Reagan National Airport

Travel news from airports here and there

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Tuesday already?

Stuck at the Airport is still doing some catch-up up on news, snaps, and travel tidbits airports shared on Monday.

Like the pink cherry blossom lighting at Reagan National Airport (DCA).

The links to short films courtesy of the SFO Museum at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

The Women’s History Month factoid about Willa Brown – who was the first Black woman to earn both a pilot license (1938) and a commercial license (1939), courtesy of Long Beach Airport (LGB).

And the announcement from Tampa International Airport (TPA) about TPA To Go – a new food delivery service in the airport.

https://twitter.com/FlyTPA/status/1376523254215630852?s=20

DC-area airports celebrate Cherry Blossom season

Events, , ,

The Cherry Blossom watch is on in Washington, D.C., with the National Park Service predicting April 1 as the peak viewing time for cherry blossoms in nation’s capital.

D.C.’s National Cherry Blossom Festival continues through April 14, but travelers arriving or departing at the two DC-area airports, Reagan National and Dulles International, get a sneak peek, thanks to a cherry blossom pop-up at Dulles International and Japanese music and calligraphy at Reagan National airports.

At Dulles International (at the intersection of Concourses A and B) travelers will find a whimsical cherry blossom pop-up park with a 15-foot, replica cherry blossom tree, park benches or bistro tables.

The park will remain on site through May, with scheduled events through April 8.

Each Friday through April 12, travelers flying out of Reagan National will be able to hear performances by Japanese Koto musicians. A master calligrapher (to inscribe luggage tags) and a sketch artist will be on site as well.

Both airports have partnered with the official National Cherry Blossom Festival to present the exclusive 2019 National Cherry Blossom canvas tote bag. Any purchase of $100 or more at any two retail or dining locations will receive the tote as a gift with purchase. (Look for signs telling you how to redeem).

Find more details about the Cherry Blossom Festival events, including a discount parking offer, at DCA and IAD airports here.

Washington, DC-area airports celebrate Cherry Blossom Festival

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(Washington Dulles International Airport, photo by J. David Buerk)

The month-long National Cherry Blossom Festival is underway in the Washington, D.C. area and even the airports are getting into the spirit with cherry trees in bloom and buildings lit in pink at night.

Pink lighting is illuminating the iconic main terminal of Washington Dulles International Airport and the parking garage stairwells at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Inside the airports, there are cherry blossom-themed promotions and entertainment scheduled through April 16.

There will be Cherry Blossom stilt walkers strolling through airport halls pre-and post-security from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays (March 24, March 31, April 7 and April 14).

Photo courtesy Sidney Woods

Entertainment on tap includes souvenir photos, paint sessions with a Japanese Sumi-E artist (black ink painting) and performances by Cellist Peter Kibbe at Dulles International on Thursday, April 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and at Reagan National on Friday, April 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Several restaurants will be offering pink-themed menu selections and drinks through April 17 and shoppers who spend more than $100 (pre-tax) on food or retail can turn those receipts in for a free National Cherry Blossom coaster set.

Social media followers of the airport Facebook pages can also win free ticket to official Cherry Blossom Festival events. Details here.

 

 

 

Jazz music at Washington’s Airports

Music, ,

DCA image

This summer both Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport are hosting free jazz music performances for the public.

The performances at Reagan National Airport are in the pre-security area, on the Concourse Level across from Cosi near Terminal C or Cibo near Terminal B.

Here’s the line-up for the rest of the summer:

Reagan MUSIC

At Dulles International Airport, the performances are held at the East Security Checkpoint on the Ticketing Level.

dulles music

Start celebrating July 4th now – at the airport

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The July 4th travel ‘season’ is evidently already underway, as airports around the country have already rolled out their in-terminal holiday celebrations.

Orlando Philharmonic

Courtesy Orlando International Airport (photo from 2012 performance)

Orlando International Airport starts celebrating this weekend (Liberty Weekend) with a free concert by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in the Hyatt Regency Hotel atrium (which doubles as the main atrium of the airport) on Saturday, June 29 at 7:45 p.m.

The concert is free and in the pre-security area of the airport and everyone who attends will receive American flags, pins and three hours of complimentary parking.

Orlando International Airport has another patriotic event underway in the atrium: a display of 50 tempered-glass poppies (The Remembrance Poppies) by Craig Mitchell Smith. Poppies have been the American Legion’s symbol of  symbol of tribute to fallen soldiers since World War I.

POPPIES HI

Miami International Airport also starts celebrating early (this Friday, Saturday, Sunday and again on July 4th) with a parade in the terminals, photo ops with George Washington and other activities.

And in Washington, D.C. both Dulles International Airport and Reagan National Airport are running a fun promotion with President Obama. (Well, a cardboard cut-out of the president).

BUMPED INTO OBAMA

Starting today and running through July 7th, there will be red, white and blue menus at many airport restaurants, patriotic displays in the shops and a fun photo contest called #BumpedIntoObama.

Look for “the President” outside various shops in either airport (you can find out where he is by checking the IAD and DCA social media sites); get your picture taken with him, share the photo on Twitter or Instagram (@IADFoodandShops or @DCAFoodandShops) with the hashtag #BumpedIntoObama and you’ll not only have a fun souvenir – you’ll be entered into a daily drawing for a $25 Gift Card.

Cherry Blossom Fest at Dulles and National Airports

Festivals, ,

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is underway in Washington, D.C.

DC CHERRY TREES

The National Park Service horticulturists have been monitoring the blossoms of the Yoshino cherry trees that surround the Tidal Basin for peak bud opening and they say right about now is a good time to pay a visit.

It’s also a good time to visit Washington’s Dulles or Reagan National Airports.

DC PINK NATIONAL AIRPORT

They are featuring Cherry Blossom-themed cocktails, food, banners and displays, including cherry blossom shirts and handbags, cherry blossom pink martinis, donuts with cherry blossom pink frosting and cherry blossom nail designs.

Need more pink? Reagan National Airport has pink lighting shining through the glass block walls in the stairwells in the parking garages and banners out front.

More ways to celebrate the presidential inauguration – at the airport

Art, ,

DCA Exhibit

If you’re headed to Washington D.C. this weekend – or anytime between now and February 28, 2013, you can see an art exhibit commemorating the presidential inauguration at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

“Hail to the Chiefs: Portraits of United States Presidents and First Ladies,” was created by Morgan Monceaux, who used oil and acrylic paints, markers and recycled objects including campaign buttons, ribbons, jewelry and other materials to create portraits of George and Martha Washington, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, George H.W. and Barbara Bush, William and Hillary Clinton and many other U.S. Presidents and first ladies.

Below is Monceaux’s portrait of Abraham Lincoln – and here’s a link to information about this collection and the artist.

DCA LINCOLN

Fresh art at Dulles and Reagan National Airports

Art, ,

If you’re traveling through an airport in the Washington, D.C. area soon, here are two new art exhibits to seek out.

Through April 30, 2013 at Dulles International Airport, the “America!” exhibit focuses on panoramic landscape scenes from around the nation taken by members of the American Society of Photographers. Look for it in the connecting walkway between the AeroTrain C-Gates and the C Concourse.

And through April 30, 2013 in Reagan National Airport’s Terminal A you’ll see an exhibit called “Art + Craft: Celebrating the Creativity of Latin America.”

Free Wifi now at Dulles and Washington National Airports

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On Monday, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority rolled out complimentary wireless internet service at Reagan National and Dulles International Airports.

Until now, if you didn’t have a subscription with a major wireless carrier or hotspot provider, you’d have to pay for access to the service. All those pay services are still available, but now a complimentary option shows up on the wireless networks list.

The service is so new that on Monday afternoon, during my layover at Dulles, there were no signs posted alerting travelers to the free service. Nor was there anything on the front page of either of the airport websites.

Once I figured out that you actually have to scroll through the ‘Terms and Conditions’ notice before clicking ‘agree,’ I was able to log onto the service quite easily.  No pop-up ads show up yet, but airport officials say that may happen n the future.

Bottom line: a great new amenity at two major US airports.  Yay!

 

Free WiFI at DCA and IAD

 

 

 

 

Apology not accepted???

Profiling,

I’ve been reading the follow-up news reports about the group of Muslim travelers (all but one of them a U.S. citizen) who were taken off a flight going from Reagan National Airport to Orlando the other day because another passenger misinterpreted some “verbal comments.”

air-tran-plane

Air Tran Airways has apologized and offered a token compensation to the family but there’s something really unsettling about the way this family was treated. ( Here’s a link to Air Tran’s press release about the apology.)  Joe Sharkey put his finger smack dab on the issue in his High Anxiety blog today.