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Notes -
I spent 11 hours trapped in Istanbul airport because of a flight delay. I think I've walked a couple of marathons by now. And observed enough airport logistics to feel qualified to propose improvements.
Anyways, I feel that the whole experience of flying is amazing and shitty at the same time. I can literally be in another continent in less than 24 hours, but this isn't the peak of what humanity can accomplish right?
How would you improve the airport experience?
I know how I would improve my experience, I often have to travel to southern europe, where my wife is from, from Canada, and the only decently priced flights usually involve > 8 hours layovers, often overnight, and/or early morning departures that require travelling to the airport the night before. Few airports are equipped to keep you comfortable for such long layovers. Many have benches with armrests that discourage sleeping in the landside area; I understand not wanting to be used as a hotel by people who shouldn't be in the airport (or discouraging people sleeping in the part of the airport where pickpockets have easy access), but sometimes you can't help having to stay overnight there and it just sucks. Thankfully, I've yet to see an airport with an airside area that had only armrest benches. Even if the airport has no flights in the middle of the night and it's not very profitable to run it, there should always be at least one café/restaurant per terminal that stays open; just someplace with human activity to keep you from going insane. The "liminal space" nature of an empty airport at night is unsettling and makes every hour run so much slower. It must be what purgatory feels like. I just want someplace to make me feel human, like being in the airport is fine and normal, like I'm not a nuisance or penny-pincher for not going out, paying a taxi then an additional 200$ for barely a night in a hotel, and then having to go through security again. Oh, and those airport lounges? Why the hell do they close at night? While I wouldn't pay for a hotel, I would absolutely pay 25-50$ per person to have a place I could feel safe sleeping in, refreshing myself, taking out my laptop, etc... I don't need them during the day.
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I spent about that long trapped in Istanbul with a flight delay, and since it was daylight hours and I was young and stupid, I had an entire adventure in the city with no map, phone, or plan. I took a train/subway by myself for the first time! Crossed the Bosphorus! (by accident) Found a tourist friendly shopping district! Ate Turkish delight! It would have been improved by a public transportation tourism map.
I also spent a night under the care of the Dubai airport, and they actually have a special bus tour for the occasion at no extra cost, which also runs during the night. I stuck my hand in the sea! Saw a hotel with a shark aquarium and fancy escorts! Listened to an announcer describe the city! Saw the tallest building out the window! That was a major improvement on the "letting naive American girls loose on the city" strategy.
You did the right thing lol. Istanbul is a great city (for tourists) with great food. Hope you didn't eat at the airport.
I live in Dubai, so I never really saw it from a tourists pov, but yeah they do have many end-end services for tourists for things such as flight delays, etc are really smooth. Dubai does many things wrong, but its airport isn't one of them, its always a smooth experience.
Both IST and DXB are in very safe cities and there is nothing to worry about even if you are a "naive" American woman. If you know how to watch your back in NYC or Philly, you can in most cities.
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