Best and Worst Airports of 2010

Wednesday, January 05, 2011 Unknown
Airports

Picture this, You have been trapped inside a metal tube for 13, 15, 22 hours with your knees wrapped around your ears. The tube lands and disgorges you into an airport. Some airports give you a great welcome to that country and some make you think you are in some sort of on going hell. Here is my list of best and worst airports.

Best Airports
  1. Singapore (SIN)- take a shopping mall, throw in a waterfall or two, add the most efficient processes for everything from customs to luggage retrieval (challenge you to try and beat your baggage) to taxis and add a layer of calm and you create the magic of this amazing airport. Delayed? Go and get a massage.
  2. Hong Kong (HKG)- an oasis in the frenetic pace of Hong Kong. A large airport that works efficiently. And it looks damn sexy
  3. Amsterdam (AMS)- for some the size is daunting but I find this is a great airport with few hassles
  4. Zurich (ZRH)- a sparkling clean airport with rapid baggage connected by great public transit to downtown Zurich. The luggage trolleys are designed to work on the escalators
  5. Kuala Lumpur (KUL)-efficient and stunning
  6. Munich airport (MUH)-changing planes here is almost a delight in the light filled terminals and corridors
  7. Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) - for am American airport clean and friendly.  Transport, unfortunately, to downtown is poor
  8. Detroit (DTW)- while the city crumbles, the airport shines
  9. Charlotte (CLT)- it just works
  10. Stockholm (ARN)- a beautiful airport staffed by stunning people

Worst Airports
  1. Los Angeles (LAX)- the only thing I like about this airport is the themed restaurant. It is the world's sixth biggest in terms of passenger numbers.  That is no excuse for the surly service, leaking cracking infrastructure and long lines for anything. Add the fact that the transit line to downtown ends a couple of miles away from the airport! It is the worst entry point for visitors to the USA and does nothing to enhance the image of the USA.
  2. Bombay/Mumbai airport (BOM)- tearing it down would improve things
  3. London Heathrow (LHR)- confusing, tatty and badly laid out (the new terminal is nice though)
  4. Philadelphia PHL: badly laid out, this airport looks like a building site - permanently. It has a passenger rail link to downtown the system but the trains are only  half hourly. In addition, there is little luggage space in the trains)
  5. JFK- urgh. Jetblue's terminal is amazingly wonderful though.
  6. Delhi (DHL)- not a good entry to the capital of India
  7. Edinburgh airport (EDI)  - cramped messy tatty airport
  8. Miami MIA-  a permanent building site
  9. Boston - a very disappointing airport
  10. Lagos Airport- an airport that has improved. Why? Because soldiers shot the bandits that robbed people on the way through the airport! Still not a good aiport
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2 Responses
  1. Anonymous Says:
    January 21, 2011 at 1:34 PM

    Incheon... should be top 3

    I think AKD should be in your top 10 also


  2. Unknown Says:
    January 25, 2011 at 3:33 PM

    I just need to get to Incheon!

    Did you mean AKD or AKL? Never been to AKD (Akola) so can't comment.

    AKL - Auckland is an okay airport for me (just over 3 put of 5). I have used it 56 times! I think it is getting better.

    Where it lets people down is:
    1. its absurd lack of transport. The decision not to proceed with a rail extension has got to be one of the poorest in a series of poor Auckland decisions re transport. Only one taxi company can pick up at the airport. Shuttle pick up and set down is crazy. And the traffic on the highway into and out of the city is outstandingly bad.
    2. the connection between international and domestic. I usually walk the meandering path between the two terminals -its a calming rest.

    WLG is my fave airport in NZ cos its so exciting but Christchurch is probably the best one.


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