What is your favourite Airport?

lufties

In the world, that is.
I have to say Singapore hands down for convenience, efficiency, and facilities.

Other mentions would be BKK (I just like the design). HKG. MUC was good too.

Locker10a

Cringe as this sounds I've always felt an excitement flying through Dublin, mainly for nostalgic reasons.
I love traveling to/from Heathrow, so many variety of aircraft and from all corners of the globe, it truly fascinates me, plus I love T5 and T2!
But my favourite is probably Knock as catching a flight there means home time.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Jawgap

Dublin - it's a sh1thole, but it means I'm home!

Aside from that, Copenhagen and Oslo, would rank highly. And Westray......anywhere where the guy who checks you in is also part of the fire crew (when he's not running the post office) is fine with me

JCX BXC

There is nice character and ease to Shannon airport, but sizeable too, just clean up the baggage collection area and it'd be great.

Cork airport is nice too, efficient, not too big but not tiny either.

Dublin is grand, although the security can be a nightmare and passport control can be annoying if you've public transport to catch.

Chris_5339762

I've always liked Gatwick. I've only flown from the South Terminal with EI and FR, but its always held memories of good trips and rampages.

Plus, over the years I've worked out every back way out of the terminal that I think there is... I'm not sure if the staff know them all! Onto the Sussex Border Path and into the lakeside park.... down onto the public footpath trails and all the way down to the Beehive terminal.

lufties

JCX BXC wrote: »

There is nice character and ease to Shannon airport, but sizeable too, just clean up the baggage collection area and it'd be great.

Cork airport is nice too, efficient, not too big but not tiny either.

Dublin is grand, although the security can be a nightmare and passport control can be annoying if you've public transport to catch.

Shannon is nice and handy true enough, that feeling of being home.

When I lived in hong Kong I had a HK resident ID, coming and going through passport control was super easy, never stuck in queues.

RunRoryRun

Heathrow purely for The Perfectionist Cafe duck topped burger. Rarely find better airport food and takes the sting out of day trips.....

Brego888

Donegal Airport. Stunning.

lufties

RunRoryRun wrote: »

Heathrow purely for The Perfectionist Cafe duck topped burger. Rarely find better airport food and takes the sting out of day trips.....

Is that in T2?

cml387

Shannon. No doubt about it.
Arrive, go down stairs, cross road, get in car, go home.

Locker10a

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

I've always liked Gatwick. I've only flown from the South Terminal with EI and FR, but its always held memories of good trips and rampages.

Plus, over the years I've worked out every back way out of the terminal that I think there is... I'm not sure if the staff know them all! Onto the Sussex Border Path and into the lakeside park.... down onto the public footpath trails and all the way down to the Beehive terminal.

I'd be very familiar with LGW, and I dont think I know half of those exits you mention!!! I have noticed there are a ridiculous amount of secret stairways and exits from the south terminal!

RunRoryRun

lufties wrote:

Is that in T2?

It is - just beside Yo Sushi upstairs near the Aer Lingus lounge....

snowflaker

I like LHR

Oslo airport was cool too.

NutmegGirl

Denver airport is good, newish, easy to get around, quite good selection of shops and restaurants
Duty free bad but that seems to be same in most US airports
Only one international flight landing so you speed through immigration and they're vaguely pleasant which is unusual for US
And the toilets double up as tornado shelters which I was v amused by the first time I saw it

lufties

RunRoryRun wrote: »

lufties wrote:

Is that in T2?

It is - just beside Yo Sushi upstairs near the Aer Lingus lounge....

I used to eat in yo sushi when flying from lhr, quick and easy albeit a bit of a rip off.

lufties

cml387 wrote: »

Shannon. No doubt about it.
Arrive, go down stairs, cross road, get in car, go home.

The flight frequency is a disaster though, Ryanair to lgw return is consistently up around the 400 euro. Then there's fra once a week. Its better than nothing but jeez it could be much better. Its kinda got a weird downtrodden vibe around there, I can't put my finger on it.

faceman

Terminal 2 ain't all that bad to be fair. Once they sort out the lack of male toilets!

San Jose airport in the US is nice too. Never too manic.

I know it's quite different now but back in the day when Aer Lingus flew to it and it wasn't as busy an airport, London City airport was lovely.

A +1 to Dulles too. Definitely the best of the large US hubs.

endacl

Koh Samui Intl. Hands down. Open plan, palm trees, and a girl comes around with free iced pineapple juice if your flight is delayed.

Stephen15

Verona because it had some pretty good offers on booze in the duty free. I think I got 4 bottles of spirits for 50 there cant remember the exact price but very good value.

lufties

faceman wrote: »

Terminal 2 ain't all that bad to be fair. Once they sort out the lack of male toilets!

San Jose airport in the US is nice too. Never too manic.

I know it's quite different now but back in the day when Aer Lingus flew to it and it wasn't as busy an airport, London City airport was lovely.

A +1 to Dulles too. Definitely the best of the large US hubs.

A mate of mine works there, always posting amazing overviews on Instagram.

lufties

endacl wrote: »

Koh Samui Intl. Hands down. Open plan, palm trees, and a girl comes around with free iced pineapple juice if your flight is delayed.

I was gonna give it a mention, pity the island itself is such a let down. Flew into coolangatta in oz years ago, a surf beach right across the road.

Buckmickley

endacl wrote: »

Koh Samui Intl. Hands down. Open plan, palm trees, and a girl comes around with free iced pineapple juice if your flight is delayed.

Yeah it's lovely,I was just going to post it only I saw yours
Koa on the big island Hawaii is similar
Simple,open air with a thatched roof,30c breeze blowing in all the time

smurfjed

Looking at my log10 software shows that i have flown/operated into 73 airports in the last number of years, and that doesn't include the ones that i used for personal travel. So at this stage I hate them all

Danbo!

I'd say DUB T2, decent food options, airy & spacey, clean, etc.

SIN is incredible, there's so much to do and such a massive hub. Butterfly garden, cinema, great range of shops and restaurants. New T2 in LHR is great too, have had a few long-ish layovers there.

Was down under and very impressed with MEL and CHC, but they were on a holiday in between hundreds of business trips, so that might have helped

Always found US airports to be very similar - BOS, JFK, EWR, SFO, ORD - all just long wings of Hudson News stores where a bag of M&Ms are $8.

Absolutely despise AUH. Cramped, busy, serious lack of toilets.

beechwood55

Nice airport. Stunning views.

AndyBoBandy

Probably Heathrow for the sheer scale (I'm aware there are much larger airports), but the variety of aircraft you see at Heathrow is stunning.

Vilnius is also a lovely little airport, the building is fantastic, and a real throwback to the Soviet era.

roundymac

LHR and Cork for me.

Coil Kilcrea

Singapore hands down for me, where to my mind they designed it for people not airplanes. Fast, spotless, easy to navigate and very well designed.

San Diego and Austin in the US, though they've done a very good job on the international terminal in Atlanta.

T5 has always worked well for me.
T2 Dublin can be a bit soulless and T1 constantly improving so I can't complain.

Donegal Storm

Donegal, nice relaxed atmosphere, great scenery and I can show up 20 minutes before departure and still board without breaking sweat

Large airport, probably Singapore with mentions to BKK and Ho Chi Minh. Denpasar in Bali is also interesting, similar to how someone described Koh Samui where it's open to outside

dudara

DUB has improved lots over the years. Always very happy to fly home into DUB. Great views as you land also.

I spend a lot of time in AMS and the renovations have been really good there.

New portion of IAD is very smart

Simon Gruber Says

Munich by far. The forum area with beer garden, different events all year including a Christmas market in December. Has a decent shopping area pre security including a supermarket (pretty much the only one open on a Sunday in Munich too). Also has a great spotters hill and the rail connection to the city is great.

Honourable mention to Cherry Capital Intl in Traverse City, Michigan. Lovely little airport with the terminal surrounded by trees and a kind of log cabin style to the interior. Security takes all of one minute.

L1011

From the small scale ones, Tallinn both has some aesthetic qualities and has a decent mix of facilities. It doesn't even look like an airport building land-side and many of the gates are decorated uniquely. Pier is pretty new, head building which was the entire terminal previously is soviet architecture but of the quality they built to show off so still decent.

Also seems to be able to have an entire section closed off during less busy periods - heating costs would be substantial there for one, makes it feel like less an empty shed when quiet. Its also basically in the city. Pity it hasn't got a tram line though!

Worst small - Leeds

Mid sized airports - Portland PDX is pretty unique. One of the few airports that has a better downtown to airport price ratio than Dublin as the owners made it a clause in lease agreements that you couldn't charge more than downtown. Layout is a bit bad due to predating modern security and it still has the US domestic baggage carousels in the lobby!

Worst mid - no one stands out.

Big airports - I hate all of them realistically. Dublin's in the big airport category now isn't it? That'll do :pac:
Before Gatwick brought in bussing for Irish arrivals I'd have given it to them - could make it from the plane to the train in 9 minutes.

Worst big is definitely Manchester

Comhrá

My favourite international is Sciphol.

Local, 1: Shannon 2: Kerry 3: Cork.

fxotoole

Denver airport. Home of Nazis and Lizardmen Illuminati:

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Denver_Airport_conspiracy_theories

Hanwellian

Heathrow - So many different aircraft types, T2 now handy for Aer Lingus incoming/outgoing flights.

Arrecife- Watching planes come in over the sea/beach, only 30 feet above your head.

lufties

L1011 wrote: »

From the small scale ones, Tallinn both has some aesthetic qualities and has a decent mix of facilities. It doesn't even look like an airport building land-side and many of the gates are decorated uniquely. Pier is pretty new, head building which was the entire terminal previously is soviet architecture but of the quality they built to show off so still decent.

Also seems to be able to have an entire section closed off during less busy periods - heating costs would be substantial there for one, makes it feel like less an empty shed when quiet. Its also basically in the city. Pity it hasn't got a tram line though!

Worst small - Leeds

Mid sized airports - Portland PDX is pretty unique. One of the few airports that has a better downtown to airport price ratio than Dublin as the owners made it a clause in lease agreements that you couldn't charge more than downtown. Layout is a bit bad due to predating modern security and it still has the US domestic baggage carousels in the lobby!

Worst mid - no one stands out.

Big airports - I hate all of them realistically. Dublin's in the big airport category now isn't it? That'll do :pac:
Before Gatwick brought in bussing for Irish arrivals I'd have given it to them - could make it from the plane to the train in 9 minutes.

Worst big is definitely Manchester

Manchester airport is awful, ugly and old.

Chris_5339762

Simon Gruber Says wrote: »

Munich by far. The forum area with beer garden, different events all year including a Christmas market in December. Has a decent shopping area pre security including a supermarket (pretty much the only one open on a Sunday in Munich too). Also has a great spotters hill and the rail connection to the city is great.

I hate Munich, at least all the terminal that Aer Lingus uses. 45 minutes to downtown, grey building, security has no proper area to get ready or clear up, awful smell in the place because of the smoking areas that are never properly sealed and car hire return signage not clear.

VG31

Nuremberg Airport is quite good for a small enough airport. The U-Bahn station is right outside the airport. There were no queues for check-in and short ones for security. I was their at an off-peak time though.

The airport is clean and modern with plenty of seats. The selection of shops is fairly good (including an aircraft model shop!) There was a limited selection of restaurants though. There's a viewing terrace as well I think but I didn't see it.

Dublin Airport is pretty good as well. The free Wi-Fi is the best of any airport I've been in. The selection of shops/restaurants in T1 especially is good. Even in the older parts (Pier 2 and 3) the toilets are clean and reasonably modern. The staff are generally friendly and helpful also. The only bad things are the the long walk to Pier 1, (although I always enjoy seeing the view of the Old Terminal) and the lack of a train connection to the city.

Captain_Crash

Orlando, I love the layout (even though its terrible for moving large numbers of people) and there is a nice tropical feel about it. Nostalgia of course plays a part from traveling there every year on holidays as a kid.

Special shout out also goes to the new Bangkok Airport (I wont attempt to spell it).

Edit: I say new BKK but I've just realised its 11 years old now

lufties

Captain_Crash wrote: »

Orlando, I love the layout (even though its terrible for moving large numbers of people) and there is a nice tropical feel about it. Nostalgia of course plays a part from traveling there every year on holidays as a kid.

Special shout out also goes to the new Bangkok Airport (I wont attempt to spell it).

Edit: I say new BKK but I've just realised its 11 years old now

Ever fly into don muang? Its really old school, I always used think of "banged up abroad" when passing through lol

HeidiHeidi

Brego888 wrote: »

Donegal Airport. Stunning.

Donegal is my favourite hands down - so cute and efficient and friendly. And yes, stunning both in look and situation.

Haven't been to Munich in years but lived there when it opened, and thought it was amazing. Was always gobsmacked by the fact that they closed down the old airport at 1am and opened the new one at 5am miles away - only the Germans could even attempt that

Captain_Crash

lufties wrote: »

Ever fly into don muang? Its really old school, I always used think of "banged up abroad" when passing through lol

No I didn't, I flew into BKK about a month after it opened, and Don Muang had been closed... I believe its open again as a low cost airport as several airlines didn't like BKK (I'm guessing the cost of operating there).. I also remember distinctly having the best Singapore noodle ever there... N.B. this may have something to do with the about of drink that had been lashed into me:P

goingnowhere

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

I hate Munich, at least all the terminal that Aer Lingus uses. 45 minutes to downtown, grey building, security has no proper area to get ready or clear up, awful smell in the place because of the smoking areas that are never properly sealed and car hire return signage not clear.

And the 60 minute wait to crawl through security and immigration at 9am...

lufties

Captain_Crash wrote: »

No I didn't, I flew into BKK about a month after it opened, and Don Muang had been closed... I believe its open again as a low cost airport as several airlines didn't like BKK (I'm guessing the cost of operating there).. I also remember distinctly having the best Singapore noodle ever there... N.B. this may have something to do with the about of drink that had been lashed into me:P

Haha, I flew into don muang at the tender age of 21, one week in phuket, one in phi phi.. Suvarnabhumi is obv much much nicer than don muang, but again its kinda that Dublin T1 vs T2 thing.

Bkk is after going a bit downhill over the years tbh. I spent about 8 hrs there once as I missed a connecting flight..the food\restaurants are very average and overpriced, and there's only one internet cafe in a far corner in check in..security and passport control can be a nightmare too..I do love the layout and design though.

Simon Gruber Says

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Haven't been to Munich in years but lived there when it opened, and thought it was amazing. Was always gobsmacked by the fact that they closed down the old airport at 1am and opened the new one at 5am miles away - only the Germans could even attempt that

They have since done a complete 180 with the absolute shambles that is Berlin Brandenburg. I'm sure it's lovely, but nobody has been through it yet, even though it was due to open nearly a decade ago.

+1 for koh samui !
Could spend a whole holiday in it!

galway rower

I have always liked Brussels Zaventem, but the best to fly into is Santos dumont in Rio de Janeiro if the are landing on runway 02R

lufties

bubblypop wrote: »

+1 for koh samui !
Could spend a whole holiday in it!

I agree, tis better than the island itself

Donegal Storm

lufties wrote: »

Ever fly into don muang? Its really old school, I always used think of "banged up abroad" when passing through lol

Don Mueang has been given a facelift recently, still has the low ceilings and long corridors but check in and security are really easy now. I was just there the other day and went from stepping out of my taxi to airside in 7 minutes and that included checking a bag. It's growing at a ridiculously fast rate though (30 million extra pax in the past 5 years) so I'd imagine it gets pretty crowded.

Boulevardier

I recently used Southampton, and I have to say I loved it.

You can be on a train to Southampton central within 10 minutes of coming down the plane steps. The train platform is literally across a small road from the terminal.

The place is intimate, spacious and unfussed.