Helmsman

All the talk is usually about the best airport with the best facilities. What I want to know is which airport you can't help liking, even if it is the most maddening, confusing cramped airport to be in.
With Kai Tak a memory, my vote would go to Terminal One at NRT. I did think of LHR (any terminal you care to name) but I reflected that I hated all of them.

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Karl English

Hi, They call me Fart....Old Fart

Spectre

I would have to say ABI Abilene Texas...anyone been here?
I have to give them credit, they just put in a jetway...
this place is horrible. just one gate. if you want food..you are in luck, there is a vending machine with snickers in it.
and they frown at you if you get there more than 15 min. before your flight is to take off

This place stinks

oh yeah....just one airline flys in here ( Continental pulled out right after sept. 11th)
American eagle...flying Saab 340s and one RJ flying in at night and flying out in the morning
One destination.. DFW

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"You've never lived until you've almost died. For those who fight for it, life has a special meaning the protected will never know."

smoothjazz

My two favorite airports are...

Seoul Inchon International/ICN and Tokyo Narita/NRT.
ICN is brand new airport with the best facilities and
even though NRT is somewhat old, but terminal 1 is just great
to see the aircrafts passing by and sunlights!

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BENJAMIN

MY COLLECTION
http://www.diecastaircraftforum.com/...tion-1179.html

Delta767

Atlanta, Frankfurt, San Francisco

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Mario

TL925

Terminal 1 at NRT is getting a lot better with the renovations going on. The new mall has lots of shops, with overpriced models, and restaraunts. The satellites could use some help, but it looks like the old United satellite was demolished for a new terminal, maybe the others will follow suit. I do give Narita credit for being the worst located airport in terms of distance from city, and also the fact that domestic flights leave Haneda for the most part and international from Narita makes any connections all but impossible.

Stanman

I tend to like/hate Narita as well. It's terribly inefficient but it was waaaay worse. Now not quite as bad. Superb viewing area with lots of fast snack places and good food and a diecast shop on the same floor. Just have to get use to all the Japanese wording and work around it.

Frankfurts another airport. Really really crowded and very harsh looking but fantastic airport viewing area with a shop.

KJC

I love LAX for the great variety of planes/airlines, for the beautiful Theme Building, and all the great memories I have of the place from my childhood. It's not a dump (United terminal excepted. At least a few years ago, terminal 7 was the worst dump anywhere in the world!), but it's not really that convenient either.

STL--now that WAS a dump, but I liked it anyway. It was the most convenient hub for me when TWA was in existence.

BUR is a dump also, but I like it because it is so damn convenient for my wife and I when we fly down from SMF to visit our families in Pasadena. It also has a certain charm--lacking jetways and having to use the air stairs.

LHR is not a dump, but it is extremely inconvenient, especially for international connections! Between your flights you have to stand in line to go through security again, have to show your passport and ticket several times, have to stand in line to take a 20 minute bus ride to your other terminal, have to O.J. Simpson your way through the ENORMOUS terminal just to get there for final boarding call!! What a pain in the A$$! The dumb a$$ PA system is a joke, and they have people with thick accents mumbling incoherently into the microphone announcing your gate. (SPEAK UP GUYS!!!!) Still, I love it because it IS so big and impressive and has a huge variety of airlines. I've never seen so many airlines anywhere else. I especially like seeing all the African, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Asian airlines we don't get any of on the west coast of the U.S.

FCO is certainly a dump, especially on the arrival end of things, but again, I like seeing the variety of airlines, and am always happy to be in Italy!!

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The white zones are for the immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. No parking!

Helmsman

KJC,
People with thick accents mumbling incoherently into mikes in public places is a fact of life in London. Usually it means something bad has happened.
The stock announcement goes like this:

"Due to mmumble mumble screech of something (wet leaves on the traintracks/runway/aircraft/train.....the buzz buzz backround noise is loud.....will not be running/is cancelled. Passengers should mumble groan screech. Thank you"

Oh, I remember! Beijing Capital Airport circa 1991. Have not been there since but the all-pervading aroma of garlic and piss coupled with the green walls will remain with me forever. Nice but I liked it.

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Karl English

Hi, They call me Fart....Old Fart

KJC

Come to think of it, I seem to remember not understanding much of what was said on announcements in the tube: "Next stop, Oxford Circus! This train terminates at mumble mumble mumble."

I especially liked the signs that said "No busking!" (I had to look that one up!)

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The white zones are for the immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. No parking!

george

I expected ZURICH to be one of the best, as it turned out, it's one of the Worst! Bummer!
GATWICK still ranks #1 with me on the All-Time-Worst... but there's always room for improvement...

BHopper88

even thou i am from detroit, before the new NWA worldgateway was opened, the OLD DTW METRO AIRPORT (DAVEY and SMITH) terminals were the worst IN ALMOST THE WHOLE MAJOR AIRLINE OPERATED HUB AIRPORT....

HANDS DOWN....IF U HAVE FLOWN INTO METRO AIRPORT U CANT DENY IT....

but being that it was an airport to handle only 25mill a year and it went over 50 mill each year in the 90s... but still its home..
yea it was a hole but it had its own little feeling that made some people love it.. gotta love to leave on the F concourse and see all the 747s and the most hated concourse, the IMFAMOUS walk on the C concourse...

TL925

Out of curiosity, what is Detroit planning to do with the old Northwest terminals? Are they going to stay vacant?

BHopper88

as of right now they are tearing out all the jetways off all the concourses and then going to demolish everthing...

the plan is for a new "mini" midfield terminal is going to be built on that side for all the other airlines....
once the OLD NWA side is gone, the new terminal will be built, then the terminal/ A,B, and the remaining part of C will be demolished.....

The Old INT'L terminal is still running and it will remain open working the charter flights comming in from int'l dest.

if u want to look at any info on the projects go to www.metroairport.com, they have alot of info, pictures and video on everything that is going on there...

Tjames

That airport, for me, would be Dallas Love Field, its outdated, and even though I only use Continental, you still have to walk a fair distance to get to the gates and if your checking any luggage, you end up carrying it to their ticket counter which is located under the gate. But I still like this airport, the people seem friendlier, it feels like it belongs to a much smaller city then Dallas, its very close to home, and you dont need to deal with the mess that has become DFW, not to mention, somedays I can close my eyes and almost see an airport full of Braniff jeallybeans...