Mumbai : A global survey of over 10,000 travellers conducted by leading global travel search site Skyscanner has revealed that the complimentary feature most travellers wanted at an airport is a cinema. An astounding 49% of the respondents voted for the silver screen over 
other services or amenities of convenience that they wished for whilst at an airport.
Getting a quick nap also scored highly with over a third of the respondents voting for sleep pods, a feature that Abu Dhabi Airport unveiled last month which, at UAE Dirham 45 per hour (approximately INR 700), provides an affordable alternative to a hotel room.
Voted in third place is an airport library allowing travellers to borrow their holiday reading, showing that despite the rise of e-books the traditional paperback is still a popular choice for travellers. Outdoor space at the airport is also a highly desired feature with a park area voted the 4th most wanted feature and a man-made beach taking the 9th spot.
Some more unlikely choices for airport facilities include Karaoke with 5% of travellers wanting their 15 minutes of fame at the airport, while a gym was a popular choice with 15% of respondents.
Singapore Changi Airport currently has movie theatres in Terminals 2 & 3, whilst Hong Kong has the largest IMAX Theatre in the city.
Top 10 most wanted features:
1. Cinema – 49%
2. Sleep pod – 36%
3. Library – 32%
4. Park – 31%
5. Vanity area – 30%
6. Kids play area – 21%
7. Pool – 20%
8. Gym – 15%
9. Man-made beach – 12%
10. Bikes – 11%
While both males and females were in agreement over their top choice of an airport cinema, there was greater gender discrepancy with the other most wanted features. A massive 45% of women wanted a vanity area offering free cosmetics and hair styling products (compared to just 14% of men) while 12% wanted a personal shopper (compared to 8% of men).
Men on the other hand appeared to looked for more active entertainment at the airport with a swimming pool voted the fifth most wanted feature while 14% voted for complimentary bikes to get around the airport (compared to 9% of females) and 8% wanted a golf swing practice area (compared to just 3% of women).
Kavitha Gnanamurthy, Skyscanner’s Market Development Manager for India, commented, “When travelling, most of us spend a lot of time at airports on account of early check-in and security clearances. Whilst some of us would like to utilise this free time to get a few winks, keeping ourselves occupied, remains a top priority. Increasingly, business and leisure travellers look beyond the food courts and Wi-Fi services to pass one’s time at airports. Our survey has surprisingly revealed that travellers now wish to watch movies and thus it tops the list of most wanted features of an airport. Considering our Indian fondness for the latest in the box offices, a cinema with any of our airports will be a sure success.”
Ms. Gnanamurthy, further added, “Being presentable at all times tops the list of most women and thus they were in favour of a vanity area while men would rather utilise their free time in an active sport like swimming or honing their golf swing!”
Source : Mehrin Shamsi