10 Things To Do If You're Stranded In An Airport

While flight delays can happen any time of year, the winter months are notorious for mass-scale cancellations and delays. Some airports are better equipped to handle a sudden onslaught of bad weather, but others buckle quickly under what seems like a few centimeters of snow. Recently, intense winter storms across Europe stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers in cities like Amsterdam and Rome (as reported by NPR). 

If you find yourself dealing with a delayed or canceled flight and you're stuck at an airport longer than expected, it's time to improvise. Thankfully, some airports offer plenty of things to do and feel almost like self-contained cities, with art exhibits, wellness spaces, quiet corners, and other unexpected attractions. Rather than let frustration and anger fester, focus instead on the many interesting options that await. For inspiration, we're sharing 10 things to do if you find yourself stranded at an airport on your upcoming travels. In the modern age, there's always something to do.

Plenty of airports have interesting artistic and cultural exhibits, but on a typical travel day, you might be rushing to your gate and miss the often-overlooked art around you. Some airports have permanent museums, rotating exhibits, and even performance spaces offering up unexpected live music. If you're looking for the latter, these are the best airports in the United States for live music.

San Francisco Airport is home to the SFO Museum, which features rotating exhibits in public art, video arts, photography, and student art. Some exhibitions are located on the pre-security side, while many others are airside, making it easy to visit them if you find yourself on a lengthy layover. If you're in the International Terminal, look for the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum. Here, you can learn more about the history of commercial aviation and its impact today.

Aviation geeks probably won't mind being stuck at New York's JFK Airport for a couple of extra hours if there's an opportunity to visit the TWA Hotel, considered by some to be North America's best airport hotel. You'll find free exhibitions showcasing TWA's history, featuring over 2,300 artifacts, including uniforms, travel posters, model planes, and even a collection of in-flight menus. As you explore the terminal, stop by Paris Café, helmed by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten; the restaurant sits in the same space that the original Paris Café and Lisbon Lounge once occupied.

If travel delays understandably stress you out or you want to relax, look for a quiet, underused area of the airport. Walk around and check for gates with no departing flights scheduled right away, where you're likely to find easier access to power outlets and available seating. Some people opt to set up in these areas for the night, especially if access to and from the airport is limited due to inclement weather and no in-airport lodging options are available.

The website Sleeping in Airports has guides to over 800 terminals around the world that can help you make the most of being stuck overnight, and can also be helpful if you're looking to save some money. The comprehensive guides are excellent even if you aren't planning to spend the night. You'll find information on luggage storage, mobile charging, airport hours, and more. You'll even get recommendations on which gates are the best based on noise levels, lighting, and security. Be sure to peruse the reviews from other travelers to find out the latest information and other potential helpful tips or tricks.

Depending on where you are delayed, you may be able to find other quiet places in the airport, too, such as sleep pods or outdoor decks. Mothers who are nursing or need to pump breast milk can check the Mamava app to see if there's a lactation pod or nursing room available.

Unless you find yourself in an airport where many restaurants and bars are closed overnight, you can use the downtime to treat the airport like a local food hall. Forego the typical chain outlets and opt for restaurants and food shops that offer a more authentic, local experience. This option is excellent if you're stranded in an international airport on a layover, and you haven't had the chance to sample the regional cuisine of that country.

Besides, dining in an airport doesn't have to be a mediocre experience. Some airports have received awards for their dining options. SkyTrax highlights the best of the best in their World's Best Airport Dining Awards, and for 2025, the highest rankings belong to Singapore Changi Airport, Tokyo Haneda, and Rome Fiumicino. If you're stuck in an airport in the United States, you can find plenty of domestic airports with amazing food selections, too.

There's also the opportunity to partake in some unique dining experiences. Visit I love Paris in Charles de Gaulle Airport for cuisine from three-Michelin-star chef Guy Martin, or go casual with a hearty Mexican-style torta from chef Rick Bayless at the Chicago O'Hare location of Tortas Frontera. And, don't miss out on trying a beer from Airbräu, the world's first airport brewery and an authentic German beer garden at Munich Airport.

If you need to decompress and feel grounded again after a frustrating travel day, consider checking whether the airport you're stuck at has a yoga room, wellness room, or even dedicated meditation spaces. San Francisco is one of the U.S. airports with a dedicated yoga space. In fact, SFO has three yoga rooms, one each in Terminal 1, Terminal 2, and Terminal 3. Frankfurt Airport has yoga rooms fully equipped with mirrored walls and screens so you can work out with music.

If you're stuck at an airport and looking for wellness spaces, Dubai International Airport is the place to be. Here, you'll find an entire wellness center, World of Wellness, in Terminal 3. Choose from a wide variety of services, including manicures, pedicures, and massages. The World of Wellness also offers services you might not expect at an airport, including oxygen treatments, henna, hair treatments, cryo, and more.

Something that is popping up in more airports is sensory rooms. These welcoming spaces are designed for neurodivergent travelers who are feeling overstimulated or overwhelmed. Key elements of these rooms include soothing lighting, activity zones, comfortable furniture, tactile panels, etc. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has a sensory room, while Kansas City Airport offers both a quiet room and a sensory room. Delta Air Lines installed a sensory room at LaGuardia Airport that even features mock plane seating to help anxious flyers overcome their fears before boarding a real plane.

If you're not stranded at the airport during a complete shutdown, there are always opportunities to pass the time by plane spotting. Some airports have really cool observation decks and bars that offer views of the runways. Sure, you might get a jot of takeoff envy, but there's always something arresting about watching planes lift off into the sky.

The website Airline Ratings has a list of its favorite airports for plane spotting. If you happen to get stuck in Seoul's Incheon International Airport, you're in luck, as that's the website's top pick for plane spotting, and the panoramic glass windows give you an up-close view of planes departing and arriving. At Germany's Frankfurt Airport, you'll find the Fraport Visitors' Center. This pay-to-visit spot includes impressive airport views, virtual reality adventures, and more.

If you want an adult beverage with your view, Hong Kong International (HKG) is the place to be stranded. Intervals Bar has an impressive cocktail menu to accompany your front-row view of the planes, and guests can choose from classic cocktails or modern concoctions that pay homage to travel by featuring distillates from around the world. Non-drinkers shouldn't miss the premium tea menu with curated selections from a local Hong Kong tea bar. No matter your drink of choice, the view is spectacular.

Another option during an unexpected delay is to tackle the less fun tasks you've been putting off — digital decluttering. There's nothing worse than the feeling of dread every time you open your inbox and see hundreds or thousands of unread emails, so if you signed up for a bunch of newsletters you never open, now is the time to unsubscribe from them all. Delete the unopened ones in your inbox, and take control of your email by canceling the things you don't read. You'll feel better for doing it.

Once you've done that, how about taking it a step further and organizing and cleaning up your phone's camera roll? If you're an avid traveler, you probably have hundreds or thousands of photos and videos that are just taking up space. Perhaps it's multiple near-identical shots, blurry pics, or lengthy videos that could be trimmed or deleted entirely. Either way, this is a solid opportunity to tidy up your archive and relive some travel memories in the process.

Decluttering your digital life has plenty of benefits. For one, you reduce your digital footprint. These items can take up considerable space on your devices, leading you to pay for cloud storage you don't really need. Decluttering your digital life can also increase productivity by making it easier to find files, emails, photos, and documents. If you're stranded at the airport, now's the time to get this done.

While some airline lounges are open only to an airline's frequent flyer elites and business class passengers, others offer additional entry options. Look for lounges that offer paid day passes, memberships, or access via credit card perks. Some airlines may even allow you to use miles to pay for lounge access. Getting away from terminal gates into a comfortable environment with free food and drinks is not a bad way to wait out a delayed flight.

You might already have free airport lounge access through a travel-related credit card you hold. Several popular credit cards, such as the Capital One Venture X Rewards Card and the American Express Platinum Card, offer access to a variety of airport lounges. Other cards, like the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card, include a limited number of annual visits to Delta Skyclub lounges and access to some Centurion Lounge locations.

If you don't have a credit card and you're going to be stuck for a while, consider membership options, such as Priority Pass. If you sign up with a plan that includes a Digital Membership Card, you can access a participating lounge right away. Depending on your membership level, your access may be free. If you fly a few times a year without airline elite status, a basic Priority Pass membership may be worth it.

If you're a regular traveler, getting delayed at the airport might be a relatively common experience. It's time to start something new and create an airport-specific ritual or new habit. Maybe it's buying a new book to read on the trip, starting a journal, writing postcards, or even making a "stranded at the airport" playlist to add songs to each time.

Creating rituals or habits has the potential to help with anxiety. Understandably, being delayed or stuck overnight at an airport can increase anyone's stress levels, but it's not something you can control, which is why it's important to redirect that anxiety. Some research indicates that journaling can help reduce stress levels. Reading a book is also a recommended activity to reduce stress and redirect intrusive thoughts. According to Dr. Samantha Henry, an assistant professor of neurology at Baylor University, reading can be a more adaptive coping strategy than some other hobbies. Reading, journaling, and other creative pursuits can help some people better manage negative situations (like a massive flight delay) by keeping their mind focused on something else, rather than on the fact that they are still sitting in the airport hours later than expected.

Walking is always good for your health, but it is particularly important after long flights or extended periods of inactivity. Some airports even encourage staying active by setting up dedicated walking trails. If you're someone who gets fidgety sitting for long periods, work off some of that stress by going for a walk.

Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport has a mile-long Fitness Trail with mountain views that runs from Gate A30 to Gate D18. The best part is you're not only getting a workout, but you'll also get to enjoy iconic desert landscapes, including Camelback Mountain, South Mountain Park, and Piestewa Peak. You can even download a trail map that provides a brief description of each scenic viewpoint. The only downside is that the map notes there's no carry-on storage, so the roller bag is coming along for the workout.

Several other U.S. airports promote fitness-related walks, including in Baltimore. The BWI Marshall Airport Cardio Trail features two airport loops that take about 20 minutes each. Both trails are recognized as approved American Heart Association Walking Paths, too. Another great option is Tampa International Airport, which has five different recommended walking routes. The airport you're at doesn't have a designated walking path? Make your own and track your steps on your wearable fitness tracker or phone.

In some instances, getting stuck in the airport can feel like a mini-vacation. Not every airport is home to unexpected attractions, but others make it almost worthwhile to book long layovers in the first place. We're talking everything from cool kids' playgrounds to swimming pools and a public bathhouse. The first airport that might come to mind is Singapore's Changi Airport, and for good reason. It's home to a multi-level indoor rainforest, a butterfly garden, and the world's tallest indoor waterfall.

If you are traveling with kids and get stranded at Amsterdam's Schiphol International Airport, bring them to the Kids Playground. Here, they can burn off some of that energy and even climb on a plane, as the Panorama Terrace has a KLM Fokker 100 on display. Visitors can climb on board and even see what it's like to sit in the cockpit. The downside is that the Panorama Terrace is pre-security, so you'd have to go back through the lengthy security queues again.

If you're stuck in either Doha's Hamad International Airport or Seoul's Incheon Airport, you're in luck. Qatar's airport features a large swimming pool and a wellness and fitness center. Don't worry if you didn't bring a swimsuit, because they offer swimwear for sale. There are also drying machines, so you don't have to worry about packing a wet swimsuit. At Incheon Airport in Seoul, Spa On Air offers a variety of services, including gender-separated communal baths and a sauna. As you might expect, these aren't bathing suit optional; you're expected to bathe nude. If you're uncomfortable with the public baths, you can always opt for a private shower instead.

We developed this article using a combination of firsthand travel experience and a deep dive online into airports, passenger amenities, and traveler recommendations from prolonged delays. Having been stranded in airports numerous times due to operational issues and weather disruptions, we drew on firsthand experience to offer personal suggestions. In addition to reviewing established travel, aviation, and wellness publications, we also looked at research on mental well-being and stress reduction.

The recommendations here are activities that are both realistic and accessible to travelers spending several unexpected hours inside a terminal. We also prioritized experiences that help travelers make the most of unforeseen delays rather than simply waiting them out.