Which airports are nice and which are shitty?

Newark has the shittest airport I've ever been to.

Amílcar Cabral International Airport (SID) Sal, Cape Verde is surprisingly good after the recent refurbishments. It was a bit of a dump previously.

They also process passengers very quickly.

Nice: Amsterdam, Singapore, Tokyo Haneda, Seoul Incheon, Copenhagen, Madrid, Munich

Shitty: the rest of them

Qatar is the nicest I’ve seen. Newark the worst.

JFK and LAX are worse than Newark, international terminals excepted.

The JetBlue terminal at JFK is pretty nice. Newark’s small, low-ceiling boarding areas are atrocious—and anxiety-provoking with covid still in the air.

U.S. based? Another vote for Newark as the worst

I like Denver and Phoenix

[quote]Newark has the shittest airport I've ever been to.

Depends on the terminal.

This is a bizarre one, but I freakin' love the Pittsburgh Airport. It's massive, clean and almost always empty.

Dallas, which you think would be nice, is a trash pit.

The worst by far is Frankfurt. A shit hole in every respect.

Not sure about best but worst has to be the Sao Pablo on in Brazil.

LaGuardia used to look like a 1970s bus terminal. They’ve started working on it, so maybe it will improve.

It's been 14 years, but I remember Heathrow as being (for the most part) a horror. I hope they've touched it up some since then.

Another vote for Newark as the worst. It's like something out of a bad movie.

Orlando is the worst. Lack of basic amenities like charging stations, poorly designed security line, and it’s full of obese extended families going to and from Disney World.

I ravel a bit for work. STL, CLE, CLT, are all pretty bad. O'Hare is always under construction and horrible to fly out of - (you can guarantee your plane will be late and change gates at least three times).

LaGuardia has long been a total piece of shit. The reconstruction in progress can’t be done fast enough. The Newark Continental terminal is actually gorgeous. The other terminals at Newark suck.

Orange County airport is nice it has a little outside area after security

R8 I’ll second the Pittsburgh airport. Clean and easy to find your way. Very well laid out.

[r8] One time I have a long layover at DFW and walked outside to the 2nd floor where you wait for the cars. A woman had dropped some food over the ledge and she was watching a rat and a pigeon fight over it, but then a massive swarm of rats emerged from the bushes and over took the pigeon. And that's always what I'll think of when I think of Dallas.

It's not about being nice or not nice, but I hate having to go to Dulles airport for international flights. The fucking 'mobile lounges' are such an archaic embarrassment, and one I was in last month broke down on the tarmac for 20 minutes,m. An engineer kept running from one end to the other over and over, lurching the buslike thing with a big jolt every time. And the security line at Dulles is slower than anywhere else I've ever been. I missed a flight once because of security even though I was at the airport within the prescribed window.

DFW is ugly and badly designed; the peoplemover is a nightmare to ride if you are standing as it makes gigantic switchbacks at every terminal. No moving walkways inside the terminals because they are designed like massive C’s. No centralized location for eateries and stores. It was basically designed like a motel for airplanes and little consideration for the traveler.

ATL is ugly and has the aesthetic of a dying suburban mall.

Las Vegas has a very shitty airport with one security line for the whole airport. Better be TSA pre-approved or you may miss your flight.

[quote]JFK and LAX are worse than Newark

JFK and LAX were built on a very dated version of flying, with separate buildings for different airlines. That was back in the days when people took one flight from A to B.

DFW was always a very stupid design.

ATL has never been great but it is amazingly efficient considering how much traffic goes through. And they do keep updating it. Although spending a billion dollars to cover the passenger drop-off and pick-up areas like enormous balloon-like structures seemed a waste of money.

Agree with R14, Orlando sucks. Also hate Philly, Detroit and St. Louis.

The United terminal (C?) at Newark is fine except the Security set up is a nightmare, trying to find the end of the line.

JFK, the international terminal 4 is a national embarrassment. If you arrive before your airline ticket counter opens, there is literally no place to sit down to wait. I’ve seen people sitting on the floor along the wall surrounded by their luggage.

I had to change planes in Minnepolis. While the airport itself seemed OK, the distance I had to go between gates--walking--was rediculous.

The original terminals at DFW were designed in those C shapes to allow passengers to park their cars close to their gates. In pre-security days, you could go from your car to your gate in about 5 minutes. Then the aviation industry changed and DFW became a hub airport with lots of transferring passengers. Then security changed and everyone got funneled through one of three separate screening areas in each terminal. The new terminal D was built on a different model which centralized shops and restaurants in a large open area in the center of the terminal. If terminal F ever gets built, it will be on the same model. And rumor was that terminal C would be torn down and rebuilt that way too, but that's been put on hold as far as I know.

Schiphol is terrible. Rude cunts and tiny waiting areas.

Rome Fiumicino is a hellhole, If you are making a trip there try the other Rome Airport at Ciampino, It's worth the €60 cab fare to avoid the hassle.

Detroit has a nice airport.

Didn't Northwest use Detroit as its European gateway?

All three NYC airports are highly variable. There are gorgeous terminals and trash terminals. The United terminal at Newark is one of my favorites in all North America. The others are among the worst. Kind of a perfect metaphor for the city; beautiful in parts and awful in others.

I agree with R8 and R18, Pittsburgh is very nice. I also liked O'Hare, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Charlotte. Don't like Phoenix at all.

Madrid Barajas can at times have some magnificent distances between points (departure gates, baggage claim, taxis, subway, etc.), but it's a rather magnificient building. The swelling roof is wonderful thing, appropriate to flight itself and the unique form of the Mezquite-Cathedral of Cordoba. It has a warmth, even a feeling af embrace that few airports have.

National Airport, Washington DC also creates some excitement of the act of flying in its architecture, and while it references nothing explicitly in DC architecture, it echoes the Italian models of the Renaissance and ancient Roman baths that are seenin different variations in so many DC buildings. It makes use of a beautfiful terrazo floor that's a tactile and visual pleasure.

Amsterdam/Schipol and Munich are also good architecture and nice experiences, if less dramatic than the above two.

R22, that's completely untrue about the Vegas airport. They divide the lines in the main terminal between A/B and C/D. In T3, I believe they split the lines in two.

I've not travelled abroad much besides the UK, but London Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Dublin airports were completely adequate. Here in the States, my favourite thus far is Minneapolis. Very clean, and you can carry an alcoholic drink from terminal to terminal. I had an unexpected 3-hour layover there a few years back and sampled several IPAs that I would've never tried otherwise.

The worst airport I've ever been in was Miami International. This was years ago, but talk about a Greyhound Bus Station with no ambiance.

Doha in Qatar is pretty spectacular, the only problem being that it's in Qatar.

[quote] JFK and LAX are worse than Newark, international terminals excepted.

Agree 100%

The United Terminal (Terminal C) at Newark is newly redone and actually very nice.

The other two terminals are not great (Terminal A often does not have a separate TSA Pre line) but I'd still take them over any terminal at LGA

Perhaps it has been several (three or four) decades since the people trashing EWR actually flew in or out of there? That would not be unusual on Datalounge.

I haven't been there in a long time, but Honolulu used to be nice--all open air.

I was flying from LA to St. Thomas. It January. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt when I got on in LAX. At JFK I had to change planes. I had to go outside, dragging my bag through the snow, in shorts and a t-shirt.

[quote]I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt when I got on in LAX. At JFK I had to change planes. I had to go outside, dragging my bag through the snow, in shorts and a t-shirt.

Serves you right for being such a slob. I hope you were wearing flip-flops in the snow, too.

Just seeing "Flip-flops" written out triggers many of our Eldergays R40

Couldn't you have put a warning on your post?

My favorites are the little regional airports like Branson where parking is cheap and right next to the terminal, no long walks or waits. Of the major airports I like Pittsburgh for its ease and Denver for its looks, and comfort (if only it weren't a million miles from the city).

My least favorites are Newark and Sea-Tac. Low ceilings, narrow walkways, a pervasive dinginess and he'll to get out of. LAX also sucks. But for sheer get me out of here chaos, Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt wins hands down. One bad experience I can overlook, but after 4 I said never again.

And the previous poster is right about Minneapolis-St. Paul. I used to live there and hated those looong walks from check in to the terminal.

Portland (OR) is a great airport. All of the food options are outposts of local restaurants save for one McDonald’s at the far end of one of the terminals. There are food carts and all of the shops are also local. There’s a great spa and a theater that plays locally produced short films. It’s clean and easy to get around in, although it’s under construction for the next few years so there are some inconveniences in the meantime.

The centerpiece of the renovations is a 392,000 sf main terminal roof with windows and skylights. It’s being constructed next to the airport and will be moved into place while the airport operates underneath it.

I’d like to add Phoenix to the list of horrible airports, joining LAX and Seattle as three I avoid like the plague when at all possible.

I thought Lisbon's airport was very nice when I layovered there awaiting my flight to Nice.

[quote]The worst airport I've ever been in was Miami International. This was years ago, but talk about a Greyhound Bus Station with no ambiance.

Miami used to feel like something out of a bad prison movie. Dingy, run down, cops and drug-sniffing dogs at every turn. Hated flying through there. It’s much better now that they’ve renovated, although I don’t think it would top anybody’s list of best airports.

I think the main terminal at ATL is beautiful. Though the concourses can be rather utilitarian. But the new covers over the outside drives is wonderful, especially when it's pouring rain and you're walking from the parking decks into the terminal, or picking someone up curbside.

All airports have good terminals and bad, usually older terminals. CLT was perfectly fine for me when I was last transferring thru there, but it was the new part.

Airports which I flew this year and found pleasant are SJO, BWI, HOU, PHL, JAX and DEN. DFW is the only airport which I did not like.

American airports are generally atrocious

The Zurich airport is lovely.

Another vote for PDX airport in Portland. The shops and restaurants aren't allowed to charge more at the airport location. On a clear day the flight between Portland and Seattle is spectacular.

I transited through the Hong Kong airport right after it opened. It was breathtaking. Vast expanses, soaring high ceilings, walls with massive windows in the shapes of parabolic arches like a 1950s Hollywood set of an airport. So calm and uplifting. The next year I went through, all the open spaces were filled with kiosks selling stuff. Two years ago, I flew in and out of there and didn’t notice windows at all.

Dulles needs work…the train was built for a terminal upgrade that hasn’t happened. I fly in from a smaller airport and inevitably I land at A gated and have to make it to D on a shuttle.

Hartford is nice. A good size, not super busy, feels fresh inside. Laid out well too.

I liked Kansai airport in Japan. Well designed and empty. Who doesn't want to land on an artificial island in the Sea of Japan.

R37 I flew in and out of EWR 3 or 4 times in 2018/19. It was still a complete shit hole. Granted, I was not in the United terminal, but the rest was absolute trash.

Frankfurt is awful but I think Charles de Gaulle in Paris is even worse. Huge, confusing and full of obnoxious people. The walk from your gate to the S-Bahn at Munich airport is endless, and the ride to downtown takes forever. How they didn’t put a high-speed rail stop there is beyond me.

Zurich is a nice airport, same with Oslo and Helsinki. The international terminal at Philly (A-West) is nice, but TSA and gate staff there are atrocious. Baggage claim is the pits there, too. Savannah/Hilton Head is cute around the holidays.

The prettiest airports I've flown into the last couple of years were Hong Kong and Dubai. (Dubai, however, gets a big fat zero for transportation from airport to hotels, etc. - fucking disastrous car lines).

I lived in DC until recently and I would pay just about anything to stick with National airport to avoid Dulles. I'd even go to BWI (complete shit hole) to avoid Dulles.

Orlando has a good airport.

Because Disney

" Because Disney"

We need to speak in complete sentences, R56.

Keep reaching for the moon R57

[quote] We need to speak in complete sentences, [R56].

Because Eldergays

Most impressive airports: Dubai, Heathrow, Doha. They just glitter and feel so grand and worthy of international travel.

Shittiest: LAX is an utter embarrassment. Even with the upgrade to the international terminal, it’s a bit better than before but the adage of lipstick on a pig applies. Burbank looks like it belongs to a third world country and with the monstrously short runway, you never know if you’ll make it out alive.

SFO: If you have a long wait, this is a good airport to be in. Lots of places to get a snack, etc.

LAX: Your experience is determined by which airline you're flying. If you're flying United, you're stuck in the United terminal unless you want to go through security again.

Haneda: I don't remember it being especially nice, but I had a good meal there. Also, it's easier to get into Tokyo from Haneda vs. Narita.

DFW: food / drinks are cheap in there. Missed a connecting flight there.

O'Hare: That neon-lit people mover area is really cheesy-looking.

Atlanta: Missed a connecting flight there. They unexpectedly changed the terminal for the connecting flight. I had to get on the tram to get to a different terminal and missed the flight. I think the FAs could have prepared us better (during flight) for the change. They must have known.

Denver and Austin stuck out to me as nice places.

Newark and La Guardia are being rebuilt while operating.

Another vote for Portland, National, and Charlotte. I don't hate Seattle. Not a fan of Atlanta nor Phoenix. I wasn't crazy about the John Wayne (or whatever it's called now) Airport in CA.

Circa 2013 or 2014, I flew from Virgin American from PHL to LAX.

At LAX, Virgin used the old TWA gates. I never saw a sorrier mess than these pathetic excuses for gates. They looked exactly as they would have looked like in 1962, and hadn't been updated (or apparently cleaned either) since then.

This section of LAX was NOT world class by any stretch of the imagination. Anybody know if this area has ever been updated since then?

Yes, the Las Vegas airport is gross and some of the TSA ladies there are mean.

The Dulles Terminal is a cool building but agree it's a nightmare of an airport. Hate BWI, too.

[quote]Airports which I flew this year and found pleasant are SJO, BWI, HOU, PHL, JAX and DEN. DFW is the only airport which I did not like.

SJO is in Costa Rica. Did you mean that, or the San Jose in California? (SJC)

[quote] "Because Disney"

You would have received less blowback from the grammar fraus if you had said.

"Because, well, Disney"

For an airport with 200+ gates ATL is amazingly easy to navigate.

I love when the New Jersey boosters come out of the woodwork here. EWR is a complete dump. the new Untied terminal is fine but nothing special. Terminals A and B are crimes against humanity.

No vote for PHL? I thought it was pretty bad. Easy to reach though. I hate the cab ride to JFK or EWR. I love SFO.

I absolutely despite PHL. All you have to do is walk in the front doors of the joint, and you're slammed in the face with famed Philly atty-tude full force. The tension running throughout the entire building is way beyond palpable. It's like being hit in the head with a sledge hammer.

I fly through Newark about once a month, always on United. It’s ok, not terrible. But those other terminals are ghastly.

I flew through the new LaGuardia terminal recently and it was very nice.

Terminals A at Newark is being replaced

This was the shittiest of them all.

HISSSSS

New Jerssssseey!!!

HISSSSSSSS

Uncle Sam just wrote a check to all the airports basically so they should all be looking spiffy in about 5 years.

Are you a Philly resident. R73?

Good: Schiphol, Qatar.

Okay: Frankfurt, Zürich

Bad: Brussels, Berlin (yes, the “new” one)

…

Charming: Phu Quoc (Vietnam) — literally a runway and a hut. In and out within minutes.

Ghetto: JFK, CDG

"You from Jersey? Yeah, me too! Oh yeah, what exit?

R77 You seem oddly obsessed and defensive about EWR. It's ok, sweetie, it's just an airport.

For pure architectural beauty, Shenzhen, by Studio Fuksas of Italy.

(R8) Pittsburgh's massive airport was built when it was a US Airways hub with 600 daily flights and built according to their specifications. Well, US Air pulled out and there are now plans beginning next year to build another smaller airport. The subway connecting the two building will no longer be needed, everything will be in one beautiful building. US Airways was a lousy tenant.

I just flew through Dallas airport. What a monster in size! And it’s dark! The lighting is terrible.

I liked Amsterdam and Naples airports. I got groped by TSA. My ASS set off an alarm and the TSA guy patted me everywhere!

CLT and Schipol are nice enough airports in terms of structure but horrible service.

Orlando is a terrible airport; it’s huge, takes forever to get between terminals, and gates barely have space to wait. Newark may suck but at least you can reach it via NJ Transit and Amtrak. The lack of convenient train services between airport and downtown is one of the worst aspects of most US airports. Even Domodedovo in Moscow manages that.

The Newish Delta terminal at JFK is great—it basically now looks like what European airports have had for a decade.

Who can ever forget the old TWA terminal at JFK? What you expected flying to be.

It’s a hotel now, isn’t it?

R92 Yes. Anyone seen it? Good it's been restored but sad not for its original function.

Houston - Bush Intercontinental. 0/10.

They removed all of the moving walkways (permanently .. in the name of more jelly-bean shops, etc.). They have a multi-year construction project that has closed one terminal and a huge parking garage. One security checkpoint covers 6 different concourses. It is awful.

Worst: Heathrow.

Best: Helsinki.

Munich is my favorite airport in the world. It was designed by famed architect Helmut Jahn and it's gorgeous. Big enough to have direct flights to the US but small enough to get around fast and efficiently. It's a contemporary work of art.

R96 I also love Munich airport. It is easy to navigate and great lounges. I do not understand people who like Heathrow. It is always a mess, crowded and you better have plenty of time to make your connection. Whenever I fly to Europe, Munich or Zurich are my preferred choices. Qatar is the most spectacular airport and it is very efficient. Rome, and Charles de Gaulle are to be avoided at all costs.

I hate DFW because of the stupid horse-shoe shaped terminals. WE GET IT - but it makes it really hard to get around. That people mover shouldn't be needed - and it can take a really long time because it only goes one direction.

Minneapolis is one of the nicest I've been in - with good food options and really nice bathrooms.

Palm Springs airport is small, but wonderful. Close to the city, outdoor, easy to get around.

Milwaukee has a good airport - clean, nicely laid out, good food courts and shops if you're stuck there..

Faves: HKG, DTW, BCN, old Berlin (TXL) just cause it was so odd, PSP

Sucks: CDG, MIA, PHL, PHL (deserves two votes), BWI, EWR, JFK, YYZ (Toronto), BRU

LaGuardia has transformed from Earth’s biggest shithole into one of the nicest terminals in the US. It’s still compact but lovely. The head house security is the most modern i’ve seen, all glass with fancy new screening equipment. it’s lovely.

I like CLT

[quote] That people mover shouldn't be needed - and it can take a really long time because it only goes one direction.

DFW’s Skylink trains go both directions. Each station has one side for trains going one direction and another side for trains going the opposite direction. If you get on the correct train, it should take less than 10 minutes to get from one terminal to another.

The worst I've ever been to was Dulles and the best was Heathrow. The Manchester airport is nice too but not as nice as Heathrow.

I didn't like Qatar. It's much too big, and it's dark inside. I found the food pretty average but it's tolerable for 2 hours. Dubai is impressive, it's also much brighter with better shopping. Abu Dhabi is a pretty compact airport, is also quite friendly.

I've never understood why there isn't a train that connects JFK, LGA, and EWR. I read somewhere it's the taxi lobby that's prevented this from happening.

Saint Louis is the worst, with Palermo and Catania close behind. JFK is better with Air Train, and I deeply resent FCO making me traipse through endless duty free crapola to find my gate. As a couple folks said above, the little ones are a welcome change: Long Beach and Burbank are my favorites. Minneapolis was a breath of fresh air. I may be alone, but I actually liked Heathrow. The rocking chairs (& handy bars) really make up for a lot at CLT. Some of these descriptions make me want to travel just for the airport experience!

Lagos is the most awful and terrifying airport I have been to.

I, too, remember Hong Kong after it was redone. It was beautiful.

R100 we all miss TXL… It was a strange little airport with great international connections, and you were in and out in minutes. You could exit the plane, walk a few minutes towards the taxi stand, and you'd be [italic]en route[/italic] again. All under 10 minutes.

Now we are stuck with a non-functional airport that looks like a 12-year old building (because it is), non-potable water and precious few international connections.

Flying from any Euro airport to JFK is like flying into the developing world. Dingy, dirty inside and out.

Atlanta coming for the crown

R111 So glad you searched for an incident, and thank goodness those only happen at ATL. Phew!

I was just thinking about Seattle and how pieced together it is. I came in at some weird gate that involved a long tram ride and a bunch of escalators. Then to get my luxurious rental car I had another weird bus ride to a mini version of the airport.

The Nashville airport is a Karen hotspot. If you ever have to go, sign up for a rental car you can simply go grab as opposed to waiting in line behind a bunch of woo girls or Tiddy Mama who paid for a Sentra but demands a Suburban.

I do like the light rail at Seattle R113.

Last time I went to London, I flew in an out of Heathrow. I actually found it extraordinarily efficient— far more than any airport in the US

Tampa used to be a nice, compact airport. As it’s getting more popular, it’s building more and more and the efficiency has been lost. Instead of just grabbing my bags and walking across the street to my rental car, I have to now take the monorail to yet another new terminal to get my car. It easily adds another 30 minutes to an hour

Mombasa Kenya used to be a hut with a tin roof. This was the 90s though.

Frankfurt if (and only if) you have a long layover and time to stroll at your leisure and rest. Otherwise, it is hell. Munich and Schiphol are nice although a bit closed these days. JFK and LAX are overwhelmingl and cold.

Don't the Q Anon people have some weird theory about the Denver airport?

I think any airport can be ruined when you’re the last plane in and the snow shuts things down for 24 hours while you lie on the floor because there are no more seats or hotel rooms available. I also couldn’t leave the airport because I was in transit without a visa. That was my Schiphol experience. Never again!

From my own experience

Worst: LAX

Best: Munich

Some of you bitches must not have flown into JFK for 20+ years. Terminals 1, 2, 4 and 8 are are completely rebuilt and fine. Terminal 5 (Jet Blue next to the Eero Saarinen TWA terminal/hotel) is prob the best of them. It’s only the old BA / United terminal (T7) that is a vestige of the past.

I fucked a guy in the Ft Lauderdale bathroom so that one automatically wins.

Long Beach Airport… gorgeous Art Deco “Streamline Moderne” building that’s been beautifully restored and has really nice outdoor areas and patio style restaurants, even past security, where you can relax while waiting for your flight.

JetBlue used to have nonstops to FLL and JFK from Long Beach, but they’ve now moved everything to LAX. But there are still a decent number of airlines and you can fly nonstop to Hawaii.

I remember those flights R124 - Long Beach was easier to get in and out of and, IIRC, they had an old-time airplane themed restaurant that looked out over the runways.

It’s not really an apt comparison to the big airports being discussed on this thread, but the airport on St. Barths was truly a dream through about the mid 1990s.

After landing on a grass runway that literally ended on the beach, you would walk a few feet to a little shingled hut where the hunky gendarmes would stamp your passport… and the whole thing was surrounded by a charming white picket fence.

It’s still a lovely airport, but the runway is paved and after 9/11 they built a proper terminal with security and put up “real” fences.

^^^^ The beach at the end of the runway, although typically you land in the other direction over the hills… it’s almost like a roller coaster and a bit of a thrill.

R124

Thanks for the tip…I have to fly out that way soon and I might go that way.

[quote]Portland (OR) is a great airport. All of the food options are outposts of local restaurants save for one McDonald’s at the far end of one of the terminals.

The thing that impressed me the most was that the prices at Portland airport are not inflated, as a matter of policy. You pay what they pay in the city. I was flabbergasted.

R122 I flew Alaska out of T7 last week and there were only 12 gates which I appreciated. Plus the Alaska lounge has a fireplace which was nice to read in front of.

[quote]Flying from any Euro airport to JFK is like flying into the developing world. Dingy, dirty inside and out.

It's clear that many of you have never been to airports in poor countries. While JFK and LaGaurdia are a disgrace, there is no comparison.

The last time I flew through Lagos, there were dozens of shady characters in various uniforms trying to remove my luggage from my hands - supposedly to assist me, but really to steal my luggage. You have to be prepared to pay bribes, especially to be able to continue on with your electronic devices. I once bought some recently made baskets, and was accused of trying to take "antiquities" from the country. They wanted a bribe but I declined and handed over the baskets. They don't quite announce flight departures - you have to be alert and when people start moving onto the tarmac you run after them. I once got on an airplane in Lagos for a domestic flight, and they took a poll to see where people wanted to go. Luckily most wanted to go to the city I needed to head to.

And of course, add on griminess, danger/thievery, no amenities, disgusting bathrooms...

I very often fly into Long Beach rather than LAX; a little further but so much less hassle.

GO CAL!

GO BRUINS! FUCK USC!

Yesterday was a dream come true.

Sorry for above post! But still celebrating.

[quote]It's clear that many of you have never been to airports in poor countries. While JFK and LaGaurdia are a disgrace, there is no comparison.

I assumed most of us had the sense to know that we’re talking about airports in developed countries that you would reasonably expect to be decent.

Beirut airside is fairly nice, great sweets/dessert area in duty free. Arrivals stinks because passport control takes eons, but that's a geopolitical issue as much as a logistical one. Rotterdam airport is a great alternative to schiphol for intraeuropean travel, but I imagine they've curtailed destinations since COVID.

[quote]No vote for PHL?

Hi there, R72.

ATL isn't too bad for changing planes although the food service choices aren't very good. It's a terrible airport, though, for departures---the TSA Pre is hidden, the security is a madhouse and the walking distances in the main terminal can be long, esp. if you come by Marta or have returned a rental car. The general level of service is pretty bad. Delta's terminal people here are idiots where I haven't had many complaints about them at other airports. Their lounges are noisy--not good places to work. Flying any other carrier is usually a better experience.

The main United terminal at EWR has been redone and is a big improvement. Their commuter flight terminal is being redone now. Boston is another airport where the terminals are either modern or primitive.

IAD has had too much retrofitting and it doesn't work well. I'd hate to be disabled there because there can be many steps to security and then to the underground trains. I actually will miss the buses between terminals because they often are easier to find and more convenient to use than the underground. The Metro station (to open next year) will be outdoors--a cost compromise. OTOH, the food service choices have steadily improved over time.

R42, just for you! 😉

R1- The city of Newark is shitty too.

Some of the regional airports in CA are pretty cool e.g. Long Beach, Monterey. They're small and easy to navigate through.

Though not exactly regional, I like SNA (John Wayne, Orange County) and San Diego as well. Both are easy to get in and out of. I'm not overly particular about food choices and other amenities, I'm there to catch/connect to a flight. If I can get from check-in to gate to baggage claim and out of an airport in a relatively short time span, I'm pretty happy. I suppose if I end up getting stuck overnight, I may want a few amenities.

The airports in Mumbai and New Delhi are pretty nice! Of course, I'm comparing them to when I was a kid and would have to fly through either one of those bomb-shelter looking hubs.

It seems like ATL has a fair amount of detractors and supporters, I'm definitely a supporter. It's linear and hard to get lost. "But the trams"...who cares about those, saves you a bunch of walking, and they are quite efficiently run.

I've done a lot of United out of Newark so I think of it as pretty clean and spacious. The main problem is it's the NYC area right? So there's a massive amount of traffic and infinite possibilities for delays. Delays are part of it.

I got into JFK late at night recently, JetBlue, so my bad? We sat on tarmac for 45 minutes because there was no gate available. This was 2am mind you. There was a crazy 45 wait for cabs. There was ZERO signage for rideshare pickup.. I had to go back up and AirTrain to another terminal across an overpass into another terminal and down across some access road to get an Uber. ETC.

Delhi isn't as chaotic as it once was, but is still a dump. Mumbai is a little more modern but can be difficult to negotiate.

“Our infrastructure is broken,” Trump said in June 2016. “The roadways are so bad. Our bridges are bad. Airports are bad. ... We need to rebuild our country.”

Hub Airports are going to become less relevant and will attract less traffic in the future due to the longer range of modern aircraft, It's partly what scuppered the A380.

Australia to Chicago is already operating (occasionally) and London to Sydney will start in the next 18 months (would have been sooner if COVID hadn't happened).

For Washington, DC, National is more convenient to fly into than Dulles.

San Diego has the distinction of being the only major airport that's practically downtown.

Please don’t touch my tits

DCA is as close to downtown as San Diego.

Big planes made hub airports more important rather than less. International flights are important to profits but a small part of traffic even in big airports.

Portland is my favorite in the US by far. I love the giant canopy between the parking garage and the main terminal, and the greenery purposefully growing all over the parking garage's exterior.

Minneapolis/ St. Paul and Atlanta are two of the most frustrating because they're so huge and you sometimes have to really run through them to catch a connection.

Amsterdam Schipol is amazingly well designed considering how many people have to pass through it. I also like the Dublin airport.

R149 Big planes are a thing of the past, the 747 and A380 are both pretty much at the end of their production runs. The extreme long-haul aircraft (with lower passenger loads) have backlogs of orders.

People would prefer to fly direct it seems.

It's been a few years since I've had to endure a trip through there, but Philadelphia gets worst from me. Dirty, chaotic, and you have to wait an hour for your luggage to come out down in the basement. Then you have the 'pleasure' of getting on I-95 which has potholes the size of Kansas (Maybe Uncle Joe's infrastructure bill will fix some of that). You'd be better off flying into BWI and renting a car if you have to go to the Philly area (and you can stop and have a crabcake sandwich at Phillips. CRABS, HON!)

I did like the last time I went through Nashville and had a long layover because they had multiple microbrew stations and you could get a beer and wander around the airport. I was pleasantly surprised since it's the Bible belt.

And Kansas City (MCI) was always nice--easy in and out. St. Louis was a train wreck, especially if you park in long term parking. There are multiple lots, different busses, confusing signage, etc.

Schiphol is clean and convenient to transportation, but it's got excessively long walks to the gates, and as noted above, limited seating in waiting areas.

I will put out one thing that sucks about EWR - they do not have a dedicated Uber/Lyft pickup area.

That means the ride share cars are all trying to get to the same place as regular cabs and people in their own cars who are picking up friends and relatives. It is a complete nightmare, especially on holidays.

Mexico City is the worst. The terminals are miles apart, really. You have to hail a cab it catch a bus to the other terminal. Connections are impossible. I’ve never been able to make one.

R152: BWI has terrible ground transport connections, lousy food choices and you have to pay for wifi. Driving from their Philly means driving tolls (B'more tunnels, I-95 and the Delaware memorial Bridge) and lots of road work right now. Despite having once gotten food poisoning from something I had at PHL, I'd never use BWI as an alternative.

Kuala Lumpur’s airport used to be like 10 minutes from town. They built a new one that’s so far away, you’d swear you’re crossing the border, at least an hour to drive way out in the country. KL isn’t that big. Then there’s the ‘budget airline terminal’ which is another half hour by airport bus from the main terminal. I was there soon after it opened, it was essentially a giant hanger. No seating, no food, SRO (I’m sure the food part has been rectified). But that’s Asia for you. Singapore finally opened their budget airline terminal. It’s pleasant enough but it’s not connected to the other terminals so you have to go through customs and immigration when exiting, get on a bus, and then go through customs and immigration at your departure terminal. Tight connections, forget it. But the real kicker was when everything was shutting down for Covid. Singapore was requiring a 2 week quarantine for everyone entering the country. So technically, going from T4 to T3 is “entering the country”. Scary stuff.

HOK. Honolulu is a gorgeous airport. It's like flying into a lovely hotel. Open air in many parts and greenery everywhere.

Kauai is the most beautiful of the Hawaiian isles, but LIH airport is dingy and depressing. But then again, so is much of Lihue. I spend as little time there as possible when I’m on the island.

Back in the 80s I flew into and out of the old Hong Kong Kai Tak airport twice. Dear God what a terrifying approach. They demolished everything and have now built a fabulous cruise ship terminal on the old runway and they've kept the old Kai Tak name.

I had free wifi when I flew out of BWI last month. You must have done something wrong.

R160 Yes! Kai Tak had a crappy terminal, but the setting was spectacular. Landing there really was a thrill!

Heraklion Airport in Crete is a shithole. Below is a recent review.

[QUOTE] The worst airport terminal in Europe. In the midst of a global pandemic, the hygiene standards at Heraklion airport are amongst the worst I have ever seen. The terminal is infested with flies, overcrowded - not to mention the hospitality facilities are a disgrace for a destination which serves 5 million tourists plus per year.

It was even worse when I first landed there in 1976 and luggage claim involved climbing into cargo cages before you entered the terminal, the review has missed off the cockroaches that infest it. Then you have the potential 2 hour transfer to your accommodation (Agios Nikolaos or Elounda).

I went back pretty regularly between 76 - 86 (I was a kid and with my parents) It never really improved. Same in 2018 when I returned. If the pilot mistimes the approach (happened on 4 occasions) then you have a really fast pull up before the plane lands in the sea.

^^ Pull up and go around^^

Yes, indeed Kai Tak was something special. Pilots were obliged to dive down into the city tilting their wings for position . I experienced it a few times in the 90s. Jesus, Joseph and Mary!

Nice: Madrid, Porto, Schipohl Amsterdam

Anybody been to the new Berlin airport? massively over budget and schedule.

Does anyone know the purpose of being required to show your boarding pass to purchase anything AFTER you go through security? Reykjavik does that and it's annoying. The entire airport is a bit of a shitshow.

As a frequent work traveler, I automatically categorize an airport as bad if you the security line doesn’t have the efficient conveyor-belts with the 3-4 spot system that allows each person to have their own stall/tray to slowly load their shit. They reduced the delays by confused novice travelers. I cringe when I see major airports with the old single belt which always lead to someone holding everyone up.

Example of what I see below, hard to describe them. Floors me that so many major American airports don’t have these yet.

The Cleveland airport isn’t exactly bad, but whoever designed it must have been smoking copious amounts of ditch weed. The layout is totally random and pointless and utterly illogical. Oh, and strip mall-ugly.

Has anyone here flown into the most dangerous airport, Bhutan? I've flown into Katmandu which is the second most dangerous and I would suggest adult diapers especially on a rainy/windy day.

The pilot prays in this vid before landing in Bhutan.

Boston is the worst.

They actually don't have any way to go from terminal to terminal without leaving the security area and going through security again. It's insane, and something I've never experienced at any other airport ever.

Kansas City also sucks, just because of the layout, and the waiting areas at the gates are small and uncomfortable.

When I lived in LA, like all natives I avoided LAX and usually flew in and out of Long Beach, Burbank, or Ontario, but a few years ago I flew in and out of LAX, and it was pretty hellish, just because of the massive crowds.

[quote]DCA is as close to downtown as San Diego.

True, but don't they still have restrictions on long-distance flights? When I lived there, you couldn't get a flight farther west than St. Louis.

In the UK more than 90 percent of flights are direct, I can even fly to LA from my local (Manchester) airport. Same for Mexico, India, China or Dubai.

Still have short layovers for Australia, but they will stop when the new aircraft are all in service.

The US seems uniquely strange in terms of direct flights?

Does Schiphol Airport In Amsterdam still have a porn theater in it?

R173 It's because the US airlines have by and large adopted a hub system.

LAX has some of those stalls for baggage screening

Newark has them as well, R176. (terminal C at least)

I think they have those in Vegas too R176. The problem is that most people are too stupid to understand how to use them. Sort of like when the same stupid idiots come to a dead stop a traffic circle and are dumbfounded.

North America's Best:

PDX is #1. So convenient by light rail or car. Easy car rental and drop off. Fantastic restaurants and bars, and as some have mentioned, no price gauging. SFO is the best large airport in the US. Completely rebuilt. Spacious, great art, restaurants, bars, amenities, museums, tons of seating everywhere. Served by BART. The Air tram makes getting between terminals and parking garages easy. But poor signage and impossible to walk between terminals. Bias is that I'm from SF and know the airport well. SFO staff are shockingly friendly and helpful. You'd never know you're in the Bay Area. Maybe they earn a living wage AND they've been drugged? Outrageously expensive food and drink but outside, you can smoke a joint while saying goodbye to your partner or get ready for that important business trip. SAN - "downtown airport" - convenient! Almost had to move to SD recently. Great neighborhood nearby but could not have lived there. PSP - Cute, spacious, great out door spaces DEN - Spacious and beautiful. Haven't been there since it's been linked with light rail, but it used to be like driving to Kansas to get to. YVR - Cute. Easy customs. Long bus service into downtown only, last time I was there.

North America Hellholes: #1 LAX - A nightmare to get in and out of. Car is the only option. Most of it is ugly and run down, poor dinning options. A nightmare to get between terminals. Customs and immigration are horrible. I completely avoid flying here even if it means not traveling to certain South Pacific destinations. An embarrassment to California. I use BUR or Long Beach if I have to be in SoCal. JFK - A complete disgrace. EWR - not bad if on United with lounge pass. Dulles - it's out in the middle of fucking Virginia. The airport itself isn't horrible if you have lounge passes. National is so much easier. In and out, but not as many flight options. Toronto Pearson - I mean, is this really Canada? Montreal is slightly better, but still no rail service. Bad! Guatemala City - never again.

Not great, but not horrible - BOS Logan. I visit four times a year on average. Way too small and crowded, few amenities. Thick accents. Jet Blue terminal needs to expand. United terminal is great if with a lounge pass.

Have been to 3 dozen other airports in N. and Central America. All are at least adequate.

Non-Americas:

Worst: Frankfurt! Have only been there on layovers. (Munich is much better). CDG is a close second worst, so run down, no amenities, been many times, but my French is such that officials and locals have always been kind and helpful to me. Haven't been in years. Has RER been extended yet without bus transfer? Benino Aquino in Manila. It's sad, but it's a poor country. Saving grace is that Filipinos are warm and reasonably efficient. I used to say the same about the old airport in Athens. Sydney - have been in and out three times. Yes, there is such a thing as rude, humorless Australians and they all converge to work at this airport. Italy (any) - what you'd expect, but you get to be in Italy, so there's that.

Have been to maybe 30 other airports (including gravel landing strips that had this atheist praying) outside of N. America and none stand out as the above do.

The World's Best airports (that I've been to):

#1 = Bangkok - the airport's name is a mile long, but I could live here. Incheon/Seoul Korea - You won't want to leave. Especially if you have a first class lounge pass with Thai/Star Alliance. Kansai - it is sterile but beautiful, isolated (it's on an artificial island that's sinking and the seas are rising). Direct rail service to Osaka and Kyoto is convenient but surprisingly long rides.

SMF-Sacramento airport is new, modern and extremely clean. Parking is reasonable and access is quick from various locations in the metro area.

While LAX and SFO receive all the glory, SMF is unappreciated.

Oslo is fantastic.

In the US, I like Portland International (Maine) and the Martha's Vineyard airport is charming.

[quote]Does anyone know the purpose of being required to show your boarding pass to purchase anything AFTER you go through security? Reykjavik does that and it's annoying.

R167. It's a requirement of duty-free shops that they verify your destination to ensure that you are eligible to buy duty-free goods. Rules vary, but as a typical example you cannot fly domestically and purchase cigarettes or alcohol duty-free; rules for other duty-free goods depend on nationality, where you are, where you are going, and what you are buying.

The news stand that wants to see your boarding pass to buy an Architectural Digest and a tin of Smints is another matter; typically they shouldn't care, but it's about collection of taxes again based on nationals/origin point/destination, but the savings from which are seldom passed on to the consumer.

WORST Heathrow (with the exception of the newer T5) is a shithole, Gatwick not much better.

JFK and LAX were inefficient and poorly designed. Both lacked any decent facilities.

BEST Changi in Singapore is still one of my favourites beautiful terminal with an outdoor pool area (that may not be there now). I loved Kai Tak, the old Hong Kong airport; breathtaking and sometimes terrifying approaches and utterly convenient and efficient for what was really a tiny airport. The newer airport Chek Lap Kok was a minimalist masterpiece when built but looking tackier now and not quite as convenient as it should be.

Burbank and Oxnard - time warps both but very convenient.

[quote]Burbank and Oxnard - time warps both but very convenient.

I've never heard of commercial air service in Oxnard.

Newark, Tampa, Honolulu Intl. and Barcelona - all nightmares.

Ontario, CA is great, only due to being newer, clean and fast in/out. Charles de Gaulle in nice.

Got to give some credit for originality and distinctiveness to Andreu's terminals at CGK. So many other airports could be just about anywhere. But at CGK you know you are in Indonesia.

I like sfo.

Can I just say how much I'm enjoying this thread? Who knew there were this many travel nerds on DL?

Toronto Pearson is a strange one. It seems very small yet vertical at its core (at least there is lots of natural light), but with gates designed to help you miss connections and everything in the wrong place, as though someone tried to make an airport of the some John Portman Peachtree hotel, with departure and arrival areas connected by a mix of subterranean and sky tunnels to buildings in other provinces. It's not scaled like a proper airport, everything too small and close to everything else.

I booked at the same time two sets of flights that connected through Toronto thinking the money saved was worth it, but would never make that mistake again.

R184 seems Oxnard stopped offering the service 10 years ago. I have a vivid memory of a WW2 mural in the check in area which showed planes being shot down less than ideal for nervous passengers.

SFO and its long concourses are inconvenient and you have to cover a lot of distance to transit from international. I was happy when United started flying through O'Hare to Asia and later from IAD.

LAX, like JFK was built for airline-centric concourses. The United one isn't bad because it's big enough to have a few decent places to eat. Changing airlines, i.e. using partnerships can be a nightmare and the drive through the concourses can take forever. I liked Ontario even though it had no personality and few facilities. If more people could tolerate a layover someplace, it would get a lot more traffic.

PDX is pretty forgettable---midsized airports are like that. It briefly was a hub for Delta in the 90s. The light rail takes forever to cover a relatively short distance--like many things in Portland, it's a bit of a disappointment.

The long concourse at CLE dates back to the 70s when United had a hub there and Northwest had a mini-hub and they probably influenced the design. Also, that sort of thing was popular then---Detroit Metro has that kind of layout from the same era as does SFO. Otherwise, CLE has up to date facilities and free wifi. Plus the rapid transit to downtown. There are far worse airports.

ATL has the worlds worst security and the stores plus Delta have some of the dumbest people on the planet. Healthy food options are mostly prepackaged salads.

MIA seems eternally under construction and along with IAH and ATL is legendary for having the most predictably bad customs/immigration experience in the US. IAH has nice facilities but a very confusing layout. DFW has horrible food choices (fried everything and only chains) with an awkward layout---a really bad version of CLE and DET. The train system only helps a little. I'm guessing that the long concourse model died out after DFW was built.

R191 when was the last time you were at PDX? It's been consistently rated #1 or 2 in the country for several years.

The light rail takes about 35-40 minutes to get downtown. Depending on the time of day, a car can take an hour or more.

I like the airport in Ushuaia, Argentina. Small, but all wood interiors. The spareness of the airport makes for speedy processing. Ditto with Oakland, Burbank, and Santa Barbara.

When I landed in Denver, the connecting flight was on the opposite side of the airport, and we literally had to run to get it, which felt like 7 miles, and barely made it in time.

I don’t remember CDG or Berlin being that bad. I really enjoyed Narita, for the food halls, and Heathrow spent most of it in the Virgin lounge. I seem to recall that Bangkok’s terminal is shaped like a lotus from above.

I’m leaving out of Newark on Friday, and all of you are scaring me.

R192: Rated #1 or #2 by whom? If this is so important you'd know this. It's a forgettable medium sized airport. Travel & Leisure gave it a good rating, but almost all the other Top 10 airports were small (Savannah), secondary (Love Field) or medium sized (Tampa---another very forgettable airport) or Detroit Metro which recently had a redo but still has an awkward 1970s layout. Skytrax which does surveys doesn't even place PDX in the Top 10 for North America. BTW, it took almost an hour by light rail---my colleague who took a taxi was at the hotel before me.

R193 has taken the lead in the race to name-check An Airport No Other DLer Has Ever Been To

I've been to Ushuaia, but not the airport. It's a regular port for cruises that go around the cape.

Rhodes Airport (RHO) in Greece has been undergoing renovations since 1999 and is still not completed.

On the surface it looks OK, but nothing works and check-in can be chaos. It's even worse when you arrive, I have to negotiate in broken Greek to be allowed to accompany my husband to passport control to stop him calling them all cunts and creating havoc.

He is of course correct, but our holiday home is only a 20 minute taxi away and him getting arrested in Airports is getting old and always costs money.

Ushuaia has a small airport with few facilities. I think the only food service was a coffee bar. Close to the center of town but the terminal is away from the business district. It's a place that has to make its money Nov-March, so everything is expensive.

I though Ushuaia was JJ's cousin from Good Times.

Adanya is tiny and almost right in the city. Pretty incredible to walk off the plane and just be there, no endless strolls past endless shops.

Shout out to smaller airports.

Charlottesville VA : busy but amazing

Shenandoah Valley : nice airport with gorgeous take off views on horrid ancient CRJ 200s

Bloomington IL : airport is nicer than the town

Asheville: handy and nicely designed

Boise: one of my favorites

Asheville's airport has a bullpen instead of gate seating and not much to do/eat. Green bay is similar. Small airports are prone to delays and usually are lousy places for killing time.

there were (briefly) flights between Berlin-Tegel and Antwerp. You could walk from the tarmac into the city, it was great.

I love the small airports. Years ago I travelled often to Cheyenne, Wyoming which had an old terminal building from 1929 and a new terminal from 1959-1960 (all replaced by a new passenger terminal a few years ago.) It was so immediate, the 1959-60 passenger terminal with its L.A. coffee shop MCM archtecture. Like a micro-mini-Tegel. You could have a piss, buy a drink (I think there was a mezzaine involved fro alcoholic), check luggage, buy a ticket and a magazine, step outside for a smoke, catch a cab or step onto your plane without going scarcely more than 20 feet in any direction.

I almost always get to airports too early. The relaxation while waiting puts me in a mood to sleep the moment I board a plane; it's my little travel ritual. But to go to a smaller airport where it takes less time to reach the airport and be inside than it would to reach the satellite parking at a big airport, where you can park almost within spitting distance of the main door, disappear for a couple of weeks, come back, hop in your car just as easily and the parking fee is 5 rather than 50 a day - and satelllite parking? What satellite parking? To go inside and find the airport is just a long linear stretch, maybe branching out into a T for departure gates A and B series if it's a big joint. Everything in plain sight. The security the only obstance but even that is not, because there's never more than one or two planes full of people in the airport at a time.

Emperor Nicholas II Airport in Mumansk has brightly colored interiors to chase away the frigid winter blahs

R195- I’ll top myself (I’m limber)- Krabi airport in Thailand. It’s a shithole. Smells like airplane exhaust inside, crowded, dimly lit, and the bathrooms- you have to put all your toilet paper in an exposed wastebasket by the side. But perhaps my experience was colored by the extreme motion sickness I experienced from the drive from the hotel to the airport- I can only surmise that my full hydrating routine in the am (liter of water, 2 large cups of tea, more water) messed with my inner ear- I didn’t have that problem from the airport to the hotel (45 min twisty turny drive).

I used to REALLY enjoy the Minneapolis airport.

But then, I had a really terrible experience there one time, and now it's my least favorite.

Just came back from Newark, Terminal C. Was that the renovated one? Not horrible at all. Next up, Honolulu on Monday (it's for work).

[quote] Just came back from Newark, Terminal C. Was that the renovated one?

I think so? It's pretty nice. There's a big Terminal A project underway

Let's see airports I've been to O'Hare, Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas and Dulles. The last is a funny story we flew Norfolk to Dulles and as we were driving there I mentioned with the rain and all we'd likely get back up north by tomorrow. I was right we got home at 4AM. Aircraft and weather don't mix.

Charlotte was a connection from Norfolk - half their terminals don't have jetways.

bump

Buenos Aires was out of the 40s when I visited there. I hope they've since updated it.

Kuala Lumpur is nice

Buenos Aires has been updated but it has drawbacks, like a lack of amenities and seating in the ticketing area.

[quote]Detroit Metro which recently had a redo but still has an awkward 1970s layout.

Detroit wasn't just a "redo". The main McNamara which serves Delta (formerly Northwest) opened brand-new in 2002. The North terminal which serves the other airlines, is even newer. I'm not sure what "1970s layout" you think still exists there.

I flew out of Reagan last week and saw a mouse running around the security line. So there’s that.

R213, that is the new version. In the late 90s, I was flying out of the old KL, which was a scary mess. Scary because the line for security check was extremely long and didn't look like anyone was in charge to get it moving. We literally just walked around a roped off area and bypassed security. Nothing happened, we just continue on our way and boarded our flight.

I flew out of Reagan about 10 days ago. They revamped the security check areas and consolidated 2 or 3 of them into one big one. The new security area is new to me. I wonder if the mice are disoriented with the change.

R217 "New"? KLIA opened in 1998.

It is new relative to the old one I experienced. I flew out of the old KL Airport weeks before the new one opened.

More than a few times I flew R/T Newark--Frankfurt.

Yes, Newark is crappy, but I watched an emaciated junkie die on the sidewalk right outside Frankfurt's airport.

Of JFK, Philly, Newrak, Chicago, LAX, A'dam, Munich, Zurich, Nice, Heathrow, Frankfurt, DeGaulle, Brussels, and Shannon---I think the last was probably the nicest.

Worst experience flying was Philadelphia. Nearly missed my flight one. Place is horribly laid out and every time I had a layover there up to Hartford, I arrived in Hartford with no luggage. Avoid that place like the plague.

O’Hare isn’t bad, but it’s so fucking huge.

I haven’t been to LGA or EWR since the ‘90s so I can’t comment on those.

I love Bradley Airport-Hartford. Never have an issue there. Another airport I flew in and out of recently was Louisville/SDF. Clean, nice people, modern. Big enough, but not too big.

Another airport that sucks is TYS/Knoxville, which is my airport. It’s stuck in the ‘50s design-wise and, in the past 15 years decided to add jet bridges. It’s also one of the most expensive in the US to fly in and out of still doesn’t have Southwest.

The big problem with ORD is that if you arrive on terminal 5, you have to exit the terminal and get on that train and go to the other terminals. In most airports, you do not have to actually exit the terminal. If you have a connection that is less than 3 hours, good luck.

[quote] I flew out of Reagan about 10 days ago.

It’s called National. Just that. That other name doesn’t need to be used.

Nicest: Singapore, Honolulu, Bangkok

Shittiest: Another vote for Newark, Chicago, Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Atlanta. CDG (Paris) has always been a nightmare trying to find the departure gate.

World's Best Hair-raising Wild Ride: Descent into Kai Tak (Hong Kong), wondering if you're going to land on a runway or in someone's living room. I was saddened when they opened Chep Lap Kok.

Arrival Terminals from Hell: Santorini/Thera (Greece) in July. No security, no customs, no baggage area. Just utter pandamonium when they dump the suitcases in a room and everyone rushes to find theirs. Athens airport used to be similar, but I hear it's finally improved.

Erratum R225 Luton, not Stansted

The new Airport in Berlin is one of the worst ever. HORRIBLE

For Denver International Airport it is said that some levels were not built properly and were buried and turned into basements: What do you mean bury it? Like how do you bury it under dirt-plus wouldn't you have to redraw all the plans to include lifts?