I cannot recall a time in my life when I was ever forced to leave an airport; but I was evicted from this airport — and I was not the only person who was told to leave.
Why I Was Evicted From This Airport
The airport in question was Cairns Airport in Australia. I was arriving at the airport rather late at night; and I was scheduled to be a passenger aboard an airplane for a flight to Brisbane departing at 6:00 in the morning on my way to Hobart. That meant that if I were to reserve lodging for the night, the stay would only last a few hours…
…but I searched for lodging anyway. Of the few places left that had vacancies, none offered transportation to the airport — which meant that I would have had to arrange for a taxi or ride sharing service and be at the airport by 4:00 in the morning the latest to go through the security checkpoint, which meant that I would have had to wake up at wherever I was to stay by 3:15 in the morning at the absolute latest.
The inconveniences combined with the costs suggested to me that the best option was to simply be at the airport for a few hours, as fewer things could go wrong and cause me to miss the flight.
Just prior to 2:00 in the morning, a man in a uniform — I was not completely sure if he was a law enforcement officer or a security guard — informed me and everyone else who was there to leave the nice cool air conditioned terminal out into the hot and humid January summer night laden with mosquitoes.
A long hard wooden bench was the only place on which one could lay down outside of the building. One person already chose that option on one end of the bench with provisions nearby if necessary. Other people sat on chairs.
The bench was my home for the next couple of hours.
At approximately 4:00 in the morning, people were allowed back inside. The seating was relatively much more comfortable inside than outside — primarily because of both the cool air conditioning and the cushioning of the chairs and places on which one could lay down…
…and no mosquitoes, either.
Many people opted to nap on the more comfortable seating. None of the stores and vendors in the airport were opened for business yet; but vending machines were available in case anyone was hungry or thirsty.
The International Terminal Lounge at Cairns Airport was undergoing a renovation at the time I was at the airport; so I could not use it. The only other available lounge was the QANTAS Club Lounge, of which I did not qualify for entry.
Final Boarding Call
I am not faulting the airport for having its policies and rigidly adhering to them. An airport terminal is not primarily designed to be a place to sleep; and people were likely evicted from the airport for reasons of safety and cleanliness…
…but the overall experience needs to be improved. If airlines are going to schedule flights as early as 6:00 in the morning, more lodging options — preferably, with airport shuttle service included — and more transportation options need to be available.
Regardless, if you plan on being a passenger on an airplane that departs from Cairns Airport very early in the morning, try to check in to a lodging establishment as early as possible the night before so that you can get a decent amount of sleep before traveling to the airport the next morning.
Even thought I rarely do so, sometimes sleeping in an airport is the best option…
…but not Cairns Airport. If you try to stay overnight there — even if only for a few hours — you will be evicted…
All photographs ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
