7 ms·
American airports do not rank in Top of the world
- oellegaard 14y agoJust a note, I have been several airports in the top 50 and I certainly do not agree with the rank. I don't know how they measured it, but I don't understand how Singapore can rank that high, I found it close to terrible while visiting. Furthermore, I would rank Copenhagen much higher than e.g. Zürich. I don't use lounges, perhaps they represent a major part of the rank.
- panacea 14y agoSingapore airport is great. Delicious Laksa, a butterfly enclosure, spacious with good shopping. Not sure which airport you went to.
- EliRivers 14y agoUntil the U.S. get their act together regarding sterile transit, the international airports are going to continue to be forced to operate effectively with one hand tied behind their back. The sheer inefficiency of forcing everyone passing through to go through arrivals and then departures is ridiculous and must put a stupid, utterly unnecessary strain on the airport. As an aside, I went through Changi airport (the current number one) and it really is lovely. I watched the Koi being fed and wandered around their butterfly garden in Terminal 2. If the U.S. does in fact have sterile transit and I'm just misinformed, I stand by to be corrected :)
- colinhowe 14y agoChangi airport is exactly what airports should be like. It's a nice place to be instead of a horrible warehouse with lots of signs warning you that you're an accidental bottle of water away from being labelled a terrorist.
- jrockway 14y agoUm, every other sign in that airport reads "death for drug traffickers". That's not any more pleasant than the TSA.
- EliRivers 14y agoIt's WAY more pleasant. I see the sign, it doesn't affect me, I am happy. I see the TSA, they go through my stuff, they treat me like a terrorist, I wonder if they're going to steal something, they enforce arbitrary rules at their discretion, they take up my time, the whole thing is very unpleasant.
- oellegaard 14y agoI've been to both Changi and SFO - in SFO i walked more or less straight from the plane and out. Same experience when I departed. In Changi i was detained because of reasons they would not tell me. I was placed in a room with a lot of seats and was not allowed to make phone calls or ask any questions. At one point I stood up to walk to the desk and ask why I was detained and they immediately said I had to sit down and be quiet.
- DanBC 14y agoI wouldn't be so sure about that. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misuse_of_Drugs_Act_(Singapore) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misuse_of_Drugs_Act_(Singapore...) > The law creates a presumption of trafficking for certain threshold amounts, e.g. 30 grams of cannabis. It also creates a presumption that a person possesses drugs if he possesses the keys to a premises containing the drugs, and that "Any person found in or escaping from any place or premises which is proved or presumed to be used for the purpose of smoking or administering a controlled drug shall, until the contrary is proved, be presumed to have been smoking or administering a controlled drug in that place or premises."
- EliRivers 14y agoDo you routinely carry 29 grams of cannabis through airports? I don't.
- hoi 14y agoOther issues such as immigration process is a major cause of discontent at US aiirports when compared with other countries immigration workflow, particularly for non-locals.
- objclxt 14y agoThis is true - entering the US can be a very painful experience (despite SFO being quite a nice airport I've still had a two hour plus wait on occasion), but Heathrow was just as bad last year at certain points, with two hour plus waits to clear immigration.
- dagw 14y agoHeathrow also has craptacular immigration and security handling and still managed to make the list. So there has to be more to it than that.
- cturner 14y agoThey've probably ranked up the value of diversified shopping. They would explain why rubbish large airports get ranked miles above small, efficient Australian and Scandi airports.
- jimworm 14y agoHeathrow has the most aggressive Skytrax campaigning I've seen (note: some compared with nearly none) in the 7 of the top 10 airports I've been to, which might have something to do with it. It's definitely not in the same league as the likes of Incheon and Hong Kong in my experience. One serious issue in Heathrow is that gate numbers are not shown (not even printed on your boarding pass) until 30 minutes before departure, and the gates are supposed to close 15 minutes before departure, but it takes 20 minutes to walk to some of the gates from the waiting area. Of course they bend the rules so that people make it to their flights, but what happens when they don't?
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- _djo_ 14y agoNice, South Africa's three major airports all rank in the Top 30.
- JDDunn9 14y agoI've been to many of the top airports listed. Honestly after a while, they are all pretty much the same. I didn't think Narita or Incheon had better airports than Dallas or Atlanta. The only thing I can think of is that people in American airports get annoyed at the extra security.
- StavrosK 14y agoThat's odd, whenever I flew to SFO I had a great time. The TSA agents were more than happy to give me free massages, which you don't see anywhere else.
- cturner 14y agoThink you're joking, but I came here to write - SFO is the best I can remember. Easy in and out, free wifi that actually worked and desks with power cords to use it from, regular and easy-to-understand shuttle bus system with helpful staff around, good access to cheap car hire and trains to town. Belongs miles ahead of Abu Dhabi. I bet Californians are a pickier bunch than the average airport visitor :)
- joelrunyon 14y agoI know most HN readers won't have too much experience with it, but the airport in Indianapolis is probably the best I've seen. No traffic to the airport, in & out of security in 5 minutes (longest I've waited is 10 minutes), free wifi AND a TSA agent smiled at me. It's like another world.
- StavrosK 14y agoI will agree with that. Apart from the "we'll take naked photos of you" thing, it's a pretty nice airport.
- johndavidback 14y agoI know everything you're saying is tongue-in-cheek, but I will point out to those who may not be 'in the know' that you can always opt out of any intrusive scan for a pat-down instead. Perhaps not any more comfortable, at least the sweaty TSA agent brushing your inner thigh is just as uncomfortable as you are. Hopefully.
- StavrosK 14y agoI've always opted out, hence the "free massage" thing. They always half-heartedly try to intimidate you by not allowing you access to your things, and they go through the motions of a pat down. It depends on the employee, but it was definitely better than the scanner.
- Al-Khwarizmi 14y agoIt's surprising that the article doesn't mention the absolutely over-the-top security procedures in American airports. I've been to Changi and Incheon, security was fast and smooth, and then you had waiting spaces with comfortable armchairs, nice exhibitions and beautiful gardens. In US airports the security process is slow, they confiscate your snow globes for no apparent reason, and the PA system constantly reminds you that you have to be watchful because the alert level is orange (or it was like that a few years ago, at least). And the article seems to think that what they need to make us feel better is to invest some money on having better shops...
- doctornemo 14y agoAgreed. American airports generally do a bad job is many areas. The number and access to electrical outlets can be awful. WiFi is usually nonexistent or for-fee and lame. And food is often just sad.
- a3n 14y agoI think the difference is that outside the US the interested parties have decided to make airports a good, efficient experience. In the US, anything controlled by the government is low budget by choice and design, and anything above the minimum is left to the supposedly superior "private sector." But apparently there's no money in "good airport experience" for the private sector and we're all left to suck air.
- NatW 14y agoMy wife is French and after arriving at Logan, Airport from Paris after an overnight flight, we both waited in the "Non-US Citizen" line. We waited over two hours for our turn along with everyone else, just to get a stamp. The agent then thought my wife's picture wasn't perfect so they detained us to verify her identity. We were were subjected to stupid and unnecessary abusive questioning until they realized they were obviously wrong and let us go. So 3+ hours of nonsense and they let us go. I realize that most people don't have to go through detention, but how can adding ~2 hours unnecessarily after (typically long and difficult) international travel be a good idea? It's a self-defeating waste. Investment in speeding up the process would no-doubt be returned to the economy and in better-will.
- jessriedel 14y agoI dunno. I spent 2 1/2 hours in a line at Heathrow for "Non-EU" citizens because only one agent had been assigned to us for the entire 747. The flight got in just before 10, so I missed the last train ride into London. Had to spend the night in the airport because I couldn't afford the 60 pound taxi ride in. I don't think the US has the monopoly on crappy government services.
- brianbreslin 14y agoHeathrow is run by a private company, not uk govt. BAA is privatized I believe.
- antr 14y agoUK Borders is managed by the Government, BAA then pays the UK Border Agency for staff costs, etc.
- simonsquiff 14y agoYes, but there was general outrage at the terrible queues at Heathrow - e.g. see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18672286 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18672286 it was raised in Parliament even, everyone said it was unacceptable and it was then fixed. Is the poor service in the US seen as a problem that's being sorted? Or just accepted?
- mihok 14y agoOh. my. god. American airports are not the best. Quick, everyone stop EVERYTHING your doing, we have a crisis on our hands.
- edwinjm 14y agoMy experience with JFK airport (New York) is not so good, too. It's very chaotic, staff at the helpdesk doesn't listen to you questions but fill in what they think you want, everybody seems to be at their first day on the job, they can only do what their screen says, some places are dark (no lights), airline desks are/seem to be made from cardboard, etcetera.
- ddoolin 14y agoWhat do people love so much about Incheon Airport (South Korea)? I've been there at least a dozen times or more and never noticed anything special about it. It's better than U.S. airports for sure but wouldn't really imagine it as a top spot or even #2.
- jimworm 14y agoFree spaces to sleep, free showers, free internet, easy navigation.
- jonemo 14y agoReading this headline while sitting at Newark Airport, I wholeheartedly agree. An easy proxy for airport quality seems to be cleanliness and comfort of the bathrooms. In the US they usually are too small, there is no privacy and they are frequently dirty.
- mmariani 14y agoDirect link to the list -> http://www.worldairportawards.com/Awards_2013/top100.htm http://www.worldairportawards.com/Awards_2013/top100.htm
- bogger 14y agoThese rankings are wrong - the nightmare that is Heathrow should not come ahead of Copenhagen, which is one of the most convenient and pleasant airports I have used.
- brianbreslin 14y agoOne thing that stood out to me is Lima airport being top 30. That airport unless it was completely overhauled in the last 2 years was a huge POS. I say that because half the flights are hours delayed every time I have flown there, the place was filthy each time I visited, and felt like a regional airport not a world class one.
- moondowner 14y agoFrom the top 10 airports in this list one which I frequent often is Zurich Airport. I'd like to say that one of the things I really like about it is that it's really intuitive and a person can navigate easily to the gate he needs to be and the personnel is really kind. And when I enter the EU through this airport, as a Non-EU citizen, in average I pass this checking procedure in 5-10 minutes (there is always more than one agent and long lines don't form).