Major upgrade: The newest AvGeek-approved amenities at airports and hotels
An ice cream shop with a specialty shake in Denver and a bathtub with a view for planespotters in San Francisco are a few of the new airport attractions to help you pass the time waiting for that next flight.
Here's what to check out on your next layover:
Bag storage/delivery service at San Diego Airport
A new service called Baggage Nanny at San Diego Airport (SAN) will help you with your bags if you've arrived in the city but it's too early to check into your hotel or Airbnb.
The service, which hopes to expand to other airports soon, allows arriving travelers to drop bags at Baggage Nanny kiosks in the airport baggage-claim areas and specify a time they'd like those bags delivered to them in town. Baggage Nanny will also pick up bags in town and store them at the airport until a traveler arrives for a flight.
The cost for each bag is $20 for pickup/storage within a 15-mile radius of the airport, no matter the size/weight.
New batch of airport trading cards: Collect them all
The 2019 set of trading cards in the North American Airport Collectors Series (NAACS) has been issued and the 20 cards include Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR), Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO), Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and 15 others.
The series kicked off in 2014, with cards distributed by airports at information booths and events. Want to collect them all? To date, there are around 130 officially approved cards in the series, though there doesn't seem to be an official count. New airports are added all the time, but over the years some airports have released multiple cards with different images.
Bonus for AvGeeks at the new Grand Hyatt at SFO
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) now has its own at-the-airport hotel with its own stop on the airport AirTrain. In addition to being super-convenient, the hotel is also a gift to AvGeeks because one side of the 12-story, 351-room Grand Hyatt at SFO overlooks the comings and goings of airplanes at the International Terminal.
To assist planespotting, the hotel provides each room on the terminal side of the hotel with a planespotting brochure and a pair of loaned binoculars. You can watch planes from the desk, the bed and, in some rooms, from the bathtub. Day rates are available.
Local food and drink featured at airports
Denver's iconic Little Man Ice Cream shop has opened an outpost at Denver International Airport (DEN), near Gate C27. And, with a wink and a nod to local airport lore, Little Man has created an only-at-the-airport Illuminati Shake.
Some of that airport mythology involves lizard people, space aliens and a secret cabal of the Illuminati, along with assorted conspiracy theories that have been swirling around Denver Airport since it opened in February 1985.
"The alien lizard people who live in the tunnels under the airport inspired our chef to create a drink using Leopold Bros. Absinthe Verte, a green-colored, anise-flavored spirit, which was historically known as an hallucinogenic drink called The Green Fairy," said Basha Cohen, director of marketing for Little Man. "By combining absinthe with homemade vanilla bean ice cream and maraschino liqueur, we hope to send travelers on their own secret flight of imagination," he said.
The new shop also serves other flavors of homemade ice cream, sorbet, vegan ice cream, ice cream sandwiches called Sammies, and some boozy options such as Strawberry Margarita Freeze, Whiskey Apple Pie and Oreo Java Spiced Rum.
Elsewhere, another local favorite, Pittsburgh's Franktuary, which serves signature franks with locally sourced condiments, has set up shop at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). McCarran International Airport (LAS) recently scored a Shake Shack in Terminal 1 and Calgary International Airport (YYC) opened Flames Grill, a hockey-themed restaurant honoring the Calgary Flames, complete with life-size images of players.
And get ready to chow down at the new New Orleans International Airport (MSY), which is scheduled to open Nov. 6. Dining venues will include an instrument-adorned wine bar dedicated to the city's annual Jazz & Heritage Festival, as well as Leah's Kitchen, a restaurant created by the late Leah Chase, who was known for her Creole cuisine and civil rights activism.
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month