Tune in before you take off
Harriet Baskas, USA TODAY, 8/15/2007
Ten years ago I began crisscrossing the country visiting airports and writing about their services and amenities. Back then few airports had websites and those that did rarely posted up-to-date information.
Now most every airport has its own spot on the Internet offering, at the very least, directions to the main terminal, concourse maps and information about the latest carry-on rules handed down by our friends at the TSA.
But in this post 9/11, hassle-heavy travel era, travelers really need much more than that. So these days it's a good bet that when you click on your airport's website you'll find printable and/or downloadable airports maps with notes about shops, services and restaurants; real-time flight status information; links to live freeway traffic maps; data about wait times at the security checkpoints; and tools that can help you find airfare deals in your market.
But there are some airport websites that offer something extra. For example:
Find a parking spot: At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) travelers can get real time parking information, with updated counts on the number of open parking spaces at various airport lots.
Check out the artwork: The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) site offers travelers a downloadable map of the airport's extensive art collection and the website for the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has a great section detailing the many exhibitions organized by the San Francisco Airport Museums. On the website of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) you can delve into the history of the 20-by-20-foot mosaic art deco murals that were moved from Cincinnati's Union Terminal Railway Station to the airport.
Escape during a layover: A good airport website not only tells you what's at the airport; it tells you what's beyond it. The Miami International airport (MIA) site includes suggestions for Things to Do if you have three hours or more between flights. The list includes nearby attractions such as the Museum of Science/Planetarium in Coconut Grove, and the addresses of supermarkets, movies theaters, shopping centers and outlet malls that are close by.
Audio and Video Podcasts: In July 2006, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) became the first airport to offer podcasts. These short audio and video segments are downloadable from the iTunes website. Ten podcasts are currently posted, and offer information, in both English and Spanish, about the International Terminal D parking facility and the airport's "Welcome Home a Hero Today" program.
The audio and video podcasts offered by Denver International Airport (DIA) can be played or downloaded directly from the airport website. Originally produced for broadcast on the local municipal access television channel, DIA's podcasts describe the airport's hospitality ambassadors program, ground transportation services, the extensive art collection, tips on packing and traveling with infants and a look at what happens to items in the Lost and Found. Be sure to take a look at the video podcast about the FOD squad, which walks the airfield to remove foreign object debris (FOD) such as animal carcasses, bits of metal and anything that might interfere with the safety of airplanes taking off and landing.
The San Antonio International Airport (SAT) also posts video on its website. The clips air first on the TV show the airport produces quarterly for the local municipal access station and "at least one story on every show is about the major 635-million dollar expansion project in the middle of the airport," says airport spokesman David Hebert. Right now, though, the posted video clips profile the airport's acoustical treatment program, the cellphone waiting lot and the volunteers in the Ambassador program. More intriguing are the short videos about the history of San Antonio Airport and Stinson Municipal Airport . That's where I learned that one of the founding members of the Stinson School of Flying, Katherine Stinson, was the first woman to perform a loop-the-loop maneuver.
The selection of video clips from the Houston International Airport system is far more extensive. Produced for a regular half-hour program seen weekly on two local TV stations, the videos can be viewed anytime on the airport website. Each program contains between ten and fifteen short segments about George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) or Ellington Field (EFD). With the help of interns from local broadcast classes, the segments cover everything from the artwork, food and live music at the airports to a visit with fire fighters who sometimes set an airplane on fire – just for practice.