Ways to combat terminal boredom while waiting for a flight

Ways to combat terminal boredom while waiting for a flight
By Janet Fullwood - jfullwood at sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, October 28, 2007
Story appeared in TRAVEL section, Page M

http://www.sacbee.com/travel/story/454428.html

It wasn't a summer of love. The airline industry's on-time performance
over the hectic vacation months was the worst it's been since the
Department of Transportation began keeping records 13 years ago.
Almost one- third of domestic flights got to their destinations late.
And as travel in general finally surged past pre-9/11 levels,
complaints of mishandled baggage rose, too.

Fall has brought marginal reprieve. But now, staring us in the face,
comes the worst travel time of all: the holiday season.

You've been there. I've been there. And if you're contemplating a
plane trip during the upcoming Thanksgiving or end-of-year breaks, you
probably hear a drums-of-doom soundtrack playing in your head.

'Tis the season, after all, when the news is filled with images of
exhausted passengers crashed out on terminal floors and security lines
extending to the horizon.

But lengthy layovers and even flight delays don't necessarily mean
being condemned to airport purgatory. Airports today are much more
pleasant and well-stocked than they used to be. And with modern
technology at your fingertips, you never, ever have to be bored.

Here, then, are our top 10 ways to pass time on the fly.

1. Go shopping

Airports are starting to resemble upscale malls as retailers cash in
on the buying power of their captive audiences. So these days, you're
as likely to find a $3,000 Navajo necklace (Phoenix Sky Harbor), a
Lands' End shop (Minneapolis-St. Paul) or a Victoria's Secret
(Washington National) to divert your attention as you are the
ubiquitous Starbucks and Cinnabon stands.

The move toward high-end retail coincides with post-9/11 facts of
life: Airports have to accommodate more travelers for longer periods
than they did before.

"We're not bus stations anymore," says Jane Sullivan, manager of
marketing and communications for San Francisco International Airport.
"Retailers have realized they've got a very desirable demographic.
People will spend money."

Among the glossy outlets at SFO are a Coach shop, a branch of the San
Francisco Museum of Modern Art store and, according to Sullivan, "the
only free-standing Gucci store anywhere in the world."

Sacramento International Airport is getting in on the trend. Among the
new retail offerings are Vino Volo, a wine shop offering tastings and
a range of California wines. Forever Silver, a jewelry store, a Brooks
Brothers shop and a travel-goods retailer are slated to open soon.

"It's always been our goal to provide something for the customer that
enhances their experience while they're waiting for their flight,"
spokeswoman Gina Swankie says.

2. Work out - or get worked over

Why spend those layover hours pacing and getting frustrated? Many
airport hotels will let travelers use their workout facilities (pool
included) for a fee of $8 or $10.

At Miami International Airport, for example, the Miami Airport Hotel
(currently closed for renovation) has a rooftop health club with a
pool, showers, a jogging track and lounge chairs where you can get a
tan while waiting for your plane to come in. Just remember to pack
earplugs to soften the roar of jets screaming overhead.

Other airport hotels with clubs accessible to travelers include the
Hilton Boston Logan, the Hilton Chicago O'Hare, the Westin Detroit
Metropolitan Airport (McNamara Terminal) and the Fairmont Vancouver
Airport.

If you're a 24 Hour Fitness member, you'll hit the jackpot at Las
Vegas McCarran Airport, which boasts an on-site branch of the health-
club chain (baggage claim level, Terminal 1) that offers classes along
with showers, lockers, a sauna, steam room and massage services.

Low-impact wellness services are available in many airports, as well.
Travelers whose bodies are kinked from too many hours of sitting in
cattle-car class can get a chair massage in Sacramento International's
Terminal A, near the Southwest Airlines gates. At SFO, three locations
of Xpress Spa, offering massage and other services, are expected to
open before the holidays.

Indeed, airport fitness options are growing so fast that there's even
a Web site devoted to the subject: www.airportgyms.com.

3. Haunt a bookstore

Time was, the only reading material one could find in an airport were
newspapers, New York Times best- sellers and potboiler paperbacks. No
longer. Bookstores - real bookstores, staffed by people who actually
read the books and dish out knowledgeable advice - have arrived.

At SFO and nine other airports, Simply Books has a staff that's happy
to talk literature and make reading recommendations. In Portland, the
famous Powell's Books has three airport locations where patrons can
swap and sell, as well as buy. And for sheer volume, the Renaissance
Book Shop at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee takes
the prize with more than 50,000 used books on its shelves.

In Lexington, Ky., Atlanta-based Paradies Shops two years ago
partnered with the New York Times to open a New York Times Bookstore
at the airport. Meanwhile, shoppers at any of 19 other Paradies
bookstores and newsstands can return a book (with original receipt) to
any Paradies outlet within six months of purchase and get a 50 percent
credit. Used books are sold at half the cover price.

Chain stores such as Borders, with 25 airport locations, are well
represented in airports, too. Hudson Booksellers is the biggest
player, with stand-alone bookstores in 70 airports and a book presence
at more than 450 airport newsstands.

4. Discover local food

It's possible to have an actual culinary adventure while waiting for
your plane to come in.

At SFO, for example, nearly all food outlets are branches of local
restaurants and cafes. "We're a foodie town, so it makes sense we'd
have a foodie restaurant," Sullivan says. "We have the highest
spending on food of any airport in the country, primarily because our
offerings are so good."

Among them: ebisu, a branch of one of the Bay Area's most renowned
sushi restaurants, and Yankee Pier, a seafood restaurant conceived by
celebrity chef Brad Odgen.

In Sacramento's Terminal A, travelers can sample a Merlino's Freeze
and soon will be able to savor lunch or dinner at an airport branch of
the local Lemon Grass franchise.

"It's very important for an airport to offer a sense of place,"
Swankie says. "Being able to have regional offerings helps do that."

Elsewhere in the country, travelers can chow down at branches of such
regionally renowned eateries as Jim Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Que at
Memphis International, Legal Sea Foods in Boston, Berghoff Cafe at
Chicago's O'Hare, Pappadeaux at Houston Intercontinental and La
Carreta at Miami International.

5. Get wired

You might have to pay to connect to the Internet in an airport, but
then again, you might not. An increasing number of facilities are
offering Wi-Fi connections for free. Among them: Sacramento, Phoenix,
Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Colorado Springs, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Las
Vegas, Long Beach, Orange County, Philadelphia, Richmond, Roanoke,
Milwaukee, Cheyenne, Seattle, Portland, Ore., and JFK International
Airport in New York.

To find out in advance if an airport has free Wi-Fi, go to www.jiwire.com
or www.wififreespot.com/airport.html.

Here's another tip: Try an airline club. You don't have to go in -
just camp outside the door, flip open your laptop and see if you get
reception. Most clubs offer free Wi-Fi, and the signal often bleeds
through the walls.

6. Join a club

Speaking of airline clubs, most frequent fliers are well acquainted
with these spots, which offer oases of civility far removed from the
chaotic concourses just outside their doors. Less well-known is that
you don't have to pay a pricey annual membership fee ($400 and up) to
gain admittance to these inner sanctums. Most clubs offer day
memberships to travelers who want to rest comfortably until departure
time.

Prices vary, and passes might not be available on bad-weather or high-
traffic days, when the lounges fill up with regular members. But if
your timing is right, you can spend a few hours in an American
Airlines Admiral's Club or a United Airlines Red Carpet Club for $50.
Delta and Northwest offer even better bargains at $25 and $45,
respectively.