While being in the airport, I paid attention that usually there were carpets on the gate area floor. I am a real carpet fan, so I liked the idea to sit in a cozy armchair with a drink in one hand and a book in another one. But I asked myself, “Why don’t they put a hard floor there? It’s much easier to maintain it!”
Generally, the airports have carpets in their lounge area. There are some other conveniences, added to this nicety. They are comfortable armchairs, low ceilings, and pleasant cozy lighting. The reason for such care is to create a homelike feeling for passengers, who are waiting for their flight. There are other reasons, why airports have carpets. Keep up reading to know!
5 Reasons Why Airports Have Carpets
We are discussing what is better, a carpet or a hard floor for an airport. But pragmatic businessmen have already thought for us. And if they decided to cover the airport floor with a carpet, then there are at least 5 reasons for it. Let’s see them all!
1. Money
In fact, carpeting is quite challenging for airport managers. First of all, this kind of floor is quite expensive. Besides, the carpet floor is hard to clean. So, why do they put carpets in the lounge area of the airports? The reason is very pragmatic – money. As the social research showed, relaxed calm passengers spend 7-10% more cash in the airport café and duty-free zone.
2. Noise Buffer
Noise is a part of the airport’s busy life. Thousands of people come to the airport every day to wait for a flight, to meet someone, or to return finally home. The excessive noise makes passengers nervous and prevents them from relaxing or sleeping if their flight was delayed. Putting the carpet in the gate area of the airport is a great idea to reduce the noise. Carpets are great noise buffers, they absorb different kinds of sounds, starting from aircraft engine noise and ending with the clatter of baggage carts.
The interior designer Rochelle Morris tells about the acoustic benefits of the carpet, “You can easily relax in the carpeting zone. It’s an almost complete reduction of noise, made by the feet of both, adults and children. Don’t worry if the family with several kids is sitting behind you. Probably, children’s little feet are jumping and running around, but the carpet absorbs this noise”.
Expert’s opinion
3. Heat Insulation
Carpets cover the floors in different airports in U. S., but they play an even more important role in cold states. It is proved, that the temperature in the carpeted room is several degrees higher than in that one with a hard floor. The other reason, why there are carpets on the airport floor is heat insulation. The carpet is a greater thermal insulator than linoleum, laminate, and other floor coverings.
4. Safety
As you’ve probably noticed, the airport is the place, where everyone is in a hurry. People are running to buy souvenirs for relatives and friends in the duty-free zone or for some other reason. Passengers’ high speed leads to slips and falls. That’s why airport managers prefer to cover the floor with soft carpet. In this case, it’s more difficult to slip. And even if the passenger occasionally falls down, he’ll have no serious injury.
5. Great Look
No need to say, that carpets make the public place more domestic and cozy. The great look is the last but not least reason, why they use carpeting for gate areas in the airports. Sometimes passengers spend more time than was expected at first in the gate zone. The flights may be delayed or even canceled, and some people have to stay in the lounge zone of the airport for hours. The soft carpet on the floor makes them feel more comfortable, pleasing their tired eyes. Besides, the carpet pile absorbs dirt, grime, and spills. So, the general look is nicer in the carpeted area.
As you see, there are a lot of reasons to cover the airport floor with a soft beautiful carpet. But are the carpets in the airport the same as at home? I am ready to tell you!
What Are Airport Carpets Made of?
Of course, there is no strict rule that polypropylene carpets can decorate the airport floor, but silk ones cannot. But there are three common materials for carpeting in public places, including airports. They are nylon, wool, and polypropylene.
There are three factors to consider while choosing the carpet for the airport. They are fire protection, wear resistance, and ease of maintenance.
Fire protection
No need to say, that fire in such public places as airports is extremely dangerous. That’s why airport managers take versatile measures to avoid a fire or to put it out immediately. For the airport floor, it is necessary to choose such kind of carpet fiber, which will be resistant to fire. The best option, in this case, is wool. This material occupies the first place to prevent fire from spreading in the public area. Its natural fibers burn slowly and they self-extinguish the fire. Nylon carpets are the second great choice. They show great flame resistance, which was proved by the Methenamine Tablet Test. Polypropylene carpets show weak fire resistance, so they are not the best choice for airports.
Wear resistance
Wool carpets show great wear resistance. They serve for decades even in areas with extremely high traffic. Besides, wool carpets are water and stain-resistant, which makes them suitable for public areas, including airports. Nylon synthetic carpets wear quite well too. They are less expensive than wool ones and show great results for stain and dirt resistance. That’s why they are good for commercial facilities, too. Polypropylene carpets are widely used in airports. They are cheaper than the previous two kinds of fiber. Polypropylene fibers are not so strong, but they don’t absorb water.
Ease of maintenance
Carpets in public areas get dirty very quickly. That’s why it is necessary to maintain them right. Polypropylene carpets are cheap and they are quite easy to maintain. Nylon carpets are not hard to clean, too. Probably, the hardest fiber to clean is wool. Nevertheless, wool carpets often decorate the floor in airports.
The airport workers do dry cleaning of carpets every day. They use powerful vacuum cleaners for this purpose. Once a year they do wet cleaning. The right organization of maintaining process helps carpets in the airports look great for years.
Do They Use Carpets in the Aircrafts?
All commercial aircraft use carpets to cover the floor. Some of my readers wrote to me, that they don’t like this idea, as very often carpets in the aircraft look wear and tear. Such an unpleasant carpet look makes the passengers prefer other types of flooring, like linoleum.
I think that carpets add a lot of comfort and positive vibes to any room, including the aircraft salon. One of the best options nowadays is the aircraft carpet, offered by reputable American manufacturer Mohawk. The name of the carpet is “Skylon”. It is made of nylon. The carpet is fire and stains-resistant. The carpet has a certificate. Besides, the manufacturer sells carpets with a brochure with the recommendation on how to maintain the carpet right.
Final Thoughts
As you see, carpets are a great choice not only for households but also for commercial facilities, including airports. There are 5 reasons, why carpets cover the floor in the lounge area of airports. Sometimes they place carpets in the aircraft salons, too. One of the most popular aircraft carpets is Skylon, made by Mohawk.
I think the carpeted floor looks much better than other types of flooring. Although it is not an easy thing to maintain carpets in such high-traffic areas as airports, I like the cozy homelike look they create. And what do you think, carpeting is good for airports?