November 12, 2009, 2:53 PM — It's a fact of life: People sleep in airports. Terminal design discourages the practice, but all that does is ruin the quality of sleep for the passengers. Is it time to install sleep pods in airports?
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Business-Class and First-Class passengers, of course, can sleep in comfort on the airplanes. That makes sense because of the extremely limited space. But what's the excuse for the lack of sleeping and work space within airports?
Executive club members get big, reclining seats to sleep in if they need to. But what about budget travelers? Don't they need to sleep, too?
A design firm called Arch Group has created concept illustrations for airport sleep pods they call "Sleep Boxes."
Sheets are changed robotically. Each pod provides personal work space, with a table for your laptop and electrical outlets. It also includes sound alerts, a ventilation system, TV, Wi-Fi, luggage space.
The pods would be coin operated, rented by the hour or even in 15-minute segments.
I think it's a great idea. What about you? Would you sleep in a "Sleep Box" during extended layovers?
