Airport Check-in: Philadelphia's friendlier; Paris plans nixed

— -- WHAT'S NEW

Getting around at Philadelphia

• Philadelphia International has opened a new connecting building between Terminals D and E, providing more shops and restaurants and letting travelers roam more freely in post-security areas.

The new concessions include Borders, Brookstone, Crocs, InMotion Entertainment, Lids, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Sunglass Hut and Vino Volo.

Opening the security checkpoint and concessions is the first phase of a broader $300 million project that also calls for adding 23 ticket counter positions, three aircraft gates in Terminal E and two baggage carousels. When the project is completed in 2010, about 222,000 square feet will have been added to the airport.

• Starting Monday, the cellphone/waiting area at Nashville International will be closed for several months because of road construction. Those waiting for arriving passengers can use the short-term parking garage or the 10-minute waiting area on the baggage claim level. The roadway project is scheduled to be completed in the fall.

• Travelers at Baltimore/Washington International can now print parking coupons from the airport's website. The coupons cut the rate at the BWI Express lot or the BWI Daily Garage to a maximum $9 a day.

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, the world's busiest airport, has released a list of New Year's resolutions. The airport outlines 10 goals it hopes to accomplish in 2009, including a redesigned airport website with real-time information on parking availability, security wait times and flight status; Spanish, German, French and Chinese versions of the website; more than 70 new shops opening through summer 2009; a new 68-acre consolidated rental car facility opening in November; and a recycling program that aims to reduce the airport's waste stream by up to 70%.