Thread: Airports: best, worst and why? Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.
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Posted by MrsBeaky (# 17663) on
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I'm on countdown now for a quick trip back to see family in the UK. I'll be flying out of Kenya from Jomo Kenyatta airport, which I don't mind but a friend of mine really hates.
I like airports:I've flown a lot and from childhood being in a departure lounge signaled either a new adventure or longed for home coming.
But...airports come in many shapes and sizes so best, worst and why?
Best: Heathrow terminal 5 because it is still shiny and new and the ceilings and lighting add to the ambiance and the staff were friendly (terminal 4 isn't too bad but the others are revolting)
Worst: Njili Kinshasa DRC not because of poor infrastructure which I don't mind in Africa but because of appalling organisation and a really scary sense of desperation amongst both staff and passengers with shouting, pushing and grabbing. I still shudder.
What about you?
Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on
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Cancun on a Saturday afternoon can be a nightmare. Most week long resort deals go Saturday through Saturday, so you get stuck in a customs line with everyone else who is going to be anywhere in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or any other part of the Mayan Rivera all that week. You thought you were going to beet the crowds by heading down the coast and not staying at an all inclusive? Fat chance. If you ever find yourself flying there, do yourself a favor an book on any other day of the week. Or just go somewhere else.
That said, Mexican customs is always a bit of a trip. When you get to the head of the line (about an hour after you got off of your airplane on a Saturday), they inspect your declaration form, and then you have to push a big red button attached to a traffic signal-type device. If the green light flashes, you are free to go. If the red light flashes, you just got picked for extra scrutiny.
[ 27. June 2013, 18:13: Message edited by: Og, King of Bashan ]
Posted by cross eyed bear (# 13977) on
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Frankfurt. It's the size of a small town, with no windows and absolutely no signs. The shuttle between the two terminals has the cryptic name of 'Skyline', quite clever, but not what you'd expect to have to look out for when searching for the shuttle stop.
The last time I was there, not even the air stewardess I asked could help me find my way. The time before, changing from Frankfurt Airport Station to a bus, it took the combined efforts of three coach drivers to find my stop.
Shudder.
Posted by Rosa Winkel (# 11424) on
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The Boryspil airport in Kiev. I went through there last year, and apart from salad there's no vegetarian food to buy there.
On a plus side, there is cheap good beer.
Not a healthy combination.
Posted by The Weeder (# 11321) on
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Khatmandu Airport, in Nepal. Most alarming!
Small, with arrivals and departure in the same small area. As we collected our baggage, I noticed the sign at departures. Can not remember the exact wording, except it informed passengers that rifles, spears, large arms etc, must be placed in the hold.
Presumably, small arms were permitted on board.
As we left the tiny airport, the first thing we saw was that there was a fully armed guard on every street corner. Little soldiers, with weapons as big as they were. Very unnerving.
In fact Nepal was lovely, peaceful, warm and welcoming. The only real risk was the determination of the older lady street sellers, who would pursue you shouting at you to buy their wares.
Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on
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I think the first time I saw an actual factual machine gun was in Paris-CDG airport. Despite our gun culture, law enforcement officials carrying anything other than a pistol are a rare sight. The only time I have seen it in an airport around here was probably a month after 9/11.
My brother used to live in Germany, and his girlfriend at the time loathed Frankfurt. She always advised people to stay far away. That is probably the case with any country's largest airports. I have never had too much experience with Atlanta, but I know lots of people in the States hate it.
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Og, King of Bashan:
I have never had too much experience with Atlanta, but I know lots of people in the States hate it.
The problem with Atlanta is its size, and that you have to take the train from terminal to terminal even when changing planes on the same airline, sometimes.
Atlanta is not as bad as JFK, though, which is the US airport I hate the most. Again, sheer size, the fact that the terminals are so far apart from each other, the fact that you have to leave the terminal and cross the road to get to the train between terminals, the age and condition of the terminals, the distance away from midtown Manhattan that JFK is and the hassle of getting to and from . . . I could go on and on!
Here in Phoenix, Sky Harbor Airport is actually quite nice, although driving is a headache. Unless you know exactly where you're going, and how to get there, you're likely to drive in circles around the airport multiple times until you figure out what lane you have to be in to access the ramp you want.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
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Cochin [COK], our local airport, is high on my list of good airports - it is modern, well designed and fairly efficient.
Manchester [MAN] takes forever to get baggage off-loaded.
Bucharest [BBU, I think] was fairly scary back in 1994 but may well have changed by now.
Kathmandu [KTM], yes, pretty chaotic but then we had come in overland from the west and were sort of used to the Nepalese Way before we got there.
Singapore [SIN] is the most efficient airport I've ever been to but a bit soulless, a bit like Singapore itself.
Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on
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I am so NOT looking forward to flying out of Atlanta on July 18 to Seattle. First of all, I've heard Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson is staffed by morons and it's so huge. Secondly, I've never flown before and one of my sisters told me yesterday that the seats on Delta are very narrow. I weigh about 260 pounds and I have this horrible picture of me having to sit with one butt cheek held off the seat for the entire flight! God, I wish I had made Amtrak reservations instead but three-four days on the train isn't my cup of tea anymore.
Posted by David (# 3) on
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Cairo is a bit of a nightmare, you have to fight off people so they don't carry your bags. Also too many machine guns on display for mine.
My short Dubai review is in two parts. Prior to opening Terminal 3 (at the end of 2008), the facilities for 3 classes of travel were approximately as follows:
1. There were occasionally seats available in the Emirates first class lounge.
2. There were never seats available in the business class lounge, but most people had sturdy enough cabin baggage to sit on.
3. The Economy Class lounge was on the floor in the terminal, unless people could get a seat in the Irish Pub in a Box.
The duty free shops, on the other hand, were egalitarian in their price gouging.
After T3 was opened, the 1st class lounge was enormous, and mostly empty. Not sure about business class, it wasn't open in T3 last time I was through there. Economy was the same, just more floor space.
As far as I know, the duty free shops haven't changed their policy of charging like wounded bulls.
Sydney is probably the biggest ripoff of all, parking is charged by the second and costs more than the airfare. It also seems that every flight I get out of there takes off to the north, and every flight in lands to the south. As people who know the layout there, this adds at least 20 minutes to every flight. Also, the duty free shops are an outrageous ripoff. For example, there's not a single item in the the grog shop that I can't get cheaper at the local bottle shop, so if you're flying in to Sydney don't buy duty free in the airport, and if you're flying out buy it at your destination.
Singapore is pretty good. It has a swimming pool on the roof, and last time I was there they had a 110" plasma screen on display, very impressive. The bastards also stole 2 bottles of champagne from me.
Heathrow is a nightmare. Edinburgh is worse. I have less than fond memories of both places on multiple occasions.
Every other airport comes under the heading of "neither good nor bad", and it's a long list whic I won't bore people with. Still, a boring airport is not the worst thing in the wold.
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on
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quote:
Originally posted by David:
Heathrow is a nightmare. Edinburgh is worse. I have less than fond memories of both places on multiple occasions.
I agree about Heathrow - but what's the problem with Edinburgh? It's expanded a lot in the last decade, but it's still a small airport, with only one fairly compact terminal.
Probably the airport I be disinclined to revisit is Skiathos. Mainly because, owing to the mountainous character of the rest of the island, the runway had to be fitted on to a very narrow strip of flat land. Very, very narrow. And the baggage handling system seemed to consist solely of Costas, who paused for a drag on his ciggie between each suitcase, while we stood around in the terminal, watching and waiting.
Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on
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The only thing I remember about Kathmandu was the landing. We came in on a small propeller plane, having been on a flight round the Himalayas, and the pilot appeared to fly at the mountain at the end of the runway before turning 180 degrees to land. Very exhilarating.
My worse experience was Ben Gurion, Israel in the early 1990s where I was chosen as the person in our group who needed irrational interrogation by a man with a gun so that he could then compare my answers with that of my 4 companions. Lots of 'Point to Yad Vashem on the map to prove you are a tourist' with me replying 'but Yad Vashem isn't on that map!' Continue ad nauseum for one hour, with brief interludes where he expected me to produce bus tickets from the previous week ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
[ 28. June 2013, 06:41: Message edited by: Heavenly Anarchist ]
Posted by Cottontail (# 12234) on
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JFK has to be my worst yet. I arrived there earlier this year to find they had put on a mere 7 passport controllers to check 2000+ passports. We were all crowded into one windowless room, where the concept of air conditioning was given a nod by the setting up of two large fans. The quietly sweltering queue shuffled along, and it took me - who was about half way down it - a full two hours to reach passport control.
Oh, and although this isn't directly JFK's fault, it was a nightmare to find my way back to at the end of my stay, owing to thoroughly inadequate subway signposting. Given the option of Newark's easy train access and its comparative newness and efficiency, I will pay to avoid JFK in future.
Posted by Emendator Liturgia (# 17245) on
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Worst Airport: I am quite surprised that no-one has mentioned LA/Tom Bradley Airport - it is freakingly bad. Yes, been through JFK as well, but don't think it compared on the negative scale like LA. We've had numerous scares at LA - like the time people in wheel chairs were being asked to stand and go up the escalator because the lifts had been broken for a few days. The staff always seem disinterested, the arrivals hall was so packed it felt like being in a cramped sardine can. Next trip we'll go to the US via Asia and fly directly in to SF or somewhere, - avoiding LA at all costs (also, given the state of the lounges there, an extra reason to avoid like the plague.
Please don't get me started on Heathrow or CDG (even had a hold up at CDG while the gendarmes blew up a bag which had been left for too long, and yes the gendarmes were carrying machine guns. Now, never mind the fact that airport security held us up getting to check-in, rude/obnoxious/ looking-down-their-nose BA staff told us we were 5 minutes late .... fortunately, when they saw that we were ongoing international First Class passengers (using points, not money)they realised their problem (and the plane didn't even start boarding to 15 minutes later.
Best Airport: that's a toss up between Singapore and Hong Kong - probably leaning towards HK. Haven't been to either since the lounges were done up, so looking forward to trying them out in 2014.
Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on
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Toronto Pearson is a nightmare. And the redcaps charge 10 dollars a bag to push around on a trolley! When I finally did put my jetlagged head around to find my connection home, I had to wander for 15 minutes until some passing airport person took pity on me and pointed me in the right direction.
Actually I don't mind terminal 3 in Heathrow. It's a doddle, except for the mad dash to your gate when it opens. I just remember the help desk near Dixon's.
Edinburgh was a charmer. I was out in 15 minutes or less. That was on the domestic side.
YOW is completely simple (but that's my starting and ending airport at all times).
Vancouver is large, and confusing, but once I got my bearings, easy peasy.
Pittsburgh is my worst nightmare. I landed there once, was told my connection departed in 30 minutes on the other side of the terminal, then had to wait 20 minutes for assistance to get there. I bought a book and hunkered down til the next flight out in 8 hours.
Delhi is a traveller's nightmare; as is Mumbai. I pay extra to go through Bangalore, which is modern and efficient (and actually understands the concept of service)
I like COK. Except for the year baggage handling dismantled my wheelchair and strewed the parts all over the conveyor belt.
Frankfurt is soulless. Auckland is not to0 bad. Christchurch (pre-big earthquake, but post small earthquake] was a mess. Sidney is a complete rip off as mentioned above. Perth was a very well organised airport. I spent several hours in Singapore once, but was based in the business class lounge and so relatively isolated and comfortable.
The least said about Dubai the better.
[ 28. June 2013, 08:50: Message edited by: PeteC ]
Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on
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I loathe Roissy-Charles de Gaulle. The security is frequently chronically understaffed and it takes forever. Last time I spent nearly an hour getting through and they weren't taking anyone's shoes off them because they didn't have the time. (They had to hold the plane because a half-hour after the scheduled boarding time half the passengers were still missing.)
Posted by Emendator Liturgia (# 17245) on
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quote:
Originally posted by la vie en rouge:
I loathe Roissy-Charles de Gaulle. The security is frequently chronically understaffed and it takes forever. Last time I spent nearly an hour getting through and they weren't taking anyone's shoes off them because they didn't have the time. (They had to hold the plane because a half-hour after the scheduled boarding time half the passengers were still missing.)
From experience it has only been American airports as a rule which which have required passengers to take their shoes off, or use full body scanners...
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Heavenly Anarchist:
My worse experience was Ben Gurion, Israel in the early 1990s where I was chosen as the person in our group who needed irrational interrogation by a man with a gun
Husband had to attend conference in Tel Aviv once. When asked what he had been doing in Israel, he enthusiastically offered to repeat his presentation, for which he had the slides and notes if they could just give him a moment to set up his laptop.... He got processed fairly quickly.
Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Emendator Liturgia:
quote:
Originally posted by la vie en rouge:
I loathe Roissy-Charles de Gaulle. The security is frequently chronically understaffed and it takes forever. Last time I spent nearly an hour getting through and they weren't taking anyone's shoes off them because they didn't have the time. (They had to hold the plane because a half-hour after the scheduled boarding time half the passengers were still missing.)
From experience it has only been American airports as a rule which which have required passengers to take their shoes off, or use full body scanners...
I've had my shoes taken off me at Roissy before. On that day I'm sure it was just because they were so understaffed.
Posted by Emendator Liturgia (# 17245) on
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quote:
Originally posted by la vie en rouge:
I've had my shoes taken off me at Roissy before. On that day I'm sure it was just because they were so understaffed.
Been through CDG three times now - apart from their losing my luggage twice, have never had to take my shoes off - perhaps they were understaff each time?
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
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I forgot about several fairly dreadful places:
- Jeddah & Riyadh will both be nice [or at least better] when they are finished;
- Kuwait is best not mentioned lest I go into a seizure - I think they must especially train the staff to be rude and obnoxious as they are so amazingly good at it;
- Colombo is pretty bad but I'm sort of used to it these days.
Shoes come off at all those places and even sometimes at Dubai.
Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on
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Keflavik (Iceland) has won awards for being nice and it is. It's just located in a moonscape.
Late-night arrival at Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) on a flight from Europe (where the streets are paved with gold) is scary.
Quito's historic airport is scary for having to land at high altitude with a city on three sides and a mountain on the fourth.
Posted by Kittyville (# 16106) on
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Christmas Island (the one in the Indian Ocean) was interesting - it's a visual landing, so if it's foggy, the planes go back to Singapore or Jakarta or wherever and you get your exit stamp crossed through and you have to try again another day. And no one works at the airport full time, so the Customs official who stamps your passport on the way in turns out to be the barmaid who serves you a beer in the pub later that day.
Sydney is indeed awful, but the Qantas lounges are pretty impressive compared to some I've been in elsewhere. Neither JFK nor LAX does well in that regard.
Posted by Amorya (# 2652) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Emendator Liturgia:
quote:
Originally posted by la vie en rouge:
I loathe Roissy-Charles de Gaulle. The security is frequently chronically understaffed and it takes forever. Last time I spent nearly an hour getting through and they weren't taking anyone's shoes off them because they didn't have the time. (They had to hold the plane because a half-hour after the scheduled boarding time half the passengers were still missing.)
From experience it has only been American airports as a rule which which have required passengers to take their shoes off, or use full body scanners...
The most rigorous security experience I've had was at Coventry airport, on a flight to Jersey, back in 2009. I'd flown back from America the day before (from San Francisco to Birmingham), and Coventry was by far the worst. Shoes off, security patdown with a scowl on their face, a strong sense they thought we were all potential terrorists. This was in the little portakabin shack that housed their passenger facilities. I wonder who they thought would bother to target such a tiny airport?
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
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...The Baginton Liberation Front?
Posted by New Yorker (# 9898) on
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Damn! Reading this thread really makes me seriously jealous of all the places people have been. Oh, to have the time and cash to travel so widely.
As for my, humble and limited experience, the New York area airports suck the most. LGA: dirty and any threat of rain causes multiple hour delays. JFK: dirty and the world's worst baggage claim system. Newark: chaotic; it needs traffic cops in the terminal.
I acutally like Atlanta probably because I lived there so long. It's big but has decent basic services. My hometown airport, Lovell Field, is rather nice, too.
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
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Many years ago I used Bubaque Airport on the Bijago Islands in West Africa.
The runway was a grass strip; the pilot had to make a low pass overhead first to make sure it was free of cows. Once a man walked out of the long grass and sauntered across the runway directly in front of a landing plane. The pilot managed to "go round" but was not amused, and refused to return till the grass was cut down.
The terminal facilities were nil: just a concrete shelter like a bus stop. You either bought a return ticket before flying out, or purchased one on board the plane.
The aircraft used were Douglas DC3s or HS748s - although I once managed to hitch a ride on a Russian-built air force helicopter.
I also remember a refuelling stop in the "wee small hours" at Sal (Cape Verde islands) en route from Lisbon to Bissau. The white earth and bright lights made it feel like Moon Base 1. The wooden "steamer chairs" in the transit lounge have, I'm sure, long gone.
[ 28. June 2013, 14:03: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
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Madurai airport [IXM], just over the mountains in Tamil Nadu used to be your basic tin shack and the ground staff changed uniforms depending on which plane was coming in but they seems quite efficient.
Posted by monkeylizard (# 952) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Emendator Liturgia:
Worst Airport: I am quite surprised that no-one has mentioned LA/Tom Bradley Airport - it is freakingly bad.
I agree. I hate flying through LAX. It's cramped, has too few seats at each gate and a can't-get-there-from-here layout. Add in the even-more-overpriced-than-usual food that sucks more than most airport food (with long lines to get it) and you have a nice idea of what hell must be like. Its one redeeming feature is that the people watching is better than at most airports. I'm convinced that every wierdo travelling by air on any given day is being routed through LAX, regardless of source and destination.
I liked Rome's Ciampino airport. It's small and security was a breeze. Then you walk out to your plane and up the rollaway steps. It's kind of fun in a nostalgic way. I remember travelling that way as a kid. The only thing missing is a PanAm stewardess. I'm sure it would get old if I had to fly in/out of there often.
The strangest one I've been to was Dulles in Washington D.C. back when the "mobile lounge" truck things were more widely used there. That was an interesting way of moving people.
I don't mind Atlanta. It's huge, but it's well designed and signage is excellent. I've had some really tight connections there before and have been able to make them because the hallways are so wide that you can run from gate to gate and not be stuck in a slow moving crowd of people like LAX and other cramped airports.
Posted by monkeylizard (# 952) on
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quote:
Originally posted by New Yorker:
Damn! Reading this thread really makes me seriously jealous of all the places people have been. Oh, to have the time and cash to travel so widely.
Me too. It also makes me appreciate that being kind of cramped and having sucky food at LAX is the worst airport I have to use. It's definitely a 1st world problem.
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on
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Detroit Metro isn't bad...it's an oasis of order and cleanliness in a poor, rough city. (I also like the walkway through the tunnel with the light show...I may be a rube, but it's pretty cool. There's a really nice Westin hotel on premises too.) The traffic through/around the airport can get annoying, but I suppose no more so than anywhere else.
We found O'Hare scary in terms of location, traffic volume and confusing in layout; decent dining choices, though. Ditto LAX -- I remember standing in the check-in and TSA lines for what seemed like hours. LaGuardia: Tatty and a little scary. JFK: My only lasting impression was that their shopping areas were nicer than average. (We always seemed to be going to NYC during terrorist alerts, so my mind wasn't on aesthetics when we were at the airports.) Minneapolis' airport was very nice; we spent about a three-hour layover just enjoying wandering around. Orlando has a decent airport...clean...not in the thick of the metro/theme park areas.
Sidebar: If any of you ever travel in Michigan, don't be afraid of the small regional airports. Two of them, MBS (near Saginaw and Midland) and Cherry Capital (in Traverse City) are new and shiny and non-gridlocked, and to me are worth paying a little extra to fly into/out of if you don't have to be in the metro Detroit area.
Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Amorya:
I wonder who they thought would bother to target such a tiny airport?
In my experience tiny airports often have tighter security precisely because they are perceived as soft spots. Getting into the Channel Islands from outside the UK is quite a security-theatre-like experience for similar reasons.
Oh and Shannon in Ireland is quite fun too, because it is unique (or almost, I think) in having US immigration facilities before you board the plane. Quite a big airport that has rather shrunk in importance since it has no longer been needed as a translatlantic fuelling stop.
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
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quote:
Originally posted by monkeylizard:
The strangest one I've been to was Dulles in Washington D.C. back when the "mobile lounge" truck things were more widely used there. That was an interesting way of moving people.
Agreed. I hate Dulles for that very reason. By contrast, I love National (sorry, I refuse to call it Ronald Reagan), as the Metro takes you right to it without having to go outside between airport and Metro station.
I agree with the comments made about LAX. Again, though, it's the Metro thing that I dislike the most about it. When they built the Green Line they made the decision not to route it through the airport. You have to take a shuttle bus to/from the Metro station, and you can die of old age waiting for it. And God forbid you shouldn't retain your Metro ticket to show when boarding the "free" bus from the station to the airport -- no tickee, no ridee!
[ 28. June 2013, 15:04: Message edited by: Amanda B. Reckondwythe ]
Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on
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US customs poke their noses in a lot of Canadian airports, as well - Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver come to mind.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
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As a rule I detest airports, but while it's some years ago now I like Marco Polo (Venice). Compact, efficient and the indoor water-taxi rank is a nice touch.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
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The only time I have flown into and out of Detroit was via Wayne County and on the way in the queue for passport control was L-O-N-G and S-L-O-W but I got through in the end then straight through the tunnel and into Canada.
Posted by ExclamationMark (# 14715) on
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Worst - Calicut in India. Sheer mass of people, no air con and interminable queues
Close second - sorry to say this but pretty much any American Airport. I am disinclined to visit a country that makes me wait a long time to get in when I've got the VISA, the letter, the security clearance up front. Customer service - none available?
Best? East Midlands Uk closely followed by Bristol. Clean, staffed by people who smile and are ready to help. I've landed, collected bags and been in the car in under 20 minutes.
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on
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Possibly the smallest I've flown out of is Kirkwall, on Orkney. It was on (of course) a very small plane, with a full complement of passengers. This was a problem. They unloaded everything that could be spared - including the drinks trolley (Noooooo!), and eventually cajoled a couple of passengers into taking a later flight. The problem was the absence of a good, howling gale to help us get airborne.
Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on
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You haven't lived until you've flown out of Sarnia, Ontario. Our flight was delayed for several hours because of fog in Toronto. Sitting in security area was not a problem, but the coffee machine and the toilet were in the main part of the airport building. After the first few left and had to be rechecked into the secure area (with smiles and apologies), the rest of us just unloaded what we had in our pockets and left it with security. After a while, even belts with buckles were left behind.
Kapuskasing, Ontario is so small, that the security is in Timmins. Everyone off!
I will report on Kitchener, Ontario to where I am flying next week, if this thread is still going.
Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on
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quote:
Originally posted by monkeylizard:
I agree. I hate flying through LAX. It's cramped, has too few seats at each gate and a can't-get-there-from-here layout. Add in the even-more-overpriced-than-usual food that sucks more than most airport food (with long lines to get it) and you have a nice idea of what hell must be like.
I've never found LAX too bad. There's nothing actually positive to say about it - it's an airport - and I agree that the food choices are sadly lacking, but I've always got around it fairly efficiently, without long security lines.
On the other hand, I will do almost anything to avoid having to fly through Frankfurt am Main.
Austin, TX has a good airport - everything works efficiently, and there are decent food choices, but I might give top prize to the enormous slab of thick-cut hot-smoked salmon in a bun that I had for basically no money at Stornoway Airport a few years ago.
Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on
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quote:
Originally posted by ExclamationMark:
East Midlands Uk closely followed by Bristol. Clean, staffed by people who smile and are ready to help. I've landed, collected bags and been in the car in under 20 minutes.
Ha! Have you flown in there lately? Arrivals at East Midlands is ok but not departures. The evil "pay extra and beat the queue" option that is available only before you actually see the queue, that usually doesn't get you there any faster, and that doesn't apply if you plead lateness in which case they fast-track you anyway. Then the way they send you through a veritable labyrinth of duty free shopping before you get anywhere near a plane ![[Mad]](angryfire.gif)
PeteC I was thinking US immigration in Europe. Nothing against Toronto from my perspective. Very straightforward (having just missed this by 24 hours).
[ETA and at Bristol we nearly lost a jar of mincemeat on the basis that it was "suspended in a liquid"... I managed to go out of security and get it in our hold luggage, but only just]
[ 28. June 2013, 17:19: Message edited by: Eutychus ]
Posted by mrs whibley (# 4798) on
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Worst - never been to a truly terrible airport, maybe I'm just not that well-travelled. Luton and Birmingham city can have rotten queues for the x-ray machines and Geneva, Berlin and (I think) Schipol are organised so that there is very little to do in Departures after the X-rays. Luton baggage handlers apparently send your bag to Reykjavik between the plane and carousel.
Best - Edinburgh, where the baggage handlers can sometimes ensure the bag beats you to the carousel; Heathrow, which is a nightmarish behemoth but has good signage; London City had very friendly staff the one time I went through; Shetland Sumburgh which feels like a smallish taxi rank, with catering.
Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on
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quote:
Originally posted by mrs whibley:
Luton baggage handlers apparently send your bag to Reykjavik between the plane and carousel.
That's quite a feat considering that Iceland's main airport is now Keflavik (see above). I have actually flown out of Rekjavik too. It only serves domestic flights now I think and is of the barn-for-a-departure-lounge variety.
When Ryanair first started flying to Dinard, the capacity of the departure lounge was smaller than that of the 737 (I swear this is true). And I was once on a flight that got switched to a 737-400 from a 737-200 and which never got to Dinard there, because the slightly longer plane required an additional fire engine on the runway (in addition to the one they had)... We ended up being shoehorned into a tiny plane from another carrier.
[ETA oh and London City? Make sure you fly in on a nice day when the wind's in the east. Straight down the river past Big Ben!]
[ 28. June 2013, 17:43: Message edited by: Eutychus ]
Posted by hilaryg (# 11690) on
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quote:
Originally posted by monkeylizard:
The strangest one I've been to was Dulles in Washington D.C. back when the "mobile lounge" truck things were more widely used there. That was an interesting way of moving people.
I refuse to fly via Dulles now - the time it takes to get off an international arrival thanks to the bizarre mobile lounges, plus the immigration hall has the longest queues of any other major east coast airport.
Immigration is a lot easier at Newark or Philadelphia, but then when making a connection the "domestic" terminals of these airports are a nightmare of tiny gates, not enough seats and lack of decent eating or drinking facilities. Particularly when summer thunderstorms create havoc in the schedules and you're stuck there for a while.
Best airports I've used are smaller ones due to lack of crowds and stress - Humberside in the UK (often the pilot will be at the end of the runway waiting to take off while the flight crew are still trying to run through the safety arrangements, its that quick), Manston (ditto), Nelson in New Zealand.
Posted by Yam-pk (# 12791) on
:
Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion: The three-hour interrogation I endured in 2004 (!); seeing the swarm of security bods grow ever larger around me was quite an experience, coupled with ending up sitting in a little room with the minutae of my luggage being gone through, listening to half-a-dozen young Israelis behind a partion yakkering away in Hebrew and hearing my name every so often. Apart from that, the new terminal three makes it a very shiny and marbly airport, reasonably easy to nagivatve around.
Heatherow: Hideously slow, third-world baggage claim system in Terminal 2, very embarassing to think this is the supposed gate-way to Britain.
Posted by Jack the Lass (# 3415) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
Bucharest [BBU, I think] was fairly scary back in 1994 but may well have changed by now.
You'll be glad to know that it has changed beyond recognition, you wouldn't recognise it now. Not least they have *finally* (but only in the last couple of years) regulated the taxi services from the airport, so you're no longer harangued by rip-off merchants from the second you step off the plane.
The worst thing about Bucharest airport now is the rip-off charges for a small bottle of water.
Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by The5thMary:
First of all, I've heard Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson is staffed by morons and it's so huge.
A high school classmate made the alumni magazine with an interesting story. He was trying to fly to Deli, and got bumped from a flight. He was standing in line behind irate customers, who were all dressing down the customer service rep. He felt so bad for the rep that he bought the guy a sandwich as a peace offering. When he finally got onto an airplane, he realized that he had "magically" been upgraded to business class. The guy he sat next to on the flight was making a film, and by the end of the trip, the classmate had a job offer.
Moral of the story: flying can be frustrating, but always assume the best about airport staff, and never assume that they are morons. Kindness can pay off.
Posted by MrsBeaky (# 17663) on
:
On reflection, I have friends who travel business/ first class/ are frequent flyers and so get to access the special lounges which I think might transform any airport experience but I don't know for sure as I haven't managed that yet.
Bergerac in the south of France was delightful, like landing on someone's farm and doing passports and bags in someone's garden shed. Flying there from Southampton too which was quick, efficient and friendly.
Posted by Kyzyl (# 374) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Eutychus:
quote:
Originally posted by Amorya:
I wonder who they thought would bother to target such a tiny airport?
In my experience tiny airports often have tighter security precisely because they are perceived as soft spots. Getting into the Channel Islands from outside the UK is quite a security-theatre-like experience for similar reasons.
Oh and Shannon in Ireland is quite fun too, because it is unique (or almost, I think) in having US immigration facilities before you board the plane. Quite a big airport that has rather shrunk in importance since it has no longer been needed as a translatlantic fuelling stop.
Montreal has a US CIS station, too.
Posted by monkeylizard (# 952) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by hilaryg:
Best airports I've used are smaller ones due to lack of crowds and stress
Agreed. Sioux Falls, South Dakota comes to mind. Small, quiet, and filled with friendly staff, probably because it's small and quiet.
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by MrsBeaky:
On reflection, I have friends who travel business/ first class/ are frequent flyers and so get to access the special lounges which I think might transform any airport experience
Oh they do. Comfy armchairs, free food, free wine, free wifi. Of course, you then get picky about those. Cape Town had some nice wines, including sparklers. But Lisbon was a bit pokey, with nothing more than fridges of canned drinks.
Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Jack the Lass:
The worst thing about Bucharest airport now is the rip-off charges for a small bottle of water.
Free wifi though ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Firenze: you were lucky. We had to walk to the plane through the elements at Cape Town (this was a while back). It's a long way up to the door of a 747...
[ 28. June 2013, 20:38: Message edited by: Eutychus ]
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
Many years ago I used Bubaque Airport on the Bijago Islands in West Africa.
The runway was a grass strip; the pilot had to make a low pass overhead first to make sure it was free of cows. Once a man walked out of the long grass and sauntered across the runway directly in front of a landing plane. The pilot managed to "go round" but was not amused, and refused to return till the grass was cut down.
At Kano airport in northern Nigeria it used to be the custom that if a plane approached, a man would blow one of those extremely long, loud horns to let people in the vicinity know to get out of the way. I seem to remember that he wore long robes, and that there were camels in the vicinity. (ETA wasn't the horn-blowing a feature of some airport in Nepal or thereabouts, too?)
Worst airport - there was one notorious airport which I won't name, but which used to have armed guards lining the walls, wearing sub-machine guns. It was as hot as an oven and humid with it, the air conditioning didn't always work and there were frequent power cuts. Your luggage would be searched and items confiscated for any reason at all - sometimes simply because the official fancied a new shirt or something. Possibly even a suitcase. There wasn't anything to be done about this, nobody was going to argue with armed men, although sometimes they could be bought off if you had sufficient funds. They had to be sufficient otherwise the man inspecting your luggage would be insulted. Banknotes could be slipped in between the pages of a passport which the official would check.
Anyway. Best airport, London City. Small, neat, clean, quick. No hanging about, and cute little planes that get you to the Continent. Arriving into City, you're in the heart of London pretty quickly.
[ 28. June 2013, 20:38: Message edited by: Ariel ]
Posted by Carex (# 9643) on
:
Before the new airport was built, commercial flights in and out of Ketchikan, Alaska landed at the Coast Guard station, where passengers transferred to a Grunman Goose which used the same runway. There was no runway at the other end, however: it wasn't uncommon for passengers unfamiliar with the aircraft to panic as the plane landed on the waterfront and taxied to a boat dock
I think it was a stop in Green Bay, Wisconsin where our carry-on luggage was taken off the plane and left on the tarmac before the flight continued on to the U.P.
Posted by Moo (# 107) on
:
I remember flying in and out of the airport in Lynchburg Virginia in the 1980s.
They had Gates 1, 2, and 3, but you walked out the same door for all three. It was very interesting to see how they de-iced the wings when there was freezing rain. They had those very tall steps on wheels that are commonly used for changing light bulbs, etc. at shopping malls. They wheeled it up to one wing, climbed up and sprayed it, and then did the same for the other.
Moo
Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on
:
I'm also starting to realize that my airport hardship stories don't stand up to stories you might get from other parts of the world.
My worst, now that I have had a bit to think about it, was in Cork, Ireland. We were flying out after a weeks stay, and had seen something on TV about the airport caterers being on strike. No big deal, we ate before we left. Unfortunately, the bus drivers union was in solidarity with the caterers union, so they were not driving inside of the airport grounds. The dropped us off at the front gate, and we had to take a mile long hike with all of our bags to the terminal.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Jack the Lass:
quote:
Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
Bucharest [BBU, I think] was fairly scary back in 1994 but may well have changed by now.
You'll be glad to know that it has changed beyond recognition, you wouldn't recognise it now. Not least they have *finally* (but only in the last couple of years) regulated the taxi services from the airport, so you're no longer harangued by rip-off merchants from the second you step off the plane.
The worst thing about Bucharest airport now is the rip-off charges for a small bottle of water.
Happily we were being met and travelling in Official Cars complete with red lights and armed drivers! No taxis involved just a long drive out to Constanta.
Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on
:
Wellington, NZ, into which I have to fly quite often, terrifies me. A short runway with ocean at each end (with sub-par run-off distances) and diabolical winds does much to improve my prayer life. Rumour has it that Virgin in particular always take a kiwi pilot alongside their Australian one in case the Australian one can't get the plane down. I had one terrifying landing here we bobbed around like a cork (beneath us the inter-island ferry was battling 12 metre swells. The cabin crew announced that "there is nothing to worry about" which terrified me, we took two goes to get it down, and all on board applauded when we made it. Later I heard the pilot describe the landing as "pretty bloody hairy" - but a pilot friend tells me that's the moment these sadistic bastards live for (everything else about their job is utterly dull. Except the pay cheque).
The (limited) facilities are pleasant enough, I guess. Sort of.
Posted by Evangeline (# 7002) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
quote:
Originally posted by MrsBeaky:
On reflection, I have friends who travel business/ first class/ are frequent flyers and so get to access the special lounges which I think might transform any airport experience
Oh they do. Comfy armchairs, free food, free wine, free wifi. Of course, you then get picky about those. Cape Town had some nice wines, including sparklers. But Lisbon was a bit pokey, with nothing more than fridges of canned drinks.
Oooh yes, without the lounges waiting around at airports is dire. I once had the privilege of accessing the Qantas int'l first class lounge in Sydney-Bliss. As much French champagne as one could drink, a proper restaurant who cooked to order and you can book for massages and facials and things. I've been in the Singapore 1st class lounge and it was really ordinary by comparison. The business class lounges are pretty good though. The only really terrible example is in Rome-the crappy food and beverage facilities outside the lounge are much nicer than inside the lounge which was dirty and cramped and just horrible.
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
Wellington, NZ, into which I have to fly quite often, terrifies me.
It is on some lists as one of the world's most challenging airports to fly into.
Some other challenging airports to fly into
Freak yourself out reliving some landings
Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
Some other challenging airports to fly into
Madeira, eh? Quite painless in my experience, but I have a friend who just went and whose aircraft made six attempts to land there in a crosswind.
[ 29. June 2013, 07:46: Message edited by: Eutychus ]
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on
:
I've done Gib. It was all right, actually, but it adds a whole new dimension to the idea of a level crossing.
There are quite a lot of these kinds of lists online, but Courceval, St Maarten and Antarctica do keep coming up consistently. You don't quite have to duck on the beach at St Maarten, but it doesn't look far off it - must be a bit like sunbathing on a runway and every bit as noisy and diesel-filled.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
I've done Gib. It was all right, actually, but it adds a whole new dimension to the idea of a level crossing.
There are quite a lot of these kinds of lists online, but Courceval, St Maarten and Antarctica do keep coming up consistently. You don't quite have to duck on the beach at St Maarten, but it doesn't look far off it - must be a bit like sunbathing on a runway and every bit as noisy and diesel-filled.
At St Maarten there's beach, road and airport, with a fence keeping people from walking onto the airfield. There are signs on the fence warning boozed-up young men that climbing the fence is a bad idea, espeially when planes are taking off because the jet blast will can push you into the road.
I used to live at RAF Colerne, up on a hill between Bath and Chippenham. A nice spot if occasionally foggy but there were traffic lights to prevent vehicles, which included double-decker buses, getting too close to the threshold, which was probably 300 feet away. Now and again someone didn't see why there should be traffic lights on a country road until they heard a C-130 Hercules roaring overhead.
Have to agree with favourable comments about Bristol. A decent coach service from Temple Meads railway station too.
Posted by Jack the Lass (# 3415) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
You don't quite have to duck on the beach at St Maarten, but it doesn't look far off it - must be a bit like sunbathing on a runway and every bit as noisy and diesel-filled.
The beach near the airport in Zakynthos is similar (although I don't remember the planes looking quite that low - but they weren't that far off).
Posted by Moo (# 107) on
:
Roanoke airport is not dire, but it does present problems because it is surrounded by mountains. The pilots who fly Air Force One have to have regular practice in landing under somewhat difficult circumstances. They routinely fly in and out of Roanoke, because it is closer to Washington than any other airport which poses these problems.
Moo
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on
:
I like LAX, my hometown airport, as long as someone else drops me off or I am just changing planes there. It is big and airy and well laid-out.
Heathrow is good too. I think we went to Terminal 4 the last time I was in London and just walked to the Underground which dropped us off steps away from the flat where we were staying near Russell Square!
Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on
:
My absolute favourite thing in an airport are the giant sculptures of desert creatures at Las Vegas rising up from the floor. Amazingly subtle considering where they are
Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Sir Kevin:
I like LAX, my hometown airport, as long as someone else drops me off or I am just changing planes there. It is big and airy and well laid-out.
My only experience of LAX was that, against all expectation, the border security staff were warm and friendly as we came in through customs, but the transfer to domestic was appalling: about three thousand people attempting to pass through just three scanners, with no public service announcements beyond a bunch of dudes running up and down the lines yelling "shoes off, take your shoes off".
There were many people crying because the hold-up was so appallingly long they were not going to catch their flights out.
It took about two hours to get through. Fortunately we had allowed three and had time to re-establish our sanity (read: eat Maccas) before flying on to Minneapolis St Paul which was fantastic (though I think we walked a marathon from the incoming terminal to our next outbound flight), clean, well signposted, well equipped ....
[ 29. June 2013, 21:11: Message edited by: Zappa ]
Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
before flying on to Minneapolis St Paul which was fantastic (though I think we walked a marathon from the incoming terminal to our next outbound flight), clean, well signposted, well equipped ....
The downside of MSP, though, is that most of its flights are operated by Northwest.
Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
My only experience of LAX was that, against all expectation, the border security staff were warm and friendly as we came in through customs, but the transfer to domestic was appalling: about three thousand people attempting to pass through just three scanners, with no public service announcements beyond a bunch of dudes running up and down the lines yelling "shoes off, take your shoes off".
This, but without the warm and friendly staff. Travelling to LAX to stay in LA was fine and fairly efficient. A different holiday transferring to Las Vegas in one direction and returning to Heathrow were hellish. We were all originally in queues through the scanners and were moved into one big herd by the security staff ![[Ultra confused]](graemlins/confused2.gif)
You can imagine how distressed a bunch of English women were being forced not to queue.
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
... what's the problem with Edinburgh? It's expanded a lot in the last decade, but it's still a small airport, with only one fairly compact terminal ...
It doesn't feel quite so compact if, like my dad, you're 80-something and trying to get to the baggage hall from the Orkney arrivals area, which I think is actually in Glasgow ...
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on
:
Ah yes, that'll be the Quarantine Wing where the flights to Belfast tend to go from.
Which bring me, literally, to George Best airport - or The Dacks* as it's known locally. I see the last time I was there they were upgrading to the memorial duty-free.
*nothing but seawater under the wheels until within seconds of landing.
Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on
:
Sydney certainly has the very expensive parking to which Pete C refers, and also difficult transfers to/from domestic and international terminals. Train transport is also expensive, as in addition to the usual train fare there is an airport surcharge. As the train line is part of the suburban network, the carriages are not et up for luggage and trying to board in peak hours cane be difficult. Never bought any duty free there, so we can't comment on those prices. The food is the usual airport abysmal. OTOH, the Qantas first class lounge for international and business class lounges for both domestic and international are excellent.
Posted by chive (# 208) on
:
I think Barra airport has to be about the coolest going but flight times are dependant on the tides.
I remember flying from Campbeltown airport once when my bags were checked in and security checked. They were then put on a trolley with everyone elses and left outside unguarded until the plane came.
Posted by moron (# 206) on
:
DFW is low on my list not that I've been to all that many: the terminals are spread apart and it's the only place I missed a flight after running a long way. On the plus side I ended up on a plane headed to Denver (Stapleton at the time) loaded with exceedingly excited South Americans headed to see 'el Papa', which was memorable.
In Santiago I forgot I had an orange in my bag and was busted by the Produce Police although I apparently walked on a technicality; I have no real idea what happened as they couldn't understand me, either.
And in an effort to utterly bore you I walked by Johnny Cochrane in Atlanta once: he was just a little guy.
If it's worthwhile I'll report on YYT in a few weeks. ![[Biased]](wink.gif)
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on
:
Architecturally, Denver is my favourite. The roof reminds me of tall ships and the Sydney Opera House. The train between terminals is clean and efficient.
Posted by balaam (# 4543) on
:
Favourite - landing at Manchester, it means I'm coming home.
Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on
:
Newark Liberty is really, really my least favorite airport. In fact, I do everything possible to avoid transferring there. Twice I almost missed flights because it is so difficult to get there from here anywhere near the time I'm supposed to arrive.
The worst was sitting in Atlanta because Newark was so backed up that we couldn't take off. Our connection there was for a flight that only happens once a week. The nice man at the counter saw our problem and diverted us to a (more expensive) flight that got us to our destination on time. No thanks to that New Jersey airport!
My favorite airport is our home one! It's an international airport, but small enough that getting to the right gate is easy. (And yes, coming home, and landing twenty minutes from home is such a relief.)
Posted by Yangtze (# 4965) on
:
Best: HK and Singapore, both large with hundreds of flights but light and efficient and decent spaces to be in. Do miss the old HK airport though, coming in right through the mountains and past the tower blocks. Also have a soft spot for London City, though mainly because I actually get to experience very little of the actual airport as it's so efficient I can go from landing to beng home in 30 mins.
Worst: Aden in Yemen, (back in the early 90s, it may have changed now): bullet holes in the glass, and the worst toilets ever. The kind that would be bad to find in a rural outpost somewhere, thus made even more horrific by them being in an 'international' airport. Think hole in ground, overflowing, crowded, no paper or water.....
Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on
:
I quite forgot HK - I used it for two years running in 1999 and 2000. Just as described above (and in the hours I waited for my next flight, empty and echoing) But for 50 USD, I could go to a lounge (travelling economy)have a shower, snack, and a lay down.
[ 01. July 2013, 00:31: Message edited by: PeteC ]
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on
:
(I regularly land on 'airports' that are just bumpy fields, and we first fly a circle to chase the cows away.)
Posted by piglet (# 11803) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
... George Best airport ... upgrading to the memorial duty-free ...
![[Killing me]](graemlins/killingme.gif)
LeRoc, I know where you're coming from - the airfields on the outer islands in Orkney are just that - fields - and yes, pre-landing sheep-scattering is sometimes required. They use little 8-seater Islander planes, and I remember my mum being more than somewhat put out when she was asked to accommodate a crate of newly-hatched chickens on her lap ...
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on
:
Another one of my favourites is Lindbergh Field in San Diego. I remember visiting my downtown stockbroker in a skyscraper when I was at university and seeing a jetliner right out the window, a few yards away on its final approach.
Pilots hate it, but I find it exciting! It is also easily accessible by train and bus.
Posted by monkeylizard (# 952) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by ArachnidinElmet:
My absolute favourite thing in an airport are the giant sculptures of desert creatures at Las Vegas rising up from the floor. Amazingly subtle considering where they are
I though the only things in the Vegas airport were slot machines with really bad payout rates.
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on
:
I like Nampula Airport in Northern Mozambique. Not so much for the airport itself, but for the surroundings. The landscape is really flat, with some weird-looking rocks sticking out. You get I nice view of that when you're landing (unless the wind keeps gushing the plain many yards to the left and the right, something that also has happened to me).
Once on Brasília Airport, my previous flight had delayed, so I had a really short connection time. I had to get to Gate 18 so here I was, running through the corridor: Gate 15, Gate 16, Gate 17, Gate 19... WTF?!
Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
Ah yes, that'll be the Quarantine Wing where the flights to Belfast tend to go from.
Ah yes: Miami has one of those for flights to South America.
Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on
:
quote:
Eutychus: Ah yes: Miami has one of those for flights to South America.
Don't get me started...
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on
:
By a strange coincidence, the Daily Mail has an article in today about the world's most dangerous airport. Their choice is Tenzing Hillary, in Nepal.
quote:
Tenzing-Hillary Airport doesn't have a control tower, radar or navigation. Pilots are forced to rely on the view from their cockpit to land and take off. The 460 metre long runway - a tenth of standard length - is also on a slope. If a pilot misjudges landing or takeoff, they face a 9,200ft fall off a cliff edge.
Posted by Lord Jestocost (# 12909) on
:
The departures lounge at San Jose airport has a perpetual marble run which you can watch for hours while waiting for your plane.
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on
:
Never been in the actual airport. When I was at Cal, I would often fly home to southern California out of Oakland or SFO: the planes had a bad habit of landing about ten minutes after takeoff to get more passengers there before proceeding to Hollywood/Burbank or Lindbergh Field!
Posted by balaam (# 4543) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
By a strange coincidence, the Daily Mail has an article in today about the world's most dangerous airport. Their choice is Tenzing Hillary, in Nepal.
quote:
Tenzing-Hillary Airport doesn't have a control tower, radar or navigation. Pilots are forced to rely on the view from their cockpit to land and take off. The 460 metre long runway - a tenth of standard length - is also on a slope. If a pilot misjudges landing or takeoff, they face a 9,200ft fall off a cliff edge.
Sounds worse than Madeira (depending on wind direction) The plane banks left on take off when only a few feet off the ground to avoid the mountain that the runway points at.
Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by LeRoc:
quote:
Eutychus: Ah yes: Miami has one of those for flights to South America.
Don't get me started...
Also at Miami (entering the US): immigration official faced with a bureaucratic immpossibility: a lady just ahead of us in the queue missing a finger - and thus unable to complete the biometric scan. A supervisor with a red folder appeared and escorted her and her travelling companions off, never to be seen again...
Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by balaam:
Sounds worse than Madeira (depending on wind direction) The plane banks left on take off when only a few feet off the ground to avoid the mountain that the runway points at.
Geneva can be a bit like that. But much worse is using the French side of the airport, which is about as large as a large living room and from which the only escape once you've entered is by air. Not good when you find out, having entered this tiny corner of France, that your flight is three hours late (the police had to be called to quell the passengers on my flight. And I thought the Swiss were disciplined!).
Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Eutychus:
Geneva can be a bit like that. But much worse is using the French side of the airport, which is about as large as a large living room and from which the only escape once you've entered is by air. Not good when you find out, having entered this tiny corner of France, that your flight is three hours late (the police had to be called to quell the passengers on my flight. And I thought the Swiss were disciplined!).
Not the Genevans, trust me! ![[Cool]](cool.gif)
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Wesley J:
quote:
Originally posted by Eutychus:
Geneva can be a bit like that. But much worse is using the French side of the airport, which is about as large as a large living room and from which the only escape once you've entered is by air. Not good when you find out, having entered this tiny corner of France, that your flight is three hours late (the police had to be called to quell the passengers on my flight. And I thought the Swiss were disciplined!).
Not the Genevans, trust me!
One factor may be that a lot of that airport's users are not Swiss, let alone Genevan. The whole place suffers from too many people in one place exercising diplomatic privilege.
Posted by The Weeder (# 11321) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Heavenly Anarchist:
The only thing I remember about Kathmandu was the landing. We came in on a small propeller plane, having been on a flight round the Himalayas, and the pilot appeared to fly at the mountain at the end of the runway before turning 180 degrees to land. Very exhilarating.
We did that flight too. Thr plane seemed too ssmall for us all, and my cousin was a bit alarmed. But it was wonderful. The 14 passegers were all invited up to the cockpit- one at a time, of course- and we did seem VERY close to the mountain range. But I would recommend it to anyone who has the chance.
I would recommend Nepal in general to everyone.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
Yes, if a flight can be called a spiritual experience then that was it! Possibly the only flight I have ever really enjoyed - stunning views! We bought the T-shirts and the VHS cassette [it was a long time ago] and have had the cassette converted to DVD and still play it from time to time.
Posted by Angel Wrestler (# 13673) on
:
Gosh, you guys have been all over!
My most hated airport has little to do with the airport itself. Actually, the airport is rather nice with the moving sidewalks that can help you hurry between flights on your layover. Why I hate it is that I've had so many layovers there turn into 12 - 15 hours (due to weather, overplanning flights which required us to sit on the tarmac AT the airport and miss our connection, having to spend the night on the floor with a potty training toddler in tow, having the flight redirecting people mess up and book us on an already booked flight).... Denver. The nightmare of air travel experience. What made them think they could put an airport in a mile-high city and expect it not to have weather delays
Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
The only time I have flown into and out of Detroit was via Wayne County and on the way in the queue for passport control was L-O-N-G and S-L-O-W but I got through in the end then straight through the tunnel and into Canada.
How long ago was that?
I'm trying to figure out which airport you mean. Detroit Metro isn't in Detroit (as LutheranChik's post makes it sound, somewhat) but about a 30-minute drive away. City Airport (which has been renamed "Coleman A. Young International Airport") is pretty small. I didn't know it was international until I googled it to find the new name! It would really be a hop, skip, & a jump to the tunnel to Canada. But no one would call that "Wayne County." Metro Airport is technically called "Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport," which I guess is why it's abbreviated DTW. So that's probably what you mean.
As for DTW, I like the relatively new Davey Terminal, which was built as a hub for Northwest, which, as we all know, was bought by Delta. I always flew Northwest, and still fly Delta, if only to be able to use that terminal. It's very user-friendly.
Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, I prefer San Francisco (SFO), which is about as far outside San Francisco as DTW is outside Detroit. Currently, it's the only airport I can take BART (the commuter train) directly to, although the Oakland airport (OAK) has a shuttle to & from the nearest BART station. Oakland is closer to me, but it's a tiny, tiny airport and fewer airlines use it, I think. SFO is also tiny, at least compared to DTW, which is my reference point (being my hometown's airport). SFO is pretty easy-access and it's user-friendly, especially for getting there without a car; you just have to fly into SFO before midnight when the trains stop running. A cab ride back to Oakland used to cost $60, but it's near $90 as of last fall when I splurged on a cab, expecting to be splurging $30 less than I actually did. (The fare from SF to Oakland is about $40 because of the bridge - they won't have a rider to take back the other way, so you basically have to pay for a round trip. Same with a ride from the airport, only more than twice as far.)
I haven't bothered to try the San Jose airport (the other major Bay Area airport) because that's just too far away, and there's not any good transit from there to my house. So I can't chime in on what that's like.
[ 05. July 2013, 00:44: Message edited by: churchgeek ]
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by churchgeek:
quote:
Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
The only time I have flown into and out of Detroit was via Wayne County and on the way in the queue for passport control was L-O-N-G and S-L-O-W but I got through in the end then straight through the tunnel and into Canada.
How long ago was that?...
August 1998 on the first stage of my RTW on retirement.
As far as I can recall it was fine leaving there a week later for Chicago O'Hare and Seattle - happily my O'Hare experience was that the gate for my arriving flight was just around the corner from my departure gate. I had already been warned how confusing O'Hare could be so was very relieved to breeze it like that.
Posted by balaam (# 4543) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
As far as I can recall it was fine leaving there a week later for Chicago O'Hare and Seattle - happily my O'Hare experience was that the gate for my arriving flight was just around the corner from my departure gate. I had already been warned how confusing O'Hare could be so was very relieved to breeze it like that.
That's because both were internal flights.
My experience of O'Hare is different, as I was arriving on an international flight and leaving on a domestic one.
This involved collecting your luggage, passing through immigration, putting your luggage on a different conveyor, finding the monorail to another terminal, finding the gate.
It could be simpler. A lot.
But I'll forgive O'Hare because the approach to the airport, down the lake past the skyscrapers of Chicago, has to be one of the best ways of arriving in a foreign country. (Except Boston is an even better approach.)
Posted by Cod (# 2643) on
:
Favourites:
Auckland. Quick to travel though, and everyone is friendly and helpful.
Hong Kong. Especially if taking off or landing at night.
Least favourites
Wellington. Do not eat before taking off or landing if travelling to or from this airport.
Sydney. It is the opposite to Auckland.
Heathrow.
Posted by MrsBeaky (# 17663) on
:
Yes, I liked Auckland too
One of my favourite flights ever was from Land's End to St Mary's on the Isles of Scilly. We had to be weighed to decide where we sat on the plane and both airports were tiny and staffed by helpful and amusing people.
Posted by Ad Orientem (# 17574) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by cross eyed bear:
Frankfurt. It's the size of a small town, with no windows and absolutely no signs. The shuttle between the two terminals has the cryptic name of 'Skyline', quite clever, but not what you'd expect to have to look out for when searching for the shuttle stop.
The last time I was there, not even the air stewardess I asked could help me find my way. The time before, changing from Frankfurt Airport Station to a bus, it took the combined efforts of three coach drivers to find my stop.
Shudder.
I was there last summer. It's one of the worst airports I've ever been too. Big but nothing there: about two bars and three pretzel stands.
Posted by Ad Orientem (# 17574) on
:
Helsinki = good. You can smoke in the terminal building, albeit in smoking rooms.
Heathrow = bad. Can't smoke anywhere.
Posted by mrs whibley (# 4798) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Ad Orientem:
quote:
Originally posted by cross eyed bear:
Frankfurt. It's the size of a small town, with no windows and absolutely no signs. The shuttle between the two terminals has the cryptic name of 'Skyline', quite clever, but not what you'd expect to have to look out for when searching for the shuttle stop.
The last time I was there, not even the air stewardess I asked could help me find my way. The time before, changing from Frankfurt Airport Station to a bus, it took the combined efforts of three coach drivers to find my stop.
Shudder.
I was there last summer. It's one of the worst airports I've ever been too. Big but nothing there: about two bars and three pretzel stands.
I liked Frankfurt. It's where I finally caved in and bought lunch with a glass of wine at about 10:30 am, having been woken at 3 am in Moldova, and already transited through Munich. I thereby formulated Mrs Whibley's drinking in airports rule which states that you may drink alcohol either if it has passed 12 midday in your port of departure, or you have been awake for 6 hours ( and therefore your body clock states it should be midday).
Posted by McChicken (# 2555) on
:
Cod said quote:
Wellington. Do not eat before taking off or landing if travelling to or from this airport.
Personally I love landing at Wellington Airport, not least cos it lets me know I'm home.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Ad Orientem:
Helsinki = good. You can smoke in the terminal building, albeit in smoking rooms.
Heathrow = bad. Can't smoke anywhere.
As it is illegal to smoke anywhere in public all airports in India are non-smoking but Bandranaike International Airport, Colombo has a smoking room and I swear you don't need to take your own cigarettes, just stick your head in the room and breathe in and you'll get a week's worth of nicotine! Thankfully they have now moved it down a little corridor to prevent polluting the rest of the departures area.
WW - ex-smoker
Posted by malik3000 (# 11437) on
:
My only flying experiences have been within the US. Despite the fact that I gripe about things in Atlanta where I reside I find the Atlanta airport decent. It is very convenient to the rapid transit system -- about 15 minutes from downtown, and the station is within the terminal. (When possible I use public transportation to and from whatever airport I'm flying from/to.)
Since Atlanta is such a big hub with so many flights I can usually book non-stops to my destination. Though it is quite huge I think the signage is good and I have not found the airport staff to be moronic. The people mover in the airport is convenient but they should have put in moving sidewalks in the individual lettered sections. If your flight leaves from gate 1, you face a looong walk from the people mover.
LaGuardia is a small dump of an airport (and sometimes unkempt with trash on the flopr), and sometimes with no seats available in the waiting area, and it does seem especially prone to wether delays elsewhere for some reason. If taking public transportation to Manhattan, as I do, it is an hour local bus ride, longer during rush hours. One time the landing was a bit scary as we were over water until the very last minute. But arrivals don't bother me because I'm just glad to be back in New York. Never been to JFK. Flew into Newark one time and finding ground transportation was confusing.
The only other airport I've flown into fairly often is Miami and while I was a bit confused at first getting out I know my way around it pretty well now. No particular complaints, but the local bus ride to South Beach -- where I stay at the Clay Hotel, a very economical but attractive hostel -- is about almost an hour (involving one transfer.
Logan (Boston), Midway (Chicago), Louis Armstrong (New Orleans), and Raleigh-Durham NC are the others I've arrived and departed from -- no memorably good or bad experiences. Except that Midway has an El station -- very convenient, and Boston isn't bad either. I wouldn't try to do public transportation from the others.
[ 06. July 2013, 16:19: Message edited by: malik3000 ]
Posted by agingjb (# 16555) on
:
My favourites are two small airports on islands, St Mary's in Scilly and Alderney in the (English) Channel Islands.
Posted by Ad Orientem (# 17574) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
quote:
Originally posted by Ad Orientem:
Helsinki = good. You can smoke in the terminal building, albeit in smoking rooms.
Heathrow = bad. Can't smoke anywhere.
As it is illegal to smoke anywhere in public all airports in India are non-smoking but Bandranaike International Airport, Colombo has a smoking room and I swear you don't need to take your own cigarettes, just stick your head in the room and breathe in and you'll get a week's worth of nicotine! Thankfully they have now moved it down a little corridor to prevent polluting the rest of the departures area.
WW - ex-smoker
Of course, it helps if the smoking rooms are air conditioned, as the ones in Helsinki are. Helsinki is a pretty good airport but it's bloody expensive. A beer will cost you about 8€.
Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on
:
The one good thing about Sydney Airport (as with all here, and on all flights) is that smoking is banned completely. Indeed, even those participating in an inter-bikie-gang fight, ending in a murder, a couple of years ago observed the ban in the terminal.
[ 07. July 2013, 03:28: Message edited by: Gee D ]
Posted by Matariki (# 14380) on
:
I don't have the strong aversion to Sydney airport that some shipmates seem to have but the queue to check in at QANTAS when I flew out of there last September was just atrocious. Brisbane and Melbourne are better, Hobart wins the prize as my favourite Australian airport.
Here in NZ Auckland is pretty good, I quite enjoy the scary flight into and out of Wellington. My favourite is Gisborne, the gate is literally a gate at this tiny terminal! Flying overseas in a couple of weeks and will be using the new Hong Kong Airport for the first time and then Heathrow, having to transfer from T3 to T5 - which I'm dreading.
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Matariki:
then Heathrow, having to transfer from T3 to T5 - which I'm dreading.
Provided you have a comfortable transfer window, not a biggie. The signage is clear and the buses are frequent.
Posted by MrsBeaky (# 17663) on
:
We have a small but efficient airport here in Eldoret which is labelled "International"....always makes me smile as all the passenger services are taxi planes down to Nairobi (takes 45 minutes)...the "international" element is provided by cargo planes that fly in and out a few times a week!
But it's well run and quite attractive with really friendly and helpful staff.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
:
Matariki - from T3 to T5 at Heathrow there is also the option of Heathrow Express if you are landside - just a few minutes on a train and you are there - and it is FREE! Airside follow transfers and take the bus.
Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on
:
Airports I have known, on this trip and others.
Kansai in Japan is forever embedded in my memory as having the best showers known to mankind. Yes, showers. And there was an entire comments book filled with people who agreed with me.
I thought San Francisco was quite good on a previous trip in 2006. Clean, peaceful.
And a million times better than that damn LAX. Having experienced departures there I try to avoid them. I'm having less luck avoiding arriving there and dealing with the utterly demoralising immigration area.
All immigration areas will look bad, though, after experiencing Vancouver. Sculptures! Waterfalls! I actually stayed in the airport to have lunch rather than dash out as soon as possible. That, surely, tells you what a good experience it was.
Having recently experienced Dulles, I agree that it's pretty damn odd.
Posted by Huia (# 3473) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by Matariki:
Here in NZ Auckland is pretty good, I quite enjoy the scary flight into and out of Wellington. My favourite is Gisborne, the gate is literally a gate at this tiny terminal!
I flew to Gisborne once on a wee plane that went Mapier-Wairoa- Gisborne-Napier. My cat was in with the luggage and he yowled all the way. Whakatane is my favourite tiny airport because one of the buildings is a quirky Roger Walker design.
I love flying into Wellington, but as for bumpy Rotorua is hard to beat as the plane flies over the thermal area. I was once late for the last plane out of Rotorua on Christmas Eve - the taxi driver radioed ahead and Air NZ held the plane for me. I don't think it would happen these days.
Huia
[ 15. July 2013, 10:20: Message edited by: Huia ]
Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on
:
quote:
Originally posted by MrsBeaky:
...One of my favourite flights ever was from Land's End to St Mary's on the Isles of Scilly.
I don't remember an airport at Land's End. I remember not going to The Isles of Scilly because of lack of time when we were in Cornwall for less than a week and I got some surfing in at Sennen Cove.
Posted by Morlader (# 16040) on
:
[tangent]
quote:
Originally posted by Sir Kevin:
I don't remember an airport at Land's End. I remember not going to The Isles of Scilly because of lack of time when we were in Cornwall for less than a week and I got some surfing in at Sennen Cove.
Well, airport is a bit strong! There's a grass airstrip that can take Islander planes when it hasn't rained for three weeks continuously. Quite a lot of money is being spent to make it less vulnerable to the weather - as an attempt at an all-the-year-round link now that the helicopter service has shut.
[/tangent]
Very similar to Land's End were several airstrips in Iran (before the revolution). I did a telecoms consultancy for the Iranian Oil Operating Companies who had their own "airline". Mostly on-time, efficient, polite with ex Biggles types flying Dove aircraft. No lounges/catering at the airstrips, but no chance of getting lost either.
Posted by Matariki (# 14380) on
:
Thank you to shipmates who have advised on transfers at Heathrow. I get into T3 (from Hong Kong) at 4pm and fly out of T5 (to Leeds / Bradford) at 7.30pm. Shouldn't be too bad.
Posted by Galloping Granny (# 13814) on
:
Flying London-Wellington in 1964 we had a stopover in Singapore which lengthened to a couple of hours because of some mechanical problem. As we approached Sydney it became clear that we were in danger of missing our connection for Wellington. No worries: they radioed ahead and as soon as the plane came to a stop the half dozen NZ passengers were hurried down the steps first and, accompanied by our luggage (how did they do it?) ran to the aircraft that was waiting for us. And that wouldn’t happen nowadays.
In 1986, travelling with two teenagers, we were stuck in a Heathrow transit lounge (probably the only one in those days) for several hours early in the morning before going on to Athens. After the flight from NZ we felt tired and grubby. Daughter and I found showers but nothing more – until the Indian woman cleaner gave us a roller towel to use. I don’t know what we used for soap, but we did bless her.
2011, flying Auckland-Heathrow with a refuelling stop at Hong Kong, we were herded off the plane, given a wee transit ticket each, led on a long walk (a kilometre?) down endless boring passageways with no interesting features on the way, and at the end of the circuit back into our nice clean seats.
Castlegar, BC is one of those mountain-surrounded airports where your Bombardier does a quick turn before landing. It has a cosy little terminal where grandchildren watch you boarding from the window with the flowerbeds outside. The security is full-scale but takes place more or less in the corner of the waiting area, where the other travellers were able to marvel at the site of me, the granny among them, being delicately patted down. With two ‘tin hips’ I’m used to setting off the buzzer and stopping to stand with my arms outstretched, but being swabbed and setting off another alarm was a new one. They were very diplomatic, and when I asked what it was all about they said probably some regular medication that I’d taken that day had left a trace on my hand or clothes.
Wellington is home (hi, McChicken!), but I’ve never had a really hairy landing here, though I once collected the Grandad after his international flight managed to land at the third attempt. I have a mantra which has proved helpful in times of turbulence: ‘The pilot knows what he is doing; if there were any danger we would not be here’.
Auckland has a bus/sprint from International to Domestic terminal. If you get to the transfer desk in less than 60 minutes from your next flight’s take-off you don’t have to worry about your luggage, but with or without you can hop on the bus or run: they tell you it’s a five-minute walk but in my more athletic days it took at least 15.
GG
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