Which is according to you the worst airport in the world in terms of passenger experience and why?

In what concerns me i would put MAA high on the list and Indian airports in general for their overall mismanagement and poor facilities coupled with oppressive/excessive security. I've also heard of some horrible experiences from people at BBU, haven't been there personally.

You're welcome to share your experience.

Quoting Tupolev160 (Thread starter): I've also heard of some horrible experiences from people at BBU, haven't been there personally.

YES! But it's ok, I believe it's officially closing down on March 24th so it won't be on the list much longer. About damn time... I avoided it, not hated it necessarily.

CDG is also a good airport to put on the list. Now, 2E looks OK, but the customer service is still basically non-existent. 2B, for example... was less of a... terminal and more of a... public WC. Now this place... I still hate, after 5.5 years not being there.

CDG=most horrendous airport to transit, especially Shengen to Shengen, many times requires you to leave secure area, defeating the purpose of the Shengen Zone.

Cheers from BDL,   
DeltaGuy767

Worst airports in the world is by far CDG & LHR.

If scientists would like to study CHAOS. Those two airports is the place to go.

Best airports I would say ARN & AMS.

br, jlarsson

Worst JFK,CDG, LHR
Best AMS,DTW

















lhr

Quoting jlarsson (Reply 3): Best airports I would say ARN & AMS.

ARN is really bad when it comes to connecting between terminals such as domestic to international. Not user friendly at all.

Best: SIN, HKG, BKK, KUL
Worst: LHR, LAX

I have to say, I much prefer using the smaller airports, so would choose places like Hagerstown (HGR) or Jackson Hole (JAC)... In terms of larger airports though;

Best: IND

Indianapolis is a fantastic terminal building, bright, spacious, easy to move around, good food choices... easy to pass a few hours...

Worst: STN

Aside from the Ryanair effect, the place is crowded, noisy, the gates go up on the screens about 30 seconds before departure, the walk to the Ryanair gates is MASSIVE and you spend the whole time tripping over roll-on suitcases because nobody wants to pay to take a hold bag!! Is it any surprise that the worst airport in the world, is the main hub for the World's worst airline??

Any airport which has the crazy idea of feeding you directly into duty free straight after the security check, LHR T3 is the one I dread the most.

I am a fan of the small regional airports, NCL plenty of space for passngers.

Quoting 02hilliert (Reply 7): the walk to the Ryanair gates is MASSIVE

Nonsense. It is five minutes from the main terminal if you walk normally. Hardly excessive by major airport standards. Maybe you haven't been to too many.

Quoting 02hilliert (Reply 7): the gates go up on the screens about 30 seconds before departure

Fifty minutes. More than ample time to get anywhere in the airport.

LGA terminal B. Absolute dump. Crowded, no food, ceiling crumbling. Just horrible.

Best "small" airport in US = MCI. Get off the plane and you're walking outside 20 seconds later. (No foolin'.)

Favorite I-national airports: FRA, MUC.

Worst experiences: EWR, LHR

I read the title and I know LHR will be mentioned somewhere. Honestly there are differential amongst the terminals and lets be fair, T3 and T4 are not good at all but T5 is obsolutely fine. The architectural design of T5 is a marvel and it is so big that it doesn't seem crowded most of the time. The reason I mention T5 is that it is the largest terminal there and so if you purely focus on the other terminals then that's not fair.

Quoting 02hilliert (Reply 7): Is it any surprise that the worst airport in the world, is the main hub for the World's worst airline??

I would not call it the worst in the world, CDG gets that dubious trophy imho, but STN is certainly among top three worst in Europe for sure.
And that FR calls it its home seems more than appropriate. Trashy airline based on a trashy airport...

I have to agree with many here, CDG,      

My worst has got to be CDG, especially when airport workers are on strike.   

There are airports though which are not at the level of CDG, but can be just as bad. I'll have to put CAN and MXP, both for lack of ease with respect to transfers, on this list as well.

Luckily by the end of the year all AF Schengen flights (excrept the regional ones) will be in 2F and non schengen in 2E. At least passengers wouldn't see the "dump parts" from this airport anymore, and transit will be way easier, especially intra-schengen flights. Still, it's a very bad airport to navigate around... And to spare time, too... especially if you need to wait hours in Terminals like 2D...

One of the less acceptable ones:

CDG and LHR


Some of the best ones:

OSL CPH and AMS

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 9): Nonsense. It is five minutes from the main terminal if you walk normally. Hardly excessive by major airport standards. Maybe you haven't been to too many.

125... and Stansted is the worst...

Quoting RussianJet (Reply 9): Fifty minutes. More than ample time to get anywhere in the airport.

Agreed... 50mins is sufficient to get to any gate. BUT, I don't want to have to wait around outside the shops in that horribly cramped departure lounge, I want to go straight to the gate when I arrive at the airport. This is a criticism not only of STN, but most UK airports...

Perhaps Stansted just has the "Ryanair factor" hanging over it??

Prefer smaller airports myself.

Am surprised no one has mentioned MUC as one of the easier airports to transit in. I definitely prefer MUC over FRA if I fly LH.

Agree with CDG - complete nightmare. Didnt really enjoy going from Non-Schengen to Schengen gates at AMS as well.

AI

We should send the copy of this thread to ADP's CEO  

We should send the copy of this thread to CDG's CEO  

Quoting 02hilliert (Reply 18): Perhaps Stansted just has the "Ryanair factor" hanging over it??

Well most passengers wouldn't transfer in Stansted... But in the past I did, when airberlin used to have a "minihub" in STN. Flights from Germany could connect to domestic flights to Belfast, Manchester, Glasgow iirc.
I flew to Belfast. It was a complete nightmare. Upon arrival we had to go to the main terminal and pass regular immigration. They managed to open specifically a few counters for transit guests from AB, but they were only for UK nationals and furthermore the line to the immigration hall was sooo long that it queued back to long corridor in front of it and therefore even if you wanted to access these special counters you had the traffic jam in the long corridor. Once you passed immigration you had to go back to one of these remote terminal parts... Once I arrived to my connecting flight they were all waiting for me and I arrived 15 minutes after STD. And I'm an experienced traveller... Absolutely insane.

But again, not sure if they are any airlines left which have regular transit passengers in STN (not passenger who purchase two different tickets).

For me it's any reasonably large airport which has no public transport, or poor public transport.

In my circumstances that means NQY airport. It's 38 miles from my house as the crow flies, but by public transport it's quicker and far more reliable for me to travel to LHR, 175 miles away.


Dan  

Quoting 02hilliert (Reply 7): Worst: STN Aside from the Ryanair effect, the place is crowded, noisy, the gates go up on the screens about 30 seconds before departure, the walk to the Ryanair gates is MASSIVE and you spend the whole time tripping over roll-on suitcases because nobody wants to pay to take a hold bag!! Is it any surprise that the worst airport in the world, is the main hub for the World's worst airline??

I'm sorry but I have to disagree 100% with this. If I am unfortunate enough to have to travel from any of the Scumdon airports then STN is by a long stretch my favourite airport. It's bright, airy and spacious, friendly staff, and has either a 5 minute walk to the Ryanair gates (if you don't have to catch the cool little train to the other piers). Very easy to drive to - straight down the A1. Huge car park right outside the terminal, catering for long, medium and short stay. Fast and easy train into Central London from the terminal. The gates are announced far enough out (do you really think FR would stand for any airport that encouraged latecomers to the gates?).

Quoting deltaguy767 (Reply 2): CDG=most horrendous airport to transit, especially Shengen to Shengen, many times requires you to leave secure area, defeating the purpose of the Shengen Zone.

Absolutely agree, I was unfortunate to have to transit through CDG on a BHX-CDG-BES flight (and back). On the way out, we parked next to the main terminal (2E I think). We had to get a bus to Terminal 2G which took around 40 minutes and took us right to the other side of the airport. Once we got to the gate, we were loaded onto another bus that took us back across the airport, past where I had boarded the bus outside 2E and to a remote stand opposite 2B. This took another 30-40 minutes on the bus. Absolutely horrendous airport to connect through.

Quoting reifel (Reply 22): They managed to open specifically a few counters for transit guests from AB, but they were only for UK nationals

Not sure where the confusion has arisen from, but that is totally untrue. There are not and have not been any UK-only desks for an extremely long time. Perhaps the staff escorting you were a little confused?

Quoting 02hilliert (Reply 18): 125... and Stansted is the worst...

By all means consider Stansted the worst airport in your experience, but seriously, don't spread falsehoods about the gates being much further away. Heathrow for one has some far longer walks, and I'm sure a hell of a lot of other airports do too. five minutes is really not unusual.

Here we go again!
Yes CDG is not the best airport in the world but it's far from being the worst!!!!!

A lot of people here are complaining (with sometimes good reasons) but they did not go trough this airport for a long time or they were there while the old terminals were under refurbishment!!!!!

Difficult to find your way within the airport : what about reading the signs?
On friday evening, I was in the airport waiting for a friend and I've seen many people looking around for a taxi and not looking at the signs!!!!!!!!

Quoting dc9northwest (Reply 1): 2B, for example... was less of a... terminal and more of a... public WC.

Last year, I was at Bucarest airport and the check-in area was a zoo!!!!!

Quoting AI (Reply 19): Agree with CDG - complete nightmare.

And what about terminal 3 at MAN?

Quoting Akiestar (Reply 15): both for lack of ease with respect to transfers

You can add FRA, ORD & ATL to your list

I dislike LHR and CDG too. Not sure whether they are the worst (I dislike direct comparisons), but they sure are some of the least pleasant in their category. That does not apply to all of their terminals of course.

I love German airports. Clean, efficient and even at the height of rush hour it feels like noone's there.

MSP is one of my favorite airports in the US, while YTZ is another I wouldn't mind being stuck at.

ICN deserves a special mention too.

Let me restate my views, in Icarus75 terms:

"Paris airport sucks!!!!!!!!"

Quoting icarus75 (Reply 26): Last year, I was at Bucarest airport and the check-in area was a zoo!!!!!

LOL. Take things personally much? Why quote me if "Bucarest airport" was messy at check-in? Don't get me started on CDG boarding "procedures"!

"Bucarest" airport? Which one BTW? Check-in at OTP does indeed get crowded, and guess what, they're *doing something about it*. I guess France should take a hint from Romania, huh?

BBU and CDG are the shittiest airports I've ever been through, it makes no difference if you're Romanian, French or an alien from the planet H'yu's'a.

Quoting icarus75 (Reply 26): Yes CDG is not the best airport in the world but it's far from being the worst!!!!!

Well, everyone here thinks it is (major airports, at least)... and there's a reason. CDG/ADP treats passengers like shit and unlike other airports CDG has no redeeming qualities.

Following signs is OK, but if you have to take the bus, it's over... It might come in 20 minutes and stop somewhere for 20 minutes so the driver can eat lunch, according to a recent trip report!

Quoting icarus75 (Reply 26): ATL to your list

No, no, you can't add ATL. ATL is heaven compared to FRA, CDG and ORD. You musta been there when it was under refurbishment. ATL is extremely easy to make connections in for the largest airport in the world. Operationally, it's excellent.

Quoting icarus75 (Reply 26): old terminals were under refurbishment!!!!!

Were they? Did they finally manage to clean the toilets? Cause they were always closed for cleaning and yet never got any cleaner in 2B! I don't wanna go back there to check.


Maybe instead of complaining about how others rightfully view CDG you can take it up with the airport's administration so they can get rid of the stigma associated with that place in the minds of basically *everyone* who I've talked to about CDG! In fact the only people that don't mind it are Parisians, because they don't have to connect there.

I would certainly add AMS and MSP and DTW as fine airports to spend some time in. Clean, interesting, and with lots to see and do.

A much smaller airport--Milwaukee--has what has to be one of the best and most interesting bookstores in any airport in the US. I believe it's called "Renaissance." You can easily spend a few hours just browsing.

Well I'm a Parisian and I think CDG deserves all the flack it gets. I've never made a connection there, but I can only imagine. The real problem is not actually the architecture itself, but the diabolical ADP 'management'. This is a soviet style organization that deserves to die and be replaced by a motivated and incentivized team. CDG could be SO much better without enormous effort...

Quoting TCASAlert (Reply 24): Absolutely agree, I was unfortunate to have to transit through CDG on a BHX-CDG-BES flight (and back). On the way out, we parked next to the main terminal (2E I think). We had to get a bus to Terminal 2G which took around 40 minutes and took us right to the other side of the airport. Once we got to the gate, we were loaded onto another bus that took us back across the airport, past where I had boarded the bus outside 2E and to a remote stand opposite 2B. This took another 30-40 minutes on the bus. Absolutely horrendous airport to connect through.

I did PRG-CDG-MAD in November and we pulled up to a jetbridge, but rather than let us deplane into the terminal we had to go onto a bus, get driven to the other side of the airport, and then walk all the way back to the same concourse that my PRG flight pulled up to in order to catch my connection to MAD. And to put the icing on the cake, there's no airside transfer, you have to exit the sterile area and re-clear security. What a Byzantine system CDG has, my god, they ought to have some consultants from KLM/AMS give them a talking to. Heck IB in MAD has a beautiful facility in T4 and is a breeze to connect through even when coming in from outside of the Shengen zone.

I will avoid CDG like the plague in the event that I have to connect and go through AMS if I am on Skyteam.

Cheers from BDL,   
DeltaGuy767

Quoting Tupolev160 (Reply 20): We should send the copy of this thread to ADP's CEO

What? Voice of the customer? What on earth makes you think they have the slightest interest in what the end customer thinks? ADP is hellishly soviet organization made up of management and staff with nothing but a sense of entitlement. You should count yourself lucky, in their view, that they provide any 'services', shut up and just pay your airport taxes. They need to be utterly destroyed and rebuild from the ground up with new DNA. Perhaps we could use a.net to mobilize a people's army to 'occupy' CDG and topple the regime, as that is what it will take.

Quoting deltaguy767 (Reply 31): I did PRG-CDG-MAD in November and we pulled up to a jetbridge, but rather than let us deplane into the terminal we had to go onto a bus, get driven to the other side of the airport, and then walk all the way back to the same concourse that my PRG flight pulled up to in order to catch my connection to MAD. And to put the icing on the cake, there's no airside transfer, you have to exit the sterile area and re-clear security. What a Byzantine system CDG has, my god, they ought to have some consultants from KLM/AMS give them a talking to. Heck IB in MAD has a beautiful facility in T4 and is a breeze to connect through even when coming in from outside of the Shengen zone. I will avoid CDG like the plague in the event that I have to connect and go through AMS if I am on Skyteam.

It's insane that such a large airport has no airside transfer. Even connecting 2E-2B for example means you have to exit the terminal and take a bus, before clearing security again.

I'm looking at flights to VIE at the moment and the times and prices favour AF BHX-CDG-VIE, but I refuse to connect through CDG if I can help it so I am going for more expensive flights on other carriers instead. Unfortunately flying to airports such as BES there is no alternative 

I really dislike LAS. The facilities (except D) are not nice, lines tend to be long, and the passengers who use the airport can be . . . umm . . . interesting. Between the seemingly perpetually enormous line at the cabstand and the rental car situation, ground transportation must be worse than any other U.S. airport. About the only nice thing I can say is that it's close to the Strip.

I can honestly say CDG. Not only is the airport totally disgusting and a zoo...the staff at CDG is enough to make anyones blood boil. Been all over the world and by far the rudest staff on every occasion....

The best:

CPH, HEL, PDX

Worst:

CDG - terribly inefficient design, awful service. Even the new terminals feel totally overcrowded. Public transportation is not particularly convenient either.

LHR - run down dump, always holding patterns, and difficult to get to/from/through

FRA - I have never boarded through a jetbridge at this airport. Have to allow 30 minutes for the scenic busrides all over the place. And the food options are terrible too. In general it's just crowded and confusing. German efficiency has totally bypased the place.

NBO - just way too dated and crowded for the number of passengers

ZAG - way too small/crowded for the number of pax, and zero food options

Best:
AMS, HKG, ICN, MUC

Best take your pick in Asia. HongKong, Incheon, BKK. All great airports. Im sure I have forgotten some. SIN is renovating terminal one, not a day to late. Its worn but despite this SIN is a breeze for anyone.

Worst probably Dhaka Bangladesh whatever the code for it is.
I cant even explain it. Its like a scene from the fall of Saigon. Its stuck in a timewarp, brown, orange and green makes you feel like youve done drugs and just been through the washing machine. Red hard Plastic seats with people picnicking. A stench I dont understand and the dirtiest airport I have ever come across. Add on guards that sell duty free stuff to you in person. Salesmen pulling your arms even inside the departure areas and a complete disregard for customer service. Ah almost forgot stray cats wonderinga round inside the building. Ah and the lounge, well the one I ventured into had red leather seats...
I really like Bangladesh and bangladeshis but the airport at dacca is a dump, a very bad one too. And yeah I havent been at the airport for three years or so so maybe its changed.

In the western world nothing comes close to being as bad as LAX is.
For other horrible airports try SYD and a connection between international and domestic!
Thats a transfer that worse than between LCC and KLIA for those that know KUL.
How Australias biggets international gateway can be set up in that way is beyond me. At places like CDG you can transfer. At SYD you cant. Busrides to the other side of the field that takes forever and finding the bus etc is a mess. I dont know what time you need as a newbie at Sydney for the actual transfer, but on my first attempt it took me an hour.
Maybe an Oceanic thing, connecting between international and domestic in AKL isnt much better...

I dont understand some of these complaints with CDG. I have used it a fair bit and as all major airport the terminals definately differ in quality but whats so hard with the airport?
I like it. even the old terminals are great. A bit different in layout than some of the newer sheds we see but in general I have never had any problems at all. And not finding the way; read the signs, they are everywhere.
Sure its not a great connection to public transport but at least it has good public transport unlike a lot of others...

I enjoy many airports in the western world. BRU is an easy one, CPH used to be good now it takes forever to check in, 45 minute waits at the bagdrop seems standard, but if I have to chose one Zurich is probably Europes top airport.

AMS never understood whats so good with AMS. Converyor belts and not much else, messy layout.

My personal favorites:

SIN
ICN
AMS
DTW

Places I avoid:

CDG
LHR
ATL

CDG Terminal 1. Both flying to/from is terrible, and it doesn't stop with the arrival/departure. CAR PARK: Hello????? It's a maze. First you drive down a few stories, then you have to drive all the way to the top to pay, and then down again to exit.



KIX is my absolute favourite!

Best: AMS: If you have a long layover, you could take the train into Amsterdam, or if you don't want to do that, there is a great place to shop before security. I had a great experience there a couple years ago. AMS is a spotter's delight, too.

Worst: ATL: Sadly, this is the airport I fly most often to. The complete opposite of spotter's delight, with about 95% DL tails there (You have to be really bad to be worse than DCA). No color involved at all, with just the same redundant black, gray, and red. World's busiest means a problem, too.

Honorable Mentions:
Best:
CPH-Spotter's delight and lots of shopping and dining options.
IAD-More great spotting to be had, great architecture, and a great Terminal B.
GOT-Variety of airlines fly there, decent shopping/food options.

Worst:
DCA-Bad for spotting.
MSN-Very bland airport, but Madison is a great city.
YYZ-US CBP agents were really mean (However, I was about 7 years old at that time, so I don't remember much)

Quoting MillwallSean (Reply 37): I dont understand some of these complaints with CDG. I have used it a fair bit and as all major airport the terminals definately differ in quality but whats so hard with the airport?

The inevitable security re-checks.
The interminable bus rides to or from 2G.
The interminable taxis to the gate after landing "on time". (I've had shorter rides from my house in the northern suburbs to PIT in the west of PGH!)
The bogus signage that takes you into some random corridor or tunnel and then leaves you mystified as to how to get to your destination.

I've actually not had any dire experiences at CDG (other than having a sentimentally prized jacket stolen out of my luggage!) but every time I make a connection there I'm amazed that I made it.

Quoting PITingres (Reply 41): The bogus signage that takes you into some random corridor or tunnel and then leaves you mystified as to how to get to your destination.

Hm. This is the first time I've ever heard of this. Care to share?