Newest Airline Trend: Sleeping at the Airport

At one time, sleeping at an airport overnight was uncommon except in cases of young travelers short on cash. That is all changing, however, as it begins to affect professional travelers.
“And a big reason is that airlines outside Europe are no longer as generous with hotel vouchers as they once were,” said the AP.
Randy Petersen, editor of the online magazine InsideFlyer and the frequent flier Web site FlyerTalk.com, attributes the change to “belt-tightening by airlines over the last 18 months, and more so this year.”
“They have to look at everything they spend a penny on,” Petersen said. Because flights are fuller, he added, they’re not just dealing with a few passengers.
“If they’re charging for extra bags, food and water, then the flip side is the airlines are going to go out of their way to minimize expenses on one side, while maximizing on the other,” added Bob Harrell, an airline consultant.

The phenomenon has had various impacts:
- It has inspired at least one recent novel, “Dear American Airlines.” The author, Jonathan Miles, said he had been spurred to write the book after an unscheduled overnight stay at O’Hare International Airport, in Chicago.
- An unscheduled overnight stay at a German airport inspired one business traveler, Frank Giotto, the president of Fiber Instrument Sales in Oriskany, New York, to create the Mini Motel, a one-person tent complete with, air mattress, reading light, alarm clock and pillow (which he sells for $39.95).
- There is even a Web site, the Budget Traveler’s Guide to Sleeping in Airports at www.sleepinginairports.com, which lists the best and worst airports to spend the night. Generally speaking, under European Union rules that came into effect in 2005, delays of more than five hours entitle a passenger to a hotel room, if an overnight stay is required. However, there can still be exceptions. For those who do get stuck, advice from seasoned travelers boils down to this: Bring or buy a snack and water before airport shops close. Also, bring reading material or music and something soft to lie down on or rest your head against. Keep hotel phone numbers or certain Web site addresses handy. (BTN/David Wilkening/*)