What Are Your Favorite Airports?

[Subdude]

I got to thinking about this yesterday during a three+ hour layover in a nearly empty Schipol airport (Amsterdam). You have to give them credit - that is one great airport. The signage is clear, everything is clean, working and well-laid out. It's such a nice place that it is almost enjoyable to hang around, and that's even before you get to the stores, casino, museum etc.

Although I suspect a lot of travelers think it is confusing and has rotten food, I have always kind of liked IAH. The strange layout is the outcome of 40 years worth of assorted additions, and I like seeing how all the additions have been adapted over time.

Hobby was nice with the 1940s look and feel, but that will go away once the rebuilding is complete. It will end up nicer, but lacking the charm.

One I couldn't stand was O'Hare. You get the feeling they are trying to subtly punish people for going through there.

[cottonmather0]

I got to thinking about this yesterday during a three+ hour layover in a nearly empty Schipol airport (Amsterdam). You have to give them credit - that is one great airport. The signage is clear, everything is clean, working and well-laid out. It's such a nice place that it is almost enjoyable to hang around, and that's even before you get to the stores, casino, museum etc.

Although I suspect a lot of travelers think it is confusing and has rotten food, I have always kind of liked IAH. The strange layout is the outcome of 40 years worth of assorted additions, and I like seeing how all the additions have been adapted over time.

Hobby was nice with the 1940s look and feel, but that will go away once the rebuilding is complete. It will end up nicer, but lacking the charm.

One I couldn't stand was O'Hare. You get the feeling they are trying to subtly punish people for going through there.

I love Frankfurt because it's Germany and that means it's clean and everything works smoothly and efficiently.

The worst is Lubbock because it's small and the weather is terrible 70% percent of the time and the TSA contingent gets off on getting extra time to pick on each and every passenger since there are so few of them. If my family didn't live there I would never fly through that airport, but it's a 9 hour drive from Houston and I'm not doing that with a 2 year old!

[20thStDad]

I like IAH terminal B. Even when there has been a line at security, they plow you through it. I've spent 4 times as long in shorter lines in other airports.

I like Charlotte A because there is a bar and free wireless near the Continental gate that goes to Houston. Ditto for the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky airport.

Amsterdam seemed like a fun airport, but every time I was there I had a short layover and literally was speed walking what seemed like half a mile from the KLM landing spot to whatever gate took off for Aberdeen.

My worst: Denver - seems to me they've had some infrastructure problem every time I've been there (e.g. power outages), Midland-Odessa, and Calgary on a Friday morning trying to get out (longest customs lines ever).

[Subdude]

I love Frankfurt because it's Germany and that means it's clean and everything works smoothly and efficiently.

Frankfurt 1 is nice, although it was odd to see people smoking in the shopping area. Terminal 2 just seemed like a big box however.

Atlanta Hartsfield is hard for me to peg even after spending countless hours there. It's like a giant machine for transportation. Efficient enough, but it has all the charm and character of a pencil sharpener. It's not pleasant, and it's not exactly unpleasant. It doesn't feel like anything at all, just the experience of waiting.

I like Charlotte A because there is a bar and free wireless near the Continental gate that goes to Houston.

I used to have to go to Charlotte periodically and I remember thinking it was a very fast airport to get in and out of.

[houstonmacbro]

When I fly into the DC area I really prefer BWI (Baltimore-Washington International). It is really closer to Baltimore, but I like the design and the in-and-out ease in which it was designed, over the madhouse I consider at Reagan National.

[Mark F. Barnes]

Changi Airport Singapore, just a first class establishment. Great amenities, clean facilities, polite and respectful personnel. If you have a long layover, it is the place you want it to be.

[memebag]

I loved the old "banjo" terminals at IAH. Schiphol is a very nice airport, but my favorite part was a temporary art exhibit. My all time favorite airport was in Madison, WI. It was like a bus station. Everyone waited in a big room, then when your plane arrived, you walked out onto the tarmac and climbed up a rolling staircase into the plane. Very retro.

[editor]

I got to thinking about this yesterday during a three+ hour layover in a nearly empty Schipol airport (Amsterdam). You have to give them credit - that is one great airport. The signage is clear, everything is clean, working and well-laid out. It's such a nice place that it is almost enjoyable to hang around, and that's even before you get to the stores, casino, museum etc.

Although I suspect a lot of travelers think it is confusing and has rotten food, I have always kind of liked IAH. The strange layout is the outcome of 40 years worth of assorted additions, and I like seeing how all the additions have been adapted over time.

Hobby was nice with the 1940s look and feel, but that will go away once the rebuilding is complete. It will end up nicer, but lacking the charm.

One I couldn't stand was O'Hare. You get the feeling they are trying to subtly punish people for going through there.

I never had a layover at Schipol, but I did fly in and out of there once. I was very young, and nothing bad happened. I think it was my second trip overseas, and I managed to navigate the airport and get onto the right train for Centraal Station OK, so it must be very user friendly.

Like a lot of airports, O'Hare can be good or bad depending on what terminal you go through. If you're flying United or internationally (except on American Airlines), you end up in the nicest terminals. Number two is the American Airlines area, and then everything else is third class.

The thing that bugs me most about O'Hare is that you can't change from one terminal to the next without going to the land side and re-screening. And even though the United/TED terminal is the most modern, it's also the most cramped. It was designed on the theory that planes will never be delayed and people will move through security very quickly and not have to linger at their gates. The world has changed since then.

Narita has two very different terminals. One is mostly for international arrivals and people transiting to other international destinations. The other is for the locals. I ended up at the local terminal once when United abandoned me in Tokyo. It's a whole different terminal. Different food. Different shops. And it's all very dark compared to the "international" terminal. Last time I was there (about a year ago) it was getting a slew of new shops and creating what it called "The Fifth Avenue of the East." I'll let you know how that turned out when I go through there next month (SEVEN hour layover!).

The WORST airport I've been to is Suvarnabhumi. It opened just two years ago amid a flurry of international press for its revolutionary architecture blah blah blah. It is absolutely the worst airport. Helmut Jahn should be imprisoned there, and no one from Murphy/Jahn Architects should ever be allowed to design an airport again.

Arrivals: The place is absolutely soulless. It's like getting off the plane and walking through some post-apocalyptic Soviet survival film. Everything is grey (not shiny silver -- dull grey) metal and glass. There is no color. In fact, the architecture sucks the color out of anything in there. Light is provided by the same kind of hanging lamps you'd find in a warehouse. The architecture is all exposed beams and soaring curves, reenforcing the warehouse feel. It's just dreadful. Not even a cheerful warehouse like Ikea -- this thing will drain whatever is left of your spirit after a long flight.

And God forbid you have to take a pee after a long flight. The men's rooms have one toilet and one urinal and one sink. That's it. So when a flight unloads 200 people, the three nearest bathrooms immediately have 20 minute waits. And the bathrooms are spaced so far apart that you're better off waiting the 20 minutes than trying to find the next one. The women's room is worse. What were these architects thinking? Have they never flown? Do they all wear Depends? Did it never occur to them that if you put 70,000 people in a building that more than seven of them will want to go to the bathroom?

Once you relieve yourself, collecting your luggage, going through customs and immigration is pretty quick and painless and then it hits you -- you're in the freakin' Third World.

Remember that scene from Indiana Jones where Dr. Jones' colleague is walking through some dusty street surrounded by thousands of people trying to put their hands on him and shoving chickens in his face? Yeah. It's like that. INSIDE THE TERMINAL. You have to wade through a sea of aggressive cab drivers, beggars, urchins screaming at you, and people trying to sell you things because if you just came in on a plane then you must have lots of spare money to give them. It's absolute mayhem. The guys with the machine guns only keep order on the outbound side of the airport. Arrivals is a free-for-all. If you're going to Bangkok, be sure to arrange your cab well ahead of time. I recommend an outfit called Julie Taxi. PM me for the phone number if you need it.

Departures: The check-in lobby is massive, which is a good thing. But there is virtually no where to sit. There is one built-in bench at the end of each ticket counter row. So you might have 10,000 people in the ticketing area, and there are 25 SEATS. That's it. No more. The architects thought they were being clever by making all of the ticket counters "virtual" counters. So that one counter's electronic sign might light up to serve JAL Flight 343 to Tokyo, and the one next to it Turkish Airways 14 to Istanbul, and the one next to it Tiger Airways 101 to Singapore. In a sense, that is totally efficient. It's a great way to conserve space and not have to worry about a particular airline not using all of its counter space while other airlines struggle with not enough space. But it also creates a very important problem -- Passengers have no idea where to go to wait to check in. The counters don't open or light up until there is someone there actually checking passengers in. So if you're 5 minutes early, you have to stand around for 5 minutes. If you're 30 minutes early, you have to stand around for 30 minutes. And if you're a couple of hours early, then you have to stand around for a couple of hours. Remember, THERE ARE NO SEATS and the guys with the machine guns don't like people sitting on the floor. If you absolutely must sit, there's a restaurant. Just one restaurant. It's on the upper level and has very limited seating as well.

Which leads us to another important point -- this airport might work in Los Angeles, if it was 1999. But Bangkok isn't Los Angeles. A taxi ride from your hotel to the airport might take 45 minutes, or it might take six hours, depending on traffic, riots, ox carts, and a million other factors. The airport was designed for you to show up 15 minutes before your flight leaves. It's simply not possible to time things that closely in Bangkok. Especially since you have to pass through the first security screening at curbside -- before you even get to the check-in counter. And there's no telling how long that might take.

When you do finally get in line, be very careful who you talk to. Even if you're surrounded by Americans (and probably better if you aren't), your blue passport will make you a target. Airport employees (yes, actual employees with uniforms and security clearance) will walk up to you in line and tell you that they need to "examine" your passport and boarding pass. They'll take it, look over it thoughtfully (probably to make sure you're an American since it didn't happen to anyone else in my line of mixed nationalities), then they'll give you back your boarding pass. Only your boarding pass. To get your passport back, you have to pay them a bribe. I think I paid 1,500 baht to get mine and my wife's passport back. NEVER give your passport to anyone other than the ticket check-in girl or a police officer (and even that's not such a great idea in Thailand). Somehow I thought that a uniformed airport employee who I saw go through a security door would be OK. I guess not.

Once you finally manage to check in, then you have to walk a very long way to the actual terminal entrances where you go through customs and immigration and get back into the soul-depleting cavern mentioned before.

But at least you can get Time magazine to read. Of course, the American version of Time magazine can be bought at any of the downtown department stores for about US$9. At the airport it's US$23. I guess they're counting on you being so worn out from the experience you don't know what you're doing.

------------

Sorry for the rant. I just remembered this is supposed to be "Favorite" airports. So, let me throw in a big cheer for Tampa, which has more than adequate seating and eating options, plus free wifi; Reagan National, which looks like something out of the past, but manages to do a pretty good job in spite of its ancient design; and both Pittsburgh and Charlotte airports for having lots of food options, good shopping, plenty of seating options, and free wifi.

And a shout out to Midway and Charlotte for having rows of wooden rocking chairs (sponsored by Southwest Airlines), which for some reason can be more comfortable than regular chairs when you're traveling.

[sevfiv]

I recently was in the Sacramento airport and it had a very sixties/seventies feel, and the signage to match. Reminded me of Hobby (which I like).

[Dan the Man]

Favorite: Houston's own Hobby Airport. Where else can you park your car and be on a plane 20 min later? I'll second Editor's cheer for Tampa, though.

Least Favorite: Las Vegas. Too crowded and too much visual clutter; you have to search for the navigational signs among the all the advertising, slot machines, and cheesy 1980s neon.

[Bombero451]

I really like Terminal 3 at O'Hare Airport, it's the American Airlines terminal.

I really don't all of DFW or the international terminal at the Calgary Int'l Airport.

[CALMSP]

FAVORITE:

DEN - Can anyone say anything bad about this airport?

HKG - Beautiful airport/scenery with plenty of options on food/retail.

DISLIKE:

CLE - Such little entertainment, and overly cramped in terminal C. Terminal D just doesn't do it for me either.

HATE:

PHL - What a freakn dump!!

[Ross]

Good ones:

Schipol, Dubai, Frankfurt

Bad ones:

Charles de Gaulle in Paris. Worst airporty in the West by a long shot

[HtownWxBoy]

I generally like big airports since there are more places to eat, drink, shop while you are waiting for flights. I hate sitting at airports bored.

Favorites -

IAH - Houston... EXPECT TERMINAL A... I HATE TERMINAL A!!

HOU - Houston Hobby... I know it's smaller but it is pretty convienent and you get through quickly... plus you can get amazing views of the city when landing there

ATL - Atlanta... very easy to navigate... generally has lots of cute guys, too... he he... sorry.

MCO - Orlando

ORD - Chicago O'Hare ... I like the airport itself... it can be a pain flying through there, though

CLT - Charlotte, NC... nice for a medium size airport

Least Favorites -

LGW - London Gatwick... seemed old and dated

PVR - Peurta Vallarta, Mexico... not the nicest airport... no air conditioning

DTW - Detroit

[Subdude]

Least Favorites -

LGW - London Gatwick... seemed old and dated

PVR - Peurta Vallarta, Mexico... not the nicest airport... no air conditioning

DTW - Detroit

I was only through Detroit airport once but it seemed nice. The terminal was very new.

Anyone who has been to London would probably agree that there is a special place in airport hell for both Heathrow and Gatwick. Both are cramped and confusing. Gatwick doesn't have enough restrooms so there are queues even for the men's room.

IAH - Houston... EXCEPT TERMINAL A... I HATE TERMINAL A!!

With the exception of Terminal E, which I believe was funded by Continental, IAH has the worst food selection of any major airport I've been to. Bar none.

[BryanS]

CDG. Because I love feeling like a hamster.

[banking214]

Schipol - Easy to navigate, train station on-site

O.R. Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) - Super clean and spacious, modern

Hobby, Love Field - Hobby gets higher marks for the great makeover. Both are easy to navigate and you can't beat the parking.

Benito Ju

[HtownWxBoy]

With the exception of Terminal E, which I believe was funded by Continental, IAH has the worst food selection of any major airport I've been to. Bar none.

I haven't really noticed that... 9 times out of 10 when i fly out of IAH it's early in the morning... like 8am or earlier... so I usually don't eat or I just get something quick. Also, most times I fly out of Terminal A... WHICH I HATE! This last time I flew when I flew home to PA for Xmas i fortunately got to fly Continental... usually they are too expensive and the flight times suck for where I am going in PA (small airport) but this time it all worked out... was nice to fly out of Terminal C / E.

[IronTiger]

Having only flown on planes twice, I would have to say I don't really remember Dulles very much...so that should be Houston, then Tampa, and finally, Easterwood Airport.

[dalparadise]

I like AXH. I can park my car right at the terminal and be on a plane within 10 minutes.

[editor]

I like AXH. I can park my car right at the terminal and be on a plane within 10 minutes.

Looks like the airport from "Wings"

[TexasVines]

Lubbocks airport is not bad at all....it is small because Lubbock does not have a ton of flights in and out of there, but there is nothing wrong with the airport and it is easy to get in and out of and park

Fort Smith Arkansas has the nicest public bathrooms I have ever seen

it also has some nice displays of old Fort Smith items and air national guard items from local folks......they also have displays from major companies and area wineries, but the Pradco Lures one was not there that was in the old airport it is also nice because you can park right in front in the tow away area and not be towed for 20+ minutes if ever and there is not even anyone to check and everyone else parks there too so you can zip right in and out....very easy airport to use

http://www.usatoday.com/money/biztravel/20...ooms-usat_x.htm

[jc281]

Wasnt crazy about Gatwick or cdg Paris.

Frankfurt is great. Dubai is great.

Denver is probably one of the best in US, although I'm sure we've all spent more time inside than we'd have liked

A terrible one that comes to mind is SJC in San Jose, CA. under big renovation and just a mess (for now ( wehope) )

[millennica]

I prefer airports that can easily be reached using public transportation. For this reason, the airports I like in the US include Boston' Logan, New York's Kennedy, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Oakland, and DC National. I like others because they are easy to navigate. Oakland and Hobby are two that I like.

In the Caribbean, I like Tocumen the airport in Panama as well as the airport in St.Maarten/St. Martin because both are small and easy to navigate.

[TJones]

Maui Airport is nice, open air in alot of places, but seems very clean also.

Least favorite is Atlanta, you got to walk a mile for a connecting flight.

[JLWM8609]

y'all are gonna laugh, but Birmingham, AL's airport isn't bad. Nothing special about it, but it's not a claptrap or anything like that. The terminal isn't that far from the runway, so assuming you have a landing on rwy 6/24, you'll be on the taxi way for less than 5 minutes getting to the gate in ideal conditions.

[Hartmann]

I like:

MUC

AMS

IAH E

BRU (wow!)

I dislike:

PIT

PHL

LHR

LAX (gotta love the cattle call)

[Montrose1100]

I generally like big airports since there are more places to eat, drink, shop while you are waiting for flights. I hate sitting at airports bored.

Favorites -

IAH - Houston... EXPECT TERMINAL A... I HATE TERMINAL A!!

HOU - Houston Hobby... I know it's smaller but it is pretty convienent and you get through quickly... plus you can get amazing views of the city when landing there

ATL - Atlanta... very easy to navigate... generally has lots of cute guys, too... he he... sorry.

MCO - Orlando

ORD - Chicago O'Hare ... I like the airport itself... it can be a pain flying through there, though

CLT - Charlotte, NC... nice for a medium size airport

Least Favorites -

LGW - London Gatwick... seemed old and dated

PVR - Peurta Vallarta, Mexico... not the nicest airport... no air conditioning

DTW - Detroit

Detroit? It was nice! When I flew in from London (5 hours on the tarmac because of engine problems, before they decided to switch planes) it was awesome! The Red Bullet train didn't make sense, since the terminal was not that far to walk, but it looked cool. The Hotel BA payed for was awesome, the food was excellent, the hollow interior with the gorgeous lobby was certainly eye candy. Although the drop off points could be updated, felt like a county jail, and not an aiport.

I love Heathrow, with the Express to Paddington Station (and the wonderful Hilton "attached"), easy to figure out the bus or tube system to see the city. The shopes are wonderful, however the food is complete crud. The only good thing is the booze to wash it all down. And if you need a cigarette break after a 7 hour flight, you can FORGET it!

Dubai's airport has to be the absolute best I've ever been to. It's a glamorous mall, and the BA lounge was spectacular! (Although the Heathrow one is the best I've ever seen).

O'Hare is nice, but you walk and walk and walk and walk! It took forever to get off of the American flight from Dallas to get a taxi then it did to ride in the horrible traffic to Evanston.

DFW is great. Took a while to find some grub, but it's fun to kill time riding the train around the airport.

Abilene's airport is tiny, but it works just fine. A little shop, a little bar/food joint, and never any lines (I wonder why?).

IAH is nice, the Lounges could use some updating, but the security lines usually move quickly. The Pappa's was good, but not as good as the regular place (but 100% better then anything on the British Isles).

Edit:

Atlanta is a beast, not sure how I feel about some of the detached terminals, but not too bad.

Savannah's was heaven. Small, simple, and pretty.

Malaga, Spain is a horrible headache. Hopefully after the construction it'll be better. People everywhere, no idea where to go (thank god I was with an expert on the place). However, when you leave there is nice shopping, good food, and a calmer atmosphere.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

I can't say I've ever been to an airport I've enjoyed...but the whole process of flying irritates me. A lot of "hurry up and wait".

Not that I'm an impatient person per se, I just don't enjoy any part of the process. From the parking to the security check to the waiting at the gate to the waiting in boarding line to the waiting to sit down to the waiting to take off to the waiting on the runway to the waiting for a drink, it's just not a pleasant experience. And if you're over 6 feet tall, it's a painful experience as well, being stuck in one position (knees jammed into the seat in front of you) for hours at a time.

I'd much rather spend 30 hours in the car than 4 or 5 hours in flight. I enjoy driving, don't enjoy flying. If we can drive, we do, regardless of the time spent on the road. (Exception being the trip to Ecuador...we technically could drive there, but neither of us has the vacation time to be able to do it!)

To me, the question of "What is your favorite airport" is kinda like asking, "Which eye did you prefer having gouged out the most?"

Anyone else feel that way?

[20thStDad]

I can't say I've ever been to an airport I've enjoyed...but the whole process of flying irritates me. A lot of "hurry up and wait".

Not that I'm an impatient person per se, I just don't enjoy any part of the process. From the parking to the security check to the waiting at the gate to the waiting in boarding line to the waiting to sit down to the waiting to take off to the waiting on the runway to the waiting for a drink, it's just not a pleasant experience. And if you're over 6 feet tall, it's a painful experience as well, being stuck in one position (knees jammed into the seat in front of you) for hours at a time.

I'd much rather spend 30 hours in the car than 4 or 5 hours in flight. I enjoy driving, don't enjoy flying. If we can drive, we do, regardless of the time spent on the road. (Exception being the trip to Ecuador...we technically could drive there, but neither of us has the vacation time to be able to do it!)

To me, the question of "What is your favorite airport" is kinda like asking, "Which eye did you prefer having gouged out the most?"

Anyone else feel that way?

Not always. I've had lots of good times with beer and margaritas at airports, with someone else picking up the check.