Are Airport Cheerleaders In Your Future?

By Author: Steve Robinson
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Increasing competition among airports that are within driving distance of each other has made them realize that they need more than cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages to distinguish themselves from their competition.

To entertain waiting passengers, China’s Dalian International Airport recently enlisted a squad of cheerleaders to perform kicks, jumps, and splits in the airport’s main hall.

The cheerleaders’ pom-pom routines “soothed emotion and alleviated fatigue” for over 5,000 stranded passengers during massive fog related delays in Dalian the last week of April, according to the Dalian Evening News.

The airport’s cheerleading show is part of its effort to “bring more convenience to passengers in the summer-autumn air season,” according to airport officials. They also view cheerleading as a way to “demonstrate spirit and shoulder social responsibility.”

The Dalian airport has initiated a series of innovative services, including free physical checkups and instant weather and flight updates via text message.

The airport staged at least one cheerleader performance ...
... every day the last week of April with each lasting two to three hours, with breaks. The cheerleaders are enrolled in colleges around Dalian. They have been hired by the airport as part of a work study program. Airport officials observed “The performance is free of charge for passengers.”

The Dalian International Airport is China’s largest northeastern airport and the fourth busiest in all of China. It handled over 12 million passengers last year.

Although cheerleaders may not be coming soon to an airport near you, you can reasonably expect airports to become increasingly innovative in coming up with reasons for you to choose their location vs. the competition.
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