Philadelphia International Airport

Travel tidbits: Free/green stuff from Southwest; trophy display at PHL

Free Stuff, ,

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St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17th, but Southwest Airlines is celebrating almost a full week early. Tomorrow, March 12 (Thursday), three “very sprightly, very green, very enthusiastic leprechauns” will be flying to and from a variety of cities leading in-flight trivia games and passing out prizes in departure gates.  Look for them in Dallas, San Antonio and Harlingen, TX, Chicago, Tulsa, Denver, Kansas City and St. Louis, MO.

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And sports fans passing through Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) tomorrow will be able to get a little face time with the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship Trophy.   The trophy will be in the Terminal B/C Food Court between noon and 2 pm.

Travelers will be able to get their photos taken with the trophy, so don’t forget your camera.

The Phillie Phanatic will be there too.phanatic

Tidbits for travelers: PHL gets a new spa; United goes cashless; Alaska gets Wi-Fi

Spas, Wi-Fi, , ,

XpresSpa has opened a new location at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) – in the International Terminal, Terminal A West – offering massages, aromatherapy products, and other personal care items.  There’s another branch of XpresSpa on Concourse C that offers massages as well as manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing and reflexology.

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This week United Airlines announced that starting March 23rd, passengers will be asked to pay for on-board purchases (cocktails, sandwiches, snacks, etc.) with credit or debit cards instead of cash.  There are some exceptions. According to a United press release:

“United will continue to accept cash in addition to credit and debit cards on flights to and from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South America.  On United Express flights cash will continue to be the accepted form of payment.”money

And, starting this week, Alaska Airlines is testing its new in-flight Wi-Fi service on one Boeing 737-700 airplane.

The in-flight Wi-Fi is provided by Row 44 and will be  offered free for the next 60 days or so while the airline tests the service.  Then the plan is to install Wi-Fi on the airline’s entire fleet of aircraft – and start charging.

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Sick at the airport? New medical clinic at PHL

Health, Openings,

If you travel a lot, you’re bound to get sick. And if you’re sick while you’re traveling, then it’s a good chance you’ll be feeling ill while you’re at an airport.

Good thing, then, that drop-in medical clinics are popping up at more and more airports.  The newest one opened recently at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).

PHL’s AeroClinic is in the A/B Link.  The clinic offers minor ill-care and well-care treatment and is staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants who see patients in 15-minute increments, on a first-come, first-served basis.  Fees typically range from $25 – $100, depending on the service provided. Most major insurance plans are accepted.  There’s also an Aeroclinic at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

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Book arts exhibit at Philadelphia Int’l Airport

Art

Seen any good books lately?

Yes: seen.

A new exhibition celebrating books is on view at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), between Terminals A and B, through the end of June.

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Defining Books: Multiple Perspectives includes the work of four artists –  Carol Barton, Hedi Kyle, Tom Leonard and Mary Phelan.  Each is a local artist with a worldwide reputation for making intriguing and unusual art out of books.

New artwork at Philadelphia International Airport

Art, Free Stuff

The new Concourse D/E Connector at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) not only has a bunch of new shops and restaurants, including Borders, Brookstone, Vino Volo, Peet’s Coffee and Tech Showcase,  it has some cool new artwork by Elizabeth Billings and Andrea Wasserman on the escalator walls in each of the ticketing areas.

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Gathering Contours: Urban (Terminal D) and Gathering Contours: Rural (Terminal E) is made of 84 aluminum framed panels, 42 on each side.

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Photos courtesy Philadelphia International Airport

Better connections in SFO and PHL

Delays,

Both San Francisco International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport have added connectors that make it easier to get around.

At SFO, there’s a new connector bridge linking United’s Terminal 3 to the international terminal.  That’s great news not only because passengers connecting from domestic to international flights no longer need to exit the domestic terminal and clear security before going to the new gates, but because the international terminal has some great shops and restaurants.

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At PHL, there’s a new D/E Connector, which means travelers can now walk straight through from Terminal A West through Terminal E without having to through security again.  The new connector comes with new artwork and ten new stores and restaurants, including Vino Volo, Borders, InMotion Entertainment, Peet’s Coffee and Teas, Taxco Sterling, Tech Showcase and more.

No whining: Vino Volo now at San Antonio International Airport

Food, Restaurants, ,

Vino Volo, which has been steadily opening soothing wine-tasting restaurants at airports around the country, officially opens another one today (November 12th) at San Antonio International Airport (SAT).

Coming soon: a second branch at Philadelphia International Airport and a new branch at Newark Liberty airport.

Music legends at Philadelphia International Airport

Art, Music

Marian Anderson, Mario Lanza, John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie are just some of the 107 legendary musicians, singers, and entertainers from Philadelphia honored with bronze plaques downtown, on the city’s Avenue of the Arts, on Broad Street between Walnut and Pine.

But not everyone can make it downtown. So now, for folks who are stuck at the airport, there are portraits of 44 Philadelphia-rooted legends on display at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).

(From the Art & Exhibitions section of the PHL Web site)

Philadelphia Int’l Airport offers relief for pets and their people

Pets

Good news for pets and their people traveling to or through Philadelphia International Airport (PHL): there are now seven Pet Port “relief areas” at the airport.

According to a PHL release, each fenced Pet Port is between 250 and 600 square feet and is landscaped with a 4-inch deep mulch surface, a bench, a fake fire hydrant, and a dispenser filled with biodegradable pet waste bags.

Pet relief areas are not only a great amenity for pets passing through the airport, the relief areas make it easier for drug and bomb-sniffing security canines to quickly do their ‘business’ and then get back to business. (In addition to PHL, you’ll find lovely pet relief areas at airports in Phoenix, Austin, and in many other pet-friendly cities.)

The Pet Port areas at PHL are located on the Departures Road between Terminals A-West and A-East; between Terminal B/C ticketing and the Airport Communications Center; and adjacent to Terminal E and Terminal F. On the Arrivals side, the Pet Ports are next to baggage claim areas in Terminals A-East, Terminal B, and Terminal.

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Photo courtesy Philadelphia International Airport