2005 Year in Review

How to have fun in airports

Whether you are a business or recreational traveler you are very likely to have to spent lots of time in airports. I probably spent more time in airports then I ever did in flight during my overseas career, so killing time became an art form for me.

For instance, the longest continuous flight I ever had was 14 hours from Los Angeles to Manila in the Philippines. Longer still was a flight from New York Kennedy to Cape Town, South Africa, but there was a refueling stop on one of the Cape Verde Islands off the West Coast of Africa and we could get off the plane and stretch. And then there was the time my wife and I were returning from our honeymoon in Italy and our flight from Milan took over 16 hours. We weren't actually in the air all that long, but we were onboard the aircraft for the entire time. We watched a complete movie after boarding, but before we took off, landed in New York because we didn't have enough fuel to make Chicago, sat on the runway until tornadoes passed O'Hare airport and then circled Milwaukee for a couple hours while we waited for thunderstorms and a backlog of flights before we could touch down in Chicago. Needless to say, these were long journeys, but still not as long as the cumulative time I've spent in airports waiting for flights and connections.

I have spent days in airports. I've slept on airport floors. After many hours of airport time you find out the best places to sit or sleep, where to eat, where to shower, where to find internet service or a good cup of coffee. Sometimes all these places are obvious, but sometimes they are not. Some guys I worked with would bring 5 or 6 books to read while they were at work and finish 3 of them on the journey to work. I personally preferred easy reading like magazines and newspapers, so I could concentrate on people watching, which is probably my number 1 airport activity.

Shopping is also very much encouraged in airports, particularly on international flights where duty free shopping is available. Although items may be free of duty it doesn't always make them cheaper than they are at home, so for the most part, I looked for items that you couldn't get at home. This was often a challenge and helped to pass the time.

Talking to fellow travelers or airport information staff is also a fun activity. Usually the stories are fanciful and the particular information not helpful, but it does all help to pass the time. Drinking establishments at airports are usually pretty well attended despite the exorbitant prices, but again, conversation is free flowing and sometimes pretty entertaining. I would also like to go to ticket counters and try to get on different (usually earlier departing) flights if I could. Sometimes I was successful, or sometimes I would get an upgrade, but mostly it just helped pass the time. I did feel like I had an advantage over some ticket agents since I often traveled the same route for years and I knew the alternatives and they didn't.

If you ever get the chance to join certain airline clubs or acquire enough air miles to do so it is often a good idea to take advantage of their restricted area lounges. Usually they are well staffed and well provisioned with free food and drink and much quieter than the main terminals. Massage services or spas are also often part of the perks and well worth the cost and useful to de-stress.

When returning home from work I was focused and wavered little from my intended path. I wanted to go home! However, if I was going to work or had an especially long time to wait I would make an effort to head to the arrival gates and avoid departures. Arrival gates are much more fun because even if you aren't at home you see people who are arriving home and being greeted by friends and loved ones. Again no matter what the language, the expression and look of joy on the returning traveler and greeters face always felt good even if I was sharing it vicariously. It was infectious.

Good advice is to always be patient, courteous and, as much as possible, never in a hurry. You'll enjoy that part of the journey that you really can't control all that much better.

Bon voyage and safe journey!

by Marc Adami, Guest Columnist
June 20, 2005