Love of Airports

Herded to the arrivals gate after a bomb scare in Kota Kinabalu.

The most disorganized search ever in Kota Kinabalu.

I have a great affinity for airports. I don't know if this is a TCK thing or a just-me thing, but I love airports. Not all airports, of course. Some I merely endure long enough to get on a plane and escape. But, by and large, I feel very comfortable in airports. I don't enjoy checking-in or passport control or security, but I love what comes after. The shopping, the food, the drinks: everything that you can get away with at any time of day because you are traveling. Want that extra dessert because you are stressed? Go for it! Want a morning cocktail without a side of judgement? Airports support you! Want that trashy novel that you are dying to read but want no one else to ever know about? Some airport bookstores will even make a dust jacket for you so you can read free from shame. 

Growing up, airports were a point of stability for me. Filled with stress before and after, I relished the forced idle time that terminals provided. I have never minded spending extended amounts of time at the airport. When I travel, I accept that the whole day has been set aside just for the sake of getting to another city/country/continent. To me, waiting at home and waiting at the airport is pretty much the same. I have always hated worrying about rushing to catch the plane so I always shoot for earlier. I get that from my dad since he would rather be three hours early than arrive sprinting for the gate. My parents actually balance each other out since my mom wants to cut it as close as she can. My brother and I did not absorb the balanced approach. He takes my mom's habits to an extreme and I am as bad, if not worse, than my dad. Luckily, I rarely have to travel with my brother and when I do, I can be a very annoying alarm clock. 

I recently read a blog post on airport musings. The writer describes airports as interchangeable spaces deliberately made stale to help travelers weather flight transitions. While I agree with how airports have all the same basic elements, I disagree that they lack personality. There are some airports that I will deliberately try to route my flights through. Singapore, Hong Kong, Narita, Bangkok, Detroit are all familiar friends. I know Detroit is kind of random but it was the hub I used to fly back to Manila when I was in college. It was also where I had my first legal drink in the U.S. upon turning twenty one (at Chili's). I am not much of a habit-based person (this drives the Boy crazy since he is nothing if not a giant ball of routine). I tend to alternate what I do daily depending on when I wake up and what I need to accomplish. The only time I really feel the need to indulge a habit is when I am in an airport. In Detroit, I always go to the exact same Japanese restaurant and I always order the exact same meal (Shrimp tempura with udon noodle soup). In Hong Kong, I always go to the same Chinese restaurant and order a last bowl of wonton noodle soup. In Bangkok I have always had airport Thai food to greet me and put me at ease. There is something incredibly relaxing for me in these patterns that I continue (or create) in airports that I become familiar with. 

Then there are the airports that you suffer through. Just as some airports stick with you because of how amazing the amenities are, there are others that haunt you for the hell they put you through. Coron was/is one such. Kota Kinabalu another. There are also a ton in China that are merely points of transition and are pretty much interchangeable because they were all designed by the same architect. Admittedly, the events surrounding your time in an airport will definitely influence how you feel. Flight cancellations, delays, convoluted layouts (I'm looking at you Charles de Gaulle), and absurdly long security lines (Heathrow anyone?) will impact how you view that particular airport. I have witnessed a near-riot (Lhasa), a service strike (Barcelona - cleaners littered the airport with shredded newspaper and played obnoxious vuvuzelas), and been involved in a bomb scare (Kota Kinabalu).

It is a disservice to remove the personality of airports. They are a part of your journey and can sometimes be more eventful than the rest of your trip combined. Whether you love them or hate them, even the blandest airports make an impression no matter how fleeting. 

Here's to all the airports that have housed me, comforted me, and/or terrorized me!