Airport terminals can be nice or dreadful. The modern tendency is to make them utilitarian, cheap to build, easy to maintain and dreadful to spend any time in. Frequently they are paid for with public funding (your tax dollars at work) and no one wants to see tax dollars wasted. Prior to the changes in airport security airport terminals where developing as shopping and entertainment venues. One of the first Brew-Pubs in Orlando was in the airport terminal at Orlando International Airport. But with enhanced security only ticketed passengers can get through security, and air travelers are afraid to shop outside of security for fear of either getting stuck in a slow line or buying something and having a hard time getting it through security. Security didn't kill airport shopping, but it changed the economics, of it. What was once seen as promising source of revenue to build nicer terminals, once again seen as a travel service.
Parts of the Honolulu terminal, like this garden that is inside security are nice, parts of it are very not nice. The same seating as 200 other airports, arranged around the same boarding areas at nearly every airport in the world. it just as easily have been Phoenix, or Atlanta, or Newark. But those airports don't have a tropic garden between the concourse and the terminal.
But there was the open air terminal on Maui, very-very different. Probably not fun in a topical storm. Someone described it as the Tiki huts, it looked more like something designed by Disney, then Stalin.
The inly one i ve liked is terminal 5 at heathrow
ReplyDeleteHave u been?
We flew United Airlines in and out of Heathrow four years ago. Not sure what terminal.
DeleteFirst: John Gray: Terminal 5 at Heathrow? UGH! Everything is MILES away! I did enjoy the Wetherspoons while I waited hours for US Air to open up. HAHAHAHA
ReplyDeleteTravel, if you flew into or out of Heathrow, it was Terminal 5. That's where they consign us ugly Yankees.
And I, too, detest most terminals. I can't afford the clubs, and don't like to spend $12 for a beer, so I suffer in plastic chairs that are about 6" too narrow for my wide ass. Just like in the airplane so I get extra hours of discomfort!
Peace <3
Jay
I have very recent experience with this domestically as seen in my last post in the past week I've been through Dulles and O'Hare as well as Roanoke and San Diego on the ends. Yes they can be quite utilitarian these days. One of the issues I find is they get confusing and disjointed due to expansions over the years and adding in the security screening areas to airports that were not originally designed for them has caused loss of original open space making some airports more cramped. It's been a good 10 years since I was in London or Hawaii so they are a faint memory. Flying as much as I do coast to coast on United (at let 12 times a year) I obtained a membership to their Club and its makes layovers in major airports much more tolerable.
ReplyDelete