Airport library

Estonia’s Tallinn Airport

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We received some snaps of Estonia’s Tallinn Airport (TLL) from intrepid traveler Cathy Raines, who said this airport may now be her favorite, “or right up there.”

On its Facebook page, the airport says it will never be the largest in the world “but it can be the world’s coziest airport.”

That sounds inviting. So we decided to take a closer look. And can now add this charming airport to our “5 Things We Love About…” series.

5 Things We Love About Estonia’s Tallinn Airport (TLL)

1. A Ping Pong Table

Here’s a way to entertain travelers while offering a bit of exercise at the airport.

2. A playground for kids

Shoes off and fun on. This looks like a great place for kids to hang out before a flight.

3. A giant chess set

Kids AND adults can enjoy this fun airport amenity while sharpening their strategy skills.

4. An airport library

This airport library stays open around the clock. And the shelves are stocked with books in English, Estonian, Russian and other languages. There’s also a separate section just for children’s books.

Travelers are invited to leave books in the library and, the airport invites readers to leave “an inscription in the book: a nice thought or wish for the next reader or a note of the destinations this book has visited.”

5. A piano

Again, a fun amenity that not only entertains airport travelers but lets them hone – and show off – a skill.

Thanks, Cathy, for letting us know about this charming and, yes, cozy, airport.

Airport amenities from here and there

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Kicking off the week with some Lunar New Year celebrations hosted by airports and some cool airport amenities to watch for.

Let us know what you spot in your travels.

Airport celebrate Lunar New Year & Year of the Dragon

Airport amenities to cheer for

A handful of airports have book exchange corners. But Chattanooga Airport has the “Skylib” – a little shop filled with new and used books with payment on the honor system. Sales benefit the Chattanooga Public Library.

A great idea!!!!

A salad bar at the airport

This salad bar is at JetBlue’s Terminal 5 at JFK Airport. Another great – and healthy – idea!

Hat tip to Athletic-Minded Traveler.

Park yourself at Amsterdam Airport

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If you’re going to get Stuck at the Airport, you’d be lucky to get stuck at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.

Amenities include a great play area for kids, a top notch art collection, plenty of lounge chairs for napping, an observation deck, free Wi-Fi (for an hour), a library and lots more.  You can even get married at the airport.

So I was pleased – but not surprised – to learn that the airport was rolling out something new: an in-airport park filled with greenery and gadgetry.

Here’s the story I wrote about the park for msnbc.com travel.

A new park-like space at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport offers a breath of fresh air for weary travelers.

Airport Park, which opened Wednesday, features a post-security “haven of tranquility” that employs imagery and technology to help set the tone. Photos of famous parks and projections of butterflies adorn the walls. The piped-in sounds of animals, bicycle bells and kids at play create a park-like soundtrack. Wooden picnic tables, chaise lounges, trees and chairs upholstered in “ivy” complete the scene.

Hungry travelers will find food and beverage nearby. Travelers who want to work will find power outlets. Those who want to get some exercise can ride stationary bicycles that generate energy to recharge portable gadgets.

The welcoming indoor/outdoor green spot is the newest addition to the airport, which already invites travelers to spend their dwell time at a casino, a library or at the airport’s branch of the famed Rijksmuseum.

For those who find the indoor park too much of a tease for the real thing, there’s also an outdoor terrace with real greenery and trees, benches, picnic tables, views of the airfield and that much sough-after airport amenity: fresh air.

It’s “a good example of how airports around the world are increasingly upgrading the airport experience in order to become a preferred hub for travelers,” said Raymond Kollau of airlinetrends.com, an Amsterdam-based consumer trends research agency.

Kollau concedes that parks won’t be popping up inside airports everywhere, but said Schiphol’s new park is “relevant and fun.”

 

More posh airport amenities

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From my recent Bing Travel slide show, here are a few more posh airport amenities:


 

Offering travelers the world’s largest airport slide, a transit hotel with a roof-top pool and free foot massages, live entertainment, movie theaters and computer games, Singapore’s award-winning Changi Airport consistently tops the posh chart. Posher yet: five fanatically-tended-to themed gardens displaying, respectively, ferns, orchids, cactus, sunflowers and more than 1,000 live butterflies.

Posh perusing is available at Taiwan Tayoun International Airport, which now has a library with 2000 paper books and 400 e-titles for passengers on layovers. The much larger Airport Library at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport opened last year. The “sitting area with added value” offers a multi-media collection of books, films and music about Dutch history, culture, art and literature.

Maintaining a posh state of mind in transit is easier if you look and feel great. Thankfully, spas offering manicures, haircuts, facials and back, neck and foot massages are becoming commonplace in many terminals. At Finland’s Helsinki Airport, relaxation goes a step further: a Finnair-branded spa offers a choice of spruce, stone, steam or a traditional Finnish sauna.

They say music hath charms to soothe the savage beast. So can music relax stressed-out travelers? We think so. Especially if you catch one of the regular concerts offered at airports in Austin, Nashville, San Diego or San Francisco. The poshest airport musical act may take place at Portland International Airport, where John English (“The Voice”) delivers Frank Sinatra tributes twice-weekly.

For more, see the full posh airport amenities slide show on Bing Travel – or check back here tomorrow.