Scent of cut grass to soothe air travellers

AIRLINE PASSENGERS who feel they are treated like cattle could be forgiven for feeling a bit put out by the latest attempt to soothe their feelings.

British Airways is pumping the "uplifting" smell of freshly cut grass into Terminal Four at Heathrow in an attempt to make the stay at the airport more relaxing for its first-class and business passengers.

BA said it had chosen to use the fragrance of newly mown meadows and the waft of the ocean from a selection of 100 different smells including leather, chocolate, coffee and baking bread.

The scents were chosen for their "uplifting and stimulating qualities" from a survey of passengers. The aromas, generated from heated capsules hidden in the floor, will waft around BA's two-storey arrivals lounge, which has been given a pounds 2.5m redesign around the theme of a garden terrace.

Tracy Bates, lounge development manager, said: "We know that more and more passengers are going straight into the office after a night flight and what they desperately wanted was somewhere to set themselves up for the day ahead. Little touches like these smells seem to do the trick."

BA said more than 70,000 business travellers every year would take advantage of the aroma-filled rooms.

The pampered passenger will also be able to take advantage of a spa, a massage, a mini-gym and a clothes valeting service. But the survey showed that most business travellers planned to spend only 20 minutes in the special executive arrivals lounge.

Marketing departments have long known the value of scents. US supermarkets were the first to pump the smells of favourite fresh fruits, such as strawberries, into the aisles in an attempt to lure customers to buy more products.