Voting on the world's worst and best airports.

[AVIATOR]

October 23, 2009
"Sadly, Heathrow remains firmly entrenched as the airport the world loves to hate," - Jonathan French, Priority Pass.
London's Heathrow Airport has been voted the worst airport in the world for the second year running in a poll of 14,500 frequent fliers.



  Singapore's Changi was again ranked as the best.

The survey participants, all member of airport lounge programme Priority Pass, rated Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport as the world's second worst with Los Angeles Airport coming third despite a recent USD$1 billion overhaul.

"A result that suggests anyone wanting a romantic break in Paris should avoid the Heathrow-Charles de Gaulle route if they don't want to kill the mood," said a statement from Priority Pass.

"Sadly, Heathrow remains firmly entrenched as the airport the world loves to hate," added Jonathan French, head of brand for Priority Pass.

Also coming in the bottom five in the online poll were Frankfurt and Miami airports.

One of the few major countries whose travellers did not put Heathrow at or near the bottom of the list was the United States. US fliers rated Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York JFK as the worst.

At the other end of the scale, the poll conducted in September among fliers from 160 countries found that Singapore Changi topped the list of the world's best airports followed by Hong Kong.

This was the second consecutive year that these airports have come in the top two slots.

The favourite airport in Europe was Amsterdam Schiphol.

[AVIATOR]

Put your vote in for your worst experience.
Mine was Orly Airport Paris.
We had a BA flight out to London and the French police at the ticket check in all went to lunch with grins on their faces and the plane had to depart without most of the passengers. BA then had to send a second aircraft to get us.

[RecceJet]

I definitely agree with Changi as being the top airport. Also Schipol, no argument there! I definitely did not like CDG too much when I was in France. As far as other European airports go, Rome's airport is a bit poor and Frankfurt was just too sterile. Kinda efficient in a way only Germans can appreciate, I guess.

I would have put LAX at the top of the worst airports. Never had anything good to say about that place, so better left unsaid then!

[AVIATOR]

I was talking to a guy I know that lived and worked in LA for five years.
He said that prior to 911, they could only clear the departure people to the gates with what is known as "curbside check ins".
This was officials doing check ins as you arrived by taxi and hustling you through.
Right after 911 when America became paranoid this practise ceased for some years and departing LA became diabolical to the extent that many flights can't even get away for hours.

[RecceJet]

In my experience, it wasn't so much security that caused issues; I can't contrast LAX with any pre-2002 experience.

When I've been through there it was mostly flight delays when the aircraft was right out there and ready for boarding. The problem was that the shuttle-bus service was not directly owned by LAX. They had their own schedules and work-hour management. I'd be waiting at the departure lounge, but not able to board at the allotted time because there were no shuttle buses available. An empty bus would drive by on a number of occasions, but not be allowed to pick us up. The driver would cite some union rule or whatever. Frustrating, to say the least!

[Gripen]

How did Kingsford Smith (Sydney) rate?

How did any of the Aussie airports go?

[AVIATOR]

 It was only the best and the worst that were mentioned. Nothing in Australia is listed Gripe.
Perth would have to be pretty good though. There is no one there.

REGIONAL WORST MAJOR AIRPORT LIST
From January - June 2009

Worst Airport in the South Pacific/Oceania:
Tonga

Worst Airport in Asia:
Delhi, India

Worst Airport in Africa:
Abuja, Nigeria

Worst Airport in the Middle East:
Sanaa, Yemen

Worst Airport in the Caribbean and Central America:
Havana, Cuba

Worst Airport in South America:
Buenos Aires Aeroparque, Argentina

Worst Airport in North America:
Los Angeles, USA

Worst Airport in Europe:
Paris Charles de Gaulle, France

[shawn a]

As far as my experience goes, Singapore is at the top of the list as best! Hong Kong AFTER the chinese takeover is hopelessly bureaucratic, and inflexible.
I don't feel LAX is all that bad, but, hey, I'm from California, and I know the local lingo.
CDG wasn't so bad to us in 2009, and Heathrow was weird with passing security INTO the airport on arrival (perhaps understandable), but the crowded conditions were interesting ( I say interesting, because I'm old,-and old school, and I'm happy to travel anywhere at 500 miles per hour, so I can easily put up with what I consider minor problems to avoid travel at one tenth that speed at best) International airports are a microcosm of humanity, and are actually very interesting places to me personally. So I don't mind spending time in these places. The key is being able to sleep when needed on a flight, or at a connecting airport itself-- (Changi -Singapore- excels at that option)
So- Changi--Best.
Worst might be Nandi in Fiji--super long wait, and security STOLE my Swiss Army Knife after they put it in an envelope and "gave" it to the flight crew to hold until I arrived in LA.
But, hell, I had just had one of the best surf trips ever, so even some tropical disease would have been OK!!
I don't think we know just how lucky we are to be able to travel through -40 degree air at 40,000 feet at 500 miles per hour, only to bitch about some airport that doesn't have it's feces together!
Air travel is one of the best things the human race has to hold itself together. After all, the parts we are so dissatisfied with, all occur ON THE GROUND!
SHAWN A

[jasonlee]

I love KLAS, California airport. The worst airports can be found in asia where even sanitory conditions are not well.

[shawn a]

jasonlee,
KLAS is McCarren airport in Las Vegas, Nevada.
You can lose the last bit of your money playing slot machines while waiting for your flight.
I did.

[Webmaster]

  That's funny, shawn.

I think "jasonlee" was just posting to get his signature = link on here and has no idea.