Not in a dramatic, “ugh-I-missed-my-flight” way.
But in a deep, visceral, professional way.
As a former intelligence operative, I see airports for what they truly are:
→ Non-places designed to dehumanize
→ Behavioral traps engineered to stress-test humans
→ Consumer funnels built to manipulate decisions
Let me explain.
1. Airports are not neutral spaces.
They are hostile by design.
The layout, the queues, the lighting, the sounds. They are all subtly engineered to induce discomfort, irritation, and compliance.
Why?
Because under stress, we reveal things.
We become readable.
We make mistakes.
That’s what makes airports a paradise for surveillance and interrogation.
2. I walk into airports in alert mode.
Always.
Not out of paranoia. Out of habit.
Every movement is tracked.
Every inconsistency flagged.
Every facial expression, bag, and behavior analyzed.
It's not paranoia.
It's reality.
Airports are training grounds for behavioral surveillance; and you’re the unwitting subject.
3. Let’s talk design.
Airports aren’t just about travel...
They’re about consumption!
From duty-free traps to carefully mapped out walking paths, everything is built to drive impulsive buying.
Even your stress is monetized.
You’re herded through a labyrinth that numbs your senses and drains your wallet.
4. I travel often. And every time, I hate it a bit more.
Not the travel.
The place.
The system.
Because airports are spying nests, literal nests for data capture, biometric harvesting, behavioral profiling, and emotional manipulation.
And no one talks about it.
That's the reason why I travel business.
Not because it's more comfortable and fancy, but because you pay for a bit more calm. With priority accesses (at security checks), you're less subject to stress, to crowd movements etc. You also have access to the business lounge, which basically saves you money.
Then, the best moment is when you are finally in your seat, high in the air.
No internet (even though today most flights have wifi). Just you, silence, and a moment to rest after the airport nightmare you just went through.
We romanticize airports as gateways to freedom.
But they are controlled environments where freedom is suspended.
Where you're stripped of your identity, your agency, and sometimes your logic.
As someone trained to read systems,
I can no longer ignore what’s hiding in plain sight.
And maybe… you shouldn’t either.