Airport Check-in: Denver's wait problem, 'America' returns
— -- DENVER
To speed its busy security checkpoint lines, Denver International plans to add workers to help travelers go through screening.
Starting in January, the workers, from a private firm, will direct people to the shortest line and remind them of the procedures enforced by the Transportation Security Administration — placing jackets in tray bins, removing shoes and the like.
According to the TSA, Denver International had the longest security wait times among large airports in the 12 months ended in September.
The average wait time is about 20 minutes in peak hours, with many passengers waiting 30 minutes or longer.
CHICAGO
Sculpture honors Battle of Midway
Check out America, a new sculpture in Chicago Midway. It's in the permanent exhibit about the history of the World War II Battle of Midway, for which the airport is named.
It was considered a major acquisition for the airport when it was installed by the Union League of Chicago, a military support group, following the 50th anniversary of Midway in 1993. Several years later, the city put it in storage when it demolished an old terminal.
The Union League refurbished and reintroduced it earlier this month as the centerpiece of the exhibit.
Sculptor Gary Weisman's 9-foot-tall bonze depiction of a military man in pain "symbolizes all the people in the military whether they came back, didn't come back or came back scarred," says the Union League's Frank Patton.
"The most striking part of it is the anguish in the face. Some veterans were upset. They didn't think it was heroic enough. But what we're honoring is the humanity of servicemen."
The exhibit, in Concourse A, also contains a restored SBD-5 Dauntless aircraft salvaged from Lake Michigan.
ST. LOUIS
Passengers can rock away in new chairs
Lambert-St. Louis has installed 70 rocking chairs for passengers in post-security areas in the East Terminal. "Rocking chairs have been a top request," said airport director Dick Hrabko.
The blue rocking chairs are located near gates. They're part of a broader campaign by the airport to add amenities.
It has added live music performances and will open a cellphone parking lot in a few weeks.
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
Help with the holiday parking crunch
Dallas/Fort Worth International is providing parking discounts to holiday travelers unable to find a space at the cheaper lots. According to the airport's website, if drivers go to park at the Express lot, which costs $10-$11 a day, or the Remote lot, which is $7 a day, and the lots are full, they can get a coupon to park at the closer Terminal lot for $10, instead of the usual $14 to $17. The coupons are available through Wednesday and again Dec. 19-24.
INDIANAPOLIS
Veterans want airport's old name back
A group of veterans is lobbying to have Indianapolis International reinstate its former name: Indianapolis Weir Cook Airport.
Harvey Weir Cook, born in Hancock County, Ind., was an aviator in both world wars. He died in a plane crash during battle in 1943 and earned two Distinguished Service Crosses.
Indianapolis renamed its airport in the 1970s for marketing purposes.
"We'd like to bring the name back not just to honor Weir Cook, but to show that Indiana does revere its national heroes," says Joe Ryan, state president of the Military Officers Association of America.
Every Monday, we report on the latest news in airports across the USA. See something noteworthy in your travels? E-mail your suggestions to ryu@usatoday.com.