T3 Slide Changi Airport, Singapore

Having taken a tour of Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport recently I have to say it is very impressive – inside and out.

The fit-out is ongoing in advance of its opening later this year. Congratulations and Respect to everyone involved.

I have only one gripe … I saw no evidence that DAA is going to install one of these:

It is The Slide@T3 in Changi Airport (Singapore), the world’s tallest slide in an airport. Standing at a height of 12 metres high (as tall as a four storey building), you can scream your way down the slide while reaching top speeds of up to 6 metres per second!

An innovative way to bring some fun to ‘hanging around in an airport’ and a great way to deal with boredom / jet lag / Air Rage!

At least partly inspired by artist Carsten Höller’s installation in the Tate Modern a few years ago, the Slide @ T3 leaves a lasting impression and a story to tell. Höller had this to say about his installation: “the state of mind when you enter the slide is a ‘voluptuous panic’ and can’t simply disappear without trace afterwards.”

Its purpose is twofold – to encourage visitors to experience the thrill and talk /smile about it afterwards … and to boost sales in duty-free shops as consumers ‘earn’ two slide tokens for every SGD 30 they spend at the airport in a single receipt, proving the truth in the expression ‘The Brand is the Experience and the Experience is the Brand’!!!

I am sure Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has lots of fun ideas ‘in development’ for T2 – anything that makes you smile as you travel is a plus, right?