lhrsfo

Amazing how, even with the same criteria, one can come to different conclusions. IMHO, the food outlets at SFO are very mediocre: there’s nowhere in T3 or International G that I would want to have dinner and I’ve tried lots of them. And the whole business of getting on the AirTrain to get to BART is a real pain. And then BART itself is slow, dirty and inconvenient. But I suppose it’s better than most other US airports of similar size.

Fabo.sk

Hmm. In no particular order

- compact, need not be distancewise, but at least timewise (with thoughtful use of interterminal trains, moving walkways, etc.)
- high capacity security checks, never more than 10-15 minutes wait
- good connections direct and at most one-stop within the continent and to major intercontinental destinations
- good public transport connection to major local destinations (usually this would mean train, but sometimes subway works as well, ex. SIN)
- quiet and comfortable seating in public areas and/or solid selection of affordable lounges (looking at you, FRA... I get that LH is the king of T1, but at least one Diners/PP lounge wouldn't kill)
- F&B outlets with reasonable prices and decent quality, not paying 5x city prices for beer or water and a mediocre small meal.
- supermarket in public area

I don't have much worldwide experience, I can pretty much only mention SIN as a positive experience.

Europewide, I very much like VIE for connecting, not at all for O/D. Prefer BUD by a mile for that, even though it's lacking public transport connections.
AMS is decent, but not great, and FRA is either great (A/Z T1) or mediocre (T1>T2, T1C)
Others are either not worth mentioning or I haven't been there enough times to comment.

beachmouse

For hub airports, I want a common airside area. First because I feel like it's good for health and sleep hygiene to go for a nice walk between flights if you've got a longer connection (Yes, I like to do 'laps' in the tunnels between T and F in ATL), and second because I like having the full range of food and shopping options at an airport.

relaxabit

I was thinking of T2, which has two (IMO) really good American restaurants.

evergrn

Agree with everything lhrsfo says. When you travel a lot to Asia, nothing in US airports impresses me. Most food mediocre and boring, shops with rip-off prices, slow inconvenient trains, no free landside carts, painful immigration/customs process (even with Global Entry, I'm routed to customs Xrays every time at SFO cuz I check off that I'm bringing food... who doesn't bring back one or two food items?) Only things good about US airports are the rental car center (if there is one) and lack of exit immigration. But if one only travels in the US, then I would think SFO ranks high.

Agree. And not just all terminals connected airside, but rather one big airside hub/concourse lined with lots of shops and one/two major food courts with tentacles of gates. SEA is great from that standpoint. Also MSP (minus Humphrey). Although LAX will get better if/when all terminals are connected airside, they will never be like SEA because the layout there is multiple separate terminals connected by long narrow hallways.

BuildingMyBento

I'm a RUH fan, too, but food options are terrible (even though the Alfursan Lounge is not too shabby in this regard). Can't say it's a favorite, though.

I used to think Japanese airports were the best, what with their nearly painless security checks and frequent presence of shops selling local souvenir foods. But, if you take those two aspects away, they just evoke a dentist's more contemporary waiting room.

SIN used to be up there, too, but the transfers, lack of late-night public transit, the non-gate agnostic security checks, and the random security checks right before immigration chip away at its luster.

Guess that leaves me with the previous FNJ as the winner...

darthbimmer

My criteria are slightly different for an O&D airport versus a connection hub. For O&D I care about how efficient transit/parking and security are. It's nice to have good food options and lounges but these are not as important. Basically, I emphasize quick in/out. For a connecting hub I don't care about security or transit as I'm not using them. Food, lounges, and other amenities become more important, especially on longer connections or between long flights.