Inferno303

I have a lot of layovers - many just 1-3 hours, so I spend the time eating, working and shopping. Still I wish I could get more use of layover time:

• barber/hairdresser. Being a man, I really never find the time to plan for a haircutting trip at home. Having the option at an airport terminal would be great.
• better instant/fast food. With maybe just 20 minutes, the proper restaurants at airport aren't an option. Junk food doesn't fit with my lifestyle, and the dry baguettes/sandwiches are just about all I got time for. Wish there was more variety.
• Gym. Some days I travel-meet people-travel from EARLY morning till late night and don't get a chance to workout. A proper gym/fitness centre with showers would be a great way to waste time at an airport (airside).

What are your favourite time-wasters on layovers, or which new services would you like to get at airports in the future?

Non-NonRev

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Windows Phone 8.1; ARM; Trident/7.0; Touch; rv:11.0; IEMobile/11.0; NOKIA; Lumia 635) like Gecko)

Movie theaters (first run)

Inferno303

Good idea! But maybe most people use their tablets/laptops for films, so first runs should be launched for streaming/downloads simultaniously to theatres?
But still - I'd go to one, if available!

FlightCancelled

All of those mentioned allready excist in various airports around the world, though they are of course not common. The larger the airport, the more varied the services offered.

I must say that I really appreciate airports having spas with the possibility of different treatments and/or massage. Though I don't do this very often (never in the city I live), I like it - it's just that I don't prioritize it. I'm also a fan of airports having a hairdresser/barber.

Jasper2009

+1! Going to the barber is a nuisance, so I wouldn't mind getting it done during a layover.

I'm not too picky when it comes to food, but a place selling good-quality, reasonably fresh sandwiches/salads/vegetable sticks - or something similar to the Marks & Spencer "Simply Food" shops in the UK - would be nice.

Other than that, I'd like to see more liquor stores airside - not duty free shops, just regular (somewhat high-end) liquor stores. I often bring a bottle of wine as a gift when visting people, but since I usually travel with hand baggage only there's no easy way to do it.

In the same vain, I also wouldn't mind more pharmacies airside and landside - buying the stuff I need for a trip at the airport would save me some time, and I could even drop off my prescriptions on the outbound flight and pick them up when returning.

BankerManUSA

All of these things (so far) are available at PDX except for the movie theater, gym, and pharmacist. I don't think an airport would be too keen on a movie theater for safety reasons and needing to sweep the theater periodically for unattended bags.

PDX has an excellent barber, complete spa, lounge for every domestic carrier that offers one, excellent grab and go fast food court with really superb offerings that are all labeled with stickers indicating whether they can be carried through security as well as a large food court after security. We have two excellent bookstores that are Portland icons, high end dining at the airport, wine bars. We even have a Nike outlet that delivers all the newest shoes and apparel Nike has been developing just down the road at their World Headquarters.

I agree, I'd like to see more gyms in airports and maybe one or two of the major full service banks to get banking off my to do list. God knows they wouldn't have to worry about robberies inside an airport...

mbece

An airside pharmacy (I mean, a real one not a tiny OTC pills section on a regular shop) is something I've never seen in US airports and that'd use.

Jasper2009

Me neither. I suppose it's related to the fact that other shops are permitted to sell some over-the-counter drugs such as Tylenol etc. - which I guess is what pax are interested in anyway.

The best airside pharmacy I've probably seen was at MUC - regular selection of products, prescription drugs and a central storage facility (presumably shared with other pharmacies at the airport) with many more porducts that can be delivered within 10-20min.

nonstarter

Tortas Frontera in every airport!

pinniped

Most of these things require significant long-haul to long-haul connecting traffic to make sense, which is why they are often found in the largest Asian hubs more than anywhere else.

But that PDX selection sounds pretty good for basic O&D offerings. I've never spent any time in that airport but will be there this fall. I look forward to it...I enjoy unique bookstores and wine bars, anyway.

My simple request: I wish more airports had a way to get some fresh outdoor air during a regular connection (airside). Some type of outdoor (nonsmoking!) patio or rooftop, ideally with a decent view of flight ops.

You want to go where?

I have used a barber in airports three times, and would probably use them more if they were available. I have been to a pharmacy in airports several times. I have eaten high-quality fast food in non-US airports more times than I can count.

All of these would be good additions to more airports. I think the first-run movie theatre would be a hard thing to make a profit with. Not only do you have to be in an airport which has a lot of people taking long layovers, but the theatre would also be competing with other activities such as shopping, eating, getting your haircut (), sleeping, reading, and socializing.

Forrest Bump

Which led me to think to the nearby sex shop (or maybe was the extra Schengen level).
Always wondered how open minded the authorities of MUC were.
For what I recall now is closed. Perhaps the sex shop is not a succesfull business for an airport.

nonstarter

^

tropicaliceberg

in no particular order:

(1) breweries inside airport terminals

(2) Apple Store

(3) 1-hour dry cleaners

(4) supermarkets(very handy, but I've never seen them in the U.S.)

(5) batting cage

(6) restrooms with attendants (like CLT Airport)

(7) bicycle rental so I can get to my get faster (some airports let employees use them, so why not passengers? yeah, that'll never happen)

(8) fortune teller or palm reader booth

(9) tattoo shop

(10) more valet parking

(11) roller coasters that take you from terminal to terminal (yeah, sure)

(12) full service banks

(13) IKEA

(14) Hooters Restaurants

(15) silent waiting rooms(no talking, no cell phone, no sound whatsoever)

Doc Savage

Free wifi at all airports.