The AIRPORT thread
Discussion
Best: RAF Northolt, have your own car waiting at the steps to the plane when you land.
Most accommodating: Newquay, I arrived with only 10 minutes to take-off, asked the girl at the Ryanair desk nicely if there was any chance of making the flight, she leaned over, checked the plane was still there, and then called to a bloke with lots of scrambled egg on his lapels, and asked him, the Captain, to carry my bag to the plane.
Most stupid: Stansted, thorough security check at port of embarkation as we had firearms, then watch as they arrive on the luggage carousel with all the "regular" baggage.
Worst: CGD, stupid design, nothing to do, shops are never open and worst of all it's full of French people
Most tedious: Any US airport post 9/11, why do they insist on screening your luggage for explosives AFTER you've landed?
Most accommodating: Newquay, I arrived with only 10 minutes to take-off, asked the girl at the Ryanair desk nicely if there was any chance of making the flight, she leaned over, checked the plane was still there, and then called to a bloke with lots of scrambled egg on his lapels, and asked him, the Captain, to carry my bag to the plane.
Most stupid: Stansted, thorough security check at port of embarkation as we had firearms, then watch as they arrive on the luggage carousel with all the "regular" baggage.
Worst: CGD, stupid design, nothing to do, shops are never open and worst of all it's full of French people
Most tedious: Any US airport post 9/11, why do they insist on screening your luggage for explosives AFTER you've landed?
Astacus said:
A dishonourable mention for Paris CDG.
Awful awful awful. Concrete wasteland. Bad memories of regular trips to Paris and being stuck in departures waiting for the last flight out which was always delayed because of cumulative delayes over the day. Cold dreary and utterly crap.
You'd think the French could do better.
CDG T2 is far better than the concrete hamster run that is T1 (unless the roof falls on you)Awful awful awful. Concrete wasteland. Bad memories of regular trips to Paris and being stuck in departures waiting for the last flight out which was always delayed because of cumulative delayes over the day. Cold dreary and utterly crap.
You'd think the French could do better.
Copenhagen is OK, the new Madrid terminal is good but a f**king long walk from one end to the other.
Worst is Atlanta... The immigration clerk must have been a wannabe computer programmer so when I said I was in IT he gave me an impromtu quiz on programming languages!!! Then find baggage, unpack laptop, go through security, pack laptop, check in baggage again, get train, find baggage.
Edited by garycat on Tuesday 1st January 22:15
Changi, Dubai, KL are all good. Hong Kong is good so long as you aren't there at night when the shops are all closed and they won't let you in the Cathay Pacific lounge (opens at 7.00am which is no use if your flight arrived at about 5.30). Bad ones are the places you'd expect - Harare & Quito are personal 'favourites', Adelaide has it's moments, they could only cope with one international flight at a time last I was there, personally I hate Liverpool as well. There is something tacky about it from the 'above us only sky' strapline through the plastic cutlery and the pay to fast track security.
Atlanta by far the worst in recent memory. Customs - slow. Then you wait to collect checked-in luggage, take to another security point where they x-ray and take luggage off you to go and collect at another luggage reclaim FFS !!! They take any liquids off you that you took from the plane as you then mix with post security departure passengers at the teminals. Train journey to baggage reclaim.
My last trip to Atlanta took a shade under 3 hours from landing to finally driving off in the hire car.
Thank god I have no further reason to go to Atlanta/Birmingham AL. Although the strip club girls must have noticed a drop in their tips since I stopped travelling there
Big lesson learnt since restriction on hand luggage - pack light, use hotel laundry and buy toiletries at arrival (or keep below 100ml+stick deodourant). Avoid any checked in luggage.
My last trip to Atlanta took a shade under 3 hours from landing to finally driving off in the hire car.
Thank god I have no further reason to go to Atlanta/Birmingham AL. Although the strip club girls must have noticed a drop in their tips since I stopped travelling there
Big lesson learnt since restriction on hand luggage - pack light, use hotel laundry and buy toiletries at arrival (or keep below 100ml+stick deodourant). Avoid any checked in luggage.
Best, well its been a long while since I used it, but I'd have to say Orlando airport in Florida, I seem to remember it was very posh, and had a fair bit to do inside, and also monorails linking parts of the airport so you didnt have to walk. Certainly the most impressive airport ive experienced, but quite what its like to use now, along with any other american airport, post september 11 2001, I have no idea... my folks have used american airports since and they reckon that they are truly a major pain in the arse.
Worst one I can remember was probably Bangor airport, again in the USA, shithole.
Never used any of the London airports.
Newcastle airport where I live is ok because its nice and small, and not too busy.
Schipoll is pretty good for such a big airport.
Dublin airport is a dump. Bigger than i thought it would be though.
Sure i've used even worse than Bangor but probably too young to remember it.
Worst one I can remember was probably Bangor airport, again in the USA, shithole.
Never used any of the London airports.
Newcastle airport where I live is ok because its nice and small, and not too busy.
Schipoll is pretty good for such a big airport.
Dublin airport is a dump. Bigger than i thought it would be though.
Sure i've used even worse than Bangor but probably too young to remember it.
I hate CDG and Stansted and Heathrow t4. The rest of Heathrow is OK though as long as you're not fighting to get in for an early AM departure!
Favourite - I don't have one.
Edited to add LAX to the hated list. Flew back Sunday night and had to put up with loading an A340 at a remote stand with buses in the pi55ing rain. Me and someone else allocated the same seat too (local contracted check-in staff couldn't give a to55). Virgin/LHR T3 team were as good as ever though (one of my party needed a wheelchair at the last minute).
Favourite - I don't have one.
Edited to add LAX to the hated list. Flew back Sunday night and had to put up with loading an A340 at a remote stand with buses in the pi55ing rain. Me and someone else allocated the same seat too (local contracted check-in staff couldn't give a to55). Virgin/LHR T3 team were as good as ever though (one of my party needed a wheelchair at the last minute).
Edited by Targarama on Tuesday 8th January 16:32
As of today, I would have Geneva rivalling Riyadh for the worst airport on the face of the planet.
It's a completely grim place with low, oppressive ceilings. The lounges are all before security, so you've got to guess when to go down, then either spend an age on the other side where there's nothing to do or end up being late. At security, they have signs up telling you that for flights originating in the EU, you have to put your liquids in a clear plastic bag and have them scanned separately. Then, when you get to the scanner and point out that Switzerland isn't in the EU, they get shirty and demand you put the stuff in their clear bag anyway. Once you do make it through security, they have a stupid little stand in front of the check in desk where they check all your passports and boarding cards. Once you're through that, you get to the check in desk where they, er, check your passport and boarding card again. Just in case you've swapped them with a terrorist in the 2 yards since the last check. Then the dense bint actually scanning the boarding passes from people who had checked in online and printed their own manages to scan half of them twice. Then gets confused when the system denies entry because the passenger has already boarded. She proceeds to do this repeatedly, getting confused each time.
I thought the Swiss were supposed to be efficient? Must just be the German speaking ones, I suppose!
It's a completely grim place with low, oppressive ceilings. The lounges are all before security, so you've got to guess when to go down, then either spend an age on the other side where there's nothing to do or end up being late. At security, they have signs up telling you that for flights originating in the EU, you have to put your liquids in a clear plastic bag and have them scanned separately. Then, when you get to the scanner and point out that Switzerland isn't in the EU, they get shirty and demand you put the stuff in their clear bag anyway. Once you do make it through security, they have a stupid little stand in front of the check in desk where they check all your passports and boarding cards. Once you're through that, you get to the check in desk where they, er, check your passport and boarding card again. Just in case you've swapped them with a terrorist in the 2 yards since the last check. Then the dense bint actually scanning the boarding passes from people who had checked in online and printed their own manages to scan half of them twice. Then gets confused when the system denies entry because the passenger has already boarded. She proceeds to do this repeatedly, getting confused each time.
I thought the Swiss were supposed to be efficient? Must just be the German speaking ones, I suppose!
TVR moneypit said:
Anyone flown into / out of Denver?
Fairly often. 
Of the many many many US airports I've gone through immigration in, I'd say it was the best. Mainly because they get fairly few international flights, so you don't get an enormous backlog of people like you do anywhere else. Plus, the distance from the gates to immigration is about right to be able to overtake 2/3 of the passengers and go through immigration quickly. Hardly any traffic to contend with once you've got to your car, and long term parking is only about 3 quid a day.
It's not as convenient as it used to be since they more or less banned smoking (so you have to sit in a bar and drink...shame), but still fairly nice.
Gatwick really sucks in comparison.
Manila airport is pretty s
tty, had to got through 5, yes 5 seperate security pat downs inbetween imigration/check-in and the plane.. (Although someone attempting to set off an hand-grenade midflight the week before may have had something to do with it.. 
)
tty, had to got through 5, yes 5 seperate security pat downs inbetween imigration/check-in and the plane.. (Although someone attempting to set off an hand-grenade midflight the week before may have had something to do with it.. )Edited by scorp on Monday 16th June 05:45
Anyone flown to/from Bergerac? It's basically 2 sheds next to a runway - one for arrivals, one for departures. When you arrive, you stand in one 'shed' and await your luggage which comes through the window and down a metal ramp. Departures 'shed' resembles a church hall with chairs laid out in rows and one drinks machine. Although it is the quickest arrival procedure ever.
Best I've been to KL or Changi.
Best I've been to KL or Changi.
Best Changi -
Worst, any UK airport (it means i have had to go back to the UK for some reason ...)
Surprised at so many ravers ofsthole Schipol, never liked that place, especially if you are trying to catch a connecting flight from different terminals, it sprawls so much..
Have been to a long list of "interesting" airports, all of which had significant issues from no roof on terminal building (Agadir) to drunken pilots on take of (sekhalin) and much inbetween, but the worst of the worst - Gatwick.
Worst, any UK airport (it means i have had to go back to the UK for some reason ...)
Surprised at so many ravers of
tholeHave been to a long list of "interesting" airports, all of which had significant issues from no roof on terminal building (Agadir) to drunken pilots on take of (sekhalin) and much inbetween, but the worst of the worst - Gatwick.
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