Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Thursday 2 February 2017
Long layover? How about a workout at an airport gym?

KELLI KENNEDY But fitness and wellness of-
Associated Press ferings may be especially
Work out while waiting for appealing to travelers get-
your flight? That’s an option ting on or off cramped
now at Baltimore Washing- planes.
ton International Airport, At Dallas-Fort Worth Inter-
where the only gym at national Airport, there’s a
a U.S. airport past secu- yoga studio with free mats,
rity opened this week with a walking path and two 55-
plans to open 20 more at foot staircases for an extra
airports by 2020. cardio challenge. Minne-
It’s the latest example of apolis-St. Paul International
how fitness and health Airport has a 1.4 mile walk-
trends have started show- ing path. Philadelphia’s
ing up at airports. Yoga airport had a temporary
rooms and walking tracks program where passengers
have opened at airports could cycle on stationary
around North America over bikes while waiting for their
the past few years, and flights. Baltimore Washing-
healthier food options are ton International also offers
also easier to find in airports bike rentals and a 12.5-mile
now. You can even get a trail just outside the airport.
kombucha to wash down While airports still sell plenty
a salad made with locally of greasy fast food, many
sourced produce. airport eateries also now
The ROAM Fitness gym at In this Jan. 30, 2017 photo, ROAM Fitness CEO Cynthia Sandall poses inside the soon-to-be-open feature local, organic in-
BWI includes an attendant ROAM Fitness gym at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Linthicum, gredients and vegan and
who monitors guests’ flights Md. gluten-free options. Icebox
and will alert them if there’s Associated Press Cafe at Miami International
a delay. There’s even free on healthy air travel, says yoga room has been so machines offering organic, Airport, which uses locally
luggage storage, options the gyms’ success may de- successful that a second gluten-free and sugar-free sourced food, reported
for renting workout clothes pend on the destination. one opened in 2014. Air- snacks. above-average sales of
and shoes, and showers. He thinks they may be best port officials say it’s used Other amenities in the pipe- $3.1 million last fiscal year.
Fees range from $40 a day suited for hubs with long daily. After a few down- line as major airports look Other examples of vendors
to $175 a month. layovers. ward dogs, yogis can also to become destinations bringing healthier fare to
The concept was initially airports include Nature’s
envisioned for interna- Table in Atlanta and Orlan-
do, Elephants Delicatessen
tional travelers and others at Portland International
with long layovers, but re- Airport in Oregon, and
search revealed that many French Meadow Bakery, in
other travelers wanted to four airports including Min-
squeeze in a workout be- neapolis and Salt Lake City.
fore or after landing. Ann Gentry, founder of the
“A lot of people coming popular vegan eatery Real
from the West Coast tak- Food Daily, has an airport
ing red-eye flights are go- location in addition to two
ing straight to their business others in the Los Angeles
meeting but they land at area.
6:30 in the morning. They “I knew it was going to be a
can’t check into their hotel hit because in our (two oth-
yet ... so it just gives them er restaurants) people were
the opportunity to clean up coming in getting bags of
before they head to that food for the plane, so we
meeting,” said ROAM Fit- were very accustomed to
ness CEO Cynthia Sandall. packing up food for the
Roughly 4,000 travelers a plane,” she said.
month use GoodLife Fit- But not everyone who pa-
ness’ gym at Toronto air- tronizes Real Food Daily at
port, a 33 percent increase In this Jan. 30, 2017 photo, a traveler walks past the soon-to-be-open ROAM Fitness gym at Balti- the airport location realizes
from when it opened in more-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Linthicum, Md. it’s vegan. Some order a
2014, the company said. Associated Press spicy lentil burger and bring
But the concept may not it back complaining they
work everywhere. The air- “You take someplace like order a green juice or cur- in their own right include didn’t know it wouldn’t
port at Las Vegas had a (Chicago) O’Hare, Min- ry bowl at The Plant Cafe movie theaters, more fine have meat. On the flip side,
gym that closed. Christo- neapolis, Portland, Seattle where everything is made dining and better shop- some travelers say they en-
pher Berger, who chairs ... I think you’ve got a real with local and organic ping, says Lorraine Sileo, a joyed her airport grub so
the American College of chance of selling it,” he ingredients. There’s also senior vice president with much they sought out the
Sports Medicine task force said. Napa Farms Market, Joe & the travel market research
San Francisco airport’s the Juice and new vending firm Phocuswright. restaurant while in town.q