Airport Guides to Sleeping in the Airport

This has been around a long time. Reading through it sounds like my idea of hell on earth, but if you like saving money and are willing to essentially be homeless, knock yourself out.

I don't plan to read through it--only the specific airport if I'm stuck there for a night. The site lists hotels near the airport for those who do not plan to be "homeless".

I used this once before Covid (maybe 2018?) and found it very handy. It was not something I would choose to do but using the website in a pinch worked well. The information was accurate for Atlanta.

In my instance, Delta had issued a waiver for winter weather for travel thru Atlanta so I thought I might get stuck on my way to FL. By the time the flight was actually cancelled the nearby hotels were full but I'd looked at this website ahead of time and figured out what I would do. I went to the PlaneTrain level and got a spot on the carpet under the forest themed art installation. When I woke in the morning there were perhaps 30 people sleeping in that area.

editing to add: I'm sure there were hotels away from the airport but I did not know how bad the weather was expected to get and since I know the South is paralyzed with 1/2 inch of snow didn't want to risk not being able to get back for my onward flight.

So glad it worked for you, Pam. We fly out of the NYC airports, so it's always a possibility that we'll be stuck due to weather of one kind or another.

Thank you, Lindy!

I would get zero sleep if I slept in an airport, although I understand if it’s a snowstorm unusual condition, there may not be options. I did have an instance last September where my flight from CDG was cancelled as we were in line to board. Air France handed out hotel vouchers. I looked up the reviews of that hotel, and they were scary & horrible. I did my usual search on Booking.com - filtered for 8+rating & hotels and pulled up the map view. That took me about a minute to pick the best distance option from the airport, walked to the taxi stand and was in a surprisingly nice inexpensive hotel in five minutes. I really liked the INNSiDE by Meliá Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Hotel & recommend it! That was $95 well spent on a new, modern hotel that’s received an 8.6 rating.

Jean, Booking.com--smart move.
I'm remembering back in the '70s, my parents flew from JFK to Israel. Back then, we simply met them at their gate and visited until two hours before their flight. We didn't find out until the next morning that they had had to spend the night on the floor due to a flight delay! My dad was in a suit and tie and dress shoes and my mom was in a dress, stockings, heels and full makeup! And THEN, they still had that long flight! There was no recourse back then.

If my situation at CDG involved a cancelled flight right then and there and where to spend the night came up, I would take a taxi from the taxi stand heading out to Roissy, ca. 16 Euro based on last year's cost, show up in the Campanile , a 2-3 star French chain, as a walk-in, (always a room there) , paying with the credit card or even cash, and the problem is solved.

Staying in the Campanile has been always satisfactory, nice restaurant and staff and facilities.

Lindy, wow, what a nightmare for your parents! I hope the rest of their trip went much better!

The problem is with a delayed flight, never knowing when (or if) you're going to board, so out of the airport for the night isn't an option then.

I regularly sleep overnight in the Austin TX airport. Have done so many times. I sleep sitting in a chair. It is not terribly comfortable and there are regular announcements over the loud speakers.

Friends and acquaintances can not believe I do this but I have my reasons.

We do not have. a lot of roads to the Austin airport but we have some very bad accidents every week. You can leave thinking you have plenty of time to get to the airport and still miss your flight due to an accident.

After 7 or 8 pm, there is nowhere to get food or drink but for machines pre security. So bring your own snacks. But even before 7 pm, there are only two snack bars open pre security. The food is outrageously overpriced and not terribly good. Bring your own food and drink if yo are going to have to sleep inside the airport.

Some travelers unfortunately find this out the hard way.

There are no hotels in the airport itself.. There are some very close but I do not know what the cost is. The guide says they offer shuttle service and that might be accurate but again if there is a bad accident, you might not be able to get to the airport.

One time, my pilot had to leave his taxi and walk a mile to the airport carrying his stuff so he could fly our plane.

Taxis take the same roads as buses, cars and shuttles.

The airport keeps remodeling and every year there are changes. The airport is adding 26 gates. Southwest and Delta are going to be anchor airlines.

Right now, we have a medium size airport but heading towards large and more international.

Austin is the largest airport in Central Texas so you will see travelers who live outside of Austin arrivng about 2 am and on to fly out that morning.

Perhaps soon there will be a hotel right inside the airport. Maybe food and drink will be improved pre security. Maybe there will be shopping and entertainment pre-security.

I flew in October and will be flying again in May. I may find the airport completely different. Never know what to expect but it does seem to improve.

Wow - thanks for posting this. I’d never seen this before and at first glance thought it was for people choosing to sleep at the airport. Since we’ve had flights cancelled twice enroute, I decided to check it out for Chicago O’Hare and Heathrow, two places we’ve been stuck. The information matched our experience. I checked “cots” at O’Hare and apparently they are still putting out cots for late night cancellations. Not great, but certainly better than the floor and they had 2 security to watch over the group. There was a convention in town so hotel rooms were scarce.

For Heathrow, I checked out “area hotels” and their advice looked accurate and would have come in handy when we got caught in an IT meltdown, so I’m book-marking this for future travels.

Bostonphil7, I had no idea! I guess I just assumed that everything in TX is big. . . Maybe by May there will be some improvements not only at the airport but on the roads leading up to it.
Patty, yes! I had no idea that my main airport has cots and sleep pods.

One thing I did to make my unintentional overnight better was to spend about $20 at a Hudson's to buy a pillow and blanket intended for a flight. I put the blanket on the floor so I did not have to actually touch the carpeting, hahaha. That combo is probably $40 now but still would be worth it! I left the pillow when I packed to come home but was able to fit the blanket in my suitcase. It now lives in the great-nephew's play room at my house and is perfect for making indoor tents.

It is interesting reading!
The site was created by a Canadian, I believe.

I only tried to sleep overnight in an airport once, out of necessity.
Flying home to Canada from Glasgow in 2005, after staying in Edinburgh.
My flight was at 7 am.
My friend and I went to her daughter’s home in Glasgow for dinner, then she dropped me at the airport around 10pm and went back to Edinburgh.
I was fine and quite safe, but the lights were on bright all night and it was very cold.
Then the cleaners came around at 4 am.
Didn’t sleep much, but got my flight.
I was younger then!

Hi Lindy

The airport in Dallas is HUGE. I had no idea. I don't want to go back tp the Dallas airport

And I think that Houston has two airports.

I don't know what they can do to improve the situation in Austin as far as getting to and from the airport.

Austin is working on putting in a light rail system but there is a lot of resistance

I have slept in other airports. I probably should evaluate some of them.