I'm on the road quite a bit for business, and have been through my fair share of airports. Some are great, others I cringe at the prospect of flying into, or having a connection at.
I'm a bit of a homer with this, but my favorite has to be John Wayne Airport (Santa Ana/Orange County) right near my own backyard. Not a hub for any airlines. I've never experienced a delay leaving, and it's very easy to navigate. Compared to other LA area airports, especially LAX, I love flying from my home airport. Though it always throws me when the engine power is cut at takeoff for quiet flight over Newport Beach!
Others that I enjoy flying to are.
Portland International Airport: GREAT airport. Nice places to shop (no sales tax!), good places to eat (awesome beers!) and not really subject to many delays in my trips. Plus, from what a client told me, merchants at PDX aren't allowed to charge more than they would at a non-airport location, so no inflated prices.
Minneaplois-St. Paul International: I visit family in the upper midwest often, and compared to O'Hare, MSP is really nice. A bit large to navigate, but good restaurants.
Kona Airport (Hawaii): I took my wife and girls to Hawaii last year, and we went to Kona on the big island. There is something cool about getting off the plane onto the tarmac. Plus, the "terminal" is just a collection of a few mall buildings that look like huts. And stepping off into the Hawaiian sun? Always nice.
What're your favorite airports?
Favorites:
ATL - Delay-prone in the summer, but has by far the best selection of restaurants and bars out of any airport in the world.
DTW - Nicest hub in the US for any airline IMO. Easy to get around and much less stress than ATL
IND - Brand new. Great O/D airport.
Honorable mention:
SLC - Easy connections, and microbrews in the SkyClub. I just wish it had more flights to/from the east coast.
DEN - Multiple microbreweries in the terminal. It loses points for being out in the middle of nowhere, and no SkyClub
Most hated:
ORD - I've never flown to/from or through here without at least a 3 hour delay. Old, dirty, difficult to get around
LAX - See ORD, only without the delays. Horrendous security lines for O/D traffic, difficult connections for transiting passengers
SJU - Old, cramped, and almost no food airside. Crappy place for a layover.
Any smaller out-station airports (MLB, FWA, HSV, ABQ, etc.) are nice, even if they typically lack the amenities of a larger airport.
MSP is a fairly nice airport, but the layout is beyond comprehension. And have you ever had to make an A or (God forbid) B to E or F connection? Pure torture.
Couldn't agree more with you on ORD. ALWAYS delays, even at off-peak times. I avoid that one like the plague.
I'm also not a fan of DFW. I've experienced nothing but delays there, and the distance between gates seems to be miles. I don't mid walking, but when I'm hauling suitcases? Not so much.
Going east, I generally like to connect through Phoenix Sky Harbor or Denver. Can't believe I forgot to mention Denver. That's a nice airport!
Quote from: realjd on September 16, 2011, 11:00:20 AM
MSP is a fairly nice airport, but the layout is beyond comprehension. And have you ever had to make an A or (God forbid) B to E or F connection? Pure torture.
I agree that there are some long hauls for some connections, but what large airport doesn't have these? And I don't understand what's hard to comprehend about the layout. It's a big H. Terminal runs east-west and concourses run north and south from each end.
Of course, I may not be entirely objective here.
Favorite airports for me:
DTW
DEN
BNA
MCO
Least favorite:
ATL
IAH
PHL
SEA
Favorites (some of these are "me toos" with OP):
Changi, Singapore. Clean, well-run, and we were super late for a flight to Denpasar and they held the gate for us.
PDX. Open, uncrowded, good location for highway and transit
Kona. I like how it's surrounded by lava instead of the typical beaches and palm trees. Like you landed on another planet.
Least favorite:
Delhi. (Though they were working on a new section in late 2007 that looked much nicer)
Dulles. Going through customs there is like "welcome to the US - f*** you".
SFO: more annoyed that they have so many flights SJC doesn't, so we have to make the trip up 101
Narita: Y U NO closer to Tokyo???
SUX. Combination of little irritants, some of them the fault of United. But I fly into Omaha now, and drive to Sioux City (though not using I-680, apparently)
BDL, terminal B. This is that 1952-vintage wing that was thankfully closed in 2010.
I'm sad that at some point Atlanta replaced the Cylon voices ("By. Your. Command.") on their people movers; the recorded voice sounds more natural now.
QuoteSUX. Combination of little irritants, some of them the fault of United. But I fly into Omaha now, and drive to Sioux City (though not using I-680, apparently)
Sounds like a very fitting airport code! :banghead:
QuoteSFO: more annoyed that they have so many flights SJC doesn't, so we have to make the trip up 101
I agree with this too! I like SJC a lot more. I find in cities with more than one airport, such as LA, the smaller airports (such as Ontario and Orange County) are preferable to the big boys like LAX.
I like Hobby in Houston versus IAH.
I like Love Field in Dallas versus DFW.
BWI I prefer over Dulles.
Of course, this isn't the golden rul 100% of the time. Midway and O'Hare? BOTH I like to avoid!
Quote from: OCGuy81 on September 16, 2011, 11:06:34 AM
Couldn't agree more with you on ORD. ALWAYS delays, even at off-peak times. I avoid that one like the plague.
I'm also not a fan of DFW. I've experienced nothing but delays there, and the distance between gates seems to be miles. I don't mid walking, but when I'm hauling suitcases? Not so much.
Going east, I generally like to connect through Phoenix Sky Harbor or Denver. Can't believe I forgot to mention Denver. That's a nice airport!
I've never connected in DFW. It's great from an O/D standpoint though since the pickup/dropoff lanes are literally feet from the gates.
Quote from: Coelacanth on September 16, 2011, 01:34:09 PM
I agree that there are some long hauls for some connections, but what large airport doesn't have these? And I don't understand what's hard to comprehend about the layout. It's a big H. Terminal runs east-west and concourses run north and south from each end.
I've never gotten lost, but I've also never been able to make a connection without a map. If someone pops out at gate A5 and has to get to G7 for instance, it's completely unintuitive.
I can see how it vaguely resembles an H, but only barely. A/C concourses are connected end-to-end with B completely unconnected. There's the tunnel between G and C. There's the new train that runs the length of the C concourse, but for some reason stops before A even though it's the same "leg". And D concourse has a letter but is little more than a shopping mall.
It's probably fine for someone who knows the airport well or is O/D traffic, but it's a maze for connections if you only are there a few times each year.
As for long walks, it's possible to have a giant airport without long walks. DTW is a great example. Even ATL (and DEN, with the same layout), as much of a pain as it can be, is laid out such that it isn't really a giant walk between any two gates. The problem with MSP is that A and C are layed out end-to-end, a very inefficient setup.
Quote from: OCGuy81 on September 16, 2011, 02:32:15 PM
BWI I prefer over Dulles.
BWI only marginally serves the same market as IAD in my opinion. I think DCA is a much better example, and I do prefer DCA to IAD by a large margin. If nothing else, having a direct subway connection automatically makes it a much better choice for DC-bound traffic.
Quote
I've never gotten lost, but I've also never been able to make a connection without a map. If someone pops out at gate A5 and has to get to G7 for instance, it's completely unintuitive.
...
As for long walks, it's possible to have a giant airport without long walks. DTW is a great example.
For the record, DTW is a MILE from end to end.
MSP was much more intuitive when the concourses were colors rather than letters. Gold, Red, Blue, Green are pretty easy to find on a map. The given reason for the change was to be consistent with other airports, but why is that such a huge deal? It doesn't take a genius to know Blue Concourse = that large blue area on the terminal map.
Translation guide for those interested:
G = Gold concourse ('G for Gold')
F = Red concourse (think 'Fred')
E = Blue concourse (for some reason 'BluEEEE' is easy for me to remember)
Everything else is Green
DTW is a mile end-to-end, but the handy roof train makes it so you don't have to walk far, and there are moving sidewalks throughout. The tunnel between A and B/C is a bit long, but there are moving sidewalks the whole length there also.
I can see how colors would be much more intuitive in MSP. Letters work in airports like ATL because they're all accessed from one central point (the train) and increase alphabetically other than the T(erminal) gates. In MSP I know logically that the letters go clockwise, but for whatever reason the layout just never clicked.
[rant]
Speaking of moving sidewalks, they're not Disney rides. If you really are too lazy to walk on them -- and their big benefit is speed, not laziness -- please don't block the entire thing!
[/rant]
Of the ones I've been through...
Chicago Midway - busy, yet I can get in and out easily. I also like how security does not split any of the concourses.
Houston Hobby - easy to get in and out. Not too damn big.
Honolulu - Nicely sized, good ocean views, and heck, it is Hawai'i after all. :)
Orlando International Airport has a beautifully designed interior. The all black exterior of Thurgood Marshall-Baltimore-Washington International Airport looks like a foreboding, clandestine, cloak-and-dagger kind of place. :hmmm:
Not sure how well this will help in the favorite/not-so-favorite rankings for some of you, but DFW and Love are both undergoing multi-year renovations. While DFW will retain its general layout afterward, Love is totally revamping into 1 central concourse/terminal area.
DFW project: http://www.dfwairport.com/redefine/
Love project: http://www.lovefieldmodernizationprogram.com/
ATL - Basically my third home (FLL would be my second); spent many "days" there and I'm just used to what's around and which gates I prefer and which ones to expect on connections. Awful if you have a full bladder and your plane landed at 9am on a Monday morning (great, another 20 minute wait on the tarmac), or sixteenth in line to take off on a Friday afternoon, but there's a certain intensity with being part of a place that has nearly a quarter-million visitors per day.
SAT - (San Antonio) Prettiest airport; not terribly busy, but it's also not the cold, sterile, office complex that many airports are.
GSO - (Greensboro/Triad) Loneliest airport? Thirty-two gates, and maybe five appear to be in active use. Clean, easy to traverse, et cetera...but I always feel bad when I land; it's as if it was built for a future that won't arrive in 20-30 years.
^^^
I knew I wasn't the only person here who practically lives at ATL! When I'm not in a SkyClub, you can often find me at the A10 Chick-fil-A or at the quiet tables by the big windows behind the Panda Express in the E concourse food court.
I hear a lot of horror stories about ATL, but my experiences (2) haven't been that bad. Maybe it's because I wasn't connecting, but actually getting off and attending conferences in Atlanta. Perhaps connections are what makes this a rough airport?
Both times I flew SNA-ATL and back, no issues, no delays. Luck?
Quotehttp://780x378-1.ikiwq.com/aZnOv0PSwIZ27Gy1xN4BYd.jpg
Good to see Love Field getting some, well, love. I prefer that 100x over going to DFW. And despite any stigmas it may have, I really like Southwest! They're organized, they board and de-board quickly, and not charging for bags? Great move on their part!
Quote from: OCGuy81 on September 21, 2011, 11:24:05 PM
I hear a lot of horror stories about ATL, but my experiences (2) haven't been that bad. Maybe it's because I wasn't connecting, but actually getting off and attending conferences in Atlanta. Perhaps connections are what makes this a rough airport?
Both times I flew SNA-ATL and back, no issues, no delays. Luck?
Atlanta is the busiest airport in the world by passengers. With that many people connecting, there are bound to be some horror stories. I'm there multiple times a month and have only had one flight cancelation ever. It does get delays regularly in the summer due to afternoon thunderstorms, but missed connections are rare in my experience because all flights are usually delayed if one is, and they are rarely delayed more than an hour.
It also probably has to do with non frequent flyers being more sensitive to short wx delays. An hour delay to me is no big deal, but someone who flys once a decade may be less tolerant simply because they aren't used to it.
Quote from: OCGuy81 on September 21, 2011, 11:28:04 PM
Good to see Love Field getting some, well, love. I prefer that 100x over going to DFW. And despite any stigmas it may have, I really like Southwest! They're organized, they board and de-board quickly, and not charging for bags? Great move on their part!
I do appreciate the not charging for bags. I'm happy to cough up the $10 each way to get a better seat, because it's either that, or I attempt to find phone signal 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds before my departure (good luck with that, if I'm in the middle of nowhere), or reverse-engineer their website to write a script to log me in (did that once, back in about 2003... I don't have that kind of time on my hands these days!)
I just remembered another airport I want to add to my most hated list: LGA. What a dump. I've never been to a dirtier, nastier airport.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on September 22, 2011, 12:40:32 AM
I do appreciate the not charging for bags. I'm happy to cough up the $10 each way to get a better seat, because it's either that, or I attempt to find phone signal 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds before my departure...
...while checking SeatGuru to make sure you're not stuck in a assigned seat by a lavatory, given a non-reclining-non-exit-row seat, a no underseat-storage location, et cetera. Only to use a totally different style of aircraft due to mechanical issues: Window-seat "xxA", and forget it.
DTW's tram system is annoying. They have 78 gates in a straight line, the tram stops in three places, but you still have to walk some distance, and the tram takes almost as long as walking. Nowhere near as quick as getting around Atlanta. I'd forgive it if the terminal was 50 years old (and they just kept adding on to the existing gates), but it's a new facility dating back to 2002. The only saving grace is that you get to hear English and Japanese over the prerecorded PA system, and written on the signs.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc7%2Fs720x720%2F313907_239435419433745_100001018678089_690185_1809606_n.jpg&hash=f98f68373a04394f2758bc0e75799161619905d8)
O'Hare almost never has enough terminal seating, especially if you fly Continental/United. Only 20-30 seats for a typical aircraft with 100-120 seat assignments...somebody didn't math right! Go sit on the floor and think about what you've done wrong.
Quote from: formulanone on September 27, 2011, 09:18:43 AMThe only saving grace is that you get to hear English and Japanese over the prerecorded PA system, and written on the signs.
gee, that sounds real helpful. how do you say "this is a TSA alert. today's threat code is orange: blow up a suspicious package which you see in your immediate area. consider soiling yourself." in Japanese?
Quote from: agentsteel53 on September 27, 2011, 11:08:54 AM
gee, that sounds real helpful. how do you say "this is a TSA alert. today's threat code is orange: blow up a suspicious package which you see in your immediate area. consider soiling yourself." in Japanese?
Darn it, I paid for two semesters of
Nihongo, darn if I shouldn't be able to exploit it once in a blue moon. Or over a lot of Blue Moons.
QuoteDTW's tram system is annoying. They have 78 gates in a straight line, the tram stops in three places, but you still have to walk some distance, and the tram takes almost as long as walking. Nowhere near as quick as getting around Atlanta. I'd forgive it if the terminal was 50 years old (and they just kept adding on to the existing gates), but it's a new facility dating back to 2002. The only saving grace is that you get to hear English and Japanese over the prerecorded PA system, and written on the signs.
Is there a reason for the Japanese might I ask, this is Detroit's airport you're talking about right?
Quote from: tdindy88 on September 27, 2011, 03:17:42 PM
Is there a reason for the Japanese might I ask, this is Detroit's airport you're talking about right?
Delta (formerly Northwest) is the largest US air carrier in Asia and they have a big hub in Tokyo (NRT). DTW is Delta's Asian gateway airport, so most people flying to/from Asia from the United States on Delta will go through DTW.
DTW is also Delta's second biggest hub (formerly NWA's largest).
QuoteDelta (formerly Northwest) is the largest US air carrier in Asia and they have a big hub in Tokyo (NRT). DTW is Delta's Asian gateway airport, so most people flying to/from Asia from the United States on Delta will go through DTW.
DTW is also Delta's second biggest hub (formerly NWA's largest).
I'm kind of surprised that MSP doesn't take the honors for that, being further west, or even SLC. Must be the size.
Quote from: OCGuy81 on September 29, 2011, 10:09:44 AM
I'm kind of surprised that MSP doesn't take the honors for that, being further west, or even SLC. Must be the size.
Detroit is only marginally farther away than MSP, and closer than SLC. These planes fly more north than west to get to Tokyo due to the curvature of the earth.
I quite liked Detroit - as big airports go, it's pretty nice. Heathrow Terminal 3 is probably the worst. Stansted and Gatwick are also rather annoying (I've had a 15 minute walk from the gate to baggage claim at Stansted and I was walking at such a speed as to overtake most of the plane having been one of the last set off and long waits at all three for the plane to get to a gate).
Bangkok's new one is great, but then I enjoyed roaming around the large open space and was only transferring there, rather than leaving (ditto DTW, though I did go outside for a bit as i had a lot of time) - I'll go with that.
Small airports are great for arrivals, but perhaps not for departures. I liked Alghero's 5 minute from wheels down to out the front (OK, without hold baggage), but there wasn't that much to do there while waiting for the plane home.
I liked the architecture (as radically different from the glass and steel) at Jakarta, but there wasn't anything to do while waiting for a domestic flight (a bit more for international).
Agree with the other people on Detroit Metro Airport, since it's a short drive to the west for me.
Quote from: english si on September 29, 2011, 11:34:45 AM
I quite liked Detroit - as big airports go, it's pretty nice. Heathrow Terminal 3 is probably the worst. Stansted and Gatwick are also rather annoying (I've had a 15 minute walk from the gate to baggage claim at Stansted and I was walking at such a speed as to overtake most of the plane having been one of the last set off and long waits at all three for the plane to get to a gate).
Bangkok's new one is great, but then I enjoyed roaming around the large open space and was only transferring there, rather than leaving (ditto DTW, though I did go outside for a bit as i had a lot of time) - I'll go with that.
Small airports are great for arrivals, but perhaps not for departures. I liked Alghero's 5 minute from wheels down to out the front (OK, without hold baggage), but there wasn't that much to do there while waiting for the plane home.
I liked the architecture (as radically different from the glass and steel) at Jakarta, but there wasn't anything to do while waiting for a domestic flight (a bit more for international).
Nothing to do? That's why God invented airport bars! :sombrero:
I've never been to LHR T3, but I was not impressed with T4. It's full of fancy restaurants and expensive designer clothing stores. How can you have a major airport without some sort of fast food or takeout establishment? And who really is going to go buy a $10k dress at an airport?
QuoteI've never been to LHR T3, but I was not impressed with T4. It's full of fancy restaurants and expensive designer clothing stores. How can you have a major airport without some sort of fast food or takeout establishment? And who really is going to go buy a $10k dress at an airport?
Very true. I would never think of going to the airport if I ws seeking a nice meal for one of the date nights my wife and I have. Airports are more fast, grab n go type food. As far as something to do, more airports should borrow from the book of Las Vegas/McCarran Int'l. Those slot machines always have people playing while waiting for flights, and have got to be a nice revenue generator.
Quote from: realjd on September 30, 2011, 09:37:52 AM
It's full of fancy restaurants and expensive designer clothing stores. How can you have a major airport without some sort of fast food or takeout establishment? And who really is going to go buy a $10k dress at an airport?
I've never understood luggage stores in an airport; oh, it sounds like it makes sense, but who the heck is that for? The person who was robbed by a rouge skycap? I can understand a nice three-piece suit store to completely take advantage of the businessman who needs to look sharp for a meeting in 2 hours...but
luggage? Am I missing something here, because it seems to throw all logic and usefulness out the window...?
Give me a mix of sit-down and fast-food places in an airport, or better yet...Atlanta has a lot of the grab-and-go places with umpteen different names (I personally look for the ones that have cold Red Bull), although sometimes the food's a bit middling if it's 5pm. But sometimes there's not much time between flights, and that's when there's a line at every restaurant and nearly every bar. I have to admit, their fast food is actually fairly priced (same at DTW); unlike the hijacking that typically occurs in the Paradies Shoppes 'round the nation, and anything at LAX (yikes!) or FLL's gougers.
Quote from: realjd on September 30, 2011, 09:37:52 AMNothing to do? That's why God invented airport bars! :sombrero:
They aren't open in the mornings in the small airports in Europe (which is when my flights were) and were landside anyway, and Jakarta doesn't have one at all. Once past security, their was maybe a gift shop and a place to get a soda.
QuoteI've never been to LHR T3, but I was not impressed with T4. It's full of fancy restaurants and expensive designer clothing stores. How can you have a major airport without some sort of fast food or takeout establishment? And who really is going to go buy a $10k dress at an airport?
Never been to Terminal 4 (other than the tube station), but that sounds like St Pancras railway station - I guess facilities are there (other than a fast food restaurant), but they are upper middle-class shops, rather than high-street ones. You arrive on a train from Paris, and you have a champagne bar (the world's longest) and a baguette shop - OK, there's more stuff that isn't as French, but is something English and not posh like a pasty shop out of the question?
T3 has stuff, is less pretentious than T4, but is 10-15 years older, ugly, crampt-feeling (low ceilings, little open space) and very busy.
I have been to Denver International Airport many times, seeing as how I live in proximity to it. So I've always been fond of it.
In my lifetime (I'm 17, so I imagine I'm quite a bit younger than most of you) I recall Detroit-Wayne County Terminal Airport having been renovated only once; the last two times I had been there were June of 2008 and August of 2010, and it had been renovated sometime between those visits. I am fond of both incarnations of the airport, the former probably out of sentimental value and the latter because of how sleek and smooth it feels.
Quote from: Anonymity Lane on September 30, 2011, 11:40:23 PM
I have been to Denver International Airport many times, seeing as how I live in proximity to it. So I've always been fond of it.
In my lifetime (I'm 17, so I imagine I'm quite a bit younger than most of you) I recall Detroit-Wayne County Terminal Airport having been renovated only once; the last two times I had been there were June of 2008 and August of 2010, and it had been renovated sometime between those visits. I am fond of both incarnations of the airport, the former probably out of sentimental value and the latter because of how sleek and smooth it feels.
Since you're DEN-based I'm assuming you were flying United. They fly into the smaller terminal at DTW which was recently renovated. The one we were talking about is the gigantic Delta hub next door which opened in the early 2000's. Both the big Delta terminal and the smaller everyone else terminal share the same sleek architecture (as does the new IND airport).
By coincidence, I'll be flying out of IND tomorrow to Denver and then on to Portland, which if I read it correctly on this thread is also a nice airport. Then I'll fly back through Denver on the return. This will be my third time going thorugh Denver and I have always been conflicted between it and IND (where I live). Granted, I never flew through the old IND so there's that too. Needless to say, no crappy airport designs for me tomorrow!
Typically, the smaller-market or satellite airports have been my favorite: MHT is a recent one that was easy for me, and SNA is similarly convenient as far as getting in, out and through the place. Also, though I've never been through as a passenger, ISP seemed convenient, nice and small. Oh, and how can I forget my long-time hometown airport, ROC!
I also greatly enjoyed my trip from OGG (commuter terminal) to MKK...no lines, no x-rays, no gates, baggage check, jetways...just wait on a bench and the pilot takes you straight out to the plane. :D
I'm flying to FLO soon...I expect it to be low-hassle! Also, long ago I went out of SBY...this was well pre-9/11, and it was a cinch.
For larger airports, I found PIT to be not so bad, except for its long distance from the city. That's definitely a buzzkill. With places like LAX, JFK and so on, it seems to depend a lot on which terminal you go through.
I have never had a good time at ORD, other than a memorable bar visit or two. ;-) Also, ATL has been bad luck for me, as I've never had a connecting flight that wasn't at the opposite end of the next terminal or two over (and with no appreciable layover time).
QuoteBy coincidence, I'll be flying out of IND tomorrow to Denver and then on to Portland, which if I read it correctly on this thread is also a nice airport. Then I'll fly back through Denver on the return. This will be my third time going thorugh Denver and I have always been conflicted between it and IND (where I live). Granted, I never flew through the old IND so there's that too. Needless to say, no crappy airport designs for me tomorrow!
You read about Portland correctly. I make a few trips up that way each year, and love PDX. It's very easy to navigate, and has a great selection of places to eat and shop at. I actually bought my wife a pair of the Nike Free she's been wanting on a trip home, and was surprised to learn they don't inflate prices at the airport. Plus, the food is pretty decent. My last trip I had to go from PDX to Sacramento, and took a flight on Horizon from terminal A. There was a Laurelwood (a local microbrewer) Brewing Company in that terminal! Nice!
On a few trips there, I've gotten off the plane and have heard a guy on a piano as I navigate towards the baggage claim. Kinda cool.
They just need a Voodoo Donut on site. One of my clients took me to that Portland landmark, and it's incredible.