"A supine snooze at the airport"

Sunday, February 27, 2005

A supine snooze at the airport
Sleeping pods and pay-per-use lounges are beginning to make their way into
North American airports. Vancouver leads the way.
By Jane Engle
The Los Angeles (CA) Times


A Canadian airport has added a new twist to "airport lounge."

Since December, international travelers on layover at Vancouver
International Airport in British Columbia have been able to catch 40 winks
inside individual sleeping pods called MetroNaps. They made their debut in
May at New York's Empire State Building, providing naps that cost $14 for 20
minutes.

The pods are recliners equipped with privacy hoods and speakers that produce
soft ocean sounds to deaden outside noise. Gentle vibrations awaken nappers.

In Vancouver, the first airport installation by the New York-based
NapCentre, which runs the service, three pods offer fliers short-term rest
to recover from long flights and jet lag, said Christopher Lindholst,
co-founder of NapCentre. Under a recent introductory promotion, the first
half-hour has been free; otherwise the price is about $12 for up to two
hours.

"We've been pleased with the response," Lindholst said, declining to say how
many people have used the service.

"It's a trend that's catching on," said Christopher Gilliland, the airport's
manager of retail sales and service programs. "People aren't quite sure what
to make of it." He said he welcomed MetroNaps, because "I walk through the
airport every day, and I see these people camped out on our seats," waiting
for flights.

Americans typically won't encounter the pods, which are in the international
departures lounge, because they go through U.S. Customs in a different area
of the airport. But if the service is successful, Gilliland said, it might
be expanded to that area.

In the arrivals area, one innovation already available to Americans is a
pay-per-use lounge, similar to those the airlines offer to their first- and
business-class customers. This one is open to anyone willing to pay $20 a
day.

The price includes shower facilities, a TV area, Internet access, beverages
(including beer and wine) and snacks - handy if you arrive in Vancouver
hours before your hotel's check-in time or are on a quick in-and-out day
business trip.

A similar lounge in the departures area offers private resting suites and
hot food to international travelers in transit; the all-inclusive price is
$24. Hours vary; call (604) 303-7600 for details.

Pay-per-use lounges are popular in Europe and Asia. But Vancouver's Plaza
Premium lounges, opened last year, are unusual in North America, Gilliland
said.

For the ultimate layover, travelers can pay a day rate, good for stays
between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, inside the
terminal. The day rate was recently about $105. Information: (800) 257-7544
or (604) 207-5200, http://www.fairmont.com/vancouverairport .

"We're a fairly forward-thinking airport," Gilliland said.

Attached Photo:

An airline passenger in the international departures lounge of Vancouver
International Airport tries a sleeping pod offered by NapCentre.

16451596.jpg