Active Waiting: Potentials of Waiting Area at Airport

Mary Thalia Travelita Pasaribu1, Enira Arvanda2, Nevine Rafa Kusuma3

Departement of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus
Baru UI Depok, West Java, 16424

E-mail: marythaliatrav@gmail.com1, enira.arvanda28@gmail.com2,

nevinerafa@gmail.com3

Abstract. In airport context, despite its importance, waiting is often associated as an

unpleasant activity. One of the reasons of the perception is the lack of ability of the waiting
area to accommodate comfortable waiting experience for the passengers, in which the
passengers passively take part. Active waiting is a principal, where waiting is seen as an
activity that has balance focus between achieving what is expected as the goal of waiting and
on experiencing the whole process itself. Regarding to the issue of waiting area as a ‘boring’
space, this paper will dissect potential of a waiting space by using active waiting concept
explained by Schweizer and Gasparini as a lens of analysing the space. According to their
concept, active waiting are both productive and meaningful. In the period of time when
someone is waiting, certain activity happens that will benefit the rest of the trip. The benefits
can be a part of a defined passenger system or a new occasional experience. This research will
observe and analyse the spatial elements and the behaviour of passengers at a particular waiting
area, with focus on the potentials of the waiting area. The findings, such as human body and
spatial elements that affects the ability of waiting space to accommodate the waiting
passengers, may be useful in treating airport waiting area in the future, to create a better
experience for the passengers.

Keywords: Traveling, Transit, Wait, Active Waiting, Waiting Area, Passenger, Airport

1. Introduction

Waiting in airport terminal is necessary to keep the flow of passengers in accord with one and
another. In parallel, the duration is also used for the airport operation officers to prepare the aircraft for
passengers to board. Passenger’s experience in a waiting area is both an extension of a particular
place, such as city or country, and the last contact a person has of it. Thus, it is important to assure that
passengers can perceive a decent viewpoint of a place trough a safe and comfortable waiting

1
marythaliatrav@gmail.com
2
enira.arvanda28@gmail.com
3
nevinerafa@gmail.com
experience. Nevertheless, the experience of waiting is often conceptualised as a stasis period that bore
the passenger to be passive while in reality, it should have been a lively experience with so many
potentials of activity and experience (Bissel, 2007). This shows another possibility of principle on
waiting definition, one that does not describe waiting as boring nor unpleasant activity, known as the
active waiting principle.

1.1. The Aims of The Study

This paper will observe and analyse the aspect of waiting, focusing on the spatial elements and
the behaviour of passenger through the lens of active waiting concept. The expected result from this
study is to find the potentials of active waiting at airport.

2. Active Waiting

Acting as a gap and bridge between two activities while traveling, waiting has a tight relation
with the activity that precedes and follows (Walker, 2009). It indicates a certain plot from the
beginning of a trip that ends with an expectation of what to achieve that top the whole journey
(Gasparini, 1995). This connection is an important part of active waiting. The word ‘wait’ itself is
derived from the French word ‘waitier’, that means to watch and from the German word ‘wake’, that
means to guard. The origin of the word brings a sense of anticipation in the act of waiting upon the
expectation that it holds (Bissel, 2007). Thus, waiting should be seen as not only an attempt to pass
time, but also to enjoy time while anticipating what is coming out of it (Schweizer, 2008). Balance
between the experience while waiting and the result of the wait is necessary to accommodate an active
waiting. This is also how active waiting can be qualitatively measured. The measurement is divided to
two categories of parameter, pregnant or the result-oriented parameter, and meaningful or the
experience-oriented parameter (Gasparini, 1995).
In both categories there exist five aspects. Four out of the five aspects, which are: interior
element, body movement, time, and expectation. In a journey, the first two aspects usually occur in
many ways. In contrary, the last two aspects, which is the time and expectation are usually well
scheduled by the airport and airline officials or well planned by every passenger. This makes them
hard to be observed. Therefore, the interior element and the body movement are likely the most
observable variable to observe. The interaction of the four aspects results the fifth aspect, which is
experience (Bissel, 2007).
The observation on the interior element will focus on its universality, time resistance, and
variation, and how these help to accommodate the active waiting and provide a comfortable place to
stay and to access the space, with both connections to the important spot as well as some privacy
(Herman Miller Company, 2014). Meanwhile, the observation on human body will focus on the
absorption and relaxation phases. This phase explains the relation between human senses and how it
perceives the information around them. Absorption is the process of catching information consciously,
with an anticipated human body. Relaxation is known as the state of being voluntarily unanticipated to
ready the body for an upcoming time when the body needs to be in the state of anticipating.

3. Methodology

This paper is using qualitative analysis methods. The observation will be taken place in
Terminal 3 Soekarno-Hatta Airport, in Jakarta. The terminal is a domestic passenger terminal with two
kinds of waiting area, a publicly accessed area (non-sterile) and passengers-only area (sterile). The
selection of the places is due to the most improved airport award achieved by the airport through this
particular terminal, which indicated improvement in accommodating passenger in waiting area.

4. Overview of Interior Elements and Body Movement

4.1. The Interior Elements
The interior elements in the non-sterile waiting area consist of many attractions but not many
variations. These different objects spread all across and have various kind of interaction with the
passengers. But in general, the interactions occur in a short amount of time namely less than ten
minutes.

Figure 2. Diagram of Elements in Non-Sterile Waiting Area

In the contrary, the elements in the sterile waiting area do not have many attractions. Instead,
it is filled with familiar additional essential elements, such as charger booth, television, and several
kind of furniture to sit on. The seating place has variations of kind, shape, colour, material, finishing,
size, orientation, height, and grouping. These differences are giving passengers options to choose the
best place for them to sit and spent their moment while actively waiting for the aircraft to board.
As for the fixed elements that form the space around the waiting area, such as ceiling,
flooring, and walls, are practically built from the same material. However, different kind of interaction
with other elements resulted in a different spatial condition. The elements in the non-sterile area have
similar colour to the fixed elements and fuse with the space. Contrariwise, the sterile waiting area is
filled with furniture of popping primary colours that enhance the existent of the furniture and other
added elements due to the contrast with the fixed elements as it backgrounds.
The way some added elements stand out in the sterile area trigger the sense of anticipation that
underlies the active waiting. The little differences have successfully displayed distinguish areas,
furniture, or groupings for passenger to choose and adjust based on their personal need. The ability of
waiting area to accommodate choices will probably increase the feeling of safe and comfort
experienced by passengers.

4.2. The Body Movement

One of the most obvious differences between the non-sterile and sterile waiting area, is how
people freely move when they do not have their luggage with them. Their belongings, before they
checked their way in, massively influence the movement of these passengers on the non-sterile area.
Although the size of corridors and halls of the two waiting areas are equally wide with the width
around 6 to 10 meters, the number of people passing with their baggage does narrow down the
personal space of each passenger, restrain them to freely approach the interior elements around them
in non-sterile area. This will minimize the chances of interaction between passenger and the attractions
added in the area. This is considered as unfortunate as most of the attractions are available in this
particular area of the airport. The limited movement explains the general small amount of people
interacting with the attractions and the lack of durations.
Such thing does not happen in the sterile area, because most people only carry small bag with
them and do not move a lot due to lack of attractions. As a matter of fact, the passengers tend to move
less when it comes to the sterile waiting area. This can be the result of a various choices that offer
comforts to the passenger, or a long-lasting dining tenant that keep a passenger waiting in their area
because of a short or no distant at all to the waiting area and boarding gate.
Nevertheless, baggage, as a part of a journey, still plays a certain role in the movement of
passenger in non-sterile area. As stated before, it is important to make sure that the passenger feels
safe when they are waiting. The observations at the non-sterile waiting area shown that, most
passengers extend their body parts when they enter a relaxation phase. The reason behind this could be
an attempt to relax their body parts and reach for the most comfortable position to wait. Additionally,
some of these relaxation positions are followed by extended limb covering certain luggage to show
ownership. The urge to keep luggage safe when waiting is an indication of anticipating. To keep
passenger actively waiting, it is important to assure that they do not worry too much on guarding their
belongings, but aware enough to recognize any threat. This way, people can rest and guard at the same
time.
To be fee from the fear of losing their belonging is not the only way to give the safety feeling
for passengers. As described above regarding active waiting that includes awareness of activity in the
present as well as in the future, providing safety for passengers also means to keep them away from
the possibilities to lose their flights. This can be achieved if the waiting area provides a well spread
information regarding the flights information, reaching the whole waiting area, including the toilets,
corners of the seating, shops, and dining area. This spatial condition will remove the fear of doing
activities that might be necessary for passengers, such as picking up food or accessing to the toilet near
the end of waiting period.

5. Discussion

5.1. How Interior Elements Stimulate the Absorption Phase while Waiting

When observing the behavior of a clueless passengers waiting due to the lack of updated
information regarding the flight, we can see different kinds of body movement made by some
passengers. The movements show certain anticipation and attempts to react quickly towards new
information given to them. These movements includes moving into the crowds that possibly give
access of information, closer to information board or screen, or closer to the officers. The act of
seeking the source of information is an attempt to keep one self-safe from missing the flight.
Analyzing active waiting through the success of passenger to board on time is one of the
‘pregnant’ parameter. The attempt and anticipation taken to board the flight on time does not always
require further movement from spot A to spot B by the passenger only to confirm that they are safe
from missing a flight. In a less critical moment, interior elements at the sterile waiting area can be the
switch between phases of passenger’s body. Theoretically, phase of absorption can be achieved by
keeping the flow of passenger in accord to one and another via accommodation of comfortable space
to on hold, while keeping all senses in full anticipation. Interior elements that keep the spine upright,
and have full access to the auditory and visual attention can keep a passenger informed even when
they are not located near the crowds or officers. In consequence, waiting area that can stimulate and
maintain the phase of absorption trigger the passenger to successfully board on time voluntarily,
without feeling forced neither treated like logistic goods, indicates potentials of active waiting.
5.2. The Balance between ‘Pregnant’ and ‘Meaningful’ in Waiting

The word ‘pregnant’ that Gasparini uses in his writing when he explains his theory is undoubtedly
uncommon. This term is used to describe a loaded condition of a situation. The loads are what we
understand as the result of waiting. In between the flight check-in and aircraft boarding timeline, as the
ultimate result of waiting in airport waiting room, there are auxiliary loads to complete the experience
of waiting. It integrates with the basic needs of individual either as a person and traveler. The loads
could be anything, from completed a meal/reading/interaction/playlist/restroom activities, or even a
fully charged phone battery.

The small-scale activities that filled the duration of waiting can also intersect with
‘meaningful’ aspect of waiting, that happen if a person really enjoy the process of loading the
previously called ‘pregnant’ or loaded situations. For example, the way interior elements in the
waiting room develop the seating arrangement has the power to maximize interaction, or in contrary,
maximize the personal space needed by passengers. The comfort that provided by the tactile of
materials, tone of glass, artificial light or natural lighting peeking the room, can also be set to help
passenger feeling certain cold or warm that defines the ambience in the waiting area for them to rest,
or not to rest. Balancing the two aspects are essential in boosting potentials of the waiting area,
making it a purposeful and memorable event.
Even so, it cannot be denied that some aspects of ‘pregnant’ and ‘meaningful’ are not always
spatial; in fact some of them are much affected by personal reasons. There are various kinds of people
with different context and backgrounds accessing airport waiting area everyday, which makes it hard
to fulfill every single need. Through my observation, universal design in terms of height and width of
seating places and corridors are very helpful in providing wide scope of needs. In addition to a friendly
waiting area to all, general requirement such as translucent material for a higher visual connection, or
the use of absorbent and speakers to decrease noise and increase the announcement volume in certain
places is strongly recommended to accommodate better experience and dig the potentials of waiting
area.

5.3. Temporal Inhabitation Process in Waiting Area

Time and expectations are very much needed in order to achieve and experience balance
‘pregnant’ and ‘meaningful’ activities. The three other aspects form a waiting experience as it respond
the existing interior element of the waiting room and affect human body to give another response. This
constant cycle of response between time, expectations, experience, body movement and interior
elements takes part in the process of inhabiting the chosen waiting area for passengers

Figure 2. Inhabitation Diagram in Non-Sterile Waiting Area

 Figure 3. Inhabitation Diagram in Steril Waiting Area

Both figures above shown that the attempt of balancing a ‘pregnant’ and ‘meaningful’ waiting
experience requires a process. The states are based on Schweizer’s explanation about the three stages
of inhabitation that caused by interaction between human and it’s surrounding (Schweizer, 2008). This
process started with an understanding upon personal expectation and to do list, but without the
knowledge on where the activity would specifically take place in the wide area the waiting room
provides.
From the two comparable figures, we can learn that the state of lingering, and even the rest of
states, in the non-sterile area tends to last longer than in the sterile area. This is due to the how the
waiting room is defined by the operational activities in the sterile waiting area. The place is filled with
several elements such as seating and signage that people are familiar of compared to man-made garden
on the other side of the passenger’s terminal, The process of inhabiting usually occurs when the
passenger are looking for the perfect fit in between many slightly different choices. These give a
deeper interaction with the space because passenger do try to sense, the information they can perceive
in their absorption phase.
It is also important to note that these states of lingering, tarrying and dwelling provided by the
interior elements in the waiting room are not a process to dwell. The state of dwelling is the highest
state of the inhabitation stages where Schweizer believes is a condition where the passenger feels the
most comfortable and earns their freedom to actively do what they ought to do during their waiting
period, without any limitation or fear (Schweizer, 2008). Therefore, it is safe to say that the state of
dwelling on top of the stages are a temporal condition that can easily disappear once a certain
condition made by the airport or the airline takes place.

6. Conclusion

From five aspects that take parts to embodying active waiting, the interior elements in waiting area
hold a very important part of it. The fixed and added elements in waiting room are able to trigger a
continuous cycle between body movement of passengers, their expectations, time, and provoke
experience of waiting, whereas, the feeling experienced by passenger is progressing from a state of
lingering to the state of dwelling in the top of inhabitation stage. Based on this understanding, we can
conclude that either adjustable or slight variation of interior elements is a good step in triggering
inhabitation as an attempt to accommodate better waiting experience for the passengers at airport
waiting room.

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