I'm sitting here in Dallas Fort Worth Int'l and I'm just wondering what your favorite and least favorite airports are..
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Favorite and most hated airports.
- Thread starter BSBDrakeTyler
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my fav has to be Atlanta GA int. airport because of the inside smoking areas and great food ... but orlandos is pretty sweet too!
joeychuck2
BSB Addict
NY Laguarda is disgusting. Pheonix is just as bad but it has rocking chairs in the waiting area.
Las Vegas is nice JFK some of the terminals are ok. I had to go to Inchon in S Korea and it was VERY nice.
Las Vegas is nice JFK some of the terminals are ok. I had to go to Inchon in S Korea and it was VERY nice.
Spartans987
Well-known Member
Minneapolis is the best
Detroit is good
Houston is nice
O'Hare always has so many delays
Detroit is good
Houston is nice
O'Hare always has so many delays
I know it sounds cliche' to trumpet your own hometown's airport. But I think Tampa International is a very good one. It's undergoing major renovations right now though. So time will tell if these improvements really are for the best.
I did like the airport in Denver. It's huge. But it's still beautiful. I like standing on the conveyor belts and letting them take me around.
I try to avoid Hartsfield in Atlanta whenever possible. It's the busiest airport in the country and you wander around it for a seeming eternity with a sea of humanity all around you. Trying to keep up with whether you need to get on a tram, or an escalator, or a stairway...is a real pain.
But the worst I've ever seen for a major city was O'Hare in Chicago in 1987. I had just flown in from Tampa Airport that was so nice, very modern looking and clean. All the floors were nicely carpeted, well vacuumed and pretty. Gleaming glass on the shops everywhere. Palm trees visible from windows to the outside. Then I arrived at O'Hare in a much wealthier city than Tampa.
O'Hare was disgusting! The floors and even the walls were filthy dirty. Much of the place looked vintage 1965-1970. Maybe that was the last time it had been cleaned from top to bottom. haha There was no carpeting in sight. Just filthy industrial style hard tile floors. It was wintertime and everyone inside looked miserable as they plodded around in their heavy winter coats and clothes. Very few people were smiling or laughing. It was as if they looked at their surroundings in there and were all in silent agreement that they wished the were anywhere but in that airport. haha
I ordered a small little snack because I was really hungry as I awaited the arrival of friends and other loved ones arriving by different flights. I was 25 and I was too broke to order a full meal at airport prices, knowing that I still had a few more days to get by in the city before heading home. And even though I already knew the price was overly expensive for something silly like a couple cookies maybe, I was still shocked at the total. Doing the math in my head I was almost certain that I had been overcharged. I questioned the cashier as I looked at my receipt. It was then that I saw the sales tax was something outrageous like 8.5%. In 1987!
For those kinds of prices and that high of a sales tax, I figured the city could have afforded to make sure they had people who could properly mop, buff and seal the floors, and clean up the place. Or at least throw a few gallons of fresh paint on the scratched, gouged, scuffed up, dirty, streaked and tobacco stained walls. Geez! That was bad. In hindsight I can almost laugh at it. Because it was almost comically awful. lol
I had been to Chicago before by car on different occasions and enjoyed the city itself. I had flown in to O'Hare for the first time in my life in order to attend my father's very unexpected funeral. He was only 49. As miserable as that whole trip was, I just couldn't believe that a great world city like Chicago would have such a filthy dirty and outdated airport.
I did like the airport in Denver. It's huge. But it's still beautiful. I like standing on the conveyor belts and letting them take me around.
I try to avoid Hartsfield in Atlanta whenever possible. It's the busiest airport in the country and you wander around it for a seeming eternity with a sea of humanity all around you. Trying to keep up with whether you need to get on a tram, or an escalator, or a stairway...is a real pain.
But the worst I've ever seen for a major city was O'Hare in Chicago in 1987. I had just flown in from Tampa Airport that was so nice, very modern looking and clean. All the floors were nicely carpeted, well vacuumed and pretty. Gleaming glass on the shops everywhere. Palm trees visible from windows to the outside. Then I arrived at O'Hare in a much wealthier city than Tampa.
O'Hare was disgusting! The floors and even the walls were filthy dirty. Much of the place looked vintage 1965-1970. Maybe that was the last time it had been cleaned from top to bottom. haha There was no carpeting in sight. Just filthy industrial style hard tile floors. It was wintertime and everyone inside looked miserable as they plodded around in their heavy winter coats and clothes. Very few people were smiling or laughing. It was as if they looked at their surroundings in there and were all in silent agreement that they wished the were anywhere but in that airport. haha
I ordered a small little snack because I was really hungry as I awaited the arrival of friends and other loved ones arriving by different flights. I was 25 and I was too broke to order a full meal at airport prices, knowing that I still had a few more days to get by in the city before heading home. And even though I already knew the price was overly expensive for something silly like a couple cookies maybe, I was still shocked at the total. Doing the math in my head I was almost certain that I had been overcharged. I questioned the cashier as I looked at my receipt. It was then that I saw the sales tax was something outrageous like 8.5%. In 1987!
For those kinds of prices and that high of a sales tax, I figured the city could have afforded to make sure they had people who could properly mop, buff and seal the floors, and clean up the place. Or at least throw a few gallons of fresh paint on the scratched, gouged, scuffed up, dirty, streaked and tobacco stained walls. Geez! That was bad. In hindsight I can almost laugh at it. Because it was almost comically awful. lol
I had been to Chicago before by car on different occasions and enjoyed the city itself. I had flown in to O'Hare for the first time in my life in order to attend my father's very unexpected funeral. He was only 49. As miserable as that whole trip was, I just couldn't believe that a great world city like Chicago would have such a filthy dirty and outdated airport.
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Beth
BSB Addict
Barrow, Alaska is the best!
We flew into Barrow..it is little more than a hanger. Walking on the tarmac, another plane came whizzing by; the pilot, who walks you in said, "it does get busy around here." Inside, we were directed by a lady, with a bullhorn, to follow the yellow tape to our luggage area. Being thrown in through an open garage door, our things came sliding in...mind your step. Again with the bullhorn, the lady told us to, "exit through door A1 only. As we all looked around, to the only door not behind the counter...there it was. She also said, as you exit, pause a moment to remember Will Rogers, who died "right there" in 1935 after his plane crashed. Walking out into the balmy 35 degree weather (it was the Summer Solstice) we enjoyed a snowball fight on the Arctic Ocean...it was still frozen.
For me, it's not where you land or take off, it's the ambiance!
Also, when we got to our hotel(ish) place, we were told that some of us will have to double and triple up as a polar bear, "took out a couple of room last week."
We flew into Barrow..it is little more than a hanger. Walking on the tarmac, another plane came whizzing by; the pilot, who walks you in said, "it does get busy around here." Inside, we were directed by a lady, with a bullhorn, to follow the yellow tape to our luggage area. Being thrown in through an open garage door, our things came sliding in...mind your step. Again with the bullhorn, the lady told us to, "exit through door A1 only. As we all looked around, to the only door not behind the counter...there it was. She also said, as you exit, pause a moment to remember Will Rogers, who died "right there" in 1935 after his plane crashed. Walking out into the balmy 35 degree weather (it was the Summer Solstice) we enjoyed a snowball fight on the Arctic Ocean...it was still frozen.
For me, it's not where you land or take off, it's the ambiance!
Also, when we got to our hotel(ish) place, we were told that some of us will have to double and triple up as a polar bear, "took out a couple of room last week."
Shit Airports [these aeroports have left me homicidal]:
Flughafen München (Munich, Germany) +
Heathrow (London, England) +
JFK (NYC) +
De Gaulle (Paris, France) +
DFW (Dallas, Texas)
]
My Top 5 Happy Endong Aeroports [these aeroports have some off the grid areas where a satisfying fuck can be had while waiting for a flight]:
Vantaa (Helsinki, Finland) +
Gatwick (London, England) +
Schipol (Amsterdam, Netherlands) +
Frankfurt (Frankfurt, Germany) +
Pearson International (Toronto, Canada)
Flughafen München (Munich, Germany) +
Heathrow (London, England) +
JFK (NYC) +
De Gaulle (Paris, France) +
DFW (Dallas, Texas)
]
My Top 5 Happy Endong Aeroports [these aeroports have some off the grid areas where a satisfying fuck can be had while waiting for a flight]:
Vantaa (Helsinki, Finland) +
Gatwick (London, England) +
Schipol (Amsterdam, Netherlands) +
Frankfurt (Frankfurt, Germany) +
Pearson International (Toronto, Canada)
louis33705
BSB Addict
I have not flown since 2001. I am terrified of flying since 2001. However, it I had to chose one it would also be Tampa International as Tampa mentioned. They have great restaurants there.
My good memories about that airport go back to the 60's when I was in high school. The original airport had a famous restaurant called, Bartke's. It was a very popular place for the guys to take girls on their first date. They had great steak dinners. It was usually packed during prom season. What made the restaurant unique was that it was atop the airport surrounded with windows. While people were eating they could watch the planes landing and taking off.
In the many times I have gone to New York, I have never flown into La Guardia or JFK (formerly know as Idlewild). I always flew in to Newark. On my return back I always use to stop at a hamburger restaurant at the airport where you could fix your own hamburgers. I would fix a couple and take them on the plane with me to eat along the way.
I know this has nothing to do with airports. But, I flew to San Francisco many years ago. I returned to Florida on a Delta flight. It was a "red eye" express which left SF at 11 p.m. I met a young man on that flight and we had sex in the last row during the trip back.
My good memories about that airport go back to the 60's when I was in high school. The original airport had a famous restaurant called, Bartke's. It was a very popular place for the guys to take girls on their first date. They had great steak dinners. It was usually packed during prom season. What made the restaurant unique was that it was atop the airport surrounded with windows. While people were eating they could watch the planes landing and taking off.
In the many times I have gone to New York, I have never flown into La Guardia or JFK (formerly know as Idlewild). I always flew in to Newark. On my return back I always use to stop at a hamburger restaurant at the airport where you could fix your own hamburgers. I would fix a couple and take them on the plane with me to eat along the way.
I know this has nothing to do with airports. But, I flew to San Francisco many years ago. I returned to Florida on a Delta flight. It was a "red eye" express which left SF at 11 p.m. I met a young man on that flight and we had sex in the last row during the trip back.
johnny
BSB Addict
I know this has nothing to do with airports. But, I flew to San Francisco many years ago. I returned to Florida on a Delta flight. It was a "red eye" express which left SF at 11 p.m. I met a young man on that flight and we had sex in the last row during the trip back.[/QUOTE]
No...Missed out again....xo JohnnyCute story Louis.Was that you Johnny?? haha
Ambivalent
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My goodness, Drake ~
What a curious subject (from my point of view) - I saw the thread, and immediately thought: "What's to like, about an AIRPORT???" But, I see it's a real-live topic, and people have gotten quite passionate, about it! (Y'all are just much better travelled, than I ;-) And, upon reflection, of course it makes sense, for those who spend a lot of their time, in these confined, contemporary hells ;-))))
From my limited experience, I'll simply say:
*Beth, I loved your story about that airport, in Alaska. Of course, I've looked upon Alaska (in general) as a sort of charmed and magic land, ever since my sister and I used to sit rapt, watching Northern Exposure.
*Louis - no wonder you're afraid of flying, now. . . you do such outrageous THINGS, en route!!!! http://news.nationalpost.com/news/c...t-woman-denies-wanting-to-join-mile-high-club
*John Henry - I'm quite surprised there are still inside smoking areas at the Atlanta airport - those went the way of the dodo in Canada (and lots of Europe) a decade ago, I think???
*Spartans - I am NOT surprised that you found Minneapolis the best: though I've not been through it, personally. Because people in Minneapolis are SOOOOO nice. (I always tell all my gay friends from the U.S., if you can't move to Canada, move to Minnesota. It's a very friendly and forward-looking place - and Minneapolis has oft been described as the "gay-friendliest" city in America. All those nice, liberal-minded, Scandinavians, you see ;-))))
*Tamps - Your tale of O'Hare is DELIGHTFULLY frightful. O'Hare is a popular connection-point for Canadians on their way to Europe, but I haven't been through that, place, for a reason. Because. . . my late, great, sweet, travel agent (she rejoiced in a towering blonde beehive, wore a mink stole from November onward, and looked just like "Patsy", from Absolutely Fabulous, may she rest in peace): once had an opportunity to put me through Chicago, and she said, "Oh, no, no, NO, my sweet, innocent, 'A'. . . you mustn't set foot there. Unless I send a body bag along with you, to bring you back. My dear, DEAR little lamb, you'd NEVER SURVIVE."
*Caribou - I'm glad you found Pearson, in Toronto, congenial. I have, always, too - the staff are helpful and courteous, and ESPECIALLY the senior citizens who helm the "help for visitors" bureaus. Whenever I start to tear up, and tell them I'm a lost boy from the North Pole, they go out of their way to help. (The citizens of Toronto are much less friendly than they used to be in days of yore, however. . . sadly.)
My other experiences are somewhat at variance to yours, though, Caribou. As airports go (and I had never really given it any thought, before Drake posted this!) I have always been just fine cooling my heels at Charles De Gaulle. . . but that is because I am always waiting with friends, and also, because the young soldiers who patrol the halls are so incredibly HOT ;-))) *Airport security is nowhere so sexy, in ALL the world!*
As to Helsinki, perhaps you're right. It's a lovely bit of Scandinavian modernist architecture (on the inside); it's flawlessly CLEAN; and the BOOKSTORE is EXCELLENT. My experience at the Helsinki Airport was perhaps tainted by my discomfiture with FinnAIR. . . The flight attendants on FinnAir are all singularly beautiful (ice-blonde damsels, straight from a Hitchcock production) and singularly uncompassionate. (They wear black leather gloves, which they don as the plane is about to land, like expectant dominatrices.)
Once, while making a connection in Helsinki, the flight was very late, and the airline allowed us a scant five minutes to collect our bags, and embark on the next leg of the journey. A lot of the people on the flight were senior citizens, and everyone was in manifest distress. I asked the head flight attendant, "What shall we DO?" She winked at me, and said, "You'd better RUN!!!" (We all missed the connecting flight, but I led a charge of the senior-citizens upon the FinnAir ticket-counter, and we procured another connection ;-)))
************************************************** **********
Anyway, Drake, thanks for the interesting and unusual topic. In terms of business theory, I had previously always considered airports (with their hours of waiting, and overpriced - tiny- offerings of food and drink) less a "value-adding" than a "hygienic" function of the transportation system - that is, something one only notices, if they VEX YOU.
Unless, of course, Leonardo Di Caprio happens to be breezing through in a smart pilot's uniform ;-)))
Best,
"A" XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
What a curious subject (from my point of view) - I saw the thread, and immediately thought: "What's to like, about an AIRPORT???" But, I see it's a real-live topic, and people have gotten quite passionate, about it! (Y'all are just much better travelled, than I ;-) And, upon reflection, of course it makes sense, for those who spend a lot of their time, in these confined, contemporary hells ;-))))
From my limited experience, I'll simply say:
*Beth, I loved your story about that airport, in Alaska. Of course, I've looked upon Alaska (in general) as a sort of charmed and magic land, ever since my sister and I used to sit rapt, watching Northern Exposure.
*Louis - no wonder you're afraid of flying, now. . . you do such outrageous THINGS, en route!!!! http://news.nationalpost.com/news/c...t-woman-denies-wanting-to-join-mile-high-club
*John Henry - I'm quite surprised there are still inside smoking areas at the Atlanta airport - those went the way of the dodo in Canada (and lots of Europe) a decade ago, I think???
*Spartans - I am NOT surprised that you found Minneapolis the best: though I've not been through it, personally. Because people in Minneapolis are SOOOOO nice. (I always tell all my gay friends from the U.S., if you can't move to Canada, move to Minnesota. It's a very friendly and forward-looking place - and Minneapolis has oft been described as the "gay-friendliest" city in America. All those nice, liberal-minded, Scandinavians, you see ;-))))
*Tamps - Your tale of O'Hare is DELIGHTFULLY frightful. O'Hare is a popular connection-point for Canadians on their way to Europe, but I haven't been through that, place, for a reason. Because. . . my late, great, sweet, travel agent (she rejoiced in a towering blonde beehive, wore a mink stole from November onward, and looked just like "Patsy", from Absolutely Fabulous, may she rest in peace): once had an opportunity to put me through Chicago, and she said, "Oh, no, no, NO, my sweet, innocent, 'A'. . . you mustn't set foot there. Unless I send a body bag along with you, to bring you back. My dear, DEAR little lamb, you'd NEVER SURVIVE."
*Caribou - I'm glad you found Pearson, in Toronto, congenial. I have, always, too - the staff are helpful and courteous, and ESPECIALLY the senior citizens who helm the "help for visitors" bureaus. Whenever I start to tear up, and tell them I'm a lost boy from the North Pole, they go out of their way to help. (The citizens of Toronto are much less friendly than they used to be in days of yore, however. . . sadly.)
My other experiences are somewhat at variance to yours, though, Caribou. As airports go (and I had never really given it any thought, before Drake posted this!) I have always been just fine cooling my heels at Charles De Gaulle. . . but that is because I am always waiting with friends, and also, because the young soldiers who patrol the halls are so incredibly HOT ;-))) *Airport security is nowhere so sexy, in ALL the world!*
As to Helsinki, perhaps you're right. It's a lovely bit of Scandinavian modernist architecture (on the inside); it's flawlessly CLEAN; and the BOOKSTORE is EXCELLENT. My experience at the Helsinki Airport was perhaps tainted by my discomfiture with FinnAIR. . . The flight attendants on FinnAir are all singularly beautiful (ice-blonde damsels, straight from a Hitchcock production) and singularly uncompassionate. (They wear black leather gloves, which they don as the plane is about to land, like expectant dominatrices.)
Once, while making a connection in Helsinki, the flight was very late, and the airline allowed us a scant five minutes to collect our bags, and embark on the next leg of the journey. A lot of the people on the flight were senior citizens, and everyone was in manifest distress. I asked the head flight attendant, "What shall we DO?" She winked at me, and said, "You'd better RUN!!!" (We all missed the connecting flight, but I led a charge of the senior-citizens upon the FinnAir ticket-counter, and we procured another connection ;-)))
************************************************** **********
Anyway, Drake, thanks for the interesting and unusual topic. In terms of business theory, I had previously always considered airports (with their hours of waiting, and overpriced - tiny- offerings of food and drink) less a "value-adding" than a "hygienic" function of the transportation system - that is, something one only notices, if they VEX YOU.
Unless, of course, Leonardo Di Caprio happens to be breezing through in a smart pilot's uniform ;-)))
Best,
"A" XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
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