Indianapolis International Airport

Airports want you to go away

File this under: you can’t win if you don’t play.

Several airports around the country are holding contests and drawings that include free airplane tickets as the prizes.

Indianapolis airport art

The deadline is Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010 to enter Indianapolis International Airport’s “Show us your favorite things @ IND” You Tube contest.

To enter: make a short video (three minutes or less) showing what you like best about that airport.

The airport will choose five finalists and post those videos on the airport’s YouTube channel for public voting.

The grand prize is a free trip to Orlando or Tampa. Two runners-up will receive flip camcorders.  Entries must be uploaded by midnight on December 1.  Official contest rules are posted at www.indcontest.com.

Las Vegas International Airport’s Korean Air ticket giveaway ends Dec. 8th, 2010 around noon Pacific time, so you still have about a week to enter your name for a chance to win one of two pair of round-trip tickets between Las Vegas and Seoul.

Portland International Airport is giving away a pair of tickets from Portland to Toronto as part of its Holidays Take Flight celebration.  Deadline entry is January 2, 2011.

Airplane with christmas bow

And Kansas City International Airport is giving away a pair of tickets Kanasas City to one of 44 nonstop destinations.

(See list – and rules here). Deadline to enter is January 10, 2011.

Good luck – and don’t forget to bring home some souvenirs for StuckatTheAirport.com.

Look for Santa at Indianapolis International Airport

North Pole ice santa

You may still be eating Thanksgiving leftovers at your house, but at Indianapolis International Airport they’ve already moved on to Christmas.

On Saturday, Santa Claus will arrive at the airport at 11 a.m. and hang out for a few hours in the airport’s pre-security Civic Plaza.

While he’s there, he’ll pose with kids for free digital pictures.  There will also be a cookie and ornament-decorating station as well as a chance to enter to win tickets for entry to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and other attractions. And everyone who enters the contest ‘wins’ free parking.

Souvenir Sunday: Flat pennies from Indianapolis Int’l Airport

A lot of people collect flat pennies – or elongated coins – and you’ll find machines to make these souvenirs at plenty of tourist destinations.

The only place I’ve seen one of these machines at an airport was at the Brickyard Authentics shop at the Indianapolis International Airport.

Put a penny – and a couple of quarters – in the slots and you can have your choice of one of three souvenir pennies.

It’s a great – and at 51 cents – a truly inexpensive airport souvenir, and our pick for this week’s Souvenir Sunday gift.

Have you seen one of these machines at another airport? If so please snap a photo and send it in so we can feature it on a future edition of Souvenir Sunday, when we highlight fun, locally-identified, inexpensive souvenirs you can buy when you’re stuck at the airport.

Souvenir Sunday from Indianapolis Int’l Airport – again

Each Sunday at StuckatTheAirport.com is Souvenir Sunday – the day we look at some of the fun, inexpensive gifts you can pick up at airport shops.

This week, it’s (more) stuff from Indianapolis International Airport (IND).

While these popcorn-ready ears of corn make sense to me,

I’m still not sure what to make of all the cow-tipping memorabilia.

And while I don’t quite get why anyone would wear an ear of corn as a hat – I must choose these foam ears of corn as my pick for Souvenir Sunday.

I just wish that I’d been able to find someone willing to model one in the store before the clerk on duty forbid me from taking more pictures.

Did you find a great souvenir last time you were stuck at the airport? If it’s around $10, “of” the city or region and, ideally, a bit offbeat, please take a photo and send it along. It may end up featured on a future edition of Souvenir Sunday.