Tampa International Airport

TPA’s Flamingo Needs a Name

Contests,

Tampa International Airport (TPA) is hosting a contest to pick a name for the impossible-to-miss, 21-foot flamingo that now lives in the airport’s main terminal.

The artwork is by artist Matthew Mazzota and is officially titled “HOME.” But TPA would like the flamingo to have its own name. And they’ll give a nice prize to the person who proposes the best name for the big bird.

Along with christening TPA’s big pink bird, the contest winner will win 4 nonstop, roundtrip tickets for themselves and 3 companions on Silver Airways. The prize also includes a VIP Experience package to Busch Gardens, including 4 single-day admission tickets, 4 All Day-Dining passes, 4 Quick Queue Unlimited passes, and preferred parking.

Here’s how the contest works:

From Tuesday, November 29 until Tuesday, December 6, anyone may submit a suggestion for the flamingo’s name at www.NameTheFlamingo.com. One entry per person.

Contest participants will need to briefly explain on the online form why they chose the name they are submitting.

After the contest closes, TPA will select the top three names. And starting December 12, the public will be able to vote on their favorite name. The winning name will be revealed on Friday, December 16.

Have any great ideas? Something better than Spot or Freddy Flamingo?

Tampa Int’l Airport takes the throne for Best Restroom

Bathrooms, , ,

Congratulations to Tampa International Airport (TPA), which takes the throne as the Winner of the 2022 America’s Best Restroom Contest. 

The Airport’s sleek, modern, and newly renovated Airside C restrooms were among 10 finalists selected by Cintas Corporation based on cleanliness, visual appeal, innovation, functionality, and unique design elements.

The public had the opportunity to vote during the month of August. And the competition included restrooms at Delaware Botanic Gardens and Newark Liberty International Airport’s (EWR) all-gender restrooms.

TPA’s Airside C facilities were completed on the north side of the terminal earlier this year and will be finished on the south side in the coming weeks.

The restroom entrance welcomes travelers to a uniquely Florida experience. There are large graphics and a natural, deep blue stone with high-res images of quintessential Florida flora.

The loos also feature light-colored solid surface vanities. These counters incorporate TPA’s signature “cockpit” concept that provides guests with their own sensor-activating sink and soap, personal paper towel dispensers, and trash receptacles all within arm’s reach.

As part of its prize, TPA receives Cintas UltraClean restroom cleaning service and $2,500 in Cintas products and services. And in a nice touch, TPA airport will be donating these services and products to the Hurricane Ian recovery efforts taking place in southeast Florida. 

Airports cleaned up in this contest in the past

America’s Best Restroom contest is highly competitive, but some airports have claimed the throne in the past.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) won in 2016 for the first of 100 sets of restrooms being updated. Among a wide variety of nice amenities, MSP’s upgraded loos feature a waiting area with flight information, emergency devices, and curated art display cases.

And Arkansas’ Fort Smith Regional Airport (FSM) landed the award in 2005, That loo got high marks for cleanliness and for its dried flower arrangements and automated toilets and sinks.

2 airports are finalists for America’s Best Restroom

Airport Terminals, , , ,

The list of the top 10 finalists for the 2022 America’s Best Restroom contest is out.

And this year restrooms at two airports are in the running to be crowned as the best throne in the country.

Newark Liberty Int’l Airport (EWR)

The Terminal B all-gender restroom at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is one of the airport restrooms nominated as an excellent example of how businesses develop and maintain innovative restroom facilities.

EWR’s new loo is in a 1970’s-era terminal departure lounge. The loo’s creative, gender-neutral design offers “potty parity” and means that more users can be accommodated than with a traditional restroom design.

The restroom includes areas for traveling companions to wait and for passengers to reorganize their belongings. Local imagery on the glass and tile establishes a sense of place. And sound and scent help create a calming environment.

Tampa International Airport (TPA)

The nominated restrooms at Tampa International Airport (TPA) are on Airside C.

These loos welcome travelers to a uniquely Florida experience with large graphics. A natural, deep blue stone with undulating veining is intended to be reminiscent of waves crashing along the shore.

“Once inside, large format tiles skin the floors and seamlessly fold up the walls, bolstering the well-lit environment and furthering a ‘freshly cleaned’ aesthetic,” the restroom nomination explains. “A wood-look wall tile adds warmth and softness for a balanced, resort-like feel.”

The vanities in these restrooms also offer TPA’s signature “cockpit” concept, which gives each guest their own sensor-activating sink and soap, personal paper towel dispensers, and a nearby trash receptacle.

The other nominated public bathrooms on this Best Restroom list include the self-cleaning restrooms at North Hollywood Recreation Center; prohibition-themed restrooms in Stone Mountain, GA; and a Japanese pub in Orlando, FL modeled after the green restroom seen in “The Aviator” film.

Here’s the image from the movie:

Here’s a snap from Orlando’s Tori Tori pub.

The public is invited to vote for their favorite finalist through August 31 here.

Which is your favorite?

Travel Tidbits: Animals at Airports

Animals, , , ,

Update on the giant flamingo at Tampa Int’l Airport

The airport art team at StuckatTheAirport.com can barely wait for Tampa International Airport to finish the installation of a 21-foot tall sculpture of a flamingo in the main terminal.

When completed the big bird will appear to be gently dipping its head beneath the water’s surface.

TPA shared the news this week that the 6,0000 pounds of custom-made ceiling panels designed to replicate the surface of the water surrounding the flamingo have finally arrived in Tampa from Japan and are being prepared for installation.

On Watch for Wildlife at SEA Airport

Speaking of wildlife…

There’s a new exhibit at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) encouraging passengers to help save endangered animals around the world.

The exhibit includes information about endangered animals and illegal animal trafficking.

Included in the display are examples of confiscated illegally trafficked wildlife artifacts alongside sustainable look-alikes.

Look for the exhibit in SEA’s S Concourse, the departure point for most international flights.

Fun, helpful, quirky news from airports near you

Airports, Uncategorized, , ,

The social media team at StuckatTheAirport.com is updating our Twitter follow lists this week.

Here are some of the fun, useful, informative, and just plain cute airport tweets we spotted today.

Dark skies, free pins & a giant flamingo

Art, Uncategorized, , ,

A Big Bird for Tampa International Airport

A flamingo sculpture by Matthew Mazzotta depicting a flamingo gently dipping its head beneath the surface of the water is being installed in the center of rhe main terminal at Tampa International Airport. (TPA).

Don’t worry – you can’t miss it. The sculpure is pink, 21-feet tall, and its giant head, neck, beak, and legs are already in place near The Shoppes at Bayshore. The sculpture is expected to be completed over the next few weeks.

LAX, other airports turn off light for Earth Hour

Saturday, March 25, cities, attractions, hotels, and airports around the country marked Earth Hour by turning off non-essential electric lights, for one hour.

Get pinned at PHL Airport

PHL Airport is celebrating the restart of international flights to several destinations this week by handing out collectible pins to mark the day.

We’re trying to figure out how to book those flights so we can nab some pins…

Who left this rat at Norway’s Bergen Airport?

Airport Terminals, , , , ,

You may notice the heartwarming news and social media posts about airports working hard to reunite left behind stuffed animals with their rightful owners.

Like the story of 5-year-old Ezekiel, who was reunited with the teddy bear he left behind at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) last month.

Or, the story that likely started the heartwarming “airports goes-all-out-to-reunite stuffed animal with child” trend. Back in 2015, Tampa International Airport took a stuffed tiger named Hobbes on an airport adventure before sending Hobbes home.

We love these stories.

So, when making our way through Norway’s Bergen Airport (BGO) last week at about 5 am we did a double-take when were spotted a stuffed rat taped to a lane post.

It was very early in the morning. But we did notice that Bergen Airport is spotless. So it didn’t seem likely that the stuffed rat was there as a social comment. Nor did it seem like an official guidepost to point travelers to their gates.

So all we could conclude was that this stuffed rat had been left behind by a small child. And that it may soon show up on Bergen Airport’s social media feed in search of its owner.

We’ll check back to see.

Other amenities spotted at Bergen Airport

Besides the stuffed rat, there are some other sights at Bergen Airport that made us smile.

The sign for the bathroom employs the hard-to-miss universal symbols for “gotta go, now.”

And the kids’ play area in the main terminal area has this fun hopscotch board with an airplane, of course, in the top box.

Have you spotted a cool amenity (or a stuffed rat) and an airport? Send us a photo and we’ll try to include it in a future post on Stuck at the Airport.

At airports: a giant flamingo, doodles, & Disney salute

Art, , , , ,

Some birds are welcome at airports

Their giant flamingo public artwork won’t arrive until 2022, but the folks at Tampa International Airport (TPA) are clearly very excited. We can’t blame them. This bird looks like it will be a stunner.

PDX offering prizes for doodles

Sasquatch and Chill By Vanessa Soberanis

There’s a lot of construction going on at Portland International Airport (PDX) and airport officials are being very creative with the signage in the terminal while all the work is going on.

Through October 8, 2021, PDX is inviting the public to create and upload Northwest-inspired PDX doodle-art that might someday be displayed at the airport. Everyone is welcome to vote on their favorite doodles. The designs that get the most votes will be featured on digital monitors at the airport and on PDX social media, and show up on custom t-shirts. The winning artists will get coveted PDX swag and gift cards from PDX shops and restaurants.

Orlando Int’l Airport celebrates a Disney anniversary

Walt Disney World Resort is turning 50 and Orlando International Airport (MCO) is joining in on the celebrations with special decorations in the terminal train stations, banners, decals, and floor projections. Our favorite: a giant 50th Anniversary tea cup and themed backdrop perfect for photo ops.

Mask minders at Tampa Int’l Airport

Health,

Flying somewhere over the holiday weekend? If so, keep in mind that the federal mask mandate requiring travelers to stay masked up on airplanes and in airports has been extended into January 2022.

Tampa International Airport (TPA) takes that rule seriously and is actively enforcing it.

In its newsletter, TPA shared that its Operations, Guest Services, and other frontline team members do regular “mask enforcement blitzes” during which about 15 employees periodically walk the terminals to remind travelers of the mask rule and offer maks to those who need them.

Good work TPA!

Even if you have your own mask we encourage everyone to bring along or accept a spare. After a few hours wearing one mask, it is good to switch it out for another.

Want to be “the shuttle voice” at Tampa Int’l Airport?

Contests, ,

Tampa International Airport (TPA) is hosting a fun contest that also raises funds for a good cause.

Traditionally, the recorded voice on the shuttle vans wishing TPA passengers safe travels before their flights and welcoming them back home after vacation belongs to the city’s current mayor.

But now the airport is putting that honor up for grabs.

TPA is hosting a contest that will give the grand prize winner the honor of being the voice passengers hear on the shuttle for the month of July.

You don’t need to have a great voice to get the position, nor do you need to send in an audition tape or video.

Each contest entry is $5 with all proceeds going to United Way Suncoast, a non-profit that provides food, financial assistance, and educational support for those in need in the Tampa Bay Community.

You must be at least 18 years of age to enter and, if you win, you must show up at Tampa International Airport to record a script prepared by the airport. You can enter as many times as you like.

Entries are being accepted at www.voiceofTPA.com through Monday, June 14 at 2 p.m. The winner will be chosen at random on Tuesday, June 15 at 9:00 a.m. and announced on social media.

Good luck!