There's a new list of best airports, and this is the only U.S. airport on it

[MULTIZ321]

There's a new list of best airports, and this is the only U.S. airport on it

The best - and only - U.S. airport to make the world's top 20 list is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

The list of the top 20 airports in the world was released. The only U.S. airport that made it is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

www.themanual.com

Richard

 

[nerodog]

This makes me sad... we should have at least a few !! Wake up call .

 

[bnoble]

Seattle? Really? Have they ever tried to go through security there?

 

[ScoopKona]

Seattle? Really? Have they ever tried to go through security there?

I fly through Seattle when I travel from Hawaii to Europe. I always stop for a couple days because I love the city. I've never had a problem getting through security. Only tiny airports like EYW or GJT are easier. Although, I'm certain that only packing a personal item on such trips decreases the degree of difficulty by an order of magnitude.

The biggest problem with US airports is the people who are using them. For the same reason that dogs in pubs/restaurants is no big deal in Europe, and a constant annoyance in the US -- airports elsewhere are far more serene.

 

[bnoble]

Maybe I just have miserable luck, but Seattle was one of the airports that motivated my enrollment in Clear. (SFO and MCO were the others). I also have the misfortune of being a Delta captive, which means I'm in one of the satellite terminals most of the time.

 

[ScoopKona]

Maybe I just have miserable luck, but Seattle was one of the airports that motivated my enrollment in Clear. (SFO and MCO were the others). I also have the misfortune of being a Delta captive, which means I'm in one of the satellite terminals most of the time.

I can't stand SFO (or LAX). I won't travel to MCO, so whatever happens there is its own little circle of hell. I fly to OAK instead of SFO because it's an easy, easy airport. And it's actually quicker to get to the city on BART than it is from SFO.

Sea-tac has roughly the same lines as LAS. With much better food and craft beer once inside. And a much better city than LAS outside.

 

[bnoble]

Yeah, OAK was my preferred airport when I lived there. New SJC isn't half bad, either.

I get spoiled by DTW, which almost never has a significant pre-check line.

 

[Ken555]

This makes me sad... we should have at least a few !! Wake up call .

This is your wake up call? Where have you been for the last 25 years?

 

[Ken555]

I can't stand SFO (or LAX).

Excellent. We need less people using LAX. I find LAX is great for departing or arriving, but if you have to change terminals it's horrible.

 

[sun starved Gayle]

Portland, Oregon has one of the nicest airport in the US that I have been to. They used to have a policy of not allowing food vendors to charge more than they do at their off site locations. Not sure if this policy is still in place. Lots of good local food and drink available and usually a live musician playing soothing music on a baby grand piano or guitar.

 

[Ken555]

Portland, Oregon has one of the nicest airport in the US that I have been to. They used to have a policy of not allowing food vendors to charge more than they do at their off site locations. Not sure if this policy is still in place. Lots of good local food and drink available and usually a live musician playing soothing music on a baby grand piano or guitar.

PDX has the best carpet, too.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[ScoopKona]

Excellent. We need less people using LAX. I find LAX is great for departing or arriving, but if you have to change terminals it's horrible.

When I lived on the mainland, I flew into LAX every other month because I I like the city. Getting to LAX is a pain from pretty much every nice area of Los Angeles, and even some of the not-so-nice areas -- and it takes forever. If there's a terminal change, that can throw a massive wrench into a person's day. And the immediate area around the airport is best described as sketchy.

I was just there a week ago. Flew on Spirit because it's far cheaper than a tank of gas. First time since the pandemic. And while it has little to do with the airport, it's like someone turned the "crazy" knob up to 11 and then ripped the knob off.

 

[Ken555]

When I lived on the mainland, I flew into LAX every other month because I I like the city. Getting to LAX is a pain from pretty much every nice area of Los Angeles, and even some of the not-so-nice areas -- and it takes forever. If there's a terminal change, that can throw a massive wrench into a person's day. And the immediate area around the airport is best described as sketchy.

I was just there a week ago. Flew on Spirit because it's far cheaper than a tank of gas. First time since the pandemic. And while it has little to do with the airport, it's like someone turned the "crazy" knob up to 11 and then ripped the knob off.

LOL

Do you really expect the airport to be in Beverly Hills? What other major cities in the US have their primary airport next to a "nice area"?

Chicago - far away from downtown
Denver - further away from downtown since they moved it
Portland - 30 min drive from downtown (if you're lucky)
Seattle - not even in the same city
Dulles - in farmland
Miami - if that area isn't sketchy, then what is?
DFW - not even in the same city

I could go on...

And didn't I mention changing terminals is horrible?

FWIW, I live in a "nice" area and it took me 35 minutes to get home from LAX - though if the roads are busy it can be well over an hour. That's life in the big city!

 

[ScoopKona]

LOL

Do you really expect the airport to be in Beverly Hills? What other major cities in the US have their primary airport next to a "nice area"?

Chicago - far away from downtown
Denver - further away from downtown since they moved it
Portland - 30 min drive from downtown (if you're lucky)
Seattle - not even in the same city
Dulles - in farmland
Miami - if that area isn't sketchy, then what is?
DFW - not even in the same city

I could go on...

And didn't I mention changing terminals is horrible?

FWIW, I live in a "nice" area and it took me 35 minutes to get home from LAX - though if the roads are busy it can be well over an hour. That's life in the big city!

That's fine. But there are "easy" airports and "not at all easy" airports. OAK, SJC, LAS and PHX are all examples of easy airports. They're easy to get to and from the city they service. OAK aside, they're in fairly nice areas of town -- or at least close enough to fairly nice areas that if there is a big change in itinerary, there's someplace decent to camp. (Hofbrauhaus or Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas are ideal examples of "I don't want to spend airport prices but I have three hours to kill.) They're easy to get around once inside and through security. They have amenities which make sense for their location -- such as smoking areas for Las Vegas nicotine addicts.

And then you have the super easy airports -- always small venues -- such as GJT, EYW, or ASE.

And most US airports pale in comparison to foreign airports -- which boast non-stop light rail transit to "the good part of the city," food and drink which is not only tasty, it's often around the same price as what you'd pay outside the airport. Germany, for instance, charges the same amount for a beer no matter where the beer is purchased.

And even the big foreign airports which are a pain are less of a pain than the big US airports. I'd fly into CDG every day and twice on Sunday over JFK. PEK is far away from Beijing, but has a bullet train linking it to the city center. I'd take PEK any day over LAX or SFO. I can get to my favorite little town in Germany in 30 minutes flat after getting out of my seat at FRA.

And these are cities that never had the wide streets, open spaces and infrastructure that we enjoy. If they can make it work, why can't we?

 

[bnoble]

I've only transited there, but ICN was stunning. The small but very cool Rijksmuseum outpost in AMS deserves special mention. I also took the maglev to the Shanghai airport, which is more a curiosity than actually useful, but going 430km/h is pretty cool.

As for US airports: DEN is a nightmare for departures because shoehorning post-9/11 security there just is never going to work. But the light rail to town is great.

 

[Ken555]

That's fine. But there are "easy" airports and "not at all easy" airports. OAK, SJC, LAS and PHX are all examples of easy airports. They're easy to get to and from the city they service. OAK aside, they're in fairly nice areas of town -- or at least close enough to fairly nice areas that if there is a big change in itinerary, there's someplace decent to camp. (Hofbrauhaus or Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas are ideal examples of "I don't want to spend airport prices but I have three hours to kill.) They're easy to get around once inside and through security. They have amenities which make sense for their location -- such as smoking areas for Las Vegas nicotine addicts.

Not that I'm surprised, but now you're changing the requirements.

As for LAX, it's not far to Marina del Rey and that's a great area to spend a few hours. LAX will also get easier to access once the new rail project is complete.

And even the big foreign airports which are a pain are less of a pain than the big US airports. I'd fly into CDG every day and twice on Sunday over JFK. PEK is far away from Beijing, but has a bullet train linking it to the city center. I'd take PEK any day over LAX or SFO. I can get to my favorite little town in Germany in 30 minutes flat after getting out of my seat at FRA.

I don't think anyone has ever compared US airports favorably against international airports. There are reasons why Germany, for example, has such great rail connections and we don't. I can fly into any of three airports and get to my frequent destination in Germany within ~30-40 minutes, so I know exactly what you mean.

However, you can keep CDG. I think that is a horrible airport when arriving from the US and changing to an EU flight.

And these are cities that never had the wide streets, open spaces and infrastructure that we enjoy. If they can make it work, why can't we?

Some of these cities have always had better infrastructure that we do - and their current rail and transport links show that advantage. Of course, they haven't been as foolish as we have and actually removed rail lines.

There are even other cities in Europe that have reclaimed roads/highways and turned them into walking/biking/river zones, and moved the roads below ground.

 

[ScoopKona]

Not that I'm surprised, but now you're changing the requirements.

As for LAX, it's not far to Marina del Rey and that's a great area to spend a few hours. LAX will also get easier to access once the new rail project is complete.

[And stuff about CDG].

I just gave LAX an unfair advantage -- traveling on the Expo line from Santa Monica, and then switching to the new K line. And being dropped off under an overpass, with what looked like extras from the Walking Dead in every direction, in order to wait 40 minutes for the shuttle that drives the last 10 miles to the terminals.

Seriously, it was a good thing all the airport workers were there, too. I wouldn't have wanted my wife and I to stand there, alone, with just the zombies.

The reason we have such [excrement] airport infrastructure is that the taxi companies successfully blocked any access to the airport except by road. The Las Vegas monorail was supposed to end at the airport. Los Angeles basically invented the modern city rail system -- and then demolished it. For a time, civil engineers from all over Europe descended on Los Angeles to see rail travel done right. They built their systems while we foolishly dismantled ours. San Francisco, to its credit, still has their light rail near the waterfront and cable cars elsewhere. Kudos to that city for keeping their transportation systems up and running.

As for CDG, it's my least favorite airport in Europe. (Followed by MXP.) Still better than JFK, though -- by a long meter.

 

[Ken555]

I just gave LAX an unfair advantage -- traveling on the Expo line from Santa Monica, and then switching to the new K line. And being dropped off under an overpass, with what looked like extras from the Walking Dead in every direction, in order to wait 40 minutes for the shuttle that drives the last 10 miles to the terminals.

Seriously, it was a good thing all the airport workers were there, too. I wouldn't have wanted my wife and I to stand there, alone, with just the zombies.

For someone who knows [almost] everything I'm shocked to learn that you actually took our transit to get to LAX. You should know better. But then, you fly Spirit without a checked bag, so I guess this is to be expected. Coming from Santa Monica it's not that expensive to just take an Uber/Lyft to LAX itself - next time do that and you'll be happier.

FWIW, as I mentioned earlier, once the new rail is complete you'll be able to use transit from LAX itself.

As for CDG, it's my least favorite airport in Europe. (Followed by MXP.) Still better than JFK, though -- by a long meter.

JFK is also great for one terminal usage, like LAX. And I've had only good experiences at MXP (but I've not connected there, either - it's either been departure or arrival only for me).

 

[ScoopKona]

FWIW, as I mentioned earlier, once the new rail is complete you'll be able to use transit from LAX itself.

That's no real bargain either (in the words of Rodney Dangerfield). Our long weekend using metro all over the city is best described as "interesting." I'll leave it at that.

 

[Ken555]

That's no real bargain either (in the words of Rodney Dangerfield). Our long weekend using metro all over the city is best described as "interesting." I'll leave it at that.

Once again, I have to ROFL. "using metro all over the city"? Please tell me which local advised you to do this. What were you thinking?

 

[ScoopKona]

Once again, I have to ROFL. "using metro all over the city"? Please tell me which local advised you to do this. What were you thinking?

It's better than driving. There are only two places I consider worse -- Boston and Cairo.

The only time I ever drove in Los Angeles and didn't hate the experience was right at the beginning of the pandemic. I had just been [censored] by Hawaiian Airlines. And it was either sleep in the airport until the next flight to LAS. Or just rent a car at midnight and drive.

So, I drove. Beats sleeping in LAX. And it REALLY beats the hotels around LAX. There was NOBODY on the street. Nobody on the surface streets. Nobody on the highways. Nobody at all. I made it to the 210 in about 20 minutes. I was on I-15 about 30 minutes after that. And I was in my driveway in three hours. Every other time it's like a scene from a comedy movie where all the highways are a parking lot.

 

[Ken555]

It's better than driving. There are only two places I consider worse -- Boston and Cairo.

The only time I ever drove in Los Angeles and didn't hate the experience was right at the beginning of the pandemic. I had just been [censored] by Hawaiian Airlines. And it was either sleep in the airport until the next flight to LAS. Or just rent a car at midnight and drive.

So, I drove. Beats sleeping in LAX. And it REALLY beats the hotels around LAX. There was NOBODY on the street. Nobody on the surface streets. Nobody on the highways. Nobody at all. I made it to the 210 in about 20 minutes. I was on I-15 about 30 minutes after that. And I was in my driveway in three hours. Every other time it's like a scene from a comedy movie where all the highways are a parking lot.

For all that you hate LA, you seem to visit frequently.

 

[ScoopKona]

For all that you hate LA, you seem to visit frequently.

I don't hate LA at all. Just driving there. I'd rather have a root canal than be stuck in an LA traffic jam.

When I first started going there, I loved the metro, too -- usually had an entire car to myself because everyone else was in a car. Now the metro is basically a homeless shelter. I have a standard itinerary on my Los Angeles trips which starts with either the best ramen soup on the mainland or the best sandwich in North America. (New Orleans comes in second.) And then it ends in Hollywood at the Star Wars bar. Loads of craft beer, outstanding restaurants and record stores in between.

Whatever direction they've been going with their homeless and metro problems over the past five years is the wrong direction. San Francisco is tame and polite, comparatively.

 

[Ken555]

I don't hate LA at all.

You fooled me.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[ScoopKona]

You fooled me.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

What? In order to like a city I have to like 100% of everything about that city? Show the kind of boosterism found only on City-Data?

I love LA's restaurants, book stores, markets, and brew pubs. Not their traffic grid, or all the crazies -- which I 100% recognize is a problem that is shoved into LA's lap by other areas.

I love SF as well. But they have similar problems with crazies and drugs. I don't love that, either. And I can't stand driving there because it's simply an awful place to have to drive/park/navigate. What little parking is far away from the places I want to go. Better to take their public transportation -- and just hope I don't get stuck next to someone just coming down after a three day meth bender.

It could be worse. I have very little good to say about Las Vegas at all. It will be the second-best day of my life when I finally leave this hell hole, never to return. When I finally can leave for the last time -- for Long Beach where I will drop off the last of my stuff with Matson -- we have a special bottle of wine we picked out for the occasion. And I plan on adjusting my rear-view mirror so I don't see the city as I leave.

I don't wish any ill on the people who like this place. But I'll never understand why anyone wants to live here.