Smartphones now make it possible for airport travelers to have food delivered to their departure gate

by Jessica Festa on

A smartphone app that is available on both iPhone and Android phones now makes it possible for travelers using the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport to order food and have it delivered to their departure gate, says Martin Moylan of Minnesota Public Radio. Participating restaurants at the airport include French Meadow Bakery & Cafe, Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, and Chili’s Too.

This service is available from 7AM to 8PM daily, with a promise of the food arriving 20 minutes after orders are placed. If the delivery is late or a flight leaves early customers will receive a full refund. JFK International Airport is also participating in the program, with the Chicago O’Hare Airport to jump on board this month.

To take advantage of this service, smartphone users should download the B4 YOU BOARD app, which is free.

Man detained in Cayenne, French Guiana airport for having hummingbirds in his pants

by Jessica Festa on

A Dutch man was detained at Rochambeau airport in Cayenne in French Guiana for attempting to smuggle over a dozen live hummingbirds out of the country. The passenger was apparently acting suspicious and searched by authorities. According to Jeanna Cullinan of insightcrime.org, each of the tiny birds were wrapped in cloth to keep them still, and then placed into pouches that were located above the man’s crotch. When authorities checked his record, they found that this was not his first conviction for attempted hummingbird smuggling.

While this may sound bizarre, this type of crime is known as “eco-trafficking” and is quite a lucrative business, although illegal. Eco-trafficking is the act of “trafficking in rare and endangered species” and generates billions of dollars for organized crime groups in Latin America. Worldwide, Interpol believes that eco-trafficking brings in up to $20 billion in profits annually.

A video tour of SFO’s T2

by Grant Martin on

Do you know those drawings that architectural firms create to illustrate what a building will look like after it’s finished? The ones with all of the two dimensional people and the rendered trees, benches, concrete and shadows? That’s what San Francisco airport’s Terminal 2 looks like in this video — only it’s actually real. T2, which I just passed through last week, has this crisp, almost surreal angularity to it, a kind of dreamlike sheen that makes one feel part of a airport-like Eden.

It’s gorgeous, no doubt, and given the chance, everyone should take some extra time to wander through the great, arching halls. Just don’t get lost in the clouds and miss your flight.

Dancing at Denver International Airport

by Mike Barish on

There are only so many ways to kill time at the airport. You can eat overpriced food, drink overpriced alcohol, read or dance. OK, there might be more things to do at the airport, but for the sake of introducing this video, let’s pretend that those are the only options. This young lady was bored at Denver International Airport and decided to cut a rug right there in the terminal. Not to be outdone, a random traveler walked by, booty bumped our dancer and, in one motion, stole the scene.

We could all learn a lesson from both of these rhythmic travelers: don’t get stressed at the airport. Delays will happen, flights will get canceled but you can always control your attitude. Keep your cool and have some fun when you’re traveling. Oh, and always booty bump when you have the chance.

Best Buy airport kiosks: Rip off or godsend?

by Grant Martin on

America-sized vending machines are the new big things at the nation’s airports, giant robots that help you pick out the last second headphones or digital camera that you forgot to bring on the road.

If they’re anything like the airport Burger King, however, then consumers should be concerned about the markup. Like the restaurant, it’s always possible that airport retailers can inflate the price of their goods because they have a monopoly on the local market, squeezing passengers for more cash and gouging for a few extra dollars.

Concerned, Gadling Labs took a quick survey of the Las Vegas airport Best Buy Kiosk and then did a comparison with the current online prices. What we found was that prices were identical between the airport and the online store, from headphones to cameras to HD video devices. Here are a few examples:

Sony Bloggie Touch: ($199|$199) (LAS|Online)
Bose OE Audio Headphones: ($179|$179) (LAS|Online)
Skullcandy Skullcrusher Headphones ($69|$69) (LAS|Online)

What does this mean? That Best Buy is charging passing airport customers the same price that it charges its customers elsewhere. Way to go Best Buy — it’s the classy thing to do.