Carpet versus hard floors in airport lounges/gates?

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lchiu7

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#318769 19-Feb-2025 14:37

I recently came back from a trip to China, doing a transfer at Melbourne to Wellington. The transfer was a bit tight and as I dragged my carryon bag (with 4 wheels) I noticed just hard it was to actually wheel that case across the carpeted floor, with the friction of the carpet. It made me think that I am sure other airports like to use carpet whereas in fact, a hard floor, with a lower coefficient of friction, would certainly make wheeling bags between gates much easier.

Is this an issue other travellers have faced or just me :-)

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Dingbatt

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#3344515 19-Feb-2025 14:49

Carpet has noise absorption properties and there is less likelihood of a slip hazard.

Imagine the racket from hundreds of baggage wheels on top of the other noises already present in an airport terminal. I’d prefer people just get bags with bigger free-wheeling wheels that can cope with carpet 😊

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trig42

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#3344516 19-Feb-2025 14:51

Never had an issue wheeling a bag in an Airport, carpet or not.

wellygary

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#3344519 19-Feb-2025 15:04

lchiu7:

I recently came back from a trip to China, doing a transfer at Melbourne to Wellington. The transfer was a bit tight and as I dragged my carryon bag (with 4 wheels) I noticed just hard it was to actually wheel that case across the carpeted floor, with the friction of the carpet. It made me think that I am sure other airports like to use carpet whereas in fact, a hard floor, with a lower coefficient of friction, would certainly make wheeling bags between gates much easier.

Is this an issue other travellers have faced or just me :-)

I think your memory is playing tricks on you,

MEL has a mix of Hard and soft floors, but the main walkway areas between gates are all hard, while the lesser trafficked gate lounge surrounds are soft (likely carpet tiles)

The only Airport that i've struck that was fully carpeted was Changi, it did make a nice change,

Here's a YT of MEL

lchiu7

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#3344538 19-Feb-2025 17:01

wellygary:

lchiu7:

I recently came back from a trip to China, doing a transfer at Melbourne to Wellington. The transfer was a bit tight and as I dragged my carryon bag (with 4 wheels) I noticed just hard it was to actually wheel that case across the carpeted floor, with the friction of the carpet. It made me think that I am sure other airports like to use carpet whereas in fact, a hard floor, with a lower coefficient of friction, would certainly make wheeling bags between gates much easier.

Is this an issue other travellers have faced or just me :-)

I think your memory is playing tricks on you,

MEL has a mix of Hard and soft floors, but the main walkway areas between gates are all hard, while the lesser trafficked gate lounge surrounds are soft (likely carpet tiles)

The only Airport that i've struck that was fully carpeted was Changi, it did make a nice change,

Here's a YT of MEL

No it was only a couple of weeks ago. But it was specifically from a gate through to international transfers. So perhaps not the largest sample size. And given the connection was very tight, I was trying to go very fast and that's when I noticed the drag on my bag.

Also, I was using one of the newest style bags that has four wheels so you don't tend to pull them but wheel them along.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

eracode

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#3344617 19-Feb-2025 20:32

This post I put up in 2017 set out my long-held and still unchanged view on wheeled luggage. At the time is was getting difficult to find two-wheeled bags - now they don't exist. Fortunately I still have a good Samsonite two-wheeler. I fail to see any sense in four-wheel-castor bags - try wheeling one across a gravel surface (or grass even) when you have no option but to go that way.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

lxsw20

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#3344618 19-Feb-2025 20:42

This is some quality content for the dull mens group facebook page.

Sidestep

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#3344860 20-Feb-2025 11:50

As a 'full time' wheelchair user, I now really notice carpeting in airports.

It's not so much the depth or drag, but the weave that interferes with my gate to gate dashes.

I get to pre-board (all good), they fold up my wheelchair and stash it in a cupboard - or in the hold of the plane.

On arrival (invariably late, due to some 'act of god') I'm last off, jump in my wheelchair and begin the sprint to my next gate.. easy to remember because I can hear my name being called "passenger *** please report to the counter at Gate 199, Concourse Z, your flight is departing"

Blatting along on hard surfaces, all good. Hit carpet, and the pattern-lay-weave will steer me off to one side, usually enough to have me pushing along with one arm. Even worse, when I've flagged down an airport shuttle cart for a high-speed tow, hit that carpet and I'm out one side then the other like a water-skiier slaloming...

Many airport maps include a realistic symbol of a wheelchair user.

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lchiu7

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#3344867 20-Feb-2025 12:00

eracode:

This post I put up in 2017 set out my long-held and still unchanged view on wheeled luggage. At the time is was getting difficult to find two-wheeled bags - now they don't exist. Fortunately I still have a good Samsonite two-wheeler. I fail to see any sense in four-wheel-castor bags - try wheeling one across a gravel surface (or grass even) when you have no option but to go that way.

Again a small sample size (viz myself and wife) but our 4 wheeler carry-on bags can be lugged on two wheels only. In fact that's what I ended up doing when I encountered the carpet at Melbourne airport. But I did appreciate being able to wheel them along with little effort when the floor does not offer much rolling resistance. 4 wheels are great for suitcases also but you tend not to have to wheel them so much as you can probably find a trolley.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.