For some people, airports can be the bane of their existence. Being trapped in a high security building for extended periods of time without the freedom of leaving, paired with the stress of keeping up with the ever changing plane schedules can be exhausting. There is certainly room for improvement here, and these Redditors have some solid ideas.
u/SpecialEffectStevie asked: What would you actually change about airports?
TRUE.
All I want are bathroom stalls that are designed to accommodate both a person and their carry-on bags.
If the doors open inwards, the stall needs to be longer so that you can maneuver a rollerbag in without hitting the toilet. If the doors open outwards, the stalls can be about the standard size but the bathroom needs to be more spacious. Have heavy duty hooks at waist height that can actually hold a backpack.
This is a great idea.
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Sleep pods to rent, so when I miss a flight and the next is tomorrow I don't have to sleep on chairs, hoping my stuff doesn't get stolen.
Some airports have those, like in Milan, although you have to book it in advance which makes no sense.
Someone feels strongly about this.
The cost of food in the food courts. F*ck Sydney and Melbourne airport, I'm not paying $15 for a f*cking wrap or a fancy sandwich that's been sitting there all day, so it's always McDonald's or KFC or some mainstream fast food chain because at least they keep their prices consistent, even if I don't feel like it.
That's just unfair.
In the UK airports like Stansted and Heathrow make you walk a full freaking mile along this winding path through the middle of booze and perfume shops before getting anywhere remotely close to a flight gate.
And what takes the piss is you can see the old gap in the wall that takes you right to the gates that they have filled in before you walk the mile to get to the other side of that exact wall.
Would love to put a hole in that wall.
This.
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Have people stand the f*ck back from the baggage carousel until they see their bag.
Oslo has a red line about a meter back, and people stand behind it! After experiencing that, I can't stand this anymore. And how hard is it to draw a line on the floor?
I could not handle that.
More seats, vending machines for cheaper snacks, and better WiFi connections.
Last year I went to Turkey on my own, 2 flights with a stop in Istanbul. I had promised everyone to send them a WhatsApp message in the airport. I arrived in Istanbul and there was not a single wifi hotspot in the airport. Not even Burger King and similar restaurants provided one. I asked the security people and they confirmed they just don't have free WiFi there at all. How the f*ck does that happen in a city this big with a big number of tourists visiting every year?
Good insight.
I actually work in airport management, but moreso on the technical, actual airfield side of things. So I've thought about this a bit. From the traveler side of things, I'd really love more options for people with dietary restrictions. So many of the airport restaurants are operated by some company like HMS host or Hudson News and they are terribly mediocre with high staff turnover and poor training. So they can't be trusted to deal with dietary concerns. And the convenience shops they have usually have no quick meal type thing that will accommodate dietary needs.
Aside from that, I'm with most of you. Good WiFi, enough seating, lots of outlets, etc. And airports are trending this way, it just takes time to adapt. They don't want the terminal constantly under construction to add more outlets which could be a big project, or more bandwidth, or more seating because the small planes are going away. So they have to wait for a large terminal or concourse refresh and do it all at once.
Comfort is everything.
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Just, let me feel like a person. Give me a little more space, a little softer cushioning, an outlet for me and the person next to me. For a place where I'm often expected to exist for hours, let me stay in that space in comfort for those hours instead of scrounging for space, power, healthy food, and any amount of comfort.
Great idea.
Put a post office in TSA security so I can mail the stuff that's over the weight limit or that I forgot was in my carry on.
I'm a frequent traveler but I forgot about my body spray and new bottle of liquid hair product in my carry on once, so that was $50 in the garbage. I would have paid the $10 to ship it.
YES.
I would make food cheaper at the airport. In my experience most airport restaurants serve relatively small portions for a high price. I am hungry when I travel, but the cost of my travel also means I can't buy as much.
Yes.
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You could probably make each seat itself 50% wider and still seat more people, just because people are weird about sitting super close to strangers. Most waiting areas you'll see every other seat is taken unless it's a family.
Dumb it down.
Make the food and trinkets in the stores cost less and dumb down the organization level to where a 5 years old could find their flight.
Ambitious.
An entirely new way of boarding including new aircraft to make it even faster. I want to be a pilot and boarding is a nightmare for the flights I've been on and I think strides should be made towards making the cabins modular. Example: everyone boards small cabins separated by class, then once everyone has boarded, the cabins would move on rails and attach to the plane.
Sorry about horrible grammar.
Much needed.
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For signs to teach people about how planes work and how safe they are. Some people are so freaked out because they don't understand how safe planes are and how they work. Like things if a plane looses all engines it can still fly for a good distance if it's at cruising altitude.
Some easy fixes.
- Put clocks in prominent places, so you can adjust your watch or phone properly when you land in a new destination, so you can figure out how much time you have left until you get to the boarding gate, etc. etc. It amazes me that clocks are so hard to find in airports.
- Remove the armrests from between the seats so you can lie down if you're stuck there overnight.
- Put outlets and USB chargers by each seat, instead of in a few designated spots.
- Free, unlimited Wifi (thankfully this is becoming more common). Especially the kind you don't need to register with a local phone number (Hear that, Istanbul Airport?).
