WeekendTraveler

For the opposite of the (justified) criticisms of CLT, what is the best airport in the AA system?

My view: DCA. Clean, uncrowded, lots of flights, lots of nice Admirals Clubs and transit access.

GSP is also terrific: uncrowded, a great AmEx lounge, CLEAR (both surprising for a small airport) and shiny and new.

FlyingLaw

I think it’s DCA, which was my home airport until this past May. I could go from my house to sitting in the Admirals Club in less than a half hour, sometimes less. Never felt overly crowded. Checked bags came out relatively quickly.

nineworldseries

I'm going DFW. Lots of plusses for me:

1. Skylink is easy and generally quick to navigate
2. 5 ACs plus Flagship Lounge options
3. Just over 900 miles to CMH so I get a meal in F, and connecting to the west coast means two meals instead of one.
4. Big winner during IRROPS: Lots of assistance at ACs, many alternate flights and connections. Two Hyatts connected to the airport itself. Minute Suites in a pinch. Also if stranded overnight, it's a warm-weather city with direct light rail access to downtown.

S80

In terms of hubs, I really like DFW. As long as the weather is clear it's a smooth operation, and the new gates (D1-4 and high Cs) are really nice. Plus the plethora of Admirals Clubs plus Centurion and Capital One lounges, and the people mover. For outstations I'd have to say SFO. I never realized how loud an airport was until I was there with their quiet policy of not having announcements and blasting TVs everywhere.

gophish11

My rankings are based purely on where I don’t mind laying over for a few hours since I fly out of a small airport (RNO) and am always connecting. I favor a good lounge or two and the ability to walk distances to kill time.

For true AA hubs:

LAX for walkability and multiple lounges - the T5 Admirals Club is usually uncrowded and the Alaska lounge is great. Flagship Lounge is nice too.

ORD for the same reasons. I love the H/K Admirals Club.

DFW for the Flagship Lounge and the AA employee store - an avgeek's dream.

JFK just for the TWA Hotel, which is an absolute must visit.

For non-hubs:

SFO Terminal 1 might be the most beautiful terminal in the AA system and the AC there is quite nice. As mentioned upthread, the lack of announcements make it so peaceful. SFO has really grown on me over the many years of improvements. Only downsides are that walkability sucks as T1 only connects to international A gates, and somehow doesn’t connect airside to Alaska’s D gates and outstanding lounge. I hope this is resolved soon.

SEA for the Alaska lounge, best in their system. You can also walk/train and explore for days there.

I also enjoy AUS for the decent retail options and live music.

There are countless other airports I really like, but can’t really consider them “AA airports” per-se.

S80

I didn't want to say LAX, but it's definitely my favorite from the Avgeek perspective, plus being able to actually access the international gates unlike JFK, ORD, etc where the terminals aren't connected airside. Yes the Eagles nest is a pain, tight connection or not, but can't beat a bus on a ramp for the views either.

gophish11

100%. The ability to see the heavies from Asia and the Middle East up close is so cool. Eagles Nest are my least favorite gates in the system. It's really the best of times and worst of times at LAX. There are many other things I do like though - walking to the airport hotels is a big plus. I've frequently left the airport during a long layover to go get some kick ... tacos or take a trip to the beach. It will be a world class airport again when the renovations are complete.

kabroui

I'm fine with both DFW and ORD, given the weather cooperates. D terminal in DFW is one of the nicest in the US. DFW certainly gets the nod for international connections over ORD.

PHX is my home airport and Term 4 has really gotten spread out everywhere, very crowded, loud and generally stressful and annoying. The AC's are tiny and overcrowded, walking distance between B and high A gates is extreme. Flying United out of Term 3 is a much nicer option except that it usually means connecting at IAH (or DEN) which is not so nice.

MIA is exhausting and unfriendly and AA doesn't seem to be able to make it work as a hub from Latin America to the western US (huge layovers on overnight flights from South America).

Agree with the the opinions above about SFO. I love the quiet airport concept and it never seems crowded there. DFW and SFO also get the prize for the best airport hotels as the Grand Hyatt's at each location are superb.

Not sure if TPA would count as an outstation, but it is also a very nice airport and I like the AC there.

PurpleMonkey

In terms of AA airports, DFW is my favorite hub. Everything's connected, lots of food options, SkyLink and walkways between terminals, Admirals Club in all terminals, even in the annoyingly out-of-the-way E satellite gates.

I'm based in SFO, so I don't really like 4hr+ domestic flights, unless it's in lie flat. I try to avoid every domestic-to-international connection that's not DFW, JFK, or LAX. PHX is a quick flight, but the airport and clubs are pretty dated and crowded.

SFO is probably my favorite non-hub. It's a long walk to the gates, but the terminal is beautiful and the Admirals Club is usually empty. Love the museum exhibits and it finally seems new tenants are taking over more retail space.


T1 will connect to the T2 (and therefore all terminals will be connected) after the North Ticketing Lobby is completed in 2024. However, it will be a semi-circle, so getting from International A to International G will be quicker to exit security and re-enter.

razzaba

I am partial but I like RDU. Has an admirals club, enough flights to get where I need to easily enough for a non-hub, and still small enough that I can usually get from home (20-25 minute drive) to the gate in 40 minutes.

Bonus is that a lot of my travel is overseas so I frequently am on the RDU-LHR flight where I am pretty much always able to use an SWU or mileage upgrade, if not already flying paid J.

apeortdz

Nobody has mentioned PHL yet?

KBMIFlyer

SAN because, well, you are in San Diego. Also the taxi times are exceptionally short especially when landing, time from curb to gate is pretty quick (similar to DCA), and when you exit the airport you are basically downtown. Drawback is the unusual gate lobby setups and the painfully long wait for the rental car bus and then ride to the rental car center.

carlosdca

LGA has a brand new terminal.
haven't been yet but Ive heard it is state of the art?

brenc3

BOS is my home airport but I really do like it. It's been an on/off focus city for AA and US. Massport has done a decent job with terminal updates lately, especially connectors within B and from B-C-E. Lots of great places to eat (you can do worse in an airport than Legals) and they did a nice job with the AC renovation. AC and PreCheck lines are rarely terribly crowded. Close to downtown and even though I live out in the 'burbs I can get from my house to AC in 30min. The AA experience is a lot better than it used to be there in the mid-00s with often long security lines, the Eagle Siberia gates, and if you're unlucky, an Eagle departure from the Earhart Terminal (worse than the LAX Eagle's nest).

The main demerit is the Massport shuttle buses between terminals and to the rental car and T. It's the only shuttle bus I know that's slower than walking.

For hubs I really do like DCA. If it's ever an option for a connection I'll pick it over PHL, JFK, or CLT. Easy travel to the city. I love the approach up the Potomac, and a little sightseeing tour with every takeoff.

I think ORD gets a mostly undeserved bad reputation. Feels spacious even when crowded, nice ACs, and Tortas Frontera.

Gig103

It's a thread about BEST airports, so you're probably the first.