Airports Taking A New Look At Senior-Friendly Designs

Posted by Richard on May 14, 2019

Airport torture. Enormous concourses 100-miles long. No benches. Dragging a suitcase. That crowd pushing around.
The flight schedule is unreadable. The flight announcements are mumbles.
By the time you haul your suitcase out of the luggage carousel, you’re finished.

Something should be done. People aged 65 or older are becoming a very large group and will outnumber children in just 16 years. About 40 percent of travelers flying in and out of the Tampa airport are over 55, according to The New York Times.

What can be done to make airports more senior-friendly?
Airports are training staff to recognize travelers who are having trouble managing distances. Even if you don’t need a wheelchair in daily life, one might look like heaven in the middle of a half-mile walk to a terminal.
Other solutions are design dependent. Architectural firm Corgan has recommended lowering signs and installing more concessions closer to the gate. Fewer shiny floors, which can be dizzying and seem slippery. And more benches.
Some changes are pretty technological. At Detroit and Rochester airports, new systems will allow hearing aids to directly pick up gate announcements.
In Seattle, passengers arriving from Alaskan cruises can have baggage sent from the ship to the departing flight.