What to do while waiting for your flight?
Read a magazine?
Treat yourself to a coffee?
Observe aircraft on the tarmac?
It is possible, but to kill time otherwise, many small free and sometimes practical services are available to travelers.
It remains to know their existence and find them.
We promise, we do not include Wi-Fi in this list.
To play video games
The wait is getting long for your pre-teen?
This is an opportunity to stimulate his soul as a "
gamer
" since many airports provide travelers with video game spaces.
FIFA16, Lego Batman 2, Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4...
Paris Aéroport
has joined forces with Sony to offer terminals in the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly boarding lounges for the latest PlayStation 4 games. will be able to enjoy vintage 1980s arcade terminals and its emblematic games such as Pacman, Space Invaders or Donkey Kong.
To go to the museum
The Espace Musées exhibits at
Paris
-Charles de Gaulle airport original works of art from the greatest Parisian museums.
Located at boarding gate M, it currently houses the Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac museum, with the exhibition
Voyages d'explorers
: a selection of major works from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.
Connecting in
Amsterdam
and you don't have time to visit the Rijksmuseum?
All is not lost.
At Schiphol Airport, explore a small sample of Holland's most famous museum, before or after your flight, and enjoy a selection of famous 19th-century Dutch paintings, which are regularly rotated through the main collection.
The latest and to make Turkish culture known to citizens around the world,
Istanbul
airport has just opened a museum presenting 316 works from 29 establishments.
The current exhibition,
Treasures of Turkey;
faces of the throne,
can be discovered on the international departures floor.
Enjoy a meditation space...
Frequent flyers know all too well that layovers and delayed flights can lead to long waits that add to an already high level of stress.
There are several meditation rooms in airports around the world that allow travelers to rest and rejuvenate – body and mind – while waiting for their flight.
In California, the San Diego
airport
commissioned artist Norie Sato to create a mediation room featuring glass panels depicting waves of water dotted with sunbeams.
In
Seattle
(Washington), travelers with neurological disabilities or simply exhausted can enjoy a “sensory room”.
This space is intended to be a calming environment for people who may feel overwhelmed and overstimulated or who need a break from the multitude of sights and sounds of the airport.
Finally, know that most airports around the world are equipped with interfaith prayer and meditation rooms open to all faiths and beliefs.
Read alsoSleep well on the plane, it's possible!
... or practice yoga
Yoga is practiced everywhere, even before a flight.
Several international terminals offer dedicated rooms open to all travelers wishing to achieve inner peace.
This is the case for the airports of San Francisco, Heathrow, Frankfurt or even Hong Kong.
Open 24 hours a day, the Helsinki Airport Yoga Room is a spacious oasis of calm in the middle of one of the busiest airports in the world.
This bright and airy space features a natural palette of greens, grays and wood tones.
Most ?
In addition to a tatami mat and full-length mirrors, the space features a gym ladder, balance beam, twist board, and wobble chairs.
Perfect for getting rid of the discomfort that often accompanies long flights.
Meet a “therapy” animal
Pet therapy, treatment through the presence of animals, is developing in airports around the world.
In 2014, British Airways released videos of dogs and cats to relax its passengers.
There, we go into high gear.
Are you transiting through the United States?
Watch carefully: you could meet a “therapy” animal.
These animals are carefully selected and accompanied by volunteers.
They meet passengers to help them pass the time and bring them peace of mind.
All travellers, anxious or not, can talk to them, pet them and play with them.
In
Minneapolis
(Minnesota), 14-year-old cat Stitches is hard to miss around Terminal 1, as she sits in her stroller sporting a “pet me” sign — letting everyone know she's ready for cuddles.
This type of program is even more common than you might think on American soil: more than thirty airports have adopted it.
Read also“I am flying with my dog for the first time.
Is there anything to know?”
Play piano
Did you know that you can do your ranges in 51 airports around the world?
In France, like SNCF stations, Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports have placed grand pianos in all their terminals.
The opportunity to reveal your talents as an outstanding musician to the general public.
This service is even available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Be aware that at
Amman
airport in Jordan, you can think of yourself as Chopin while waiting for your suitcase, a quarter queue is installed in the delivery area luggage, next to the mats.
Your keyboards !
Take a city tour while waiting for your flight
During a connection, it is not uncommon for access to your flight to drag on.
In the event of a long wait, be aware that some airports and companies offer their customers free access to transit towns.
In Turkey, Istanbul Airport offers its Turkish Airlines stopover passengers the opportunity to visit the city for free on presentation of their tickets.
Same concept in normal times on the Singapore side, all companies combined.
In the event of a stopover longer than five and a half hours, passengers are offered a free tour of the city-state in a specially dedicated minibus.
Please note: this last offer is currently suspended until further notice due to the health situation.
