Are Airports the Perfect Coworking Spaces?

Anyone who has stepped inside a major airport over the last two years will see communal desks with charging stations, seating banks with cushy, colorful leatherette seats in a circle around a low set table, and no doubt a Starbucks steps away. The only problem is forgetting you are at the airport, not the corner café.

The fact is, some airports are better than others for getting work done. Recent design upgrades at major airports nationwide have led to more travelers holding remote meetings while others sit comfortably on ergonomic chaise longues and sofas.

According to a recent Upgraded Points report, San Diego International Airport (SAN) manages some 13 charging stations per square mile and has a coveted Be Relax Spa with facials and chair massages for post-meeting R&R.

According to the survey, Dulles International Airport (IAD) has the fastest Wi-Fi download speed, while John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) hosts the most airport lounges per square mile (4+).

Photo: Schiphol Spaces Lounge / Courtesy of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

The number of flexible workspaces located in airports has grown nearly 100 percent year-on-year since the end of 2021, according to data and analytics platform CoworkIntel. Some airports are taking co-working spaces to the next level with private working spaces.

A recent start-up, Jabbrrbox, has created bookable private working pods and placed them at leading airports, so that deep work ahead of travel is not such a challenge, and incessant flight announcements do not jar Zoom meetings. The pods are wired up to keep devices charged and Wi-Fi flowing in stackable 30-minute segments that run around $16. Travelers need to sign-up through an app, and the doors will open.

 

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So far, Jabbrrbox booths are available at the following airports:

• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) (T 4, 8)

• O’Hare International Airport (CHI) (The Mart, T1 – soon 2,3,5)

• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CIN) (T A,B

• Oakland International Airport (OAK) (T2)

• Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) (Concourse B,C)

• Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)

• Portland International Airport (PDX) Concourse C,E)

• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) (Concourse A,D,S)

• Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) (Concourse A,B)

• Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) (T A,B)

• Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) (Concourse C)

• Other airports with pods or pods on order:

• Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)

• Minneapolis International Airport (MPL)

• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)

• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

• Washington DC – All airports

• London

• Hong Kong

• Seoul

• Sydney

Collinson, operator of Priority Pass, released a study in late February listing what travelers want and would be willing to pay for at an airport. While sleep pods and spa services got check marks from more than half the travelers, for road warriors, it was all about a working space to plug in and focus.