Courtesy telephone

A courtesy telephone is a telephone located in airport terminals, large train stations, hotel lobbies, and other places where many travellers are expected, which is used to relay messages to a specific person.

It is typically used in connection with a public address system announcement of the style "Gwen Cooper, please pick up the nearest white courtesy telephone."

Courtesy telephones may have a distinctive color, which is traditionally white in US airports,[1] and most have no dialing capabilities but rather are simple ringdown stations to reach an operator or other fixed number.

[3] Customers can use a courtesy phone to seek information, such as where to find further transport or a person trying to meet them.

Some courtesy phones provide a direct line to a number of advertised businesses, such as motels or taxis.