

American airports do not rank in Top of the world - denzil_correa
http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2013/04/airport-rankings

======
NatW
My wife is French and after arriving at Logan, Airport from Paris after an
overnight flight, we both waited in the "Non-US Citizen" line. We waited over
two hours for our turn along with everyone else, just to get a stamp. The
agent then thought my wife's picture wasn't perfect so they detained us to
verify her identity. We were were subjected to stupid and unnecessary abusive
questioning until they realized they were obviously wrong and let us go. So 3+
hours of nonsense and they let us go.

I realize that most people don't have to go through detention, but how can
adding ~2 hours unnecessarily after (typically long and difficult)
international travel be a good idea? It's a self-defeating waste. Investment
in speeding up the process would no-doubt be returned to the economy and in
better-will.

~~~
jessriedel
I dunno. I spent 2 1/2 hours in a line at Heathrow for "Non-EU" citizens
because only one agent had been assigned to us for the entire 747. The flight
got in just before 10, so I missed the last train ride into London. Had to
spend the night in the airport because I couldn't afford the 60 pound taxi
ride in.

I don't think the US has the monopoly on crappy government services.

~~~
simonsquiff
Yes, but there was general outrage at the terrible queues at Heathrow - e.g.
see <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18672286> it was raised in Parliament even,
everyone said it was unacceptable and it was then fixed. Is the poor service
in the US seen as a problem that's being sorted? Or just accepted?

~~~
jessriedel
> Is the poor service in the US seen as a problem that's being sorted? Or just
> accepted?

I think differences in acceptance vs. verbalized outrage are less important
than whether things _actually_ get fixed. (I'll definitely admit, though, that
I'm irked by the acceptance I've seen among fellow Americans.) Do you know
whether wait times actually went down substantially, or just that "something
was done"?

------
EliRivers
Until the U.S. get their act together regarding sterile transit, the
international airports are going to continue to be forced to operate
effectively with one hand tied behind their back. The sheer inefficiency of
forcing everyone passing through to go through arrivals and then departures is
ridiculous and must put a stupid, utterly unnecessary strain on the airport.

As an aside, I went through Changi airport (the current number one) and it
really is lovely. I watched the Koi being fed and wandered around their
butterfly garden in Terminal 2.

If the U.S. does in fact have sterile transit and I'm just misinformed, I
stand by to be corrected :)

~~~
colinhowe
Changi airport is exactly what airports should be like. It's a nice place to
be instead of a horrible warehouse with lots of signs warning you that you're
an accidental bottle of water away from being labelled a terrorist.

~~~
jrockway
Um, every other sign in that airport reads "death for drug traffickers".
That's not any more pleasant than the TSA.

~~~
EliRivers
It's WAY more pleasant.

I see the sign, it doesn't affect me, I am happy.

I see the TSA, they go through my stuff, they treat me like a terrorist, I
wonder if they're going to steal something, they enforce arbitrary rules at
their discretion, they take up my time, the whole thing is very unpleasant.

~~~
DanBC
I wouldn't be so sure about that.

([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misuse_of_Drugs_Act_(Singapore...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misuse_of_Drugs_Act_\(Singapore\)))

> _The law creates a presumption of trafficking for certain threshold amounts,
> e.g. 30 grams of cannabis. It also creates a presumption that a person
> possesses drugs if he possesses the keys to a premises containing the drugs,
> and that "Any person found in or escaping from any place or premises which
> is proved or presumed to be used for the purpose of smoking or administering
> a controlled drug shall, until the contrary is proved, be presumed to have
> been smoking or administering a controlled drug in that place or premises."_

~~~
EliRivers
Do you routinely carry 29 grams of cannabis through airports? I don't.

~~~
jrockway
Do you ever rent an apartment on a site like AirBnB? If so, you could be
guilty of drug trafficking.

~~~
EliRivers
That's not what it says. It says you are presumed to be in possession of drugs
if you have the keys to somewhere containing the drugs. Is that a misread, or
do you know of a law that states having drugs in your house is considered
evidence of trafficking?

~~~
DanBC
You are considered in possession if you have the keys to a property that
contains a drug.

You are considered to be trafficking if you possess a certain quantity of that
drug.

There is a mandatory death sentence if the quantity of the drug that you
"possess" for trafficking is over a certain amount. In the case of cannabis
it's over 500 g.

Singapore == scary laws.

People go to prison in some countries for grains of cannabis resin stuck to
the sole of their shoe even if they have no trace of cannabis in their system.

~~~
jimworm
Imagine the ease of getting someone legally murdered with 15g (less than a
tablespoonful) of heroin, simply by getting it in/on their car or hotel room.
Journalists in Singapore probably don't sleep very well.

~~~
jrockway
I'd go for LSD, where in the US, you're charged with possession of the media
as though it were the drug. A few sugar cubes later and you're in prison for
life.

------
Al-Khwarizmi
It's surprising that the article doesn't mention the absolutely over-the-top
security procedures in American airports.

I've been to Changi and Incheon, security was fast and smooth, and then you
had waiting spaces with comfortable armchairs, nice exhibitions and beautiful
gardens. In US airports the security process is slow, they confiscate your
snow globes for no apparent reason, and the PA system constantly reminds you
that you have to be watchful because the alert level is orange (or it was like
that a few years ago, at least). And the article seems to think that what they
need to make us feel better is to invest some money on having better shops...

~~~
doctornemo
Agreed.

American airports generally do a bad job is many areas. The number and access
to electrical outlets can be awful. WiFi is usually nonexistent or for-fee and
lame. And food is often just sad.

~~~
a3n
I think the difference is that outside the US the interested parties have
decided to make airports a good, efficient experience. In the US, anything
controlled by the government is low budget by choice and design, and anything
above the minimum is left to the supposedly superior "private sector." But
apparently there's no money in "good airport experience" for the private
sector and we're all left to suck air.

------
StavrosK
That's odd, whenever I flew to SFO I had a great time. The TSA agents were
more than happy to give me free massages, which you don't see anywhere else.

~~~
cturner
Think you're joking, but I came here to write - SFO is the best I can
remember. Easy in and out, free wifi that actually worked and desks with power
cords to use it from, regular and easy-to-understand shuttle bus system with
helpful staff around, good access to cheap car hire and trains to town.
Belongs miles ahead of Abu Dhabi. I bet Californians are a pickier bunch than
the average airport visitor :)

~~~
StavrosK
I will agree with that. Apart from the "we'll take naked photos of you" thing,
it's a pretty nice airport.

~~~
johndavidback
I know everything you're saying is tongue-in-cheek, but I will point out to
those who may not be 'in the know' that you can always opt out of any
intrusive scan for a pat-down instead. Perhaps not any more comfortable, at
least the sweaty TSA agent brushing your inner thigh is just as uncomfortable
as you are. Hopefully.

~~~
StavrosK
I've always opted out, hence the "free massage" thing. They always half-
heartedly try to intimidate you by not allowing you access to your things, and
they go through the motions of a pat down. It depends on the employee, but it
was definitely better than the scanner.

------
bogger
These rankings are wrong - the nightmare that is Heathrow should not come
ahead of Copenhagen, which is one of the most convenient and pleasant airports
I have used.

------
moondowner
From the top 10 airports in this list one which I frequent often is Zurich
Airport.

I'd like to say that one of the things I really like about it is that it's
really intuitive and a person can navigate easily to the gate he needs to be
and the personnel is really kind.

And when I enter the EU through this airport, as a Non-EU citizen, in average
I pass this checking procedure in 5-10 minutes (there is always more than one
agent and long lines don't form).

------
edwinjm
My experience with JFK airport (New York) is not so good, too. It's very
chaotic, staff at the helpdesk doesn't listen to you questions but fill in
what they think you want, everybody seems to be at their first day on the job,
they can only do what their screen says, some places are dark (no lights),
airline desks are/seem to be made from cardboard, etcetera.

------
jonemo
Reading this headline while sitting at Newark Airport, I wholeheartedly agree.
An easy proxy for airport quality seems to be cleanliness and comfort of the
bathrooms. In the US they usually are too small, there is no privacy and they
are frequently dirty.

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ddoolin
What do people love so much about Incheon Airport (South Korea)? I've been
there at least a dozen times or more and never noticed anything special about
it. It's better than U.S. airports for sure but wouldn't really imagine it as
a top spot or even #2.

~~~
jimworm
Free spaces to sleep, free showers, free internet, easy navigation.

------
_djo_
Nice, South Africa's three major airports all rank in the Top 30.

~~~
Narretz
Possibly because they got attention prior to the 2010 Football World Cup.
Always good to see that some money goes to meaningful infrastructure projects.

------
mmariani
Direct link to the list ->
<http://www.worldairportawards.com/Awards_2013/top100.htm>

------
hoi
Other issues such as immigration process is a major cause of discontent at US
aiirports when compared with other countries immigration workflow,
particularly for non-locals.

~~~
dagw
Heathrow also has craptacular immigration and security handling and still
managed to make the list. So there has to be more to it than that.

~~~
jimworm
Heathrow has the most aggressive Skytrax campaigning I've seen (note: some
compared with nearly none) in the 7 of the top 10 airports I've been to, which
might have something to do with it. It's definitely not in the same league as
the likes of Incheon and Hong Kong in my experience.

One serious issue in Heathrow is that gate numbers are not shown (not even
printed on your boarding pass) until 30 minutes before departure, and the
gates are supposed to close 15 minutes before departure, but it takes 20
minutes to walk to some of the gates from the waiting area. Of course they
bend the rules so that people make it to their flights, but what happens when
they don't?

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oellegaard
Just a note, I have been several airports in the top 50 and I certainly do not
agree with the rank. I don't know how they measured it, but I don't understand
how Singapore can rank that high, I found it close to terrible while visiting.
Furthermore, I would rank Copenhagen much higher than e.g. Zürich.

I don't use lounges, perhaps they represent a major part of the rank.

~~~
panacea
Singapore airport is great. Delicious Laksa, a butterfly enclosure, spacious
with good shopping. Not sure which airport you went to.

------
brianbreslin
One thing that stood out to me is Lima airport being top 30. That airport
unless it was completely overhauled in the last 2 years was a huge POS. I say
that because half the flights are hours delayed every time I have flown there,
the place was filthy each time I visited, and felt like a regional airport not
a world class one.

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JDDunn9
I've been to many of the top airports listed. Honestly after a while, they are
all pretty much the same. I didn't think Narita or Incheon had better airports
than Dallas or Atlanta. The only thing I can think of is that people in
American airports get annoyed at the extra security.

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mihok
Oh. my. god. American airports are not the best. Quick, everyone stop
EVERYTHING your doing, we have a crisis on our hands.

