With the state of the airlines these days, combined with a (psychologically) shaky economy, paying for both airline tickets and a hotel stay is getting harder and harder for ordinary folks. For passengers with a long lay over, or worse- a long delay, it's more likely than ever you will have to sleep in an airport somewhere.
The Web site sleepinginairports.com rates airports based on user ratings of how good they are to sleep in. TIA got a rating of 2 out of 3, which is in the "You can do it! Maybe…" category.
User postings detail experiences sleeping at TIA, along with advice on the best place to crash for the night.
"The level connecting to the airsides, 3 i think, is the best level to sleep on – it's pretty dark by the Marriott , dark enough to sleep, and it's away from the exit, so if any riffraff were to come into the port, they'd be spotted before they got to you," posted one unnamed user.
Other postings offered their own advice on the best places to sleep as well as where to find food around the airport.
"My home airport, Tampa is quiet later at night and the workers in the airport are very nice. … I highly recommend it," wrote one user.
There was no review for St. Pete/Clearwater International, but Orlando International got a perfect 3 out of 3 score.
"I have slept at Orlando International so many times in recent years that I now don't even consider getting a hotel if I will only be in town for one night," wrote user Tom Kerrigan.
Sleeping in the airport is never fun, but if you have to, now you can know what you will be dealing with in advance.
This article appears in Jul 16-22, 2008.