Carpet vs. Marble: Battle for Noise Reduction in Airport Terminals

The journey to the airport is always filled with anticipation. You might feel relief and disappointment when you enter the arrivals hall after a trip. After all, the airport is where your journey begins and ends.

The departure hall is bustling with duty-free shops, which adds to its chaotic atmosphere. However, the arrivals hall has also introduced duty-free shops, creating a vibe similar to the departure hall’s. Yet, there is something unique to the arrivals hall at Incheon Airport that you won’t find in the departure hall.

That’s the carpet laid on the floor. The departure hall has a marble floor, and it’s hard to find a carpeted floor unless you’re in a lounge. The total area of the carpet laid in three places at Incheon Airport is 599,657 square feet (55,759㎡). Suppose you add the carpet area in the lounges around the boarding gates at Terminal 2. It totals 788,578 square feet (73,288㎡), more significant than the combined area of 10 international standard soccer fields.

Carpets are standard in airports in other countries. Airports in the U.S., Europe, and many parts of Asia have carpets in their arrivals halls. This trend influenced Incheon Airport to install carpets as well. Although marble is more convenient for pulling suitcases, there are reasons why airports install carpets.

The main reason is to reduce noise. When people disembark from the plane, they all move to the immigration counters simultaneously. The noise created by rolling suitcases and footsteps can be pretty loud.

The noise in the departure hall is relatively less as each gate is different. Therefore, by installing carpets in the arrivals hall, newly arrived passengers can experience less stress from noise.

The second reason is for the convenience of the passengers using the arrivals hall. Long-haul passengers sitting for hours can strain their joints and back when they step onto a hard floor.

The fatigue can be more noticeable, so the carpet helps alleviate this. Carpets also give a comforting feeling, like being at home.

However, the carpet floors are not all good. Carpets are difficult to maintain, and they attract a lot of dust, which requires regular cleaning. This results in a significant workforce being deployed for carpet cleaning.

Carpets also cost a lot. When the carpet in the arrivals hall was replaced in 2008, the cost was around $2.7 million. Due to the large area, the process took a month. Carpets have a 6-7 year lifespan, so a similar amount is spent each time they are replaced. The annual cost of maintaining the carpet at Terminal 1 alone is around $364,000.