International Airports- Best and Worst.

[Lord_Lenny]

Actually, it's counter intuitive, but having gate screening actually is better for short connections. At BKK, I've done transfers that have taken me a good 20 mins to get off one plane to transfer to another at an adjacent gate. At SIN, for adjacent gate transfers, you simply get off the plane and do the 2 min walk to the next gate. The thing is there is nowhere to impede you (no funneling to a central point) other than at the gate itself - and once you reach that gate you are more or less home and hosed (unless it has already closed ). The first place they look for fail to board passengers is the security screening point at the gate itself. Had some elderly relatives passing through HKG last year, and their flight from MEL arrived 15 mins late - leaving only 45 mins to connect, but they were already proactively moved to a flight 8 hrs later, because e I presume concerns about the time it would take to get to the gate. At SIN, 45 mins is plenty of time, even with a transfer from T3 to T2.

Oh yeh logistically I get it, but when you step off the Europe - Singapore leg of a long haul in Y at 2am then I'd rather not have to muck around with security again. I have no issues with it when flying to Europe or connecting into Asia, it's completely a fatigue thing hah!!

 

[dajop]

Oh yeh logistically I get it, but when you step off the Europe - Singapore leg of a long haul in Y at 2am then I'd rather not have to muck around with security again. I have no issues with it when flying to Europe or connecting into Asia, it's completely a fatigue thing hah!!

Yes, I get it, but it doesn’t matter which airport you step off at you’ll gave to deal with security. Maybe the non stop LHR-PER flight is better ... or the flights via the sandpit which are only 7hrs into the trek back to AU.

 

[Haplo]

Worst - NAIA terminal 1 (MNL) - old and tired, smells everywhere you go. Qantas lounge should be called Qantas cubicle!
Best - Singapore (SIN) - can keep you entertained for hours and lots of things to do.

 

[dajop]

MEL this morning was in fine form. Not. Arrived on MH who were given a remote stand. From wheels coming to a halt to entering the terminal it took me 30 mins. I've been a number of airports where pax are bussed to the gate, usually with a fleet of buses lined up, MEL it very much seemed a bus by bus approach, a bus would fill, then a wait and pax would start moving again, another bus would fill, another wait. Quite a substandard third world experience from my original "home" airport.

 

[Forg]

MEL this morning was in fine form. Not. Arrived on MH who were given a remote stand. From wheels coming to a halt to entering the terminal it took me 30 mins. I've been a number of airports where pax are bussed to the gate, usually with a fleet of buses lined up, MEL it very much seemed a bus by bus approach, a bus would fill, then a wait and pax would start moving again, another bus would fill, another wait. Quite a substandard third world experience from my original "home" airport.

Yeah, TPE did this to us on departure ... swapped our proper gate for one being used to some flight to SFO (I mean surely people flying to US airports are more used to less pleasant airport experiences?!?!). It was kind-of amusing there being two lines to get out of the terminal & onto the bus, the J passengers had a really short line & then they got to stand around on the bus in the same way as everyone else 'til the bus was full ...

I've definitely decided after passing few a through different airports over the last month that Australian airports do the security from land-side to air-side in about the worst way possible. Statusy & premium-class passengers might not notice it of course, due to the express path; but as a pleb, if I can get into an airport as busy as Heathrow with only a 2 minute queue before the efficient/quick movement through the scanners etc, why is that queue an hour long at Sydney?!

 

[Berlin]

Singapore is my favourite, hands down. Also don’t mind Dubai and Tegel had a special place in my heart, no matter how run down it is now. Definitely prefer Helsinki or Munich over Frankfurt or CDG. Best renovation ever must be LAX- turned one of the world’s worst airport into the best in the US in my opinion.

Both Sydney and Melbourne are horrid as is the flashy new one in Doha. Worst airport I’ve ever traveled through would be Cali in Columbia, especially when changing from International to Domestic. South America in general has some pretty woeful options while the flights themselves and the staff down there are rather pleasant in my experience.

And a special mention goes to Heathrow- it has always been a messs and it still is. High time to finally build that third runway but knowing the UK, it will probably not really help either.

 

[Justinf]

Yellowknife.
No booze. None, nada, zilch.
Once you go through security, you are basically locked in a room with only a vending machine for company.

 

[JohnK]

There aren't any bad airports. Some airports are better than others but generally if I'm at an airport then I'm travelling and not working which is a good thing.

Immigration can be chaotic in some airports such as KUL, KLIA2, BKK etc. Can't wait for the Smartgate to be rolled out to all airports. Outbound in HKG is now a breeze.

Not a fan of security. There has to be an easier, more efficient way of processing. Wait is too long in airports such as BKK outbound security without Fast Track.

 

[Forg]

Can't wait for the Smartgate to be rolled out to all airports. Outbound in HKG is now a breeze.

*sitcom-style comedic double-take*
Oh, they're doing that on a worldwide basis?
Is there still a stamp, or is that added electronically?

 

[JohnK]

*sitcom-style comedic double-take*
Oh, they're doing that on a worldwide basis?
Is there still a stamp, or is that added electronically?

HKG hasn't had a stamp for a few years. Inbound you get the same form as previous years to complete and you get to keep the keep and a printed receipt is generated with date. Outbound you scan your passport and then facial recognition and away you go.

I believe BKK has similar for Thai residents so hoping not long before it's rolled out to all passports. We sometimes depart BKK on 3K and I hate arguing logic with staff that an 18 month old infant with or without stroller can still entitle us to use Fast Track.

P.S. I miss the stamps.

 

[Forg]

HKG hasn't had a stamp for a few years. Inbound you get the same form as previous years to complete and you get to keep the keep and a printed receipt is generated with date. Outbound you scan your passport and then facial recognition and away you go.

If I'm to put what you're saying in the context of my recent experience ... there's probably no technical reason why I couldn't have just gone through the electronic "EU-resident non-UK-resident e-passports only" gates getting into the UK, rather than waiting 45 minutes in the queue with all the paper-passport people.
Well, apart from the fact that the system probably rejects Australian e-passports because someone selected the checkbox to reject Australian e-passports, not because the Australian e-passport doesn't work perfectly on the system.

 

[andy90]

In terms of simplicity I like Brisbane international. Yes its my home city. Theres not a lot of shopping but the emirates lounge is ok and I always find getting through security on departure or coming back through customs a relatively quick and simple task.
Its definitely a pretty boring airport but I just find it easier to use than syd or melb. I try and avoid international flights that include a transfer at another aus airports.

 

[Melburnian1]

In no particular order...

• I don’t really get the SIN love. It’s efficient and all, but it’s pretty bland and joyless, and I absolutely HATE having screening at the gate. Unnecessarily stressful.
• HKG is vastly preferable for me, especially now I’ve discovered how fantastic so many of its lounges are (also unlike SIN)
• MNL and CGK are pretty dire, at least in some terminals. MNL is a definite contender for my worst overall airport experience
• SYD and LHR are quite similar in a way - dreadful to transit through, but actually not too bad as your home airport (SYD is mine currently, LHR was for 5 years a while back) and both have pretty good nonstop networks. SYD has definitely got worse over the years, though, and the inbound immigration / customs experience is particularly painful on morning flights. And I prefer SYD to MEL, which I find pokey and depressing.

How recently have you been to MNL? T1 had some cosmetic work done on it in recent times. T2 remains 'harsh': not great. T3 is the most modern and quite good. T4 is presently only for domestic flights and very basic. but I haven't had problems at it.

MEL offers an even worse customs experience at the busier times on arrival than SYD. That MEL line for ABF checking!

Like others I love the carpet at SIN, the general ambience, the small new food court at the mezzanine (I'm looking at you MEL and SYD re meal pricing) and can tolerate the SIN at gate security, as I have never had to queue, being careful to time my processing just like the more experienced AFF member dajop with his 300 in a decade (great work).

TPE has overly dark wood panelling in its check in landside area and like MEL doesn't seem to have much if any natural light (although on my most recent trip I was boarding at night). Other than that, a good airport with expansion underway.

BKK is unpleasant: worse than anywhere at MNL. Huge numbers of mainland Chinese on my last trip. Inbound at around noon, took 45 minutes to an hour in the immigration queue. Too long! In contrast, the longest elsewhere I've had was 40 minutes at IST followed by half an hour at LHR and 25 minutes at CGK or MNL.

HKG I find slow. In fact, slower than MNL to exit, a KPI on which MNL does a heck of a lot better than BKK, IST, LHR, MEL or SYD to name a few.

And if ground transport is a KPI, MEL rates a minus 10 given it lacks a train. SYD may not be everyone's cup of tea but for me it works well, as I've never had a problem boarding a train at INT or DOM stations even after an overseas trip. Way better than Skybus!

 

[HS-TQE]

Taipei, Singapore, LAX T2 (late 90s), HKG were my better experiences. The only gripe would be the separate gate security at SIN's T1 and T2, although the T3 arrangement were IMO a lot better arrangement (where a group of gates are together under centralised security).

BNE and MEL weren't bad. Functional for what they do, despite recent increased bus gate arrangements at MEL.

Worst Experiences is definitely the old DPS terminal, SYD and MNL.

 

[jb747]

Anywhere in Australia is bad. They have no interest whatsoever in speeding things up. In their minds, if you consider the security check to be unpleasant, then in theirs, it must have been great.

But, in comparison with the USA....Australia is great.

 

[large]

The international arrivals at Adelaide is nothing but a farce. Especially in the morning with CX MH and SQ arrivals in the morning. Departures area "fishbowl" is like waiting at the dentists office. And don't get me started on the pax/taxi pick up and drop area.With the new terminal upgrade underway, anything will be an improvement on what is currently in place.

 

[jetpack]

The capital city airport that sticks out in my mind as being the worst is Kathmandu. There wasn't even enough seats at the waiting area. Most of the capital city airports mentioned in this thread are luxurious in comparison.

 

[p--and--t]

Seems like nobody here has mentioned Victoria Falls in Zambia.

A few years back now - A "wooden hut" of, from memory, 3 rooms. Passengers queuing outside in the sun waiting to have their passports stamped on arrival as there wasn't enough room inside for 737 load. Quite an experience!

 

[Archphoto]

BKK gets a lot of negative reviews on the local forums here in Thailand and SE Asia. Most complaints are exaggerations about the Immigration waiting time (I am still yet to experience the hours of waiting constantly posted. Any queue seems to make the waiting time suddenly triple in people's minds)
The only gripe about BKK is the long distances to walk for most pax. For me it is good exercise and I am usually at a pace to get me ahead of most on my flight at the front of the Immigration queue. Doesn't help when there is a bunch of earlier inbound flights, but its all relative!

I must agree - I'm not sure what they are griping about either. I've experienced worse at SYD immigration during school holidays and almost missed my outbound flight. Immigration couldn't have cared less - "Should have been here earlier!" As I mentally flipped him the bird, I was thinking, "I was on the first flight out of ADL as it was, you cough!"

 

[Archipelago]

.... I mentally flipped him the bird, I was thinking, "I was on the first flight out of ADL as it was, you twit!"

Mentally flipped him the bird, brilliant. Must remember this for future