San Jose MIneta International Airport

It’s all ducky at San Jose Mineta Int’l Airport

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A 10-foot-tall inflatable baby chicken now roosts in the Terminal B Baggage Claim area at San José Mineta International Airport (SJC).

Photogenic and Instagrammable, the chick is there as part of the airport’s “Baby Chickens Take Flight at SJC” 75th Anniversary campaign, and is a call-back to the airport’s first flight.

On Feb. 1, 1949, San José Municipal Airport opened its runways to commercial air service with an official dedication ceremony.

The first arriving flight carried seven human passengers and 2,550 baby chickens.

The inflatable baby chicken complements other festive decorations including over 1,000 baby chicken window clings and four 7-foot-tall standees installed throughout the terminals.

In addition to the 10-foot inflatable chick, SJC has decorated the terminal with more than 1,000 baby chicken window clings and four 7-foot-tall standing chicks.

Passengers and airport visitors who snap a photo with a baby chick and post it on social media using #sjc75 and #PicWithABabyChick tags will be entered to win a commemorative SJC 75th anniversary swag pack. (We hear there may be socks…)

(Deadline: Sunday, June 30, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Limit one post per social media platform.)

      
  

Travel Tidbits from here and there

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Macaroni and cheese is a classic comfort food and a dish many people turn to when they are stressed.

So where better to open a restaurant with a full menu of mac and cheese dishes than in an airport?

San José Mineta International Airport (SJC) is now home to the first airport mac and cheese restaurant: San José Mac + Cheese Kitchen.

Located in Terminal B, across from Gate 19, the restaurant is serving up a Signature Mac along with a wide variety of customizable mac and cheese dishes with cheddar cheese sauce, 5-cheese white sauce, grilled chicken, smoked bacon, and BBQ pulled pork.

The menu also includes Grilled Mac + Cheese Sandwiches, Breakfast Mac + Cheese Burritos, and a full bar.

Very comforting!

More airport comfort

Speaking of comfort, we spotted some comforting touches at South Carolina’s Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) Sunday morning as we made our way to a very early flight.

First, we spotted these very comfy chairs right by the baggage claim carousels.

Then, once through security, we made our way down a hallway filled with useful – and tempting – vending machines.

We’ve seen the Fuel Rod machine that dispenses handy fully-charged chargers in quite a few airports. But the machine that’s ” a carwash for glasses and jewelry,” and the one that dispenses tins filled with licorice aren’t as common. Yet.

And how’s this for service?

We saw a gate agent sprint off towards the security checkpoint and wondered what was up. In just a few minutes she came running back with a young man in tow who would have missed his flight had she not rushed over and hustled him to the front of the security checkpoint line.

Airport Arrivals: Burning Man +Beyoncé

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Reno-Tahoe International Airport loves the Burners

Burning Man 2023 is underway in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. And about 20,000 of the 80,000 or so attendees make their way to the event through Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO).

The airport is an old hand at welcoming and sending off the festival goers.

So, when the party is over, on September 4, the airport will be ready with plastic bags to wrap dust-encrusted luggage and other checked items to make sure playa dust doesn’t get tracked through the terminal and muck up the baggage systems. There will also be donation sites for camping gear Burners don’t want to take home and the bikes Burners brought or bought to get around the playa.

Photo op: Beyonce’s “BeyHive” at San Jose Mineta Int’l Airport

Beyoncé will be performing at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA on August 30 and San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC), which is just five miles from the stadium is ready with a special event for Queen Bey’s ‘BeyHive,’ as her fans are known.

“XO” is one of the singer’s hit song titles, and it is also the name of a new art installation at the airport created by Bay Area artists Laura Kimpton and Jeff Schomberg for the Burning Man Festival, and dedicated at SJC earlier this year.

The structure is comprised of two 12-foot-tall aluminum letters, perforated with bird cutouts symbolizing flight, and is illuminated with color at night. 

To welcome Beyoncé fans flying in for the concert, SJC airport will be hosting an event for fans to get free professional photos taken in front of its “XO” public art sculpture. 

The event will take place on the Airport’s Terminal B curbside beginning at 7:00 PM on August 29th.

The commemorative color photos will be taken on a first-come-first-served basis by a professional photographer and will be available on the spot along with other fun giveaways from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., or while supplies last.  

(XO images courtesy of San Jose Mineta Int’l Airport and City of San Jose)

Braille on planes + Airport outdoor movies + Swifties at SJC

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 When it comes to accessibility for travelers, every bit helps.

And on Thursday, United Airlines announced that a dozen of its aircraft now have Braille signage for individual rows and seat numbers as well as inside and outside the lavatories.

The Chicago-based carrier said it expects to outfit its entire mainline fleet with Braille by the end of 2026.

“Finding your seat on a plane or getting to the restroom is something most of us take for granted, but for millions of our customers, it can be a challenge to do independently,” said Linda Jojo, Executive Vice President, Chief Customer Officer for United, in a statement. “By adding more tactile signage throughout our interiors, we’re making the flying experience more inclusive and accessible, and that’s good for everyone.

Lincoln Airport’s outdoor movies

Here’s another airport amenity we love.

In the summer, Lincoln Airport (LNK) in Lincoln, NE hosts occasional free outdoor movies for the community.

The next movie is “Top Gun: Maverick,” and free tickets are available now.

The LNK movie ‘theater’ is on the west side of the airport, in an open green space. Films are projected on the side of an old Cold War hangar.

Did you get a friendship bracelet at San Jose Mineta Int’l Airport?

It looks like the Swifties friendship bracelet exchange at San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) was a big success for Taylor Swift fans arriving in town for this weekend’s concerts.

Swifties at San Jose Airport + Authors at MCI + Musical Astronauts at Seattle’s Museum of Flight

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San Jose Airport is Ready for Taylor Swift Fans

Thousands of Taylor Swift fans, known as “Swifties,” will be flying into San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) this week on their way to Levi’s Stadium, where Swift will be performing on July 28 and 29 as part of her Eras Tour.

The airport is ready with friendship bracelets for trading and SJC goodies for sharing on Thursday, 7/27, in the Terminal B bag claim around 4 pm, while supplies last.

Summer Lit Fest at Kansas City International Airport

Here’s a great idea that would be great to see at every airport:

Kansas City International Airport (MCI) is hosting a Summer Lit Fest with a pop-up event that will feature readings and book signings by Kansas City authors.

The event will take place on Friday, July 28th, from 11 am to 2 pm, at the post-security Turn the Page KC store.

Here are the authors participating:

  • Former Kansas City Mayor Sly James will discuss and sign “Mayor Sly and the Magic Bow Tie” written by Aja James and Audrey Masoner;
  • Jim “Stinky Feet” Cosgrove, author of “Bop Bop Dinosaur” and “Sullen Sally”;
  • Chris Meggs, author of “Twas the Night Before Tipoff” and “Go Chiefs Go”;
  • Julie Snodgrass, author of “The Search for your Best Furever Friend” and “Puppies on Parade”;
  • Christle Reed – “I Can be me in KC;” and
  • Crystal Everett –  “Mommy and Mari Move It.”

Astronaut band to perform at Seattle’s Museum of Flight

Bandella, a band made up of five former astronauts and guest artists, lands for two shows at Seattle’s Museum of Flight on July 29.

Bandella includes Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who performed a solo performance video of David Bowie’s Space Oddity while floating in the space station. The four other astronaut artists include Cady Coleman, Dan Burbank, Ken Cockrell, and Steve Robinson, with Micki Pettit as the lead singer.

The concert will blend music with stories from space, plus a Q&A with the audience.