Thanksgiving travel

Thanksgiving Travel Tibits: food, music & smoke

Entertainment, Music, Smoking, ,

If you’re traveling through an airport during this week’s Thanksgiving travel madness, here are some travel tidbits to keep in mind.

Worried about second-hand smoke?

Then don’t stand near airport smoking lounges  – and consider holding your breath when you walk by.

According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average air pollution levels from secondhand smoke directly outside designated smoking areas in airports are five times higher than levels in smoke-free airports.

The CDC studied five large hub U.S. airports with designated smoking areas accessible to the public (Denver International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Las Vegas’ McCarran International, Salt Lake City International, and Washington Dulles International) and also found that air pollution levels inside designated smoking areas were 23 times higher than levels in smoke-free airports. In the study, designated smoking areas in airports included restaurants, bars, and ventilated smoking rooms.


Turkey dinner in the sky and at airports

Virgin America has a holiday turkey sandwich on the buy-on-board menu

If you end up spending your Thanksgiving Day in an airport or on an airplane, you may not have to give up on Turkey Dinner.

In Florida, the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport, inside Orlando International Airport, is serving a mid-day Thanksgiving buffet and several restaurants inside Miami International Airport, including the Ice Box Café (Turkey Special with all the works, pecan pie and a glass of vino for $ 20, all week) and the Top of the Port restaurant in the Miami International Airport Hotel, are also planning to serve traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

At JFK International Airport in New York, passengers flying out of the JetBlue’s Terminal 5 (T5) will be able to load up on turkey dinner in the Food Court Hot Bar. (Price is by the weight of your plate.)

In the air, Southwest Airlines is offering passengers a complimentary alcohol drink on Thanksgiving Day, Virgin America has a holiday-style turkey sandwich on its buy-on-board menu, but no other domestic airline I contacted is making any special note of the holiday.

But several international airlines are:

Etihad Airways, Air Berlin and Singapore Air are among those offering special Thanksgiving meals to passengers flying to and from US gateways.

And many airports have their holiday entertainment schedule underway:

On Wednesday, Nov 21 Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will have a costumed character to read to children near the Red Balloon Bookshop across from Gate C12 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the hour and half-hour.

At Miami International Airport, there’s a whole bunch of activities going on Wednesday Nov 21 and again on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 24th and 25th, including a caricaturist, opportunities to get your photos taken in a harvest background, craft projects for kids and giveaways.

San Francisco’s You Are Hear concert series is underway, with performers scheduled in various spots throughout the airport on Wednesday, Dec. 21.

There’s live music scheduled for several spots in Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports on Wednesday as well. Find details about those airport concerts here.

And the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, which has 19 (or is it 100?) live concerts each week, has several performances scheduled for Wednesday as well.

Free airport cab rides. Turkey Day at MIA, Santa at IND

ground transporation, Holidays, , ,

Getting ready for Thanksgiving travel? Here a few things that may help.

The folks at Shairporter – a new cab-sharing social platform – is promoting its New York City launch by giving away free cab rides on November 21 to New Yorkers traveling to the airport who register their ride through the Shairporter platform.

If you’re traveling through the Miami International Airport on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, November 19-21 or on Saturday and Sunday, November 24th and 25th, you’ll find activities underway that include a DJ, Pilgrim and Indian greeters, a kids craft station, a stilt-walking scarecrow, giveaways and a harvest background for taking photos. Here’s a link to the list of events and a sheet of coupons for the shops and restaurants.

And if you’re at Indianapolis International Airport on Saturday, November 24th, keep an eye out for Santa. He’ll be arriving on a giant fire and rescue truck (the reindeer only work on Christmas Eve) and once in the terminal, he’ll be hanging around the pre-security Civic Plaza from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. overseeing activities that include taking pictures with kids, holiday decoration-making stations, and photos and autograph opportunities with the Indianapolis Pacers Pacemates and Rowdie Claus from the Indianapolis Indians

Musical help for Thanksgiving travel

Air Travel, Entertainment, , ,

Are you traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday?

You certainly won’t be alone.

And, at many airports, you won’t be bored.

That’s because a full schedule of holiday music, entertainment and special events is scheduled to take place in terminals and concourses around the country.

One example:

San Francisco International Airport’s You Are Hear series, kicks off Wednesday, November 23rd, with performances from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in three different spots in the airport: Bart Davenport, a pop & soul singer/songwriter, will be in Terminal 1; the Nice Guy Trio will perform jazz and world music in Terminal 2; and the Del Sol Quartet will offer new classical music in the International Terminal.

Not traveling to or though SFO? Many other airports are offering holiday entertainment, shopping promotions, free gift wrapping and other events as well. Check your airport’s website, or check back here for more listings throughout the week.

 

 

Holiday treats for air travelers

Air Travel, Airport shops, Airports, Entertainment, family travel, Food, Free Stuff, Holidays, , , , ,

Thanksgiving vintage postcard

Lines will be long, tempers will be short, but there will be some entertainment at many airports this holiday weekend.

Rockettes in green holiday outfits

On Wednesday (November 24th) four members of the world-famous Rockettes (not necessarily the Rockettes pictured above) will pose for photographs with holiday travelers at Nashville International Airport (BNA) from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the ticketing and baggage claim areas.

Rockettes vintage photo

Wednesday is also Passenger Appreciation Day at Philadelphia International Airport. Entertainment will include strolling entertainment, a PGA Tour Shop putting competition, Body Shop makeovers and skin consultations for men and women and food sampling – including the distribution of 2500 TaskyKakes in the B/C Food Court between noon and 5 p.m.

PHL TastyKakes

In Chicago, blues and jazz bands will perform at O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m. Look for stages beyond the security checkpoints in each domestic terminal and in the Arrivals Level of International Terminal 5.  Staff from the Chicago Children’s Museum will also be on hand to host special activities in the “Kids on the Fly” play area in Terminal 2 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Kids on the fly

At Chicago Midway Airport on Wednesday, there will be live entertainment in the Baggage Claim area from 2 to 5 pm and, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., complimentary hot cocoa just past the security checkpoint. (Look for hot cocoa on Sunday as well.)

The Thanksgiving music series at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport concludes today (Wednesday) with a performance by Johnny Roquemore and the Apostles of Bluegrass from 5 to 7 pm in the Atrium.

And on Thanksgiving Day, travelers flying on Southwest Airlines will be served a complimentary adult drink!

Happy Thanksgiving. Going anywhere?

Holidays,

Go ahead, worry about economy, but don’t sweat about traveling this weekend.

That’s my message and I was sticking to it yesterday with everyone who called me seeking advice, including the folks at Luxaholics.com ( “It’s about luxury for less” – who wouldn’t want that?) They wanted me to choose five “top” tips from my 15-point Guide to Stress-Free Holiday Travel on MSNBC.com.