CUSTOMER SERVICE
Anyone for tennis? Heathrow celebrated Wimbledon fortnight in its own unique way.
for Dallas Cowboys. “Yet a little over a year later we needed an additional 100,000 square feet.” Many top sportswear and sports equipment retailers now have
shops at airports. Boston Red Sox president Jerry Remy opened a Sports Bar and Grill at Logan International two years ago. Meanwhile, actively inclined passengers passing through
Heathrow this summer could even enjoy a game of table tennis. A full-size table was set up in Terminal 3 departures towards the end of July and remained there for a month as part of the airport’s ongoing efforts to promote British sport and culture. It was the brainchild of Sing London, an arts organisation, which is
encouraging a million more people to take up sport by the time London hosts the Olympics in 2012. The project, known simply as Ping!, involved installing 100 tables at sites across London, ranging from the London Eye to Tate Britain. And lawn tennis was the focus of another Heathrow promotion
back in June, when customer service staff dressed in whites served up strawberries and cream to arriving passengers to mark the start of Wimbledon. Some airports now even offer gym facilities to their passengers.
They’re all listed on
airportgyms.com, an internet service that covers gymnasiums, fitness centres and exercise clubs at many of the larger American and Canadian airports. Airports are coming to recognise that their more health-conscious
customers will willingly jump on an exercise bike, pound away on a treadmill for half-an-hour or attend a yoga class – particularly if their flight has been delayed or they have a lengthy wait between connecting flights. “Travelling can be stressful, and since exercise can help relieve stress, it’s the perfect fit,” says Mary Seltzer, who works for 24 Hour
86 AIRPORT WORLD/OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010
Fitness, a 14,000 square foot gym in Terminal C at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport. “We make it easy for travellers to get in, work out, and then continue with their travels.” For non-members who want to work out, there is a
$10 guest fee. This gives them access to cardiovascular and weight machines, sauna and massage, pilates classes, locker room and showers, with no time limits. And for those who don’t travel with a tracksuit or leotard in their luggage, gym wear is available for hire. Similar facilities are available at Chicago O’Hare, Port Columbus,
Detroit–Metropolitan and many other airports across North America. Columbus’ health club, just 50 yards from the airport, also boasts indoor and outdoor swimming pools. Floyd Bennett Field, New York City’s first municipal airport, is now home to the Aviator Sports and Events Center, operated as a concession for the National Park Service. Decommissioned in 1972, the airport now offers dozens of
different sports and activities, ranging from lacrosse to ice hockey. One of its regulation-sized ice rinks can seat up to 2,500 people. It also has hardwood indoor courts for basketball and volleyball, two synthetic turf pitches, a gymnastics and dance training centre, and a fitness facility for yoga and pilates. However, if all this sounds far too energetic and you prefer your
sport served upon a plasma screen, (preferably accompanied by a cold beer), don’t worry as airports across the world also have their fare share of sports bars! So whether you prefer burning off some calories or simply
spectating, most of the world’s big gateways have something to offer the sports-mad traveller. The age of the ‘airsport’, it would seem, is here to stay.
AW
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