Lost in Transit

After two and a half years away from Canada, I decided to make the trip home from Japan. Usually, I fly direct. I go straight from check in to the airplane, and I don’t rely much on airport facilities. This trip, however, I made a few pit stops along the way, including a surface from Bangkok, and a three hour transit in Taiwan. Three hours in a transit area gives you time to think. I thought that while the newer airports certainly do look great, they seem designed more to appeal to shoppers than travelers.

After two and a half years away from Canada, I decided to make the trip home from Japan. Usually, I fly direct. I go straight from check in to the airplane, and I don’t rely much on airport facilities. This trip, however, I made a few pit stops along the way, including a surface from Bangkok, and a three hour transit in Taiwan. Three hours in a transit area gives you time to think. I thought that while the newer airports certainly do look great, they seem designed more to appeal to shoppers than travelers.

Take Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand. Although the check-in is pretty much S.O.P., once you get past customs – the point of no return – you are a bit of a captive audience, and the powers that created this airport clearly decided to capitalize on this fact. From the passport check to any gate in the airport or to any lounge, you are forced to walk past an endless and mind-numbing collection of high-end shops. This comes as no surprise given that the uber-corrupt ex PM of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, was the guy running the show.

It was much the same during the 3 hours I spent in the transit area of Taipei Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan. As I walked in from the X-ray check, the first sign I saw was Burberry. I saw high-end electronics stores. I saw cosmetics shops. No, let me rephrase that. I saw dozens of cosmetics shops. There was alcohol and tobacco on sale everywhere. And this pattern was repeated in every wing of the airport. I kept thinking, "Who needs all this stuff?"

The answer of course, is nobody. Nobody needs to buy a Louis Vuitton bag at 11PM at night on their way to a 14 hour trans-Pacific flight. What I needed at that moment was food and toothpaste. And a bit of deodorant probably would have been a nice touch as well. Yes, I do carry personal sundries when I travel. I cannot, however, carry them with me on the airplane, as the authorities are concerned that I might cleverly make an explosive composed of Colgate and Mennen’s Speed Stick.

There was not, however, a single store selling sundries. The closest I found in Taiwan was a deodorant body spray. But it was a liquid, which means I would have had to throw it away before boarding. I decided not to throw away the $25 they were asking, and hoped instead that the person beside me on the flight to Vancouver had a bad cold.

If these high-end stores were full of shoppers, I could understand that I was the odd man out. In a sea of rich shoppers, I would be the poor, stinky one who didn’t fit in. But the stores were all deserted, excluding, of course, the gaggle of shop ladies who occupied them, fighting to stay awake. At least the electronics store offered some reprieve for the staff, as they took turns playing PSP. I was interested in seeing how much a PSP costs, but I didn’t want to throw them off their game.

It is easy to understand that Gucci is more willing and able to afford the sky high rent to pimp their wares in major hub airports than, say, some mom and pop store selling toothpaste and deodorant. But which is more relevant to a traveler at 11AM in transit in Taiwan? Likewise with restaurants and other areas to pass the time. They were all closed. Instead, the hoards of weary travelers were lying in departure lounges trying to get some sleep. They didn’t have a choice, really, since Burberry doesn’t sell the blended coffee drinks that might have kept them awake.

I suppose that people who love shopping appreciate this thoughtful concentration of commercial prowess. But for a person who just wants to go from A to B with no fuss and no muss, plus have some semblance of traveler-oriented convenience, the newer hub airports leave a lot to be desired. Or rather, they offer everything you desire, but very little of what you really need.

Well...OK...maybe ONE thing.