Worst airports one should avoid

[boomy]

How would you avoid CDG?
Do you prefer ORY?

And please don't even suggest avoiding Paris!
That is simply unthinkable!

I wouldn't suggest avoid visiting any city just because it's airport is terrible.

Haven't been to ORY in years but from memory it was slightly nicer than CDG. I tried to book some short-haul flights via ORY but seems it serves mostly LCCs these days.

Btw forgot to mention FCO as another airport to avoid in EU.

 

[drron]

How would you avoid CDG?
Do you prefer ORY?

And please don't even suggest avoiding Paris!
That is simply unthinkable!

I would though suggest avoiding the combination of Paris and BA.Flown into CDG and ORY on BA and every time have had luggage no shows.Never doing that combination again.

 

[TomVexille]

I'm guessing that the author has never been to MDW

 

[RooFlyer]

How would you avoid CDG?
<snip>!

Easy. TGV

 

[Groundfeeder]

Rome (FCO) gets very bad press in Skytrax reviews but we found it pleasant enough last month. Slightly amazed our CX 777 parked at standoff bay on arrival and bussed to terminal but cleared customs etc ok to find a MASS of limo drivers holding up their pax names. Departure was ok despite slow security screening. New terminal (accessed by robot train ala HK) comfortable and enjoyed Italian flair with their washroom "gesture" handwash process from concealed utensils! Departure delayed 30 min due late aircraft but from airstairs.

 

[Hvr]

I've been cogitating about the title and think it means which airports should I ensure I attend.

After all if they were bad airports then they would be the "best airports to avoid" (or to rephrase it, 'airports best avoided') rather than "worst airports to avoid".
[h=2][/h]

 

[Maca44]

I previously advised friends to avoid LAX at all costs as the TSA treat you like a criminal even before entering the USA, however, the last two times I have arrived at USA through LAX they were polite and I was through immigration and security in quick time. It was the usually early morning arrival time, but they did seem to have their act together. I may have just got them on two good days of the year.

I really do like America and have now travelled the majority of it. When people have said they 'hated' America, my reply is what part of Los Angeles did you visit. Outside of any large city, the people are great and the scenery better. I explain to them that if you simulate the USA as the human body, then think of LAX as the ***hole.

 

[dajop]

I previously advised friends to avoid LAX at all costs as the TSA treat you like a criminal even before entering the USA, however, the last two times I have arrived at USA through LAX they were polite and I was through immigration and security in quick time. It was the usually early morning arrival time, but they did seem to have their act together. I may have just got them on two good days of the year.

I've heard good things about TBIT arrivals now, but a couple of weeks ago arrived on UA from PVG, my first international arrival into LAX in 9 years. It seemed nothing had changed, and glad I had APEC card (the foreigner and Global Entry queues both seemed quite long). Domestic departure from T8 and the UA lounge met my very low expectations.

However, my ultimate departure was from TBIT and was pleasantly surprised. Much better than previous experiences (last international departure from LAX was about 4-5 years ago).

 

[Foreigner]

I've been cogitating about the title and think it means which airports should I ensure I attend.

After all if they were bad airports then they would be the "best airports to avoid" (or to rephrase it, 'airports best avoided') rather than "worst airports to avoid".
[h=2][/h]

Mute point. I believe posters so far have listed worst of the airports that should be avoided.

 

[Hvr]

Mute point. I believe posters so far have listed worst of the airports that should be avoided.

I'll remain silent about your comment, anything further would be moot at best.

 

[ShaneN]

LAX and Darwin airport are the pits

Seems a bit of a generalisation. LAX, or specifically TBIT, is a lot better than it used to be before the renovations. Paid my first visit to DRW in many years in July. Apart from a long queue for security the airport terminal was very pleasant, as was the rest of the trip. I lived in DRW in the late 80s and early 90s when the terminal was still in the WWII hangar with no air conditioning on the southern side of the runway. Now that was the pits.

 

[RooFlyer]

Seems a bit of a generalisation. LAX, or specifically TBIT, is a lot better than it used to be before the renovations. Paid my first visit to DRW in many years in July. Apart from a long queue for security the airport terminal was very pleasant, as was the rest of the trip. I lived in DRW in the late 80s and early 90s when the terminal was still in the WWII hangar with no air conditioning on the southern side of the runway. Now that was the pits.

Ah, we can share memories about the 'old' terminal at DRW! WW2 bullet holes and all.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Shouldn't this thread be titled "best airports to avoid"?


Eta: ignore, HVR beat me to it..

 

[Foreigner]

Shouldn't this thread be titled "best airports to avoid"?


Eta: ignore, HVR beat me to it..

I reckon the aye's have it. Moderator change thread title, por favor.

 

[theblank]

Bali (DPS) for transit should be avoided if the next leg is a domestic flight.
clearing customs and getting to domestic terminal can be utter kaos and long queues at peak times.

Things may improve once the Terminal rebuilds are completely finished. (if not already)

 

[ShaneN]

I reckon the aye's have it. Moderator change thread title, por favor.

Do not fully agree. Reflecting the rather garbled English of the article linked in the original post, perhaps the title should be "Most worst airports you should avoid."

I do not usually like to laugh at unintentionally bad expression by people who are not native English speakers, as I would hate anyone to try to interpret anything I write in any other language. However this was posted on the web, so I think it is OK to laugh. I particularly like the sentence on Sao Paulo:
"There is a very few number of people working at the airport and therefore there is a lack of staff."

Or the reference to JFK as "one of the ugliest airports of the world" below a photo of the Saarinen designed former TWA terminal, one of the world's most famous pieces of modern architecture.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Do not fully agree. Reflecting the rather garbled English of the article linked in the original post, perhaps the title should be "Most worst airports you should avoid."

I do not usually like to laugh at unintentionally bad expression by people who are not native English speakers, as I would hate anyone to try to interpret anything I write in any other language. However this was posted on the web, so I think it is OK to laugh. I particularly like the sentence on Sao Paulo:
"There is a very few number of people working at the airport and therefore there is a lack of staff."

Or the reference to JFK as "one of the ugliest airports of the world" below a photo of the Saarinen designed former TWA terminal, one of the world's most famous pieces of modern architecture.

I wouldn't pick on the poor English in and of itself but it seems a bit ridiculous considering the author warns people away from French airport "Paris" Beauvais-Tillé because the staff don't speak English.

 

[boomy]

I wouldn't pick on the poor English in and of itself but it seems a bit ridiculous considering the author warns people away from French airport "Paris" Beauvais-Tillé because the staff don't speak English.

I can maybe agree with you on Beauvais-Tillé but when I landed in CDG, a major international airport and asked a police officer directions to the nearby Hilton she answered very rudely in English "I don't speak English!" and walked away.
Another incident, this time at Hilton CDG, when the staff at breakfast couldn't understand any English at all so my strong latte order was translated to hot chocolate!

There is a valid reason why so many tourists complain about the French attitude to those who can't speak their language, especially when it happens at international airports or big (American) chain hotels.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

I can maybe agree with you on Beauvais-Tillé but when I landed in CDG, a major international airport and asked a police officer directions to the nearby Hilton she answered very rudely in English "I don't speak English!" and walked away.
Another incident, this time at Hilton CDG, when the staff at breakfast couldn't understand any English at all so my strong latte order was translated to hot chocolate!

There is a valid reason why so many tourists complain about the French attitude to those who can't speak their language, especially when it happens at international airports or big (American) chain hotels.

I am at a loss to understand why anyone expects French people to speak English.
Have you ever tried asking for directions in French at any Australian airport?
Have you ever tried ordering breakfast in French in any big chain hotel in Australia?

Parisians are also at a loss to understand why tourists - especially Americans - assume they speak English.
I have seen so many Americans walk up to Parisians and start speaking English, expecting the Parisians to understand them.
And then they wonder why the Parisians are rude in response!
Often - though not always - simply making the effort to ask "Parlez-vous Anglais?" is all it takes to elicit a more friendly reaction.
Assuming someone in another country - where they speak their own very respectable language with a rich history - can speak English is extremely arrogant.

Yes CDG is a major international airport but English is not the only international language.

Incidentally I had the opposite problem during a recent stay at the Hilton Paris Opéra - staff who wanted to speak English!
When I am in France I try to NEVER speak English because it interferes with my capacity to speak French.

Also I am not sure it is the responsibility of police officers to give tourists directions, or that Australian police would always be willing to play tour guide, even if you asked them in English.
I can't imagine we have many police officers who could give you directions in French!
Although there could be a few in Sydney's inner east where there is a sizeable francophone community.

 

[drron]

I can maybe agree with you on Beauvais-Tillé but when I landed in CDG, a major international airport and asked a police officer directions to the nearby Hilton she answered very rudely in English "I don't speak English!" and walked away.
Another incident, this time at Hilton CDG, when the staff at breakfast couldn't understand any English at all so my strong latte order was translated to hot chocolate!

There is a valid reason why so many tourists complain about the French attitude to those who can't speak their language, especially when it happens at international airports or big (American) chain hotels.

Which is why I always start with my excruciating French.Almost always the answer will be in English.I guess they just don't want to hear their language being murdered.
It happened that way at CDG when I asked a policeman the way to the Hilton after the Avis guy had me going in totally the wrong direction.