Heading to the airport without one's passport and air tickets used to be the stuff of travellers' nightmares. But more families in Singapore are doing just that.

Having pumped an undisclosed amount of money in recent months into beefing up its family-friendly public attractions, Changi Airport is poised to become a place where Singaporeans choose to hang out at on weekends - even if they are not leaving the country.

Since late last year, various kid-oriented facilities have been added to draw the home crowd. Among these are a 12m-tall slide, the highest of its kind here, and monthly flea markets. A temporary indoor Segway circuit, which started offering rides from $10 in December last year, has had its limited run extended indefinitely. It was supposed to end in February.

Kids can also enjoy a playground, an arcade and a dedicated corner where they can watch the Cartoon Network on television.

And they are all located in the public area rather than the transit area, so that visitors need not pass through customs and security checks.

On a Sunday, three siblings, aged seven, five and three, are eagerly awaiting their turn on kiddy rides in the carpark.

For $3 to $8, they can pick from rides such as mini luxury sedans and pink mini hatchbacks that look like Volkswagen Beetles. Done, they go for a whoosh down the slide, and work off their energy at the playground.

Their mother, Ms Malia Tan, 34, who works in healthcare, looks on fondly. 'It is more of a shopping centre than an airport,' she says.

Her family usually heads down to Changi after attending church service, just so the kids can have fun. Visitors parking their cars at Terminal 3 on weekends pay $2.50 for the first three hours, as opposed to the usual rate of 4 cents a minute. The same reduced charges apply on weekdays between 6 and 9pm.

Even families who do not live nearby see the merits of the airport, with its wide open galleries suitable for young children to roam in.

Sembawang resident Ho Ngiap Tuan, who was there to have a meal with his family, says of the airport: 'It is sheltered and air-conditioned. There is shopping and stuff for the kids to do, and my five-year-old boy can look at the planes.' The 40-year-old teacher adds that he would visit the airport more often if he lived nearer to it.

A spokesman for the Changi Airport Group (CAG) says that the airport has always been a popular weekend destination for families. And that the group is constantly looking for ways to enhance the airport-going experience.

And while statistics on casual visitors to the airport are not available, footfall into T3's B2 Mall has more than doubled in the past year. Sales revenue in the public area of T3, which has more than 60 outlets, for the first five months of this year is also up 19 per cent, compared to the same period last year.

Property agent Zamri Jamaludin, 38, who lives in Sembawang, goes to the airp

ort once a month for a family meal with his wife and three children aged 20, 13 and 12.

'We don't know where to go in Singapore, but we like to come to the airport. I would recommend it to my friends with younger children.'

Watch-makers Swatch reports between 5 and 10 per cent increase in sales at their T3 boutique since late May this year, when the slide opened. Swatch Singapore vice-president Pauline Ong noted that, even though 'kids are not really our target audience', the new features have brought traffic to T3.

Some of the attractions are tied to retail spending - for every $30 spent at the airport, visitors can redeem two rides on the slide. There is a shorter two-storey ride which is free. More than 90 per cent of the outlets in all three terminals also absorb GST on purchases.

And the air port is planning more ways to boost its local visitorship.

Terminal 1 is currently undergoing a massive $500-million upgrading programme, which is expected to finish next year. Once completed, there will be new F&B areas in the revamped viewing mall, and restaurants such as Astons Specialities and Ruyi by Tung Lok.

For those who grew up in the 1980s, who feel nostalgic for a time when school excursions to Changi Airport meant a comforting, predictable treat, there are always the stalwarts.

'Swensen's, which has been at Changi Airport since 1981, remains hugely popular,' notes the airport spokesman.

Source : The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Reprinted with permission.