In the USA there are maybe only one or two airports with what most would call a “gym” available in the public terminals. There are or have been various other airports that have fitness or wellness areas for the public like yoga rooms or such. Internationally there are airports that have gyms, and there are gym options available to those flying from private terminals or in some members clubs or areas that aren’t open to the general traveling public.
Many travelers, especially business travelers, try to maintain fitness and/or alleviate stress through working out- hence why so many business hotels have gyms or fitness centers. Why no airport gyms? Well- what it really comes down to is economics. A small gym might service 20-30 people every half hour to an hour. A shop or eatery can service potentially hundreds of customers in that time frame.
It’s about $40 for entry and then possibly rental fees for clothes and shoes to use a US airport public gym, compare that to the cost of…
Airport dining per person and multiply by the number of customers who can be serviced in an hour and you’ll see that for an airport and a business owner, it is more lucrative generally to offer food or convenience shopping/souvenirs.
Another factor is that airports generally have limited space for shops within terminals. Running a business from an airport tends to be different than a general business at a shopping center or commercial space. There are only so many large airports in a county and space is what it is- so competition for space is generally fiercer than in most business space markets. Airports also tend to be selective on allowing businesses to operate inside their gates. That is to say it isn’t simply an issue of being on a “waiting list” and paying the rent every month. Airports try to offer amenities that will bring them recognition and traveler preference, and they often favor businesses that offer some sort of “local” flare-meaning an airport in a place known..
.. for a regional dish or chain fairly unique to that city or region will often try to have some sort of offering representing that. They also want “halo” brands and generally want a certain “brand image” and generally favor avoiding social controversies or things that can be seen as not “family friendly.” So that is another factor too. Not that gyms are controversial or not appropriate for families- but few places are particularly renowned or sought out for their gyms above all else, and “family gym time” is not a super common thing not terribly convenient or practical for most traveling families.
The final sort of hang up is that many travelers who are very serious about fitness either schedule their work outs around and into travel plans or they travel prepared to make a work out where they end up. These are likely your top candidates for gym use, but most people serious about fitness have “portable workouts” they can do when they are traveling or don’t have access to gyms-it’s of body weight exercises like squats or push ups especially with a heavy backpack etc. chair dips, sit ups, burpees, all sorts of things that can be done with no equipment or minimal items like a heavy object or may you bring along as well as things using easily found or improvised equipment like chairs, stairs, horizontal bars, walls, floors, inclines, etc etc. So the idea of airport guns actually makes lots of sense, especially where there can be long layovers like major international hubs and such, but it is more a case where the average volume and per customer income is probably higher with other…
Many travelers, especially business travelers, try to maintain fitness and/or alleviate stress through working out- hence why so many business hotels have gyms or fitness centers. Why no airport gyms? Well- what it really comes down to is economics. A small gym might service 20-30 people every half hour to an hour. A shop or eatery can service potentially hundreds of customers in that time frame.
It’s about $40 for entry and then possibly rental fees for clothes and shoes to use a US airport public gym, compare that to the cost of…
Another factor is that airports generally have limited space for shops within terminals. Running a business from an airport tends to be different than a general business at a shopping center or commercial space. There are only so many large airports in a county and space is what it is- so competition for space is generally fiercer than in most business space markets. Airports also tend to be selective on allowing businesses to operate inside their gates. That is to say it isn’t simply an issue of being on a “waiting list” and paying the rent every month. Airports try to offer amenities that will bring them recognition and traveler preference, and they often favor businesses that offer some sort of “local” flare-meaning an airport in a place known..