The Best
- Amsterdam Schipol - overall winner
- Atlanta

The Worst
- Stansted - i hate it i hate i hate it!

I dont have a problem with Heathrow and Gatwick though they were ok in my book.

Mich

quote:

Originally posted by 2wanderers:
The worst:
Paris (CDG) - Are there any travellers who aren't already familiar with why CDG sucks?

I rather like Charles de Gaulle - and it's one of my kids' favourite airports: the sci-fi escalator-tubes, the rabbits along the runway... - not bad at all.

My favourite is Singapore's Changi, though. Have spent plenty of hours waiting there over the years.

Also, I rather miss the old airport in Hong Kong. Cool (in a scary sort of way) to actually see through the windows of the blocks of flats what people had for breakfast as we landed.

I'm really glad that the Indianapolis airport isn't a major one, because it's pretty much terrible. The taxi time for after you land sometimes tops 20 minutes. So glad they are building a new terminal.

Like everyone says, Schiphol is the best. I liked Minneapolis, but maybe because they had a bar open at 10 am with people in it drinking. And Pittsburgh was nice too...

Best - haven't seen many, but I do like my own, MSP. Also thought the Athens one was kinda nice. I don't remember enough of the Amsterdam one because I was tired and cranky, but will defer to everyone else who ranks it highly.

Worst - HATE Stansted, also have a new hatred for Newark (poor layout, and general incompetence/disorganization). Was also unimpressed with ATL - not much seating at the gates, and seemed like only one tiny bathroom every 1/4 mile. ;-)

I used to like MSP--when I lived there. But now that I don't, connecting through there on NWA (I could bitch about them for hours), it absolutely sucks.


And I agree with Tunk about the Indy taxi times...horrible.

One of my favorite airports is my own hometown of CVG - it's one of the most convenient to get around, between the shuttle buses and trains that cart you from one terminal to the next. Salt Lake City's not bad, either.

My most UN-favorite would be JFK - not only is it dirty, but it's the most inconvenient airport ever (and possibly the worst-managed). It takes forever to get from one end to the other - and the last time I was there, my plane sat on the runway for over an hour after landing because there was no open gate to enter. Evidently, one of the cleaning crews hadn't shown up.

Overall, though, I tend to forget about airports once I'm there - I've been to a lot of the airports mentioned here, but for the life of me, I can't remember much about them.

Best----Singapore, for all the reasons posted so far..and, that cool backrub company run by visually imapaired therapists. (LEGITIMATE back/neck/shoulders/feet chair treatment, designed by an organization that helps visually impaired people find professional jobs, very cool..you not only get to feel great after a long-ass flight across the pacific or across asia, but you feel your money is supporting an awesome cause).

Worst--hands down, Heathrow...or, "The London Zoo" as many frequent travelers call it. And, what's worse, is that taxes & fees there keep going up, while the place just keeps getting worse. When connecting flights, it's often actually faster to just go "into" the UK beyond customs/security at your arriving flight & re-enter at your other terminal, than to do that insane LONG "Flight Connections" lines and that bus ride thru the bowels of Heathrow that's like Disney's Mr. Toad's Wild Ride on steroids.

For the US...I'd say "worse" is, well, a few options:
Miami--altho' POSSIBLY when (IF!!!) they EVER finish the construction there one can hope for a better experience. I've not done Southwest at LAX, so for me, LAX isn't horrible...I do like that if you're stuck at LAX, there's an In-&-Out Burger across the street (or the beach just down the road).
ORD seems to always have it's share of air traffic & weather delays that keep getting worse over the years.

my favorites are those that look nothing like an airport, like in Hawaii and Ko Samuii where it looks more like a Tiki Bar...has that "holiday" feeling...

But most large airports have that "other-worldliness" quality that I actually like....they are insane places with people rushing off to their varying destinations.

But I would have to say that CDG in Paris is indeed Awful...last I was there they wer do construction so I hope it helps.

I would say that Munich (although I normally fly out of Frankfurt) has a nice airport where u can get of all things I nice Thai soup :O and sit in some funny seats in the center and dream away.

PS Newark is a little strange perhaps...but it is really easy to park there for the people dropping u off or picking u up.

Washington Dulles:

1) It's out in the boonies and a pain to get to.
2) I despise using the shuttle or whatever it is that takes you from the terminal to the gates.

Worst: Sao Paulo, the international airport there. So incredibly slow getting through security and immigration.

Best: Gwahati, India. It`s small and quick to get through.

That is really odd. I've been through immigration at Sao Paulo over 10 times and only once had to wait about 15 minutes. Every other time was less than 5. Rio on the other hand... I've waited there almost 2 hours and missed my connecting flight once, and 45 minutes to an hour is the norm. I ALWAYS try to enter Brazil through Sao Paulo if at all possible.

New nominees:

Best
UIO - Quito, Ecuador: Plane landed exactly on time (1335). Was getting into the taxi to go to the hostel at 1350!

Arrival hall/transit lounge at San Jose, Costa Rica. Arrived around 0930 and was greeted by a guitarist playing lovely music. The seats were in pristine condition, as was the carpet. That said, there was an overwhelming amount of advertising directed at American buyers/investors. Bad: $3 for a bottle of 0.5L water. Good: filtered water fountain where I could refill as needed.

Dreadful
Terminal 2 at LAX! It might as well have been a Fourth World airport. It was very dirty and many of the seats were torn. At least they kept the overhead announcements to a dull roar, which is more than I can say for Bradley, where I went for a nice quiet (ha, ha, ha) dinner as I arrived waaaay too early for the flight.

I've been watching this thread for a while and waiting....no one wants to vote Moscow's Sheremetyevo 2 as the worst, most dismal, gloomiest, dirtiest, airport in the world? Come on people....

SVO2 has the slowest passport control processing on the planet. Its grime and scowling employees are unmatched. The filth of its toilets and dim soviet lighting are positively depressing. And the grimacing heavily armed militsia only add to the gloomy ambiance. Did I mention the visa detainee center on the upper floor where people stranded without Russian transit visas are detained for days and weeks and months?

You people who want to dis LAX need to get out to Moscow more often to see a real horror of an airport.

(and Russia just won the 2014 winter Olympics! A traveler's nightmare)

Why all the hate for CDG? I've been into (and out of) Charles de Gaulle on two separate occasions and I can't really complain about anything. It's overpriced like all airports, but it has good public transport connections to Gare de Nord and you're on your way. It's a little ugly in a French modernist way, but so what?

Anyway want to comment explaining the "general suckinness?

That being said, I second the hatred of Dulles -- that's an awful airport to navigate and the Star Wars Jawa Raiders cars are just awful. The international terminal is it's only saving grace, that's actually pretty nice and airy.

Here's an odd suggestion: Pittsburgh is great! There's a huge mall in the airport -- past security -- and it really isn't a bad way to kill a few hours.

I have a flight out of Istanbul's Sabiha this summer, should I be wary?

I'm not sure how Stoo, an "ecoterrorist" can go around calling it "Reagan" National Airport.

C'mon man. Didn't you get the memo? If you're on the left side of the forest, it's still just "National."