[CONative]

From GlobeTraveler Magazine... 2009 Results are in from 25,951 respondents for travel rankings.

Below are only a few of the rankings.

Here is the link to the lengthy article and rankings:
http://www.globaltravelerusa.com/showarticle.php?id=5710&pg=1

Best Airport in the World
1. Seoul Incheon Airport
2. Singapore Changi International Airport
3. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
4. Hong Kong International Airport
5. London Heathrow Airport
6. Kuala Lumpur International Airport
7. Munich Airport
8. Kansai International Airport
9. Centrair Nagoya
10. Zürich Airport


Best Airport in North America
1. Chicago O’Hare International Airport
2. Denver International Airport
3. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport
4. George Bush Intercontinental Airport Houston
5. San Francisco International Airport
6. Newark Liberty International Airport
7. Detroit Metro Airport
8. Miami International Airport
9. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
10. Pittsburgh International Airport


Airport Dining
1. Denver International Airport
2. Chicago O’Hare International Airport
3. Dubai International Airport
4. Hong Kong International Airport
5. Singapore Changi International Airport
6. Bangkok International Suvarnabhumi Airport
7. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport
8. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
9. Detroit Metro Airport
10. Newark Liberty International Airport





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[Gordo]

The North American airport list just seems to be a list of the largest airports that have had relatively recent renovations/expansions or at the very least aren't shitholes like LAX. There aren't any smaller airports there, and the only one that isn't a primary hub is Pittsburgh. But really, DFW? O'Hare? Over places like Sea-Tac?

I suppose that I have very different things that I consider important for an airport, but since I rarely want to spend much time in an airport, I wouldn't rank many of these all that high (and even with my preferences, I can't imagine how O'Hare would be ranked number one on any list).

[Okstate]

Conde Nast ranked Portland #1 (airport) in North America back to back & we don't even score a top 10 position in this list... Rankings & lists are such a joy in life.

[Octavian]

I'm a Denver partisan, but the credibility of this list suffers when London Heathrow is in the top 10.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Portland was nice. Denver was alright, but there's really only so much you can do when you're stranded at an airport for 10 hours. I was bored out of my skull.

DFW's trams pissed me off to no end (20 minutes to catch a connecting flight in a different terminal on my way from CLT to LAX), but I've heard they've improved a lot since 2003.

[mhays]

The list is based on reader input. Therefore it's based on visitor impressions that are often highly outdated.

I'll defend Sea-Tac. As of 12/19, we finally have a rail connection into town, which I rode back home last night. A year ago, we added a runway, then repaved the other main one, and are now able to operate two runways in bad weather, dramatically reducing delays. In the past few years we've built our current largest terminal concourse ("A") and added a central "marketplace" that has greatly improved food offerings. In other words, things have changed dramatically for the better in several ways.

Denver does have good food, and the terminals (most familiar with B) are well-designed. My only criticism is that the airport's huge acreage makes for spread out runways and therefore lots and lots of time spent taxiing. Also, it was too far from civilization for a worthwhile side trip on my 3.5 hour layover the other day (if only I'd known it was really a 5 hour layover!).

BTW, Sea-Tac shows the benefits of a small acreage. One side effect of the new rail line is that you can walk to the "airport row" hotels in just a few minutes using the skybridge that accesses the rail. Small acreage also reflects the central, quick-access location. We did have to go through 20 years of hell and a huge cost to get the new runway though.

[glowrock]

The list is based on reader input. Therefore it's based on visitor impressions that are often highly outdated.

I'll defend Sea-Tac. As of 12/19, we finally have a rail connection into town, which I rode back home last night. A year ago, we added a runway, then repaved the other main one, and are now able to operate two runways in bad weather, dramatically reducing delays. In the past few years we've built our current largest terminal concourse ("A") and added a central "marketplace" that has greatly improved food offerings. In other words, things have changed dramatically for the better in several ways.

Denver does have good food, and the terminals (most familiar with B) are well-designed. My only criticism is that the airport's huge acreage makes for spread out runways and therefore lots and lots of time spent taxiing. Also, it was too far from civilization for a worthwhile side trip on my 3.5 hour layover the other day (if only I'd known it was really a 5 hour layover!).

BTW, Sea-Tac shows the benefits of a small acreage. One side effect of the new rail line is that you can walk to the "airport row" hotels in just a few minutes using the skybridge that accesses the rail. Small acreage also reflects the central, quick-access location. We did have to go through 20 years of hell and a huge cost to get the new runway though.

You're absolutely correct about Denver, mhays. Very well-designed, but because it's so huge, it takes quite a while to taxi from runway to gate, and vice-versa. And yes, its location far from the center of Denver makes it impossible for a quick jaunt into town on a layover, but this will thankfully change once there's a rail connection in around 2014-2015...

Aaron (Glowrock)

[Cleveland Brown]

I find it funny that London Heathrow, depending on who does the surveys, ranks as both one of the worst and best airports :haha:

[PartyLine]

Austin Bergstrom is a really nice airport


http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/austinairport/genfact.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin-Bergstrom_International_Airport

[Steely Dan]

my favorite airport in north america is far and away PDX. they've easily got the best selection of beer i've ever seen at an airport. and the beer prices are regular normal everyday prices, not the usual "bend over and take it you stupid, stranded-at-the-airport, tourist with no other options" prices.

and i have no idea how heathrow made the list of top 10. the last time i went through it the place was a right dump. peeling paint, ripped lounge furniture, ceiling tiles broken and missing. it was SHABBY to say the least. hopefully they've done some hardcore renovations since then to bring the place up to a proper standard for a major international airport.

[R@ptor]

Best Airport in the World
1. Seoul Incheon Airport
2. Singapore Changi International Airport
3. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
4. Hong Kong International Airport
5. London Heathrow Airport
6. Kuala Lumpur International Airport
7. Munich Airport
8. Kansai International Airport
9. Centrair Nagoya
10. Zürich Airport

LHR one of the world's 5 best airports??? Is that supposed to be a joke?

[Buckeye Native 001]

Sky Harbor's Terminal 4 post-renovation and Concourse D are nice, but the rest of the airport is absolute shit. Not at all surprised to see its not on the list.

[R@ptor]

Anyway here's my Top10 (I only included airports I've used)

1. Singapore-Changi (SIN)
2. Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi (BKK)
3. Hong Kong-Chek Lap Kok (HKG)
4. Copenhagen-Kastrup (CPH)
5. Munich-FJ Strauss (MUC)
6. Kuala Lumpur-Intl' (KUL)
7. Helsinki-Vantaa (HEL)
8. Beijing-Capital (PEK)
9. Amsterdam-Schiphol (AMS)
10. Shanghai-Pudong (PVG)

[Crawford]

Dallas-Fort Worth is awful. It's one of the worst major airports on earth. How could it be on this list?

Very old (except for the international part), ugly, poor inter-terminal transit, very long walking distances for transfers, long distances from city centers and job centers, and no transit connections.

I would say Houston is easily the best major North American airport. I also like Detroit.

I also don't quite get how Atlanta, Chicago and Miami could be on a Top 10 list. Miami in particular is crappy. I think Houston is the only one in the Top 10 I agree with.

As for Best in the World, I have not been to the Asian airports, but I will never get the accolades of Amsterdam. Seems like a pretty blah airport, and not really better or worse than the average in Europe.

Munuch Airport is excellent. Heathrow sucks, though the new terminal is at least beautiful.

[M.K.]

For the ones i used,

Airports:
1- Munich, Strauss, terminal 2.
2- Miami
3- Paris, Charles de Gaulle
4- Galeao, Rio de Janeiro. Santos Dumont is nice as well.
5- Mallorca

Airlines:
1- Air France
2- Lufthansa
3- TAP
4- American Airlines
5- Varig

Hotel:
1-Ras Al Khaimah Resort
2-Tropical Manaus
3-Sheraton Sao Paulo
4-Manhattan Brasilia
5-Othon Salvador.

Heathrow Airport is terrible, old, decadent, complicated.

[WonderlandPark]

Raptors list is pretty good:

Airports I have used (only including big ones, there are great tiny airports like Siem Reap or Burbank)

1-Hong Kong
2-Seoul Incheon
3-Munich
4-Kuala Lumpur
5-Vancouver

Airlines:

For coach class, I really consider 3 to be pretty equal (each of the top 3 have little plusses and minuses, but are really equal to me)

1-Malaysian
1-Etihad
1-Asiana
4-Cathay Pacific
5-Jet Blue

Got upgraded today on my BOM-AUH leg of my trip home: Etihad bumped me into business class, and that was like, WOW. Your own mini compartment, full on lie down bed, with built in massage. Too bad I was so exhausted that I slept through most of that leg of the flight.

As for the list, well, if Heathrow is on there, well. And I have also thought AMS was sort of boring and average in appearance. To Europe I use Air France alot, and like the new terminals there, but the rest of CDG is sort of crappy. And domestic, how on earth did Miami make that list? Anyways...hopefully 2010 brings you some great travels...

[SLO]

Dallas-Fort Worth is awful. It's one of the worst major airports on earth. How could it be on this list?

Very old (except for the international part), ugly, poor inter-terminal transit, very long walking distances for transfers, long distances from city centers and job centers, and no transit connections.

.

I wouldnt totally disagree on DFW, but it seems you may be talking about DFW before much of the renovations that have taken place and the new inter terminal Skylink high speed rail, which is pretty good its a continuous loop of all 5 terminals....

[mcfinley]

my favorite airport in north america is far and away PDX. they've easily got the best selection of beer i've ever seen at an airport. and the beer prices are regular normal everyday prices, not the usual "bend over and take it you stupid, stranded-at-the-airport, tourist with no other options" prices..

:haha:

In all seriousness, I would like to see an airport list based on bar/lounge quality. Now that might sway my choice of layover.

[Okstate]

Steely Dan- You may already be aware of this but you're right about Portland. They have a policy where a retailer cannot charge more at their airport location than at other retail centers in the city. In other words if you go to Wendys at PDX you pay the exact same $ as you would any other Wendys & so on with all others.

[mhays]

I find it funny that London Heathrow, depending on who does the surveys, ranks as both one of the worst and best airports :haha:

This is common with surveys.

Once, the SAME survey called Jimmy Carter the most loved and most hated person in the world. All it took was a sizeable passionate minority on each side. I bet he's not the only US president to have had survey results like that. Heathrow is the world's most important and famous airport and therefore earns a lot of love and hate...particularly since the experience varies depending on terminal.

[PartyLine]

Never been to heathrow just Gatwick airport

[nito]

Heathrow pre-T5 was very poor - long queues, delays and not a necessarily pleasant place to be in.

Fortunately things have changed, T5 is now open, T4 has been re-built and T2/3 is in the process of being demolished to make way for Heathrow East.

Whether it is a top five major global airport currently is debatable, but with the terminal re-builds and the additional transport links (Crossrail, HSR2, Airtrack, and the world's first PRT) I think it has a brighter future.