Travel Rant: If Women Designed Airports ... They Would Be SO Much Better

Airports could stand to be a little more female-friendly. We have some ideas (Photo: Getty Images)

I did a few mental calculations the other day and figured out that I spend about 24 hours a month hanging around airports. That is a full day of my life. Of course, much of that time is spent checking in and going through security.

But a lot of that time is actually free to spend how I please. I often have two-to-three-hour layovers. I also like to get to airports quite early, due to intense traffic anxiety.

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On a recent layover in the Kuala Lumpur Airport in Malaysia I was pleasantly surprised to see a Benefit cosmetics Brow Bar, where I could get my eyebrows touched up. I was delighted to be able to cross this little errand off my list.

I mean no disrespect to XpresSpa, which can be found in many American airports. XpresSpa is a wonderful addition to any airport, and I will often get a massage or pedicure if I find myself with an hour to spare. Some, but not all, locations offer waxing services, which is yet another perk.

Massages are great. But there are some other airport amenities that women would LOVE (Photo: Thinkstock)

Still, this brow bar got me thinking. If more women had a say in what kinds of amenities airports offered, what would we see?

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I for one would love a blowout bar. I would arrive early and pay a premium for the service, as would many female travelers I know. These days, the blowout is the female equivalent of a shoeshine for a man, practically mandatory when attending an important meeting. I swear, airports could make a fortune by installing a few chairs.

Pre-flight blowout? Yes, please! (Photo: Corbis Images)

I’m also jonesing for an airport gym. Nothing fancy here, just a line of treadmills and maybe some free weights. It isn’t easy to maintain a good fitness routine on the road, and having the option to work out through a layover would go a long way to help.

An airport gym would be great to work out the stress of traveling (Photo: Getty Images)

And let’s talk about the toilets. We need more women’s toilet stalls. There is almost always a line snaking throughout the terminal at the first bathroom closest to the dock for big flights. It is simply common sense.

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I’m not a mom, but my mom friends consistently tell me they want to see more play areas closer to the gates, rather than just one play area off near Terminal 6. Frankly, this behooves everyone. Happy preflight kids means less crying on the plane.

Why is this child sleeping instead of screaming and kicking your seat? Maybe because he tired himself out in an airport play area (Photo: Thinkstock)

I want showers where coach passengers can easily access them … and maybe sleeping pods. Clean bathrooms would be a nice start. The folks designing the big airports in Asia already get this. These things come standard there.

We have a dream: airport sleeping pods (Photo: Getty Images)

We want to know what you think. What would your dream airport include? We want to hear the practical ideas (the ones that should be there, RIGHT NOW, and the not-so-practical ideas). Hit us up in comments.

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