For Business Travelers, The Benefits Of A Multipurpose Aiport

Jim Rosenberg, the head of online and social media for the World Bank, can vouch that some airports offer a lot more than places to eat and newsstands filled with gossipy magazines.

On a flight from Washington to Tbilisi, Georgia, Mr. Rosenberg realized during a stop in Munich that he “didn’t have this asthma medicine I take every day,” he said. But, luckily, the airport had a pharmacy. “I knew the generic name to tell them what I needed,” he said. “They told me I had to go to the clinic for a prescription. It was just down the hall.”

Mr. Rosenberg said he was surprised at how easy it was. “The most this all cost me was mainly time and money from being disorganized.”

Even the most efficient business travelers may find themselves forgetting something or running out of time to take care of a personal errand before a flight. Airports, particularly those in Europe and Asia, are responding by offering an increasing array of services like hair salons, medical clinics and dry cleaners.

Rainer Perry, the United States representative for Düsseldorf International Airport, said that “the city is known for trade shows and conventions, so we get a lot of business travelers.” The airport’s advantage, Mr. Perry said, is its small size, with all services “in one terminal building, so no long distances.” He said the services included meeting rooms, pharmacies, a hairdresser, a post office and an airport dentist, open even on Sundays and holidays, allowing travelers to schedule visits or have emergency dental work between connections.

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