Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Relief: Four airport perks coming soon
There's nothing fun about going to the airport, and the regulatory climate isn't likely to change that anytime soon. Security will still be a nightmare, and you won't be able to bring your own water with you (at least not for a while). Fortunately, there are companies out there looking for ways to make your airport experience better. So, what can you expect to see in your local airport in the near future? Here are four amenities to whet your appetite for something to counteract the airport security gauntlet:
1. Catch some comfy shut-eye: sleeping on a plane sucks. There's just no way to get comfortable. And, if you slip your leg alongside the seat in front of you, you do run the risk that it will get slammed by the beverage cart. Well, you'll be able to use your layovers to rest, soon. Napping nooks, already available at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, are expected to come to San Francisco in the near future. Seven airports are in the early stages.
2. Light up a cigar: okay, this one is particularly meaningful to me. A few airports still have smoking areas (I just lit up in Denver last month), but they tend to be unfortunate spaces, not designed to appeal. This is where a company like Graycliff can make a difference. The Bahamas-based cigar and hospitality company has an idea for well-ventilated lounges, featuring cigar rollers (and nothing beats a stick fresh off the bench, at least, not for me). With Graycliff involved, you can expect a stylish, upscale experience. The first is already open at the airports in Nashville and Nassau.
3. Better shopping and eating: the challenge of finding a bite or buying a tie during weird hours could become a thing of the past. From the chance to dine at a Food Network Kitchen to broader shopping options, airports are scoping out ways to enhance the experience of being trapped within their walls. If all the doomsday predictions by the airline industry about the implications of the three-hour delay rule are true, you might need to buy several changes of clothes and meals ... because they believe this rule means you will never get home again.
4. Get picked up more easily: no, this has nothing to do with wearing something hot or having that extra cocktail. Rather, airports are opening their minds to parking where your ride can wait for you. You call; they drive around to get you. But, it's not always that easy. Nature calls, and there's always a shortage of space. So, look for larger parking lots with bathrooms flight information boards and maybe even dining options? Newark's already headed down this road, with plans in the works for JFK airport, Cincinnati, Fort Myers and St. George (in Utah).
For more on this topic, head on over to USA Today where airport expert Harriet Baskas explores more upcoming airport amenities.
[photo by msspider66 via Flickr]
3. Better shopping and eating: the challenge of finding a bite or buying a tie during weird hours could become a thing of the past. From the chance to dine at a Food Network Kitchen to broader shopping options, airports are scoping out ways to enhance the experience of being trapped within their walls. If all the doomsday predictions by the airline industry about the implications of the three-hour delay rule are true, you might need to buy several changes of clothes and meals ... because they believe this rule means you will never get home again.
4. Get picked up more easily: no, this has nothing to do with wearing something hot or having that extra cocktail. Rather, airports are opening their minds to parking where your ride can wait for you. You call; they drive around to get you. But, it's not always that easy. Nature calls, and there's always a shortage of space. So, look for larger parking lots with bathrooms flight information boards and maybe even dining options? Newark's already headed down this road, with plans in the works for JFK airport, Cincinnati, Fort Myers and St. George (in Utah).
For more on this topic, head on over to USA Today where airport expert Harriet Baskas explores more upcoming airport amenities.
[photo by msspider66 via Flickr]
Filed under: North America, Bahamas, United States, Airports
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
gail Oct 18th 2010 4:25PM
ho hum and when will this happen? I'm sure most of us could give them many more suggestions
Joe in JT Oct 18th 2010 8:37PM
Four new perks coming soon at your airport?
1. While being radiated at the naked body scanner machine, a puff of air will shoot up your legs and crotch, sort of a scratch and sniff test, to see if you're loaded up with explosives.
2. While being frisked by a large black woman with an attitude, the second minimum wage TSA worker will be shining a lazer into your eyeball trying to get an iris scan.
3. While walking through the magnetic beeper 6 times, each time taking more of your clothes off, the TSA workers will be taking side bets to see if you are left with only your underwear or shoes. Or if it's a guy, is he sporting a woody.
4. And finally after getting through the security idiots, you are boarded onto the plane, the cockpit door is open, and flying the 767 jet is a young kid no older than your teenage son, who looks stoned and is making a salary less than the assistant manager at McDonald's.
abc Oct 19th 2010 3:21AM
My wife flew to Chicago two weeks ago. As she checked in for the return flight, the TSA employee told her she couldn't take a small glass angel as the wings were too sharp. The TSA employee also found a small water globe and asked where she got it, commented how much he liked it and said he would like to be able to buy one. He then told her that she couldn't take it on board. The TSA employee told her that she could keep the items if she checked the bag for a $60 fee, which she declined. I wonder how many people took long ink pens on board that flight. An ink pen would make a much better weapon than a small glass angel or a small water globe.
abc Oct 19th 2010 3:22AM
I forgot to mention the very, very small bag of peanuts she was offered by the flight attendant...if she wanted to pay $4.00 for them. I wonder if the airlines are paying someone to maintain an inventory of those very valuable peanuts. Wouldn't want to lose out on $4.00 you know.