crowly

Not much different IMHO than taking my laundry to a laundromat in any city. I have in in my carryon anyway, may as we'll use the time to do it.

flatlander

My desires in airports include:

Free WiFi for all travellers that works for all Internet services not just web access (Schiphol, I'm staring at you). I'm paying for the amenities in my passenger service charge so that should include WiFi.

A well-stocked bookshop with a good variety of titles, including travel guides to major destinations served from that airport. A bookshop at least the size of a typical newsagent containing only books, instead of 20% of each newsagent or general shop outlet having the same top-20 airport novels and business books. Replace many mediocre with one good. Surprisingly, Stansted has one of these despite being mainly a cheap airport.

A well stocked convenience/drug/etc store (the UK has Boots but most other airports are lacking).

A good supply of low-fat high-vegetable high-grain meals in a take-away format as well as eat-in (O'Hare is possibly the most miserable place for this, with very many food outlets all of which sell unhealthy, nauseating crap).

A well-stocked travel electronics shop (Heathrow, unusually, scores well on this with the the "Dixons Travel" shop). Particularly they should stock power adapters, accessories, and other things you lose or break when travelling, as well as headphones, data cards, gadgets, etc.

A shop selling some basic clothes - underwear, socks, t-shirts, formal shirts, trousers, etc - in a wide enough variety of sizes to cope with 90% of travellers. A good outdoor/leisure shop like Rohan (in the UK) would do.

Electrical power outlets beyond measure, dense enough to supply each seat with an outlet, of the multinational-receptable sort found in modern aircraft seats.

Quiet seating areas, and enough seating for passengers to sit down when waiting for their flight. Schiphol scores well on this (go upstairs).

A duty-free shop with a wide selection of medium and high price drinks chosen for being interesting and to appeal to varied tastes, not just whichever global brand bids highest for the shelf space (if you want bargain vodka, just go to a shop landside). Stansted again isn't bad, but noone is really good at this.

Some area set aside for children to play and let off steam, muffled from the rest of the airport and where they won't run into a hard chair, piece of luggage, etc, and upset themselves. I'm sure I've seen this in at least one airport (and it wasn't in an airline lounge).

Some interesting art that you can look at for a while and still enjoy, with enough complexity or movement that there is more to see than a quick glance will reveal. Heathrow's "The cloud" is a nice start.

HockeyCoachBen

Privat is what I remember it being called. With the worst headache of my life as I stepped off an early morning Lufthansa flight. I staggered passed the Airbraü (though very tempted to stop and work out my problems there) and almost stumbled right into the adult toy store thinking it was the pharmacy. Thankfully the young lady at the pharmacy counter caught my eye and within minutes my head was clear thanks to her super strong chewable pain relievers.

Little did I know that I would need some nausea medicine as my next flight was on Air Dolomiti's mini prop plane. As I wrote in my travel journal, "next came the announcement (in about 6 languages) that electronic devices weren't allowed to be used for the duration of the flight as it wouldn't climb above 10,000 feet. I don't think the plane could climb above 10,000 feet."

BuildingMyBento

I've often lamented that airports generally don't offer laundry services, though if the machines broke I wouldn't want to lug around wet, soapy clothes.

At the same time, I have gone into town - Taoyuan near TPE rings a bell - just to do the laundry. At least there, if some machines suddenly, other options could be available.

mbece

They have a children's play area in DFW (I think terminal C). It's for younger kids, but they always look like they're enjoying it.

Zeeb

MSP has almost all of these things.

Totally agree on the clothes bit though. A Kohl's type store would be nice, even if the selection was very limited.

Cloudship

The last thing I want to do when traveling through an airport is shopping. Even if I as in the extremely rare mood to buy something, I wouldn't want to do it in a place with poor selection, over-priced and taxed prices, and having to repack in the middle of the airport to carry it. I personally would much rather just see a decent convenience type store that had reasonable prices. That and a place with comfortable, non-crowded seating.

Is no one else interested in a decent observation spot, possibly even outside, to watch the planes?

Inferno303

I am! Not nessecerely to watch planes but just a (non-smoking) outdoor area for a bit of fresh air and some kind of view would be nice, not being cramped between two buildings. Maybe even a running track, like some cruise liners have?

Annalisa12

I'd like to be able to get a 30 minute foot massage.

I'd also like a very quick blow wave. Not a haircut though as wouldn't you have all cut hair down your collar?

I'd like an area where you could actually sit outside.

I'd like shops without ridiculous exorbitant prices.

Last thing would want is a gym! I'm on hols so I'm going to relax and eat cake!!

mandolino

I don't mean shopping as a leisure activity (yuk) to kill time.

I mean for clothing essentials that you might have forgotten/destroyed/lost/not had time to buy otherwise/ etc.

What I'm (and others are) saying is that business travellers don't always have time to shop during an office-based week, but in an airport they are on a forced wait, so an excellent time to pick up those small but essential items.

Some UK airports have already cottoned onto this.
Most males I know get their haircuts in work breaks . i.e - we're not bothered.

BOM has this (or had). A few others have express sit-down back/neck/shoulder massages or coin-in-slot chairs.

Unfortunately business travel is just the opposite. Too many opportunities to eat (often obligatory for politeness or business advantage) and too few chances to exercise. Airport transit can be the only "me-time" you get.

relangford

Movie start times and flight times would likely make motion picture theaters a loser. I like the idea of the laundromat. I also agree with an observation location to watch the planes take off and arrive (I seem to recall one at LHR a while back). And, I cannot agree more that luxury shops perform very little function (if I were wealthy, am I going to buy a Rolex at an airport?). How 'bout a coin-operated shoe shine machine shop?

Behindthecurtain

One of those whackamole machines you see in fairgrounds, but with real TSA staff popping their heads up

Paul56

Better boarding procedures... I saw the full ugliness of the present
system over the last two weeks.

From the gate lace to those who think they can board the minute
they hear the GA say the word "boarding" to having to maneuver
you way around everyone when your boarding is called.

I'd like to see a GA with the audacity to announce that everyone
for the flight will remain SEATED at the gate until their zone is
called. Those not seated will be denied boarding.

Like last evening... the folks right at the back were the same ones
hovering around the GA desk.

Artpen100

1. No more carpeting. Smooth floor surfaces so you can roll your spinner from gate to gate.

2. Wider selection of magazines on US airport newsstands.