CaptainBoycott

Oh yes, completely agree. The only thing which could be deemed as "impeccable" is the consistent rudeness of the staff, in particular the immigration authorities. I remember dealing with one pleasant gentleman at check in and actually told him what a delight it was to be greeted by a friendly face.

There is nothing around the airport bar hotels and the highway so you're pretty much trapped. The lounge is the only saving grace and source of relaxation.

pinniped

PEK with no air conditioning and almost no amenities had to be my worst.

CAI wasn't much fun either, in part due to total lack of information from MS about their delays.

LAX is probably the worst in the U.S., although I'm no fan of SJU either. (SJU isn't stressful per se, but it's dead. Since AA pulled its "mini-hub" out, most of the shops that were there in the early 2000's are gone.)

enviroian

Yes--agreed. Total dump to connect at. I laugh at myself when I have to get from 3 to 6 etc and have to walk across the parking lot and down streets LOL I feel like I'm Steve Martin in that scene in PT&A with the L-10 landing behind him!

CMK10

CDG is my least favorite. The AF Europe gates are awful, especially if you end up in the hell that is 2G, the wifi is unusable, there aren't enough restaurants or bathrooms or seating at the gates and you can't find outlets. Plus the airport suffers from IROPs easily or so it seems.

Jaimito Cartero

I have flights connecting in JED and ADD later this year.

LAX is my least favorite US airport. CDG/FCO in Europe. KLIA2 in Asia.

MSPeconomist

The top of my list would be airports where there's a risk of getting yellow fever, malaria, etc. from mosquito bites during a connection.

Next would be places where IROPs would be a major problem, such as Russia if you don't have a visa.

I hate the places that do USA CBP PreClearance, such as almost all of the Canadian transborder flights and DUB plus a few other airports. You need to be processed early and then sit in a holding pen until your flight actually boards.

My next circle of hell would include just about any airport that requires a terminal change by bus, for instance between domestic and international terminals at SYD, MEL, LAX (typically between TBIT, although with the airside inside walkway to T4, it's gotten much better), JFK (for T2/T4 DL switches or between many international carriers and domestic connecting flights), ORD (from international arrivals in T5 to domestic flights departing from T1/2/3, although it's good that many international flights are towed over to depart from T1/2/3). LHR (using the tube landside isn't much better than a bus and can take longer), etc.

Finally, I hate having ever to use bus gates or walk across the tarmac to an aircraft. It can be even worse when you're not expecting the bus, although the misery could be reduced if more airlines were to provide sufficient numbers of buses and especially special buses for premium cabin passengers. (If A3 can do this, why not AF?) Jetways are a great innovation and all airports should use them.

invisible

I would prefer overnighting at KLIA2 any time to transiting via MNL.

Plus, if you are a runner/hiker, KLIA2 is a perfect option - you can run around it covering every corner and do not cross the same place in 2h.

CaptainBoycott

Ah, 2G! There isn't a AF lounge either is there? I remember a Orangina costing 3.85EUR!

pinniped

I'm with you 99% of the time on this one...the 1% is that I *occasionally* enjoy boarding (or deplaning) a 747 via stairs.

Solely because the plane is so damned gorgeous and it's a reminder that for all of the crappy things about 21st century commercial air travel, boarding that huge machine and flying halfway around the world is still a pretty cool thing.

Standing next to it on the ground gives you a greater appreciation for it than boarding via jetway. I'm still in awe of the 60s-era aerospace engineers who conceived this audaciously-large airplane.

CMK10

There is, it's a windowless compound surrounded by really thin walls that gets crowded incredibly easily. Sadly I wasn't even able to use it when I was there as I was flying Luxair so I was stuck paying 12 E for a horrible panini.

OccasionalFlyerPerson

I heard rumours, albeit decades ago, that in Manila airport you needed to grease a few palms or you'd be held up dreadfully. Was this ever true, and if so, is it still true?

The Beatles didn't have a good time at Manila airport. https://www.beatlesbible.com/1966/07...e-philippines/

I agree with all your other points, but I like the concept of walking across tarmac and onto the plane up steps. I'd one day like to board an A380 that way.

DieselYVR

DAC is the worst for me. Especially the domestic terminal. I used to fly XXX-DAC-CTG and would always try to avoid having to sit for any length of time in DAC.

MNL also gets a vote from me but it's better than DAC

CaptainBoycott

I sought refuge in a corner of the cafe and did some work, sounds nicer to be honest!

deniah

the other 2X arent better, either.

i wouldnt call them terminals - more like bus halls that happen to connect to airplanes.

2D on a summer afternoon sometimes is shoulder-to-shoulder standing. almost literally.

fbruno

CAI for sure!
Especially if you have to change terminals.


Immigration will keep your passport and boardingpass until an airline rep collects it to register you for the next flight. This took almost 3 hours when I had a 4h layover there last October. Got my passport only back around 30 minutes before departure. Was one of the last ones to board.

Couldn't even access the lounge in the meantime, as my EK J boardingpass was kept by the immigration.
If you ever have to transit there it's really worth it to pay for a visa on arrival to change terminals landside!