Netizens are obsessed with a California airport for being almost completely outdoors, shocking most travelers who are used to indoor airports.
The Palm Springs International Airport is taking social media by storm after a YouTuber showed off the unique locale in a video on June 16, 2024.
Although it looks like your average airport at first, after going through security, passengers walk through a set of automatic sliding doors to a completely outdoor space where they can wait at their gate for their flight.
Palm Springs is smack dab in the middle of a desert, and is known for having extremely little rainfall. The weather is almost always warm and sunny, so having an outdoor airport makes sense for most of the year.
Luckily, travelers don’t have to worry about getting sunburned for the most part, as large “sails” have been erected throughout the space to provide shade on hot days.
That’s not all; the airport also features a number of cafes and restaurants, and even has grassy areas with palm trees to provide additional shade.
There are indoor terminals with air conditioning as well for especially hot days that flyers can take advantage of, so those who aren’t interested in braving the heat don’t need to spend their entire time outside waiting for their plane.
The YouTuber, Downie Live, claimed it’s his “favorite airport” in the US — and many commenters seem to agree.
“Honestly I’ve been working at airports for years, and this is by far the coolest thing I’ve seen,” one viewer wrote.
“It’s one of the best airports to work at, too! The view of the entire Valley from the ramp is quite amazing, as well,” another said.
However, others worried about the extreme temperatures in the Palm Springs area, which is known for being hot. In fact, at the time of writing this article, the area is sitting at 180 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius).
Although indoor airports are the standard, the Palm Springs International Airport isn’t the only outdoor airport that exists, by far. Kona’s International Airport is also an open-air affair, as is the Dominican Republic’s Punta Cana International Airport, Baltra Airport in the Galapagos Islands, and even the Koh Samui Airport in Thailand.
This is one of the more wholesome airport moments to go viral on the internet after a traveler was “so embarrassed” when TSA checked his bag… only to discover it was full of Spam.