- 6 November 2009
- 10:29am
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What’s the worst airport in the world?
VivekWLonely Planet author
This might be a fun game.
Over at the end of our ‘Cities You Really Hate’ article, hipersons suggests that it might be fruitful to explore what our least favourite airports are worldwide. He or she submits Charles de Gaulle (in Paris) and Chicago’s O’Hare for consideration.
My most loathed airport is definitely Los Angeles‘ LAX. To transfer from a domestic to international flight (or vice versa), you have to exit a building, enter another one and go through the hellish security process all over again. Combine this with some staff members who can’t help you (because they don’t know what you’re supposed to do), a food court that serves scarily overpriced fare in the international terminal and a lack of clean, comfortable resting areas, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Our Twitter master Mark waxes philosophical: ‘It is difficult to answer this question simply. Airports are designed to be inconspicuous, so the worst airports are those that have failed to reach these heights of organised boringness. But they are also the ones containing the most character of their destination. Mumbai airport (Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport) would take the cake then as my most reviled airport because it failed to be inconspicuous. The immigration officer laughed at my surname; my prepaid taxi driver couldn’t be found for 20 minutes. However, it is also my favourite airport because it had so much character.’
And Lonely Planet cofounder Tony Wheeler has a definite opinion: Charles de Gaulle, Paris, ‘for the 1960s Jetsons style of architecture, stupid transparent pedestrian tunnels crisscrossing back and forth. Not to mention circular terminals so you come out looking for the taxi stand and end up walking clockwise 359 degrees when (if you’d only known) you could have walked one degree counterclockwise. You have to take a bus from some terminals to get to the train station. Cramped and miserably equipped airside facilities.’ Sounds great!
What’s your least favourite airport?
(Image by Flickr user Stuck in Customs)
LAX was even WORSE last time I was there because it was half under major renovations and there was just bunches of volunteers in sunhats who seemed to know even less than I did. Having said that, at least it still has that iconic, spacey, Jetsons-style building housing the Encounter restaurant which serves surprisingly good food despite its proximity to terrible airport food.
Amazing image!
I’m with you guys – L.A.X totally S.U.X! However my most horrid airport experience was at JFK getting hot potatoed by horribly unfriendly staff terminal 3 to terminal 8 back to terminal 3 for hours and hours until the wheels on my suitcase LITERALLY disintegrated! Urgh!
Frankfurt for sure. Not designed for humans. It’s more like an adventure challenge course – not in a good way… especially if you have a carry on case on wheels.
Agree with LAX being the worst airport. One expects third world countries to lack a few amenities, but truthfully, those of us who travel a lot to such places expect that..but LAX? It really is terribly designed and security is downright awful. I avoid it at all costs.
I have always avoided LAX because of the horror stories but my least favorite airport is the international terminal of JFK. A close second is Washington Dulles because of the stupid people movers (which are supposed to go away soon). After it takes nearly an hour to get to the terminal you often have to wait up to an hour for checked bags to arrive. I thought Mumbai was quite lovely although it was over 20 years ago.
I’ve never had any trouble at CDG, although I’ve never had to change airlines there, which I’ve heard can be a nightmare.
My number one airport to avoid if humanly possible is London Heathrow. The redundant security checks, slow-moving lines, clueless employees, miserable signage, etc. make changing planes there a nightmare – even when flying BA all the way.
Remind me not to go via LAX, but has anyone tried Perth Domestic Airport in Australia, crazy queue’s, lost bags, and yes like LAX is under construction. But the baggage staff are the key to success as you have to roll the dice to see whether they are at domestic or international and whether they can be bothered driving back across. One set of staff between the two airports. International fantastic domestic needs to be knocked down and started again.
Frankfurt has got to be my candidate. Uncomfortable seats, yeah, confusing signs, tea in tiny cups half full with lukewarm water costing $4 and up, “duty free” whiskey for 3 times what you pay at home (not that I bought any), and worst, constant loud announcements for every plane leaving, so that if you have to hang out for your plane for any time, you can’t sleep or read or…gaaaa!!
Charles de Gaulle – what a welcome to Paris. LAX – en route from Canada to Oz, midnight, 8 year old twins, domestic-international transfer, the guy won’t let me in the international terminal because I don’t have a US visa. GRRR.
But then there’s Hanoi; with “smiling” guards, fabulous ambience, and noodles and minced fork on the menu…
I heard all this hoopla about how great Tokyo’s Narita airport was… and then I had to take a 10-hour layover there. What a boring place! considering the amount of space available, I can’t believe how few restaurants there are. I saw 4 sushi places and a McDonald’s. McDonald’s only has 2 tables and 2 benches where you can eat your meal, yet there is at least 60 feet of open area on either side of the business. For an international airport, that is a crummy selection. You have to walk forever to get around the place, and the moving sidewalks seem to stop for no reason when they could easily continue for another 40 yards. You would think that Tokyo would have some cool arcades or short movie houses available in this airport, but there is nothing entertaining to do. I couldn’t even find a sit-down restaurant or bar. The only thing I will say is good about this place is the day rooms. For less than $30 USD, I got a room with a shower for about 4 hours. It felt great to stretch out, and the nap was nice.
LAX for sure! I despise flying through here on my way back to Florida from Aus/NZ
Much as India is an amazing place, spent several hours in both New Delhi and Mumbai airports, New Delhi had no idea how to process in transit passengers I was returing and passing through from Nepal. and Mumbai printed the wrong gate number on my internal flight ticket, luckily I saw passengers going in another gate and went to investigate. no signage about this.
PS re the above comments, no there are no moving escalators and long distances to walk at tiems.
Been to CDG once. Passengers packed jam in small hall waiting for immigration. Took me almost 2 hours to get to baggage claim! The most time spent in any developed countries that I’ve been to:-)
Perth, W.A. – the only way to transfer between the domestic & international terminals is to take a 20-km. taxi ride -or- walk across the runway & risk getting hit (and/or arrested)!!!
The worst airport for me is LAX. I try to avoid this airport like the plague. No more LAX for me.
Runner-up would be McCarran Int’l. Airport in Las Vegas. It’s such a zoo and people are unfriendly.
CDG (in 2000)was better than LAX. I liked Changi International Airport in Singapore and Chep Lap Kok International Airport in HongKong the most. Denver International is not bad except for the go-around going to/coming from the airport-my friend and I almost ended up in Kansas due to the poor signage at DIA. I wouldn’t want to fly thru Dulles/BWI either-it was already confusing in 1986, how much more now. I like San Francisco International Airport-it’s my gateway to Asia and the Pacific.
o’hare. if you’re going to put a major international hub in a place that you know will freeze a quarter of every year can’t you have some more comfortable seats for us to sleep on? i slept on the cold floor and woke up when an airport employee tossed a sheet-thick blanket next to me. if he would have kicked me in the stomach and spit on me my night would have been complete.
LAX, Chicago O’Hare, Washington? – Mere amateurs! For those who have not experienced the ¿joys? of Terminal 5 (T5) at London’s Heathrow (yes the other terminals are pretty awful too – filthy with, mainly, dreadful links to each other). Security procedures; the scanners are, seemingly, not capable of accepting a baby buggy and when one appears the whole system collapses. When you add standard British management incompetence (I am a Brit so I speak from experience), you get a real shocker! Signage? – why do departures screens regularly fail and show a Microsoft error message? Seating? Ha! There seem to be never enough for a shorthaul Airbus or Boeing. Take the key transatlantic routes; does one always have the facility of a Jetway? No Sir! You are regularly taken by the standard (standard everywhere except the US that is) airport bus which lurches across the apron and deposits you (no matter the weather) by your plane where (even in Business Class) you have to climb what seems to be an extra-long and steep flight of steps to board your 747. I have never been on a flight out of T5 that was on time.
Hi guys, but what about the old terminal in Cairo International? And Cairo, anyways? For me, that ranks pretty high up there with the worst. Except for the new terminal, of course. But then there, you have to walk forever to reach your gate. And signage is abysmal – flying national or international? Well, make sure you get into the right queue, otherwise you are stuck! Oh, and connecting flights from Hurghada via Cairo to anywhere and not flying Egypt Air? Well, you need to pick up your luggage in Cairo and then check in again… it’s simply bad!
How are we missing the Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi? Anyone who has been to this airport will no doubt place this airport at the top of this list. I have been to LAX, CDG and have found them infinitely better than the New Delhi airport. And to think most tourists enter India through this rubbish airport!
To: Vivek / Re: Mumbai and the security officer laughing at your second name => if only you had been in India during 1988 when a 13 episode TV serial called “Wagle ki Duniya” was aired you would have figured the reason why :) Am sure the humor was good natured. I have been through the Mumbai airport multitude of times, but, have found it efficient. Also, the have found the security staff there very polite and informed.
Edit to my last post:
Missed the post on December 21, 2009 by lorettainnz. Delhi has already been mentioned!
Of the big airports, Moscow Sheremetevo certainly is top of the worst in Europe. Though it has got better over the years.
After a recent trip through India, Sri Lanka, SE Asia and Australia I have to say by far my worst airport experience was in Chennai. The bizarre check-in policy involved bullish military staff waving all Indian men into priority security and boarding, leaving a long queue of women, children, tiny old ladies and over-polite Johnny Foreigners like me to sweat and wilt in the crammed unventilated Departure Lounge. Had all the guys paid bribes, we wondered? It was quite unbelievable.
Try Kiev Borispol. When you’re trying to leave, you can’t check in until your flight is called, and there is nowhere to sit in the crowded terminal while waiting for the check-in call (except in a small and vastly overpriced café). The check-in desks are in a gloomy and overcrowded hall. Then you must go twice through security on the way to the departure lounge. There are no airbridges — only a freezing bus out to your plane. When arriving you have to run the gauntlet of unpleasant “taxi drivers” and “hotel room” merchants. And if transferring from an international to a domestic flight you have to walk from one terminal to the other, dragging your suitcases through a throng of the same pests. The airport bus is supposed to go to the centre of town, but usually ends at the railway station (some way from the centre) where you must deal with a taxi tout to continue your journey. Luckily the city makes it all worthwhile.
I live in the UK but I travel home to Barcelona about 2 times/month. I have to tell Barcelona airport is becoming worse and worse every day. And I travel a lot and I know what I’m talking about.
1)Years ago it took ages to collect your luggage, I am telling you avarage of 30 min every time. I don’t know nowadays ’cause I just carry hand luggage.
2)Delays delays and delays. Not once my plane has left on time. Either the gate keeps changing, or you go through the correct gate and “finger” and you find that the plane there instead of going to England is taking you to Casablanca!
Planes have to queue for 30 min to take off.
Since they ve built the new terminal it seems like the old one no longer exists. The old one is devided in A, B and C. 90% of the planes leave now from A, so why so you have to do the check in from C?? 15min walk to A, most of the shops restaurant and coffee shops closed…
And last of all: the security check! I could pass with a scalpel in my bag!! They are talking about football most of the time. About 30 people were qeueing and only 2 security checks were open. A part from that they are rude and they don’t even know a valid boarding pass when they see one!!!
Resuming… THE WORSE airport I’ve been in!
Sorry, it’s got to be Dublin.
I know there’s a lot of work going on building the new terminal, but it’s chaos. Also the taxi’s on arrival, none are willing to take you anywhere if it’s near to the airport. The airport itself is over priced, with one of the menswear shops charging more than their branch in Dublin city centre.
Although Chicago is crazily chaotic and De Gaulle in Paris is a place where you could get lost and never found, Vancouver International Airport in Canada is the worst. Airport security is hellish at the best of times, but this airport is psycho when it comes to this. This is the airport where a polish immigrant was tasered to death by rookie Mounties because he didn’t speak english and could not communicate. Last time (and hopefully this is the last time) I went through the security guard put her hands down the front of my pants because the metal zipper was setting their notoriously over-sensitive detector. This was happening to many people. It was humiliating and horrible, but I had to get home so I just put up with it.
Although Chicago is crazily chaotic and De Gaulle in Paris is a place where you could get lost and never found, Vancouver International Airport in Canada is the worst. Airport security is hellish at the best of times, but this airport is psycho when it comes to this. This is the airport where a polish immigrant was tasered to death by rookie Mounties because he didn’t speak english and could not communicate. Last time (and hopefully this is the last time) I went through, the security guard put her hands down the front of my pants because the metal zipper was setting off their notoriously over-sensitive detector. This was happening to many people. It was humiliating and horrible, but I had to get home so I just put up with it.
CDG is hellish if you have to transfer flights — no posted information for flights in other terminals, a bus that takes forever to get you to the right terminal (and gives you an excellent view of baggage left out on the tarmac in the rain), pathetic signage (if any) and, in at least one terminal, filthy floors and hard plastic seats. And the staff so does not want to be there. I can’t believe no one has said Newark — if you are going from an international flight to a domestic one, you need at LEAST two hours to get through oh-so-slow border control, even slower security checks (more than one), and to sprint out and then back into the airport and the long distance to your gate.
Well, I made my “top 10″ of the 10 airports I have been through that like the least. I agree with may comments:
1. LAX (I really hate this airport, for all the reasons cited above)
2. IAH (Dull and boring)
3. DEL (Dirty and disorderly, although a new ariport is being built and it may change…)
4. SJO (This has got to be the smallest airport in the world that is a national “hub”, you can walk from one end to the other (crowd permitting) in just a few minutes)
5. ORD (another dull and boring airport)
6. CDG (Complicated, complicated, complicated)
7. LHR (One of the worst places to change planes in the whole world…)
8. OTP (As crowded as an airport can be, and extremely small, nothing to do, not even sit down since there are not enough seats ever)
9. JFK (See comments above)
10. LIN (Another dreadful airport)
Hell has a name & it’s CDG airport. Been to many airports in the world but this one is in a league of it’s own. No signs for anywhere. Inadequate transfer info (read – NONE). Queues a mile long just for the info desk due to there being no signs. Yes I had to transfer to another flight at this airport but I’ve also had to do it in many other airports (Chicago, London, Frankfurt, Bangkok etc). Unhelpful staff, security queues u need to join a month before u’re flight leaves……Never again (hopefully!)
I travel every week for a living, so I have some experience.
LAX: They don’t call it Hell-A-X for nothing
FRA: You need at least an hour and a half to transfer between terminals.
IAD: Even in the 2000s, you still have to ride those ridiculous “moon buggies” between the terminals which move at about 3.5 mph.
ATL: You will never, ever depart on time.
ORD: Same as ATL, except worse.
LHR: Nothing is worse than T2 – it’s the size of an elementary school except they try to squeeze the population of a large university into it.
Kinshasa, DRoC. You just can’t imagine.
LAX came to my mind first as a hellish airport
The worst is Katmandu Airport. After a horrific queue to pay an Airport departure tax, passport control security, we were approached in the cafe by a uniformed official stating that we had to pay a hefty sum because we were flying to Europe. We were flying to Dubai. They changed their argument to say we were Europeans. We refused and asked to see the Airport manager. They relented and we were allowed to enter the dingiest waiting room that had standing room only as we crushed next to the person in front of us
Last time I transferred though London Heathrow I was embarrassed to be British – ridiculously inefficient, far too much queuing at various security checks. An airport to be avoided if at all possible.
I have to agree with all those that have pointed at Paris CDG. It may be fine for arrival & into Paris – but transfers? ouch.
They direct you out of airside to landside, with precious little signage to help you. They do that through a rabbit warren of low hight tunnels. and the queuing. no real start point, lots of aggression as the queue us chaotic. And the staff!. Rude, unhelpful. Anyone would think they thought of themsleves as jobsworths trying to promote the virtues of Paris.
Given a choice i’ll go through Schipol every time – and unlike others i quite like Frankfurt: How can it take an hour and a half to go between terminals? I doesnt , there is a very efficient skytrain that takes 2 mins once you find it.
To be honest, at this moment I’m commuting between Amsterdam and Belgrade. And I’ve been to several places but the worst experience, was at Vienna airport. First off all, the airport looks like a large donut. Nothing wrong, but still. And the staff.. rude and nasty attitude. Like it was, 65 years ago…
Second, I went to my plane to AMS and at the safety check, there she was… Hitlers grandchild.. she was short, same hair colour and even the same moustache.. Plus she was commanding the person in front off me, with the flattering words: “Aufmachen.!!” Well the person in front didn’t respond at the little fuhrer, but after several commands, she adds the simple word, bitte.. to her one word sentence…
Further boarding, one big chaos. The prices high, quality low…
I’m afraid it’s not a succes..
I struggled to choose between Miami and Orly, Paris. However Orly won. Rude, rude staff. Lack of information. Maximises stress. Food disgusting. Very expensive. Awful, never again. And trust me we ha
I’m surprised that no one has mentioned Dallas or Houston. Texas has some good things, but their big-city airports leave much to be desired. In Dallas, the halls of the terminals aren’t wide enough. So when the vehicles moving disabled people come thru, it’s congested. Houston is even worse. Flew through there in July 2004 and was shuffled around between 2 different terminals. The worst thing was having to go outside in the heat and humidity. I don’t know how Houstonians make it thru their summers! If I lived there, I’d plan on leaving town for July & August.
I was in LAX last year for the 5th time. 4 weeks ago I had dysetery in Saigon. I prefereed Saigon.
Pulkovo in St. Petersburg, Russia. Gruesome security check, waiting area dreadful.
LHR for all the reasons there could be, I must have spent weeks on this airport (no bus on arrival, let passengers wait on plane, frequent strikes, endless waits for take off etc)
Further on my list:
Mumbai
Tehran
old Cairo airport
Karachi
Kochi (Cochin) in South India. No food outlets open after 7pm and only one shop to browse in while you are killing time (not to mention a shortage of toilets and seats). Very clean but absolutely nothing to do. I’d also like to vote for Cairo for similar reasons and its lack of smoking regulations (the terminal including the baggage carousels were filled with cigarette smoking locals and tourists).
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