The name of this rather whimsical Web site is self-explanatory: It provides feedback from travellers about sleeping conditions in airport terminals around the world, as well as related tips and information.
Lowdown
The site bills itself as "The Budget Traveller's Guide to Sleeping in Airports," and is centred on its airport listings. These are organized by region and then alphabetically by city. Once an airport is selected, a list of comments contributed by travellers appears, each of which uses the site's rating system -- consisting of skulls and crossbones or smiley faces -- to assess the comfort levels for passengers facing lengthy layovers.
Comments vary drastically. Some offer a few words -- "Terminal 1 in Toronto is my vote for the worst in Canada," one visitor writes -- while others are much more detailed, providing information about airport eateries, washrooms, seating, security and, of course, the best places to sleep.
The "add an airport" link allows visitors to contribute their own assessments to the list through an e-mail composition form. This section also features a tutorial on how to compose airport reviews.
"Airport sleeping tips" provides just what it says, offering words of wisdom, such as "bring something comfortable to sit on" and "always have a backup plan," from the site's creator, Canadian Donna McSherry, who has been "celebrating airport sleeping since July 11, 1996."
Whoever thought sleeping in an airport was reason to celebrate? Apparently, McSherry does. The site's tongue-in-cheek "Airport Challenge" was devised to get people into the idea of airport sleepovers by encouraging groups to spend "a fun night out at the airport consisting of dancing, games of Twister, ordering in pizza, etc."
The site continues to have some fun with its subject matter with a "Best and Worst" airport list; "Donna's Favourites," a compilation of McSherry's favourite submissions from travellers; and a list of anonymous messages to the site from airport staff about how they view overnight guests.
Navigability
Airport listings are only a couple of clicks away from the home page, and the omnipresent index allows visitors to jump from section to section with ease.
Design
This mainly text-based site forgoes photos and animated graphics for content. It's not flashy, but it gets the job done. The rating system is a bit of a sticking point, however, since airports are either rated as "hell," "tolerable" or "good." No subtle nuances here.
High point
The site lists hundreds of airports with a surprising degree of geographic diversity. And there are usually several reviews for each listing.
Low point
The e-mail form for contributing reviews consists only of a blank document. An on-line form with predetermined criteria would lend more consistency to the reviews and would cut down on the rambling, contradictory submissions that crop up here and there.
Bottom line
This site has built a solid foundation of content that could allow it to evolve into a useful on-line travel tool for those looking to save a little cash by crashing overnight between flights. But to become more than a novelty, it needs to offer more than off-hand impressions from travellers. Detailed information on airport sleeping, such as maps and directions, and a more reliable rating system would certainly help.
