Airports are more welcoming than ever

Up until about fifteen years ago, airports were considered a model of "non-places" almost identical worldwide, as they were conceived and designed merely as points of departure and arrival. With the spread of low-cost flights, the number of passengers and flights has gradually increased, along with delays and disruptions that are now quite common and frequent everywhere. Because of this, in recent years, airport companies have begun to rethink terminals in an attempt to make them more welcoming. In some cases, airports have been transformed into micro-cities, with a wide variety of services, including restaurants, bars, bookstores, beauty centers, and children's spaces. The so-called «humanization of airports», as defined by the New York Times, has been further encouraged by the experience of the pandemic, which in some ways represented the final incentive for this phenomenon.

Milan Linate Airport has been completely redesigned: the check-in areas, security checks, and duty-free shops have been renovated, and the terminal has been expanded with new gates, a shopping gallery, and a dining area. The architects who worked on the project were inspired by the principles of so-called "neuroarchitecture", which aims to reduce anxiety and stress for those using these spaces by considering certain design elements. Specifically, warm colors were chosen for the walls, architectural elements and wooden furnishings were added, as well as many plants in waiting areas. The goal was to minimize the fear of being in places with many people, believing that if a passenger's experience within a terminal is not peaceful, they will tend to fly less in the future. A few years ago, Fiumicino Airport was also modernized with this in mind: the check-in queue area was expanded by 360%, now accommodating over 15,000 people, while a dedicated family lane with children and strollers was created in the security check area.

The Most Beautiful Airports in the World

Today, while still places of long waits and often annoyances, airports are increasingly becoming realities with numerous leisure services designed ad hoc. For example, Istanbul Airport has recently introduced the “Therapy Dog Project,” an initiative involving the presence of therapy dogs to alleviate travel stress – a solution that replicates similar experiments in Milan-Malpensa and Berlin. John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, on the other hand, has had a dedicated terminal for animals since 2017. It's called The Ark, it's open 24/7, and among other things, it features a waiting room for dogs with a bone-shaped pool, a cooled floor space designed specifically for penguins, and cozy stables for horses – where chamber music is played, which experts say calms the animals.

In redesigning airports, the aim is often to make the travel experience more relaxing, so a gradual reduction of noise within the terminals is one of the main goals of the architects working on the projects. For example, San Francisco Airport has launched a program called “Quiet airport,” a noise reduction plan that, among other things, has restricted audio announcements to certain areas. Many designers have also recently chosen to enlarge the windows of terminals to provide passengers with points of reference and help them regain what is called “the sense of place.” In terminal B of LaGuardia Airport in New York, for example, you can admire the city skyline, as in Salt Lake City Airport in Utah. In Italy, an example of this is found in Orio al Serio Airport, the third largest airport in Italy by number of passengers, where there is a large window offering a view of Bergamo Alta and the Orobie Prealps. The same goes for terminal 4 of Madrid-Barajas Airport, designed by architects Richard Rogers and Antonio Lamela in 2006, which features large windows to let in natural light, as well as many bamboo finishes to convey a sense of calm to passengers. Finally, more and more airports offer personal care services. At Changi Airport in Singapore, for example, you can rejuvenate with beauty treatments, while at Hong Kong International Airport you can relax with a wide range of massages. San Francisco Airport, on the other hand, offers passengers a free yoga room, while at Heathrow (London) you can get various beauty treatments.