I've been to Zurich, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, etc... in my experience, they are more spread out and more of a hassle for travel. Like, what is it with needing to take a bus to and from the plane and gate? These airports aren't even designed to let planes park at the gate so travelers can walk from the gate to their plane. On my last trip to Germany, we had to walk down a steep set of stairs with luggage and board a bus where we were packed in like sardines, and I watched the older people struggle because there was no ramp or elevator or anything. American airports have a lot of amenities that airports in Europe do not, specifically the ease of the actual travel. Who cares if American airports don't have duty free shops? I've never bought anything at duty free in my life - I don't think it's actually any cheaper.
Originally Posted by
lsquare
It's not an excuse to have PDX and ORD the way that they are. Quite embarrassing if you ask me.
I always thought PDX was one of the nicer airports with its shopping and food selections. They even hire harp players and piano players to play there. PDX also recently had some renovations in the last few years. What do you think is so terrible? Because I can assure you, there are worse airports.