dijous, 7 de maig del 2015

U.S. Airports Are Better, but Not Best

As major airports around the world scramble to brand themselves as luxury entities rather than mere transportation centres, some have adopted a star-ranking system, like hotels. It was inevitable.
Munich Airport, calling itself “Bavaria’s gateway to the world,” boasts that it has become “Europe’s first five-star airport.” The five-star distinction was awarded in mid-March to the German airport and four other international airports by the London air-travel research firm Skytrax, based on surveys completed by more than 13 million fliers in 2014.

Modern airports positioning themselves in a firmament usually occupied by stylish hotels is an indication of how far the concept of airport-as-brand has come in the last 25 years. What used to be utilitarian — a place to grab a magazine, a candy bar or beer and get on or off a plane — has become far more elaborate, with amenities at many airports, including art galleries, interior gardens, theatres, mall-like concourses filled with shops and restaurants and, at least in some foreign airports, exotic experiences. 


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