Carpet in Airports. WHY?!
#16
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It's interesting how flooring surfaces are different in different parts of the world. The US seems to use a lot of terrazo for hard surfaces or industrial carpet.
I rarely see terrazo elsewhere in the world. It seems common in many places to use tiles of some sort. I find that even more obnoxious than carpet when using wheeled luggage - the constant "thunk, thunk" when going across grout lines magnified by thousands of travelers!
I rarely see terrazo elsewhere in the world. It seems common in many places to use tiles of some sort. I find that even more obnoxious than carpet when using wheeled luggage - the constant "thunk, thunk" when going across grout lines magnified by thousands of travelers!
My only problem with carpet is when they don't clean it frequently enough. I've been in airports which have suffered leaks or high humidity issues and you can smell the carpets. If the carpets are cleaned regularly and airport conditions well-maintained, generally dont' have an issue with it, although it can look bad when heavily worn.
#17
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I like carpet, solely for the noise reduction. I know there are other ways to control noise, but airports don't always employ them. A carpeted airport is generally a quieter one.
It's always industrial carpet. It's not like you're dragging your bag through the 2nd cut of rough at the US Open or anything.
In my house, I prefer hardwood floors with rugs and wall coverings to manage the noise. But in airports...I'll take the carpet any day.
It's always industrial carpet. It's not like you're dragging your bag through the 2nd cut of rough at the US Open or anything.
In my house, I prefer hardwood floors with rugs and wall coverings to manage the noise. But in airports...I'll take the carpet any day.
#19
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#23
Join Date: May 2005
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As anyone who travels with a carryon must know, carpet + luggage wheels = UGH! I have never understood why airports insist on using carpet in the airport. It NEVER looks nice (as it only takes about 32 seconds to go from 'freshly installed' to 'the most unsanitary surface known to man'), it must be expensive to maintain, and it absolutely SUCKS for wheeled bags.
I know, some of you are going to say 'try a different bag', but I have tried many, and it's the same story every time. Carpet slows you down and makes pulling a bag worse. Of all the things to complain about, this is obviously ridiculous. I get that, but I just can't understand why it even needs to be a thing. Like for real. Why?
#24
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From that episode, the floor covering was used to control traffic moving through the terminal. Don't let them stop til they reach their gate area, which was carpeted. It was an interesting show, the baggage handling in Dubai was wild.
#25
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My only problem with carpet is when they don't clean it frequently enough. I've been in airports which have suffered leaks or high humidity issues and you can smell the carpets. If the carpets are cleaned regularly and airport conditions well-maintained, generally dont' have an issue with it, although it can look bad when heavily worn.
The phrase that comes to mind here is "operator error". I've had a wide variety of rolling luggage over the past 40+ years and never once have I had trouble with pulling/pushing it across carpet. If you want a rant, let's talk about the hellish pebbled walkways in at YVR and a few other airports.
I definitely agree about the hellish pebbled (or tiled with 3D patterns or bumps on them) walkways. One that always baffled me was at MSY. In the terminal, the floors are had and smooth, but in Baggage Claim, for some bizarre reason, they use this textured pattern of raised bubbles on the floors. Drives me insane!
Anyway, thanks to everyone for the feedback!
#26
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Plus the added bonus: when they need to add a whole new terminal, it just takes 2 guys and an Allen wrench. @:-)
#27
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It really works when an airport like Changi is diligent about cleaning and maintaining the carpet. It doesn't work, I would say, given any typical US airport's level of diligence. In that case it rapidly turns into threadbare ugly bald and discolored patches throughout the concourse.
#28
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all that paranoid.
#29
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I guess you could frame the same arguments in terms of increased safety, instead of decreased liability, to sound a little less calculating. It's a bit more warm and fuzzy that way (not unlike carpet itself).