Google Comes To London: Google Space Launches at Heathrow Airport Terminal 1

SYS-CON Media's Special European Correspondent writes: Tomorrow, here in Terminal 1 at Heathrow Airport in London, Google is launching Google Space -- a laboratory comprising "Google pods" that travellers can access for free once through security, to log onto the Internet, check their mail and use Google tools to find out about their destination.

Google Space will be running at Terminal 1 until 17th December, with Google staff on hand to offer advice and assistance to users. It is inspired by research that shows the average airline passenger wastes over 9 hours a year waiting for flights. That adds up to more than a day of annual holiday allowance lost every year, and nearly three weeks of an average working life.

50% of the British passengers surveyed said they had nothing better to do in airport terminals than eat, drink and shop. However, 71%of respondents stated that they would like to use this time to find out more about their destination.

The top five things people want to find out are:

1. A map of their destination (73%)
2. Weather forecast for the destination (68%) 
3. Which tourist traps to avoid (64%)
4. A guide of famous sites and landmarks (61%)
5. Information on how to get to the city centre (54%)

24% of respondents said they would like to be able to fire off some last minute emails, with a further 20%suggesting they could use the time to pay their household bills online.