When Scott Hussey heard about the Trump administration’s eagerness to pay for workout equipment in airports, he could not find an upside.
If someone got hurt on a pull-up bar, who would they sue? What happens to bags left unattended while travelers get in a few reps? Might this unleash a wave of fitness influencers making – shudder – content at the airport?
Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post.
“It just struck me as being kind of absurd for multiple reasons,” said Hussey, a professional photographer from New Hampshire.
At an event Monday, Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of health and human services, tried their hand at pull-ups with a health influencer at Reagan National Airport. They spoke about the potential for airports to get a slice of $1 billion in grant funding for terminal improvements, suggesting that could include treadmills, exercise bikes, step-up boxes or yoga mats.
“When you think about it, airports are one of the most sedentary places that we are as Americans,” content creator Paul Saladino said.
Mary Verett, a Kansas City mother of three boys, disagreed on social media.
“My friend the entire terminal is the treadmill!!!” she wrote. “Your backpack is the weighted vest!!!”
In an interview, Verett said she is an anxious traveler who arrives early for flights, so she typically gets her heart pumping at the airport no matter what.
“The cardiovascular workout that I have gotten in an airport could fill maybe a small novella,” she said. “One of my children tried to Kevin McCallister his way onto an airplane one time.”
There are also, of course, the physical consequences of working out to consider. On videos of the exercise showcase, commenters said the last thing they wanted was to be crammed next to someone with a post-workout glow.
“There are plenty of smelly, sweaty people on the planes anyway,” Hussey said. “Why take one of the worst aspects of air travel and make it worse?”
When The Washington Post reported on the transportation secretary’s announcement, many commenters said it was absurd for Duffy to encourage travelers to work in more physical activity after his previous request that they dress better at the airport.
When a reporter asked Duffy about hygiene during the event, he said, “That’s actually a good question.”
“I don’t want you to have a full-body sweat going on, so you stink,” he said. “But if you do a few pull-ups, get your blood flowing, I think that’s positive.”
– – –
The airport was already a gym
Traditional gyms are not common at airports (an exception: Toronto Pearson International’s Goodlife Fitness). A few in the U.S. that did exist – at airports in Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Baltimore – have recently shuttered. Some of those facilities even provided rental clothes and showers.
However, some airport hotels offer day passes to their fitness centers. They include the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy International in New York, which sells a $25 day pass to its 10,000-square-foot facility; Oryx Airport Hotel in Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar; and the Hilton Munich Airport hotel, whose spa features a fitness studio, saunas and steam baths.
Travelers should also check ResortPass, which offers day passes at thousands of domestic and international properties.
Even before the recent push, fitness enthusiasts have offered suggestions for exercising at the gate – and even on planes. Some cheered the new initiative.
Courteney Fisher, a content creator with millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram, posted a video in which she used chairs near her gate and a piece of rolling luggage as props in her strength and pilates workout.
Aaron V. Williamson, an Arizona-based actor and fitness trainer to executives, athletes and celebrities, is a champion of airport workouts. But he said you don’t need elaborate gear or a high-intensity routine to get the body moving.
Williamson said travelers can find a quiet corner or private alcove and pump out some push-ups, crunches, long lunges, mini-squats or planks. While waiting to board, they can squeeze in heel drops or breath work. He recommends that his clients carry resistance bands, which can be used discreetly in busy environments.
“The body doesn’t care where you are,” Williamson said. “It cares about the demands you put on it.”
– – –
The original workout: Walking
Todd Miller, an associate professor at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, said a reasonable fitness goal is to get your daily steps by walking around the airport. He will often spend up to 90 minutes trekking around terminals before his flight. For a higher calorie burn, he adds a backpack.
“Airports are a perfect opportunity for people to walk,” he said. “They’re climate controlled, and they’re huge.”
He suggests that more airports post signs informing people of the healthy alternative to shuttles, trains and moving walkways, or place stickers on the floor that will lead them on a walking loop.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promoted a similar idea in its Walk to Fly project. In 2014, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, following the agency’s guidelines, put up “motivational signs” encouraging people to walk instead of ride the Plane Train.
Several airports also designate walking routes, such as the 1.4-mile loop at Minneapolis-St. Paul International and the Sky Harbor Fitness Trail at the Phoenix airport, which runs from Gate A30 to D18. Indianapolis International created five walking paths, and BWI has a two-loop cardio trail with an American Heart Association designation.
For in-terminal exercise, yoga enthusiasts can spend their downtime downward dogging at one of three studios at San Francisco International Airport or the Yoga Room at Chicago Midway.
– – –
Staff writer Natalie B. Compton contributed to this report.
—
Related Content
Enduring images of 2025
London’s original fast food is making a comeback. Bring on the jellied eels.
This musician taught an octopus to play the piano
