A foreign tourist came up with a tricky way to sleep at the airport between flights, but caused controversy in networks. The corresponding video, which was circulated on travel forums, was originally posted on the passenger's TikTok account.
At the airport, the girl was filmed bringing an air bed and laying down while waiting for a delayed flight. Although the makeshift bed turned out to be small, tourists were outraged by this phenomenon. At this time, the girl herself was sleeping peacefully in shorts, a T-shirt and socks. Her video was also posted by the Transportation Safety Administration of America (TSA) on their social media, where it has received over 8,000 likes.
A fun idea that has already gone viral has become the subject of controversy on the internet. While some admired the genius and courage of the passenger, others criticized her actions. “How about we stop treating airports like our living rooms, “This girl clearly wants attention”, “On behalf of everyone: please, never do this,” commenters noted.
As it turned out, some users also use this life hack. “It would have come in handy in the past when I had 10 hour waits between flights,” one of them remarked.
It is difficult to fall asleep in the departure hall of the airport. the chairs are not very comfortable. Most departure points are equipped with long rows of hard seats, which are not only uncomfortable, but also make it difficult to communicate. For example, psychologist Robert Sommer previously suggested that seats are designed to be “socially dangerous”, i.e. minimize social interaction. Thus, uncomfortable furniture increases the likelihood that tourists will go to shops and cafes and spend money instead of just sitting.
Barry Wicks, head of design at Heathrow, London's largest international airport in the UK, told The Telegraph earlier that the administration had already tried a different type of seating, but it didn't get any better. “We did a trial in Terminal 3 where we introduced the new 'hub' chairs, which had four chairs around a coffee table. However, we found that as soon as one person took one place at the table, everyone else avoided him and refused to sit next to him. A more standard setting doesn't allow people to create their own little fiefdom – or push two chairs together to create a bed,” the expert explained.
There are other methods that airports use to get travelers to spend more money instead of sitting. Thus, the location of shopping areas is very specific – shops and restaurants are usually grouped together, for example, to mimic the main street. To maximize floor space, they are also curved in such a way that passengers have to travel long distances through shopping areas to reach the boarding gate. According to InterVistas, in serpentine shopping areas, sales increase by 60%.
But, as it turned out, even the direction where to go and where to look for tourists is also thought out in order to increase profits. Since most shoppers are right-handed, having a track that curves to the left will allow them to see more items on the shelves as they subconsciously look to the right even though they are going to the left. “People tend to look right more often and turn left when it’s convenient for them,” Intervistas commercial director Kenneth Curry confirmed in an interview with Telegraph Travel.
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