Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport

Airport News

We’re ending the week with a round-up of airport news and activities

Ugly Sweaters in Las Vegas

In Las Vegas, Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) – the airport formerly known as McCarran International Airport – hosted its annual ugly sweater competition. And this week the airport also officially switched over to its new name, which honors retired Democratic U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid.

Spot an Elf, Win a Gift Card at PVD Airport

Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD) is having some fun with the #RIAirportelf and offering airport visitors a chance to win gift cards.

Fresh Art at John Wayne Airport

Behind the Tent – by Wednesday Aja

The newest exhibit at John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, CA features photography by Wednesday Aja offering a unique view of the circus.

Enchanted by the worlds of sequins and makeup, performers, and trapeze artists, Wednesday Ajaā€™s work reveals the magic that transforms for a song ā€“ or a circus season ā€“ inviting the viewer to come along and get lost in the magic.”

The photographs on exhibit at John Wayne Airport are from Ajaā€™s ā€˜Troupes and Tribesā€™ ongoing series exploring themes of custom, costume, and community. Find them (pre-security) on the Departure (upper) Level near security screening areas in Terminals A, B, and C and on the Arrival (lower) Level adjacent to Baggage Carousels 1 and 4.

Another Milestone at LaGuardia

Terminal B West Concourse, Courtesy LaGuardia Gateway Partners

The West Concourse of Terminal B Ā at New York’s LaGuardia Airport has opened. This phase includes the opening of four new gates and triggers the closure of the final gates of the original Central Terminal Building.

In addition to a 350+ seat American Airlines Admiral Club (Phase 1 is open now; the club should be complete by Spring 2022), the West Concourse has a charming children’s play area modeled after New York City.
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Icelandair’s Holiday Ad. Based on a Trues Story.

New airport names; new airline planes

Alaska Airlines’ new Pride-inspired plane

We are totally loving Alaska Airline’s newly decorated Pride-inspired plane supporting the LGBTQ+ community. It’s the first of its kind in the United States and will be flying throughout the airline’s network for the next year.

Airport name changes

It’s official. T.F. Green Airport in Providence, Rhode Island is now Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD).

Why did they make the change?

“Of the 376 primary mainland airports in the country as defined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) only 32, including T. F. Green Airport, did not have the city, region or state in its name,” the airport explains in a statement. And adding the geographical identifier “will better position Rhode Islandā€™s main airport to support the stateā€™s economy and tourism sector.”

Las Vegas’ McCarran Int’l Airport renamed for Harry Reid

Since 1968, the airport in Las Vegas has been named for Nevada’s late U.S. senator, Pat McCarran. He helped get the airport built, but left a legacy of racism and anti-Semitism. But earlier this year, Clark County commissioners in Nevada voted to change the name of the airport to Harry Reid International Airport, to honor the man who served as a Democratic senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017.

The name change isn’t quite official with the FAA just yet. But it looks like it is a pretty darn close because the name change is already being reflected on FAA charts.

New Art Gallery at Indianapolis International Airport

IndianapolisĀ InternationalĀ Airport (IND), which opened in 2008 with $4 million in permanent art, now has an art gallery.

Called the KIND Gallery after the airportā€™s internationalĀ airportĀ code, the new gallery will feature rotating temporary art exhibits curated and coordinated in partnership with the Arts Council ofĀ Indianapolis.

The first gallery show is titled ā€œPareidolia.” The term refers to “the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern” and each artist in the show used clouds as their prompt to set their creativity into motion.