Would You Squeeze Into Europe's Coffin-Sized Airport Napping Pods For Layovers?

Sometimes your flight itinerary has an extended layover. Other times, a passing thunderstorm causes a 4-hour delay. Either way, it's easy to find yourself exhausted while in transit — and it's not always easy to find a way to sleep comfortably at the airport. Luckily, some European travel hubs are experimenting with optional services for weary travelers. At Istanbul Airport (IST), dedicated sleeping pods offer a spot for an uninterrupted snooze.

The amenity may sound futuristic, but then again, IST is not a run-of-the-mill airport. The massive global hub, which has an impressive annual passenger capacity of 90 million passengers, is one of the world's highest-performing and operationally complex airports, per Cirium's 2025 On-Time Performance Review. Istanbul Airport was also voted the "Best Airport in the World" by the readers of Travel + Leisure, thanks in part to its smart design, attentive customer service, and traveler-friendly features — including its rent-by-the-hour "iGA Sleepods" beside the airport's international Terminal D gates.

The Sleepod area has 44 "sleeping cabins" where travelers can rest during layovers. With retractable roofs, the capsule-like pods are coffin-like in shape and size, but luckily for anyone who struggles with claustrophobia, they're partly open. Each Sleepod has a luggage storage compartment where you can store your carry-on, plus electric and USB ports for charging your devices while you nap. Rates for iGA Sleepods vary according to the time of day, but given that Istanbul Airport has a well-earned reputation for being exorbitantly expensive, the prices are relatively reasonable. The most affordable hourly price is €14 during daylight hours, with the highest rates (€26 per hour) occurring between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. For €5 each, you can add a blanket or pillow for extra comfort. These extras are furnished by staff members behind the sleeping area's reception desk, the same people who clean and sanitize each pod after use. 

So would you try one out on your next layover in Istanbul? According to travelers, it's a pretty good service. "The pod is actually quite spacious inside," said a reviewer on Allplane, an aviation-focused digital media platform. "Happy to report that I managed to get some sleep!" On the Lounge Guru Facebook page, the travel-focused content creator called the Sleepods a "quick and affordable nap option in Istanbul." 

There's a downside for some: namely, ambient noise and light. The airport says the iGA Sleepods are positioned "in the quietest areas of the airport." But some travelers say they had trouble falling asleep inside the pods. "I'm a bit of a light sleeper," wrote one user on the Seal the Deal Travels blog. "I wasn't able to get a good rest because I can still hear noises from outside, like the PSA, footsteps, and carts." So if you're sensitive to sound or light, consider using an eye mask or earplugs. Just be sure that you can hear (or feel) your alarm when it goes off — there's no wake-up service, and if you're jet-lagged and sleeping inside one of the airport's dedicated pods, it would be easy to miss your connection.

Have a longer-than-usual stay at IST? Try the YOTELAIR Istanbul hotel inside the terminal, where you can rent a room by the hour or overnight. If all else fails, check out these top tips for finding quiet spots at the world's busiest airports.