"The perfect airport takes shape"

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

On the Road
The perfect airport takes shape
By Harriet Baskas
USA Today


About one hundred USATODAY.com readers sent comments in response to my
recent column describing my airport amenities wish list. Many of you shared
my dreams of being able to land at any airport and find free wireless
Internet access, healthy food, and a few nap-worthy nooks. Many readers
wrote in with short and long lists of other amenities they'd love to see. A
few readers took me to task for being too greedy. (More on that later.) But
first, let's expand the wish list. 

The most common wish? Manicures! More than 20 women put this amenity at the
top of their wish list. Peggy Garrity, a contracting officer from
Philadelphia wrote, "I'm often traveling for business and don't always have
a chance to take care of that before I leave. These long waits at airports
would be more bearable if I felt I could kill two birds with one stone."
Lisa Falcone, a district manager from Sacramento, agrees, "I would gladly
pay a premium price to have a manicure while waiting for a connecting
flight. Right now I have a two-hour layover and am in dire need of a
manicure!" 

It wasn't just road warriors seeking manicures and other salon services.
Margo Kotulak, a contract compliance technician who works at Denver
International Airport sent along this comment: "I would love a 15-minute
manicure (one tech per hand) while a third is shampooing, blow drying and
setting my hair... Denver International Airport has some of the best airport
shopping, bar none. And gourmet food to die for! But we need that salon!"

The next most-wished for amenity: accessible and plentiful electrical
outlets. Christina Ruth, a customer service manager from Charlotte,
described the all-too-common scenario: "It always seems that my cellphone
battery is running low when I need it most and a lot of times it is
impossible to find an unused electrical outlet." Matthew Skelly, an Oracle
software consultant from Dallas who travels every week adds, "My search for
power outlets at the gates is never-ending. I cannot believe that DFW
[Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport] built a brand new terminal
(International, D) and provided no power outlets for travelers." 

(Note to Skelly and other DFW travelers: The outlet issue showed up in a
recent survey of International Terminal D passengers and airport officials
say they are working on a plan to install more. In the meantime, check out
the free outlets in the Starbucks Business Centers, located throughout the
airport.)

Brian Thair, a special effects artist from Prince George, British Columbia
often finds himself looking for clean desk spaces that are "not smeared with
ketchup or coffee or worse. I'd check out of a hotel at 11 a.m. and go to an
airport for a 4 p.m. flight if I knew I could settle down and get some
paperwork done!" 

Tom Galloway of Mountain View, Calif., would like to see airport bathroom
stalls designed "with the realization that people will be bringing in a
rollaway or other carry on with them." And Bert O'Connor from Kearney, Neb.
wants someplace to store his stuff: If not lockers, then "just a place to
check your bag safely, much like a hat and coat check. In colder climes: a
vacation check station: Drop your coat off on Tuesday; claim it on Sunday." 

Many travelers just wish for peace and quiet. Lorilyn Bailey, a technical
training and communications specialist in Raleigh, N.C., penned a top-10
wish list that included "La-Z-Boy recliners (leather or vinyl) with locked
compartments under the seat to hold carry-on bags" and "a sound-proofed room
that all cellphone users would be required to use." Steve Teller, a support
engineer from Elkridge, Md. yearns for a shielded quiet room where
"cellphones, pagers, blackberries, etc., don't work. Imagine purchasing a
nice healthy meal or snack and being able to eat in an a comfortable chair
or at a nice table without the distraction of beepers beeping, blackberries
chirping, ring tones blaring, and hearing intimate details of the next
person's life or business because they insist on yelling into their
cellphone. That would be a luxury I would pay for!" 

Most people who wrote in sent along just one or two wishes. A few people sat
down and matched my 10-point list item for item. Coy Travers, a former
flight attendant and pilot who travels more than 100,000 miles a year sent a
list that included courtyards for walking pets, healthy breakfasts on
airport restaurant menus after 10 a.m. ("An omelet with sliced tomato is an
excellent healthy meal instead of deep fried chicken and fries."), and
24-hour service: "It seems that more and more, airports are running flights
close to 24 hours a day, but the businesses and services are still 9 to 5." 

And here's some items from the wish list sent along by some folks who work
at Dallas-Fort International Airport (DFW). They're longing for on-site pet
groomers, a library, a dentist, a chiropractor, tanning beds, and a branch
of Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville bar/restaurant. 

Some people who responded to my column didn't think I had any business
wishing for anything at the airport. Pat Pope, a consultant from Anderson,
Ind., sounded off: "Really getting tired of the "pity" parties. Remember,
the airline industry is in the transportation business - NOT providing all
you talk about. The ONLY thing in your article that makes sense? Having
lockers again. I live in the Midwest and in the winter, it would be nice to
place my coat in a locker when going south." Um, sounds like a wish to me.

Bill Powers of Columbia, Md., clearly thought my airport amenity wish list
was ridiculous. "The less time spent in an airport (shopping, napping, and
rocking) the better... You want room to move? As a speed walker and past
frequent flyer I can assure you that, during primetime, there isn't enough
elbow room to get up a good head of steam through thousands of travelers
meandering the aisles and waiting areas...You want local flavor? Grab a taxi
and visit the town. Don't bring the town into the airport. People are trying
to maneuver through the darn thing .." He went on . but you get the point. 

But just for a moment, let's go back to wishing. Lorilyn Bailey's 10-point
wish list closed out with a wish for electronic scooters scattered about
airports for anyone to use and then leave for the next person. And punching
bags "for when the flight that was supposed to take three hours turns into
twelve hours. Or you find out that your flight was cancelled due to
thunderstorms in a distant city and your friend just dropped you off and
drove to her home 50 miles away and you don't have her cell number, and now
you need to find a hotel. And they are all filled up." 

Clearly, Bailey was just getting in gear, because right before signing off
she threw in an 11th wish: ping pong tables! 

Thanks to everyone who sent in their airport amenities wish list. Now let's
just hope some of these wishes come true. Soon.

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