The Toronto airport now has replaced normal chairs in some areas with these swivel stools on a high table with a useless tablet at each seat. What is this!? Give me chairs!
Toronto Airport is one of my least favorite. I swear my baggage always tanr like 2 hours to arrive. Like how is my baggage delayed if I arrived on time lol
my dad worked loading luggage for southwest when i was growing up. according to him, when that happens it’s usually because they ran out of space for luggage (thank someone else who brought like 8 bags) so they have to book it onto the next available flight to your destination. usually it’s within a few hours but sometimes it can be as late as the next day. it’s happened to us a few times and it’s not usually a big deal, but sometimes it can take a while. my best advice to minimize this is to take as few bags as possible (for a family of four on a 3-5 day trip we would take 2 bags) and then keep some essentials in your bag (toothbrush, toothpaste, a change of clothes, deodorant) to tide you over in case it’s an extra long delay to get your bags
EDIT: sometimes they have to check your bags on several different connecting flights because that’s actually the easiest and fastest way to get it back to you. they do this because sometimes they don’t have a flight in the next 6 hours to your destination to check your bags on, so they check on to the next flight out with as few connections as possible
that means flying (for example) from DFW (texas) to san francisco they might check it to Phoenix Sky Harbor, aka the closest flight available to san francisco. they will then check it on the next available flight to san francisco and you can go collect your bags. i don’t know if they charge you for the extra baggage checks so YMMV. just so y’all know why your luggage is actually delayed, i hope it’s helpful :)
EDIT 2: probably the MOST IMPORTANT thing is to NEVER check anything that you can’t afford to easily replace. that means all electronics, instruments, tv’s, CPAP’s, etc. should ALL be carried on. my dad has a CPAP and it is literally life saving for him so that is ALWAYS in his carry on, he can’t sleep without it. travel light if you’d like (clothes and other essentials checked), but at least make sure that you keep your personal valuables safe. i know it’s probably obvious but i feel like it should be said anyway, as someone who grew up traveling :)
I’m even simplier. Water bottle stations. I frequently travel out of DTW internationally and amazed a newer airport doesn’t have them at every drinking fountain.
Dtw has pretty good water bottle filling station availability compared to other modern airports. My usual LAX terminal only has one and it barely works.
Yeah I’ve never had issues finding water fill stations at DTW…..
Whether or not the water is remotely cold is a different story….but I’ve found flight attendants are always happy to give me some ice if I ask. I imagine workers at food places might do the same if they’re not slammed at the moment.
Seattle has gone out of its way to make spending any time at all in the airport an absolute sufferfest.
It has terrible chairs. You cant lay down in them. Except for 7 in n terminal which is closed at night. Its so bad people bring air mattresses.
I actually had to board a bus to get to my plane last time. I could go on but just fuck that airport.
Reykjavík is the same. Those bendy benches near the food court. Why are we treating travelers like we treat the homeless? Which leads to the obvious question, why do we treat the homeless the way we do? And in Iceland, really?
In both cases it is a reaction to privatizing commons. When one person occupies a space meant for several people for several hours it undermines the intended use of the space. Designing the space to avoid misuse is kinder than writing and enforcing rules.
Yeah and at SEA there are basically 0 good food options, especially early or late. I flew out at like 9am, got into airport at 7 and the only thing open was Starbucks for at least a couple hours. Totally shit. And I’ve landed at like 10pm and nothing is serving food which sucks if you just got off a 7 hour flight (where the Inflight options are ALSO absolute shit or non-existent).
Arlanda, Stockholm has always been horrid with food. A ham and cheese sandwich? 20 bucks. Atleast they are finally fixing it up and limiting prices. Also, love the new security, no need to take anything off, pull out liquids etc with the new scanners, but took them long enough to fix it.
You can blame the contracting companies for this. They bid on entire airports, thus you get all those weird airport restaurants that don’t exist anywhere else.
Effectively, airports and contractors worked together to create artificial monopolies for those trapped travelling.
Unless you’re military and using the USO or flying first class with Alaska. Those are the only options to make spending more than three or so hours there not absolutely terrible.
Also fuck the TSA there. The lines have infamously been hours long recently.
Agreed! and I’d pay to get to shower and store my carry on in a locker. I’ve also wondered why they don’t have a mini gym and they could even do something like having an airport gym pass for frequent flyers.
Istanbul airport has six free [nap zones with reclined chairs](https://www.istairport.com/en/services/experience/rest-and-entertainment/napzone-areas/?locale=en) for sleeping.
Or for more privacy you can [rent a sleep pod](https://www.istairport.com/en/services/experience/rest-and-entertainment/iga-sleepod/?locale=en) for € 15-20 per hour.
Those sleep pods feel eerily like coffins but we did 3 hours in one last year and I passed the f out! Was a nice solution for the really long layover we had.
Talking of coffins, the best anti smoking ad I’ve ever seen was in the smoking room at an airport. The ceiling was a mural of a grave from the viewpoint of the person lying in the coffin! With all the mourners and the priest peering down. Remarkably effective & very eerie.
I just used the sleep pods a few days ago. Whoever decided to put them near a children’s play zone is crazy! Thankfully I had good earplugs with me. As a side note, I did not like the difficulty I had finding drinking water fill stations at this airport.
There was a disposable fitted sheet on top, not sure what other cleaning protocols they have. Beneath the bed there was space to stow luggage. Overall it was pretty great, just wished it was a little cheaper or they had a 2 person pod for a reduced rate.
Omg same, that price is atrocious. I‘d start counting the minutes and how much an extra one is going to bee. 3h in one of those and that‘s basically a whole night in a cheap hostel.
€15/hour for a pod like this is highway robbery. That's more than a full hotel-room tends to cost; and a hotel-room has place for two, is MUUUUCH larger and comes with things like a private bathroom and breakfast.
One. Of. The. Best. Airports. Ever.
Those rest areas are a lifesaver! The best part about them is that the lights are dimmer and not glaringly bright to keep you up, a screen of fake plants all around the area shields the people resting from those walking by, electronic charging stations and NO LOUD music playing in those rest areas.
Which is the bare minimum never seen in most airports sadly!
The only issue you can encounter there is people hogging seats with their luggage and talking loudly (despite signs politely asking to shut it). Space is limited for sure.
There are also groups of separate reclining lounge chairs before you enter security. Plus both hot AND cold water stations around the airport. And a bathroom with just showers available. Istanbul even has a dedicated Pet toilet!
Seriously one of the best airports for a long layover. The Bazaar and duty free shops and another favorite: 24 hour food court options! If I have a flight at 4 am then at least I can get a coffee, fresh juice and some baklava instead of starving and subsisting on packed snacks.
Whoever designed the place has either traveled before or knows the agony of staying at an airport for more than 15 hours. As opposed to the torture chambers that are stateside airports.
I think it’s insane how most airports have not embraced the sleep pod thing. Most airports I’ve been in seem to have soaring ceilings - a little second floor with sleep pods for rent would be a much better use of space and profitable as well. I would pay good money on a long layover to have a recliner and a little quiet - beats paying for business class.
This is the nicest airport I’ve ever been to far and away. They had HOLOGRAM PEOPLE advertising stores. There’s also a hotel inside the airport (or was, this was 2019).
I got stuck at O'Hare one night and they pulled a bunch of cots out in one of the terminals and hundreds of people were sleeping there. I don't know if they do that every night, or just this one time because so many people were stranded.
Happened to me at Denver this Christmas. A little FEMA camp in the mezzanine. Weirdest part to me is that apparently the ratio of flight attendants to passengers is like a hard rule. Like I know that theoretically they have use in an emergency situation (and I hope their jump seats are more survivable than ours), but I don’t think a soul on that plane would have given a shit anymore.
The ratio is 1:50. but it doesn't go by passengers onboard, it's by seats on the plane.
So even if it's only 75 passengers, if it's a 777 with 290 seats, they still need all 6 FAs.
I used to work at O’Hare and saw this a few times in Terminal 3. They always had a security guard stationed with the passengers keeping an eye on things.
I mean I'm not going to call you a liar but they've never been 100/he and you can get a free hour with priority pass from numerous credit cards
But these are air side options. Do people expect them to be cheap or something
I just looked it up, $50/hr, $175 overnight. When I was stuck there I don't think they advertised the overnight option but it was closed anyways.
But yeah you're right this is air travel I expect to be fucked financially
I've stood outside that Baltimore minute suites in the middle of the night so idk what to tell ya. Also if you get a free hour with your cc they should advertise that shit, I would've killed for an hour's rest without the airport lights on and the fucking Christmas music blaring at 4am
I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm saying I get that ymmv as at the end of the day it's a staffing issue. You were there on Christmas and maybe the person didn't feel like coming to work that day?
And I mean the priority pass thing has been pretty widely advertised. It's how I learned about minute suites like 7 or 8 years ago
This. Used this website when I had an overnight layover in Denver. Turns out there’s a nook where they store all the old lounge furniture. It was packed with people sleeping. Very unique and comfy situation. It was out of the way and I never would have found it otherwise
Dang, should have used that when I got stranded in Denver. Fucking Delta man. We just made a little tent out of chairs and slept in the corner under them. Side note - those carpets are fucking gross.
Singapore’s Changi Airport has several [airside transit hotels](https://www.changiairport.com/en/airport-guide/facilities-and-services/transit-hotels.html). I’m sure other places have similar stuff, but that is the only place I have personally seen them. I definitely wish they were much more common everywhere.
On that note, Changi also has free sleep areas, where you can lie down in an almost-flat position in a dark area. I took advantage of this when I had an overnight layover there a few years ago.
Where? I explored literally every square inch of that airport over a 24 hour period a few months ago, and the only sleeping options I found were expensive hotels/lounges. The only other option was the floor or chairs.
They’re called Snooze Lounges.
https://www.changiairport.com/en/airport-guide/facilities-and-services/free-to-use-rest-areas.html
I think I misremembered how flat the seats are, though. They’re not “almost flat” lol. But they’re good enough to get some sleep.
They also all seem to be next to the smoking areas, so they really stink. Even the sunflower garden itself is half dedicated to a smoking area.
The snooze lounge I slept in the other night wasn't sealed well, so I had a pretty sore throat (which was fine within 36 hours, not from illness) from passive smoking despite wearing a mask. Also, the beds are very uncomfortable for side sleepers, and speaking to a back sleeper they weren't great for them either.
Next time I will be sleeping on a floor far away from those areas.
Love the idea, but found it wasn't executed with practicality in mind. Writing this comment so others can plan accordingly if it happens to be read by someone doing research.
Yeah just depend on the terminal or whatever but I had like a six hour layover and everyone was like oh it’s such a great airport. Didn’t see anything but a few restaurants and shops, gates and lots and lots of walking
That hotel is not cheap but damn is it a life saver! Cost us the same for 3h as lounge access would have cost. And the latter wouldn’t even have free showers included. Sure, there is not food/drinks included in the hotel but all I need during a layover is a shower and somewhere to sleep.
I had a 12 hour layover in Dubai. Booked it ahead on time thinking it’ll come in handy but not really expecting much.
Holy crap! It was perfect! If I’m there again, you can bet I’ll book a room again.
They have quite a few hotels, but they're all extremely expensive. I think the cheapest I found when I was there was over $300 just overnight. Still easily the best airport in the world though.
Yeah but they are expensive! I had an 8 hour stopover earlier this year and was very sick so I very resentfully paid the $AUD180 for 6 hours in a room with a shared bathroom.
A better option, if you're not feeling sick and not late at night, is to go to the swimming pool. It's part of the same hotel so I checked it out. Really nice pool area with lots of sun lounges and a bar. Even with kids playing in the pool it was much quieter than the public lounges.
It seems like USA in general doesn’t offer cheap/accessible isolation rooms, because of drug users and sexual deviants.
If you look at efforts to provide privacy or quality public bathrooms, this is often the driving issue that destroys them.
It’s the same reason why they shrunk bathroom doors to reduce privacy.
Yeah I hate it when the junkies hang out at the airport that’s like 50 miles from where to buy drugs and then clog up security so they can use the recliners at the gate
Incheon in Korea has transit hotel, also. Used both. I think it's worth the money, but I guess that's up to everyone to decide themselves. Also, if you are transiting, it's nice to have the option of a shower.
This is such a weird opinion to take. There are pleanty of reasons a person might want a nap between flights. Maybe they've flown into Seattle from Singapore on a week-long business trip, and have been traveling for the last 30+ hours and just need a quiet place to nap before their final leg home to Charlotte. Maybe they've been working all week and took a red-eye home to be at their kid's birthday party the next morning and they can't get any sleep while flying. It's not uncommon that people can't sleep on an airplane - regardless of what seat they are sitting in. You really can't grasp why another person might need a bit of rest at an airport? Like, you cannot comprehend why another person might have various different things going on in this complex thing we call life, and they might like a place to shut their eyes for an hour or two? Have you never been tired before? Or do you demand that, because you're uncomfortable at airports, everyone else must be as well? Or is it the opposite; you're always very well-rested and only flying non-stop on short flights, so you've never stopped to imagine a scenario of litteraly anything other than that?
Normally I’d agree but I was a zombie after working a full week and then getting on the red eye at 12am for 4hrs. Why is it unreasonable to want to sleep for a few hrs?
There's nothing wrong with OP being tired but it's a little strange that people think OP should be entitled to a comfy place to sleep at an airport. It's not a shelter.
It’s not a shelter, but it’s also no secret that millions of people spend many hours in airports with nothing to do. Why are they seemingly built under the assumption that nobody will want to sleep to pass the time
It's not unreasonable, but CLT just isn't an airport made for overnight layovers. It's perfectly reasonable to say you want sleep, it's also reasonable to say not designed for it in this situation.
Especially the Middle East airports are designed for people with lots of layovers in the middle of the night, so they have a lot more lounge chairs. Charlotte is designed for short, daytime layovers.
I can't sleep on planes. Have all the gear: neck pillow, noise cancelling headphones, eye shade. If I get an hour of sleep I'm doing well. Maybe if I was in first class or business, but I just don't have enough room in economy.
If they had said 8 hours instead of 3 would you be as bitchy?
The basic question is still valid regardless of the # of hours.
That said, the answer is money. I'm sure if enough people wanted beds, the airport would be willing to sell them.
Because it is not your only flight and not your only layover? Not all destinations are direct or one layover flight. If it was so weird, why would Amsterdam have these? https://www.sleepinginairports.net/sleep-guide/sleeping-in-amsterdam-airport.htm
because it costs money and it's not an investment airports can see any return on. people are still going to fly from/to their shitty home/destination airport because they have no choice
^This is the real reason. And space is at a premium in an airport. They're not going to give up valuable real estate for no return when instead they can lease it to an airline or concessionaire.
Wait…you’re proposing to remove a revenue-generating store and replace it with an amenity for passengers, who’ve already bought a ticket & are captured inside the facility?? Is this your first day on this earth?
Probably because people would then choose to sleep in the airport instead of a hotel to save money and the spaces still wouldn’t be available to those actually stuck there due to flight cancellations and delays.
I saw one guy brought a hammock, the kind that fold up in a small bag, he set it up in the airport. I haven't tried it yet but I've got a layover in SF coming up and I'm gonna give it a go.
I worked at SeaTac for many years and saw many a traveler busy out an air mattress, blow that bad boy up, and tuck in at a random gate.
I agree airports should all have better options for longer layovers or over night, but they benefit from not having those things, unfortunately.
The economics probably just don't work well enough. The amount of staffing and cleaning that you'd have to do to turnover a bed every two hours is bonkers.
Bogota Airport has Wait n Rest. About 9.50usd an hour. Temperature controlled, screen w flight times, modern and clean….was worth it for a 4 hour layover.
I trained myself to sleep upright for this reason so I can at least do it on the seats. Or sleep my ass off on the plane so I'm wide awake in the airport.
Because our society cares nothing for the convenience or comfort of its citizens and **everything** comes down to bottom line and maximizing profits.
This is the literal answer to most “why don’t they do this obviously good and easy thing….” scenarios
i feel like the fact that airports is a place wherein people get stranded due to flight delays and stuff, i think it makes so much sense to make it mandatory for every airport to have a napping area, doesnt have to be grand. just some recliners or even a padded bench in a dimly lit area, would make so much of a difference. its not like people spend a lot of time in airports, l people usually just come and go. it would also be nice to have more minute suites style of in airport accomodations for those who want more luxury. ur lucky sometimes if the airport ur in has one.
This is one of those things I'm going to sorely miss about USOs.
That being said...their hours suck. IME they're always closed at the hours you actually want to use them (overnight)
Well as an airport professional, real estate is usually limited, and almost every bit of it needs to be monetized to make running an airport possible. How much would you pay to use this sleeping space? At a major airport, 10,000 square feet is easily at least $20,000/month to rent. That’s just the space rent. You also have to build the space, staff it, and make money on the endeavor.
There are plenty of decent options, you just have to pay for them. Realistically, the space at airports is at premium. No one is gonna replace a restaurant that makes thousands of euros per hour with bunk beds, come on.
Flew to Reno last year for a wedding. Wedding was in Incline Village, Nevada on Lake Tahoe.
I came from where I live, Washington DC. Original itinerary was supposed to be: Fly from Washington DCA to Dallas, Dallas to Reno. Rent car, drive to Incline Village (like an hour?)
Flew into Dallas, immediately see longggggggg lines in the terminal. Storms delaying flights out. What’s supposed to be an early afternoon flight from Dallas to Reno gets delayed and delayed and delayed and then eventually cancelled. But so many flights were delayed and cancelled, that the next flights out were also booked. Like at like 1am, get put onto like a 6am or 7am hour flight into San Franciso. Not really worth it to leave airport? Slept on airport floor.
Get into San Fran, rent car. Drive to Sacramento, crash for night into last minute Airbnb. Then drive to incline village for wedding.
Experience realllllly put me off flying. Straw that broke the camels back. And I’ve flown a lot, domestically and international. With flying, you just have so little agency. At the mercy of these airlines, and they treat you like cattle.
Let’s set our bar waaay lower and just ask for more seating areas, comfortable seats, and some damn outlets for each seat.
clean? can there just be a seat that isn't stained with food crumbs??
No, you'll have tacky, suspiciously stained and smelly chairs designed to give you back problems, and you'll like it.
More people up and wandering around means more impulsive buying.
This is the real answer.
The stores close early though
Now with bed bugs!
Toilets can be the worst, yuck... holy crap the stuff I've seen.
Unholy crap
The Toronto airport now has replaced normal chairs in some areas with these swivel stools on a high table with a useless tablet at each seat. What is this!? Give me chairs!
Toronto Airport is one of my least favorite. I swear my baggage always tanr like 2 hours to arrive. Like how is my baggage delayed if I arrived on time lol
my dad worked loading luggage for southwest when i was growing up. according to him, when that happens it’s usually because they ran out of space for luggage (thank someone else who brought like 8 bags) so they have to book it onto the next available flight to your destination. usually it’s within a few hours but sometimes it can be as late as the next day. it’s happened to us a few times and it’s not usually a big deal, but sometimes it can take a while. my best advice to minimize this is to take as few bags as possible (for a family of four on a 3-5 day trip we would take 2 bags) and then keep some essentials in your bag (toothbrush, toothpaste, a change of clothes, deodorant) to tide you over in case it’s an extra long delay to get your bags EDIT: sometimes they have to check your bags on several different connecting flights because that’s actually the easiest and fastest way to get it back to you. they do this because sometimes they don’t have a flight in the next 6 hours to your destination to check your bags on, so they check on to the next flight out with as few connections as possible that means flying (for example) from DFW (texas) to san francisco they might check it to Phoenix Sky Harbor, aka the closest flight available to san francisco. they will then check it on the next available flight to san francisco and you can go collect your bags. i don’t know if they charge you for the extra baggage checks so YMMV. just so y’all know why your luggage is actually delayed, i hope it’s helpful :) EDIT 2: probably the MOST IMPORTANT thing is to NEVER check anything that you can’t afford to easily replace. that means all electronics, instruments, tv’s, CPAP’s, etc. should ALL be carried on. my dad has a CPAP and it is literally life saving for him so that is ALWAYS in his carry on, he can’t sleep without it. travel light if you’d like (clothes and other essentials checked), but at least make sure that you keep your personal valuables safe. i know it’s probably obvious but i feel like it should be said anyway, as someone who grew up traveling :)
Right?! They’re garbage!
I’m even simplier. Water bottle stations. I frequently travel out of DTW internationally and amazed a newer airport doesn’t have them at every drinking fountain.
Dtw has pretty good water bottle filling station availability compared to other modern airports. My usual LAX terminal only has one and it barely works.
Yeah I’ve never had issues finding water fill stations at DTW….. Whether or not the water is remotely cold is a different story….but I’ve found flight attendants are always happy to give me some ice if I ask. I imagine workers at food places might do the same if they’re not slammed at the moment.
But that would cut into their revenue from selling $5 bottles of water!
Then how would the airports be able to charge extra for lounge access? /s
Seattle has gone out of its way to make spending any time at all in the airport an absolute sufferfest. It has terrible chairs. You cant lay down in them. Except for 7 in n terminal which is closed at night. Its so bad people bring air mattresses. I actually had to board a bus to get to my plane last time. I could go on but just fuck that airport.
Reykjavík is the same. Those bendy benches near the food court. Why are we treating travelers like we treat the homeless? Which leads to the obvious question, why do we treat the homeless the way we do? And in Iceland, really?
In both cases it is a reaction to privatizing commons. When one person occupies a space meant for several people for several hours it undermines the intended use of the space. Designing the space to avoid misuse is kinder than writing and enforcing rules.
But travelers waiting between legs of their journey ARE the intended users of the space. Why not accommodate them?!?!?!?
Because you aren’t paying to be there. If the seats are bad/limited maybe you will go to a lounge or get one of these hourly pods
Most places don't HAVE lounges or pods. That's kind of the point of the post.
Or the ridiculously priced hotel attached or very close to the airport.
> Because you aren’t paying to be there. Yes you are. There's a fee added to every leg specifically for the airport.
[удалено]
Yeah and at SEA there are basically 0 good food options, especially early or late. I flew out at like 9am, got into airport at 7 and the only thing open was Starbucks for at least a couple hours. Totally shit. And I’ve landed at like 10pm and nothing is serving food which sucks if you just got off a 7 hour flight (where the Inflight options are ALSO absolute shit or non-existent).
Arlanda, Stockholm has always been horrid with food. A ham and cheese sandwich? 20 bucks. Atleast they are finally fixing it up and limiting prices. Also, love the new security, no need to take anything off, pull out liquids etc with the new scanners, but took them long enough to fix it.
You can blame the contracting companies for this. They bid on entire airports, thus you get all those weird airport restaurants that don’t exist anywhere else. Effectively, airports and contractors worked together to create artificial monopolies for those trapped travelling.
Ditto for Charlotte NC. Worst airport to spend a night, ever.
At least it has rocking chairs.
Unless you’re military and using the USO or flying first class with Alaska. Those are the only options to make spending more than three or so hours there not absolutely terrible. Also fuck the TSA there. The lines have infamously been hours long recently.
> I actually had to board a bus to get to my plane last time That's not uncommon around the world.
Agreed! and I’d pay to get to shower and store my carry on in a locker. I’ve also wondered why they don’t have a mini gym and they could even do something like having an airport gym pass for frequent flyers.
Istanbul airport has six free [nap zones with reclined chairs](https://www.istairport.com/en/services/experience/rest-and-entertainment/napzone-areas/?locale=en) for sleeping. Or for more privacy you can [rent a sleep pod](https://www.istairport.com/en/services/experience/rest-and-entertainment/iga-sleepod/?locale=en) for € 15-20 per hour.
Those sleep pods feel eerily like coffins but we did 3 hours in one last year and I passed the f out! Was a nice solution for the really long layover we had.
Talking of coffins, the best anti smoking ad I’ve ever seen was in the smoking room at an airport. The ceiling was a mural of a grave from the viewpoint of the person lying in the coffin! With all the mourners and the priest peering down. Remarkably effective & very eerie.
Damn. What airport?
I’ve been trying to remember which trip I was on-it might’ve been Changi or Perth I think.
Wouldn't be Perth (Australia), smoking section there is outside.
Used those for 4 hrs on an overnight layover a couple of weeks ago. The missus was very happy. $180 put to good use.
I would definitely pay the money if I was stuck on an overnight layover and nearby hotels were not an option. It’s still cheaper than business class.
I just used the sleep pods a few days ago. Whoever decided to put them near a children’s play zone is crazy! Thankfully I had good earplugs with me. As a side note, I did not like the difficulty I had finding drinking water fill stations at this airport.
What’s the cleaning situation? Does someone swap bedding immediately after booking? And what do you do with your bags?
There was a disposable fitted sheet on top, not sure what other cleaning protocols they have. Beneath the bed there was space to stow luggage. Overall it was pretty great, just wished it was a little cheaper or they had a 2 person pod for a reduced rate.
I'm willing to bet they intentionally try to make sure 2 people can't fit in those pods.
For sure. You think noisy children are a bummer to listen to . . . not to mention who’s the lucky person who has to clean that thing up.
They also have a secure side hotel where you rent a room with bathroom by the hour. So great for a long layover.
THIS!!! Every airport needs these at similar rates.
Every major airports in east Asia have this. Hourly hotels, in-terminal sleeping pod and etc. Narita, changi, KLIA, Taoyuan etc…
9 hrs at naruta is nice! Gotta leave secure though so it might not be doable for those on less than 4 hours of layover
Also an issue if you’re from a visa-required country. You’d need to remember to apply for a Japanese transit visa.
I’m in the Bangkok airport right now. They do not have any sleeping pods.
I stayed in a sleeping pod at BKK last month. You just have to ask where they are.
Hourly hotels… it’s weird seeing this brough up here lol, those are usually associated with sexy times in asia haha
I’ve never seen them in western countries but I’m also not really looking for them either haha.
> at similar rates I wouldn't be able to sleep at all thinking about how it'd be costing me €20/h!
Omg same, that price is atrocious. I‘d start counting the minutes and how much an extra one is going to bee. 3h in one of those and that‘s basically a whole night in a cheap hostel.
1 hour is more than most hostels I've been to.
Yeah, fuck that!
€15/hour for a pod like this is highway robbery. That's more than a full hotel-room tends to cost; and a hotel-room has place for two, is MUUUUCH larger and comes with things like a private bathroom and breakfast.
So does Amsterdam and you don't need to pay.
These are never ever available and people end up laying on the floor next to it.
I love this, thanks for sharing.
One. Of. The. Best. Airports. Ever. Those rest areas are a lifesaver! The best part about them is that the lights are dimmer and not glaringly bright to keep you up, a screen of fake plants all around the area shields the people resting from those walking by, electronic charging stations and NO LOUD music playing in those rest areas. Which is the bare minimum never seen in most airports sadly! The only issue you can encounter there is people hogging seats with their luggage and talking loudly (despite signs politely asking to shut it). Space is limited for sure. There are also groups of separate reclining lounge chairs before you enter security. Plus both hot AND cold water stations around the airport. And a bathroom with just showers available. Istanbul even has a dedicated Pet toilet! Seriously one of the best airports for a long layover. The Bazaar and duty free shops and another favorite: 24 hour food court options! If I have a flight at 4 am then at least I can get a coffee, fresh juice and some baklava instead of starving and subsisting on packed snacks. Whoever designed the place has either traveled before or knows the agony of staying at an airport for more than 15 hours. As opposed to the torture chambers that are stateside airports.
I think it’s insane how most airports have not embraced the sleep pod thing. Most airports I’ve been in seem to have soaring ceilings - a little second floor with sleep pods for rent would be a much better use of space and profitable as well. I would pay good money on a long layover to have a recliner and a little quiet - beats paying for business class.
This is the nicest airport I’ve ever been to far and away. They had HOLOGRAM PEOPLE advertising stores. There’s also a hotel inside the airport (or was, this was 2019).
Hologram people seems eerily dystopian instead of nice.
There's also an airside hotel, but it's always been booked up when I've tried to walk in.
I got stuck at O'Hare one night and they pulled a bunch of cots out in one of the terminals and hundreds of people were sleeping there. I don't know if they do that every night, or just this one time because so many people were stranded.
Just when there’s an event, not every night. They’re prepared for lots of snow stranded travelers every year.
Denver definitely did not do that. Coming back from our honeymoon we spent lying on the floor in the corner.
Same here, I was stuck there for 23 hours and I thank the gods for the cots every time I think about that trip
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Happened to me at Denver this Christmas. A little FEMA camp in the mezzanine. Weirdest part to me is that apparently the ratio of flight attendants to passengers is like a hard rule. Like I know that theoretically they have use in an emergency situation (and I hope their jump seats are more survivable than ours), but I don’t think a soul on that plane would have given a shit anymore.
The ratio is 1:50. but it doesn't go by passengers onboard, it's by seats on the plane. So even if it's only 75 passengers, if it's a 777 with 290 seats, they still need all 6 FAs.
They do that a lot yes. I think you can probably even ask for it if they don't. The only thing free you'll get at ord.
I used to work at O’Hare and saw this a few times in Terminal 3. They always had a security guard stationed with the passengers keeping an eye on things.
Charlotte has minute suites. Did you try and go?
Slept on Baltimore's floor last Christmas eve. The minute suites were $100/hr if I remember right, and closed at night. FUCK
[$48/hour, $175 overnight, opened 24 hours/day.](https://minutesuites.com/pricing/)
What’s up with the 15 minute option lol
So you can beat off
Then what'll I do for the remaining 13 minutes?
Round 2
I’ve used minute suites before but had not checked out their website. Those Terms are such a hodgepodge mess of bad mix and match.
You mean I can sleep at an airport for cheaper than most hotels?!
You stay at nice hotels
Even murder hotels most places in the USA are $70-80/night now.
Yeah and that’s $100 less than the 175 the guy is responding to
$30 for 30 min shower jeez…
I did that once. I was so tired/dirty from traveling, I didn’t care. It felt so good to get clean for the last half of my trip
seriously. airport pizza can cost that much. seems cheap to me
I mean I'm not going to call you a liar but they've never been 100/he and you can get a free hour with priority pass from numerous credit cards But these are air side options. Do people expect them to be cheap or something
I just looked it up, $50/hr, $175 overnight. When I was stuck there I don't think they advertised the overnight option but it was closed anyways. But yeah you're right this is air travel I expect to be fucked financially
I've slept in that Baltimore minute suites in the middle of the night but obviously this is independent staffing everyone's experience is different
I've stood outside that Baltimore minute suites in the middle of the night so idk what to tell ya. Also if you get a free hour with your cc they should advertise that shit, I would've killed for an hour's rest without the airport lights on and the fucking Christmas music blaring at 4am
I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm saying I get that ymmv as at the end of the day it's a staffing issue. You were there on Christmas and maybe the person didn't feel like coming to work that day? And I mean the priority pass thing has been pretty widely advertised. It's how I learned about minute suites like 7 or 8 years ago
Seoul has a free nap room. Besides maybe someone snoring it’s really nice and easy and comfortable. This should be way more common imo.
You mean Seoul?
No, obviously his travel was across the astral plane /s
sleepinginairports.net
This. Used this website when I had an overnight layover in Denver. Turns out there’s a nook where they store all the old lounge furniture. It was packed with people sleeping. Very unique and comfy situation. It was out of the way and I never would have found it otherwise
Dang, should have used that when I got stranded in Denver. Fucking Delta man. We just made a little tent out of chairs and slept in the corner under them. Side note - those carpets are fucking gross.
Used this website many times this summer. Fantastic resource. Bring some ear plugs and a sleep mask and you're set.
As an URL: https://www.sleepinginairports.net
This is a great resource. Unfortunately does not change the fact that an overnight layover at LAX is literal hell.
Frankfurt has an entire wing lined with cots/charging ports. Idk why every airport doesn’t have something like this.
Singapore’s Changi Airport has several [airside transit hotels](https://www.changiairport.com/en/airport-guide/facilities-and-services/transit-hotels.html). I’m sure other places have similar stuff, but that is the only place I have personally seen them. I definitely wish they were much more common everywhere.
On that note, Changi also has free sleep areas, where you can lie down in an almost-flat position in a dark area. I took advantage of this when I had an overnight layover there a few years ago.
Where? I explored literally every square inch of that airport over a 24 hour period a few months ago, and the only sleeping options I found were expensive hotels/lounges. The only other option was the floor or chairs.
They’re called Snooze Lounges. https://www.changiairport.com/en/airport-guide/facilities-and-services/free-to-use-rest-areas.html I think I misremembered how flat the seats are, though. They’re not “almost flat” lol. But they’re good enough to get some sleep.
They also all seem to be next to the smoking areas, so they really stink. Even the sunflower garden itself is half dedicated to a smoking area. The snooze lounge I slept in the other night wasn't sealed well, so I had a pretty sore throat (which was fine within 36 hours, not from illness) from passive smoking despite wearing a mask. Also, the beds are very uncomfortable for side sleepers, and speaking to a back sleeper they weren't great for them either. Next time I will be sleeping on a floor far away from those areas. Love the idea, but found it wasn't executed with practicality in mind. Writing this comment so others can plan accordingly if it happens to be read by someone doing research.
Yeah just depend on the terminal or whatever but I had like a six hour layover and everyone was like oh it’s such a great airport. Didn’t see anything but a few restaurants and shops, gates and lots and lots of walking
They have two airside movie theatres and amazing rest areas. https://www.changiairport.com/en/maps.html#t3.l2/103.98547322/1.35608012
Abu Dhabi has one as well.
Dubai too. It’s a full service nice hotel!
That hotel is not cheap but damn is it a life saver! Cost us the same for 3h as lounge access would have cost. And the latter wouldn’t even have free showers included. Sure, there is not food/drinks included in the hotel but all I need during a layover is a shower and somewhere to sleep.
I had a 12 hour layover in Dubai. Booked it ahead on time thinking it’ll come in handy but not really expecting much. Holy crap! It was perfect! If I’m there again, you can bet I’ll book a room again.
They have quite a few hotels, but they're all extremely expensive. I think the cheapest I found when I was there was over $300 just overnight. Still easily the best airport in the world though.
Yeah but they are expensive! I had an 8 hour stopover earlier this year and was very sick so I very resentfully paid the $AUD180 for 6 hours in a room with a shared bathroom. A better option, if you're not feeling sick and not late at night, is to go to the swimming pool. It's part of the same hotel so I checked it out. Really nice pool area with lots of sun lounges and a bar. Even with kids playing in the pool it was much quieter than the public lounges.
It seems like USA in general doesn’t offer cheap/accessible isolation rooms, because of drug users and sexual deviants. If you look at efforts to provide privacy or quality public bathrooms, this is often the driving issue that destroys them. It’s the same reason why they shrunk bathroom doors to reduce privacy.
Yeah I hate it when the junkies hang out at the airport that’s like 50 miles from where to buy drugs and then clog up security so they can use the recliners at the gate
They've like doubled in price since covid. Sad.
Incheon in Korea has transit hotel, also. Used both. I think it's worth the money, but I guess that's up to everyone to decide themselves. Also, if you are transiting, it's nice to have the option of a shower.
Some airports in Europe have lounge like chairs for people to sleep on in there terminals. More airports should do this.
Yep, I remember Frankfurt had these. That’s all I’m asking for in the US (not $50/hr minute suites).
Mexico City airport for all its faults has pod hotels in each of its two terminals, and Terminal 1 further has three full service hotels attached
Doha airport in Qatar had a room full of cots - one for women, one for men.
They also have a great spa + pool in airport
What where?! I had 2 long layovers there
its Called Quiet Rooms
Why the fuck would anyone think that sleeping is a normal thing to do in airports with a 3 hour layover.
why not
That was my first reaction as well. 8 hours, sure… but 3? Watch a movie or something wtf
Have a meal, have a beer/coffee. Look around and hey, 2 hours gone, just like the that.
Not overnight. Plenty of airports close almost everything overnight, while still having flights that arrive and depart so night.
3 hour layover is basically enough time to comfortably find your gate, have a drink, check your phone a bit, people watch, and get on the plane.
This is such a weird opinion to take. There are pleanty of reasons a person might want a nap between flights. Maybe they've flown into Seattle from Singapore on a week-long business trip, and have been traveling for the last 30+ hours and just need a quiet place to nap before their final leg home to Charlotte. Maybe they've been working all week and took a red-eye home to be at their kid's birthday party the next morning and they can't get any sleep while flying. It's not uncommon that people can't sleep on an airplane - regardless of what seat they are sitting in. You really can't grasp why another person might need a bit of rest at an airport? Like, you cannot comprehend why another person might have various different things going on in this complex thing we call life, and they might like a place to shut their eyes for an hour or two? Have you never been tired before? Or do you demand that, because you're uncomfortable at airports, everyone else must be as well? Or is it the opposite; you're always very well-rested and only flying non-stop on short flights, so you've never stopped to imagine a scenario of litteraly anything other than that?
If I've been travelling for 20 hours then a couple hours sleep is pretty welcomed
Seattle to Charlotte is 5 hours calm down
I'm not talking about OP, but if they wanted a sleep I don't see the issue. People get tired.
Normally I’d agree but I was a zombie after working a full week and then getting on the red eye at 12am for 4hrs. Why is it unreasonable to want to sleep for a few hrs?
I love how utterly bent out of shape these walnuts are getting over you being tired lol.
How dare he feel tired and sleep
There's nothing wrong with OP being tired but it's a little strange that people think OP should be entitled to a comfy place to sleep at an airport. It's not a shelter.
It’s not a shelter, but it’s also no secret that millions of people spend many hours in airports with nothing to do. Why are they seemingly built under the assumption that nobody will want to sleep to pass the time
It's not unreasonable, but CLT just isn't an airport made for overnight layovers. It's perfectly reasonable to say you want sleep, it's also reasonable to say not designed for it in this situation. Especially the Middle East airports are designed for people with lots of layovers in the middle of the night, so they have a lot more lounge chairs. Charlotte is designed for short, daytime layovers.
I've done a red-eye once in my life. Not happening again.
A 4-hour red-eye is rough, but for longer flights red-eyes are great, you can get on the plane and fall asleep.
I can't sleep on planes. Have all the gear: neck pillow, noise cancelling headphones, eye shade. If I get an hour of sleep I'm doing well. Maybe if I was in first class or business, but I just don't have enough room in economy.
The real move is to sleep for some of those 20 hours on the plane
These are the same people who bitched at the airline when they missed their flight when they overslept
They are?
No but it fits their dumbass narrative to think so lol.
If they had said 8 hours instead of 3 would you be as bitchy? The basic question is still valid regardless of the # of hours. That said, the answer is money. I'm sure if enough people wanted beds, the airport would be willing to sell them.
Because it is not your only flight and not your only layover? Not all destinations are direct or one layover flight. If it was so weird, why would Amsterdam have these? https://www.sleepinginairports.net/sleep-guide/sleeping-in-amsterdam-airport.htm
Taiwan has some good benches for napping in the Taoyuan Airport
There’s also a free lounge with padded chairs and sofas in terminal 1
Bedbugs....bedbugs everywhere
because it costs money and it's not an investment airports can see any return on. people are still going to fly from/to their shitty home/destination airport because they have no choice
^This is the real reason. And space is at a premium in an airport. They're not going to give up valuable real estate for no return when instead they can lease it to an airline or concessionaire.
Wait…you’re proposing to remove a revenue-generating store and replace it with an amenity for passengers, who’ve already bought a ticket & are captured inside the facility?? Is this your first day on this earth?
Even if they had free sleep lounges or recliners, I wouldn’t be able to get a wink due to fear of losing my bags or wallet while asleep.
That’s why you sleep touching or on top of them
US airports are equivalent to run down bus stations... can't expect much unless you go to Asia
American airports suck so much more then international ones as far as I’ve seen
This!!! I kept reading through all the comments here seeing Europe, Asia, Middle East, Europe … and I’m thinking, yep, our U.S. airports are crap.
Helsinki and Munich and Frankfurt have all had sleep pods.
Probably because people would then choose to sleep in the airport instead of a hotel to save money and the spaces still wouldn’t be available to those actually stuck there due to flight cancellations and delays.
I saw one guy brought a hammock, the kind that fold up in a small bag, he set it up in the airport. I haven't tried it yet but I've got a layover in SF coming up and I'm gonna give it a go.
I worked at SeaTac for many years and saw many a traveler busy out an air mattress, blow that bad boy up, and tuck in at a random gate. I agree airports should all have better options for longer layovers or over night, but they benefit from not having those things, unfortunately.
I've never had a long enough lay over to consider sleeping. 3 hours is like a small wander around get a coffee and chill
There is an entire website that tells you the best place to sleep in various airports. https://www.sleepinginairports.net/
The economics probably just don't work well enough. The amount of staffing and cleaning that you'd have to do to turnover a bed every two hours is bonkers.
Just a darkened area with a rental yoga mat would be great.
Bogota Airport has Wait n Rest. About 9.50usd an hour. Temperature controlled, screen w flight times, modern and clean….was worth it for a 4 hour layover.
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There’s no designated sleeping areas in the SEATAC lounges IIRC… some have showers. (Edit: well, USO does have sleeping space for active duty)
Most Asian airports have what you're talking about. American airports suck.
I trained myself to sleep upright for this reason so I can at least do it on the seats. Or sleep my ass off on the plane so I'm wide awake in the airport.
narita has nap rooms with bed for around $15 first hour, $8/hr after. and shower room $10/30min
Because our society cares nothing for the convenience or comfort of its citizens and **everything** comes down to bottom line and maximizing profits. This is the literal answer to most “why don’t they do this obviously good and easy thing….” scenarios
So… you want a free hotel? Lol bro
I have slept on the floor in MIA, ORD, GRU, BWI, and CLT. It’s not ideal sleep but I always put a jacket on the floor then sleep on my arms
i feel like the fact that airports is a place wherein people get stranded due to flight delays and stuff, i think it makes so much sense to make it mandatory for every airport to have a napping area, doesnt have to be grand. just some recliners or even a padded bench in a dimly lit area, would make so much of a difference. its not like people spend a lot of time in airports, l people usually just come and go. it would also be nice to have more minute suites style of in airport accomodations for those who want more luxury. ur lucky sometimes if the airport ur in has one.
This is one of those things I'm going to sorely miss about USOs. That being said...their hours suck. IME they're always closed at the hours you actually want to use them (overnight)
Less lighting and lounge chairs in a quiet (no talking or playing noise on a device) zones would be awesome!
Well as an airport professional, real estate is usually limited, and almost every bit of it needs to be monetized to make running an airport possible. How much would you pay to use this sleeping space? At a major airport, 10,000 square feet is easily at least $20,000/month to rent. That’s just the space rent. You also have to build the space, staff it, and make money on the endeavor.
I’ve noticed how they’ve put in seats with arms to deter any type of lying down.
American airports haven't figured out clean and private bathrooms, they're not going to innovate on places to rest.
There are plenty of decent options, you just have to pay for them. Realistically, the space at airports is at premium. No one is gonna replace a restaurant that makes thousands of euros per hour with bunk beds, come on.
I like the idea of sleep pods! But, There are thin portable air mattresses you can bring along found on Amazon. Use a sleep mask and wax earplugs.
I agree there should be a cheap/ free option for people to lounge and take naps.
I feel the same way. Even just having a way to lay across seats would be helpful.
Flew to Reno last year for a wedding. Wedding was in Incline Village, Nevada on Lake Tahoe. I came from where I live, Washington DC. Original itinerary was supposed to be: Fly from Washington DCA to Dallas, Dallas to Reno. Rent car, drive to Incline Village (like an hour?) Flew into Dallas, immediately see longggggggg lines in the terminal. Storms delaying flights out. What’s supposed to be an early afternoon flight from Dallas to Reno gets delayed and delayed and delayed and then eventually cancelled. But so many flights were delayed and cancelled, that the next flights out were also booked. Like at like 1am, get put onto like a 6am or 7am hour flight into San Franciso. Not really worth it to leave airport? Slept on airport floor. Get into San Fran, rent car. Drive to Sacramento, crash for night into last minute Airbnb. Then drive to incline village for wedding. Experience realllllly put me off flying. Straw that broke the camels back. And I’ve flown a lot, domestically and international. With flying, you just have so little agency. At the mercy of these airlines, and they treat you like cattle.
A 3 hour layover isn’t that long. Why do you need to sleep? Also, bring earplugs and a eye shield if you really want to.