God I hate airports

[bironi]

The big uns should be shut down for air quality by the EPA. If only Mr. Pruitt had to breathe the same toxic mix.

[bironi]

Currently at Denver, greeted by mold smell, then aviation fuel odors and exhaust.

[Saab2000]

then aviation fuel odors and exhaust.

And here I thought you were going to complain about wildly inadequate and poorly serviced lavatory facilities, wildly inadequate gate area seating, simultaneous airport announcements that are deafening, terrible and overpriced food options served by surly people who would rather be anywhere else, people sleeping on the floors of departure gates (if you're lying on the floor of an airport you better be dead or at death's door), pilots walking around acting like they own the place, confusing terminal layouts that were designed in the 1940s when DC-4s were still in service or something else important.

Instead you're just talking about the smell of freedom.



BTW, this country could learn a lot about airports by visiting a few dozen airports in places that are commonly and derisively called "third world countries". We might come back with a different feeling about what that awful phrase really means.

[monadnocky]

BTW, this country could learn a lot about airports by visiting a few dozen airports in places that are commonly and derisively called "third world countries". We might come back with a different feeling about what that awful phrase really means.

"Man, what dumps, those third world countries, eh? Now if you don't mind I'm off to catch my flight at Newark...."

[Saab2000]

"Man, what dumps, those third world countries, eh? Now if you don't mind I'm off to catch my flight at Newark...."

Or La Guardia, or O'Hare or.......

One of the best airports in the nation is in Detroit and won't be seen by many people because not many people go through there. It's a really nice facility.

[monadnocky]

I was so pleasantly surprised by Detroit.
Granted, it's quite small, but Manchester (NH) does a decent job. I'll take that over Logan anyday, which is competing hard with Newark to be the crappiest airport in America.

The airport in Johannesburg is infinitely more pleasant than just about any major US airport I've ever been to.

[Dave Thompson]

Bring an old guy, I can remember the days when flying somewhere was really something. Dressed up, suit and ties, airlines and airports really wanting your business. The friendly skies and all that. Now, once you get through the surly airport staff, surly food vendors and seemingly harried flight folks, it’s a pleasure not to be there. If retail businesses practiced airline/airport customer services, there would be no retail at all.

After flying Alaska Airlines for years then this last week flying on American and Sky West to DC and back, I do have to give kudos to Alaska for making the ‘flying experience’ as pleasant as currently possible. They do an excellent job of trying to keep us happy while in their care.

[bigbill]

Even though it's crowded and really busy, I like Amsterdam for entering Europe from the US. It's not about the amenities, it's about the efficiency of the people working the choke points. When you're trying to catch an international flight and you're standing in a longer line, workers walk down the line asking what flight you have and then pulling people out of line to the front so they won't miss their connection.

Least favorite in the US, JFK, Newark, and at times, DFW and SeaTac. I used to schedule my trips to DC from Rome through Philly or Cincinnati to connect to Reagan so I could avoid Dulles. Reagan, yellow train to the green train to the Navy Yard Marriott.

[rwsaunders]

I'm with you Saab as I connect through DTW a couple of times a month and I really like the condition of the airport and the amenities. What I sometimes don't like are the 45 minutes connections when I land at gate A4 and have a connection at gate A79...DTW is one long mutha of an airport.

[jumphigher]

Atlanta and DFW come to mind as airports I always disliked. Portland OR's is pretty decent though. I still fly every now and then, but not as much as I used to. I remember the best days of flying in modern times as the year right after 9/11 happened. I was flying coast to coast every month to see my newlywed wife, and the planes were often almost empty. I remember many flights of having entire rows to myself. It's sure not that way anymore, though.

[Scott G.]

Lunken Field is very good, bike trail from the terminal to the hangars.
Sky Galley has good $100 burgers.

[j44ke]

LaGuardia is a bus terminal and no one remembers how the first plane landed there but now lots of them seem to want to and what happened to the buses? And I know let's create a taxi system that is less efficient than the one that naturally evolved out of necessity so that it takes at least one hour just to get through the line because someone dispenses taxis from the holding lot in 2's and 3's every 5 minutes. Meanwhile the baggage claim area is basically pick a bag any bag you may already be a winner and walk out with your prize even if you didn't fly in from some where you just stopped by to pick up a bag for the fun of it.

[caleb]

"Man, what dumps, those third world countries, eh? Now if you don't mind I'm off to catch my flight at Newark...."

The American terminal at Newark ... oh boy. Give me Mexico City any day.

[Mabouya]

Hey, I'm just happy to be alive.

Last week I flew Southwest, which of course meant a 737, but I don't know if that particular model (I think it was either a -700 or a -800) had the "questionable" CFM engines.

[rec head]

ORD only came up once so far? Thanks east coast airports for being so much crappier.

After the TSA came to being ORD was a nightmare for a while. But I think they have come around quite a bit on that front. Maybe that is having the pre-screen too. Walking around though, well let's just say that some of the signage could be a little bit more clear.

I work out there sometimes (thankfully less than I used to) and really wonder about all those fumes. All the bunnies seem OK with them though.

[Lionel]

Don't get me started on airports

[Saab2000]

Don't get me started on airports

You’ve posted so now you can’t ignore it. I’m just a user. You’re a customer. Do you get lounge access? This usually makes it less bad.

[Lionel]

You’ve posted so now you can’t ignore it. I’m just a user. You’re a customer. Do you get lounge access? This usually makes it less bad.

Yes I get all the lounge access in the world :) Agree that this makes it better. I mostly do international travel, security lines, immigration lines etc... Get old very quick. I have global entry to getting into the US is a breeze now. Munich is one of my favorite airport.

[bigbill]

Rome was confusing at first but after it became my "home" airport, it got better. I'd arrive international at terminal C but connect to Sardinia in terminal AA. If you follow the signs, it's 20-30 minutes on escalators, moving walkways, and elevators. If you go out the doors of C to the street, terminal AA is about 200 meters away. I learned this from my Italian Navy counterpart. After a while, you don't notice the security people with machine guns on the platforms above you.

Singapore is nice, just don't chew gum or smuggle drugs. Narita is good because the wifi signal is strong and the electrical outlets don't require an adapter. Naples is a shithole, just like the city. Walking on 2X8's to get to the jetway was pretty scary.

Reagan reminds me of what airports were like when I was a kid.

[monadnocky]

I flew out of Hoedspruit Airport in South Africa once - a total backwater in the middle of nowhere, on the same site as a South African air force base. Creepy as all hell - one definitely gets the impression that the area was used quite a bit when RSA military was involved in a lot of shady shit back in the 70's and 80's.

Still completely pleasant, no issues, a much better experience compared to just about any US airport.