The entertainment and engagement series brings a taste of the city’s diverse culture and neighborhoods into the terminals with live music, dance, arts & crafts, and demonstrations.
We snapped this fun photo during SFO’s Cherry Blossom Festival in April.
This month, SFO Celebrates Pride in the Harvey Milk Terminal 1 – the first terminal in the world named for a LGBTQ+ leader – with a photo opp and stage based on the iconic Castro Theatre.
Located post-security across from the iStore, this month’s Pride events feature live entertainment on Thursdays and Fridays between 11 am – 3 pm. Passengers may snap selfies with a version of the iconic Castro Theatre backdrop, enjoy live music, meet the Wag Brigade stress relief animals, and more.
Travelers can also celebrate Pride in other spots in the SFO Terminals.
As fans of airports, libraries, aviation history, and museums, we’re delighted that San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has reopened the Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum & Library after a two-year closure.
The facility is named after a former airport director and sits pre-security in the Main Hall of SFO’s International Terminal.
The retro look intentionally evokes the airport’s passenger lobby from the 1930s.
The museum is home to more than 150,000 objects related to the histories of commercial aviation and San Francisco International Airport. And during the facility shutdown, SFO Museum staff spent time doing an extensive digital construction of the museum’s Aviation Collection.
Aerial view of SFO – 1966
Now there are more than 40,000 objects accessible online. And more material is being added each week. Online highlights include the history of SFO airport; material relating to major airlines such as Pan Am and United Airlines; and photographs, uniform pieces, and other aviation memorabilia, such as Junior Pilots Pins and airsickness bags.
But if you’re just interested in poking around, beware.
We started this post three hours ago and went down a serious rabbit hole once we started clicking on the “random object” button.
Visit the Aviation Museum & Library in person
With its reopening, the Aviation Museum & Library is also launching a series of new exhibitions that passengers may visit in person. Exhibits include:
Going the Distance: Endurance Aircraft Engines & Propellers of the 1910s & 20s.
This exhibit includes two groundbreaking engines, the V-8 Curtiss OXX-6 and the Wright J-5 Whirlwind radial engine, two related propellers, photographs, and more.
Jet Mainliner in Miniature: the United Air Lines Douglas DC-8 Cutaway Model
This exhibit shows off a late-1950s United Airlines cutaway model of a DC-8. Historical photographs, promotional materials, and video clips from United’s promotional film ‘Jet Mainliner Flight 803’ are also on display.
There are also several other new exhibits in the reopened aviation museum at SFO, making this a great time to schedule a long layover to take in these and some of the 20 exhibits the SFO Museum presents throughout the terminal buildings.
All photos and images are courtesy of the SFO Museum.
SFO Museum presents an exhibit about art from pineapple leaves
At SFO: From Pineapple to Piña: A Philippine Textile Treasure
The newest exhibit from the SFO Museum at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is about textiles made from pineapple leaves.
“Unique to the Philippines, piña is an extraordinary textile made by weaving the fibers of the leaves of the pineapple plant. This light, airy fabric was perfectly suitable to the tropical climate. The textile enjoyed a golden age during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, particularly on the island of Panay, where it was made into shirts, women’s blouses, shoulder scarfs, handkerchiefs, and table linens.“
A new exhibition at Albany International Airport (ALB)
Albany International Airport (ALB) will open a new Gallery exhibition on May 7. The Life Around Us, features recent paintings by Ashley Norwood Cooper and Heidi Johnson, as well as a new site-specific installation, Stream by Laura Moriarty.
Iced Coffee With Friends – by Heidi Johnson
Route pins from PHL Airport
And Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) recently handed out pins created by local artists to celebrate the return of several transatlantic flights. Great idea!
#PHLAirport celebrated the return of several transatlantic routes– some for the first time in two years– with special destination pins created by local artists . Pins were presented to passengers and crews prior to takeoff. More: https://t.co/fAIABhiG4jpic.twitter.com/fPVl993ZwO
Holiday fliers, you'll find stocking stuffers and more to explore at the Holiday Marketplace at CLE. The festive pop-up event returns to @goingplacesCLE, Dec 22 & 23, with handmade offerings from five area merchants. #MadeInOhiopic.twitter.com/R3WMhCkWUs
Passengers can order items from the store and have one of the fully autonomous delivery robots from Ottonomy, called Ottobots, make the fully contactless delivery to their location in the airport.
Customers receive status updates on their phones and a unique QR code. They can then scan by the robot’s top camera to open the secure compartment and retrieve their food. No attendant travels with the robots, which can deliver two unique orders per trip.
SFO’s Holiday Giveaway Still Happening
Deck the halls! 🎄 Our shops and restaurants have decorated SFO in the holiday spirit and we're here for it! 🥰 To celebrate we're giving away some great prizes including a one-night stay at the #GrandHyattAtSFO, @SFBART tickets & swag, parking, or an SFO bag. #SFOHolidayGiveaway
— San Francisco International Airport (SFO) ✈️ (@flySFO) December 10, 2021
Delayed Xmas Flights? Vizzy Wants to Help
Airports and air travel are expected to be quite hectic this season so keep an eye out for brands promising to ease your journey with their promotions.
Hard seltzer Vizzy will be doing just that December 21 – 23 with a Vizzy on us promotion.
Vizzy will host a pop-up at Denver International Airport at Concourse C near Gate C29 to provide travelers with drinks and will be offering Vizzy samples at Midway Airport at Concourse A near Gate A7.
During those days, travelers 21+ can visit www.vizzyholidelaydrinks.com to enter for the chance to receive one of 5,000 instant $8 prepaid cards for Vizzy Hard Seltzer drinks.
It is so encouraging to see airlines and airports having fun celebrating the holiday season this year. Here is another batch of actions and activities we spotted.
SFO Holiday Giveaway
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and the award-winning Grand Hyatt at SFO are hosting a holiday giveaway contest. Enter by December 21 for a chance to win the Grand Prize: a night at the hotel and a cool SFO Travel Bag.
First Prize is up to $200 worth of parking in the airport garage + an SFO travel bag. And five additional winners will get BART tickets and swag and an SFO Bag.
🔔 #SFO Airport and the #GrandHyattAtSFO are decked out for the holidays and we're spreading the cheer with a #SFOHolidayGiveaway! 🎁 Enter for your chance to win a one-night stay at the Grand Hyatt at SFO or other great prizes!
— San Francisco International Airport (SFO) ✈️ (@flySFO) December 7, 2021
Vote for the Best Holiday Wreath at O’Hare Airport
Concessionaires at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport have created themed wreaths for the holidays. Now the airport is inviting the public to vote for their favorites in the Wreath Decorating Contest through December 25.
We like the pretzel-adorned wreath from Auntie Anne’s and the popcorn canister encrusted wreath from Nuts on Clark. But we must admit to being partial to the shoe happy wreath with the boot-wearing elf made by the airport’s Shoe Hospital.
And Look: a Southwest Airlines-branded Zamboni
Southwest Airlines is the sponsor of the Downtown Denver Rink, where ice-skating is complimentary through the season if you bring your own skates. Skate rentals are available ($9/adults & $7/kids), but earlier this week, during Colorado Gives Day, Southwest Airlines picked up all the skate rental fees and handed out holiday treats and surprises.
Our favorite part? Just the fact that there’s a Southwest Airlines-branded Zamboni!
It IS beginning to look a lot like Christmas in airports and in the air. Here are some of the fun holiday items we spotted today.
Alaska Airlines’ Holiday Perks
Alaska Airlines has a new special-edition aircraft in the skies decorated with snowflakes, the words “Merrier Together,” and those festive red Starbucks holiday cups.
Through December 12, passengers on 50 of this aircraft’s flights will receive reusable holiday cups and some bonus treats. The airline will also be offsetting the carbon impacts of these flights.
On National Ugly Sweater Day – December 17 – the airline will be offering early boarding to any passengers wearing an ugly sweater.
Holidays take flight at Alaska Airlines
And throughout December, passengers wearing ugly sweaters may purchase a day pass to any of the airline’s eight lounges around the country for $25, which is 50% off the regular price. The lounges are located in Anchorage (ANC), New York (JFK), Portland (PDX), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), and Seattle (SEA).
An Elf is Roaming Reno-Tahoe International Airport
We’re decking the halls and fa la la-ing throughout the terminals here at #ATLAirport 🎄 If you're traveling ✈️through #ATL this holiday season, grab a selfie or picture in front of our tree located in the Domestic Atrium 🤳📸 pic.twitter.com/yTXjtpDFsc
The gallery screens short-form documentaries, experimental films, and all forms of animation. It is located pre-security on the departures level of the International Terminal. Hours: daily, 5:00am to 10:00pm.
With a nod to COVID-19, this month, the gallery is showing the work of four filmmakers from around the world whose work reflects how the pandemic impacts our lives and our interactions.
You can see the films next time you go to SFO. Or you can see them here.
In Sorry for the Inconvenience, by Jane Chow, a Los Angeles-based filmmaker from Hong Kong, a lonely teenager tries to help her parents keep their restaurant afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles Chinatown.
In Air, Canadian filmmaker David Findlay presents an exploration of the critical importance of physical contact in our interpersonal communication.
Turkish illustrator and animation director Tuna Bora collaborates with London-based animator Jonathan Djob Nkondo in this excerpt from Solipsism.
The film tells the story of a young girl who, amidst self-isolation, becomes lost inside the world that surrounds her.
And in Dancers in the Loop, French filmmaker Julie Rohart identifies inspiration found in the isolation of Paris’ lockdown in the winter of 2020.
It was quite a Monday for some airports around the country. The day started out like this at Denver International Airport
Who else caught the dramatic sunrise in Denver today? Talk about drama! 🌄 Thanks to IG: denverdave1968 for capturing the beautiful colors over the airfield at DEN! pic.twitter.com/rd3wYBjUh0
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) announced that the SFO Wag Brigade, a team of certified stress-relief animals, is back on duty in the terminals after a 20-month absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The San Francisco SPCA certifies all participating animals through their Animal Assisted Therapy (ATT) Program. And, prior to returning to SFO, all Wag Brigade animals were recertified. We hope that means LiLou the airport therapy pig that used to visit SFO about once a month will return soon too.
Good news — the #SFOWagBrigade is back at the airport!!! Tristan is rolling out in Terminal 3 this morning — ready for smiles, pets, and to make your heart melt. 💙 🐾 pic.twitter.com/KVxA0BJJG6
— San Francisco International Airport (SFO) ✈️ (@flySFO) October 18, 2021
Fire at DFW, No Water at CLT Airport
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) had to deal with a water main break nearby today.
The City of Charlotte has experienced a water main break in the vicinity of the Airport. There is little to no water pressure in the terminal at this time. The Airport is in contact with Charlotte Water to assess the situation.
And at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), there was a fire in one of the parking garages.
🚨 Customer Alert: There is a small fire located in our Terminal D garage. Customers are being asked not to access the garage at this time and the parking lot is temporarily closed for incoming or outgoing traffic.
We will have more information here once we receive it.
🚨 Fire Update: The fire is under control in the Terminal D garage and there are no injuries. It is available for drop-off traffic ONLY, but we are still asking customers to avoid the garage. Additional details follow in this thread ⬇️
Several vehicles sustained damage from the fire. Our DFW Team is providing claim forms on site for anyone whose vehicle was damaged, and we will also add those forms to https://t.co/GhrbmhxCv8 tonight. We will also be reaching out to owners of damaged vehicles proactively.
Now that we’re back to traveling more, we’re delighted to have the opportunity to visit San Francisco International Airport (SFO), home to the SFO Museum, which is fully accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
SFO is both an airport AND a museum. So, we always make sure to choose the longest layover we can when changing planes at SFO. Not just because we love airports, but because we also love museums. And the SFO Museum always has multiple exhibitions scattered throughout the terminals.
One of the newest exhibitions is The Victorian Papered Wall, which is on view in the International Terminal Main Hall.
Why have an exhibition about wallpaper?
From the press release:
From its inception, wallpaper imitated luxurious materials, providing a more affordable alternative to tapestries, fabrics, mural paintings, and architectural elements. Crafted in repeating rolls and pasted to walls, this decorative art has an ephemeral quality unlike any other. Wallpaper reflects the design styles popular at the time, and in the late nineteenth century during the Victorian Era (1837–1901), walls richly came to life. English “design reformers” insisted on abstract, flat patterns, opposing fashionable French three-dimensional designs. Meanwhile, the Aesthetic Movement, which burgeoned in England, emphasized artful interiors in the 1870s and ‘80s. Eclecticism prevailed—designers drew freely from world cultures and centuries past.
This exhibition features art wallpapers created by Bradbury & Bradbury, based in Benicia, CA. The company hand silkscreens hundreds of historic designs using oil-based paints. Their most complex paper, St. James, requires seventeen individually applied colors. In addition to Victorian-era patterns, the company makes wallpaper using patterns from the Art Deco era, the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. We’re hoping to find the wallpaper from our childhood home in there somewhere.
Here are more samples of the wall and ceiling papers you’ll see in six Victorian-era room sets at SFO.
Facebook and Instagram may have been down on Monday, but Twitter was there for airports to share news and fun tidbits. Here are some items that caught our attention.
Not vaccinated yet?
Please get with the program so you can travel safely. Many airports around the country make it easy to get the jab.
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY: COVID-19 vaccines are available this month at LAS. Don't miss your chance to protect yourself and your community.💉 pic.twitter.com/IhAh50wUGJ
— Harry Reid International Airport (@LASairport) October 5, 2021
Airports are celebrating National Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month
To celebrate National Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month we'll be spotlighting a few #Latino history making #aviators.
The red Arrow Sport plane hanging in our terminal has become an iconic symbol at #LNK and one many love taking photos under. Next time you #FlyLNK stop by our Customer Service desk and nab yourself one of our new, red foam glider planes. #FlyLocal#RedPlanepic.twitter.com/svf5y1QJP7
✨ TRAVEL BAG GIVEAWAY ✨ Ready to pack your bags? Enter for your chance to win one of ours! We're giving away a few of these awesome #SFO travel bags so you can be ready for your next trip. Enter 👇
— San Francisco International Airport (SFO) ✈️ (@flySFO) October 4, 2021
