The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams
There really aren't a lot of airports in Neeldom. Schiphol is the one most often mentioned, with perhaps Heathrow in second place. While I've never been to either of them I have been to my fair share of airports.
Yesterday I went to Sea-Tac to pick up my #4 child who has been in Japan for 2 years. I could just about drive to Sea-Tac in my sleep - in spite of the fact that it's about an hour from my house (in good traffic). The interior is rather confusing - but a lot of that can be blamed on the extra security that it wasn't designed for. My least favorite thing about Sea-Tac isn't really the airport itself...it's the parking garage...well, parking in general. Even the "secure" parking lots that surround the airport come in for a fair amount of disdain on my part. For example: How did our minivan manage to get a parking ticket from Seattle (20ish miles away) the day before we returned from Charleston, when it was supposedly parked by the airport?
Let's rate some airports! On a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being 'festering boil' ugly)...
Sea-Tac - this is the airport I use most frequently. The exterior gets maybe a 3...the parking garage is fairly hideous (besides being difficult to navigate). I'd give it lower points except that on the occasional clear day, you get a stunning view of Mt. Rainer.
PDX - Portland International. I give this one a 8 for the creative use of plants to disguise part of the parking structure. Inside isn't too bad - I don't think I've ever been there when it's been really crowded.
Gatwick - I have no idea what the exterior looks like, but the interior is dated and slightly smelly. It gets a 2 - mostly because it has the most soul destroying customs area I've ever had the misfortune to be stuck in.
Charleston International Airport. Despite it's rather dated interior, I think this airport is cute as a bug...mostly because of its petite size compared to its impressive name. I give it a 6.
Narita/Tokyo Airport. Soaring ceilings, huge windows, customs is not in a dank room with no light (see Gatwick). Friendly information desk people. I give this one a 7.
Atlanta. I've never actually visited Atlanta...but I have changed planes there on more times than I care to remember. Atlanta is one of my least favorite airports. Ever. I've lost luggage there. Twice. Bad landings...often. Long taxiing to the runway...yeah (when we were going to Charleston this year, we spent as much time in the airplane before take-off as we did in the air). Long distances between gates. Gates changed. Can you tell I don't like this airport? I give it a 1.
How about your airport experiences? Which airports do you like...or hate?
Yesterday I went to Sea-Tac to pick up my #4 child who has been in Japan for 2 years. I could just about drive to Sea-Tac in my sleep - in spite of the fact that it's about an hour from my house (in good traffic). The interior is rather confusing - but a lot of that can be blamed on the extra security that it wasn't designed for. My least favorite thing about Sea-Tac isn't really the airport itself...it's the parking garage...well, parking in general. Even the "secure" parking lots that surround the airport come in for a fair amount of disdain on my part. For example: How did our minivan manage to get a parking ticket from Seattle (20ish miles away) the day before we returned from Charleston, when it was supposedly parked by the airport?
Let's rate some airports! On a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being 'festering boil' ugly)...
Sea-Tac - this is the airport I use most frequently. The exterior gets maybe a 3...the parking garage is fairly hideous (besides being difficult to navigate). I'd give it lower points except that on the occasional clear day, you get a stunning view of Mt. Rainer.
PDX - Portland International. I give this one a 8 for the creative use of plants to disguise part of the parking structure. Inside isn't too bad - I don't think I've ever been there when it's been really crowded.
Gatwick - I have no idea what the exterior looks like, but the interior is dated and slightly smelly. It gets a 2 - mostly because it has the most soul destroying customs area I've ever had the misfortune to be stuck in.
Charleston International Airport. Despite it's rather dated interior, I think this airport is cute as a bug...mostly because of its petite size compared to its impressive name. I give it a 6.
Narita/Tokyo Airport. Soaring ceilings, huge windows, customs is not in a dank room with no light (see Gatwick). Friendly information desk people. I give this one a 7.
Atlanta. I've never actually visited Atlanta...but I have changed planes there on more times than I care to remember. Atlanta is one of my least favorite airports. Ever. I've lost luggage there. Twice. Bad landings...often. Long taxiing to the runway...yeah (when we were going to Charleston this year, we spent as much time in the airplane before take-off as we did in the air). Long distances between gates. Gates changed. Can you tell I don't like this airport? I give it a 1.
How about your airport experiences? Which airports do you like...or hate?
I could live without visiting D.C.'s airport again. They have these people movers to transfer you to different wings of the airport that look like those things that attacked the rebel base on the ice planet Hoth. They are huge time suckers.
ReplyDeleteWhich D.C. airport? I've been to Reagan, but not Dulles. Reagan was a mish-mash, but it was nice and close. It gets points for lack of a long commute.
ReplyDeleteBetty Barbara here--
ReplyDeleteI am most familiar with three:
Honolulu International (8)--beautiful, beautiful scenery--but all the security measures have hampered the interior.
Austin, TX(8)--Brand-newish terminal, nicely laid out-small enough to get around easily.
Baltimore-Washington Intl (BWI)(7)--has been recently remodeled/expanded. Looks gorgeous and is fairly easy to use. As long as you don't have to change airlines, it is fairly easy to get around. It is my home airport--about 15-20 minutes away and easy to get to.
Too big--DFW (Dallas Fort Worth)(4)I've only been through this one several times (much more familiar with old Love Field in Dallas). Let's say that it is not high on my airport list.
O'Hare(1)--been through it twice--nightmares both times.
Atlanta--haven't been through the 'new' one--the old one was a horror.
Nashville(6)--nicely done small airport, easy to navigate.
Charlotte, NC(6) is also a nicely done small airport.
I avoid Dulles and Reagan National(1's for both) like the plague. Sounds like Betty Keira is talking about Dulles and its 'people movers'.
The Denver airport while interesting from the outside has those stupid trains to move you around. The last trip the kids and I figured out that it was quicker (and easier) to walk to where we needed to go and skip the train. LAX is a nightmare but then again it's in So Cal and most everything there (exceptions given to Disneyland and Sea World) is a nightmare!
ReplyDeleteSchiphol is a very large airport with fabulous shopping, bathrooms and a mini Rijk museum. My family enjoyed our layover there. I was in Heathrow many years ago, so my memories wouldn't be accurate. Ft.Lauderdale airport is small and easily managed, while Miami airport is large and more challenging. Ben Gurion airport in Israel has a kosher McDonalds and lots of security. JFK in NYC is very large, very loud and very exciting.
ReplyDeleteHarrisburg, Pennsylvania's airport has tons of white rocking chairs in the pre-security waiting areas.
ReplyDeleteAs long as you have tons of time and like to walk, O'Hare is kinda fun (my kids love walking under the dinosaur skeleton).
Pittsburgh has a Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood play area.
Detroit has the coolest psychedelic tunnel.
Our little Tri Cities International Airport is pretty small and convenient. The ones I fly in and out of are Sea Tac, Portland, Oakland and San Francisco.
ReplyDeleteWe flew in an out of Heathrow twice, in '01 and '03. It is a HUGE place, there are signs telling you how many minutes it takes to walk to your gates. Once you get to your gate, there are sometimes more long ramps and causeways of buses to take you across the tarmac to your plane. Well organized, but unexpected for those who have never been there.
The second trip ended with my mom and dad leaving their passports and not realizing it till 5 hours before were scheduled to leave. It was also the President Bush was flying in, so security around the Embassy was the tightest I've ever seen, anywhere. We made our flight by virtue of a motorized cart for my mother and God's mercy, the details of which are perhaps for a different post,but I didn't cry till we were strapped into our seats.
Betty Laurel