Airport Check-in: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky will set you back
Roger Yu, USA TODAY, 1/8/2007
NEW YORK: Get a free recharge at new 'power poles'
Travelers at John F. Kennedy International can recharge their electronic devices at newly installed "power poles" — 8½-foot-tall fixtures wired with four outlets. The airport, which began installing them last month, will have 50 poles by the end of January. They'll be beyond security checkpoints in all terminals. Advertising on the polls finances installation and upkeep, and they're free to travelers.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, expects to install the poles at Newark and LaGuardia airports this year, but has no specific dates planned.
CINCINNATI: Priciest airports
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky continues to be the USA's most expensive major airport to fly out of, according to the latest fare report from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The average one-way fare from April to June last year was $285, the highest in the nation for the third-consecutive quarter. Delta operates about 80% of the airport's flights. Other airports in the top five: Huntsville/Decatur, Ala.; Charleston, S.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and San Francisco.
PHOENIX: Military members get own lounge
Members of the military, veterans and their families now have a private space at Phoenix Sky Harbor. Last month, the airport opened its Military and Veterans Hospitality Lounge in Terminal 2. It features sofas and chairs, a computer, a large-screen TV and a children's play area.
The lounge also has a game room memorializing Marine Cpl. Christopher Lapka. The son of a Phoenix police officer, Lapka was killed in Iraq in October 2004.
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.: Free stuff could lure fliers
Daytona Beach International, which saw traffic drop precipitously in 2006, has a plan to bring back travelers: free stuff, including shoeshines. It has declared January as Customer Appreciation Month and is giving things away.
It's also providing free shoeshines throughout 2007 and mailing back at no charge the items that can't clear security checkpoints. To help promote AirTran, which is starting service on Thursday, the airport will allow the discount carrier's customers to park for free from Thursday to July 10. Anyone paying for parking in January will get a voucher good for a week of free parking any time this year. The airport's passenger traffic fell 15% in 2006 because Delta, its largest tenant, cut back service.
"We're a small airport, so we've got to be more aggressive," says Stephen Cooke, director of business development.
MILWAUKEE : $9.5 million expansion complete
General Mitchell International completed a $9.5 million expansion last month of Concourse D, adding 7,120 square feet and new ground-level boarding gates for Midwest Airlines' commuter service customers. The project also enlarged gate seating areas, widened the corridor between gates, created two two-story atriums with floor-to-ceiling windows and added food and retail shops.
SEATTLE-TACOMA : Travelers can stop and taste the wine
Sea-Tac travelers can now taste locally made wines. Vintage Washington, a wine bar and restaurant chain, recently opened in Concourse C outside the exit from the secure area.
The bar showcases wines from prominent wineries in the state, including Chateau Ste. Michelle, the state's oldest winery. Vino Volo, another wine-tasting bar featuring the state's wines, also opened in the Central Terminal last fall.
BOISE: Cambria Suites room on display
Travelers at Boise International can now inspect a full-size hotel suite in the lower level of the main terminal. Choice Hotels, which owns several budget hotel brands, is advertising the upcoming opening of a Cambria Suites in the city by placing a replica of a typical Cambria room at the airport. The display underscores recent efforts by airports to be more innovative in attracting advertising revenue.
In 2005, Choice Hotels announced the launching of Cambria Suites, which features separate bedroom and work areas, in hopes of capturing more upscale customers.
The hotel in Boise, which will open in March near the airport, is its first location. The 13-by-30-foot model suite highlights standard features including two flat-panel televisions and MP3 jacks.
The company is taking the display to Akron/Canton, Ohio; Green Bay, Wis.; and Savannah, Ga., airports later this year.