QuoteJIA 1 Of Best Airports To Be Stranded In
London Observer Cites Art That Covers Airport's Interior
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- If you're stranded at any given airport, there's not much you can do except for try to get comfortable and catch up on some sleep or catch up with a few friends. But if you're stranded at Jacksonville International Airport, you can spend a few hours contemplating fine art.
The London Observer ranked JIA as one of the best airports in which to be stranded.
It's what's on the walls inside the airport that has people talking.
"Oh, it's lovely here. It's lovely," said Chicago resident Patricia Kreuger, who was traveling at JIA on Monday.
The ranking is largely because of an area called the Haskell Art Gallery, which is said to be the largest of its kind in the U.S.
"Many people have come to the gallery and sent me an e-mail after the fact stating that a painting made their day," said Cabeth Cornelius, who works at the art gallery.
Cornelius said airport art is a growing trend internationally, but Jacksonville's airport was one of the first to institute an arts program back in the '90s.
Now, art is all around the airport, even in the bathrooms.
"I went to Washington, Dallas and Indianapolis, and neither one of them had an art gallery," traveler Yari Smith said. "In fact, this airport (JIA) made my expectations high for them and they failed."
While those who live in Jacksonville might take a finely decorated airport for granted, out-of-towners really do seem to notice.
Rebecca Cali, who works at an airport in Italy, said there is not much art in her airport.
"I just told him how nice this airport is," Cali said.
"It ads to the ambiance and soothes the nerves," Cornelius said of the art.
Being delayed is never a good thing, but at least the art gives travelers something to do.
"To say to people: 'This is who we are as a city. We are very exciting, diverse, dynamic,'" Cornelius said.
There are only four airports in the world that made the list of best airports in which to be stranded. The others are London's Heathrow Airport, Seoul Airport in South Korea and Amsterdam's Airport Schiphol, which is linked to the national museum.
Copyright 2011 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/26431925/detail.html
Sadly, I don't think I've ever ventured into the gallery. I guess like the article stated, I've taken it for granted. I'll need to make some time next time I fly out. Does anyone know if it is pre- or post- security?
Pre...
When you make it to the bottom of the ramp from the check-in counters into that large open area, well before hitting the security suite, hang an immediate left - past the shoe-shine station.
It's actually pretty cool; a nice hidden and unexpected gem.
Quote from: Doctor_K on January 10, 2011, 04:09:42 PM
When you make it to the bottom of the ramp from the check-in counters into that large open area, well before hitting the security suite, hang an immediate left - past the shoe-shine station.
It's actually pretty cool; a nice hidden and unexpected gem.
It is the big open area where you enter security. Haskel art gallery is next to the restrooms.
They also have free wifi and lots of power outlets.
Unfortunately, this is far from the only time that many locals do not fully appreciate a very nice amenity that Jacksonville offers.
QuoteThey also have free wifi and lots of power outlets.
Yet another thing we (I) have taken for granted.......I had to take a $10 hit in Miami & Atlanta last month. The rocking chairs & piano (sometimes) are a nice plus, too.
The inexplicable Medusa sculpture still gives me the heebee-jeebees at the entrance - I suppose that "freezing" travelers is one way to keep folks in town a little longer.
(http://img.groundspeak.com/waymarking/display/a2c0346d-d661-4f6a-9172-546e44f54f43.jpg)
Quote from: Lunican on January 10, 2011, 04:20:23 PM
They also have free wifi and lots of power outlets.
Are they still using that Google wireless connection deal?
I apologize as I don't recall the technical/formal term.
http://www.youtube.com/v/FA6nRFpua0c?fs=1&hl=en_US
http://www.youtube.com/v/j3xtYm0ptno?fs=1&hl=en_US
http://www.youtube.com/v/iRzIUz-AJBY?fs=1&hl=en_US
Imagine what the one-two punch of a Jacksonville Belt Railroad around the North and Northwest side between Cecil - Westlake - JIA - Blount Island coupled with a new Amtrak route (which is in the planning stages) between Atlanta and Jacksonville could do for our airport several times every year.
Atlanta is socked in and a direct rail connection to JIA AND JAX TERMINAL could give EVERY airline and airline passenger a way around when Atlanta get's nasty.
What would a little railroad mileage do for the Port?
THINK ABOUT IT JACKSONVILLE.
OCKLAWAHA
Having been to quite a few airports, the power outlets and free wifi rocks.
Way too many airports have crappy wifi, and good luck finding a power outlet.
Quote from: blizz01 on January 10, 2011, 05:50:54 PM
QuoteThey also have free wifi and lots of power outlets.
Yet another thing we (I) have taken for granted.......I had to take a $10 hit in Miami & Atlanta last month. The rocking chairs & piano (sometimes) are a nice plus, too.
The inexplicable Medusa sculpture still gives me the heebee-jeebees at the entrance - I suppose that "freezing" travelers is one way to keep folks in town a little longer.
(http://img.groundspeak.com/waymarking/display/a2c0346d-d661-4f6a-9172-546e44f54f43.jpg)
I got stuck at MIA I was not gonna pay for wifi, had to use the smartphone instead. MIA does not have much art, but Hartfield does have a lot, both pre & post. Paying for wifi is stupid, the airlines or city should cover the cost.
Quote from: ricker on January 11, 2011, 12:28:55 PM
NOTICE the Rail line... . IS this to the S-Line through Gateway, into Sprinfield, DT, sports complex and Jax Terminal?
Quote from: simms3 on November 30, 2010, 09:00:54 PM
Jacksonville International Airport:
A model of what the airport will look like when built out.
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes043.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes044.jpg)
Space still UC (recently remodeled)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes045.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes046.jpg)
The above photo seen from the plane:
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes055.jpg)
Haskell gallery had some interesting art:
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes047.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes048.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes050.jpg)
One of many food spots, the food court in the concourse with Sbarro, Freshens, and Quizno's.
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes051.jpg)
One of the new concourses:
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes052.jpg)
Planes at the airport:
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes056.jpg)
connections will bring life back to the core.
In the model,
which rail line is this? HSR? Street car? monorail?
I believe that can be High speed rail connecting downtown and the northern neighborhoods to JIA.
I like JIA. The airport is nice, friendly, and even our TSA personnel aren't too insane. There could be some improvements like some couches to nap on around the airport but overall I think it's a nice little airport. I wished they kept airside open 24/7 but landside isn't that bad a place to be and the security line usually isn't too long.
The biggest problem I have is airports like ATL or MIA aren't JIA. I'm more likely to get stranded in the big hub cities than at JIA. Getting stranded in one of those big hub airports isn't fun.
Quote from: cityimrov on January 11, 2011, 07:15:28 PM
The biggest problem I have is airports like ATL or MIA aren't JIA. I'm more likely to get stranded in the big hub cities than at JIA. Getting stranded in one of those big hub airports isn't fun.
Case in point: Memphis... never fails. If there's even a hint of a storm, I know I'll be stranded or delayed.
hell I have been to airports all over the world and JIA is one of my favorites. I am not really sure why. I just really like it.
It's well laid-out, easy to use, isn't so large that it takes 45 minutes just to get from one end of the airport to the other (like Denver or ATL), it has starbucks in it, I mean really it's a decent airport. I also have to concur that TSA here isn't bad like at other airports, and for the simple reason that they're polite, you never hear the TSA horror stories here like you do other places. Which is ironic, really, considering the conservative bent this area has, TSA could fondle all the 6 year olds, dump out all the breast milk, and arrest people for no reason all they want, and they'd probably get 3 rounds of cheers from what little segment of our voting public actually flies around here.
(Nota Bene: SouthWest passengers are excluded from my screed, they seem VERY representative of JAX. I always wind up next to a 400lb drunk redneck guy who had more beers in flight than he had teeth, or a 700lb female redneck with 7 screaming kids who thinks it's hilarious that little Krystal is climbing in my lap while Dale, Jeff, Tony, Mark, Kyle and Jimmie (courtesy of Nascar.com) are all kicking my chair. That airline is a damn trailer park with wings.)
One area JIA could use some improvement is baggage claim. It has got to be the slowest of any airport I have been...
QuoteI always wind up next to a 400lb drunk redneck guy who had more beers in flight than he had teeth, or a 700lb female redneck with 7 screaming kids
Karma perhaps? :)
Quote from: BridgeTroll on January 12, 2011, 09:37:08 AM
One area JIA could use some improvement is baggage claim. It has got to be the slowest of any airport I have been...
QuoteI always wind up next to a 400lb drunk redneck guy who had more beers in flight than he had teeth, or a 700lb female redneck with 7 screaming kids
Karma perhaps? :)
Lol, I don't know whose adorable puppy I must have kicked to deserve Southworst...
Isn't just me either, my poor dad got stuck next to a drunk redneck with a bunch of sick kids coming back from New Orleans to Florida on Southwest and they gave him swine flu. I have continually tried to give them second chances since I used to go back and forth to school in the 90s, back when SWA was REAL low budget with those 30 year old 737-100s and 200s with the eardrum piercing turbojets and pea green and brown interiors to hide the stains. It's been one disaster after another, like clockwork. The past few years they're actually been higher on most given routes than Delta or US so it makes not flying them easy.
Quote from: ChriswUfGator on January 12, 2011, 09:45:25 AM
Isn't just me either, my poor dad got stuck next to a drunk redneck with a bunch of sick kids coming back from New Orleans to Florida on Southwest and they gave him swine flu. I have continually tried to give them second chances since I used to go back and forth to school in the 90s, back when SWA was REAL low budget with those 30 year old 737-100s and 200s with the eardrum piercing turbojets and pea green and brown interiors to hide the stains. It's been one disaster after another, like clockwork. The past few years they're actually been higher on most given routes than Delta or US so it makes not flying them easy.
That's strange. My wife has always only flown Southwest and has never had a bad experience. I used to fly Delta and US but haven't in years. I will never fly Delta again as long as I live thanks to their terrible customer service and prices. I've flown Southwest a couple times and it's been great. Now of course having flown Swiss Air a few times last year, I'm spoiled. No US airline can hold a candle to Swiss.
I will say that JIA is definitely in the upper echelon of airports. It's easy to navigate, bright, clean, and also easy to get to and from. Having driven to O'Hare and the Miami airport on many occasions, I don't wish those on anyone. I haven't seen all the renovations. The last time I was there was last November. But I do always pop into the art gallery. And how many airports can boast rows and rows of rocking chairs??
You're first and last problem is that you're flying Southwest, lol.
JIA > Chicago O'Hare any day of the week. I HATE, HATE, HATE O'Hare. With an exclamation point !
Atlanta isn't too awful to get stuck in. I caught a couple of hour long naps late at night in ATL on the tram system thing. Its easier to sleep there b/c you can stretch out and lay down on the bench at the front of the tram, way better than trying to sleep in a seat with arm rails in the terminal.
LAX is not the best place to get stuck in. Especially if you miss a flight and they won't issue you a boarding pass until 5AM the next morning, so you have to 'sleep' on a bench outside the baggage claim area.
Quote from: fieldafm on January 12, 2011, 12:27:40 PM
You're first and last problem is that you're flying Southwest, lol.
Lol, totally agree! Typical flight on Southworst;
(http://fineartamerica.com/images-medium/trailers-for-sail-john-tonkin.jpg)
I never had any problem with Southwest; It's rankings are high, so whoever thinks that they're awful is in the minority. The most ghetto airline that I been on was the now defunct TWA.
I've been a much less than weekly poster lately, but still a near daily reader. Please allow an out-of-towner (Hilton Head, SC aka HHH) and Amtrak foamer to throw in a couple of cents worth, again. My remarks may not completely on but, at least, related to the topic.
Whenever scheduling LD travel, I always look to balance time with adventure on a budget, which can be either out of or right down Amtrak's alley. If possible, which means not always, I'd rather include an extra experience, but my trips usually consist of being a pseudo-nomad one way and finding the quickest jaunt between points the other.
Since I haven't had a local option for such, my travels to JIA have almost always been to take advantage of less expensive Southwest flights, while also using the opportunity to use Amtrak from Savannah(SAV) and add Amtrak Guest Rewards(AGR) points. I've also at times done this to Orlando(MCO) and Tampa(TPA). With any of the scenarios, the local options for public transportation are in the mix. Due to scheduling to the three departure points, MCO is the only I've ever been able to depart from the same day as the Amtrak arrival. TPA has not been too often. JIA is either a long two-bus journey from Clifford Lane via JTA or an expensive (to me) cab ride, and outbound always necessitates a hotel stay overnight.
All of these options are about to go on my back burner, since Southwest is about to add service at Charleston, SC in March. The local Amtrak station is close to the CHS airport and allows an 8:20am departure from SAV on the Palmetto to get there. I'm not in agreement with the negative comments of others here, especially when you consider a needed change in itinerary or checking extra baggage.
I can honestly say exploring the JIA terminal has never been on my high priority list, but knowing there's a collection of art to explore may keep it on my list of possibles. My most memorable art experience in an airport has to be during a delayed layover in Nashville(BNA), who seems to recognize the benefit possible through their Arts at the Airport program. http://www.flynashville.com/arts/default.aspx (http://www.flynashville.com/arts/default.aspx)
While there during concourse construction, a temporary exhibit from Hatch Show Print almost made me late for my connection. http://countrymusichalloffame.org/our-work/ (http://countrymusichalloffame.org/our-work/)
Pictures (recent from November):
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes043.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes044.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes045.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes046.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes047.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes048.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes049.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes050.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes051.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes052.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes055.jpg)
(http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad1/jsimms3/JIA%20Food%20Pans%20and%20RAM/Yes056.jpg)
Quote from: I-10east on January 13, 2011, 05:03:35 AM
I never had any problem with Southwest; It's rankings are high, so whoever thinks that they're awful is in the minority. The most ghetto airline that I been on was the now defunct TWA.
Spirit is kinda bad too, spanish people always pulling food out of their pocket & crubsin up the seats. I understand saving money, but cooked rice out of a zip lock bad is like ewww! American Airlines was my recent flight.
They have a Brooks Brothers store there now. I don't get why JIA put in all of those escalators and stairs instead of just putting in one large ramp from baggage to the gates??