Happy Friday! Here are some travel tidbits and ‘coming atttractions’ from several airports.
Happy Birthday Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which is marking its birthday month with a variety of local events. The airport first opened to the public on July 9, 1949,
Courtesy Port of Seattle
Looking forward, travelers will soon be able to drink beer brewed on-site at Tampa International Airport:
And for long-haul travel, Singapore’s Changi Airport has rolled out a new stopover program that includes a (one-way) hotel transfer, a SIM card and an overnight stay at one of 20 participating hotels. Packages start at S$63 – about $46 US dollars.
It’s always a delight to spend a day touring Singapore Changi Airport, which offers a wide array of truly useful amenities and a smorgasbord of entertaining treats.
Here are some snaps taken this week during a 5-mile airport hike that included a stop at Hobbiton, an encounter with a giant Oreo cookie and a view of the airfield from one of the world’s best airport powder rooms.
Air New Zealand has set up a Hobbit hole in the departure hall of Terminal 3.
The Easter Bunny is still on duty at Changi Airport
This giant Oreo cookie had a helper handing out samples of tiny Oreo cookies.
This Changi Airport powder room has picture windows offering great views out to the airfield. I’ve been assured those outside cannot see in… Photo courtesy Yvette Cardozo.
From my recent Bing Travel slide show, here are a few more posh airport amenities:
Offering travelers the world’s largest airport slide, a transit hotel with a roof-top pool and free foot massages, live entertainment, movie theaters and computer games, Singapore’s award-winning Changi Airport consistently tops the posh chart. Posher yet: five fanatically-tended-to themed gardens displaying, respectively, ferns, orchids, cactus, sunflowers and more than 1,000 live butterflies.
Posh perusing is available at Taiwan Tayoun International Airport, which now has a library with 2000 paper books and 400 e-titles for passengers on layovers. The much larger Airport Library at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport opened last year. The “sitting area with added value” offers a multi-media collection of books, films and music about Dutch history, culture, art and literature.
Maintaining a posh state of mind in transit is easier if you look and feel great. Thankfully, spas offering manicures, haircuts, facials and back, neck and foot massages are becoming commonplace in many terminals. At Finland’s Helsinki Airport, relaxation goes a step further: a Finnair-branded spa offers a choice of spruce, stone, steam or a traditional Finnish sauna.
They say music hath charms to soothe the savage beast. So can music relax stressed-out travelers? We think so. Especially if you catch one of the regular concerts offered at airports in Austin, Nashville, San Diego or San Francisco. The poshest airport musical act may take place at Portland International Airport, where John English (“The Voice”) delivers Frank Sinatra tributes twice-weekly.
For more, see the full posh airport amenities slide show on Bing Travel – or check back here tomorrow.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is celebrating the Chinese New Year with live performances ranging from ancient to Pop Chinese music styles. Local Asian musicians will perform on the airport’s main stage between 11 a.m. and noon on Thursday, February 3, 2011.
Singapore’s Changi airport is also celebrating the Chinese New Year with free samples of ting tang and dragon beard candy, opera mask paining, Chinese paper cutting, New Year fortune-telling and New Year decorations that include pussy willows, pots of tangerines, cherry blossoms, gold bunny sculptures and giant bunny topiaries.
Now, to celebrate the 2010 Singapore Formula 1 Night Race, which takes place in the streets of Singapore from September 24-26th, Changi Airport is having its own Grand Prix Festival.
From now through September 30, 2010 both airport visitors and travelers can participate in racing-themed activities that include remote-controlled race cars, racing game consoles and prizes.
Could it be possible to have too much fun at an airport?
