Airports should be like high streets

[NowWotsit]

Whys it just shopping- thus old school model they havent updated in decades?

If we are milling around in your police state style world for a few hours, why not give us a coworking space, hair salons, cinemas, a pool, GP, etc

Everyone is fine just scrolling on their phones.
No one wants to twat round an IKEA when already harassed.

But bring them with you! If you’re a book fiend going on holiday, you’re going to want to make absolutely sure you have enough reading material pf the right kind with you well before you leave home!

Because you’re only supposed to be there for a couple of hours? People can watch films on devices. There is NO woman I know who would go to a stranger to have her hair and nails done while before a significant trip. Nor would they go to a GP hours before departure (and the pharmacist can usually deal with sudden occurring issues anyway). No way as a parent of young children would I want the distraction of a pool etc - although there are plenty of airport hotels that offer most of these things if you want to book in a night early, go for a swim before showering and checking out. They are ’time fillers’ whilst watching the boards for departure info, not mini high streets.

Birmingham definitely had a nail spa years ago, no been there recently

Some useful for a layover rest not so much

I actually think you’re onto something here. They could majorly capitalise from softplay for example for parents waiting around, particularly for majorly delayed flights and yes nail /hair salons and nice homeware/book stores that aren’t a selection of 5 shit ones from WH Smith. Wholeheartedly agree with this.

But more is always tempting. I went for a 4 day trip with work last year with two books packed and still bought two more at the airport totally unnecessarily but the selection was too good

I hate airports. Going abroad on holiday at both airports is like being herded like cattle.

There a very few situations where I put myself to queuing, being surrounded by loads of people I wouldn’t normally spend time with or socially be around, and feeling like a minion.

There is no way airports will offer any level of enjoyment if it’s not making them money.

The sooner I am either at my hotel, or back in my car on the A road heading home, the better.

There did used to be a private GP type service in Waterloo train station, but nowadays of course you can get private facetime appointments and I am guessing that airport pharmacies could dispense.

If it were like my local high street it would be vape shops, charity shops and money laundering nail bars 😁

Go to Singapore if you want a city in an airport feel. Not sure they've gone to the extremes of having an airside IKEA though!

I thought they wanted people to arrive as early as possible to use the overpriced shops. That's why there's never enough space to sit down.

Some airports do have proper bookshops eg Heathrow T5 has one.

Some airports have supermarkets landside eg Hamburg.

What on earth do you imagine people are going to buy in Ikea that they're going to take on holiday? You think Ryanair are going to let you board with a flat-pack bookcase?

Well no, they only want you long enough to make initial expensive purchases. Unless you are travelling business class they very often won’t let you check your bags in until 2 or 3 hours before the flight. The space is limited. They have to go through a public enquiry everytime they want to enlarge it.

We flew from there - it’s amazing. We did the giant trampoline net things. We specially got to the airport extra early to have time to take it all in.

You sound like you haven’t travelled much op.
there are many airports with spas, beauty treatments, massage, hair and nails.
there are many airports with play areas for children.
ditto work spaces. Even lie down beds.
all around the world you will find beautiful airports full of these offerings. Even a butterfly house in the tropics. Black swans in a pond.
cinema would be pretty unpopular I would guess. With iPads and inflight entertainment, cinema isn’t the thrill it was 50 years ago.
you must be talking about one particular airport that is a bit sparse. Get yourself out and explore the world.

Comparing an Airport to a Police State is a stretch that not even Simone Biles could pull off. What on earth are you blathering about?

'Do you fancy catching a movie?'
'Sure, Friday night?'
'Nah, let's watch it before we fly to Guatamela?'
'But there are in-flight movies on the plane'
'Don't start with your logic Patricia.'

'Just off to the doctors.'
'Don't forget your passport.'
'I won't, Ta ra.'

Bannana's

Whereas I'm busy thinking "ooh yes, that would be amazing!" I never end up getting a haircut or my nails done because it always seems like such an excessive commitment of time that I would rather spend on other things. Whereas at the airport I'm already there and the time is committed anyway, so anything I could do to use that time more efficiently would go down well with me.

The new ones would be additional ones - I’d already have my holiday reading with me but you don’t understand that readers absolutely cannot resist a bookshop no matter how many books they have that they have not yet read.
They’d make a fortune out of me and people like me 🤣

If airports had pools, we'd have a thread on here every week from people who'd got dripped on when a long haired person sitting next to them on the plane got up for the bog. And aibu not to want the person sitting next to me on my long haul flight to stink of chlorine.

I'm already excited.

Exactly what I was thinking! Getting my nails done or hair blow dried is always way down my list of stuff to do so never gets done, if I was stuck somewhere for a couple of hours with nothing to do and spaces available I’d be in the salon quick sharp.

Several large airports have nail bars already, and book only branches of WH Smith.

Yeah exactly re salons, if youre spending 2 hours stuck in a mall anyway, you might as well go for a trim, maybe send that letter you've been meaning to send (could have a post office), get a quick manicure. Maybe go for an eye test

On the way home maybe? Flights go both ways.

Edit: I mean to pick up on the way home - not fly it both ways!

Don't forget the nail bars, Turkish barbers and 6.4 million coffee outlets.