Vacations Blog

I would never suggest that you visit an airport with your children just for fun.  However, if you are stranded at an airport on your way home from holiday travel, let it be known that some of them have incredibly cool features that will help you kill the time and burn off the kids’ energy so they will pass out on the airplane.  Just don’t let them visit the ubiquitous airport candy store.

My holiday gift to you is a list, below, of links to the major US airlines and their hub airports.  Chances are, if you are traveling across the country, you may have to set foot in one of them, and you may even have to spend many of your precious hours there.  To all of our delight, I am sure, the city editors of Being Savvy, a guide for parents of preschoolers, have found interesting ways to kill time with children of all ages at many of these airports.

Do not be intimidated by the links.  Find your airline, then find the airport you where you will be sleeping changing planes.

Alaska Airlines: Alaska Airlines (AS) uses Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) where Being Savvy helps you locate the children’s play area, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Portland International Airport (PDX).

Music scape at the American Airlines terminal at Dallas/Ft. Worth

American Airlines: Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) – (check out the terminal’s many cool larger-than-life sculptures), Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) (check out Being Savvy’s guide to O’Hare), Lambert-Saint Louis International Airport (STL), Miami International Airport (MIA).

Continental Airlines:  Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE).

Delta Air Lines:  Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) (here’s Being Savvy’s guide ),Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) with fully equipped children’s play areas on three concourses, Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

Frontier Airlines:  Denver International Airport (DEN) where Being Savvy found five fun frolics.  Until December 31st, 2008, kids under 12 fly, ski, and stay free in Aspen.

Jet Blue :  John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS) where Being Savvy visits the Kidport – Also, if you get a chance, show the older kids Logan’s 9/11 memorial.

The Kidport at Logan

Midwest Airlines:  Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) and Kansas City International Airport (MCI).

Northwest Airlines:  Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) where Being Savvy locates the family services and hits you with family travel tips, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), Memphis International Airport (MEM).

Southwest Airlines:  technically does not have hubs, but has main activities at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Chicago Midway Airport (MDW), Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL), Las Vegas’s McCarran International Airport (LAS), Houston Hobby Airport (HOU), and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).

Spirit Airlines:  calls their hubs “bases” which are at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) where Being Savvy finds you kid-friendly activities, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL).

United Airlines (UA) uses Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) with its in-house aquarium!, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) – (check out the Being Savvy layover lifesaver ), Denver International Airport (DEN), and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

US Airways (US) uses Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT), and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).

[Photos courtesy of Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport and Logan International Airport]

Check your attitude at the gate. Courtesy of Stock Xchng.

Even though there are an expected 14% less people traveling through LAX this holiday season, there will still be up to 2.35 million people doing it.  Um, that’s a lot of carry-on baggage, not to mention wait times in the security lines.

If you are flying in or out of Los Angeles over the next two weeks, pay attention to peak travel times and days:

• Friday December 19
• Monday December 22
• Friday December 26
• Friday January 2

For flight times from 6AM to 9AM, 11AM to 2PM, or 7PM to 9PM, the airport recommends that you arrive TWO HOURS before takeoff to allow time for security checks etc.  Also, the crazy weather hitting many parts of the country are causing delays, so make sure you check ahead.  There’s a cool delay ticker on the right sidebar of LAX’s website, but you can also call your airline  to be sure.

Encounter Restaurant, courtesy of IFlyLAX.com

There are a few ways to make your adventure at LAX a little bit more excellent.  Instead of taking a half hour to circle the airport 20 times waiting for your guests to emerge from baggage claim, wait at the Cell Phone Lot located at 9011 Airport Blvd.  It’s well-lit, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and offers a safe place to wait in your car texting your friends while NOT burning extra fuel.  (Personally, I enjoy waiting at Encounter, the space-age-looking bar at the center of the airport complex.)

Going somewhere?  Avoid the hassle of parking by using the LAX Flyaway bus system, with terminals in Van Nuys, Westwood, and at Union Station.  Parking at those stations is cheaper, and you get a hassle free ride to the terminal.  You can even check in bags at the station.  Word to the wise:  if you arrive at the airport’s higher numbered terminals, those Flyaway buses are filled by the time they get to you and you’ll be waiting longer.  If you can, hike down to a lower numbered terminal to avoid missing the ride.

Baby's first plane ride, by Kathleen Tracy

If you’re traveling with young children, first of all, I feel your pain, having done it too many times already.  Be mindful of security guidelines about bringing liquids on a plane (only baby formula and milk are allowed).  And just in time for the holiday travel season, the TSA recently announced the opening of special security lanes for families to make the pressure of unbuckling the kid from the stroller, removing his jacket/shoes/hat, putting the stroller on the conveyor belt, putting all your bags/sippy cups/teddy bears on the conveyor belt, passing through X-ray, and reversing all the previous steps a little easier.

Oh, and another little tip:  snow globes count as items containing liquid.  Don’t carry them on.