4 Airports That Need to Get their S— Together
Ariana Arghandewal April 15, 2019
Paris, France - May 23, 2015: Overview of Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport Terminal 2 Hall F (CDG) in Paris, France. Paris CDG airport is the second busiest airport in Europe and the busiest in France.
I’m running through the airport, desperate to make my connecting flight home. I keep running faster but I can’t seem to get any closer to my gate. The scenario remains the same and suddenly I read a sign instructing me to take the escalator down and hop on a train to another terminal. I get to the terminal and suddenly all instructional signs disappear. It’s a recurring nightmare I have, but it’s also pretty close to the experience I’ve had passing through some airports. Here are my picks for the four worst airports to transit through:
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS)
That scenario I described above? Part of it is an exact retelling of my experiences transiting through Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The airport is outdated (I once spent two hours by the gate during a delay which only had seating for a dozen people). Aside from that, some of the gates are so far apart that I’ve had several close calls.
Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)
What makes Dallas Fort Worth so awful? It’s massive, making it difficult to navigate. I once had a 6-hour layover at DFW and was completely sleep-deprived. Ideally, I would have stayed at an airport hotel and slept for 4.5 hours, but I knew that getting from the terminal to the hotel, checking in, and then trying to get back on time would take forever. So I opted for a nap at Minute-Suites instead. Other times, I’ve taken the Skyline light rail to my gate, sat around, then heard a last-minute announcement that my gate had changed. Not a huge deal if it was within walking distance, but every time this has happened, I’ve had to run back up the escalators, wait for the train, then fend off an anxiety attack while hoping to make it to the new gate on time. Transiting through Dallas is always a huge hassle and not an experience I look forward to.
London Heathrow (LHR)
London Heathrow looks fine on the surface. It’s a nice enough airport, with lots of great retail options and decent lounges. The problem? Getting from Point A to Point B takes forever. I don’t think there are as many rail transfers in all of Europe as there are when you’re trying to navigate between terminals at Heathrow. Whoever designed the place is not a friend to mankind.
Charles De Gaulle (CDG)
My first time transiting through Charles De Gaulle was like a marathon I wasn’t prepared for. I just remember running around endlessly, trying to figure out where to go when the signs dropped off and ending up with severe arm cramps from dragging my suitcase around for what felt like hours. Since that time, it hasn’t gotten easier. Charles De Gaulle is an awful airport, primarily because of its poor signage. Any time I’ve stopped to get help from an employee, they’ve either shrugged me off or sent me in the wrong direction.
One time the moving walkway broke down and there was no movement for almost an hour. I was stuck on this walkway with about a hundred other passengers. The worst part? They had blocked off the regular walking path so we couldn’t even hop over and be on our way. After almost an hour of standing around with no updates, the walkway turned on again.
Transiting through Charles De Gaulle airport is always a terrible experience that leaves me physically and mentally drained. Whether I’m catching another flight or taking the train, I know I’m in for a stressful and unpleasant experience.
What are your picks for the worst airports to transit through?
[Image Source: Getty]
Fly through AMS all the time,its the easiest out there. Also its setup so flights from US/CANADA dont need to reclear security. It's very clear the writer has no clue or is mixing up airports. LGA is awful, but it's mainly cause of the work to improve it. JFK depends on the terminal. T1/2 are junk. T4 is the nicest. CDG is awful, just horrid layout. LAX main issue is vehicle traffic. The terminals while not great, are not bad at all. LHR is bad, but it was built decades ago. They're slowing fixing it, but it'll take years.
LGA. All other's need not apply. I have been to some awful airports, but holy hell- you got off the plane and it looks like a shanty town. Roof leaks covered in tarps (with funnels leading into a disgusting bucket). roof panels and siding? apparently not touched in decade falling apart- It truly was awe inspiring how awful it all was. Add the parking and check-in queues on the departure leg, and this airport is on my "Hard pass" list until the finish the renovations which might be done this century. (not holding my breath).
I imagine this is written as a contentious piece, to garner engagement via comments about the obvious US omissions or to vocalise dissent. So... taking the bait: AMS is fine, LHR can be a bit of a mess but the signs are fairly clear if you're looking for them. NY airports are, frankly, shockingly poor.
Good luck moving from concourse to concourse at MIA and doing it from D60 is the pits.
LGA has just displaced ORD for the top spot in my own list of awful airports. What's with having two sets of baggage carousels a five-minute walk apart and no signage telling you which flight's bags are at which carousel? Why no direct transit connections to Manhattan? What about the employees who are courteous enough but know only their tiny area of responsibility? ORD is TSA hell. Several times I have witnessed TSA agents yelling at elderly or non-English-speaking travelers for no reason. However, I find MSP, PDX, HNL, and DEN to be four of the more pleasant airports in the U.S.