Airport bars open early because flights operate at all hours and travelers cross time zones. Many travelers arrive or depart outside conventional daytime hours or have already been awake for long stretches, so local clock times feel irrelevant. Airplane anxiety and preflight nerves drive some passengers to seek alcohol or calming beverages before boarding. Long layovers and gaps between connections create time-to-kill situations where alcohol and social spaces provide relief and entertainment. Different social norms in airport liminal spaces make early drinking more acceptable than in other contexts. Major airports often list bars opening as early as 6:00 a.m.
One TikTok by @downetravel depicts a traveler sprinting through an airport in time to get a pint before their flight, with the top comment quipping "Yeh at 5am." In Chicago's O'Hare airport, at the Billy Goat Tavern or the Chicago Cubs Bar & Grill, patrons can get a pint starting at 6:00 a.m. In New York City's LaGuardia airport, Panorama Bar opens at 6:00 a.m. and stays open until 10:00 p.m.
Even folks who might never consider swinging by the bar before sunset "in real life" might feel governed by different social rules or the total lack thereof in the liminal space of Terminal B Gate 5. Why do air travelers patronize bars during such early morning hours? There are three main apparent motivations: different flight schedules (or time zones), airplane anxiety, and time to kill.
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