Airline Mogul Forum
Non-Airline Mogul => General Chat => Topic started by: AirHanoverInternational on December 30, 2007, 12:05:53 pm
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As best/worst flights are in discussion I like to know what you think of the airports you used for your flights (airports you visited for spotting only do not count :wink: ). Perhaps you may help others to chose a nice airport for their next flights.
Hannover, Germany (used many times as it is the closest one)
pretty small, easy accessable by car but sometimes hard to find a parking lot close to the desired terminal, experienced delays (departure): below 15 minutes, signs (gates/rest rooms/info desk, etc.) are placed well, aircrafts mainly park at the gate fingers
Vienna, Austria (most used destination in the last 5 years)
easy accessable by car and train (I used rentals only) but a long way to the rentals parking area if you have a lot of luggage, experienced delays (departure): one or two times below 15 minutes almost everytime up to 45 minutes (must be due to the fact there is only one runway in use which is not enough for rush hours; also we have been on hold many times before landing :cry: ), signs (gates/rest rooms/info desk, etc.) are placed well, aircrafts often park far away from the Terminal (a new one is under construction and may be ready for the European Soccer Championship in Austria/Switzerland 2008)
Stuttgart, Germany
pretty small, easy accessable by car, some signs could be placed a bit better, experienced delays (departure): mainly on time but up to 30 minutes in rush hours, sometimes there are not enough check-inn desks available to handle the passengers in rush hours.
Trivia: Stuttgart was one of the most dangerous international airports in Europe until the mid 90's and is now the only airport in Europe that has its tower placed outside the airport boundaries.
Palma de Mallorca, Spain (I have been two times there)
easy accessable by car, long ways to walk from the gates which is even more horrible when the conveyor belts do not work, experienced delays: first time on time/ second time 30 minutes
London Heathrow, UK (I have been here once, April 2002)
cant say much about it but hopefully Gatwick/Stansted/Luton/City are better than this one, 15 minutes late on arrival in the morning, 45 minutes late on departure, signs are hard to find, all the arrival/departure information screens did not work the day I wanted to go back home, If I had to chose which airport is the worst one I visited it would be Heathrow
I have been to various other airports in Europe and US (10 or more years ago) but cannot remember them good enough to give more than a single statement and things may have changed since then. Although huge in size I loved Atlanta and Newark but remember to have timing problems at Houston (they closed the aircraft door right after I could manage to get into it). Also I loved that cute little Monroe Regional Airport, LA. I always got there and left on time (have been there three times). One time I arrived 20 minutes ahead the schedule as it seemed the pilot was in a hurry when he performed a real short stop at Montgomery, Alabama on the way from Atlanta :D Usually the pilot stops in front of the runway and stops again on the runway. But that time the aircraft did not even stop one time. I had the feeling the engines reached takeoff power before we finished the turn to align with the runway :lol:
EDIT:
Airport security at Vienna damaged my suitcase I had expensive IT components in. There was no notification for me. It may be better to lock the zippers of you luggage with an extenal lock instead of using the integrated one. The suitcase they damaged in Vienna was just one week old :cry: In Hanover they ordered me once to open my luggage to show them the inside.
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Vienna is a small airport, I bought an Airport express ticket was fairly priced compared to the Malpensa Express ticket in Milan. But then i soon realized that there was a cheaper way to get to and from the airport. Vienna is great but the airport lacks in entertainment.
Milan Malpensa-One of the worst but better than Milan Linate. Nothing to see and nothing to buy.
Milan Linate- And I believed Malpensa was *vegetable*ty.
Rome Leonardo Da Vinci/Fiumicino- I cant remember much about the airport but it seemed fairly nice. I liked its architecture.
Amsterdam Schipol- I got tired hearing KL messages Board ur flight now or we will proceed in unloading ur baggage. Airport was good though.
Frankfurt- I took the train (Skylink) i guess from Terminal A to Terminal C nice view of the airport
London Heathrow- one of the most confusing airport in the world, long lines at immigration,long security lines, long walks, airport map confusing.
Paris CDG- What i can Remember is that I walked a lot to catch my flight. Airport Transfer should be made easier.
Lon Angeles LAX- TBIT was in total chaos, I didnt get to see the airport a lot my flight was leaving at Midnight all shops and diners where closed.
T4 was *vegetable*ty nothing to do and it's also very crowded.
DFW- In Architecture is one of the best it's very big and marvelous. Inside was poor once u check in and pass through security, there is nothing much to do.
Manila MNL (Philippines)
I've been to NAIA-1
Long lines to check in,long lines to pay taxes, long lines to pass immigration, long lines to pass security. Lack of facilities and few shops and dining areas.
NAIA-2 The BEst airport in the Philippines nice architecture and maintenance, but the turndown it's only for PR and 2P
NAIA Domestic- One of the crappiest.
Beijing PEK- Trying hard to copy HKG. but they cant be compared to HKIA.
Tianjin TSN (China)- No Comment i ended up arguing with the guard. Bad memories.
Cebu(Mactan) also in the Philippines- A lot better than NAIA-1 one of the best also but there is a lack in entertainment facilities once ur inside.
Other Airports in the Philippines (Ozamiz,Cagayan de Oro and Dipolog)
They're small domestic airports dont expect much
Hong Kong International Airport- I saved the best for the last, I agree with skytrax, It is trully the best in the world, free Wifi, and if u dont own a Laptop u can use their free computer stations. Easy transfer, enjoy using the airport train, A lot of shops and dinning spots, Catch best deals everywhere, Immigration lines smooth also baggage handling is excellent. Very Clean and safe.Smooth connection with the city, by Airport Express 100HKD or 10 € taxi 200HKD about 20€ or bus only 2€. What ever means of transport be sure to try them all. I did and u will get the to see Hong Kong from different views. Personal Experience if u loose something u'll find it again in that airport. Like ''IPODS''
Im interested to see Singapore Changi and Seoul incheon, i hope some day i can go there.They have also a very good reputation
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ATW-Appleton
Nice airport. Very few delays/cancellations. Great food [Cafe and Bar]. Nice shopping [1/2 stores]. Nice terminal. Freindly people. Everything is clean. Not always the best, but it works [even if NWA puts you on a Saab340 :roll: ]
ATL-Atlanta
Excellent. Largest "PAX" mover in the US right next to LAX. Not the best condition in some terminals [Watch out for Terminal B] which is mainly Delta Air Lines. Good food in some places. Great shopping. As great as the Mall of America.
RSW-Ft. Meyers
Decent and mainly clean. Had a few rough times [too early and got bored]. Sometimes not the greatest of choices for food/shopping. Excellent service [kind of].
DTW-Detroit
Decent and quite good for shoppers/eaters/monorail riders :lol: Also, if you fly into/out of DTW with NWA, you have 75-80 gates in the A Terminal that you could be in. The moving walkways are fun :wink: :lol:
If you go United into/out of ATW/RSW, you might have some "delays" and Midwest is crazy too in ATW. :wink:
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Best Airports:
Tampa Bay International Airport.
*Organized extremly well, sign are placed perfectly, service was good, no hassles, they even had slippers for you when you take off your shoes :) , easy transport, airplane at the gate 10 minutes early, TONS OF CHAIRS TO SIT IN!!!
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Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
*Almost never has delays going out, unless your plane was delayed from destination city (same for arrivals), Check-in is right infront of you, but it gets crowded during the rush hours, lots of good food places in all terminals, massage people :D, Lots of art stuff, but sometimes there are longish lines....
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Worst airport, ATL.... Won't say much about it.
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Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
*Almost never has delays going out, unless your plane was delayed from destination city (same for arrivals), Check-in is right infront of you, but it gets crowded during the rush hours, lots of good food places in all terminals, massage people :D, Lots of art stuff, but sometimes there are longish lines....
To completely throw out everything you say about Sea-Tac, I only need to mention one thing.
TSA for Concourse C,D...
The single most disfunctional group of human beings in the world. PHX(which everyone claims is bad) is by a far cry better than Sea-Tac C/D
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Let's see:
MCO - east airsides are nice with good views of 17-35. Lots of shopping in the main terminal and decent food throughout. Coming through immigration isn't TOO bad as far as immigration goes. Security lines can be horrible early in the morning for the 6am-7:30am pushes.
ATL - always seem to go into T with a flight departing 45 minutes later from concourse E (over a mile walk). Food and shopping is decent, but other than the E concourse, the airport is pretty well rundown. Immigration is a pain in ATL. Security lines were terrible pre-9/11 and weren't a whole lot better last time through
FLL - nice little airport if slightly rundown the last time I was there. Shopping and food are minimal, but so is the crowding. Also used to have some nice viewing areas along the end of the runways with holes precut in the fence for cameras (guessing that might have been a victim of 9/11 :cry: )
MIA - never much cared for it. Immigration was a OK - it didn't leave a big impression so it must not have been too bad. Interesting to drive around the 36th St side of the airport, but I'd much prefer FLL instead.
CDG - immigration was very quick. Decent shopping inside, nice clean terminals. However, on my last flight they decided to remote load the 747 using scissor buses, resulting in our being over an hour late for departure.
ORY - The most God-awful mass of humanity I have ever seen.
LGW - immigration was decent, airport is nice inside. Don't care for the way Virgin flies the approaches, but that's not the airport's fault.
TLV - immigration in was very quick. Immigration out was everything I expected, but the people were friendly and professional. Not a lot to do in the airport, but it was one of the best overall airport experiences overseas.
ETH - nice facilities, very little to do. Approach over the Red Sea in a DHC-7 was most cool
MAN - my best memory is of the concrete beams over the car rental area. Immigration was quick, but renting a car on Boxing Day is not.
MHT - Nice little airport, decent food, not a lot of shopping outside of the normal newsstand.
SFO - love flying into there, always seems to be a pain coming out.
OAK - much better choice for the Bay Area, lines aren't quite as bad, but not quite as much to do as SFO
SBA - this is my all time favorite airport. The building dates back to the 30s and has individual waiting rooms for each gate (also has individual security for each gate since you have to walk along the outside of the building to get from the ticket counter to the gate. Absolutely nothing to do, maybe one coffee stand in the main lobby, but an airport like none other I've ever been through.
CLE - Nice facilities, used to have an open air observation deck on the top of the airside (don't know if it is still there). The lines were reasonable and the food and shopping was respectable.
HOU - Nice airport, good food selection, shopping isn't too bad. Only transferred there, so I don't know about the lines, etc.
CRP - Very clean and small facility. Not a lot in the way of food or shopping (I think one choice on each), but while I was waiting for someone to arrive there, I noticed that the security line very often had no one waiting. :shock:
I've also been through SLC, RNO, CVG (immigration was quick), DFW, DEN (Stapleton), IND, IAH, BWI, IAD and others that I know I've forgotten.
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Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
*Almost never has delays going out, unless your plane was delayed from destination city (same for arrivals), Check-in is right infront of you, but it gets crowded during the rush hours, lots of good food places in all terminals, massage people :D, Lots of art stuff, but sometimes there are longish lines....
To completely throw out everything you say about Sea-Tac, I only need to mention one thing.
TSA for Concourse C,D...
The single most disfunctional group of human beings in the world. PHX(which everyone claims is bad) is by a far cry better than Sea-Tac C/D
Well I'm usually in N gates.... so its a different expierence :D
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bluemage, I can't agree on your comment regarding rome... IMO it's total anarchy.
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bluemage, I can't agree on your comment regarding rome... IMO it's total anarchy.
What has Anarchy to do with this? Anyway if you dont agree with me, you have all the right you want. Like u said it's just opinions. But i still dont get the thing about anarchy.
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The greatest thing about flying from Ireland to the US is that most airlines use the Immigration service here (The US Authorities Have an area in Dublin and Shannon Airports), so when we arrive in the US we just walk past the crowds and collect our bags. 8)
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The greatest thing about flying from Ireland to the US is that most airlines use the Immigration service here (The US Authorities Have an area in Dublin and Shannon Airports), so when we arrive in the US we just walk past the crowds and collect our bags. 8)
LOL, they took my picture and my finger prints. I felt like a convict. :lol:
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Best=DFW
Worst=DTW
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Best=DFW
Worst=DTW
I assure you there are airports that are far better than DFW. Although DFW is Hell of a BIG airport!!!!!Probably one of the biggest. I cant forget when they chose me to undergo special Security procedure at DFW. HAHAHAHA i went inside this air thingy machine.
Officer(Looking at my boarding pass, notices XXXX under): Oh sir you've been chosen by the airline pass by Special security procedures.
Me: What????????????
I guess it was because i checked in early so i had a lot of free time to be their lab monkey.
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its second biggest in the US for area: first is Denver, has the same area as the city of San Francisco.
biggest in the world is in Saudi Arabia, its bigger then Bahrain (which is very close to it)
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Airports can be such a mixed bag...
London Heathrow
As a non-EU resident, the immigration upon arrival is a long wait. Baggage reclaim and meeting point are extremely cramped. For departing, had to wait ages at check-in once but on all other occasions it's been smooth so I've been very lucky. I turned up 3 hours before the flight and end up having to wait 2 hours for the gate to open because I was done! Shops are plentiful and some needs to be demolished in the departure area to create more space for waiting passengers. Transport is extortionately expensive unless you take the tube which takes 40 minutes to Piccadilly Circus (Central London) on a good day. Other parts of the country seems well linked by long distance coaches.
London Gatwick
I arrived at Gatwick South Terminal at 0630 in the morning. There was no line at all at immigration so it was fast! :D Luggage area is far more spacious than Heathrow.
Helsinki-Vantaa, Finland
Modern, smallish airport. Arrival was smooth and the Finnair Citybus to the city is fast and comfortable. The terminal seems quite new but is already at capacity. When I departed, it was extremely crowded, departure area packed full of people. Finland is also the most expensive country I've been yet.
Dubai, USE
Magnificent and cavernous building. Had no problems with the service and the building simply takes your breath away. The seats were a little dirty though. There is a lack of a rail link to the city if I recall correct.
Narita Airport, Tokyo
Long arrival immigration queues for ALIENS :shock: . Takes 1 hour by train to Central Tokyo and I only consider the commuter trains run by Keisei "affordable". Terminal 1 is fairly spacious but check-in for T2 is as cramped as Heathrow.
Xiamen Gaoqi Airport, China
Small but modern and clean with lots of metal and natural light. Hardly any queues for check-in and immigration. Also very spacious.
Manila Ninoy Aquino Airport
Terminal 1 is a dump. It's a magnificient building which is poorly cleaned. Long immigration wait. Terminal 2 (PAL) is much better. At least flights left right on time the last few times I used it.
Caticlan Airport. Philippines
The gateway to the resort island of Boracay. Scariest flight of my life coming in on an Asian Spirit DHC-7 on the puny runway! If I had come a year earlier, it would have been a dirt strip! The airport is a lovely little building, very rural Philippine style with no drainage. It was completely flooded when I arrived! Not the best but probably the coolest airport I've been to.
Hong Kong International - KAI TAK
The check-in area was actually spacious but the building was bursting at its seams when it came to handling the traffic in the 90s. The service was decent and there were a few places to eat and a few shops. The lack of space meant a lack of immigration desks thus long waits clearing security. Your aircraft would almost always be on an outer bay (the furthest being some 2km from the terminal!) and boarding via the gate is a novelty! Seats and space in departure area lacking and the meeting point absolutely packed on arrival. It was a very novel airport especially with the checkerboard approach but it needed to go.
Hong Kong International - Chek Lap Kok
The best saved for the last, and I'm grateful this is also my home! Excellent terminal building with lots of light and space. Check in and immigration is efficient and plenty of shops. The terminal has plenty of seats throughout. The only airport I've been where you don't get ripped off on food - you get the standard Hong Kong fastfood at pretty much city prices! Arriving is also a breeze. The new Terminal 2 is pretty nice but not as good as the original. It is well linked to the city - by world standards. By HK standards, 50 minutes by bus to the "City" is a long trip and the speed limiter kicks in at a lucklustre 70km/h. The Airport Express does the trip in 24 minutes and is cheap by world standards - but expensive by HK standards!
The biggest architectural flaw is how you have to go down 4 levels on a very slow escalator to take the shuttle train for the outer gates! I usually just walk it and it's a very long (but fun) walk!
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bluemage, I can't agree on your comment regarding rome... IMO it's total anarchy.
What has Anarchy to do with this? Anyway if you dont agree with me, you have all the right you want. Like u said it's just opinions. But i still dont get the thing about anarchy.
Ok... I'll explain why I think it's anarchy
a) they have a habit of not connecting luggage
b) the ground crews are "strikealots"
c) the radar guys are "strikealots"
d) if there's no strike there's a good chance that something's wrong with the radar/the airport/ the weather and they'll divert you :evil:
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Wow you've been to Boracay, I wish i can go there someday, probably next year, cant w8 to see the 7th best beach in the world. Btw there is this joke regarding Asian Spirit, U made me remind of it. Fly as Asian and land as Spirit.
BTW I back up ur comments for MNL both T1 and T2.
LHR is congested when u connect through it. If you check in it's pretty smooth coz ppol then head for the numerous terminal that LHR has.
I also agree Scandinavian countries are the most expensive, i think Norway being one of those.
btw it's Dubai UAE not USE.
And I totally agree on HKIA (Chep lap kok) unlike u i like taking the airport train :wink: . and the thing about taking the airport express, true 100HKD is a lot for Hong kong Standard but not for Intl. standard. Well in my case it depends on where ur going, if ur going to central then the best way is by Airport Express, plus taking Airport Express allows me to earn miles.Food at HKIA is one of the best. I usually hang around the area where there is poppey and cafe the coral. Every time I fly I eat in a different place. Although i must say the one beside cafe de coral(i cant remember the name) is quite expensive compared to the others.
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Cool thread...
Bests:
DFW : My most often used connection airport. I put it first 'cos it's improved so dramatically. With the TrAAin I hated the place. The skylink changes all that in a huge way. JFK could've taken lessons on how to do a peoplemover properly from DFW. I can more often than not get gate to gate in 12 minutes... and Terminal D is *very* nice with lots of options. I do miss the Terminal A Flagship Lounge tho... but that's an AA thing.
TPA : Once they got security sorted out and did away with the 45 minute lines to get into the terminals it made the airport much more bearable. Landside it's awesome, the two-sided design is a bit odd until you get used to it (blue/red) but it's very clean and spacious and lots of amenities compared to other places.
MIA: MIA polarizes people. You either love it or hate it. I love it for two very dumb reasons, La Carreta (the Cuban restaurant just outside term D (?) and the eye candy. MIA CONSTANTLY has some of the most beautiful women in the world transiting... the older parts of the airport suck but the new terminals will make up for that.
FRA : I like the airport so much I stay at the Sheraton when I go. Parking costs a fortune tho but it's sooo convenient. Great spotting, great access to the autobahn, the airport and the rail network. Walk out the hotel to the trainstation... then when it's time to fly home; get a late checkout, go check in early for the flight then go back to the room to hang out until it's time to go.
HKG: Best for last-the best airport in the world and the best airline lounge I've ever experienced (haven't flown EK nor done DXB though). The F side of the Wing is just amazing. I always starve myself just before i go and leave about 3 hours to have time to pillage the buffet (catered by the Peninsula I believe). :D
Worsts:
IAH: WTF is up with needing to go landside to get from one side of terminal A to the other???? I don't care if one side is Skyteam and the other ain't... some of us would like to connect from the CO side of the world to fly elsewhere (UA, etc). DFW is MUCH better in this respect. Not to mention every time I fly I end up having to walk from the very far end of Terminal B to the ass end of Terminal E (E.G. about as far as you can go).
JFK/LAX: I'm not sure which is worse. The Airtrain makes JFK more habitable but is still woefully unreliable and last time I was there the intra-airport train was running BACKWARDS (E.G. a 2 minute trip turned into 12). LAX is just... LAX.
GUM: Humid as all get out, nothing to do and everything shuts down promptly at nine before many flights go out.
PHL : Don't even get me started... nuke the entire effing facility and take the airline with it.
SJC : Not the entire airport, but Terminal C. Beyond a dump. NOTHING to do, one food place and just plain dirty and run-down.
PHX : Terminal 2 - wow. Much as with SJC there just ain't much there.
LAS : Only due to the landside mess. There's just GOTTA be a better way to do security.
DEN : See above. The place is beyond a clusterF.
JNB domestic side : There's worse in Africa but one expects better from the 'gateway to Africa'. Int'l side is actually one of my favorites because the shopping, spotting and people are all so unique.
NRT : Lines to get in, lines to get out... but the new OneWorld facilities are quite nice. CX lounge MUCH MUCH improved and the beer machine ROCKS.
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Glasgow Airport
Not spectacular but it is nice and cosy, great big windows that has a nice few of the aipron. a few shops like WHSmith etc.
Faro Airport
Nice airport but i don't like the flooring, nearly tripped 5 times that day :P a part from that its nice.
Las Palmas
was in 1998 when i was verry young therefore don't remember anything :P
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Best~
Well I love Sydney Int. They were so cool there when I went. You go fast when going throw security.
Worst~
That would be Honolulu. I was in the security line for 1:30 hours. I almost missed my flight.
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Best- London Heathrow
It has a freaking mall, and really nice resting area!
we actually plan long layovers there lol :D
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I want to go to the Dubai Airport.
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yes iv saw pics of the Dubai airport. it even has Palm Trees in the airport building!
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Best...
Fort Wayne, Indiana (FWA)...By far the best airport experience you can probably get in terms of treatment. I'm about 30 miles from it and all my air travel adventures have began and ended there. Small airport, only regionals till Allegiant Air began services with there MD-80s to several destinations. I haven't been there since they began service so not sure how the larger passenger loads have effected things now. But, from check-in to boarding theres always smiles. Security is a breeze...typically no lines except when a flight is about to board. My last trip I was the only one going through and carried on a conversation with the security staff for almost 20 minutes before they had anyone else come through 8) Only 8 gates to choose from so not like you can get confused. Never once have seen it crowded...but as I mentioned I don't know how Allegiant effected this.
Best is always the return...your always greeted by a gate agent...they tend to remember people sometimes...especially if you were heading somewhere like Asia or Europe. Last trip the guy greeting us as we came off the aircraft happened to be the same one who had checked me in 3 weeks before when I had departed for Taiwan. He remembered me and even asked how the trip went :o Most flights departing FWA are full...but if you catch one of the first morning flights into FWA you will likely only find a few other passengers joining you. When I returned my final leg of that trip was ORD-FWA...American ERJ-145. 50 seater...including the 2 pilots, 1 flight attendant, and myself there was only 9 people on the flight...the attendant told us to sit wherever we pleased and even served drinks before pushback...which I've never had on such a small craft...or even larger ones.
Once you leave the secure area you are greeted again by a staff member...typically an older women...who passes out sugar cookies. They arnt much...just little individually wrapped cookies with the FWA logo on them. But it really puts the final touch on things...after a long trip you feel like your home :D
Good
Taoyuan, Taiwan (TPE)...Upon arrival was decently impressed. Only got to enjoy Terminal 1 though. Breezed though customs and was legally in Taiwan in under 10 minutes. Nice open...ok...hugely spacious immigration area. But hitting it at like 6:30 AM mine was the only flight clearing customs at that time. Departure...gate area is nice, comfy seats. Great views, my gate overlooked the departure runway, watched many heavies thundering by. Unfortunately it was late night so couldn't take pictures.
Worst
Los Angeles (LAX)...First time...coming in late from DFW and after running from the AA terminal to Tom Bradley I was greeted with total chaos. Then came the fun of clearing Security...thats a whole new meaning to joke...took over an hour in the line...luckily my flight ended up delayed. Coming back...hit LAX and wished I was somewhere else. Took over 2.5 hours to clear customs dealing with long lines and rude customs staff...as well as lugging my overweight bag to a drop off point. Mind you it only took 5-10 minutes to legally enter Taiwan as a FOREIGNER...2.5 hours to legally reenter my own country as a CITIZEN and treated like crap through the whole ordeal...they make you feel so glad to be back in the US :x I work on 2 farms...we literally treat our livestock with more respect. :x
NEVER AGAIN will I go though the joke known as LAX. Maybe the AA terminal which wasn't to bad other then crowds...but never Tom Bradly...ever. I don't care if it costs a couple hundred bucks more I will route myself around LAX if at all possible :?
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I say LAX needs some inner remodel.
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Best: HKG :D
I have not seen a match to HKG yet (but I have not been to SIN or SEL or DXB). They have trees inside HKG as well :wink: Due to the high penalty for delays, most flights depart on time (which is a big plus :lol: ). For Hong Kong permanent residents, we breeze through immigration quicker than you get a token for trains in North America. The lugguages are relatively slow though. When you get to the baggage claim area within 5 minutes of you plane arriving at the gate (my best record is 3 minutes, starting from the moment the fasten seat belt sign went off, and I was in economy), it is nearly a 10 minutes wait for your baggages... making it incredibly slow by HK standards :P (we are impatient... shoot us :P )
Worst: LAX, DOH, MSP, JFK
LAX - See others' posts. It is bad... real bad.
DOH - Rude ground staff. Poor food. Only 1 duty free. All gates are outlying ones which you need to take a bus to board the plane :roll:
MSP - Very rude, and incredibly stupid / ignorant immigration & customs & TSA (yes... all 3 groups unfortunately). Never going through there again.
JFK - Too big, with all the terminals seperated, resulting in few shops and nothing to do while waiting for your flights. Terminal 7 (British Airways / One World & United / Star Alliance) was under renovation in Dec. Most shops were closed. Only 1 McD's in the whole "food court", selling very expensive junk food. Not enough seatings in waiting areas, esp. when you take into consideration all flights are of B747's.
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For Hong Kong permanent residents, we breeze through immigration quicker than you get a token for trains in North America.
I saw that one. No officers it's just as simple as inserting ur ID and scan ur fingerprints and then the doors open and then ur in HKG!!! Lines for foreigners are long for HKG standards but for foreign standard they are fast!!!!
My LAX experience was passing through immigration was fast enough, but taking my luggage took a freaking 1 hour, plus another one hour to pass another baggage check.
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Best:
Punta Cana (PUJ/MDPC), Dominican Republic, big enough, but still small and cosy, lots of atmosphere, no windows so great apron photography.
Worst:
Manchester (MAN/EGCC), UK, T3 and T1 are fine but T2 (Most of the shorthaul charters go from here, along with international (AF, AA, EY, DL...) and longhaul charters) is full of Chavs, who are loud, abrasive and have really really annoying voices. Worst place in the world for a foreign person to arrive in the UK, through the chav's ass...
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Rome Fiumicino Was great when we arrived at 6am local time.. No pissing around in security lines. We literally didn't stop walking through immigration- eg no lines. I went to put my bag on the X-ray and the friendly Italian guy told me not to worry. Kuala Lumpur airport was good too, although I didn't actuallt exit the airport.