First, when I get to the airport, no matter where it is, I expect signage that actually says Air Canada at checkin, so I don't have to "just know" who they are codesharing with, since that is not always on the ticket. In some smaller US airports I don't seem to get that. Then I want kiosks and other "leave me alone I don't shop in walmart either" features as much as possible. If I must talk to a person, I don't want that whole WestJet "And where are you going today? Cool! You're going to like that!" thing while I check in. I am not at the airport to make a new friend. Polite is good, but not pushy. Then I want everyone I meet to actually know the rules. For example on my recent YYZ-YVR-SEA flight they wouldn't let me upgrade from H for the YYZ-YVR part because it wasn't transborder. But on the way home, she was all set to upgrade the YVR-YYZ part "yes, I can see you are transborder, you're just changing planes" but that was V (I don't know why) so I couldn't. (S'OK, I got a comp upgrade at the gate, it was a full plane.)

I want the gate to display the flight long before the people show up, again airlines vary, sometimes you hang around a gate a long time hoping the flight is still leaving from there before people arrive and change the sign. When the flight is delayed I want the sign to be updated regularly so I don't have to keep talking to the gate people or listening for announcements. I want to be able to buy something to eat and drink at the very last minute once I get to the gate (unlike tiny airports like Quebec City). I would rather not feel I am walking to my destination, especially walking outside (hello, Seattle) to reach the plane.

I would also be grateful if my plane is never again met by a busload of nurses and doctors to make sure none of us have a fever before we're allowed into the terminal (Madrid, last summer, and truly tasteless really.) I want someone to announce while we're on the plane what carousel our bags are on, and decent signage in the baggage area to help me find that carousel (hello again, Seattle.) I want my bags to show up about ten minutes after I get to the carousel, and if they don't I want signs and announcements telling me what's going on so I don't start wandering to all the other carousels trying to find them. I want actual humans working near the carousels that I can go and ask things of (in Toronto I think they all hide when flights are coming in.) I want free baggage carts (hello Toronto) and to be able to reach the ground transportation without schlepping up and down escalators on which baggage carts aren't allowed (that would be Seattle again.) And finally, I would like the airport to be reasonably close to the actual city it is named for. Everytime I go to Edmonton I forget how long that cab ride is going to be, and it's tiring. Having subway or train access to the airport (Washington, London) is a nice touch.

I guess I don't want much eh, but the fact is, only one or two airports miss more than two of this laundry list. By and large they get it right. I hate Seattle, but it's as familiar to me as Toronto now, and I put up with it.