Heathrow Airport

Heathrow Airport has a summer soundtrack

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If you travel frequently, many of the sounds of the airport will be familiar and soothing to you and may signal the start of a journey.

That’s the idea behind Music for Heathrow, a unique ambient audio track that Grammy nominee Jordan Rakei has created for London’s Heathrow Airport.

The work incorporates more than 50 real Heathrow airport sounds, including boarding announcements, elevator dings, air traffic control chatter, the sounds of planes taking off and landing and more.

Rakei’s audio composition follows a passenger’s journey from check-in to take-off and is designed to “complement passenger journeys, stir up excitement” and let people “tune into their trip before the plane even leaves the ground,” according to Heathrow Airport officials.

Rakei recorded all the sounds for his audio track in and around Heathrow Airport and says his Music for Heathrow is an homage to Brian Eno’s 1979 work, Music for Airports, which is credited with launching the ambient music genre.

Like Eno’s work, Rakei’s piece is split into four compositions to reflect the airport journey.

Listen closely, and you may be able to make out the percussion created with the sounds of passports being stamped and bags hitting the baggage belt. Or the water fountain gurgle used for ambience.

Rakei also adds sounds from movie scenes, such as the tapping of passengers’ feet waiting at a gate in Terminal 2 in Bend It Like Beckham; the beeps of the security scanner that Sam runs through to catch Joanna in Love Actually; and the engines whirling on the tarmac where Die Another Day was filmed.  

“It’s all about building suspense and setting the mood for wherever you’re headed on your summer holiday,” said Rakei.

Listen to Music for Heathrow on Soundcloud – or at Heathrow Airport – and let us know what you think.

Holiday Travel Tidbits

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The Stuck at the Airport team was in Geneva, Switzerland this week for an education day with officials at the International Air Transport Association, IATA.

Topics ranged from passenger rights and travel accessibility issues to earnings, sustainability, biometrics, safety, security, air cargo, and more. We’ll be folding what we learned into many of our stories going forward, but we are glad that the odd holiday ‘decoration’ we spotted a few years ago at Geneva Airport was nowhere to be seen this time through.

Airports and airlines elsewhere approach the holidays with a more festive outlook.

Munich Airport (currently recovering from the fallout of a snow closure) transforms each winter into a holiday destination complete with ice skating and curling rinks.

Orlando International Airport (MCO) and many other airports also go all out with holiday decorations throughout their terminals.

Air Canada released its annual charming (if somewhat syrupy) holiday video:

But we still love this heartwarming video with the story of the Heathrow Bears from Heathrow Airport .

Heathrow Airport’s Commemorative Coronation Luggage Tag

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Heathrow Airport welcomed plenty of VIPs and tourists to town for the Coronation of King Charles III. 

And to mark the occasion, Heathrow Airport commissioned London-based artist Morag Myerscough to design a commemorative luggage tag that is being handed out to travelers through May 10.

“Instinctively I knew a bold color-filled, joyful, positive approach to the luggage tag to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III and the start of a new era was going to be my approach,” said Myerscough. “I marked the day with ‘CR III 2023’ and on the reverse depicting an abstract gateway to echo how Heathrow is the gateway to the UK and the world, welcoming people to start their adventures there and now to celebrate a new monarch.”

The tags are printed on the high-quality, recycled card by ‘the Royals’ favorite stationer’ Barnard & Westwood. This is the fine printing and bookbinding company that held a Royal Warrant under both Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III when he was Prince of Wales, printing the orders of service for royal events such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding.  

In addition to the luggage tags, Heathrow has been celebrating the King’s Coronation with live music, Coronation-themed cupcakes and Walker’s shortbreads, and special dishes in some of the restaurants. Look for the King’s Blini at the Caviar House & Prunier, Coronation Chicken at Pilot’s Bar & Kitchen, and the King Charles Burger at Big Smoke Taphouse & Kitchen.

And head to Terminal 5 for the special Union Jack lighting that also celebrates the Coronation.

(Photos courtesy Kieran Cleeves/PA Wire)

Heathrow Airport handing out Holiday Gifts

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Like all airports, London’s Heathrow Airport is very busy for the holidays, with more than three million travelers expected to pass through the terminals in just the last two weeks of December.

But unlike all airports, Heathrow is passing out thousands of gifts to passengers to help them on their merry way.

Throughout December, Heathrow’s team of ‘Little Here to Helpers’ are handing out 10,000 gifts across all four terminals. The gifts are provided by airport tenants, including airlines, shops, bars, and restaurants, and include everything from free flights and lounge access to Chanel perfumes, Pret breakfasts, and designer makeup from World Duty Free.

Want a gift? If you’re traveling through Heathrow look for the smiling folks in Santa hats hanging out near one of the 25 Christmas trees spread across the terminals. Not everyone will get a free gift, of course, but if you head that way, you’ll increase your chances.

Let us know if you score.

But wait, there’s more!

Heathrow also has an advent calendar on its website and on its app. Behind the windows, you’ll find discounts from Heathrow shops, bonus points from Heathrow Rewards, World Duty Free promotions, and deals on festive-inspired food and beverage menus.

Kids Eat Free

Airport meals can get expensive. And if you’re traveling with kids you’ll have to feed them too.

So it’s nice to know that Heathrow’s Kids Eat Free program is still in force.

Through January 3, 2023 participating restaurants at Heathrow Airport will offer once free child’s meal with each adult meal purchased, with a limit of four free kids meals.

This is a great airport amenity and is available during school holidays.

Airports celebrate National Puppy Day

Animals,

Today is National Puppy Day. So get ready for lots of photos of airports pup to pop up on social media,

We’ll start off with Heathrow Airport’s early tweet and add more as we spot them.

Feel free to share pics of the way your airport’s pups are celebrating.

Bottle refunds at Frankfurt Airport. Drop-off fee at Heathrow.

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We keep an eye on airport trends and creative airport amenities.

We love that Frankfurt Airport has bottle refund machines security checkpoints where passengers may turn in an empty and donate the bottle deposit to charities. As noted in FRA’s tweet, the airports has gathered 370,000 euros (about $428,000) for charities since 2013.

Below FRA’s tweet is an alert from London’s Heathrow Airport announcing a new £5 Terminal Drop-Off fee (about $6.70) for cars entering the airport drop-off zones starting November 1, 2021. Scofflaws will get an £80 (about $107) parking fine, which would result in a £40 fee ($53) if paid within 14 days. London’s Gatwick Airport already imposes this fee. (These drop-off fees don’t go to charities).

“Our car parks remain open, where normal parking charges apply. The drop-off charge does not affect passenger pick-ups, which will continue to take place via the car parks. You cannot pick up passengers from the drop-off zones.”

Heathrow seeking “Most Instagrammable” title

Art,

Airports are a competitive lot.

And London’s Heathrow Airport is on a mission to become the world’s most Instagrammable airport.

In an effort to grab the title, Heathrow has commissioned the street artists behind four of the most Instagram-famous murals in the world to recreate their work in its terminals. 

The campaign brings together new renditions of Colette Miller’s iconic angel wings in Los Angeles (above), Rogue One’s ‘Floating Taxi’ in Glasglow, Alice Pasquini’s ‘Above the Lines’ in Rome, and Odeith’s ‘Anamorphic Frog’ in Lisbon. 

The installations are in Terminals 2,3,4, and 5 until this summer. And the airport is hoping that travelers will snap photos of themselves and friends with the images and post them on Instagram to help Heathrow move up from 2nd-most Instagrammed Airport in the World, past South Korea’s Incheon International Airport to #1.

It just may work.

Each artwork measures between 10 and 16 feet, so will be easy to spot. And each is very selfie-friendly.

The pieces are also strategically placed in terminals that have flights to their original street art location, which means that many passengers may also go and see the original and get their photos taken in both places.

Heading that way? Send us your Instagram photo with one of these images at Heathrow.

Curious about which airports are on the “Most Instagrammed” list?

Here you go.

WORLD’S MOST INSTAGRAMMED AIRPORTS

  1. Incheon International Airport, South Korea
  2. Heathrow, London, England
  3. Schipol, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  4. Sheremetyevo, Moscow, Russia
  5. Haneda, Tokyo, Japan
  6. Singapore Changi, Singapore
  7. Gatwick, London, England
  8. Narita, Tokyo, Japan
  9. O’Hare, Chicago, USA
  10. Dubai International, UAE

The street art will be at Heathrow terminals 2,3,4 and 5 in the departure lounges, after security, until the summer. See what people post by following #Heathrow on Instagram.

Santa’s workshop at Heathrow Airport

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Stuck at The Airport is continuing coverage of Santa sightings at airports.

We are also sharing updates on what airports are doing this year to make things merry.

So today we bring you this update from London’s Heathrow Airport.

To help parents with kids asking lots of questions about how Santa does what he does, Heathrow has installed “magical” periscopes in Terminals 2 and 5.

The periscopes allow children (and adults) to check in on what Santa is up to as he and his team get ready for the big night.

Heathrow says the periscopes offer a 360-degree view of elves in action at Santa’s the satellite workshop, which is conveniently located right under Heathrow (!).

Scenes include Santa’s Toy Factory, the Department of Wrapping and the Mail Room.

Heathrow Airport is going all out this holiday season to make travelers feel welcome.

The day before Thanksgiving, passengers from a handful of flights arriving at Heathrow from various U.S. cities got a surprise at the baggage claim.

Before checked bags showed up, baskets of fresh-baked pumpkin pie came down the line.

Spot Santa at the airport? Send us a photo.

Eating at airports: 2 ideas to steal from Heathrow

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For a trip to London this week, I had the great treat of getting an upgrade (both ways, thank-you!) to Virgin Atlantic’s swank Upper Class cabin.

That’s not what I want to crow about today.

Instead, I want to mention two great dining amenities I spotted at Heathrow Airport.

At Spuntino, an airport outpost of a popular London restaurant known for its Italian/American comfort food, prohibition era-inspired cocktails and its great blues soundtrack, there was sign outfront that let customers know how long it might take to get served once they sat down and ordered.

That’s exactly what most travelers want to know when deciding between sitting down in a restaurant, grabbing something from a shop or just winging it with what’s offered on the airplane.

I hope this is adopted by more airport restaurants.

Another great amenity, offered at Spuntino and many other Heathrow airports during holidays and school vacation weeks (and year-round at a few restaurants), is a Kids Eat Free Menu that includes one free kids entree for each adult entree offered.

Great ideas!!!

Heathrow’s charming bears are back for Christmas

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Heathrow Airport’s heartwarming story of the bears named, appropriately enough, the Bairs, are back for another season.

We first met the Bairs in 2016. They were so popular that they were featured again last year, in astory that showed how Doris and Edward Bair meet and fall in love on a flight out of Heathrow Airport in 1967.

 

This year’s installment shows the next chapter in the Bair’s lives.

They are now retired in the United States; in Florida. But as the holiday season rolls around, the couple realizes that Christmas just isn’t the same without their loved ones in the UK.

So, they head home to London, arriving in the exact spot where their love story began 50 years ago – at Heathrow Airport.

Charming!