Name the airports you have been to.
Which is the best?
The Worst?
Airports?
Discussion in 'Travel Forum' started by SaggyWoman, Apr 24, 2002.
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OKC=Oklahoma City
DFW=Dallas/FtWorth
SLC=Salt Lake City
Memphis
CLT=Charlotte
KC=Kansas City
Newark
Warsaw, Poland
L'viv, Ukraine
The worst, by far, was L'viv, Ukraine. Unless you have been overseas, you would never understand.
The best? Hmmmm. I like Charlotte, but I like KC. -
I used to dislike DFW, since it felt like I had 30 minutes between connecting flights every time I passed thru there. But now my least favorite airport is Houston Hobby--HOU. If I need to go between Concourse A and C to make a connection, I have to go thru security enroute.
I don't really have any favorites, but for sentimental reasons it would have to be San Antonio--SAT, simply because it is my home-town airport :D
Atlanta--ATL is not as bad as I thought. My only peeve is that the underground people movers are always crowded, and the doors can close in a hurry.
Birmingham--BHM is a nice alternative to Atlanta. Plus it has some pretty good eateries.
Nashville--BNA probably has the best airport food I've ever had. Plus I have lucked out on several occasions with an almost 4-hour layover between connecting flights(RDU to BHM on Southwest). Although the last time I passed thru BNA, one of my bags got accidentally transferred to a Columbus, OH, bound flight. I did reclaim this lost bag, however, the next day in Houston.
Memphis--MEM has expensive parking. And depending on where you're going a limited selection of dirt-cheap fares.
Jackson, MS--JAN offers free parking in the long-term lot during Christmas break and Spring break.
Raleigh-Durham--RDU has a good deal on long-term parking, but it fills up quickly during holidays.
Greensboro/Piedmont Triad--GSO is like MEM in that it has a limited choice of dirt-cheap routes, but the courtesy shuttle takes you directly between your car and the terminal. -
St. Louis
O'Hare - Chicago
Kansas City
Denver
Larimie, WY
Detroit
Minneapolis - I'm having brain fade on how to spell it.
Boston
San Francisco
Dallas/Ft. Worth
Milwaukee
Rockford
Don't really have an opinion on Best/Worst. To me an airport is an airport.
Bill -
NYC -- LaGuardia, Kennedy, Newark
Miami
Detroit
Columbus, OH
Denver (old and new)
Colorado Springs
Salt Lake City
Phoenix
Albuquerque
Seattle-Tacoma
Memphis
Dallas/Ft Worth
San Antonio
Chicago (Midway and Ohare)
Minneapolis
Green Bay
Atlanta
Charlotte
Greenville/Spartanburg, SC
Pittsburgh
Toledo, OH
Buffalo, NY
Charleston, WV
Raleigh-Durham
Des Moines, IA
Scottsbluff, NE
Las Vegas
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Warsaw, Poland
Vilnius, Lithuania
Cancun, Mexico
Nassau, Bahamas
Wow ... didn't realize there was this many.
Best?? IMO, Probably Pittsburgh (best food selection of the one's I have spent much time at) and to me, pretty well laid out. 5 spokes off a main hub with only one out terminal for commuter I believe. Pretty nice shops to kill time in. Las Vegas was nice if you like the sound of coins hitting the slot machines.
Worst?? Well you can't go wrong with eastern bloc countries as someone already said. All the overseas airports that I have been to have been less than nice, IMO. Vilnius was the worst without a doubt, but not far behind Warsaw. Sao Paulo would be the best of those.
US Worst?? Of the big airports, probably my own local Detroit takes the cake though the midfield terminal is very nice.
[ April 25, 2002, 01:17 PM: Message edited by: Pastor Larry ] -
DFW Dallas-Fort Worth
DAL Dallas Love
ABQ Albuquerque
MAF Midland-Odessa
ELP El Paso
PHX Phoenix
LBB Lubbock
LIT Little Rock
IAH Houston Hobby
AUS Austin
COS Colorado Springs
IAD Washington Dulles
ATL Atlanta
American airports are basically the same, varying mostly in size. I am sure foreign airports can be quite different.
The biggest difference to me, then, is the convenience of ground transportation. I found the most confusing driving and directions around Atlanta and DC; although my locality, DFW, might well be the most confusing to someone unfamiliar to the area. My most frequent destinations, Phoenix and Albuquerque, are quite good in that way. -
Budapest!
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I have flown in/out of the airports in all 50 states and, in many of those states, have been in more than one airport (NY had 7 and California 8 different ones I've used).
BEST US SMALL AIRPORTS - Colorado Springs, with the best restaurants, close parking, easy rental car.
Honorable mention to Dallas Love, South Bend, Oshkosh, LA's John Wayne, Eugene, Atlanta's Peach Tree, Fairbanks
BEST US LARGE AIRPORTS - Phoenix Sky Harbor, with the best taco salad in America, along with good weather (no delays)
Honorable mention to Kansas City, Salt Lake, BWI
WORST US SMALL AIRPORTS - Sturgis, South Dakota planes have to buzz the runway to scare away wild life (deer and bikers) and squawk on the radio to turn on lights. Orville & Wilbur still fly there.
Dishonorable mention to Beckly, West Virginia - built on a leveled out hilltop, never more scared at an approach in my life. And Concord CA,
WORST US LARGE AIRPORT - Cincinnati, which is actually in Kentucky and no where near Cincinnati. Long walks to everywhere; nothing beautiful to look at or do. And Denver, terminal B is 2.2 miles long from one gate to the commuter flights at the other end. You can figure out which gate I usually land at when I have close connections. Spent more nights in Denver hotels courtesy of United . . .
Dishonorable mention to Ohare, Atlanta Hartsdale, DFW, Minneapolis-St Paul construction zone, Miami (where few spoke English), LAX, Honolulu and SEATAC
And 36 foreign nations.
BEST FOREIGN AIRPORTS - Beijing, China. Clean, well-run, signs in every language, and easy access to mass transport. Didn't stop to eat there, but noticed a McDonald's and Hard Rock across the street.
London's Gatwick (NOT Heathrow). Tube station attached to zip into town. More laid back and well marked.
WORST FOREIGN AIRPORTS - Amman, Jordan. Don't run the escalators or A/C in the new terminal because it would wear them out and they would have to be replaced. Planes sit on runways waiting for last passenger to show up - waited four hours before taking off, surrounded by chain-smoking arab terrorists.
Leningrad (St. Petersburg) was the scariest. Weapons at the ready, intense body search (made El Al look bush league), no system for moving luggage, people, traffic. Ugly than home-made sin.
Leonardo da Vinci (Rome) which is actually 30 kms from Rome and you have to take an expensive cab or a train and underground to get anywhere. And loud cussing Italians act like it's their country.
Hong Kong old airport. Fly right between high-rise buildings. Skidded off the runway once when landing during a typhoon.
Beirut - Landed and forced to take off because of mortar attacks. Happy to kiss the ground in Damascus!
Dredging up memories of 40 years flying. -
Um, here goes.
Jacksonville
Miami
Puerto Rico
St. Kitts
Nevis
Best one, Miami (probably because I got to rest here) Puerto Rico was pretty good too.
Worst-St. Kitts or Nevis. Both equally bad. Bad experiences in Jacksonville, they wanted to send me to Mexico instead of Nevis. -
Houston ,George Bush Intercontinental
Houston Hobby
Cozumel, Mexico
Cancun, Mexico
Dallas/Ft. Worth
San Antonio, Texas
Phoenix, Arizona
San Diego, Ca
Denver, Co
Laguardia (New York City)
John F. Kennedy, NYC
New Orleans, La
Reno, Nevada
Jackson Hole, Wy
Salt Lake City, Ut
Detroit, Mi
Orlando, Fl
Gatwick, London, England
Rome, Italy
Athens, Greece
Paris, France
Honolulu, Hi
Maui, Hi
Anchorage, Al
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Raleigh, NC
Salt Lake City was bad because they destroyed my luggage putting it on my flight to Wyoming. I spent the night in SLC and my luggage was fine when I gave it to them the next day for my flight to Wyoming. However,when I arrived in Wyoming and I picked up my luggage,it was totally bent up and my clothes were hanging out of it.I guess the mormons knew it was a baptist suitcase!
Athens was also a bad airport but I was there in 1982 so it may have changed. Soldiers walked around with machine guns and weren't friendly towards Americans.
However, all American airports are different today because of 9-11 and so the lines are longer and security is tougher at the airports I have flown out of recently. I even missed a connecting flight in another city because it took so long to get out of security at the NYC airport and for our plane to get clearance to fly to our connecting city. -
Was in Athens a couple years back. They now have 2 separate terminals (north and south) and you often have to bus between them. Grr.
And the attitude toward ANY foreigner stinks. Can hardly wait for the Olympics. Think the airport will be a major problem.
Sorry to hear about your Delta Connection to Wyoming. That kind of abuse of luggage is usually reserved for United's Denver terminal, the most destructive baggage system in the world.
I have all new luggage thanks to United. In four years they destroyed a large hard-sided suitcase, large soft sider, swear they dropped bowling balls on my balistic plastic roll-on case, and got my suit bag back sans clothes, but a 767 tire tread right across it. Think it dropped out on the runway and some jet backed over it.
My stuff was all cheap, but they did American Tourister or Samsonite replacements. -
Dulles is the worst in my book hands down. Flew in Sun afternoon and out last night. The place is pathetic. The newer part is OK and fairly clean but I cant stand getting on those elevated people movers. Also why dont they have a crown room?
I am not sure which is the best but I really like that little airport in Greensboro, NC. -
Tucson, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Dallas, TX
San Antonio, TX
St. Louis, MO
Atlanta, GA
Chatanooga, TN
Ft. Myers, FL
Tampa, FL
Raleigh, NC
Best: Phoenix. Love the drive in, love the drive out, love the way the terminals are layed out, and when they finsih the construction, it will look really nice.
Worst: Tampa. Whats up with having to ride the train thing from the terminals to the food places? This is also the airport I had to go through back in September. Flew in on the 8th, returned on the 15th...and their security was very poor...
But, San Anotnio is also a nice place to fly into, as it is also my home Airport at this point in time. -
Lets see... this could be a long list
Los Angeles
Reno
Lake Tahoe
Albquerque
Dallas-Fort Worth
Houston-Intercontinental
Denver(Stapleton)
Green Bay, WI
Chicago O'Hare
Detroit
Indianapolis
Cincinnati
Minneapolis
Atlanta
Jacksonville
Raleigh-Durham
Greensboro
Dulles
Washington National
Hagerstown
Baltimore-Washington
New York, both LGA and JFK
Pittsburgh
Newark
Savannah
Charleston, SC
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Port of Spain, Trinidad
Honolulu, Hawaii
Birmingham, England
Frankfurt, Germany
Best Airports: Frankfurt, Germany (New terminal)
, Dallas Fort Worth,
Worst Airports: Charleston, SC; Montego Bay, Jamaica, Hagerstown, MD -