photobucket Sleeping at the airport image:41752:2::0

They are everywhere, travelers who assume the fetal position and seem to manage shut eye despite the hustle and bustle of others, not to mention the loudspeaker blasting out the final boarding call. But they aren't just people trying to save a buck or remnants of last night's adventures in Vegas. Oh no.

These patrons are the victims of cancellations and rescheduled flights where many airlines are no longer offering hotel vouchers as compensation. Many airlines have also ended the meal and drink vouchers, leaving travelers sitting...without a token of remorse except the bright green words flashing on the monitors: cancelled.

Higher fuel costs means cutting out the fluff so in addition to travelers being charged for checked baggage on some airlines, they can now look forward to unforeseen stays in airport terminals, sleeping on the floor or under the gate check-in counter. Its all about comfort.

According to a recent news article, the issue has reached such an elevated state that there has actually been a book written about it. Dear American Airlines, by Johnathan Miles (no pun intended), was written after Miles was forced to stay at a Chicago airport due to an unscheduled overnight stay. There are even websites dedicated to this unwanted trend, like [url=http://www.sleepinginairports.net]www.sleepinginairports.net, that provides listings on the best and worst airports to sleep in. Airports with a sleeper score of "3" are ranked as the best to lay those weary heads down and rest, like Sinapore's Changi Airport where there are free showers, free massage chairs, free Internet kiosks, a pool and sauna and 24-hour restaurants.

So what do you do if you get stuck? According to experienced airport sleepers:

Bring or buy a snack and water before airport shops close, bring reading material or music and something soft to lie down on or rest your head against and keep hotel phone numbers or certain Web site addresses handy.

Frank Giatto, however, has a better idea. One of his business trips turned airport sleeper led this New Yorker to create a traveler tent called the mini motel complete with air mattress, pillow, reading light and alarm clock all for under $40 US dollars. It certainly isn't worse than men and women sleeping under the check-in counter!

On a recent flight to Las Vegas, a woman traveling with two young teens girls from Boston, Massachusetts had been presented with a similar scenario. Her flight had been diverted to Houston, Texas due to weather. Only after fighting with the Continental airline staff for several hours was she able to get a voucher to an area hotel. However, the hotel was several miles away from the airport and the hotel did not offer shuttle service.

For the safety of the two teen girls, the woman paid an unexpected round trip taxi fare that equated to nearly $100 US dollars. They arrived at the hotel at 2 am and had to be back for their flight by 5 am. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the math on that one. Yet, for all the fighting this woman did, it was a moot point because they got no sleep and were out $100.

There are opponents to the airport sleepers, claiming that regardless of an airline's refusal to offer a voucher the traveler should still maintain some dignity and stay in a cheap hotel with a shower, bed and alarm clock. A few hours of good sleep is better than none, especially if productivity is required.

So, with airlines cutting back on all the frills and not-so-frills of traveling, it still stands to be seen if passengers will be charged in the future based upon their total weight. A ticket price for a 275 lb male as opposed to a 120 lb female might seem like gender bias to the naked eye but in essence, it is the same as forcing a paying customer to sleep on a cement floor because a flight has been delayed, detoured or cancelled.