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AIRPORT TERMINALS ARE FESTERING PITS OF STRESS
Les,
Airport terminals are festering pits of stress! More than anything, it’s those TV’s blaring the latest terrorist threat or plane crash—gee, that’s comforting right before you board. I actually had to sleep at an airport recently because of bad weather—well, I COULDN’T SLEEP because the TV’s were too loud. If you think they’re loud when the terminal is filled with people, you should hear them at 3 a.m.! What can be done about this?
DL
DL,
Those TV’s—terminally on and in your face—debuted in the early 90s to baby-sit waiting passengers and boost airport bank accounts. Noise triggers a stress response for lots of us, even if we’re unaware of it. Add the monitor pollution to rushing, security gauntlets, impatient crowds, high-volume one-way cell conversations, flying fears, or any other airport angst, and stress hormones alone could lift the planes off the ground.
Three actions come to mind: You could complain to whoever can hear you over the noise, you could shield yourself from the forced feed, or you could just wait till the TV’s go away.
Complain
In our age of companies tripping over each other to satisfy customers, or at least to look like they are, lots of complaining at every altitude has got to have some impact. Tell all the gate agents that you can’t hear their announcements over the latest “news” about Anna Nichole Smith’s decomposing body, and get everyone you’re traveling with to do the same. Send protest emails via airport and airline websites with your own live report of the stress-promoting conditions on the ground.
Shield
Whip out those iPods! Almost as good as the music on them, is their ability to block sonic second-hand stress. Just make sure that you know when it’s time to go. Earphone-free distractions might help, too: reading, texting, gaming, working and so on.
Wait
Speaking of all the personal devices that we now have to distract and inform us, is anyone even paying attention to the CNN Airport Network? I’d much rather get a YouTube fix from my phone than straining my neck to look up at a monitor, wouldn’t you? If we’re lucky, it probably won’t be long before the TV’s go the way of in-flight meals.
To be fair, there are airports and airline terminals that offer customers amenities like quiet public lounges and commercial-free restrooms (thank you West Palm Beach International). Zurich’s airport has private sleeping rooms and showers for stranded passengers (too bad you didn’t get stuck there). Hmm, maybe an awards program for the world’s most tranquil terminals is another path to more civil aviation. And the nominees are…
Les
3/07
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