With the economy in a tizzy, everyone is cutting back on just about everything, including travel.

But don’t let that lull you into thinking everyone but you will be staying home this holiday season.

Even in tough economic times - or maybe because of tough economic times - people gather together for the holidays. So planes, trains, buses and highways will be full. Lines will be long. And tempers could be short.

Which is why you might need the 15-point Guide to Stress-Free Holiday Travel that I put together for MSNBC.com.

When you’ve read through those tips, check out the cool “getting to Grandma‘ feature MSNBC.com put together about how culture - and Thanksgiving costs - have changed over the past 50 years.

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As I wrote about in my “At the Airport” column for USAToday.com, (Airports mark holidays with sales, Santas and song) airports are doing their part to make holiday travel fun and somewhat stress-free.

Now JetBlue Airways is joining in with some special events for passengers traveling to or from the new Terminal 5 (T5) at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

“During select times on Tues. and Wed., November 25 and 26, the airline will be hosting complimentary events ….including magic shows to entertain the family, introductory yoga and stress-reducing exercises courtesy of New York Sports Clubs and five-minute makeovers courtesy of Harmony Pharmacy.”

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It may seem unnatural to blend a holiday shopping excursion with a trip to the airport, but this season many airports are working overtime to court you and your gift-buying dollars with prizes, promotions, festive décor, and lots of top-notch entertainment.

(A TSA choir -really- will perform at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport)

There are plenty of other reasons to shop for holiday gifts at an airport. Over the past few years, airports have been steadily upgrading the quality and variety of their concessions. Stores generally open early and close late to accommodate travelers’ wacky schedules. And many airports impose a “street pricing” policy, which means that the prices charged inside the airport must closely match the prices at local malls. Besides, if you travel by air, you’re already spending a lot of time hanging out in airports. So you may as well be merry while you multi-task.

Where are the best deals? At the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Sacramento International Airport you can pick up discount coupon books. Oregon’s Portland International Airport has a holiday festival with food sampling, demonstrations and a drawing for tickets on JetBlue. (You can enter on-line.) And check out the Frankfurt Airport’s Web site for a chance to win a big diamond.

There’s lots more information about airports offering holiday shopping specials and entertainment in my “At the Airport” column posted today on USAToday.com

Tags: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Frankfurt Airport, Minneapolis-St.Paul International Airport, Portland International Airport, Sacramento International Airport, airport shopping | Add Comment »

The bad economy is forcing some airports to delay facility upgrade projects and to cancel others altogether. But Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL) is just trying to finish a major upgrade to the East Terminal.

Right now they’re rushing to replace 9, 000 square yards of original terminal carpeting in time for the Thanksgiving rush. Look for it between Gates E-2 and E-33, in the passenger waiting areas for Southwest Airlines, USA 3000, Air Choice One and charter flights.

The new carpet is not only ADA-compliant, it’s got a custom design that “mimics the patchwork of crops and fields passengers might see if they were looking down from a plane at 35,000 feet.”

Can you see that???

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Heading to or through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) this holiday season? Be sure to leave some time for shopping.

The airport is giving out holiday coupon books with discounts, freebies, and gift-with-purchase offers from more than 60 airport shops and restaurants.

The coupon booklets will be available at the airport information booths and downloadable from the MSP Web site. Valid dates: November 26-December 31, 2008.

But why wait? Here’s a copy of all the coupons and offers.

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All of a sudden there are lots of (free) reasons to visit Indianapolis.

The city has just opened its brand-spanking-new terminal at Indianapolis International Airport (IND), complete with free wireless Internet access, swanky shops and restaurants, and several million dollars worth of brand new public art.

Now museums, attractions and tourist destinations in town have banded together to offer free admission and other freebies, one each day, during the 12 days leading up to Christmas. The promotion begins Saturday Dec 13, with free admission to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum and ends on Christmas Eve with free admission to see Santa, a snow castle and other attractions at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. I have my heart set on flying in by Dec. 20th. That’s when there’ll be free tours at the Indiana Medical History Museum, which bills itself as the “nation’s oldest surviving pathology laboratory.”

(The “Anatomical Museum” room inside the Indiana Medical History Museum. Photo courtesy the IMHM.)

Here’s a link to more information about the 12 days of free events in Indianapolis leading up to Christmas.

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It’s natural to wonder (or hope) that the bathroom scale is wrong when you weigh in each morning.

At the airport, it’s a different story entirely. Airlines have been getting strict about charging passengers for overweight bags to the tune of millions of dollars each year.

But last week, the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures did a surprise inspection of the scales used by Southwest Airlines and US Airways at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

According to this article in the Arizona Republic, both airlines got dinged. Southwest “had to shut down three of its 26 scales because they received red tags, the most serious violation, from the inspectors. The problem: The scales did not start at zero.”

Another reason to try to fit everything you need into a carry-on bag…..

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This week I got the fun assignment of putting together a quiz for the MSNBC.com travel section.

Some of the questions are about travel etiquette; others are about getting through the security checkpoint at the airport and then figuring out what to do once you’re on the other side. Take the quiz and see if you’re in shape for holiday travel.

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Just in time for the holiday shopping season comes word that yet another local favorite has opened up a shop at Oregon’s Portland International Airport.

The airport already has a pre-security shopping street populated with branches of Powell’s Books, Made in Oregon, the Oregon Pendleton Store, Nike, and the Real Mother Goose.

Now Portland-based Columbia Sportswear Company has opened a shop at the airport. The company is well-known for apparel, footwear and outdoor gear and is a nice fit the other PDX businesses that feature Pacific Northwest products, foods and beverages.

If you’re heading that way, keep in mind that the airport has free wireless Internet access, that Oregon has no sales tax (on anything), and that during the airport’s annual Holiday Take Flight celebration, you can enter to win a pair of tickets on JetBlue. Not heading that way? You can also enter the PDX contest on-line.

See you at the mall…. I mean, the airport…

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Greetings from Toronto, where travelers heading to Montreal, Newark, Chicago - and soon several other U.S. cities - are discovering they can skip the trek out to Toronto Pearson International Airport. Instead, an increasing number of folks are taking the short (really short; three minutes max) free ferry ride to Toronto City Centre Airport (TCCA), located on an island just off downtown Toronto.

TCCA is served by regional carrier Porter Airlines, which offers travelers a free downtown shuttle to the terminal dock, free ferry rides to the terminal, and a bevy of complimentary amenities inside the terminal, including a lounge stocked with free wireless internet access, complimentary coffee/tea/soft drinks, and a business center with multiple workstations.

Passengers are allowed to check two bags for free and in-flight service on the 70-seat turboprop airplanes includes complimentary drinks (including beer and wine), small meals and/or snacks.

In addition to a variety of Canadian destinations, Porter serves Newark Liberty International Airport and, as of this past Wednesday (Nov 12) Chicago’s Midway International Airport. They have plans to expand to other U.S. cities, so stay tuned.

It’s all very put together. Right down to the pillbox hats worn by the female flight attendants, whose uniforms were designed by Pink Tartan, a well-known Toronto and New York based fashion brand.

(Photo courtesy: Porter Airlines)

Tags: Airline amenities, Airport amenities, Chicago Midway Airport, Newark-Liberty International Airport, Toronto City Center Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Wireless Internet | Add Comment »