Business Traveller
Layover breakthrough: TripAdvisor launches comprehensive airport pages
Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN • Updated 24th June 2015
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(CNN) — Ever been in an airport waiting for a flight and opted for the first stale sandwich you could find, fearing it'd be the last you'd see?
Only to discover an amazing seafood bar right next to your gate?
TripAdvisor's staff must have felt that pain, too.
Something like that, anyway, must have inspired those indefatigable travel archivists to launch dedicated pages highlighting the attractions and amenities in 200 major airports worldwide.
"Over 3.1 billion travelers pass through airports each year, with the average traveler spending 150 minutes of airport 'dwell time' between arriving at the terminal to the doors of the plane closing at the gate," says Adam Medros, TripAdvisor's senior vice president, global product.
"We want to help them quickly find things to do on the site while they're waiting to catch a flight, or book an airport hotel when they need a place to stay."
The travel booking and review website says its airport pages will allow users to rate restaurants, hotels, attractions, duty free stores, boutiques and lounges while also giving them the ability to find the cheapest flights to that airport.
Changi Airport is the first
Fittingly, the first airport to get its own TripAdvisor page is Singapore's Changi Airport.
"With over 54 million passengers in 2014, Changi Airport is one of the leading airports in the world," Aaron Hung, TripAdvisor's director of partnerships, APAC, tells CNN. "Their focus on passenger service makes them an ideal choice as our launch partner."
The world's best airport, Changi has got a butterfly garden, free movie theaters, free foot massages and many more attractions.
"We believe providing useful information on what is available at the airport will help travelers make the most of their time here," says Ivan Tan, senior vice president for corporate and marketing communications at Changi Airport Group.
The TripAdvisor service should come in handy for travelers overwhelmed with Changi options.
Pages for a total of 200 airports are planned, with New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and London Heathrow Airport launching in July.
TripAdvisor airport pages will be available in 28 languages globally and on the TripAdvisor mobile app.
A "Near Me Now" feature will enable travelers to locate nearby amenities and restaurants -- adieu, stale sandwiches! -- through their smart phone's GPS.
