Fun airports around the world

Instead of sitting for hours waiting for your flight, fun things to do from 4D movies or dollmaking to ice skating to wine & music or viewing paintings...

Aerial view of Incheon International Airport in South Korea (Source: Wikipedia).

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Travel Update
TRAVELTITBITS

Airports that put an end to terminal boredom

15/11/2012  
Karnjana Karnjanatawe

If you have to spend a lot of time at airports, you might want to find out what to do to kill your boredom, or ease your fatigue.

Amadeus, a leading travel booking-technology provider, recently listed the top 10 traveller-friendly airports that have facilities to help brighten your day while waiting for your flight.

South Korea's Incheon International Airport stands out from the crowd thanks to the government's tireless efforts to promote Korean culture. The airport houses the National Korean Museum and cultural areas - facilities that are "the most-loved features" according to Amadeus because travellers can create traditional Korean dolls in papier-mache. Also recommended are the jungle gyms for children, free shower facilities, a spa and an ice rink. If that were not enough, there are also traditional dance and musical performances.

Singapore's Changi International Airport has a butterfly garden in Terminal 3. The garden also houses 200 carnivorous and insectivorous plants and boasts a waterfall. Other facilities include a movie house, a pool and rooms for napping.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina has an atrium lined with trees and white wooden rocking chairs, and also has the Yadkin Valley Wine Bar where travellers can taste offerings from local wineries.

Portland International Airport offers live music performances and exhibitions by local artists, while products and services available in its shops and restaurants are the same price as those outside the airport, with no sales tax.

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Michigan houses an elaborate light tunnel that features an original musical score and a multi-coloured light show behind sculpted glass panels.

McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas has nearly 1,300 slot machines, free Wi-Fi service and houses the Howard W Cannon Aviation Museum.

Taipei's Taoyuan International Airport boasts an outstanding Hello Kitty-themed waiting area near the C3 boarding gate in Terminal 2. The cute Japanese cartoon cat appears everywhere including wall decorations, pink seats, a playground for children and more items in the Hello Kitty shop.

Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam is home to a branch of the famous Rijksmuseum which features a small collection of Dutch Golden Age paintings  as well as a casino.

Vancouver International Airport has a 5.2m-deep aquarium that is home to 1,000 marine species including the wolf eel, rock fish and kelp greenling.

Hong Kong International Airport has a 330-seat 4D theatre allowing travellers to enjoy movies on a four-storey high screen and four-dimensional special effects like falling snow, splashing water and wafting fragrances.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Travel Update, TRAVELTITBITS, Airports that put an end to terminal boredom, 15/11/2012, Karnjana Karnjanatawe, link)


Air Travel Vocabulary

airport - the place where airplanes take off and land, where flights to different places begin and end สนามบิน (See Wikipedia)
air terminal - a large building at an airport where passengers arrive and leave อาคารผู้โดยสารขาเข้าขาออก
aerial view - looking at something on the ground from an airplane high in the sky

boredom (noun) - when you are sad because you have nothing to do and there is nothing interested to do ความเบื่อ, ความเบื่อหน่าย, ความเหนื่อยหน่าย

He bores her. (verb)
She is bored. (adjective)

kill your boredom - do something, so that you are not bored
find out what to do to kill your boredom

terminal disease - a disease (like cancer) that a person will die from
play on words - using words, phrases or sentences that have two meanings (making them more fun to read)

terminal boredom - two meaning play on words: 1. bored because you have to wait a long time in the air terminal; 2. to die from boredom

Airports that put an end to terminal boredom

spend time - use the time you have to do something
spend a lot of time
have to spend a lot of time at airports

ease - to make or become less severe, difficult, unpleasant, painful, etc ทำให้ง่าย บรรเทา
fatigue - being tired
ease your fatigue - make you feel less tired  (give you energy again when you are tired)

booking - an arrangement for something in the future (examples: hotel booking, book a flight)
travel booking  
travel booking-technology provider

leading - the most advanced, important or famous
a leading travel booking-technology provider
Amadeus, a leading travel booking-technology provider

traveller-friendly airport
the top 10 traveller-friendly airports

facilities - the buildings, equipment and services provided for a particular purpose สิ่งอำนวยความสะดวก
free shower facilities

flight - when an airplane brings people from one place to another place
facilities to help brighten your day while waiting for your flight

stand out - be easy to see, easy to notice 
stands out from the crowd

efforts - the work done towards achieving some goal ความพยายาม
tireless efforts - working very hard (without ever getting tired)

promote - to move someone to a job at a higher level เลื่อนตำแหน่ง
promote Korean culture

tireless efforts to promote Korean culture.

traditional - things (clothes, music, customs, etc.) that have been part of a country or society for a long time
traditional Korean dolls - (See Video)

papier-mache - paper shaped into different forms for decoration such as a mask or sculpture (See Wikipedia)
create traditional Korean dolls in papier-mache

jungle gyms - a metal structure for children to play on (See Wikipedia)
the jungle gyms for children

ice rink - a place for ice skating
ice skating - (See Wikipedia)

performance - when show, dance, concert or other entertainment is show on a stage to a large group of people การแสดง
musical performances
live music performances

carnivorous - an animal that eats meat
insectivorous - an animal that eats insects
carnivorous and insectivorous plants

boasts - to have something good and nice
waterfall - a place where river water falls from rocks to a lower level น้ำตก
boasts a waterfall

a movie house - a movie theatre (a place where movies are shown to the public)  
a pool - a swimming pool, a place where you can swim สระว่ายน้ำ

nap - to take a short sleep; a siesta, a cat nap, a snooze, a doze การงีบ, การม่อยหลับไป

take a nap
rooms for napping

atrium - a very high and large open space within a building usually with a glass roof ห้องโถงใหญ่ (See Wikipedia)

lined with - to have something along the sides
an atrium lined with trees

rocking chairs - chair that can be moved back and forth (See Wikipedia)
white wooden rocking chairs

winery - a place where wine is made (See Wikipedia)
local wineries

Wine Bar
a Wine Bar where travellers can taste offerings from local wineries.

local - in or related to the area that you live, or to the particular area that you are talking about ท้องถิ่น
local artists

exhibition - a display, presentation or showing of things to the public งานแสดง (ศิลปะ), นิทรรศการ (ศิลปะ)
exhibitions by local artists

sales tax - a tax paid on things that you buy in stores, a percentage of the price

services - บริการต่างๆ
products and services available in its shops and restaurants are the same price as those outside the airport, with no sales tax

elaborate - very detailed and complicated ละเอียด ปราณีต containing a lot of careful detail or many detailed parts ที่ประณีต,อย่างรอบคอบ,ซับซ้อน,ละเอียด,ที่บรรจง

tunnel - อุโมงค์,โพรง,ทางใต้ดิน
a light tunnel

elaborate - done with many details,  intricate, complex, embellished ละเอียด,  ประณีต, ซับซ้อน, ทำด้วยความละเอียด, ประดิดประดอย, ทำอย่างประณีต
an elaborate light tunnel

musical score - song written down on paper (that can be used to play or sing the song), sheet music เพลง (See Wikipedia)

original - the first one created, the first version ซึ่งเป็นต้นฉบับ, ที่เป็นอันแรก
an original musical score

panel - a flat piece of wood, glass or other material แผง, แผงจ่ายไฟ
glass panel - a sheet of glass or window กระจก, น้าต่าง
sculpted glass panel
a multi-coloured light show behind sculpted glass panels

slot machine - a gambling machine เครื่องหยอดเหรียญสำหรับเล่นพนัน (See Wikipedia)

McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas has nearly 1,300 slot machines

outstanding - clearly very much better than what is usual ยอดเยี่ยม, ดีเด่น
an outstanding Hello Kitty-themed waiting area

branch - an office or shop representing a large company or organisation in a particular area สาขา

Schipa branch of the famous Rijksmuseum which features a small collection of Dutch Golden Age paintings

marine - relating to the sea and creatures that live in it เกี่ยวกับทะเล
species - a set of animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics to each other and can breed with each other พันธ์,จำพวก
marine species

aquarium - a special place for seeing many different kinds of fish, like a "fish zoo" (See Wikipedia)
an 5.2m-deep aquarium that is home to 1,000 marine species 

storey - one level in a house or building
a four-storey high

movie screen - the large area in front of the audience in a movie theatre where the movie is shown (projected onto the screen)
enjoy movies on a four-storey high screen

four-dimensional - the three dimensions of space plus time as one dimension
special effects - unusual images or sounds in a movie, not actually filmed but created artificially with computers and technology, illusions, tricks of the eye (See Wikipedia)

splash - when water flies through the air and hits something สาด, กระเด็น, กระโดดน้ำ,สาดน้ำ,โดดน้ำ 
splashing water

fragrance - a nice smelling thing; aroma, balm, scent กลิ่นหอม

waft -  float, drift ล่องลอยในอากาศ
wafting fragrances

four-dimensional special effects like falling snow, splashing water and wafting fragrances.