The line between airports and the destinations they serve has blurred. Once regarded as purely utilitarian infrastructure, airports are now becoming more integrated with their surroundings and hosting new experiences for passengers and non- passengers alike.

1. Airports as
Destinations:
The Rise of
User Experience
The line between airports and the destina-
tions they serve has blurred. Once re-
garded as purely utilitarian infrastructure,
airports are now becoming more integrated
with their surroundings and hosting new
experiences for passengers and non-
passengers alike.
SKIFT REPORT #2
2013
SKIFT.COM

2. Get the twice-monthly Skift Trends Report for the latest intelligence
on the travel industry.
Each edition in our new series of reports will brief you on a specific
trend, providing insight into the current state of the market, the con-
text around the trend, and where the industry is heading in the near
future.
After you subscribe, you will receive 24 reports direct to your inbox for
an entire year. Reports are delivered as a downloadable PDF. Subscrib-
ers also receive access to our archive.
For any comments or questions, email us: trends@skift.com.
Subscribe and check previous reports at skift.com/travel-trends.
Subscribe to the Skift
Trends Report

3. If your last visit to an airport was over ten years ago, you would never
think that you could go to one for fine art galleries, unique restaurants
run by celebrity chefs, rock concerts, a night of dancing, or even a
wedding.
Airports are by nature massive, stressful, and confusing places. They
are classic examples of what French anthropologist Marc Augé calls1
“non-places” — environments that one passes through, but don’t
interact with. Places that do not have the significance of a sense of
place. A terminal in Paris looks and feels identical to one in Beirut,
and the primary business at hand is getting out. Popular culture, espe-
cially stand-up comics, reinforce the notion that airports are feature-
less, irritating places.
But in just the past decade, the way that we think of airports has
changed dramatically. Airports, especially in Asia and the Middle East,
are more integrated into the fabric of cities. Airports now host civic
events and entertainment as well as layovers and business meetings.
Airports are becoming more contextualized and reflective of the lo-
cal environment. Cities themselves are even building and planning
around air travel accessibility.
Airports aren’t just becoming friendlier and more integrated with
destinations. They are becoming destinations themselves. Many busi-
ness travelers find themselves in cities with no time to battle through
traffic to reach downtown, so they seek solutions closer to the airport.
This is happening whether or not airport operators, hotels, and con-
cessioners are prepared to take advantage of it.
Introduction
Observation Deck at
Incheon Airport
Courtesy: Gensler
Airports as Destinations: The Rise of User Experience SKIFT REPORT #2 2013
4

4. Table of contents
About Skift
Skift is a travel intel-
ligence company that
services to professionals
in travel and professional
travelers, to help them
make smart decisions
about travel.
Skift is the business of
travel.
Visit skift.com for more.
Executive summary 3
Introduction 4
Airports as Destinations: The Rise of User Experience 6
Behind the transformation 6
Why American airports lag 6
Generating revenue beyond the runway 7
Selling goods to a captive market 8
9
Making ground connections easier 10
11
Amenities: Thinking further outside of the box 12
Trend-setting features and promotions 13
14
Technology for information and seamless shopping 15
Planning cities around airports 18
Building a global hub — Q&A with Akbar Al Baker 21
Actionable insights 23
Endnotes 24
About Skift 26
Airports as Destinations: The Rise of User Experience SKIFT REPORT #2 2013
5