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.