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You Auto Have a Happy Halloween

Are you flying or driving somewhere for Halloween?

The Stuck at the Airport Holiday Team will be.

We’ll arm them with candy, of course. And TSA-friendly travel costumes.

And we will have them report back on what airports, airline crews, and fellow passengers have in store for this fun and spooky holiday.

Happy Halloween- whatever your mode of travel

And just for fun, here’s classic Halloween cartoon

Beer garden at Denver Int’l Airport

DIA BEER FLIGHTS

Just in time for Oktoberfest season, Denver International Airport has brought back “Beer Flights,” the temporary beer garden in the center of the Jeppesen Terminal.

The beer garden will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily from Sept. 19 to Sept. 27 and coincides with worldwide Oktoberfest celebrations and Denver’s Great American Beer Festival. Tickets are available at the door for $10 and visitors must be 21 or older with a valid ID to enter.

The $10 admission includes a souvenir glass and 10, 2-ounce samples of beer from the 20 Colorado breweries and special brews represented:

· Avery Brewing – Liliko’i Kepolo

· Big Choice Brewing – #42 Poblano Stout

· Boulder Beer – Shake Chocolate Porter

· Bristol Brewing Company – Red Baron Octoberfest

· Crooked Stave – Colorado Wild Sage Mountain Saison

· Dry Dock Brewing Co. – Apricot Blonde

· Elevation Beer Co. – 7437 Double IPA

· Epic Brewing Co. – Escape to Colorado IPA

· Fate Brewing – Laimas Kölsch Style Ale

· Funkwerks – Tropic King Imperial Saison Ale

· Great Divide Brewing Company – Hibernation Ale

· Hall Brewing Co. – Juicy Peach Blonde

· High Hops Brewery – The Golden One

· Odell Brewing Company – Odell IPA

· Oskar Blues – Oskar Blues IPA

· Pikes Peak Brewing Co. – Devil’s Head Red Ale

· Pug Ryan’s – Hideout Helles Lager

· Sanitas Brewing – Sanitas Saison

· Station 26 Brewing Co. – Colorado Cream Ale

· Telluride Brewing Co. – Fishwater Barrell-Aged Double IPA

The beer garden will feature eight picnic tables decorated by local artists, live music, talks by brew masters and brew trivia.

Passengers who post photos of their “Beer Flights” experience on social media using #BeerFlightsDIA will be eligible to win prizes that include T-shirts and commemorative glasses, VIP brewery tours and more.

Cheers!

DIA BEER GARDEN

How to get a free amenity kit at Denver Airport

DIA TRAVEL KIT

Need to refresh your travel kit or need an inexpensive gift for that friend picking you up at the airport?

If you’re traveling through Denver International Airport this summer and spend $20 at any of the airport’s retail shops, you can use those receipts to get a free Summer Travel Pack (value: $16) filled with useful items such as lip balm, hand sanitizer, wet wipes, tissues, headphones, neck pillows, eye masks and more

You’ll need to be at least 18 years old to take advantage of this offer and you’ll need to turn in those receipts before all the kits are gone.

Here are more details and rules for Denver International Airport’s free Summer Travel Kit offer.

On-the-ground perks in your airline boarding pass

Ticketing office

Courtesy San Diego Air & Space Museum archives via Flickr Commons.

Airline tickets may no longer come with meals, pillows or much legroom on planes. However, on some domestic and international flights, paper or electronic boarding passes come packed with a wide variety of on-the-ground bonuses.

For example, travelers on Virgin America can present their boarding pass for a free scoop of Humphry Slocombe’s ice cream at the San Francisco Ferry Building. Sadly, that sweet offer expires at the end of this year (so hurry over), but there are plenty of other boarding pass perks that extend into 2015.

Ski – and taste wine – for free

Passengers who show a boarding pass from any airline can score complimentary entry at some ski or snowboarding locations in the U.S.

For example, at Steamboat Ski & Resort in Colorado, passengers can use their boarding passes for a free night of skiing on the evening of arrival. Those who arrive on Tuesday and Wednesday can get a free skiing night on Thursday.

Several ski resorts participating in the Alaska Airlines Ski the West promotion are offering a free day of action on the slopes. Among the offers are a free day-of-arrival pass for out-of-state travelers at Alaska’s Alyeska Resort, and a second-day-ski-free offer in Taos, New Mexico.

Passengers who show an Alaska Airlines boarding pass (paper or digital) in the wine regions of Oregon, Washington and Sonoma County, California, may check a case of wine for free.

Boarding passes also make Alaska Airlines passengers eligible for free wine-tastings at more than 300 participating tasting rooms in Oregon, and more than 200 wineries in Washington state. In addition, under the Taste and Tote program in Washington, Hertz offers car rental discounts and waives the drop-off fees at three regional airports—Pasco/Tri-Cities, Walla Walla and Yakima.

International airlines offer boarding pass perks

Austrian Airlines introduced its “World’s most valuable boarding pass” program in 2006, providing passengers with free access to museums and galleries and discounts at shops and restaurants for up to 10 days after they land.

Although the program is expiring at the end of 2014 for a reboot, an updated version will be offered in 2015 “with the same goal, to offer our passengers interesting benefits,” spokesman Wilhelm Baldia said.

Korean Air offers two boarding pass programs. Those flying from an overseas region to Korea can access the Excellent Boarding Pass Korea perks for seven days, and receive discounts on a host of attractions. These include tours, performances, meals, cellphone rentals, shopping, currency exchange fees, rental cars and airport ground transportation.

The Excellent Boarding Pass Worldwide offers a wide variety of perks outside of Korea, and is valid for up to 30 days from departure.

Through the Magic Boarding Pass program on Asiana Airlines, passengers have access to a wide variety of special offers.

An international boarding pass presented in Korea offers discounts on exchange rates, at shopping outlets, tourist destinations, concert halls and on ground transportation. An international Asiana Airlines boarding document also provides perks at premium outlets, hotels, restaurants and attractions in Japan, the U.S., Europe and Hong Kong.

In Singapore, passengers who fly on Singapore Airlines have a full month from the date of travel to use dining, shopping and other deals offered with their boarding passes.

“Tangible benefits for services that every passenger needs, such as the discounts on airport transfers offered by Korean Air and Singapore Airlines, offer the most value,” said Raymond Kollau of Airlinetrends.com. “Overall, I quite like the idea of thinking beyond the flight by offering all passengers, especially those in the economy cabin, boarding pass perks that let them make more of their stay in a city,” Kollau said.

(My story on airline boarding pass perks first appeared on CNBC Road Warrior)

Cool stuff spotted at: Boston Logan Airport

Have some extra time to spend in the United Airlines portion of Terminal B at Boston Logan International Airport before your flight?

Lucky you!

Logan _HB with colonia patriot

Photo op with a Colonial Patriot

Except for the oatmeal that I had to send back – twice – at one of the sit-down restaurants by the gates,  I spotted these charming – and useful – amenities.

Logan Flowers in loo

Fresh flowers! And blue counters color-coordinated with the powerful Dyson hand-dryer in the women’s loo. When I came back two days later, the flowers were changed out for a fresher bunch.

Logan Airport - bathroom timer

Go with confidence: a hard-to-miss timer in the women’s restroom showed the correct date and time and the time when the area was last serviced.

Logan - green waiting area

Living room or gate hold area? Everyone one of these comfortable chairs had a table and power.