Coat Check at Airport - Brilliant!

[Cornell]

Mitchell Airport's ingenious new winter coat check program is 'going gangbusters' in first week

The folks at Mitchell Airport in Milwaukee weren't sure what to expect when they started a new coat check program.

www.jsonline.com

As a Chicagoan, one of the biggest headaches is traveling in the winter to warmer climates when dealing with a big heavy coat needed at the tail ends of the trip. MKE now has a coat check. BRILLIANT! And so obvious -- why hasn't this been offered before?

 

[SandyPGravel]

I read this the other day. I agree it's awesome! We fly out of Mitchell about 50% of the time. Would have been nice the time we came back from Cancun. 100 degree temperature difference and it had snowed several times while we were gone. (Gotta love lake effect snow) We had over 20" of snow on the car and our coats were in the car. (Then we got to drive home in blizzard conditions.) Shoulda stayed in Cancun!

 

[moonstone]

Yes, that is a great idea. Hopefully it will catch on with more of the northern airports.
We left home (2hrs north of Toronto) in a snow storm at the end of Dec. and were lucky enough to get into a warm car at our house wearing a spring rain jacket over a t-shirt and light weight long pants, then dropped off at the airport doors. We were only outside for less then a minute at each end. When we go home at the end of March it will likely still be cold and possibly snowing so we will hangout inside the airport until we see our DS pull up at the passenger pickup.

Our DD bought a packable coat at Costco last year. It looks like a puffy winter coat but squishes up into a small draw-string pouch that is about 6" X 10". She wore it leaving on a Caribbean trip last month as she left her car at a park & fly and had to wait outside for a shuttle. After she got into the airport she put the coat into her carry-on and it stayed there until she returned and needed it again. She said it was very warm and it even has a hood.


~Diane

 

[klpca]

Our DD bought a packable coat at Costco last year. It looks like a puffy winter coat but squishes up into a small draw-string pouch that is about 6" X 10". She wore it leaving on a Caribbean trip last month as she left her car at a park & fly and had to wait outside for a shuttle. After she got into the airport she put the coat into her carry-on and it stayed there until she returned and needed it again. She said it was very warm and it even has a hood.


~Diane

I own that coast and while I can't speak to it's warmth (lowest we get here is about 30F) it stuffs easily into the pouch. Perfect for travel or leaving in the trunk of your car. I found it out of season and only paid about $25 for it.

 

[CanuckTravlr]

I really have to wonder why more airport facilities in northern cities don't offer this type of service, especially in the winter months.

When we are heading south to the Caribbean in the winter we almost always book the night before at the Sheraton Gateway at Toronto Pearson, especially if we have an early morning flight. They will allow us to leave a bag with them with our winter coats, boots, gloves, etc., that we can pick-up on our return. Since they are connected directly to Terminal 3 we can either take the LinkTrain to Terminal 1 or walk right into Terminal 3 already dressed for the sunny south. As Marriott Bonvoy members it is complimentary. We have been doing this for years.

It means we don't have to worry about bad weather or traffic issues on the day of departure; we are already there. They also have a really good bar and restaurant, so we can relax and have cocktails and a nice meal the night before. It is like adding a day to our vacation and no real stress on the day of departure. If our return flight is scheduled to arrive later at night, we will often also book a night for our return. We can then relax with a drink in the bar or just crash for the night, while most others are still waiting in line for a taxi or a limo. A nice breakfast in the morning and the doorman can call us a taxi or limo with no standing in line at the arrivals area. We love it and find it a very civilized way to travel.

 

[jabberwocky]

Our airport (YEG) offers free coat check for those who pay for parking at the airport. It’s a nice feature.

 

[rapmarks]

I really have to wonder why more airport facilities in northern cities don't offer this type of service, especially in the winter months.

When we are heading south to the Caribbean in the winter we almost always book the night before at the Sheraton Gateway at Toronto Pearson, especially if we have an early morning flight. They will allow us to leave a bag with them with our winter coats, boots, gloves, etc., that we can pick-up on our return. Since they are connected directly to Terminal 3 we can either take the LinkTrain to Terminal 1 or walk right into Terminal 3 already dressed for the sunny south. As Marriott Bonvoy members it is complimentary. We have been doing this for years.

It means we don't have to worry about bad weather or traffic issues on the day of departure; we are already there. They also have a really good bar and restaurant, so we can relax and have cocktails and a nice meal the night before. It is like adding a day to our vacation and no real stress on the day of departure. If our return flight is scheduled to arrive later at night, we will often also book a night for our return. We can then relax with a drink in the bar or just crash for the night, while most others are still waiting in line for a taxi or a limo. A nice breakfast in the morning and the doorman can call us a taxi or limo with no standing in line at the arrivals area. We love it and find it a very civilized way to travel.

This sounds wonderful

 

[csxjohn]

You can't leave your car unattended close to airport terminals and if you leave a package, when it is found unattended, TSA goes on red alert. How are passengers allowed to leave a coat behind, before the security checks? Even though you have to empty the pockets, it's not hard to put explosives in the lining for someone intent on causing trouble. This looks like is has the potential for a security nightmare.

 

[CanuckTravlr]

You can't leave your car unattended close to airport terminals and if you leave a package, when it is found unattended, TSA goes on red alert. How are passengers allowed to leave a coat behind, before the security checks? Even though you have to empty the pockets, it's not hard to put explosives in the lining for someone intent on causing trouble. This looks like is has the potential for a security nightmare.

Really?!? Sounds more like the plot of a good thriller movie. While it is theoretically possible to put explosives in a coat lining, the amount of the explosives is somewhat limited, and at the end of the day it is stored in a closed area, so any explosion will likely be limited and contained to some degree. No security system can reduce the risk to zero. The reason why you can't leave a car or a package unattended is because they are in more open areas. In the case of the car, it could have significant explosives on-board and an unattended package can contain a shrapnel bomb. So if they go off, particularly with some type of shrapnel inside, they can cause significant damage to either structures or people, or both.

While keeping the pre-security areas of the airport safe is part of the mandate, it is not the primary concern. Someone who is that determined could just as easily put that coat or a paper bag containing explosives into any garbage can and it would likely not be detected, so not having a coat check does not solve the problem. The primary objective of airport security is to keep the aircraft and passengers safe, so that a repeat of 9/11 is prevented. What happens pre-security is secondary. Hardly a reason not to have coat checks!

 

[pedro47]

I liked this idea; especially when you are traveling south (warmer climates) or to the Caribbean from late December to the end of March .

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Really?!? Sounds more like the plot of a good thriller movie. While it is theoretically possible to put explosives in a coat lining, the amount of the explosives is somewhat limited, and at the end of the day it is stored in a closed area, so any explosion will likely be limited and contained to some degree. No security system can reduce the risk to zero. The reason why you can't leave a car or a package unattended is because they are in more open areas. In the case of the car, it could have significant explosives on-board and an unattended package can contain a shrapnel bomb. So if they go off, particularly with some type of shrapnel inside, they can cause significant damage to either structures or people, or both.

While keeping the pre-security areas of the airport safe is part of the mandate, it is not the primary concern. Someone who is that determined could just as easily put that coat or a paper bag containing explosives into any garbage can and it would likely not be detected, so not having a coat check does not solve the problem. The primary objective of airport security is to keep the aircraft and passengers safe, so that a repeat of 9/11 is prevented. What happens pre-security is secondary. Hardly a reason not to have coat checks!

I agree. If someone were that intent, it would be far easier to just drive up to the curb during some busy time of day with a car loaded with explosives, get out the car and walk away, and when clear detonate the explosives .Just be patient and work your way close to the curb, and ... ka-boom. From parking the car to detonation could be done in less than one minute, far less time than any security system would be able to identify and respond to the threat. Even with current warnings and announcements, it's still common to see people walk away from their car for a few minutes.

Or, if a minute is too ling, just have a suicide bomber driving the car.

Much easier and more effective than trying to put explosives into a coat.

 

[JudiZ]

I think a coat check is brilliant. Before security or after, I wouldn't care. We usually fly Southwest (out of MHT) so we have a designated suitcase for coats and mittens but we still have to drag it with us. Of course, since I am heading someplace warm for even a week in the winter, far be it for me to complain.