Skateboarding or flying a plane? 5 Unique Ways to Kill Time at Airports Around the World

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

What can you do to kill time while waiting for your flight at the airport, besides browsing duty-free shops or playing with your gadgets? The foreign website “dealchecker” has compiled a list of unique entertainment facilities available at international airports worldwide. Here are five of the more interesting ones.

▲ Singapore Changi Airport - Butterfly Garden. (Photo / fromChangi Airport's official Facebook page)

Singapore Changi Airport - Butterfly Garden

Changi Airport, repeatedly ranked as the “World’s Best Airport” and “Best Airport to Sleep in” by global travelers, offers not only passenger transport services but also various entertainment facilities such as a shopping mall, a garden, and a swimming pool to help travelers pass the time.

Among them, the 330-square-meter Butterfly Garden within the airport is home to 47 species of butterflies that are not shy around people, allowing visitors to get up close and learn about butterfly ecology. The site considers this a truly unique experience.

▲ South Korea Incheon International Airport - Ice Skating Rink. (Photo / fromdealchecker)

Incheon International Airport - Ice Skating Rink

In addition to experiences like trying on hanbok or visiting a sauna, Incheon International Airport also features an ice skating rink, letting travelers stretch their legs and enjoy gliding across the ice before settling into cramped airplane seats.

▲ USA Chicago O'Hare International Airport - Dinosaur Fossil Model. (Photo / fromN i c o l a Flickr)

Chicago O'Hare International Airport - Dinosaur Fossil Model

Chicago has installed a approximately 22-meter-tall Brachiosaurus fossil model in its terminal, giving travelers a sense of just how massive dinosaurs from the Jurassic period were. Take a few minutes to admire it and snap a photo of this one-of-a-kind sight.

▲ France Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport - Spiral Slide. (Photo / fromStefan Krasowski Flickr)

Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport - Spiral Slide

While not as tall as Changi Airport’s slide, Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport—named after the author of "The Little Prince"—features a 5.8-meter spiral slide, providing a fun play area for children at the airport.

▲ Hong Kong International Airport - Fly a Plane. (Photo / fromWikipedia)

Fly a plane at the airport? That’s right—this is a unique experience offered at Hong Kong International Airport. Terminal 2 houses the world’s first aviation discovery center built inside an airport, where visitors can try their hand at flying a plane in a realistic simulator and experience takeoff and landing. There’s also an observation deck to watch real planes take off and land.

Flying a plane inside the airport? You read that right—this is a unique entertainment experience at Hong Kong International Airport. The SkyCity Nine Eagles Golf Course and Aviation Discovery Centre, located in Terminal 2, is home to the world’s first aviation-themed discovery center built inside an airport. Visitors can experience piloting a plane in a flight simulator and feel the thrill of takeoff and landing. There’s also an observation deck where you can watch the comings and goings of passenger planes as they take off and land.