ritesa

What's the longest time you've spent at an airport during a layover - not leaving the airport, not staying at an airport hotel?

Here are my top two:

#1: 11:55 at CAI in 2014, arriving 4:35pm in EY J from AUH, departing 4:30am in KLM Y to AMS - no lounge access, just hanging around, passport had to be left with the transfer agent. In AUH I already had a 7:25 layover in the morning arriving from BKK, albeit with lounge access.

#2: 10:17 at DFW in 2003, arriving 6:43am from SCL, departing 5:00pm to LGW. Back-to-back redeyes in Y, followed by a 6:10 layover at LGW before finally getting back home to MUC. SCL-DFW-LGW on AA, BA to MUC. Watched the unfolding of the Invasion of Iraq on the TV screens at DFW.

bigshooter

Did almost 12 hours in Narita last November but had lounge access and decided to just stay and sleep... Couldn't convince my dad to take train into tokyo with me.

ritesa

Too bad, 12 hours in Tokyo sound like a great adventure!

dlwalt

I did 12 hours in FRA a couple of times when I was flying IAD to JNB. I left the airport one time but two other times I hung in the lounge, walked the airport, went to different terminals, explored.

gooselee

I did an overnight in BLR once. I think 2330 arrival to 0900 or so. Not the longest in terms of hours, but given that there is no airport hotel, you cannot even enter the domestic terminal to check in until just before your flight, and once inside the terminal the lounges aren't anything more than a few chairs and a bar...it felt quite long.

I felt lucky just to be allowed back into the building after pleading with the army guys and showing my arrival ticket. Most people were literally sitting out on the curb waiting to go in.

LtKernelPanic

Only two really long ones that I can remember.

Missed my connection in ORD due to thunderstorms so I ended up with about a 9.5 hour one there. That was the first time I'd flown thru ORD so I wandered around the airport, visited the Neon Tunnel, etc. Had I known it was going to be that long I'd probably have hopped on a blue line train and went downtown for awhile.

Longest was about 13 hours in PHX. Flight was supposed to leave ~ 1730 or so, but storms between PHX and the inbound flight's origin delayed it a good hour, then a sand storm delayed boarding and finally after sitting on the taxiway for a good hour plus during a thunderstorm the flight got canceled because the crew would time out before they could make the flight back from DSM. The worst part was getting stuck outside security in T2 after rebooking since my uncle didn't want to leave the airport (I had a friend who lived ~10 minutes away who was willing to pick us up and let us stay at his place) or at least stay air side in T4 which would have been a helluva lot more comfortable.

txflyer77

11 hours at ORD. Originally a five-hour layover IAH-ORD-HKG but ORD-HKG had rolling delays that eventually added up to an additional six hours.

I know the UA GFL way too well after that.

JayhawkCO

16 hours at SIN. Normally would have gone into town, but got in around 8:00 PM and flew out at noon the next day. I was flying in F and I had access to the sleeping rooms so I poked around the internet for a while, slept for 8 hours, then ate some breakfast, watched a movie, got half crocked on JW Blue, and took off.

Chris

wrp96

16 hours at LIM between flight from CUZ and flight to MIA. Original plan was to go sightseeing, but a member of our party was recovering from norovirus (while the rest of us were touring Cuzco and Macchu Picchu, she was being treated in a clinic in Cuzco).

Tchiowa

Nearly 48 hours in Calcutta. Flew in on SQ and they had changed their schedule which left me without a visa. (In those days an American could get a 48 hour transit visa on arrival. The schedule change meant I would be more than 48 and Immigration wouldn't let me in.) Had to wait for the next SQ flight to take me back to Singapore.

SQ9VSWU

I actually wanted to and checked in 13 hours early for my flight at Changi airport, i've been again since and still had uncovered new things to see there. It kept me amused all the time and i don't have any lounge access anywhere except the whole airport which has lots of good quiet places above the main concourse areas to lie down on huge empty carpet spaces

MEABFlyer

14 hours in Denver last August. I had a very last minute change in my plans (I was in the boarding area when my plans changed due to work) and had to switch from flying to PHX to flying to BOS. 1st BOS flight was canceled and the next one was the red-eye. DEN is not convenient to anything (almost $100 cab into the city) so I just stayed in the Admirals club and occasionally went out for a walk around the terminals so that I didn't drink myself stupid.

deniah

when i was young i slept overnight at AMS. was not fun, would not do again.

brendog

Deleted

roadwarrier

Around 14 years ago, when I was a rookie, I had a flight on Air Afrique aka Air Panique, from Bamako to Accra via Abidjan.
After a lengthy delay out of Bamako where I nibbled on some stale sandwich in the "Lounge", we eventually made it into ABJ. The onward leg was delayed until the next morning. So, about 14 hours delay in total.

Said snack decided to revolt, leading to several visits to the loo, which was one step above that of a pit latrine. To add insult to injury, the lounge was closed for the night, so it was just me and a few cleaning staff in the small holding pen.

Not fun, but I learnt a few valuable travel lessons!