Once baggage has been checked, there can be quite a bit of time spent waiting to board the plane, especially if there are any delays.
To help its passengers fill their time, the Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei, Taiwan, offers access to paper books and virtual e-readers.
During downtime, travelers can now borrow both Chinese and English language books – around 2,000 books on paper and 400 e-books – in a special waiting are in the larger of the airport’s two terminals. The terminal typically handles stopovers between North America and Southeast Asia.
Stored on about 30 devices, including iPads and e-readers, the e-books are loaned out on first-come, first-serve basis, and cannot be downloaded onto passenger devices.
Amsterdam’s Schiphol’s Airport Library, opened last summer as the first permanent airport library in the world, and is geared toward those passengers who have long layovers between flights.
Since the airport library is a temporary stopover where people pass time and then leave on their flights, visitors are not be allowed to remove books, DVDs or other items. There is, however, be a separate ‘download room.’
A new device allows visitors to not only watch films, but also to download them to mobile phones. “So you can watch them again on the plane or when you’re at home,” explains Mr Van Tol.