I'm hoping the new terminal at RDU takes a cue from Paris' Charles de Gaulle (CDG) International Airport. When arriving at the American Airlines baggage claim after a flight from JFK recenty, there were free PlayStation 2 kiosks set up with an assortment of games to play while waiting. In total, there are 80 PS2s spread throughout the airport, as well as the smaller Orly Airport south of Paris. The new Parisian Gallery departure lounge at CDG has 14 PlayStation 3a set up for play. It was great to see a sponsorship by Sony actually give something back to the consumer. For about a year, anyone who walked through JFK's American Airlines terminal would have seen banners and video adds for Microsoft's Xbox 360--but no game kiosks. What better way to get consumers interested in your product than giving them hands-on playtime. Nintendo knows how important this is with Wii and its mall tours.

The Sony sponsorship was throughout the Paris airport (which is humongous for those who haven't been). While waiting in another terminal for a flight from Paris to Monte Carlo on Air France (one of the worst airlines I've ever dealt with), there was another PS2 sitting there for anyone to play. And these kiosks offered two controllers. FIFA soccer was the big attraction over there--as soccer is huge everywhere but in the U.S. But there were other game options for players.

It was also cool to see gaming--at least casual games--evolving on actual flights. The 767 I took over to Paris had an entertainment kiosk that not only featured Tivo-like control of a whole slew of new movies and TV shows, but a variety of simple casual card, puzzle and other games. Using your finger on the touch-pad control screen, these games were easy to play and a great way for anyone in business or first class who didn't have a PSP or Nintendo DS to spend the free time they had en route.