Last week my husband and I spent a long weekend in the Chicago area, flying in and out of O’Hare International Airport on Alaska Airlines. On our return home, we made sure to arrive at O’Hare well before our flight’s scheduled departure. We wanted time to have a leisurely lunch before heading to our gate, but there was an additional, all-important stop to be made in Terminal 3 as well. You see, I can not visit Chicago without making a visit to Garrett’s Popcorn and picking up some Chicago Mix (caramel and cheese corn) and Cashew Caramel Crisp.

With full tummies and a few bulging bags of Garrett’s in hand, we settled in at the gate to await our call to board. Because we generally travel in economy class, I always bring a bottle of water with me onto the plane. I generally find I require water before we’ve lifted off, and once in the air my thirst and the timing of beverage service rarely coincide. I usually bring an empty plastic bottle from home (those newstand prices are, excuse the pun, hard to swallow) and fill up at a drinking fountain once I’m through security. On this trip for the first time I tried out a new collapsible plastic bottle from Eddie Bauer. I found its flatter, more flexible form, even when full, made it easier to slip it into a side pocket in my carry-on bag. And when there’s no room to spare in purse or bag, the bottle has a small carabiner, making it possible to clip it to a strap or ring.

The filling of a water bottle (collapsible or not) at a drinking fountain can be problematic: Often the water pressure is low and the angle of the arc of water makes it difficult to completely fill the bottle. I was therefore delighted to see an addition to the usual two-level drinking fountain — at the back was a water dispenser similar to those found on refrigerator doors which allowed one to fill an upright water bottle. Water flowed by virtue of an electric eye which dispensed fluid when a bottle was placed in front of it, under the spigot. With no buttons to push or levers to turn, this meant one could hold the bottle in one hand and the cap in the other; no need to place the cap on a questionable surface or into a linty pocket for the maneuver.

A small sign above the dispenser touted the benefits to the environment of filling reusable containers here rather than purchasing (and disposing of) those plastic bottles. I was just happy to finally have an easy way to get my bottle filled, and I’m hoping to see these popping up at other airports soon.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor