Website Helps You Find the Perfect Airport Bar

Well, I'm not a drinker by any means (being under 21 is an important factor there ), but some friends of mine really enjoy heading to an airport bar and getting a quick drink before heading off on their flight. Well, some airport bars and restaurants are better than others. Of course, if you're is flying out of your home airport, your already know the best places. But what if you're traveling someplace new?

Enter AirportBars.com.

According to the website, it strives to "to make sure that you are well informed and prepared to locate the bar best suited to your needs, desires, location, and most importantly, your available time." In fact, the website's owners write that "when we have ‘one more’, we are not doing it for ourselves, but for the greater good."

But the site is great - airport websites aren't always the best at showing concessions available in terminals, so AirportBars fills the gap nice. All one needs to do is search for an airport, and you'll find a listing of all the bars there along with their terminal so you know the most convenient options. And in some cases the bars will have some reviews as well. And don't be shy - you can register and write your own!

If you're interested in finding the best spots for your next trip, head on over to AirportBars.com.

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Lufthansa Makes it Easier to Navigate the Airport

Last week, Lufthansa unveiled its new Lufthansa Navigator app for the iPhone, and I think it looks incredibly handy! Basically, the app determines ones location in the airport, and will direct passengers to their gate, a Senator lounge, restrooms, etc. It provides a map of the terminal, as well as images to help guide passengers along their way.

I think this is great, especially because I've heard that Frankfrut can be a bit tricky to get around. Lufthansa will be testing it for a few months there and then decide if any changes should be made and if the app should be expanded to other locations. It's available for free from the Apple App Store.

The reason I mention the app here is because I think it would be great if other airlines and airports made similar apps. Developer infsoft shows on its website why its product is useful for airports. Such an app could really make the travel experience easier by directing passengers to an open parking lot, showing the way to the gate, and displaying flight status. But maybe it could also drive revenue. Concessions play a big role in an airport's bottom line, so one would think that it is in an airport's best interest to make it as easy as possible for passengers to shop and dine there.

Snowpocalypse, Part II

Here we go again...

While not as potent as last weekend's storm, the Mid-Atlantic is getting hit all over again, with the potential for another foot of snow in the Washington, DC, area, which is bad enough as is, but even worse considering last weekend's storm. So the airports in the region that have just started to return to normal have to have flights affected all over again.

Unlike last weekend's storm, however, this one is going farther north, so New York City and New England will be affected. Continental, for example, is basically shutting down its Newark hub today.

As always, the airlines are waiving change fees for passengers who will be affected by the storm. So make sure to check your airline's website for details.

But sometimes, in situations like these, the airlines don't always offer the best solution for an alternate itinerary. It's not that they're out to get you, but busy airline agents are often just trying to process as many people as possible. One service that could help is Cranky Concierge, a still-new service from Brett Snyder, editor of the well-known "Cranky Flier" blog. He and his concierges can provide excellent assistance for all airline issues, especially weather. You can find out some more details from today's blog post on Cranky.

Will Body Scanners Make Lines Longer?

Ever since the (fortunately) failed terrorist attack on Northwest Airlines 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit, discussion on body imaging scanners in airports have flared up, as some believe that if these machines were in place, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab wouldn't have made it onboard the flight in the first place.

Not surprisingly, rhetoric against the scanners increased as well. Many have expressed privacy concerns as the images that are generated by the machines look under one's clothes:

Found on tsa.gov.

TSA has responded to these concerns by noting that passengers will never see the agent who is looking at the images, and that the body scan images cannot be saved.

But some airport managers and industry trade groups have expressed some different concerns - that the new scanners will make checkpoints more congested. One reason is that the machines are bulkier than metal detectors, and in some security checkpoints space already comes at a premium. Another reason for concern is that it takes a few seconds longer to go through one compared to a metal detector. At a busy airport with thousands of passengers, that time can add up. The TSA says, however, that since one major bottleneck at security is placing bags on x-ray machine belts, which are before the detectors, there won't be a huge affect on time.

Regardless, TSA is moving ahead with installations, with 950 scanners coming in the next two years, mainly used for primary screening. Right now, the machines are used as an alternative to a pat-down in 13 airports, and used for primary screening at six others.

Would You Live in an Airport for a Year?

The UK's Daily Mail reports:

Anthropologist Dr Damian O'Doherty, 42, is living for up to 18 hours a day for the next 12 months in terminals and departure lounges, observing passengers' and workers' habits. The exercise is expected to cost around £40,000.

I love airports. Really, I find it fascinating to just sit and people watch for a bit, but is a year pushing it? Dr. O'Doherty, who will be living at Manchester, says that "'I've been researching airports for five years and I just thought this would be the opportunity to experience airport life for myself."

But of course, some oppose the idea as the government is bankrolling it. One observer remarked, "If the department wanted to find out how people interact in an airport, all they needed to do was to rent the Tom Hanks film. Surely that would be better than squandering tens of thousands of pounds getting someone to research it for a year." He is referring to the 2004 film The Terminal, where Tom Hanks plays a man who is forced to live in JFK after his passport is deemed invalid due to a revolution in his country. Dr. O'Doherty, however, will be able to go home each evening to visit his family.

What do you think? Great social experiment, or waste of government funds?

Tip of the hat to Airline Reporter.

Dealing With the Winter Storm

That radar image doesn't look all that fun, huh?

A big winter storm will be affecting the Mid-Atlantic today and tomorrow, and it's perfectly positioned to have a very negative effect on cities like Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and New York, which are both major cities and important hubs. Many airlines are dealing with the problem already by pre-emptively canceling their flights. In fact, Southwest has already announced that it's not doing any flying out of Philadelphia or Baltimore on Saturday.

Naturally, so many cancellations makes for disappointed and annoyed travelers - especially disappointed Superbowl fans! So what's there to do to deal with the weather? Fortunately, while it can be expensive to change nonrefundable fares most of the time, those rules are thrown out the window once weather comes into play. So first, check with your airline to see if they have put up a weather advisory for a city where you are departing, connecting, or arriving - usually that means you can change your ticket without having to pay a punitive change fee.

The next thing to do is know your options. Of course, airline staff are skilled and know what they're doing, but oftentimes it might be handy to have some ideas already planned out. For example, whenever I deal with a situation like this I usually tell the airline agent that I'm willing to fly out of Boston instead of Providence if there are some more convenient itineraries. Knowing where an airline flies out of your airport might be a good idea as well. If you don't like a trip an airline plans for your, there's nothing wrong with providing a suggestion of your own.

Finally, be patient and courteous to airline staff! I've seen passengers in airports act as if the airline decided to cause winter storm just to annoy its passengers. Being kind to airline staff is not only common dignity, but it can also help you.

If you have travel plans this weekend, good luck!

Philadelphia to Add Art to Parking Garages

One of Philadelphia Airport's (PHL) distinct features is a very long parking garage - one and a half miles long, exactly. And it faces Interstate 95, which isn't exactly the prettiest sight, and nor is it the best way to show off the city to visitors. Rina Cutler, Deputy Mayor for Transportation, agreed: "I was stuck in traffic on I-95 near the airport one day and took a look at the parking garages.  It occurred to me that this was a perfect canvas for a gateway to the City project, so I called Jane Golden [of the Mural Arts Project] to discuss a collaboration."

And with that, the parking garage becomes a 1.5 mile-long blank canvas. On Tuesday, the city announced a great new project: the parking garage will feature a nearly 50,000-square foot mural of local dancers (click here for a rendering) entitled "How Philly Moves." The project will be coordinated by local artist Jacques-Jean “JJ” Tiziou.

"For millions of national and international visitors to Philadelphia this mural will provide a spectacular first impression of our city," said Mayor Michael A. Nutter.

The work will be produced over the next year and a half, and is scheduled to be completed in June 2011.

New Website Feature Makes Parking Easier at Logan

The Boston Herald reported yesterday that a new feature had just been added to Boston Logan's website, and I think it will be pretty handy for travelers. Passengers will now be able to get e-mails with updates about the airport's parking situation (if a lot is closed, for example). Such a feature seems especially useful for travelers who get e-mail on their phone, as they can quickly know about parking availability as they head to the airport.

Of course, passengers have always been able to check on parking with signs on the airport premises, but this service gives a bit more advance notice. Logan also broadcasts parking information on its own radio station, 1650 AM.

It is quite easy to sign up for the service - one simply needs to enter his or her e-mail address into a form, and then specify when to receive the updates (i.e. February 4th, from 7 AM to 9 AM).

Kudos to Logan for making life a bit easier for its passengers. You can sign up for the service here.

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Terminal Changes at San Jose

San Jose, California's airport (SJC) has been going through an exciting construction project that aims to really improve its experience for passengers. Terminal C, which was originally built in 1965, will eventually be demolished as the new Terminal B is constructed. A big milestone in the project was reached this past July, when Southwest began using six of the new terminal's gates.

Today is another big step in the project as Terminal C's baggage claim will be closing, and all carriers using that terminal (Alaska, Delta, Frontier, Horizon, and US Airways), will now be using the new Terminal B baggage claim. The airport needs to demolish the current Terminal C baggage claim "to complete the airport’s new loop roadway that runs in front of the terminals," according to the airport.

Terminal B is scheduled to open on June 30, and will be used by Alaska, Delta, Horizon, and Southwest. JetBlue, Continental, and United have already moved from Terminal C to A, and Frontier will join those carriers in March. Any other Terminal C carriers will move to one of the two other terminals, obviously.

More details about the project and the airport in general on their website, which can be found here.

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Delta Announces New Sky Clubs

Last week, Delta had some interesting things to announce, including the planned installation of lie-flat BusinessElite seating on the airlines 777-200ER, 767-300ER, 747-400, and the rest of its 767-400 aircraft. But there was some interesting airport news as well - Delta is adding new Sky Clubs! For those that don't recall, Delta re-branded all of its Crown Room Clubs and Northwest's WorldClubs provide one brand for the newly-merged airline.

Anyway, Delta first said that the Los Angeles club will be receiving a facelift. Delta travelers from Philadelphia will also be happy to note that they will once again have a lounge offering from Delta - the old club was closed when Delta changed terminals, though Sky Club members have been able to access the US Airways Clubs. Finally, Delta is adding clubs in Indianapolis and Seattle.

There's no word on timeline or what the new clubs will look like, but if this video tour (below) of the new Miami Sky Club is any indication, they should look great!

If you want to learn more about the amenities of the Sky Club and how to become a member, click here.