Best/worst airports you've been to?

Best: Hong Kong, it was just comfortable with plenty to do. Narita was also good.

Worst: Guangzhou Airport (Baiyun) in China (i think it was this airport anyway) At the time i was a regular smoker which can be a problem in most airports. In China they take your cigarette lighter, but provide you with a smoking room that had no lighter in it. Strangely there was a coffee shop in the departure lounge that was an open-air concession style allowed smoking. Naturally the prices to drink anything there was extortionate. An American tourist who shared my need, took one of their lighters despite the women there moaning at us and we used that in the smoking room. We returned the lighter afterward btw.

Also i just found it uncomfortable, but i think the hatred you gain of an airport is in direct proportion to the length of your layover.
 
regulus said:
I actually have to agree with you. LHR or LGW or even Stansted or Luton aint really as bad as people make it out to be. Hell man, if LHR runs smoothly, which it does 95% of the time, the whole world is your hub, you have about 10 different ways of getting into London, passable shopping and they don't even lose the luggage that often either :p.

I don't like using Gatwick for the fact that it's usually populated with 'The Sun' type families on their way to a Thomas Cook holibob in Tenerife. Kids run riot while the dads are drinking beer and singing football songs. Well, that's my experience of the place. The infrastructure is adequate enough though.

Standsted and Luton are just weekend Euro breaks gettaways and as long as you can stay FAR away from the Ryan Air/Easy Jet sections, it's lovely little airports.
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I judge it all relatively (right or wrongly).

LHR isn't that bad (T5 is nice), but considering it's one of the busiest airports in the world and huge hub, it's not really that great and could do with upgrading (saying that aren't they building a new terminal to replace T1 or T3??). Problem with LHR is that is runs too near capacity, so any minor problem tends to have a large knockon effect.

Also the chance of you leaving on time or not having to circle above waiting for a spot to land is next to nil :p
 
Jez said:
Love how people are slating the british airports, they are amongst the best i have been to!
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Not close to being even amongst the best, but they're nowhere as bad as people make it out to be.

No British airport ever makes it into the top 10 airports in the world as voted by customers. You have to travel to places like Norway, Sweden, Hong Kong or Germany quite often to truly appreciate how good they are. We all can have good experiences anywhere, or easily just as bad. But the above mentioned countries consistently offer superb service. You only needed to look at the past two Christmases to realise how below par the UK airports are in comparison with the world's best. But yes, they are pretty good still.
 
my most hated is Charleroi.

Try lugging 3 cases and a pushchair to your car without a trolley (they don't have airport luggage trolleys at Charleroi because they said people kept stealing them (true story).

I'd pay double just not to have to fly from the ********
 
I quite like Heathrow Terminal 5 :), but my favourite is Vancouver International Airport :cool:.

Firestar_3x said:
Airport on Malta, about 12 years back now but was basically a few wooden shacks and you could basically reach out and touch the aircraft from our departure 'gate'.
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It's better these days. Nothing special, but not that bad.

[TW]Fox;18841600 said:
Best? Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Worst? Los Angeles International Airport. Terrible. Through security, two shops and an overpriced burgerking, and then the waiting room for the flight. Thats it!
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Agreed, of all the proper countries I've been to I'd put LAX right at the bottom. The first class lounge was just a portacabin out at the side with a bus to and from it :rolleyes:.

Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport (Benin) was obviously worse that LAX, but that was to be expected!
 
Best: Schipol
Worst: Galway
although that said there wasn't too much bad about Galway apart from it being just a shed.
Knock could also be a competitor for worst, if only for location. It's built on a mountain, so is almost constantly in fog.
 
FNGsam said:
Ah I'm heading to Malta in August so I won't be looking forward to this then :(
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I don't think you'll have anything to worry about the Malta airport - its excellently laid out and pretty clean. It won Best Airport 2010 as well last year :)

And no, I'm not saying this cause I'm Maltese as I'm not particularly fond of this place :p
 
Am I the only one who actually enjoys airports? I find them fascinating places and treat the airport experience as part of the trip and excitement. I like to see how each are different yet the same in every important manner. I think they are quite romantic and evocative places.
 
I can't remember too much about any of the airports I've been to, I tend to turn off as a coping mechanism. As long as there is somewhere to sit, toilets and not to many queues I don't really mind, I just read. A lack of shops or whatever after check-in doesn't really bother me, I have the ability to obtain everything I need and eat beforehand. I'd much rather have a comfortable, light, open and quiet space to relax.

I can remember going to BRS, PRG T1, LHR T2&5, SFO, LED, OSL, GVA, CDG and LGW maybe a few more, I wouldn't rate any of them as nice places to be.
 
Worst is probably Sofia's international airport, the old terminal. There is nothing there.

Mind you the newer one isn't that much better, just modernised and a few random shops very few used.

As for best well I don't particuarly "hate" any tbh, inc Heathrow and Gatwick.

Ahleckz said:
Am I the only one who actually enjoys airports? I find them fascinating places and treat the airport experience as part of the trip and excitement. I like to see how each are different yet the same in every important manner. I think they are quite romantic and evocative places.
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I was going to agree but the more I red your post the more I began to think there is something wrong with you :p I also tend to enjoy airports as long as there are shops and an area to look around. I don't find them romantic though; and any airport that has few places to visit/pass the time I tend to get very bored.
 
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Ahleckz said:
Am I the only one who actually enjoys airports? I find them fascinating places and treat the airport experience as part of the trip and excitement. I like to see how each are different yet the same in every important manner. I think they are quite romantic and evocative places.
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I'm with you :D
 
Abraham said:
Worst: Galway
although that said there wasn't too much bad about Galway apart from it being just a shed.
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I like Galway. We were off the plane and outside in 10 minutes. Shame there weren't any taxis outside!

Also, the departure lounge is basically a pub. We were happily drinking up until 10 minutes before the scheduled departure.

I love that their departures board is just a PC with Internet Explorer (inc. menu and start bar visible) open on their website. :D

Ottawa is very good for its size. I've been through their twice and both times it has only taken 15 minutes.

Heathrow and Gatwick are both excellent for food and shopping but I've experienced so many delays at the pair of them. Delays taking off, delays landing, delays getting off the plane, delays getting the baggage off the plane.... I think my record high is 4 hours from landing to getting out of Gatwick.
 
Best:

Hong Kong
Seoul (probably the best I've ever been to in fact)

Worst:

Heathrow. If I could fly from another airport I would, hate the place.


I've been to some 'interesting' airports, like in Nigeria and Ethiopia. Still better then Heathrow though!!
 
Ahleckz said:
Am I the only one who actually enjoys airports? I find them fascinating places and treat the airport experience as part of the trip and excitement. I like to see how each are different yet the same in every important manner. I think they are quite romantic and evocative places.
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Depends how often you fly. I fly on average twice a month, so after a while they all end up looking the same lol!
 
Worst - Has to be Heathrow or Gatwick

Best - Can't really say i've been to quite a few nice airports that are clean/tidy/air-conditioned etc.
 
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