Got the time?

Date May 1, 2008

Airport.jpgI see that Perth Airport is going to get a pretty big make over. Eventually the domestic and international airports will be merged so that people won’t have to make a panicked dash from one terminal to the other to make their connecting flight.

It’d be nice if they did something similar in Sydney so that you didn’t have to pay five dollars for a bumpy bus trip from one to the other.

I’ve spent a bit of time in airports recently and I can suggest a couple of things they might want to keep in mind.

The first thing is clocks. I’m amazed at the lack of clocks in most airports. You’re there to catch a flight which leaves at a pre-determined time, yet there are hardly any clocks to tell you if you’re running on time or not.

Even if you’ve got a watch you’re very likely to have just flown in from a different time zone rendering your watch fairly useless. I was impressed at Miami Airport. They gave regular P.A. announcements to remind travellers of the local time. A great idea but a few extra clocks would make things even better.

My watch battery died on the trip from Miami to Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago so it wasn’t a lot of fun trying to work out if I was running early, late, or on time.

I guess one other thing they might like to look at is making the air-conditioning constant throughout the terminal. I’ve been to airports where you can go from stuffy and warm to icy cold within metres.

I’ve got a few other ideas but I’d like to hear your thoughts. What would you suggest to a company about to build a brand new airport? What have you found lacking at airports? What do you like about airports?

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • StumbleUpon
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Technorati
  • NewsVine
  • Bumpzee
  • Facebook
  • Furl
  • Spurl
  • Slashdot
  • blogmarks

Category Posted in Life

12 Responses to “Got the time?”

  1. Tim P said:

    May 1st, 2008 at 4:30 pm

    I would have to say clocks too Rodney. Knowing what time it is makes the whole ordeal a lot less stressfull. And not all airports i’ve been to have a shop that sells magazines, refreshments and most importantly chewies. To stop your ears going pop during take off.

  2. Java said:

    May 1st, 2008 at 10:19 pm

    They charged you for that??? That’s a bit unfair, gosh as if flying is not expensive enough! Rip off LOL.
    Softer benches is what I want.

  3. Paula said:

    May 2nd, 2008 at 7:22 am

    Adelaide airport has combined domestic and international, but it’s a stupid airport. I regularly fly on Rex from Adelaide to Pt Lincoln. Rex don’t use skywalks, so you have to walk in a tin-covered tunnel (fun in summer!) For about 10-15 minutes to reach the plane on the tarmac. Going back to Adelaide, you’re taken to the old international airport, because there is no security at small domestic airports, so apparently we’re a security risk and can’t go through the new airport. It’s ridiculous.

  4. shawna said:

    May 2nd, 2008 at 5:05 pm

    i’ve never noticed the $5 charge at sydney airport. i’m assuming its put on the ticket price but i’ve never noticed (and i’ve done that ride between the 2 terminals a few times).
    airports could use more comfortable chairs for people with long layovers and more free internet stations would be nice (especially on long international trips where you just want to send a couple quick emails to let people know where you’re at)

  5. Iris said:

    May 2nd, 2008 at 5:21 pm

    I go for comfy seats, too!
    Singapore had free internet stations, I liked that.

    Well. Germans are known for being exact in time, right? I guess they have enough clocks in Frankfurt airport. That is…. I have a watch with the right time with me like “at any time” and maybe didn´t even realize about clocks?
    My Mum, being a watchmaker (hello cliché!), gave me a watch that shows two time-zones, too…
    I´ll keep my eyes open next time!

  6. thai said:

    May 2nd, 2008 at 9:58 pm

    totally with you Rodney, clock is so important….
    i also think they should improve the lifts in the airport….. i feel that they are smelly and extremely hard to breathe….. sorry if my suggestion sounds silly….:)

  7. Rodney Olsen said:

    May 2nd, 2008 at 11:32 pm

    Tim, I might have to get some chewies when I fly next week. :)

  8. Rodney Olsen said:

    May 2nd, 2008 at 11:33 pm

    Java, what about softer benches without so many armrests so you can lie down if you’re stuck there for hours and hours?

  9. Rodney Olsen said:

    May 2nd, 2008 at 11:34 pm

    Paula, are they planning on sorting that situation out? I thought Perth Airport was bad.

  10. Rodney Olsen said:

    May 2nd, 2008 at 11:40 pm

    Shawna, I certainly could have done with some free internet at the airports where I spent hours waiting.

  11. Rodney Olsen said:

    May 2nd, 2008 at 11:41 pm

    Ah yes, Iris. I’ve used the free internet at Singapore. It’s a wonderful service.

  12. Rodney Olsen said:

    May 2nd, 2008 at 11:43 pm

    Thai, I don’t think your suggestion is silly at all. I’ve been in some pretty bad lifts and it’s never pleasant.

Leave a Reply

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>