Airports are probably one of the most high-tech structures in modern times. Depending on the facility, it could employ solar-paneled rooftops, energy-efficient everything, baggage carousels that reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and the list goes on and on.
Sure, you might still hear the click-click-click of a dot matrix printer at some gates (here’s why), and you may have read that the FAA is looking to finally upgrade their systems from Windows 95 and floppy disks. But for the most part, airports tend to employ some of the most high-tech systems in the world.
So if that’s the case, if airports offer terminal seating that includes the likes of wireless charging and personal air diffusers, why do so many airports still offer rocking chairs, one of the most low-tech seating out there?
Fun fact! I grew up in the NYC metropolitan area. EWR and, to a lesser extent, JFK were “my” airports. And I promise you that neither of them have ever offered rocking chairs. My first few flights were to Orlando and again, MCO offers no rocking chairs. So I didn’t even know rocking chairs in airports were a “thing” until I started traveling more and going to smaller, more regional airports.
Rocking chairs at airports: a history
North Carolina’s Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) claims to be the first airport to offer rocking chairs to its guests, back in 1997. They were said to be introduced to accompany a photography exhibit about traditional southern front porches. The white wooden rockers became so popular among travelers that they became a permanent fixture and were expanded upon. Nowadays, CLT’s rocking chairs are all made by Troutman Chair Company, an NC-based chair-making company that’s over 100 years old.
Where You Can Find Rocking Chairs
Since then, dozens of other airports have introduced rocking chairs to their airports. Here are some of them (This list is nowhere near complete, so please tell me which ones I’ve missed):
- Asheville Regional Airport.
- Baltimore Washington International
- Boston Logan International Airport
- Bradley International Airport
- Buffalo Niagara International Airport
- Burlington International Airport
- Charleston International Airport
- Charlotte/Douglas International Airport
- Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport
- Columbia Metropolitan Airport
- Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
- Dayton International Airport
- Eugene Airport
- Harrisburg International Airport
- Houston Hobby International Airport
- Jacksonville International Airport
- Lancaster Airport
- Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport
- McGhee Tyson Airport
- Miami International Airport
- Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
- Mobile Regional Airport
- Nashville International Airport
- Piedmont Triad International Airport
- Philadelphia International Airport
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- Raleigh Durham International Airport
- Roberts Field – Redmond Airport
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
- Sacramento International Airport
- San Antonio International Airport
- San Diego International Airport
- Savannah International Airport
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
- Spokane International Airport
- St. Louis Lambert International Airport
- Wilmington International Airport
And it’s not just the U.S.; foreign airports offer rocking chairs, as well. You can find them in select airports in Canada, Finland and several other countries, as well.
Why rocking chairs?
Airports are typically loud, chaotic, frenetic spaces. Because rocking tends to soothe and relax people (which is why rocking babies helps to lull them to sleep), rocking chairs are historically calming mechanisms.
It’s been said that as little as 10 minutes of rocking per day can reduce your blood pressure and improve your circulation. Rocking also causes the release of endorphins, which are known to elevate mood. So why NOT offer them in airports, a space where people tend to have higher-than-normal levels of anxiousness to begin with? A little stress relief is good for everyone, especially at airports.
“Sitting there at a slower pace, rocking back and forth is a de-stressor. It’s really a metaphor for how our Airport operates,” said CLT Chief Executive Officer Haley Gentry. “There’s always the hustle and bustle, people coming and going, but the rocker is a little bit of respite in the middle of chaos. It’s been very successful.”
Jean Land, owner of Troutman Chair Company, says it makes her heart happy to see her chairs in CLT. “We are impressed with how the Airport is so intentional about welcoming and creating a destination, if you will, for its guests. The sight of the rocking chairs brings a feeling of nostalgia to people, even if they weren’t raised with rockers or porches. It’s a symbol of gathering and relaxing.”
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