Good read: How NASA is keeping us safe from killer asteroids (yes, there's an office for that). via @washingtonian.com

What did NYC Mayor Eric Adams actually build during his 4 years in office? Less and more than you might think.

I'm with @dawngilbertson.bsky.social that small airports are awesome. But my love is split between the ease of use and the fact that most of the time you get to walk on the ramp to board a flight.

Here’s an alternative to widening the American Legion Bridge: extending the Purple Line from Bethesda to Tysons. From @ggwash.org in 2019: ggwash.org/view/71112/t...

Merry Christmas! 🎄 Santa Fe (opened 1957, expanded), by Woolgamood & Millington Architects. #airportarchitecture www.instagram.com/p/DSsHBG7EcR...

Merry Christmas! 🎄✈️

Just to really put a very fine point on it. As we note on this chart, 75 feet is less than the wingspan of this CRJ700.

From congestion pricing in Manhattan to WMATA’s continued ridership recovery and tiny cars, @davidzipper.bsky.social outlines some 2025 transportation wins in the US.

The garden ruins in Concourse C at the Denver Airport, also known as "Interior Garden" by artist Michael Singer, will be replaced soon with another work by Singer. "It probably wasn't the best decision to put a live irrigation garden above a high voltage train system." @denverite.bsky.social

A Denver City Council committee on Dec. 17 appointed a project manager for the $700mn, 11-gate western extension (plus a new outdoor patio) of Concourse C at Denver Airport. Who will use the gates? "We have a waiting list for gates, for these 11 gates," said DEN CEO Phil Washington. Timing TBD.

The Metrobus "system is short 120 drivers, and on average, 241 trips — about 2.7 percent of all trips — were missed each month in 2025." #washingtondc via @rachelweiner.bsky.social

Hey holiday travelers! I've got 2 expiring Alaska Lounge passes expiring Dec. 31 that I can't use. DM me if you want one!

Washington Reagan National 🎄, Terminal 1, historic lobby (opened 1941), by Charles Goodman. #airportarchitecture www.instagram.com/p/DSpYhSEkTK...

.@bwiairport.bsky.social is angling for one of Southwest Airlines' much hinted at new lounge as it puts the finishing touches on the spacious new $500 million A-B Connector for the carrier.

Looking to track Santa this year? You can find him on Flightradar24 at www.flightradar24.com/R3DN053/3d9f... right now as he warms up the reindeer and tests sleigh upgrades. Looking for a way to track Santa on a larger screen, like a smart TV? Head to www.youtube.com/live/rI_A_dc...

The #AA5342 crash on approach to DCA was “a tragic failure not only of the protections intended to keep the traveling public and users of the national airspace system safe, but also of the institutions that design and maintain them.” Good deep dive from @willguisbond.com at @theaircurrent.com.

TIL there was almost a 2nd railroad bridge from DC to VA, near what's now Chain Bridge. What would VRE look like today if it had happened? ggwash.org/view/101896/...

"Facility planning has lagged behind its fleet planning by about 15 years even though the two efforts are closely interconnected." !!! And the result is more delays to the Acela IIs, sigh. h/t @airlineflyer.net

congrats to Manhattan almost every American urban core would benefit even more, if only they could overcome the political power of the larger proportion of drivers commuting into their city

This explains why Virginia's railroads do not radiate out from DC. They were built to funnel goods to Virginia ports, ie Hampton Roads.

Spirit Airlines shrank its operating loss by $60.7mn to $72.7mn in November compared to October. That sounds like improvement but it is still a -30% margin. The airline also shrank dramatically.

TIL that Frederick, Md., a booming DC-area suburb was, in the era of mass railroad building in the 1800s, was but a small town of around 10,000 people. No wonder the state's contemporary railroad lines bypass many of today's population centers (except Baltimore). @ggwash.org

Serious question for DC-area cyclists: why hasn't Fairfax county made a concerted effort to build a multi-use trail to Tysons from the W&OD? Cycled out there today and there's just no good (ie, off street or protected) option for the last ~1.5 miles from the W&OD. #bikedc

Chicago O’Hare, CTA L station (opened 1984), by Murphy/Jahn. 📷 Keith Palmer/James Steinkamp via Architecture, May 1987. #airportarchitecture www.instagram.com/p/DSkq_gUkZt...

What is needed is a % tax on ride sharing. It has worsened traffic (and wear on roads) everywhere and should be taxed accordingly.

Ethiopian Airlines is already Africa’s largest airline, now the carrier (and its namesake country) want to build the continent’s largest airport about an hour from Addis Ababa with a capacity of 110mn passengers a year.

““The beauty of the urban playground … was that you could end up playing with so many different kids.” Whereas suburban backyards are, by definition, exclusive and limited in their social value. @langealexandra.bsky.social on Decoder Ring.

Thank you, American Airlines, for reminding me I joined AAdavnatage in — checks notes — 1993.

“What I’ve come to value in this era of mass overtourism are three things (that I will not acronym-ize for obvious reasons): depth, experiences, and interaction.” Read a book on the place. Do something you can only do there (I, like @woconnor11.bsky.social, prefer active things). Be with people.

Happy birthday, Duane. You'd be 61 this year. I was rereading the article about you, and apparently you used to do activism work while wearing a t-shirt reading “That’s Mr. Fag to You". Damn, you were an absolute badass.

“Now, studios make up a quarter or more of the units in many New York rental projects. Nationally, that’s true as well.” A major reason families end up leaving cities is a lack of housing that fits their needs.

Delta Schedules Atlanta – Riyadh Launch in late-Oct 2026 www.aeroroutes.com/eng/251221-d...

Winter Wonderfest #washingtondc

"Virgin Atlantic starts and ends in London." via @visualapproach.bsky.social (and I prefer the light) weekly.visualapproach.io/p/the-virgin...

Good, NYC needs to move to one or, better yet, zero crew subway trains. Not stick with two. via @stefanoschen.bsky.social

.@bikeshare.bsky.social stands as a testament that if you build an extensive bikeshare network people will use it, again, and again, and again. CaBi passed its all-time annual ridership record in November, ensuring 2025 will be a record year. #bikedc

TD Cowen on a potential Frontier-Spirit merger: "Investors we spoke with were skeptical on the merits of a combined entity given the structural challenges facing the high-utilization ultra-low-cost model."

Albuquerque Sunport, tunnel mosaic (opened 1965, closed 1989), by William E. Burk, Jr. #airportart www.instagram.com/p/DSfQn9EkfO...

RIP @politico.eu's Living Cities Global Policy Lab. I've really enjoyed this newsletter for the last few years, sorry to see it go but hoping for more great (urban) things from @aitorehm.bsky.social! www.politico.eu/newsletter/g...

Next: how many people are still waiting in the jetway versus in their seats

“Mamdani will be the first modern NYC mayor to give buses the dedicated political lane they deserve. Bus riders will just have to wait and see how it plays out. Fortunately for us, we have lots of practice waiting.” via @agordon.me

Canceling the northern leg of HS2 was an act of insane self-harm

Third Avenue Freezeout. Minneapolis, Minnesota

Virginia is working hard to make sure the new Long Bridge span for Amtrak and VRE blends with the existing bridge and park land. A few renderings from its latest NCPC presentation. #washingtondc

wtf

Trump's White House ballroom is on the agenda for the National Capital Planning Commission's Jan. 8 meeting. Unlike almost every other project up for discussion, there are no project-related documents or presentation available (yet). @washprobs.bsky.social

Hilo-Vegas wasn’t my first guess

Opening Jan. 9, 2026! Baltimore-Washington, Concourse A-B connector (opening 2026), by Jacobs. #airportarchitecture @bwiairport.bsky.social www.instagram.com/reel/DSdSgxm...

ICYMI

Spirit limps along, JetBlue enters the lounge wars, what's next at Swiss, plus CicLAvia (and how it’s at risk, h/t @awalkerinla.bsky.social). More in my latest dispatches.