Airports need to be utility oriented, user friendly, serving the purpose. Nothing more nothing less. Airports are not a nation’s showcase.
Always wanted to record this about airports. We are having upgrades even in India. Chennai domestic and international got a facelift just recently. Far more efficient now and spacious. Quicker services. Apart from that I don’t look forward to aesthetics in airports. If something mild and extra is there conspicuously, its fine. Let us remember that airports need not have to be a statement. The promise lies outside the airport.
As I take my connecting flights all around Middle east, I get bedazzled by the expansion and luxury of the airports at Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Dubai etc. One word that comes to my mind is: unnecessary. Airports need to be functional basically that’s all. You don’t have to showcase your airports to world connoisseurs so forcefully trying to market your country. The green Changi airport at Singapore etc., are fine. May be the smaller nations with just a single or double airports feel the need to identify themselves to the world. With nearly 500 airports, a nation like India can hardly afford that.
Besides, after seeing the US airports stripped to the basics, I am all admiration for their business mind. There is NOT a single piece of art in them! No posh Chanel and Estee Lauder and other customs duty free shops. May be one or two maximum in rare few. Only the cafes and washrooms tucked back to back after every gate. The American airports handle heavy traffic flow compared to rest of the world. I like their connectivity within airport terminals using airlinks such as shuttle buses/trains. The shuttles give you an idea of the size of the airports and the volume of trade handled by them. One thing about them: noway you are made to climb stairs lugging your cabin bag. All the growth stories of America lie outside the airports. They leave it to you to find about their glory by yourselves than try trusting their supremacy on you right in the airport. There is no gloating commercial in the American airlines flights either telling you where to shop and how to relax on holiday in the city you are disembarking. MOST IMPORTANTLY NO RELIGIOUS PRAYER. I like even their short snacks of pretzels, biscuits and cranberry/apple juice with water/beer for shorter flights. Nothing fancy. I am reminded of the operational efficacy on shoestring budgets cutting costs when things are kept bare minimum. Sprawling airports with multiple terminals seeing a thousand flights take off and land with million footfalls every single day. Immigrations. Security. All handled quietly and efficiently.
Airports need not have to be swanky at all. They need to be super functional that’s all. They need to cater to the transit passengers with seamless efficiency. Airports need not have to become advertisement for your home country. AIRPORTS ARE NOT A COUNTRY’S IDENTITY. Let the world discover you. I must say I enjoy the comforts of the transit airports. I fly a little around. My flying years may be drawing to a close slowly. But I am not the one to judge a country looking at their airport. The covid brought to end the on-plane marketing of luxury brands including those such as Swiss watches and Bvlgari etc., advertised in glossy inflight magazines that used to be so common until very recently. I really loved those mags and miss them! I noticed something else: gone are the days of butter and cheese going with bread! Governments can spend on their airline food instead of splurging on their airports.
I look forward to excellent washroom facilities in airport, charging points and if possible lounges, nothing more in airports. Once was stuck in Dxb (Dubai) airport for 12 hours. I was lucky it was Dubai airport as I could survive within airport and afford opting out of a night’s stay in a five star hotel at the expense of the airline. In last couple of years, using the lounges that I find are able to keep me less tired. One of the reasons for travel tiredness as I realize is that, eating less by way of airline food. I have a good appetite. So the lounge food completes my platter by supplementing to the airline food that is meagre. I have also made it a point these days to keep myself well hydrated during my travel times be it train or air travel. I therefore have regained strength on landing that I used to miss in the earlier years because I used to keep my fluid intake minimum. I used to hold my bladder. No more I do that. I have plenty of fluids, don’t shy about using the washrooms at regular intervals, eat sumptuously including at the lounge and eat again on landing on way home (if its Doha). That practically restores my energy levels. I recover fast from the flying sickness or tiredness, typical with many of us. More fluids most importantly. No holding bladder skipping fluids.
Another thing about the rated five star airports is that, sometimes the aprons are not ready in them when flights land early/later than scheduled time. They make you board their shuttles lugging your cabin bags climbing down steel stairs on foot from the planes after a long tiring journey. Once someone who wanted a wheelchair even questioned the cabin staff about the inconvenience. The steward then offered to carry their bags down the steel staircase to the waiting shuttle bus. The aero bridges are the most convenient way to alight from a flight for tired passengers. It is a must for wheelchair users. In what way are these so-called five star airports disabled-friend when you make senior passengers exit from flight down steel stairs carrying their bags. Then what is the point in boasting of world class airports. At the end of the day, passengers are left in the lurch when you don’t have ready aprons for incoming flights. Airports have to simply build as many aprons that’s all. If you are a rated airport, that is the least passengers may expect of you. I don’t know how airports get rated. But I can imagine, it is not a fair or free method.
Chennai International may be moving to somewhere 70 km away within next ten years. Looking forward to dedicated expressways like they have in Hyderabad – like a bubble – dedicated totally to airport traffic. All these years we had the luxury of flying out of the city from the heart of the city. In our senior years, we will have to travel a bit to board a flight out of Chennai. But its okay, the city is expanding beyond our imagination. Energy (from solar power) and services efficient: this is what I want from new Chennai international. Not chandeliers and duty free shopping.
In Tamil we say, துடைப்பக்கட்டைக்கு பட்டுகுஞ்சலம். Really gaudy airports with uncalled for luxury remind me of this! Just be travel efficient, that is enough. Airports are not our national museums. Or our barometer to measure culture and economy. Airports are just airports. May our airports be slick and efficient handling business and air travel business alone. The rest of the paraphernalia can stay away.
vijiravindran's 