Therapy at 30,000 feet

Here's a feel good story from the Los Angeles Times about a Delta flight attendant who gives passengers crayons and paper on flights.

"Toward the end of each flight, [Jewel] Van Valin and other crew members tape passengers' drawings to the aircraft's bulkhead so everyone on board can see them. She also maintains a revolving display of the pictures in Delta's employee lounge at Los Angeles International Airport."

The artwork has also been clandestinely displayed on walls and support columns between Gates 56 and 59 at the airport.

(Photo from Mark Boster, Los Angeles Times)

Another concert I missed

Orlando International Airport celebrated Independence Day a bit early this year.

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra gave a Liberty Weekend concert at the airport on 28 June.



This year's concert had the theme “A Tribute to Our Troops”.

(Photo from Orlando International Airport)

Name change

Birmingham International Airport is contemplating a name change.

The Alabama airport may be renamed for civil rights leader Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, founder of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights.

Shuttlesworth is pictured with Dartmouth College professor Susannah Heschel.

Birmingham Airport Authority members plan to formally vote on the change next month, according to The Birmingham News.

If approved, the name change would not be the first for the airport.

Known as Birmingham Municipal Airport when it opened in 1931,
it became Birmingham International Airport in 1993.

(Photo from Susannah Heschel)

O'Hare's new club

United Airlines opened a new Red Carpet Club at Chicago O'Hare International Airport yesterday.

The club is adjacent to gate B18 in Terminal 1.

It is the first lounge the airline has opened since 2000.

(Photo courtesy of United Airlines)

It's 4:20 somewhere

Potheads want the government to legalize marijuana use in airport smoking lounges.

Denver-based Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER)-insert joke about the Mile High City here-claim marijuana will help fliers relax.

Get the full scoop here.

Price cut

Ottawa International Airport will cut terminal fees effective July 1.

The Ottawa International Airport Authority will reduce fees by 5% because of skyrocketing fuel costs and weakened economies in Canada and the USA, Canadian carrier WestJet Airlines says in a statement.

Obviously, the airline is pleased with the decision and would like other Canadian airports to follow suit.

Perfect pairs

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics put together the top domestic city pairs based on enplaned passengers between April 2007 and March 2008.





















I’m pleased to see Washington, DC is well represented. I'm just surprised New York-Los Angeles wasn't in the top ten. Or San Francisco-New York.

(Graphic courtesy of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics)