Long layover? Missed connection? Need some shuteye?

Tired travelers at Abu Dhabi's airport now have an option other than hunkering down on the terminal floor or stretching out on an unforgiving chair at the gate.

They can crawl into and curl up in a cocoon-like, private pod in the midst of the hubbub of Terminal 1 and Terminal 3.

The airport recently installed 10 Finnish-designed "GoSleep" pods — chairs that convert into flat beds with sliding shades that fully enclose slumbering travelers inside and isolate them from noise, light and curious fellow travelers.

Travelers can rent the pods for approximately $12 an hour using a credit card.
Another 35 pods are on order.

Still in the launch phase, the chairs soon will be upgraded with Internet access, secure storage for luggage and charging stations for electronic devices.

Abu Dhabi is the first airport in the world to install the pods. The introduction "is another step towards exceeding customers' expectations and delivering world-class levels of service," according to Mohammed Al Bulooki, chief commercial officer of Abu Dhabi Airports Co.

All that's missing is an alarm clock.

— Gay Nagle Myers