Long gone may be the days when flying was a luxury though the handling of the airport’s terminal is believed by one travel site to still make all the difference to its passengers.
Travel website Frommer’s has released their list of the top 10 best and worst airport terminals in the world.
The ratings were made based on ‘cleanliness, services, on-time departures, navigation and the ease of getting to and from a city’s center,’ USA Today reported.
The top ten list for best dominate the eastern hemisphere with one exception in the United States, whose airport also shares a terminal on the worst list.
Rated as the best terminal in the world, however, is Saudi Arabia’s Hajj Terminal at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah.
On 120 acres it was recognized by the American Institute of Architects for best architectural design two years ago.
Featuring ‘210 white fiberglass tents that create a chimney effect cooling the hot desert air,’ Frommers.com told USA Today, they are the terminal’s ‘most stunning feature.’
The number two best ranked terminal is settled between the east and west and recognized by the travel site for both its tidy atmosphere while also charming volcanic view.
Island’s Leifur Eiríksson Air Terminal in Keflavik is admired by the travel site for its ‘Ikea’ store feel.
It’s said to also feature ‘all blond wood and volcanic-looking stone with big windows looking out on the dramatic Icelandic landscape.’
Placed at number five, New York’s terminal 5 was awarded for not only its architectural design but also having ‘by far the best airport food court in New York,’ according to Frommers, which many Yelp.com reviewers agree to.
Opened in 2008, the $743 million terminal at JFK airport handles 500 daily departures and arrivals.
Terminal 3 at the Changi International Airport in Singapore came in at number six, while Morocco’s Marrakech Menara Airport Terminal 1 hit number seven.South Korea’s Seoul Incheon Airport came in at number three, with New Zealand’s Wellington ‘Rock’ Terminal placing number four.
Two airports in Spain also made the top ten list at number eight with Madrid’s Barajas Terminal 4 and at number 10 Bilbao airport’s main terminal.
The Carrasco International Airport in Uruguay’s Montevideo came in a number nine.
Heading Frommer’s worst list was New York’s John F Kennedy Airport terminal 3 which is described as known for ‘endless immigration lines in a dank basement, an utter lack of food and shopping options, three crowded and confusing entry points, and hallways that could have been designed by M.C Escher for vomiting international travellers out onto an underground sidewalk with no cabs available,’ Frommers.com said.
‘There’s also a sense that the cleaning crew gave up in despair a while ago,’ it adds.
Coming in at number two is the Philippines’ Manila Airport Terminal 1, Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport Terminal B/C at number three and at number four, terminal 3 at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport whose city is repeated at number nine with Paris’ Beauvais airport.
Not the first time to be recognized negatively, Charles de Gaulle had received the 2010 and 2009 awards for worst airport to sleep in by SleepingInAirports.net.
According to Frommers, SleepingInAirports.net said they found ‘that the homeless population was being segregated to Terminal 3 at night.’
‘Changing planes is tiring, irritating and sometimes, a little terrifying,’ the publisher for Frommers decided of the terminal.
On their own scale, the Sleeping In Airports site ranked both of Frommers’ Paris airports as their number one and two ‘least favourite airports in Europe’ for 2011.
he U.S., without much flatter on the list, makes three more appearances after the number one spot for worst terminals.
Spot number seven goes to New York’s LaGuardia Airport terminal 5, number eight to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey for their terminal B, and Chicago’s Midway Airport earned the number 10 rank.
Frommers.com is known for their Europe on $5 a Day publication along with a growing number of other online and published travel guidebooks and articles.
{The Daily Mail/Matzav.com Newscenter}
The headline of this story is not accurate. The original frommers.com article is entitled: “The 10 Worst Airport TERMINALS” (not “worst airports”). While JFK’s Terminal 3 (the old and fairly famous Pan Am Worldport, now being torn down by Delta) is the world’s worst, JFK’s Terminal 5 is listed by Frommer’s as among the 10 BEST!
I think anyone that has ever been in Terminal 3, would agree. The Terminal was built in the pre-security days of airports, where it was designed to just walk off your cab or car, right into the gate. It was never designed for people to actually stay there for more than 15-30 minutes.
but it still is the most convenient for us from NYC. so this rating doesn’t deter us too much
Just flew out of kenedy from orlando. Horrible airport. Never ever again.