Which airports do y'all love/dread flying in and out of?

Here's my list:

Best:
Denver - nice airport overall, tons of amenities, well-organized. if i'm stuck at an airport this is probably the best one to be stuck at
Dallas Love Field - nice, clean, small and you can fly anywhere domestically. centrally located.
IAH - I used to hate it but the redesigned terminal is so sleek. destinations on every continent.
Phoenix - generally pretty nice, easy to get around, also centrally located
Amsterdam - Very well run like everything in the Netherlands, parts of it feel like a really nice mall
Frankfurt - Feels like stepping 50 years into the future
Singapore - Never been but I've heard it's the best in the world. As in, it's so nice that people go hang out there for fun.

Worst:
LAX - too big, too busy, poorly managed, overcrowded, passenger pickup/dropoff is a nightmare, dirty and gross, constant cluster**** all the time
LaGuardia - a total dump, poorly run
Paris CDG - most inefficient and slow airport I've ever traveled in and out of. Arrived 3 hours in advance for my flight and was still in an all-out sprint to make it to the gate in time, and we were the last to board. F*** this airport and the idiots who run it.
Chicago Midway - dirty, ugly, and their wifi sucks

Ol_Ag_02 said:

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Best...
Hamad - Doha
Changi - Singapore

Worst...
I mean realistically I've been in some **** holes but an actual reasonable answer for suckage is Newark

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Doha is a nice airport but the Extra security at the gate when transiting to the US is a disaster.

Best
Austin

Worst
Denver
Atlanta
Lubbock

AustinScubaAg said:

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Ol_Ag_02 said:

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Best...
Hamad - Doha
Changi - Singapore

Worst...
I mean realistically I've been in some **** holes but an actual reasonable answer for suckage is Newark

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Doha is a nice airport but the Extra security at the gate when transiting to the US is a disaster.

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No ***** Last week I got felt up so bad I was legitimately angry. Thanks for the ball rub dude.

Ol_Ag_02 said:

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Worst...
I mean realistically I've been in some **** holes but an actual reasonable answer for suckage is Newark

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Damn, wife and I are flying through coming back from USVI in two weeks.

Best: Singapore
Worst: Panama

Best: Austin, Birmingham, Dallas love
Worst: ATL

I always kind of liked flying into Reagan. Not because the airport was great, but because a lot of times it felt like you were landing on an aircraft carrier.

Kona Airport on the big island is really cool, too. It's completely open air, and there are no jetways. You board every plane, even the big ones, with stairs. When you're sitting at you're gate, the plane literally pulls up right next to you. It's a little loud, but definitely a memorable experience that feels very retro/old school.

I'm sure there are better/worse, but my experience:

Worst to fly out of: Accra. Minimal ac. Lounge is overcrowded and full of sweaty people. Have to walk to plane.

Worst transfer: LHR

Best: Changi.

Best is Changi once more and I like Brussels due to great beer

Worst is based on past experiences is Buenas Aries. 3 hours before flight leaves and still almost missed the flight even saw guns drawn at a pissed off passenger who was so upset he started throwing golf balls at security which he was carring

Best:
Incheon - great for layovers if flying coach class. Free showers and massages. Rest/Sleep areas that are quiet. If you have a long layer they have a transit tour train that will take you on a tour of the city.
Changi - great airport, it is open to everyone as the security screens are at the gates. Some nice places to eat and nice art/things to look at.

Worst:
Ben Gurion - worst to fly out of if you are heading to the States. Just be prepared to wait forever for multiple security screenings. They went through every zipper of my bags. The only thing missing was the body cavity search.
Harbin - ok, probably because I was there in January for the Ice Festival, but it was -40 degrees and the jetbridges were all iced over - looked like a scene from Hoth on Empire Strikes Back. Then we got stuck for 2 days due to weather and they stuck us in an Airport hotel - Chinese Airport Hotels are the absolute worst - disgusting.
Newark - probably my least favorite Stateside airport.

Have to agree with people saying LHR is the worst for connections. If you have even a slightly tight connection just forget it. I had a connection I thought was comfortable but I felt like I had to go through a long obstacle course to get to my gate. I missed the flight, then had to wait in a 3 hour line to get rebooked.

Ahmedabad, India was a fun experience. We got to the airport at 4 or so in the morning to find you have to have your boarding pass to even get into the airport. The homelessness was so bad it's a secure zone. Well, we were with an airline that didn't allow early check in so didn't have boarding passes, etc. So had to go through our emails to find our flight itinerary just to get into the airport to then check in and get our boarding passes.

Then the actual airport is a **** hole, restrooms were Indian style (hole in ground, but actual plumbing), one kiosk like deal in the middle.

Another awesome trip was Rock Springs, Wy. Basically two flights out a day, I had the early flight and it got cancelled. So rather than sit in a airport with a vending machine and no restaurant or bar for 12 hours I rented a car. They actually have a drop box for voluntary donations for parking in the airport. After that trip I started flying into Salt Lake City and driving to Rock Springs.

P.C. Principal said:

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Singapore - Never been but I've heard it's the best in the world. As in, it's so nice that people go hang out there for fun.

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By far the worst I've dealt with is LAX, blows my mind that they're just now starting to think about putting in a train for terminal transfers now.
Luckily the new off site uber queuing spot seems to be working much better now.

Good airports are everywhere They are by definition not crappy. Really crappy ones stand out. And Sea-Tac is the crappiest in the world. It's an under construction **** show. There is nowhere to sit, nowhere to eat and when flights are delayed from weather (and they are in Seattle) you are stuck in it. It's always under construction and half the cramped as a result. They should just blow it up and start over. And I say that having been frozen in place for 30 minutes one day while TSA had a suspiscious package.

Small airport but the one in Palm Springs is pretty cool.

EWR and ATL suck

I hate anywhere you have to take a people mover

htxag09 said:

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Ahmedabad, India was a fun experience. We got to the airport at 4 or so in the morning to find you have to have your boarding pass to even get into the airport. The homelessness was so bad it's a secure zone. Well, we were with an airline that didn't allow early check in so didn't have boarding passes, etc. So had to go through our emails to find our flight itinerary just to get into the airport to then check in and get our boarding passes.

Then the actual airport is a **** hole, restrooms were Indian style (hole in ground, but actual plumbing), one kiosk like deal in the middle.

Another awesome trip was Rock Springs, Wy. Basically two flights out a day, I had the early flight and it got cancelled. So rather than sit in a airport with a vending machine and no restaurant or bar for 12 hours I rented a car. They actually have a drop box for voluntary donations for parking in the airport. After that trip I started flying into Salt Lake City and driving to Rock Springs.

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I have not been to an airport in India that did not require at least an itinerary to enter airport.

Best:

Changi - Singapore
Incheon - Seoul
Sky Harbor - Phoenix


Worst:

LAX - Los Angeles (by far)
Dulles - Washington D.C.

Head Ninja In Charge said:

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Best:

Changi - Singapore
Incheon - Seoul
Sky Harbor - Phoenix


Worst:

LAX - Los Angeles (by far)
Dulles - Washington D.C.

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The old Dulles people movers were the worst. Changing terminals was a nightmare.

All German airports suck cuz they are constantly shouting over the PA

The Pilot said:

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I don't get why Denver gets the love it does. I live here and flying in/out of the airport is a pain. everyone gets funneled thru the same passageways. I prefer the separate terminals of DFW. Also the airport might as well be in Kansas.

I'll say the terminal you fly out of can really change airport experiences. LAX is a pain, but the international terminal is really nice.

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As a Denver consultant who flies out weekly agreed. It's far away, and takes forever to get from the plane out to car areas. This wasted time sucks when you do it weekly.

Changi hands down...makes any US airport feel outdated. The one thing I love about the place (as a resident) is you can land, get through immigration, and have your bag in literally 30min or less. A couple posters above mentioned it is open to all, that is not correct. To get airside in the terminals you need to have a ticket to fly. Jewel Changi is the one exception, it is open to everyone and well worth a visit if you travel through.

Incheon was the best airport I've flown in/out of. So many amenities.

Worst: Newark, LAX.
The location of the San Diego airport is great, but flying out of the Southwest terminal is HORRIBLE. There's like a 3:1 person:chair ratio. PEople just clog the concourse.

I don't understand why Atlanta gets so much hate? For the amount of people that come through there, it's always been very efficient for me. It's clean and has some great restaurant options.

The Lost said:

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The Pilot said:

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I don't get why Denver gets the love it does. I live here and flying in/out of the airport is a pain. everyone gets funneled thru the same passageways. I prefer the separate terminals of DFW. Also the airport might as well be in Kansas.

I'll say the terminal you fly out of can really change airport experiences. LAX is a pain, but the international terminal is really nice.

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As a Denver consultant who flies out weekly agreed. It's far away, and takes forever to get from the plane out to car areas. This wasted time sucks when you do it weekly.

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I still think the airport itself is great. But yes it's way out there and you have to arrive super early because you never know how long things might take there. The security lines at DIA can truly be ridiculous. And the light rail to downtown is nice but it still takes a good 45 minutes.

Years ago there was a great article about the business of airports and how they compete for landing positions.
IAH used to have a horrible immigration/ customs facility and lost out on its share of European travelers going to Mexico due to missed flights etc. Houston has greatly improved I feel.

P.C. Principal said:

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The Lost said:

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The Pilot said:

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I don't get why Denver gets the love it does. I live here and flying in/out of the airport is a pain. everyone gets funneled thru the same passageways. I prefer the separate terminals of DFW. Also the airport might as well be in Kansas.

I'll say the terminal you fly out of can really change airport experiences. LAX is a pain, but the international terminal is really nice.

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As a Denver consultant who flies out weekly agreed. It's far away, and takes forever to get from the plane out to car areas. This wasted time sucks when you do it weekly.

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I still think the airport itself is great. But yes it's way out there and you have to arrive super early because you never know how long things might take there. The security lines at DIA can truly be ridiculous. And the light rail to downtown is nice but it still takes a good 45 minutes.

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Key is to fly AA at DEN and you get your own security checkpoint and can walk to your gate; not sure which other airlines use Terminal A.

I'll add my vote for domestic is LAX, international is either Providenciales (PLS), due to the ridiculous security lines and lack of AC, and Denpasar (DPS) due to the multiple levels of security you have to get through to check in.

For the latter, I will say that, given Bali's history with terrorist bombings that I had no problem with it but we almost missed our flight after showing up three hours early. It was unnerving standing in a line on the curb waiting to push our luggage through the first checkpoint to get into the terminal; figured if a terrorist wanted to do something that was the place to do it.

I'm surprised there aren't more ppl putting DFW on their best of list. There isn't a major domestic airport that you can get into and out of more easily. Maybe not the most glamorous option for a long layover, but that wasn't the question. As a regular business traveler, I love that I leave my home in Dallas 90 minutes before my flight and will still be at my gate with time to spare.

Besides Incheon and Singapore already mentioned, I'd put Hong Kong in the same class and Narita not far behind them.

Madrid was very nice - only connected, but I remember it fondly.

Schipol has already been mentioned, but its great.

Hobby and Love are both incredibly easy and efficient, especially Love.

On the bad list - LaGuardia, Miami, Delhi, Tampa, CDG - all for different reasons, but none that I'm thrilled to be flying to/from/through.

Didn't see anyone mention Orlando.

It jumped to the top of my worst list this summer for service.

I failed to check my gate before heading to the people mover to go to my gate. While that was my fault, rectifying the problem was punishing. I had to go to a different section of the airport, which required heading back on the people mover... and that ushered me out of the secure area. When I realized what was happening, I stopped before passing the security guard to the point of no return. I explained what I was trying to do and she rudely told me I would just have to go through security again. If you've ever been through security in Orlando in the summer, you know that is a big deal!

In retrospect, I could have stayed on the train and waited for the other side doors to open and boarded the train to my correct gate section (if you have traveled in that airport, that will make sense to you) but there are no signs or instructions on how to make that happen, and the automated trains kind of push you to do what I did.

I wrote to the airport manager and they said they were going to put my feedback on their advisory committee meeting for consideration of changing signs. I haven't been back through to see if they have changed anything.

I forgot to comment on best. My favorites are the small airports that you can walk off your plane, get to your car, and be on the road in 10 minutes. Lexington, KY. Amarillo, TX. Heck, even College Station.

Squirrel Master said:

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I'm surprised there aren't more ppl putting DFW on their best of list. There isn't a major domestic airport that you can get into and out of more easily. Maybe not the most glamorous option for a long layover, but that wasn't the question. As a regular business traveler, I love that I leave my home in Dallas 90 minutes before my flight and will still be at my gate with time to spare.

Besides Incheon and Singapore already mentioned, I'd put Hong Kong in the same class and Narita not far behind them.

Madrid was very nice - only connected, but I remember it fondly.

Schipol has already been mentioned, but its great.

Hobby and Love are both incredibly easy and efficient, especially Love.

On the bad list - LaGuardia, Miami, Delhi, Tampa, CDG - all for different reasons, but none that I'm thrilled to be flying to/from/through.

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Agree on DFW, love how the checkpoints are disbursed and you can typically walk less than 100 yards from your car to the gate if you plan ahead.