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Survey ranks Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle and Los Angeles worst airports in the world
These three airports tend to pop up on "worst airport" surveys most of the time, and anyone who frequents any of them will understand why. Heathrow is improving slowly, and the new Terminal Five is making travel through the UK airport a slightly better experience, but the other terminals are still quite a disgrace.
Charles de Gaulle is another dump of an airport. Even though it has invested heavily in some new terminals, there are still plenty of parts of this facility that need to be flattened and built from the ground up.
Los Angeles airport just signed off on a multi-year, multi-billion Dollar renovation plan, which should be completed by 2013. Of course, that still means 4 more years of being in the top three of worst airports in the world.
Singapore Changi, Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok and Amsterdam Schiphol are voted best in the world, and anyone who has spent any time at these airports will understand why. These are the kind of airports where it is actually a treat to be stranded for a couple of hours, unlike places like Heathrow where your only urge is to get the hell out of the place as quickly as possible.
What do you think? Do these airports deserve to be crowned "worst in the world", or do you know of an airport that is even worse? Leave you comments below.
Filed under: Airports
Reader Comments (Page 5 of 5)
SweetMolasses03 Oct 26th 2009 10:25PM
Columbia, South Carolina has a very beautiful airport. Nice, friendly and clean!!!!!
Billybrw Oct 26th 2009 10:58PM
Nothing on this planet can top the dump they call an airport in Philadelphia.Like the rest of Pennsylvania it is a pig sty. The last time the restrooms were clean was when they were 1st built, The employees are rude,dirty and completely uneducated one actually could not read and I mean it had to get help to read a ticket. Like everything else in the state it is always under construction and nothing looks new all junky. You could be carrying a AK-47 over your shoulder and the security people would check your sneakers and let you pass. Never had a flight arrive or leave anywhere within 2 hours of scheduled time. You could walk to your destination quicker.
moeelmore Oct 26th 2009 11:08PM
I think Lax is the worst of all, especially if you have to go from domestic to international --if there is a shuttle how can you find out? You can't. No one knows anything or pretends to be ignorant, the sidewalks are congested like the freeways, and the air is thick enough to eat with a spoon. Arghhh!! Of course places like Baghdad (security asks 'how much for me?") and Amman where moving from one gate to another can be impossible even with an expediter. Try some of the more remote airports where you cannot even be sure the plane will bother to land that day and it can be worse, but given location and amount of traffic, LAX SUCKS WORST.
Judith Oct 26th 2009 11:29PM
Worst airport I've ever been stuck in was Memphis. Supposedly they were renovating but I didn't see any evidence of that the second time I got stuck there. I was trying to get to Louisiana to see my mother for what turned out to be the last time I was to ever see her, got put on a flying tin can that didn't leave the tarmac for over an hour and a half because the co pilot was late! And then there was the additional problem of the plane being overweight.....there was NO way I was getting off that plane unless they were willing to pay me a million bucks. Yeah right. I did finally get there three hours later than projected.
The worst airline has to be United. I went to visit a friend in Florida a few years ago and they lost my luggage. When they did find it several days later, they wanted me to get in a car and drive to the airport which was nearly two hours away. My friend nipped that in the bud when she told them in no uncertain terms that since it was their fault they were going to have to foot the bill and send my bags in a cab and be there in less than two hours because I had a wedding to go to!!! LOL Within the hour a cab pulled up with my bags and clothing intact.
Another difficult airport is in Richmond, VA due to the fact that something there is always under construction. My favorite airport in the DC area is BWI.
JM Foster Oct 26th 2009 11:44PM
Burbank California, a total trash can of an airport!!!!!!
Jay Oct 27th 2009 12:12AM
I concur with any and all negative comments about Miami and Atlanta, and avoid both. I think Philadelphia is worst anywhere. All flights take off late. Runways are overbooked. The new International Terminal is an eternal walk, with indifferent staff, baggage which is always slow/late and never posted correctly, and the rudest passport control and customs staff in the US. I agree with negative remarks about BWI. It used to be a jewel, but now it appears that no one in Baltimore or in Maryland knows how to use a keyboard to post luggage carousels, and the traveller ends up running from carousel to carousel. I always fly Gatwick to the UK. Yes the walks can be long and signage not the best, but it is on time and efficient and I have never had a problem in years of regular flying there. Zurich also pretty good. I like Charlotte Douglas as a US international gateway. Clean and friendly, not overcrowded, immigration and customs people are friendly and welcoming, and efficient.
northern gramma of 5 Oct 27th 2009 1:04AM
Once flew into Memphis early evening and found out my next flight was delayed by several hours. I was very hungry and the wonderful aroma of southern barbecue was in the air. Went to two separate barbecue restaurants where I was seated, given a menu and ignored until I had no choice but to leave. There were maybe two other customers in each restaurant. On the way out I was smiled at by a black waitress and told "you'all come back and see us." So my suggestion is to avoid Memphis, Tennessee like I do now. There are some very rude people working there giving the term "southern hospitality" a bad name.
joel Oct 27th 2009 12:41AM
I always wonder who make up these list of the best and the worste , last year Charles de Gaulle was one of the 5 best .......
But then aol keep on posting that Finland was one of the best and happiest Country in the world , forgetting a well known fact the Finn have 2 major problem one of the highest % of alcohol abuse and one is ranking way on the top in suicide , neither a reflection of Happiness ,.
As for airport each and everyone has it's beauty and problem , aol simply highlight on the negative , Could it be one of the reason they are the fastest crumbling network .
Pete Oct 27th 2009 12:45AM
Fly into and out of L.A. all the time with good results. UAL and Red Carpet are
my savior. Can't imagine how bad it might be to get stuck in the international
terminal which looks like a nightmare right now. Recently experienced the
gawd awful service of Air Canada trying to find luggage in Toronto for 2 days.
They route everything to India. Nice and well intended people, but they were
utterly useless in doing the job and Air Canada Toronto did not give a damn.
Could NEVER speak to a human being in Toronto and they have service
people in their terminal, but NO phone access. United's staff saved the day
and could trace everything from Chicago----AC, you stink!!!
jason Oct 27th 2009 12:50AM
There are two that I think are the worst in the U.S. Newark is hands-down the absolute worst. I NEVER had an on-time departure, and easily had many more late arrivals than on-time. Of course, those late arrivals were the only time my connecting flights left on time- so that I'd have to get a new flight! Plus, getting back and forth between the main concourses and the Continental shuttle terminal- which is always 20 degrees too hot- is a nightmare. Philly takes second only because it's easier to get around and has some good restaurants. BUT!!! It's almost as bad for delays and EVERYONE is a disgruntled jerk! Finding a pleasant person working there is like finding a 5 lb hunk of gold in your yard- possible, but not likely!
Jim Oct 27th 2009 2:26AM
Don't laugh, but when traveling in the midwest I like IND
berry Oct 27th 2009 5:42AM
How did you miss Atlanta/ Hartsfield!? They are rude and inconsiderate and it takes on average 1 hr. to get your luggage if you fly domestically and 2 hrs to get through customs and get your bags if you travel international, and the worst part is they don't give a sh**! Also your bags are often not at the carousel that is indicated on the board and often it has taken so long for your bags to get from your gate to the carousel that your flight has already dropped off the board. I always feel so sorry for international travelers at Hartsfield. They are treated with absolutely no compassion. What ever happened to "Treat others the way you would like to be treated"? or "Southern Hospitality"? Not going to happen at Hartsfield! Atlanta should be completely ashamed of operating such a crappy airport!
I guess when it is all in the family like Atlanta's airport and the local politicians there is really no incentive to improve. As long as all your sons, daughters and cousins all get a paycheck from the gravy train for doing absolutely nothing who needs to care about your customers. Besides you have no competition to worry about and the travelers have no choice so life is good, screw the little people!
ANDREJ Nov 10th 2009 11:50AM
Now that I've been in Asia for eight years, I realize how lucky I am to be among some of the world's best airlines and airports. Somehow it feels like the last bastion of nice airlines with staff who still care, generally.
So my favorite airports skew toward Asia. But besides the perennially awarded Singapore and Hong Kong airports, I think Kuala Lumpur is a great airport in which to transit. Seoul Incheon is a pleasure and Bangkok, although chaotic, has nice, new facilities. Both Shanghai and Beijing are architectural marvels in scale, design, and a little surprisingly, friendliness and speed of immigration officials upon arrival. I think the best by far is Koh Samui's boutique airport with it's fountains on the tarmac, amusement park trams that meet you at the plane, open pavillions, and well-designed seating areas which feel more like a boutique hotel than a departure terminal. I think they do a marvelous job.
Abu Dhabi has a great, modern terminal. Madrid and Amsterdam are my favorites in Europe, especially Madrid.
There are many on the mediocre to horrendous list but some standouts are JFK (immigration officers provide some of the worst arrival experiences I've ever seen and I'm in the US citizen line, God help the rest), LAX, and Heathrow. Charles de Gaulle and Orly are also pieces of work, not in a good way.