U.S. airports boost the layover experience

U.S. airports are starting to become destinations in their own right, according to an Associated Press report.

A new development at Denver International Airport slated to open in 2015 includes a Westin hotel and conference center with a rooftop pool. It will also have an outdoor plaza for events and a new rail line.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport opened a nearly mile-long walking path over mosaic floor art inside Terminal D in April. There are two cardio step courses leading up 55-foot high staircases. The path ends at a yoga studio.

And San Francisco International has coffee tables with swivel chairs at every gate as part of a major refurbishment of Terminal 2 in April 2011. Check-in desks were lowered to look more like hotel concierge desks.

"In a sense, airports have taken some of the members-only airline club lounge experience and opened it up for all," the AP report says.

The report says the trend is "fueled by a combination of things like an airline industry beset by bankruptcies and consolidation that is less able to shoulder as much of the operating costs for city-owned airports through landing fees and gate rental. More revenue from better retail and dining helps make up the shortfall."

Apparently, it's paying off.

The AP cites data from the Airports Council International-North America showing that revenue from food, beverage, retail and services at U.S. airports reached 1.5 billion in 2011, up 12% from the year before.