What makes a terrible airport

[codash1099]

According to Lonely Planet (with a bit of tongue in cheek)

What makes a terrible airport (and what would make an amazing one) - Lonely Planet

 

[harvyk]

Biggest gripe is arriving on a 1am flight, departing on a 6am flight, stuck airside international side and no place to buy a coffee (with all lounges closed)...

Also dislike seeing huge markups (for the times when there is no lounge), I think the best I'd seen was a cafe in HKG, who was selling a small bottle of water for more than the cost of my dinner (with drink) the night before.

 

[eastwest101]

Some of the other points are applicable to airports we are familiar with, but the article omitted the big bugbear of "thou shalt build the international terminal as far away and as inconveinently located from the other domestic terminals as you can".

Seems like lack of seating is getting worse - as a result of airports becoming shopping malls I would suspect. Almost new terminals are still being designed and built which are unable to "grow" reasonably naturally or without totally disruptive building works. Or original efficient designs being sabotaged by subsequent mindless security theatre. ie ADL airport drop off

I also love been security screened as you come off the apron into the MEL terminal and are left outside standing around and unescorted on the tarmac due to the slow screening (Rex arrivals at MEL). Their point about inconsistent/duplication of security screening is a fair one as well.

 

[cmon0005]

Airports that make you line up to Transit to another International flight and have to go through another security/level, rather than a SIN approach where you can freely walk up to a Transfer desk and not have to change levels etc.

 

[brett-au]

Snow, followed by fog and typhoons. I've only been to ORD in summer (and enjoyed the experience), I can't imagine why its such an important hub with such horrible winters.

 

[harvyk]

Seems like lack of seating is getting worse - as a result of airports becoming shopping malls I would suspect. Almost new terminals are still being designed and built which are unable to "grow" reasonably naturally or without totally disruptive building works. Or original efficient designs being sabotaged by subsequent mindless security theatre. ie ADL airport drop off

I don't mind that airports are becoming indistinguishable from shopping malls. I normally hate just browsing shops as I feel it's a waste of time, but when I have a couple of hours to kill anyway...

 

[eastwest101]

I don't mind that airports are becoming indistinguishable from shopping malls. I normally hate just browsing shops as I feel it's a waste of time, but when I have a couple of hours to kill anyway...

Oh I agree - sometimes there are things that people may or have to buy - and I don't have a problem with that at all. Its when the retail space takes away from space that was previously useful as public seating/waiting areas or other important airport related stuff that I was more alluding to. Or the other case, where retail impedes the pedestrian traffic flow like SYD Int departures for instance....

 

[erkpod]

I hate it when they try & funnel you through a duty free store like they do at Sydney's T1.

 

[scarfinn]

I was in a beautiful island Tiamen Island, Malaysia in 03, around 60 seats on the prop a/c arrived to find the tractor that pulls the baggage barrow broken and the bag bloke sick. I climbed in the hold and got all the bags out, only about 20', a few people pulled the barrow to the terminal and we took our bags to the customs/tourism processing counter where they charged us a baggage handling fee, absurd but very funny, was a great holiday

 

[lovestotravel]

Any that Qantas used to operate too and now only Jetstar do

 

[RooFlyer]

My beefs are pretty similar to the negatives in the LP article, but in particular:


* Airports that don't manage the taxi pax queues competently ! Some dork in 'control' who hasn't a clue: holds people up when there are empty taxis waiting, allows chaos in arriving/departing taxis, holds the entire queue up while they berate a driver ... we've all seen it.

* Where you are shamelessly being funneled through Duty Free as an obstacle course (as in the MEL Int departures or SYD arrivals).

* Not enough seating at departure gates - replaced by juice bars & coffee shops

* Multiple security check points (eg at terminal building entrance; then at the entrance to the check-in area; then again to go 'airside' - such as at most airports in Morocco). Yes, I know its for my own security, but it would not be so annoying if it wasn't so easily able to be gone-around.

* Very expensive food & bev. Not least because of rapacious airport owners charging not just rents but a % of profits.

* Stupid, confusing and/or inadequate signage (FRA, I'm looking at YOU!)

* Extortionate parking fees (SYD!!)

 

[michaelj]

Everything about CDG

 

[cirqueboy]

What constitutes a bad airport is debatable depending on the region you fly into. Here are my top 5 bad regions/airports and the reason why, in no particular order, just bad full stop:

1. Any Mexican Airport. There is a dispute with the baggage union that is never ending. You can collect your luggage from the carousel and put in on a trolley to clear customs, however, as soon as you leave the secure area, you need to unload your luggage from your trolley, leave your trolley behind the barricades and either pay a porter to transport your luggage for you or schlep it yourself. Screwed up situation #1.

2. USA. I get that we need to collect our luggage and that everyone coming in is a potential terrorist, just don't make me feel like a terrorist for coming to your country, and at the same time as you treat me as a terrorist, no I am NOT giving you a tip. Treat me like a human being and I might sling you a couple of bucks. Screwed up situation #2

3. Canadian Border Protection. I have a Permanent Resident Visa. I can come and go as I please. The reason for my "visit" to Canada is None Of Your Business. Bugger Off. Screwed up situation #3

4. A Visa for Brazil and Brazilian Federal Police at the airport. You just hosted the World Cup and are about to host the Olympic Games. Do you really want to process that many Visa's? Getting through your Immigration on a legitimate work visa is bad enough, do you really need to make it worse? Come on Brazil, get it together. Screwed up situation #4

5. LHR. Come on guys. Really? Screwed up situation #5

 

[seritonin]

Airports are generally a bore anyway, but what makes a great airport (CPH, my favourite!) includes orderly transfer, functional and great design, fantastic shopping and dining, friendly custom officers and easy and cheap to get to from the city.

 

[RooFlyer]

<snip>

3. Canadian Border Protection. I have a Permanent Resident Visa. I can come and go as I please. The reason for my "visit" to Canada is None Of Your Business. Bugger Off. Screwed up situation #3

<snip>

Entering Canada with a work colleague of mine, a regular Canadian citizen - a Newfie, so has the 'Attitude'

For some reason immigration guy at the counter starts asking questions about where he's come from and why he's flown a certain (circuitous) route in USA to get to the airport. Colleague looks the guy in the eye and says (for all to hear): "I'm a citizen. Let me in."

Risky, but magnificent!!

They did.

 

[cirqueboy]

Yeah, that's my standard too. Got hassled at YVR a few months back, young girl all high and mighty. Just pointed her to my visa and showed my id for my QC company and all was good.

I find that going the business trip usually works better than the resident option. Go Figure. Confused.

 

[burrco]

Macquarie.

 

[mushez]

First for me would be no free Wifi/difficult to access Wifi. No one is going to go park in range of piggy backing on any airports Wifi without it costing them a bomb in parking to do so. We are so accustom to having internet 24/7 that when transiting 2-3 hours through an airport (HKG/SIN) we don't want to go through 5 minutes of hoops to get a quick connection between flights. But I find they all do it and only get hit by HKG and SIN, as the others I fly through, I have current SIM cards for and just use mobile data - but they are also my final destinations/departure points.

Power Points is second for me. CAN is the worst I have experienced, where in the international terminal the only option to get a plug, is to unplug the communal TV for the lounge. They are not hard to get fitted. However flying EK mostly these days, I am fully charged up onboard that the lack of power points isn't as much of a big deal.

Third would be over priced/cough food. Just refuse to buy/pay and go without.

Fourth for me would be AKL and the non enforcement of "no smoking" areas outside. I don't want to land and walk outside to everyone's second hand smoke cause they can't be coughd to walk the extra 10 meters or so to the designated smoking areas.

 

[bachelorarbeit]

Airports are generally a bore anyway, but what makes a great airport (CPH, my favourite!) includes orderly transfer, functional and great design, fantastic shopping and dining, friendly custom officers and easy and cheap to get to from the city.

Would consider ZRH as one of the greatest airports as well! For the same reasons

 

[Major]

Macquarie.

Yes...nothing like having a shopping mall, profitable parking areas etc. and an inconvenient runway in the middle of it