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Ways to combat terminal boredom while waiting for a flight
Ways to combat terminal boredom while waiting for a flight
By Janet Fullwood - jfullwood at sacbee.com Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, October 28, 2007 Story appeared in TRAVEL section, Page M http://www.sacbee.com/travel/story/454428.html It wasn't a summer of love. The airline industry's on-time performance over the hectic vacation months was the worst it's been since the Department of Transportation began keeping records 13 years ago. Almost one- third of domestic flights got to their destinations late. And as travel in general finally surged past pre-9/11 levels, complaints of mishandled baggage rose, too. Fall has brought marginal reprieve. But now, staring us in the face, comes the worst travel time of all: the holiday season. You've been there. I've been there. And if you're contemplating a plane trip during the upcoming Thanksgiving or end-of-year breaks, you probably hear a drums-of-doom soundtrack playing in your head. 'Tis the season, after all, when the news is filled with images of exhausted passengers crashed out on terminal floors and security lines extending to the horizon. But lengthy layovers and even flight delays don't necessarily mean being condemned to airport purgatory. Airports today are much more pleasant and well-stocked than they used to be. And with modern technology at your fingertips, you never, ever have to be bored. Here, then, are our top 10 ways to pass time on the fly. 1. Go shopping Airports are starting to resemble upscale malls as retailers cash in on the buying power of their captive audiences. So these days, you're as likely to find a $3,000 Navajo necklace (Phoenix Sky Harbor), a Lands' End shop (Minneapolis-St. Paul) or a Victoria's Secret (Washington National) to divert your attention as you are the ubiquitous Starbucks and Cinnabon stands. The move toward high-end retail coincides with post-9/11 facts of life: Airports have to accommodate more travelers for longer periods than they did before. "We're not bus stations anymore," says Jane Sullivan, manager of marketing and communications for San Francisco International Airport. "Retailers have realized they've got a very desirable demographic. People will spend money." Among the glossy outlets at SFO are a Coach shop, a branch of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art store and, according to Sullivan, "the only free-standing Gucci store anywhere in the world." Sacramento International Airport is getting in on the trend. Among the new retail offerings are Vino Volo, a wine shop offering tastings and a range of California wines. Forever Silver, a jewelry store, a Brooks Brothers shop and a travel-goods retailer are slated to open soon. "It's always been our goal to provide something for the customer that enhances their experience while they're waiting for their flight," spokeswoman Gina Swankie says. 2. Work out - or get worked over Why spend those layover hours pacing and getting frustrated? Many airport hotels will let travelers use their workout facilities (pool included) for a fee of $8 or $10. At Miami International Airport, for example, the Miami Airport Hotel (currently closed for renovation) has a rooftop health club with a pool, showers, a jogging track and lounge chairs where you can get a tan while waiting for your plane to come in. Just remember to pack earplugs to soften the roar of jets screaming overhead. Other airport hotels with clubs accessible to travelers include the Hilton Boston Logan, the Hilton Chicago O'Hare, the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport (McNamara Terminal) and the Fairmont Vancouver Airport. If you're a 24 Hour Fitness member, you'll hit the jackpot at Las Vegas McCarran Airport, which boasts an on-site branch of the health- club chain (baggage claim level, Terminal 1) that offers classes along with showers, lockers, a sauna, steam room and massage services. Low-impact wellness services are available in many airports, as well. Travelers whose bodies are kinked from too many hours of sitting in cattle-car class can get a chair massage in Sacramento International's Terminal A, near the Southwest Airlines gates. At SFO, three locations of Xpress Spa, offering massage and other services, are expected to open before the holidays. Indeed, airport fitness options are growing so fast that there's even a Web site devoted to the subject: www.airportgyms.com. 3. Haunt a bookstore Time was, the only reading material one could find in an airport were newspapers, New York Times best- sellers and potboiler paperbacks. No longer. Bookstores - real bookstores, staffed by people who actually read the books and dish out knowledgeable advice - have arrived. At SFO and nine other airports, Simply Books has a staff that's happy to talk literature and make reading recommendations. In Portland, the famous Powell's Books has three airport locations where patrons can swap and sell, as well as buy. And for sheer volume, the Renaissance Book Shop at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee takes the prize with more than 50,000 used books on its shelves. In Lexington, Ky., Atlanta-based Paradies Shops two years ago partnered with the New York Times to open a New York Times Bookstore at the airport. Meanwhile, shoppers at any of 19 other Paradies bookstores and newsstands can return a book (with original receipt) to any Paradies outlet within six months of purchase and get a 50 percent credit. Used books are sold at half the cover price. Chain stores such as Borders, with 25 airport locations, are well represented in airports, too. Hudson Booksellers is the biggest player, with stand-alone bookstores in 70 airports and a book presence at more than 450 airport newsstands. 4. Discover local food It's possible to have an actual culinary adventure while waiting for your plane to come in. At SFO, for example, nearly all food outlets are branches of local restaurants and cafes. "We're a foodie town, so it makes sense we'd have a foodie restaurant," Sullivan says. "We have the highest spending on food of any airport in the country, primarily because our offerings are so good." Among them: ebisu, a branch of one of the Bay Area's most renowned sushi restaurants, and Yankee Pier, a seafood restaurant conceived by celebrity chef Brad Odgen. In Sacramento's Terminal A, travelers can sample a Merlino's Freeze and soon will be able to savor lunch or dinner at an airport branch of the local Lemon Grass franchise. "It's very important for an airport to offer a sense of place," Swankie says. "Being able to have regional offerings helps do that." Elsewhere in the country, travelers can chow down at branches of such regionally renowned eateries as Jim Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Que at Memphis International, Legal Sea Foods in Boston, Berghoff Cafe at Chicago's O'Hare, Pappadeaux at Houston Intercontinental and La Carreta at Miami International. 5. Get wired You might have to pay to connect to the Internet in an airport, but then again, you might not. An increasing number of facilities are offering Wi-Fi connections for free. Among them: Sacramento, Phoenix, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Colorado Springs, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Orange County, Philadelphia, Richmond, Roanoke, Milwaukee, Cheyenne, Seattle, Portland, Ore., and JFK International Airport in New York. To find out in advance if an airport has free Wi-Fi, go to www.jiwire.com or www.wififreespot.com/airport.html. Here's another tip: Try an airline club. You don't have to go in - just camp outside the door, flip open your laptop and see if you get reception. Most clubs offer free Wi-Fi, and the signal often bleeds through the walls. 6. Join a club Speaking of airline clubs, most frequent fliers are well acquainted with these spots, which offer oases of civility far removed from the chaotic concourses just outside their doors. Less well-known is that you don't have to pay a pricey annual membership fee ($400 and up) to gain admittance to these inner sanctums. Most clubs offer day memberships to travelers who want to rest comfortably until departure time. Prices vary, and passes might not be available on bad-weather or high- traffic days, when the lounges fill up with regular members. But if your timing is right, you can spend a few hours in an American Airlines Admiral's Club or a United Airlines Red Carpet Club for $50. Delta and Northwest offer even better bargains at $25 and $45, respectively. |
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