Today I have airplanes on my mind. Maybe it is because I have to drive to Philly International to drop off Ali this afternoon, or because I have to fly out on Monday. Either way, I have been thinking about the pain in the rear which is air-travel.
Philly International is probably the biggest pain in the butt airport I have ever been to. It takes forever to get through there and there are always tons of people there. I know JFK is a big pain too, but my limites experience their has been positive.
Dallas, on the other hand, is a joy in comparisson. The only problem there is that when you land you might have a ten minute ride to your terminal. The first time you land there it is confusing. Your plane actually drives over the highway. It is even stranger when you drive to the airport and see a plane drive over you. But it is such a big airport and arranged so well that it is a breeze to get things done. One of the best things in Dallas.
I really like small airports though like Lubbuck or Santa Barbara. No muss no fuss. You enter in the one door, go to the one counter and sit at one of the few gates to wait for your plane. I love when I get to do a trip like that. It really lowers that travel stress.
Internationally, it seems like all airports are a pain for Americans. The Amsterdam airport was nice though. It had smoking and nice areas to get coffee or a snack. It was mobbed though. We got a verbal lashing at the gate too. We stopped for coffee because we were so early. When we showed up at the gate, about one hour and a half before the flight took off, a snooty airport employee gave us a lecture about being on time. They wanted us there to check in (even though we had already done that once) with them at the gate two hours before takeoff. I could've killed that jerk.
Anyway, I was just having a conversation and mentioned that if I were going on vacation and had a few choices of destination, I would totally pick the one with the least stressful airport. Is that dumb?
Anybody have a favorite airport or great airport story? I know most of you have heard all of mine before, so I won't bore you with them again.
1 comment:
The airport at Athens is really nice. It's new, having been built during the Greeks' mad dash to the Olympics. Well-designed and well laid out. There is even a zoo there. Jumanji! The one downside is that it is far from Athens -- there were only so many places for them to put it, after all. However, the subway system is quite convenient and a breeze to use. It was also renovated right before the Olympics, and again the Greeks really hit the mark. But this is an airport post, so I'll skip the subway stuff for now.
Heathrow is a mess. Even though I flew British Airways and both flights were international flights, I had to travel between terminals one and four -- with an estimated travel time of 75 minutes. One of the holdups is the shuttle bus; another is that you need to go through security again. Blech. Despite the madness, I like Heathrow. Everyone speaks British.
Philly is not too bad, bro'. The only less than stellar experiences I have had there have occurred on the arrival leg of a trip. I was so happy to be in Philly, though, that I just didn't care where my baggage was. Embarrassing story intentionally omitted. I was about to include a top five list about Philly, but that belongs to another thread.
I concur that Dallas is a great airport. It's also new.
I really like the Phoenix airport, too. Especially when I used to fly America West, since it was their hub. They had a most convenient arrangement vis-a-vis the terminals. You could schedule a 50-minute layover, be late by 30 minutes, and still make your connecting flight. Beautiful. Also, the weather is hardly a factor. Maybe a screw might melt while the plane is on the ground, but that's it.
Santa Barbara's airport rocks! I love that airport, for the reasons you mention. Plus, the people who work there have all been friendly.
Last, and definitely the least is LAX, one of the most wretched piles of concrete and steel even unleashed upon the human race. Never had a good trip through this zoo of an airport; unlike the Athens airport, the inmates are not on display, but running the damn place. There is always something ridiculous that goes wrong. Lord, I hate that airport! Avoid it like the plague, preciousss.
Let's see, there are more airports I have visited in the past two years, but I think I have taxed everyone's patience. It has been -- what? -- three months plus since I posted here; I guess it all has come bursting out. The long and the short of my modest post can be summed up thusly. New airports: good. Small airports: good. Airlines at thier hub: good. Older airports: not so good. LAX: {comment censored since my mother reads this blog}.
I should be writing for Orbitz or something, dog.
--bmw
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