The Weight of the Wait

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Rex Pe

Psychological Impact of Long Lines

According to researchers and customer-loyalty experts like Nick Wreden, the average person will wait in lines between two and five years of their life. Unfortunately for travelers, the present-day airport experience is all about waiting: wait to park, wait to check-in, wait to be screened, wait to board. For frequent flyers this could translate into as much as 10 years stuck in a queue.

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Unexpectedly Expected, Part Two

Image © Paul Rivera

Imagine for a moment that you’re enjoying a beautiful New York day on a roof terrace with your family. The kids are romping atop a small landscaped hill, you’re sitting at a rooftop picnic table enjoying a view of nearby planes taking off. Your dog is within sight, too—playing in an area reserved for dogs, rolling around with a few canine friends. Then imagine something unexpected: you’re on a rooftop… at the airport.

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Celebrating Arrival at the Airport

Throughout the 20th century airports served as civic icons for the dreams, aspirations, and the identities of their cities. Even for terminals that inherently represented the fanciful nature of flight (JFK's TWA Terminal, pictured above, and Washington Dulles are great examples), the segment of the journey that was always emphasized was the departure sequence. This created a magical experience for those passengers embarking upon a journey or for visitors ending their holiday. Yet for an airport that looks to announce its city as a desirable destination, isn't that backwards? Shouldn't the arrivals sequence be the moment where an airport welcomes guests to a city with a grand architectural gesture, or at least with daylight and a view?

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