Everyone has their favorite airports. Me, I
favor the ones that are well-designed such that I can get from the plane to the street without having to ride some damn
monorail or shuttle. I also like the ones where I can get off the plane and descend onto the tarmac. There’s something
so cool, in a 1950s sort of Beatles / Air Force One / "Catch Me If You Can" way about walking down the steps
and strutting across the tarmac to the exit or baggage claim. And that’s one reason I’m so bullish on John Wayne Airport in Southern California. That and because it’s just a 10 minute
drive away from my family’s house. But the John Wayne airport is friendly and small. There is a great light in the
terminal, due to the large windows that front the building, and on top of all this, a massive bronze statue of John Wayne glares down at you with a True Grit
grin. Further, the crowds are generally few, as most folks opt to fly into LAX up the road. So, yes, give me the John
Wayne airport any day.
If you have a particular airport favorite, or even if you’re just interested in
airports in general, you should check out the Terminal Bliss
column at Hemispheres Magazine. We just don’t link to the in-flight magazines here much (although Adrienne did eearlier today!), which is a
shame, as there’s often some good stuff. Of course, there’s also a lot of garbage. But this little feature
is cool, as you get info you probably didn’t know about a whole slew of airports around the world.