plane Fun program at PHL is the airport’s summer-long entertainment program that includes live performances, beauty care demonstrations, educational and informational displays, artist demonstrations, interactive arts and crafts activities for kids and adult, historical impersonators, caricaturists, food sampling and more.

Here’s some of what’s on the menu this week:

Today, July 23, there will be free tastings at Legal Sea Foods in the B/C connector from 11 am to noon.

Tomorow, July 24, you can pick up a free food samples at Noobar in Concourse B from noon to 2 p.m.

On July 25, there will be a story-time and coloring at the airport library in the D/E Connector from noon to 1 p.m. The library is also home to a fun, free short dispenser as well.

PHL short story dispenser
Courtesy PHL Airport

Later that afternoon, from 1 to 3 p.m. there will be complimentary summer drink samples at Chickie’s & Pete’s on Concourse E and Gatorade Zero sampling at the B/C connector stage from 4 to 6 p.m.

Not heading through PHL this week? Don’t worry. There are fresh ‘summer camp’ activities popping up each week. Many are listed ahead of time in the “Happenings” section of the PHL SHOP DINE page but many activities just pop up.