The top 10 airports in the world – United States still missing from the lineup

by Scott Carmichael on

Skytrax just released the 2009 winners of their annual “best airport in the world” survey. In total, 8.9 million passengers participated in the 10 month survey.

Incheon Airport in South Korea took the top spot, knocking Hong Kong to second. Hong Kong had dominated the lineup for the past seven years.

As usual, no North American airports made the top 10 list, and anyone who has compared US airports with airports in the rest of the world will understand why.

Later this week, I’ll take a closer look at the state of US airports, and try to determine why North American airport operators are so bad at operating decent facilities.

After the jump, you’ll see the ten airports worthy of being included in the lineup, along with their 2008 ranking.

1

Incheon International Airport

3

2

Hong Kong International Airport

1

3

Singapore Changi

2

4

Zurich

8

5

Munich

4

6

Kansai

6

7

Kuala Lumpur

7

8

Amsterdam

11

9

Centrair Nagoya

12

10

Auckland

20

Click the photos to read about airport checkpoint horrors.

Layover: New York

by Heather Poole on

If you ever find yourself at La Guardia or John F. Kennedy International airport with a little sit time on your hands between flights, sit tight. Traffic in New York is terrible and you don’t want to miss your flight. But if you’ve got four hours or more to kill, how about doing what flight attendants do. Grab a cab and head on over to Forest Hills, New York, which is located right next to Kew Gardens, otherwise known as Crew Gardens, which is located in Queens – just a short fifteen minute taxi ride from La Guardia and twenty minutes from JFK.

TAXI! Tell the yellow cab driver to drop you off on Austin Street and 71st Avenue in Forest Hills (off of Queens Boulevard). That will put right smack in the middle of everything. Austin Street is where it’s at in terms of restaurants and shopping. There are even a few movie theaters if you’ve got the time. Approximately six blocks long, Austin Street has everything you could possible want within walking distance. When you’re ready to head back to the airport, give Kew Gardens Car Service a call and they’ll pick you up from wherever you are.

JUST WALK AROUND: After being cooped up in a germ infested flying tube for hours on end, there’s nothing better than fresh air. Forest Hills is a wonderful place to just walk around and relax. It was named best cottage community in 2007 by Cottage Living Magazine. The homes are a mixture of magnificent and charming.

Start by walking down 71st street, right past the Forest Hills train station and Forest Hills Inn, and then take a left on any street you prefer. Let the exploring begin. I’ve been living in the area for more than 14 years and the beauty of this place never ceases to amaze me. Don’t worry about getting lost, the streets are in alphabetical and numerical order.

GRAB A BITE TO EAT: Even if you’re sitting in first class, airplane food is airplane food. Here are a list of my favorite places to grab a bite on Austin street…

  • 5 Burro Cafe – A great place to grab a drink and eat Mexican Food, but go early because the place gets packed.
  • Latin Cubana Express – Short on time, grab the picadillo to go! Don’t forget the plantains
  • Martha’s Country Bakery – A nice place to relax over a cup of coffee and a carrot cupcake – mmm…heavenly!
  • Narita (Japanese) – A little on the pricey side, but the hibachi is totally worth it.
  • Nick’s Pizza – is practically famous for it’s thin crust pizza and vinyl booths.
  • Pahal Zan – A hole in the wall, but serves the most amazing Israeli falafel and kabobs.

“Or you could just tell them to go to the Jackson Hole Diner,” my husband said when I told him what I was writing about. “A cab would only cost about $8 from La Guardia and that’s where they’d find the biggest hamburgers they’ll ever see in their lives.”

Forest Hills, New York

Man stopped at airport for having no fingerprints

by Annie Scott on

America has rules, people. No fingerprints? No entry.

According to Medgadget.com, a 62 year old man from Singapore was recently detained by customs officials when he attempted to enter our country without the proper credentials: his fingerprints.

The man was reportedly on a long term low dose of Capecitabine, a cancer drug which can lead to the deterioration of the skin on your fingertips and toes.

Obviously, every super-villain needs to sign up for this drug immediately. How is there not already a movie about this starring Nicholas Cage or Tom Hanks? Or Nicholas Cage and Tom Hanks? We can’t really recommend the drug for average aspiring criminals, though — every time you encounter the police, they’re gonna be like “Dude. Why don’t you have fingerprints?” and they’ll probably DNA-print you or something, and possibly put a microchip in your brain so they can track you — hot damn this would make a good movie!

Anyway … after a few hours of questioning (and probably some good head-scratching), they let the man through. They requested that from now on, he carry a letter from his doctor explaining the unprintable situation.

Layover: Minneapolis – Saint Paul

by Annie Scott on


Ah, MSP. A layover in this sprawling north coast airport can be a great time, or abject Hell. Here are some ways to have fun if you find yourself flying into this flyover state.

(I can say that; I’m from there. And I love it. And it knows.)

Shorter (2 hour) layovers

I’ll be assuming you’re flying into the Lindbergh Terminal. If you’ve got under two hours and you’ve landed at the smaller, aggressively clean Humphrey Terminal (the HHH, after Hubert H. Humphrey), taking the light rail to Lindbergh is not worth it. You’ve got a coffee shop. Sit down and enjoy the quiet; that terminal is usually a ghost town. (That’s the reason there’s not much to do there — everything closes because there isn’t enough traffic.)
The Lindbergh Terminal is the opposite of a ghost town, which I guess would be a … town. With concourses A through G and “The Mall” in the middle, as well as a snappy little tram, it’s a bustling airport with lots of choices for restaurants and shopping. I highly recommend French Meadow Bakery and Cafe located in concourse F, which is a mini version of a favorite in Uptown Minneapolis in the Lyn-Lake area. I wish it were a sit-down restaurant and not counter service, but I can’t argue with the delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner offerings made with organic and local ingredients. It’s an actual taste of Minnesota.

If you want to do some Minnesota-esque shopping, you can stop at Minnesota! for wooden birds and the like. Every home in Minnesota has a wooden bird. I don’t know why this is. Or, if you prefer to do as the locals would do (or you are a local, or you already have a wooden bird, or both), you can hit up Harley Davidson, Hugo Boss, or pick up some sporty stuff at the creatively named Sports Minnesota.

If you’re into drinking, nature’s cure for flight nerves, TGI Fridays has cheap drink upgrades (an extra shot for a buck or two), and Tequileria in concourse G will give you a plastic shaker if you drink enough margaritas. They serve 1800 Reposado there, which happens to be a really great tequila. Added perk of Tequileria: fun to say.

The best burger and the best beer in the joint are conveniently located together at Rock Bottom Brewery & Restaurant — and click that link if you’re going there. Free coupons.

You can also hit up Tumi in the Mall if you forgot a suitcase and feel like carrying an empty one (I’ve never understood suitcase shops in airports), or get your shoes shined a lot of places. Got kids with you? You can kill an hour or so playing with all the toys at Creative Kidstuff. Heck, I can kill an hour or so playing with all the toys at Creative Kidstuff.

Longer layovers (4+ hours)

Whether you’re at Lindbergh or Humphrey, if you’ve got more than four hours, you’re gonna want to leave the airport. Why? Because it’s easy and there’s lots to do! The fancy light rail, also known as The Hiawatha Line (after the street it’s built along), is your friend.

If you don’t care much about Minneapolis but want to occupy yourself, take the light rail over to the Mall of America. It’s like, right there. The Mall of America has four giant department stores, three floors of shops (mostly chains), a huge movie theater, an aquarium, and a freaking amusement park in the middle. With like, roller coasters and a log flume and stuff. It’s totally out of control. The Mall of America is perfect for some, but strikes horror into the hearts of others.

If you’re on the “others” team, then take the light rail the other way and head to Downtown Minneapolis. It’s great that you don’t need a car to get downtown and play.

What to do in Downtown Minneapolis? Well, there’s lots of shopping and eating, especially on Nicollet Mall, and St. Anthony Main has a number of bars and restaurants with a view of the Mississippi River. If you’re there, you should also check out Nye’s Polonaise, which was called “The Best Bar in America” by GQ, and rightly so: Polka music in one room, a piano bar, and an old-timey feel make it cozy and fun — and the food’s not bad either. If you’re looking for a great meal, though, my very favorite restaurant in Minneapolis is a hop, skip, and a jump from the light rail: Cafe Brenda. Cafe Brenda is a mostly-vegetarian restaurant with some poultry and fish options, and the food is to die for. Get the mushroom pate appetizer. Yum.

If it’s a cold month? No worries: Minneapolis is all indoorily connected with an elaborate, 8 mile skyway system — click here to download a map. If it’s warm enough to walk around outside, I recommend heading down to the outrageously large and blue new Guthrie Theater, which sits right on the Mississippi River. There are bars and restaurants inside, as well as a really cool “endless bridge” from which you can watch the water.

Other tips:

So, hopefully that helps you through the pain that is the layover — Minneapolis is a great town, and thanks to the light rail, it’s really easy to get right downtown in a jiffy. Just make sure to get back to the airport in time to catch your flight!

Layover: San Francisco

by Alison Brick on


Because of its location on a peninsula, San Francisco is confined within a space of about 7 miles wide by 7 miles long–which makes for an easy taxi-ride from San Francisco International Airport (13 miles south of San Francisco) to anywhere in town. But even if you have plenty of time to spare between flights, your best bet is the cheap and easy commuter train–BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)–which you can pick up directly at SFO.

Longer layovers (4+ hours)

To make the most of your layover, take BART to either downtown or the Mission district. A ride to downtown (Embarcadero Station) takes 32 minutes, and costs $5.35 one-way, while a ride to the Mission district (24th Street Station) takes 23 minutes, and costs $5.20 one-way.

Downtown:

One option is to take BART to the Embarcadero Station, and spend some time in the Ferry Building Marketplace. If you’re there on a Tuesday or Thursday (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.), or Saturday (8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.), you’ll find yourself at the best farmer’s market in town. The shop and restaurant list truly is a composite of the best of the best in premium local and organic food, from Frog Hollow Farm to Cowgirl Creamery. The Slanted Door offers up grand views and Zagat-awarded Vietnamese food if you want a sit-down meal. Or, if you need to stretch those airplane-confined legs, you can take a walk along the Embarcadero–north for a view of Alcatraz, south for a view of the Bay Bridge and the “Cupid’s Span” sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, or west up Market Street–the Financial District’s thoroughfare–for a little urban hustle-and-bustle.

%Gallery-15480%

Or try this itinerary for a good mix of shopping, views, meditation, food, and a good uphill climb to get your heart pumping. Get off BART at Powell Station, and follow the crowds north toward Union Square, the city’s central shopping area. Then keep following the cable car line (but don’t bother waiting in the long line for a ride) up Powell Street to Nob Hill, taking in the views of the Bay Bridge to your right. At the tip top, you’ll find Grace Cathedral. Take a look at the grand, bronze doors (a replica of those from the Duomo in Florence, Italy), then walk one of its two labyrinths (indoor and outdoor). If you’re up for a splurge, you could order a drink or bite while taking in a 360-degree views at the Top of the Mark. Otherwise, for a more ethnic experience, dim sum at Four Seas Restaurant in neighboring Chinatown is always good, too.

Mission district:

The Mission is another great area to meander if you’ve only got a few hours to sample San Francisco. Its Latino roots are on display along Mission Street, and its hipster side is a few blocks away along Valencia Street. Hop off BART at the 24th Street Station and stop at a taqueria that strikes your fancy. Or pick up a cone of Bi-Rite ice cream (it’s organic, so that negates the calories) and take it across the street to people-watch at Dolores Park. (As one of the sunniest neighborhoods in foggy San Francisco, odds are in your favor.) Swing by Balmy Alley to check out the plethora of colorful murals, or pick up an eye patch at the city’s only independent pirate supply store at 826 Valencia. If you’re in the neighborhood at night, drop in for a play at The Marsh, live music at the Elbo Room, or the latest oddball event at The Make-out Room.

%Gallery-42853%

Shorter layovers (2 hours)

If you confined to the airport grounds, you don’t have to rely solely on following changes on the arrival/departure board to pass the time. Try these out:

Roam the airport and find a piece of artwork from the SFO’s collection that inspires you. You’ll have plenty of opportunity throughout the terminals.

Need a massage or pedicure where you’re heading next? Stop at XpresSpa. Its hours are friendly to early and late departures, too. The one in the International Terminal (Boarding Area G, near Gate 100, post-security) is open 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; and the one in Terminal 3 (Boarding Area F near Gate 68, post-security) is open 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Restaurants are the usual lot, with the exception of a few standouts. Go to Boudin Bakery for San Francisco’s famous sourdough bread–maybe as a bowl with clam chowder inside? (Terminal 3, Boarding Area F, food court at entrance to Gates 80-90, post-security) Grab a cup of the local’s favorite brew, Peet’s Coffee, which first started percolating in the area in 1966. (Several locations in Terminals 1 and 3) And for a different type of coffee altogether, head to Buena Vista Cafe. The cafe’s original Fisherman’s Wharf location is proud to have made the first Irish Coffee outside of Ireland in 1952. (Terminal 3, Boarding Area F near Gate 82, post-security)

And for the best shopping in SFO–hands down–head to the SFMOMA Store. You’re the only one who has to know that the creative gifts from there were bought last-minute at the airport. (International Terminal, Main Hall, pre-security).

%Gallery-7870%