Airports around the country are gearing up for Halloween with special therapy dog parades, pumpkin carving and decorating contests and trick-or-treating events.

Here are few we spotted today. Let us know what we missed.

And don’t forget – if you’re traveling with a Halloween outfit, TSA has a request:

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Here’s a good reason to go to an airport: to eat!

And here are two great airport food events that might be worth traveling for.

Houston Airports – operators of William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) – is hosting a pre-security, open-to-the public Flavor Fest at each airport in November.

The Flavor Fest at Hobby Airport is on November 10. The Flavor Fest at Bush Airport is on November 17.

Each ‘fest’ ticket is $30 and will include a small plate from each participating restaurant, beverages, live entertainment, a commemortative gift and parking.

There will also be chef competitions and opportunities to vote for the best dishes.

Proceeds benefit Wings of Compassion, a nonprofit that helps members of the Houston Airports community facing hardship.

A Hobby Airport (HOU), the Flavor Fest runs from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. CST on November 10, 2026 and will be set up before security, near the Southwest Airlines ticketing counters

The dishes will include pulled pork slider from Killen’s BBQ: crawfish étouffée from Landy’s Seafood; chocolates, ice cream and caramel apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory; poke nachos from Yard House; American and Texas-inspired comfort food from Rustic, and much more.

At Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), the Flavor Fest will take place on November 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST, in the Terminal D ticketing lobby, before security.

Tasting dishes will include quesadillas and street tacos from Cadillac Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar; fish tacos and crawfish étouffée from Landry’s Seafood; quesabirria with broth from El Premio Tex-Mex Bar & Grill; dumplings from Little Purse Dumpling Den and more.

Both Flavor Fests are yummy events for a good cause.

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The Stuck at the Airport team recently traveled to and from Alburquerque International Sunport (ABQ) for our recent trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

On the way home, we made sure to arrive at the terminal extra early so that we could spend time in the pre-security Great Hall studying the more than 900 scale aircraft models on display courtesy of Calvacade of Wings, and exploring the exhibit titled, Spirit of the Sunport: ABQ’s Aviation Heritage.

The exhibit traces the airport’s history from the first flight in 1911 – which was just one year before New Mexico achieved statehood – through to today, with historic artifacts, interactive displays and more.

In the center – up above the exhibit cases- is an original 1914-Ingram-Foster biplane that is believed to be the finest surviving example of an original Curtiss-design pusher.

The main exhibit walls have interpretive panels, wonderful historic imagery and fun interactive elements.

We especially loved the retrofitted beverage carts with surprises and artifacts tucked inside the drawers and pull-out panels, including barf bags, Barbie and Ken air crew dolls, vintage advertising and more.

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In summer, thunderstorms may delay or cancel your flight.

In winter, it’s snow. And ice.

And, as BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport reminds us, during a winter weather event a lot of players —airport personnel, the airlines, and the FAA — work together to keep everyone safe.

“The airlines are responsible for flight operations and de-icing their aircraft. The FAA controls air traffic and manages the movement of aircraft on the airfield,” BWI notes, but “the airport is responsible for snow removal and operations of the facility.”

To keep things moving, airports have specially trained teams and special snow removal vehicles.

And last week BWI’s team was out on the airfield showing off their skills and the snow removal equipment they – and other airports – use to try to keep winter weather from ruining your trip.

Each April, snow fighters from the aviation industry gather in known-for-its-snow Buffalo, New York for the International Aviation Snow Symposium (SnoPo) to get the latest on equipment and techniques for coping with snow, slush and ice at airports.

Here’s the video that kicked off last year’s event.

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Our museum team is on assigment in Tacoma, WA this week and hit the jackpot on day one in terms of treasures that tickle our fancy.

When in Tacoma, we always stop in at the Washington State History Museum to visit our buddies, Dave and Dandy, the now-taxidermied oxen that pulled the covered wagon pioneer Ezra Meeker used on his journey across the country in the early 1900s to mark and memorialize the Oregon Trail.

We also spotted an artifact we’ll add to our growing list of food items so special and so memorable that they’re never thrown away.

For a limited time, the museum is displaying a cake made in 1950 to mark the 104th birthday of Hiram Gale, the Pacific Northwest’s last Civil War Veteran.

So many cars!

Tacoma, WA is home to two first-class car museums: LeMay – America’s Car Museum and the LeMay Collections at Marymount.

Both honor Harold E. LeMay, who was the owner of one of the largest private automobile collections in the world at the time of his death in 2000.

LeMay – America’s Car Museum, is located in downtown Tacoma and hosts changing exhibitions alongside permanent exhibits feartuing more than 300 classic cars, trucks and motorcycles from all eras. The museum also has racing simulators and a slot car track.

LeMay Collections at Marymount is on the edge of Tacoma on the grounds of a former boys military academy.

This is where LeMay kept most of his collection and the buildings and grounds now display more than 1,500 vintage vehicles along with a wide variety of other memorabilia. I spotted boat motors, salt and pepper shaker, toy cars, jukeboxes, neon signs, gas pumps and much more. In addition to well-organized displays of vehicles, the grounds feature gardens and walking paths.

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Passengers at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) now have access to a post-security outdoor terrace.

The outdoor space is one of four outdoor terraces (two landside; two airside) in PIT’s new landside terminal builing that opened in November, 2025, designed Gensler and HDR in association with luis vidal + architects.

This 1,000-squre-foot airside terrace is near the beginning of Concourse D and features built-in bench seating, tables and chairs, native plantings and a pet relief area.

The opening of PIT’s first airside terrace comes less than three months after the opening of the larger landside (pre-security) terrace. The remaining two terraces will open in 2027.

“We are one of the few airports in the United States that has access to the outdoors like this without the cost of entering; you don’t have to pay, you don’t have to be a member of a certain club,” said Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina CassotisCassotis, “The terraces are redefining what it means to be an airport.”

Landscaping for all four of PIT’s terraces draws inspiration from the various ecoregions surrounding Pittsburgh, which are quite varied.

So, while the plantings and layout on the pre-security evoke the rivers and rolling hills of the Western Allegheny Plateau, the design of the airside terraces are inspired by the Central Appalachians, which have more rugged plateaus and exposed rock formations.

PIT’s terraces are key features, not afterthoughts of the new terminal

PIT’s terraces are unusual for several reasons:

• There are four of them. Most airports have none or at best just one or two.
• They are located both pre- and post-security.
• They are not add-ons to the terminal. Instead, there were part of the original architectural concept of creating a “pavilion in the woods” and creating an authentic sense of place.

“The landscape designers took inspiration from the fact that the new terminal was going to be part the larger ecosystem of PIT’s existing beautifully landscaped grounds,” said Carolyn Sponza, Managing Director, Studio Director and Principal at Gensler’s Pittsburgh office.

Functionality also played a part

The landside terrace was placed over the new terminal building’s large new baggage handling room. “That allowed us to use what would have been expensive underused roof space for a human-focused use instead,” said Sponza.

The airside terraces allowed the project designers to use pockets of bonus space created by building the new landside terminal next to the existing terminal.

“The existing building looked like an ‘X’ and we didn’t need to fill in all the residual space between the new building and the X,” said Sponza, “So there were two very interesting little pieces of space that have two levels to them because the levels of the two buildings are different.”

The leftover spaces could have ended up as walls separating the new building from the old building. But the team was able to use that change in floor level to create dramatic open spaces that reference the natural topography of the Western Pennsylvania region, Sponza added.

The welcome return of outdoor spaces at airports

Terraces, observation decks, patios and lovely landscaped spaces were once common at airports and were closely linked to the fascination of flying, said Luis Vidal the lead designer and architect for PIT’s new terminal, but “over time, as terminals became increasingly focused on efficiency, security and processing passengers, many of the spaces gradually disappeared.”

They were no longer considered “strictly necessary,” said Vidal, “but the key question now is how do we define what is necessary? If wellbeing, orientation, connection with nature and quality of experience is also essential, then these spaces become necessary again,” he added.

Luckily, an increasing number of airports (and airport lounge operators) are deciding that outdoor spaces are indeed necessary, or at least desirable, and bringing these spaces back into the terminals.

Today travelers will find free-to-access outdoor patios or terraces at airports that include San Francisco International Airport (which has both pre and post-security open spaces), at Denver International Airport (which has three post-security patios with firepits), at San Diego International Airport’s new Terminal 1, at LaGuardia International Airport’s Terminal C, at JFK’s Terminal 5, at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and at handful of other US airports.

Airside patios or terraces not only help reduce stress, said Vidal, but they also add “spending time in a garden” to the choices of what passengers can do while waiting for their flights. Landside gardens at airports, or parks, as he prefers to call them, offer even more options for everyone.

“They can support activities, events, and even celebrations,” Vidal said, “and then the airport is no longer only a place you pass through, but a place the city can actually use.”

(Images courtesy PIT Airport)

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Big airports operate around the clock with red eye departures and early morning arrivals.

Singapore’s Changi Airport knows all about that.

Close to 8000 passenger flights are scheduled to depart Changi between midnight and 6 am in just this quarter, a 17% increase over last year at this time.

Over the course of the year, almost 28,000 late night flights will take off from Changi.

That’s 8% more than last year.

Why so many late night departures? There are an increasing number of flights from Changi to Korea and China and the overnight departures means passengers arrive in the morning and can enjoy more of their day.

In most airports, shops, restaurants and other amenities are shut down overnight.

But not at Changi!

Year-round, many food and retail outlets and attractions at Changi are open 24/7. That includes the butterfly garden, the cactuc garden and all the other lovely gardens throughout all the terminals and the free movie theater in Terminal 3.

Changi also offers free snooze lounges across all four terminals, as well as paid facilities such as pay-per-use lounges and transit hotels that are open all hours.

But from now through March 2027, Changi Airport is offering what they call, “even more magical” experiences for night flyers.

The ‘Changi After Dark’ program includes silent disco sessions, complete with DJs; meet-and-greet sessions and parades with adorable character mascots; and an “enchanting” light installation in the Discovery Garden in T1.

(Changi’s Discovery Garden)

Passengers departing 2 am and 6 am will also be able to pick up special discount vouchers for shopping, dining and rest facilities, as well as discounted baggage storage.

Sounds like a great reason to book a late night departing flights.

So we are making this a nomination for Airport Amenity of the Week.

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Airport food is notoriously expensive. And telling travelers with no airline status or expensive branded credit card to “just go to the lounge” doesn’t cut it.

So here are some tips that will help the rest of us save some cash at the airport.

Pack snacks

You’re less likely to mindlessly spend on overpriced food or drink in the terminal if you’ve got some snacks in your carry-on. So bring fruit, nuts, protein bars, a sandwich, or even ast night’s leftovers. Instant soup, oatmel packets and packets of almond or peanut butter can come in handy too.

Water bottle refill stations at many airports now have hot water dispensers, so if you bring a wide mouth insulated tumbler you can cook your instant coffee, oatmeal or soup for free as well.

Join Club Avolta for discounts in over 90 airports   

Download the Club Avolta loyalty app, sign up for a free account, then get a 5% discount by showing your QR code or entering your phone number when you shop or dine at the company’s airport locations, which include Hudsons and Hudsons-operated outlets and many restaurants

The discount increases for Gold and Platinum members and you can get complimentary 1-year gold status by submitting an airline or hotel loyalty membership card.

Join Thanks Again to earn cash back and gift cards

Thanks Again is another airport rewards program. Instead of immediate discounts, however, members earn points for shopping, dining and parking at participating airports that can then be redeemed for cash, gift cards or other rewards.

Save your Starbucks stars for the airport

If you’re a regular Starbucks patron, you probably know the exact cost of your regular order when you get it in town.

That same order will cost quite a bit more at the airport. But the number of Starbucks Rewards stars needed to get an extra shot, a free drink or a food item will be the same.

So, save your stars to use to at participating airport Starbucks branches.

Shop at the food court

You can often lower your airport food bill by building your meal out of appetizer-sized portions purchased from multiple food court vendors instead of one main dish purchased on its own at a sit-down restaurant.

And check for kid’s meals, which often come with chips and a soft drink.

Grab a meal or a snack before you go through security

Prices at pre-security outlets often have lower prices than post-security venues.

Our new pre (and sometimes post) flight stops are the 7-Eleven stores that can be found pre-security at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Toronto International Airport (YYZ) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

DFW Airport has several post-security 7-Eleven outlets as well. Be sure to download the app for bonus discounts.

Vending machines

The lutefisk vending machine MSP airport announced one April Fools Day thankfully never materialized. But airport vending machines can save you money on meals and be lifesavers late in the evening or early in the morning when staffed dining venues are limited or closed.

One option, Farmer’s Fridge, offers a wide variety of healthy meals and snack items, and offers a discount if you order through the app. You can also earn rewards towards free items.

Have more tips on saving money on food at airports? Drop it in the comments.

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Stuck at the Airport is a big fan of the free airport gate pass programs that allow non-ticketed visitors to go to the secure side of the airport to walk friends and family to the gate, greet someone getting off the plane, or just hang out at the airport to shop, eat or watch planes come and go.

The list of airports offering gate passes to anyone who applies and passes the TSA ID muster is listed at the end of this post.

The programs differ a bit by airport, but all prohibit pass holders from using the TSA PreCheck lanes, presumably to keep those lanes moving smoothly for ticketed passengers.

However, back in September, TSA introduced its own gate pass program – called Gateside by TSA Precheck.

This program is similar to existing gate pass programs, but differs in that it allows non-ticketed individuals with TSA PreCheck/Known Traveler Numbers (KTNs) to apply for a pass to enter the airport through the TSA PreCheck lanes.

The program rolled out with 13 participating airports – including a few – ie Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) and San Diego International Airport (SAN) – that already offer their own Gate Pass program.

Back then TSA said that the plan was for the Gateside by TSAPreCheck program to roll out at perhaps 300 more airports.

Over the past few weeks, more than dozen airports announced their participation in the Gateside by TSA PreCheck program and a few began welcoming pass holders at their PreCheck lanes.

But now TSA has put the brakes on the rollout of the program.

“TSA is evaluating participation levels and assessing operational impacts,” the agency told us in an email.

For now here are the 13 airports where TSA PreCheck members can apply for a pass to go through PreCheck lane when not flying.

Below that list is our list of airports where any non-ticketed visitor can apply for a gate passes and, if approved, go through the regular (non-PreCheck) lane to enter the airport.

It’s confusing, to say the least, but the bottom line is that there are a growing list of airports where non-ticketed visitors can gain access to the terminals.

Airports participating in the Gateside by TSA PreCheck

If you have a PreCheck membership, you can apply for a gate pass and go through the PreCheck lane to visit the airport at these airports:

• Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) in Arizona 
• John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) in Ohio
• Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in Texas 
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) in Michigan 
• Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT) in Kansas
• Indianapolis International Airport (IND) in Indiana 
• Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Nevada 
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in California 
• Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT) in Arkansas
• Will Rogers International Airport (OKC) in Oklahoma
• Eppley Airfield (OMA) in Nebraska
• San Diego International Airport (SAN) in California 
• Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) in Utah  

Here is the list of airports that offer Gate Pass programs for anyone

Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) in Ohio offers the CAK Guest Pass Program.

Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) gate pass program is called the FlySide Pass.

Capital Region International Airport (LAN) in Lansing, MI has the LAN Visitor Pass.

Cleveland Hopkins Interational Airport (CLE) offers the Hopkins Hangout Pass. Pass holders can get discounts a several airports dining venues.

Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) is home to the DTW Destinaton Pass.

Kansas City International Airport (MCI) offers the MCI Guest Pass Program

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) has the MSY Guest Pass program.

Nashville International Airport (BNA) welcomes guests with its BNA Passport.

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) program is called the the Wingmate Pass. Up to 100 passes are avialable each day and discounts may be available at shops and restaurants in the terminals.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) offers the SFO Gate Explorer pass.

At Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA), it’s the SEA Visitor Pass Program 

The OC AirPass is available at John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, CA.

Oakland San Francisco Bay Area Airport (OAK) has the OAK Guest Pass Program.

The ONT+ Visitor Pass Program at California’s Ontario International Airport (ONT) provides access to a specific passenger terminal starting at a specific time and cannot be used to access another passenger terminal.

Orlando International Airport (MCO) has rebooted and expanded its Experience MCO Visitor Pass Program.

Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) has a Stay and Play Visitor Pass.

San Antonio International Airport (SAT) has a SAT Pass for guests.

San Diego International Airport (SAN) offers the SAN Pass for Terminals 1 and 2.

Tampa International Airport and its TPA All Access pass is back on the list.

Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) in Pasco, WA offers the PSC Pass.

Tulsa International Airport (TUL) has the TUL Visitor Pass Program.

Celebrate Halloween at San Jose Mineta Int’l Airport

Airports around the country are getting ready for Halloween and San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) has already shared its plan for this fun holiday.

In additon to a costumed therapy animal parade through the terminals on October 29 from noon to 2 pm, airport restaurants and retail shops will be welcoming trick-or-treaters on Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31.

Orlando International Airport has new trading cards to share

Orlando International Airport (MCO) held a trading card event last week to show off its new trading cards for MCO and for Orlando Executive Airport (ORL).

If you missed it, don’t worry. You can pick up one of the new cards at any MCO airport information desk.

Thinking of starting an airport trading card collection or working on expanding one already underway? As with MCO, you’re first stop should be the airport information desk.

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The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has pushed back the start date for new flight disruption rules that will limit some passenger rights.

Currently DOT’s passenger protection rules require airlines to provide passengers with meal vouchers, hotel rooms and other assistance during delays due to a wide variety of situations considered to be under an airline’s control.

But the 2024 law reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration removes 10 categories of flight disruptions from airline responsibility – and thus limits the number of situations when passengers can expect assistance.

Originally scheduled to go into effect on October 19, 2026, the new rules will now go into effect on Feburary 1, 2027.

The delay means that passengers have just a few more months during which the following situations are considered within an airline’s control.

1. Aircraft cleaning necessitated by the death of a passenger
2. Aircraft damage caused by extreme weather, foreign-object debris, or sabotage
3. A baggage or cargo loading delay caused by an outage of a bag system not controlled by a carrier or its contractor
4. Cybersecurity attacks (provided that the air carrier is following applicable cybersecurity regulations)
5. A shutdown or system failure of government systems that directly affects the ability of an air carrier to conduct flights safely and is unexpected
6. Overheated brakes due to a safety incident resulting in the use of emergency procedures
7. Unscheduled maintenance—including work required by an airworthiness directive—that comes up outside a scheduled maintenance program and can’t be deferred or must be fixed before flight
8. An emergency that required medical attention in a situation that was not the fault of the carrier
9. The removal of an unruly passenger
10. An airport closure due to volcanic ash, wind, or wind shear

Stuck at the Airport wrote about the new rules for AFAR and included these tips for travelers who might find themselves faces with a flight delay or cancellation.

What to do if your flight is delayed or canceled

While the list of exclusions seems broad, there will still be situations where a flight delay is still considered an airline’s responsibility.

The flight compensation experts at AirHelp, recommend that, in a flight delay sitution you ask for the stated reason for a delay and keep a record of it.

“Request the explanation in writing or take a screenshot of the airline’s app notification. Save receipts and check the airline’s customer service plan to see what assistance it promises for that type of disruption,” said AirHelp’s Erika Josefsson.

You should be able to find the airline’s customer service plan on the DOT’s Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard.

Note that (for now), rules regarding refund rights have not changed.

If a flight is canceled or significantly changed and you decide not to fly, you are entitled to a full refund for the unused portion of your ticket.

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