TerminalExplore the Airport Terminal to Find a Quiet Spot
When my wife and I were in the New Orleans airport (MSY) last month (after riding the Pullman train from Chicago to New Orleans) waiting for our Southwest flight to Orlando, I wrote down this tip. We’d arrived to the airport 90 minutes before our flight and most of the gates were crazy crowded with rowdy college kids and loud children. After walking just a hundred yards to the end of the terminal (I always like to check out what airports are offering, anyway), we came across a few gates that were completely empty. So instead of trying to find an open seat or sitting on the floor next to our gate with a group of loud people, we practically had a whole section to ourselves…and peace and quiet, too. So don’t settle for an unpleasant experience. As long as you can keep an eye on the time (and the board), remember you can explore your terminal and look for a better place to pass the time.

 

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7 Comments On "Travel Tip of the Day: Explore the Airport Terminal to Find a Quiet Spot"
  1. Sheila E.|

    Great tip – we do that all the time. However, I second the notion of watching both time and gates. We once almost missed an International flight because they chaned our Gate and we didn’t hear the announcement !

    1. Steve|

      That is why I use Trippit Deluke

  2. Lynda Cook|

    That’s fine in US airports, but I’m in the middle of a $1200 battle with Turkish Air. We had a flight from Ataturk to Albania scheduled for 7:30 am. Got to the airport in plenty of time, when they announced a gate change we made it to the new gate before the check-in desk was manned. There were only two seats empty in this remote terminal, facing away from the desk (but only 10 feet away). We took them and listened to all the other gates being called, but never heard either the flight or the gate called. I finally looked around and saw someone going out to the bus and ran over. The agent had my ticket and passport in hand and I asked him to make sure the bus didn’t leave. He turned looked at the doors closing, pushed my papers back in my hand and said go get a new ticket.
    Turns out the next flight was 12 hours later and they charged us over $1200 for 2 tickets. When I asked about buying a ticket on another flight, I was told if I didn’t buy those tickets, the return flights to Turkey and on to the US would be no good. No where in my ticket did I find anything that said that. Of course we paid the fee.
    When we arrived in Tirana, we discovered two other travelers had been on the same flight and informed me that the flights had not been called. He just saw everyone jump up when they saw the ticket agents and got in line. They checked to verify the flight and never heard a call for either gate or flight.
    Moral of this is, airline procedures are not the same in International destinations. I’ve traveled to over 100 countries and this is the first flight I’ve ever missed.

    1. Johnny Jet|

      Yikes! Email me this and I will see what I can do. johnny @ johnnyjet .com

  3. mary ellen jones|

    I have done this for several years and it makes the waiting so much easyier.

  4. Ellen Z|

    I used to find an empty terminal (as you describe) all the time – unless there was a close-by Admiral’s Club (I have a Lifetime Membership and use it heavily!). Anyway, I once did this in LAX, finding a terminal in eye-shot of my own departure gate (to DFW). As soon as I sat down, I started reading. Totally engrossed, it was still blissfully quiet when I finally looked up. Something felt not quite right. I looked at the clock. The plane had come and gone – without me! LOL. Lesson for me: pay attention to the time and gate!

    1. Johnny Jet|

      I should add that people should set an alarm

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