Whiskey

DFW has a Fast Pass & pre-made gates. Plus: Pendleton Round-Up returns.

Security, , , ,

Cut the TSA line AND get free food at DFW

A new amenity that may soon become an airport staple is a program that allows travelers to reserve a time to pass through the TSA checkpoint.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) offers this service – called SEA Spot Saver – from 4 am to noon – at several checkpoints.

Now Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is piloting a similar program.

Launched this week, the DFW Fast Pass program allows travelers who don’t have TSA Precheck or Clear to make a reservation to go to the front of the checkpoint line at the Terminal D checkpoint D18. There is no cost to use the service and reservations can be made up to 7 days in advance.

And, as a nice bonus, DFW is giving passengers who use the service a complementary food or retail offering (while supplies last).

DFW plug-in gates

As part of DFW’s Terminal C renovation, the airport shared a timelapse video of its “High C” gates being moved onto piers at the terminal. Take a look – this may be the way all airport terminals get built in the future.

Where We’d Go: The Pendleton Round-Up

Incorporating many community traditions and the dedication of hundreds of volunteers, the 111-year-old Pendleton Round-Up – one of the country’s oldest rodeos – is back this year and ready to roll in a tiny town in eastern Oregon that is so very Old West.

The festivities include Main Street Cowboy shows, an outdoor cowboy breakfast, and the Westward Ho! Parade, which may be the largest non-motorized parade in the U.S. The real action though is in the historic Pendleton Round-Up Arena, where the classic greeting isn’t ‘hello’ or even ‘howdy,’ but ‘Let’er Buck!” Events include Bareback Bronc Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, Bull Riding, and Steer Roping, among others.

This rodeo even has its own whiskey. The multi-million-dollar annual licensing fee helps boost the rodeo’s operating budget and contributes to the economic well-being of Pendleton. The town has a year-round population of about 16,000 but welcomes more than 50,000 visitors during the Round-Up.

Delta toasts Sinatra’s 100th birthday with whiskey

Entertainment, Free Stuff, , , ,

1950-Frank-Sinatra

Here’s a nomination for airline amenity of the week:

On Saturday, December 12, in honor of what would have been Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday, Delta Air Lines will be pouring complimentary tastes of Jack Daniel’s – the crooner’s favorite whiskey – on all flights departing JFK to LAX.

And not just any Jack Daniel’s. Passengers in all cabins will be able to sample Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Century, a special-edition 100-proof whiskey sold in a special collector’s box for about $500 (at duty free stores and elsewhere) that includes a 1 liter bottle, a small hardbound book about Sinatra and his music and a replica Sinatra tie clip you can plug into your computer that plays a concert recording of Frank at The Sands Hotel and Casino in 1966.

Drink up! And let’s hope they serve seconds…

Sinatra Jack Daniels