On assignment in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Stuck at the Airport team spent an afternoon at the Museum of International Folk Art, which houses the largest collection of international folk art in the world.

While there, we ended up contemplating final journeys, thanks to an exhibit of artist-made coffins from Ghana.

The Art Underground: Fantasy Coffins of Ghana, on view through September 5, 2027, features the work of master coffin makers from the Ga communities of coastal Ghana who create “fantasy” or “design” coffins.

Their work transform the final journey into a living art.

Here are a few of our favorite final vessels.

In addition to the airplane (above), we loved the heart (although out photo makes it look like a pepper), the fish, the sanitation truck and the mixing board. All great ways ways to go.

Take a look.

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The Logan Airport Remote Terminal in Framingham, about 25 miles west of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), allows eligible Delta and JetBlue passengers to complete the airport security process remotely. They then board a bus and get dropped off post-security at Logan Airport.

Their screened, checked bags are tagged and transferred directly into the Boston Logan baggage system too, as part of the “Straight to Gate” program BOS has been operating since June 2026 in partnership with Landline.

Tickets are just $9 and kids under 18 get to ride free with a ticketed family member.

“Straight to Get” coming to SFO

Now a simliar service is coming to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in California.

But instead of a parking lot, travelers begin their journey at the Charles M. Schulz- Sonoma County Airport (STS), about 65 miles away.

Starting November 17, travelers flying out of SFO on United, Alaska, Hawaiian, American or JetBlue (for now) may check bags and clear TSA security at Sonoma County Airport. They will then board a secure bus and ride directly to the secure side of SFO.

Once at SFO, passengers will walk from the bus into the terminal and to their gate without having to go through security screening again. Their bags, which will have been screened in Sonoma, will be transferred to their flight.

Landline is scheduling eight daily round trips for this service on wheelchair accessible buses with leather seats, Starline Wi-Fi, power at every seat and an onboard restroom.

Buses will leave STS Airport daily at 5, 7, 9 and 11 a.m. and at 1, 3, 5:30 and 8 p.m.

For the trip home, travelers arriving at SFO on any airline can ride Landline nonstop back to STS. Coaches will pick up at the curb outside baggage claim at every SFO terminal, including International.

One way tickets will be $55 for adults, with children 15 and under riding free with a paying adult.

Sounds stress-free and super convenient to us!

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The Grand Hyatt DFW, located inside Terminal D at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) was already on the books as one of the best in-the-airport hotels.

A recent $34 million glow-up has made it even better.

Beyond it’s glam and convenience, the Grand Hyatt DFW has long held a special place in my heart.

20 years ago, my husband and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniverary at the Grand Hyatt DFW while I was on a week-long assignment doing airport and hotel reviews for Expedia.

Back then the hotel had monthly themed packages that included a special hotel meal, a cooking class, breakfast in bed and excursions in and around Grapevine – the town that borders the airport.

That weekend kicked off a tradition. On milestone wedding anniversaries (and often in-between) we pick a new and/or great airport hotel as the base for a city adventure. This tradition has taken us to the Westin Denver Internaitonal Airport, the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, the TWA Hotel at JFK, the Crown Plaza Changi Airport and the Hilton BNA Nashville Airport Terminal, among other airport hotels.

This year, for our 40th annivesrary, we planned a multi-city tour that included stays at a handful of great airport hotels, including the Hilton Munich Airport, the Hilton Frankfurt Airport, the Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt Airport and the Hilton London Heathrow Airport.

We rounded out the celebration with a return visit the Grand Hyatt DFW to see how the hotel has changed and to explore more of Grapevine.

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Here are 5 Things We Love about the Grand Hyatt DFW

1. The rooms

The design of all rooms and suites at the Grand Hyatt DFW now honor both aviation and the colors and textures of the Texas prairie. Rooms have plenty of power outlets and work space, artwork,, automated blackout shades, large smart TVs and bright bathrooms with large soaking tubs.

2. The views

We spotted airplanes out our window, of course. But we’re still curious about that runway porta-potty.

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3. The planespotting assistance

Staying in a room with runway views is much more interesting when you know what you’re looking at. The Grand Hyatt DFW gets that and includes a handy plane spotter guide in each room.

4. Aviation art and references throughout the hotel

Many hotels seem to go out way of their way to make your feel like you’re nowhere – or everywhere.

But the Grand Hyatt DFW makeover includes lots of references to aviation and DFW Airport history, so you know where you are.

There’s aviation-themed art by regional artists, historical photos and other aeronautical touches throughout the building.

5. The rooftop pool

The fitness center was moved from the rooftop level to the first floor as part of the makeover to make room for meeting rooms with views.

But the outdoor rooftop pool, with its panoramic views of the airport runways, remains.

(Our stay the Grand Hyatt DFW was hosted by Visit Grapevine/ The Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau, but reviews and opinions are always our own.)

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Last February, we flew to Portland International Airport (PDX) to join 150 foodies and avgeeks at Loyal Legion Beer Hall for an event that promised to take us on a tasty tour of airline history in 7 courses.

The dinner was designed by former Emmy-award winning “Simpsons” writer-turned culinary connoisseur, Bill Oakley as a tour of aviation history from the 1920s to the early 2000s told through an entertaining, illustrated presentation.

And a meal that stretched out over seven courses representing “The Greatest Airline Meals of the 20th Century,” ranging from caviar and lobster salad to pretzels and beer.

The two night event in Portland sold out in 2 days. And now the dinner is scheduled to take place in Seattle, at the Museum of Flight on November 14, 2026 at 7 pm.

Here’s the link to purchase tickets to the Seattle event, which we suspect will sell out quickly as well. (The link is scheduled to go live mid-day, west coast time, on Monday).

See you there!

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Want a free house?

KLM, the Netherlands’ flag carrier, gives them away for free.

There’s a catch, of course.

The houses are just 4 inches tall. But they’re the very collectible keepsakes given to business class passengers flying on long haul KLM flights.

Each house is filled with Dutch gin. And each is part of a series of Delft Blue miniatures in the shape of a notable historic or landmark building in the Netherlands or abroad.

How did this tradition start?

KLM began the tradition of gifting a miniature Delft Blue house filled with gin to first and business-class passengers back in the 1950s.

It was a way to get around rules about tax restrictions that once limited the value of the gifts that airlines could give to passengers.

A cocktail served in a keepsake miniature house was within the rules.

And thus a tradition of issuing a new tiny house each year in the shape of an important Dutch building was born.

Over the years, the collection has included canal houses, warehouses, museums, historic residences, commercial buildings and other notable properties.

In 1994, on the carrier’s 75^th birthday, KLM issued a catch-up batch of houses so that the number of houses would line up with the airline’s age.

This year, on KLM’s 107th anniversary, the carrier unveiled house #107.

Tiny house #107 is a miniature of “Wijnhoeve” (winery) De Kleine Schorre in the Netherlands province of Zeeland.

The winery is one of the largest in the Netherlands and is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. It grows its grapes on sea clay, which is land reclaimed from the sea and its wine has been served on KLM flights to World Business Class passengers since 2006.

How to get your own KLM miniature house

You can get a KLM miniature house as a complimentary amenity when flying business class on an intercontinental KLM flight.

Flight attendants will roll a cart down the aisle at the end of a flight with an assortment of houses and allow each passenger to take their pick. The newest little house should be plentiful on those carts for a short while.

If you miss your chance to pick up a collectible KLM tiny house on a flight, you can also check antique stores in Amsterdam and online sites such as eBay.

Once your colleciton is underway, download the KLM Houses app to keep track of which ones you have, and those you still need.

And to learn more about the houses, look for historian Marz Zegeling’s 2-book set, “Little Kingdom by the Sea,” which gives detailed descriptions and the histories of each building in the KLM Delft Blue house series.  

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United Airlines is running a great status match offer for elite Delta Air Lines and American Airlines travelers.

Apply by October 15 and, if you qualifty, you’ll get United elite perks for 90 days – right through they busy holiday season.

Once you’re in, you’ll have those 90 days to hit a spending target linked to your matched status. If you do, your matched status get extended through January 2028.

It’s a great deal if you’re thinking of flying United in the next 90 days. And if you’d like a big discount on getting status on United for next year.

United is using its rapid rollout of Starlink Wi-Fi across its fleet as the peg for the challenge. And its working. United said it has received the equivalent of eight ‘typical’ status match applications in just two days.

“Coincidentally” (?) today, American Airlines came out with its own Starlink announcement:

“American will expand its sweeping modernization of the inflight customer experience by bringing Starlink to all mainline aircraft, including Airbus narrowbodies and Boeing narrowbodies and widebodies. Installations will begin in early 2027.“

See our story on AFAR for more information about the status match offer.

American Express news about four Centurion lounges

If you’re a fan of the American Express Centurion lounges (we are, after getting a courtesy visit to the Sidecar lounge in Las Vegas), then you’ll be delighted to hear the lastest news about new and expanded AmEx Centurion lounges.

Today, AmEx announced that it will build a new 30,000-square-foot (not ‘just’ 18,000 square feet as first announced) Centurion Lounge at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). This lounge will will become the largest in the network and will be two floors. Expected opening: 2027.

London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) will be getting a seond lounge. This 9,000+ square-foot lounge will be in Terminal 5 (there’s already one in Terminal 3). Expected opening: 2028.

And the lounges at both Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) will be expanding.

The lounge in Philadelphia will double in size to more than 12,000 square feet across two floors. Expected completion: 2027.

The lounge in Houston (IAH) should open in 2028 and will nearly triple the size of the existing lounge to more than 23,000 square feet.

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Happy 100th Birthday to MKE Airport

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE), the airport with a post-security ‘recombobulation’ area, one of the only used bookstores in an airport (the pre-security Renaissance Books) and the Gallery of Flight Museum, turned 100 on October 5.

This is airport the airport which gifted a mobile scultpure by Alexander Calder to the Milwaukee Art Museum back in 2020 and which opens a coat check service each winter.

Take a tour through important moments in MKE’s history, including the time The Beatles came to town and how many times the name has been changed, on this MKE timeline.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) isn’t giving away a classic kinetic sculpture; it’s just moving it to a new spot in the terminal.

“First in Flight,” a wonderful and whimsical aviation mobile by the late George Greenmayer, was on view in the airport’s Atrium from 1997 to 2025.

The sculpture was removed for cleaning and has now been reinstalled on Concourse D , with an eye to improving sightlines and offering a view of uptown Charlotte.

Look for 16 different flying machines in CLT’s “First in Flight” sculpture

“First In Flight” features four levels and 16 different flying machines that circle the clock tower, each representing a significant element of aviation history.

The handcrafted metal pieces feature the Wright Brothers Flyer, a steam-powered helicopter, a Dornier flying boat, the Space Shuttle, Charles Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis,” a Graf Zeppelin, a Douglas DC-3, and a paper airplane, inspired by a congratulatory letter from former CLT Airport Director Jerry Orr to Greenamyer, the selected artist.

Top airports in Condé Nast’s Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards

The Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards are out, with lists of favorite hotels, spas, cities, luggage, countries, airlines and, yes, airports.

Here’s the list of the 10 airports that made the list for Best U.S. airports:

1. Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV)

2. Portland International Airport (PDX)

3. Tampa International Airport (TPA)

4. Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP)

5. LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

6. Indianapolis International Airport (IND)

7. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)

8. Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD)

9. San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

10. Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)

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California’s Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) cut the ribbon on the $1.3 billion replacement terminal that will open to the public on October 13.

The Stuck at the Airport new terminal team was there – no way we’d miss this.

The new terminal is much bigger than the current terminal, which is almost 100 years old. And while it’s quite a bit bigger than the current terminal and filled with new amenities, it still have just 14 gates and still has no jet bridges. And that’s the way the community wanted it.

More stories about that soon, but in the meantime, here are some snaps from the day.

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And you don’t need to limit your visits to spooky museums to the Halloween season.

We put together a list of ten of the spookiest for a new Travel + Leisure story, but here are five of our favorites.

The Witch Board Museum: Baltimore, MD and Salem, MA

Ouija boards—also known as talking boards, spirit boards, or witch boards—were invented, patented, and mass-produced in Baltimore from the late 1800s into the 1960s. Learn the spooky history at Baltimore’s Witch Board Museum and see boards from around the world at the Witch Board Museum branch in Salem, Massachusetts.

Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia

The well-known Mütter Museum in Philadelphia has a curious and very creepy collection of more than 25,000 medical oddities, antomical specimens and other items that reach to the mid-1800s.

(Image by: Constance Mensh for the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia)

Robert the Doll – in Key West, Florida

The Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida is home to Robert, a 40-inch-tall doll custom-made in 1904. He may look innocent, but he’s not. Locals and museum visitors swear he changes facial expressions, wreaks havoc and curses visitors who take his picture without asking him for permission.

International Museum of Surgical Science – Chicago

The International Museum of Surgical Science on the Chicago lakefront is filled with exhibits exploring the twists and turns of surgery and medicine throughout the ages and includes a Hall of Murals depicting see some of surgery’s most important moments, in all their gory glory.

National Museum of Funeral History – Houston

The National Museum of Funeral History documents all aspects of death with exhibits on everything from unusual caskets (including one for three people), historical hearses, mourning rituals, funerals for popes, presidents and other celebrities and rooms devoted to the history of embalming and cremation. You can even write your own epitaph.

(Image at the top courtesy of the International Museum of Surgical Science)

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National Trading Card Day won’t come back around until February.

But the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority can’t wait.

That’s because there are new collectible trading cards for the authority’s two airports: Orlando International Airport (MCO) and the Orlando Executive Airport (ORL), a general aviation facility about 10 miles away.

To celebrate, there’s going to be a special trading card event at Orlando International Airport on October 14 for travelers, guests, employees and aviation enthusiasts.

Anyone who stops by will be able to collect cards from MCO and ORL, from the the MCO Paw Pilots and K9s as well as from other aviation organizations.

Let’s hope they also have some of the earlier editions of the MCO airport trading cards on hand for anyone just starting their collection.

Airports around the country first started issuing trading cards back in 2014. Now more than 100 airports have their own trading card, each bearing an image of the airport and the airport code on one side and a series of facts about the airport on the reverse.

Over the years, airports such as MCO and many others have created new editions of their cards and branched out to cards for the volunteer pups in the animal therapy programs and for the working dogs. Most U.S. airlines now have trading cards too. So there are plenty of aviation-related trading cards for collectors to seek out.

If you can’t make it to Orlando International Airport on October 14 for the Great Airport Card Quest, don’t fret.

If an airport has a trading card, you can usually get one from an airport information desk. And on airplanes, pilots and other crew members often have cards to share too.

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