10 best Airports in the world (No, DUB is not one of them)

DubDani

According to skytrax these are the 10 best Airports in the World:

1. Hong Kong International Airport
2. Singapure Changi Airport
3. Seoul Incheon Airport
4. Munich Airport
5. Kuala Lumpur International Airport
6. Zuerich Airport
7. Amsterdam Schiphol
8. Vancouver Interbational Airport
9. Kansai International Airport (Japan)
10. Madrid Barajas Airport

Having been to all except Kansai and Madrid i have to agree with the list. I might have put Changi on top, but otherwise accurate list IMO.

I wish DUB was anywhere near any of their standards.

scitpo

The best airports for me are the small dumps that are the least stressful. The sort that you get off the plane to a one room airport, get bags and leave.

csm

seconded.

airports are not somewhere you would choose to stay so the quicker you get in and out the better.

if you're on a stopover and can't leave the airport though, changi would get my vote. plenty of things to do and you gotta love the swimming pool!

AdrianII

what so good about them.

Airports = check in, bum round for a hour or so, relise your flight is delayed, bum round some more then get on plane and leave.

in my opinion there all the same

KBarry

I've been to a good few of them too. Kansai is excellent.

To be fair to DUB the new check-in area for Aer Lingus is very good so there are some signs of progress. Overall though it's still pretty awful.

Ruu_Old

I havent been to that many off the list, Munich Airport is fantastic though.

Jesus Wept

DubDani wrote:

According to skytrax these are the 10 best Airports in the World:


2. Singapure Changi Airport

7. Amsterdam Schiphol

2. Singapure Changi Airport

Was here, but only for an hour, so didn't see much, apparently it has mad stuff like a swimming pool and mad forrest type place, I dunno :eek:


7. Amsterdam Schiphol

I liked it cause you could get proper food, they have a great place that has lots of different pasta's like a deli, you pick out what one you want, choose what weight/size you want, and they will heat it up (if you wish) and bring it over to you with some bread & small side salad (tho the dressing was sickly sweet :eek:):p

It just tasted good and healthy, not like dublin airport, if you eat there, you feel degraded and in need of a shower and a toilet to hug.

Tabnabs

I've spent manys the hour in Schipol and I think if it gets 7th then the airports further down the list must be very average. Schipol is grand, but really not all that impressive or memorable.

TBH, I'm surprised that Copenhagen Kastrup didn't make it onto the list, another place I've spent many hours waiting for transfers and I always enjoyed the atmosphere and facilities (and people watching in Scandinavia is never a disappointing experience ).

Rabies

I was in Hong Kong, Singapore and Amsterdam airports last year.
Singapore wins hands down in my opinion.

carrotcake

I presume they mean Terminal 4 of Madrid airport, which is great. However, I've flown through Terminal 1 with Ryanair and Easyjet, and it's the worst terminal I've ever been through.

Checking in for a flight, it took me ten minutes to find a monitor with check-in information! After security there are loads of shops, but only one "restaurant", serving tiny portions of food that goes cold after five minutes.

But on a positive note, they don't seem to care if you bring on liquids!

DubDani

DubDani wrote:

According to skytrax these are the 10 best Airports in the World:

1. Hong Kong International Airport
2. Singapure Changi Airport
3. Seoul Incheon Airport
4. Munich Airport
5. Kuala Lumpur International Airport
6. Zuerich Airport
7. Amsterdam Schiphol
8. Vancouver Interbational Airport
9. Kansai International Airport (Japan)
10. Madrid Barajas Airport

Having been to all except Kansai and Madrid i have to agree with the list. I might have put Changi on top, but otherwise accurate list IMO.

I wish DUB was anywhere near any of their standards.

I'd heard that skytrax aren't the best anymore as they rely on e-opinion much like trip advisor - so what you got up there probably is a list of their top ten least complained about airports but crucially without the reasons for the feedback so the opinion could be very wrong...

Having said that I've been in 5,7 and 10 and they're not bad.

Trampas

scitpo wrote:

The best airports for me are the small dumps that are the least stressful. The sort that you get off the plane to a one room airport, get bags and leave.

Thats Blackpool airport to a t.

Plane pulls up to the front of the building. Everyone off and everyone on.

I was there and was going to go through the security check and said sorry we are not ready for your flight.

They only handle one flight at a time.

The place is no bigger than a block of houses

Tom Dunne

It's a pity they wouldn't do a list of the 10 worst airports. I am sure Dublin, and possibly Shannon, would but up there with the worst of them.

jester77

They should include the little airports as well, Koh Samui airport is the best I've ever been to!

Mr. Presentable

scitpo wrote:

The best airports for me are the small dumps that are the least stressful. The sort that you get off the plane to a one room airport, get bags and leave.

Yeah. Santa Barbara. Like being in a Hitchcock movie ( without the birds! ). Walk out to the plane, palm trees and sunshine. In room, out room.

Singapore Changi is great. I got a massage there, had a little sleep en route to Australia.

Schipol is my second favourite, wide open spaces, no queues, WiFi everywhere, plenty of room - the total opposite to the zoo that is Dublin Airport.

Dodge

tom dunne wrote:

It's a pity they wouldn't do a list of the 10 worst airports. I am sure Dublin, and possibly Shannon, would but up there with the worst of them.

Probably because you use them most. Dublin's no worse than any other airport I've used (including Madrid Barajas mentioned above)

Dodge

Dodge wrote:

Probably because you use them most. Dublin's no worse than any other airport I've used (including Madrid Barajas mentioned above)

I'd estimate I've been in 30+ airports, some for hours on end on stopovers, and Dublin Airport is horrendous.
It simply cannot cope with the volume of passengers.
Cramped, badly designed, no air circulation, standing room only at the gates... it's a nightmare.
DUB also breaks the record for waiting for bags in my own travelling experience.
I'd love to see it flattened and built again from scratch.

dave2pvd

Deleted User wrote:

I'd estimate I've been in 30+ airports, some for hours on end on stopovers, and Dublin Airport is horrendous.
It simply cannot cope with the volume of passengers.
Cramped, badly designed, no air circulation, standing room only at the gates... it's a nightmare.
DUB also breaks the record for waiting for bags in my own travelling experience.
I'd love to see it flattened and built again from scratch.

Totally agree. I've been in probably over 50 airports - all '1st world'. Dublin is anchored firmly to the bottom of this pile. Levelling it would be an excellent option. Only it's not just the airport - it's the access, the staff, the parking....

I don't mind arriving in DUB - always happy to be home, and escaping the airport doesn't take too long. Departing though; my God departing can be an epic undertaking.

I truly hate the place. It's an embarrasment.

Hawk Wing

Deleted User wrote:

I'd estimate I've been in 30+ airports, some for hours on end on stopovers, and Dublin Airport is horrendous.
It simply cannot cope with the volume of passengers.
Cramped, badly designed, no air circulation, standing room only at the gates... it's a nightmare.
DUB also breaks the record for waiting for bags in my own travelling experience.
I'd love to see it flattened and built again from scratch.

I agree, Dublin when its busy is the biggest ****hole of an airport I was ever in, the food is an insult, no where to sit down in the bars, you could go on..

susanna

I would have put Singapore ahead of Hong Kong, best airport I've been to by a mile!

mickoneill30

Koh Samui in Thailand. That's a cool airport. Small, checkin desks are covered by thatched roofs and they take you out to your plane in something like a golf cart.

Other than that, any airport you check in reasonably quick, don't have to queue for hours at the X-Ray and decent shops near the gates is good in my book. I've never had a problem with Dublin. I must go there at different times to everyone else

jonny68

Gonna take me sometime to list mine, will do it later.:cool:

jonny68

Here are my top 10

Best


1- Dubai - By far and away the best airport ive ever been to,has absolutely everything you ever need, the Duty free is amazing.

2- Amsterdam Schipol

3- London Gatwick...

4- Madrid Barajas

5- JFK New York City

6- Abu Dhabi

7 - Frankfurt Main

8- Barcelona

9- Hamburg

10- Seville San Pablo Airport

and the worst....

1- Crete- Filthy dirty,overcrowded and little or no facilities,avoid.

2- London Heathrow - Nightmare, always to packed.

3-Bournemouth

4-Frankfurt Hahn

5-Istanbul Ataturk

6-Edinburgh

7-Glasgow Prestwick

8-Milan (all of them)

9-Valencia

10-Boston Logan

loads of others as well that ive been to but they are not really worthy of inclusion.

Remo

!!

Wishbone Ash

jonny68 wrote:

and the worst....

1- Crete- Filthy dirty,overcrowded and little or no facilities,avoid

Anyone intending to go to Crete can't really select an alternative though.

jonny68 wrote:

3-Bournemouth

It's so bad it's almost funny. We wanted to play pool there one time but when we asked for cues we were handed out sweeping brush handles. They really muti-task there also. The chap marshalling planes can be seen taking boarding passes, pulling pints and sweeping the runway etc. (A bit like Carrickfinn!)

jonny68 wrote:

10-Boston Logan

Agree, especially the bar in terminal 3(?) - it holds about six people!



Indira Ghandi International in New Delhi is tough going too.

carrotcake

jonny68 wrote:

Here are my top 10

Best

3- London Gatwick...

Gatwick's number 3? You mustn't have flown through there lately! Last time I went the queue for security took an hour, (no exaggeration!) only to find out that one of the four checkpoints were open. The queue went all around the check-in area, up stairs etc. Just finding the end of the queue took ages!

jonny68 wrote:

4- Madrid Barajas

I presume you flew through T4

jonny68 wrote:

7 - Frankfurt Main

I presume you weren't flying to Dublin with Aer Lingus. The walk to the departure gate makes the journey to Dublin Airport's Pier A prefab look like nothing.

Having to go through security twice is a joke. Again, off with the shoes, get the laptop and external hard drive checked for explosives etc etc. Not only that, but there are no shops after the second checkpoint, so forget about taking a drink on the plane with you.

One time I flew, the plane was late arriving in Frankfurt and that part of the airport was closing! Guess what that meant? Going through security for a third time! Only there was nobody there. An hour of queuing later, and the Polizei finally arrived on the scene.

jonny68 wrote:

and the worst....

4-Frankfurt Hahn

Even when I lived in Frankfurt, I preferred flying out of Hahn because of all the walking and security mentioned above.

Darren

jester77 wrote:

They should include the little airports as well, Koh Samui airport is the best I've ever been to!

Agreed, Koh Samui is a very cool airport.

Some of my favourites are -

Hong Kong (Chek Lap Kok). Unfortunatley I never got a chance to go to Kai Tek when it was operational.
Singapore.
The new airport in Bangkok.
Sydney Kingsford Smith.
I actually also like LHR.

CantGetNoSleep

Trampas wrote:

Thats Blackpool airport to a t.

Plane pulls up to the front of the building. Everyone off and everyone on.

I was there and was going to go through the security check and said sorry we are not ready for your flight.

They only handle one flight at a time.

The place is no bigger than a block of houses

a bit like waterford airport too, would fly out of there every week if i could, if it wasn't for relatively few destinations and virtually non existant access roads

Sizzler

mickoneill30 wrote:

Koh Samui in Thailand. That's a cool airport. Small, checkin desks are covered by thatched roofs and they take you out to your plane in something like a golf cart.

Best airport Ive ever been to ! When we arrived there the baggage belt was broken so there was two lads lifting the bags off the trolley and throwing them into the arrivals area. They put a rope around the bags for a few mins and then there was a free for all for 90 people off our flight to go and find their case lol !

Surprised Bangkok's new airport hasnt been mentioned :eek:

Amazing I thought...

jonny68

carrotcake wrote:

.

Gatwick's number 3? You mustn't have flown through there lately! Last time I went the queue for security took an hour, (no exaggeration!) only to find out that one of the four checkpoints were open. The queue went all around the check-in area, up stairs etc. Just finding the end of the queue took ages!

About 2 months ago and no hassle, must be the luck of the draw and all that

I presume you flew through T4

Cant actually remember TBH

I presume you weren't flying to Dublin with Aer Lingus. The walk to the departure gate makes the journey to Dublin Airport's Pier A prefab look like nothing.

Having to go through security twice is a joke. Again, off with the shoes, get the laptop and external hard drive checked for explosives etc etc. Not only that, but there are no shops after the second checkpoint, so forget about taking a drink on the plane with you.

One time I flew, the plane was late arriving in Frankfurt and that part of the airport was closing! Guess what that meant? Going through security for a third time! Only there was nobody there. An hour of queuing later, and the Polizei finally arrived on the scene.



Even when I lived in Frankfurt, I preferred flying out of Hahn because of all the walking and security mentioned above

No id arrived from a flight from Abu Dhabi and then had to get a bus to that awful Frankfurt Hahn airport, like a cowshed it is.:eek:

randylonghorn

Have had a few tight transfers in Madrid Barajas T4, and have found it very stress-free from that point of view ... you can just make a run for it without fear of getting lost, and there's plenty of space.

I try to avoid transfers in Schiphol if I can help it at all, always get lost!

Like a lot of people I prefer the smaller airports ... Tallinn and Helsinki are two that spring to mind for some reason, facilities not great but they're pleasant places as airports go. The hop between the two is funny if you ever have to do it ... the crew finish with the safety demo, you unbuckle and just about have time to stretch before the seatbelt light flashes on for landing!

Darren

There's just been an article in the paper about this -

Skytrax have ran a survey of the best airports in the world. Hong Kong came in as number 1 followed by a tie for second between Seoul and Singapore. Munich came top in Europe followed by Zurich. Vancouver came top in the US and Canada and was the only one form that region in the top 10.

Edit: And now I've reread the original post I feel very silly.

Saintly

Much as I dislike Dublin airport, Frankfurt still remains my own personal version of airport hell. I hate that place. One six hour wait was enough to convince me to reroute my trip home...

jester77

Saintly wrote:

Much as I dislike Dublin airport, Frankfurt still remains my own personal version of airport hell. I hate that place. One six hour wait was enough to convince me to reroute my trip home...

Frankfurt's not that bad, at least there are things to do there, plenty of bars, restaurants, shops, sex shops, etc. and they also have some very nice business lounges. My only gripe with it is when you've to walk the 10km to the end of gate A to catch a flight but I would take it over Dublin any day!

joePC

Ko Samui Thailand - Not much more than a beach hut
Bangkok's "Old" International Airport - A clean dump with corupt security guards who will let you skip Immigration for $20 (True Story)

demosuzki

As big airports go

Amsterdam
Copenhagen
Stockholm (arlanda)

are all pretty decent to spend a few hours if you have too

I hate with a passion
dublin. takes all the fun out of a weekend away.
Chicago (queues)
Heathrow (queues)
Munich and Frankfurt . long walks and busses to planes

Terrontress

I think London City is my favourite airport in terms of hassle free transport. The bags take no time to come off the plane. You can be on the DLR 15 minutes after the plane hits the tarmac and be in central London 15 minutes after that.

I love Frankfurt Airport in terms of a big exciting place with loads of shops, staff whizzing round on bicycles.

Has anyone ever looked on Google Earth at the abandoned USAF base in the grounds of Frankfurt Airport? It is like a ghost town. Cool.

Milktrolley

Was anyone else not a little unimpressed with the duty free in Munich? Forget the exact set up they had but there wasn't all that much in terms of food options and feck all shops there. Forget what gate we flew out from naturally enough and to be honest I can't remember the airport all that well but I do recall being very, very bored and hungry there on our outbound journey.

Any thoughts on Prague? I was well impressed with the 'Cedaz' set up they had there to get you into the city. So easy to find and the price was ridiculously reasonable. Haven't been to all that many airports but it seemed to stand out.

Zebra3

scitpo wrote:

The best airports for me are the small dumps that are the least stressful. The sort that you get off the plane to a one room airport, get bags and leave.

^^Totally agree!!!

As mentioned above, Cph + Arlanda would be two of the best bigger airports.

shane86

I have about 80 mins (assuming the plane arrives on time) to get a connecting flight to Prague in Frankfurt Hahn on Sept 11th (headin to Czech for the match). Dont like the long walk reviews here Just wondering but exactly what type of recourse/treatment do you get if you miss a connecting flight due to flight delays? (flying Dublin to Frankfurt with Lufthansa, onwards to Prague on a diff plane, also with Lufthansa, 260 return not too bad)

As for airport reviews, meh, for me they are just a place to get in and get out of a country. Would have to say Prestwick and Bristol are a bit drab/small but tbh i could care less, you go abroad for the sights of a city, not its airport. As long as it has a bar i couldnt care less

randylonghorn

In my experience, you're generally better off if your connection is with the same airline ... I would mention it to cabin crew on your first leg, at the very least they may be able to give you some info about what gate / how to get there / etc.

After that, I'm afraid I'm not familiar with Frankfurt Hahn, sorry! Hope all works out ....

jester77

shane86 wrote:

I have about 80 mins (assuming the plane arrives on time) to get a connecting flight to Prague in Frankfurt Hahn on Sept 11th (headin to Czech for the match). Dont like the long walk reviews here Just wondering but exactly what type of recourse/treatment do you get if you miss a connecting flight due to flight delays? (flying Dublin to Frankfurt with Lufthansa, onwards to Prague on a diff plane, also with Lufthansa, 260 return not too bad)

As for airport reviews, meh, for me they are just a place to get in and get out of a country. Would have to say Prestwick and Bristol are a bit drab/small but tbh i could care less, you go abroad for the sights of a city, not its airport. As long as it has a bar i couldnt care less

Lufthansa don't fly to Hahn, so I take it you are flying into Frankfurt Main?
If you are booked under the one reservation number then you should be able to get the boarding cards for your 2 flights in Dublin. I'm not sure what their policy on baggage is now as most airlines now just operate point to point but you might be able to check luggage through. Ask at the checkin desk. 80 mins is lots of time, especially if you have your boarding card. If your running late inform the air stewards and they might be able to have a buggy at the gate to transfer you over, Lufthansa are usually fairly sound!

TravelJunkie

mickoneill30 wrote:

Koh Samui in Thailand. That's a cool airport. Small, checkin desks are covered by thatched roofs and they take you out to your plane in something like a golf cart.

Other than that, any airport you check in reasonably quick, don't have to queue for hours at the X-Ray and decent shops near the gates is good in my book. I've never had a problem with Dublin. I must go there at different times to everyone else

MUST AGREE that Koh Samui airport is something you have to experience at least once in your life!! Once you're not scared to fly in a questionable propeller plane!

Carawaystick

Inis Oirr - Best. Airport. Ever. 3 min turnaround.

I think Hahn is not bad. Good food in the resteraunt, good beer. bit of a stroll to the bus stop. t'was a bit slow before the new security gates opened but not a problem now.

Just don't be going to Frankfurt...

Rabies

After flying in to Waterford airport today, I can confirm that it is the worst I have ever experienced.

I knew things would be bad when a tractor lawnmower and trailer removed our bags from the plane.
No shop, currency exchange or atm in the building.
It had a third world feel

Wishbone Ash

Rabies wrote:

a tractor lawnmower and trailer removed our bags from the plane.

That must have been a sight to behold - were there no baggage staff?