Monday newsletters always feature top 10 travel lists to inspire.
Today: Top 10 best airports in the world
Getting to or from a travel destination can be an exhausting experience, not least because of the stressful airport experience which can make traveling a real chore. If you've ever been stranded at an airport for more than a few hours because of a long layover or a delayed flight, you know how frustrating and boring it can be. However, stopovers have become considerably less miserable in certain airports that seem to get it right by taking their services and amenities up a serious notch. Improvements include high-quality dining venues, world-class shopping malls packed with haute boutiques, exhilarating leisure facilities from IMAX movie theaters to golf courses and rooftop pools, and designated quiet zones that come under the form of zen gardens, museums and luxurious spas. While I never hope for a long stopover, here's my selection of the 10 best airports across the world where I don't mind being stuck for a few hours.
There is more information below the slide show. Think I missed one? Share your favorite airport in the comments section.
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Heathrow Airport - more commonly known as London Heathrow - is the largest of London's 6 international airports, the other ones being Gatwick, Stansted, London City, Luton and Southend. With a record 80 million passengers in 2019 (pre-covid), Heathrow ranks as the seventh busiest airport in the world by total passenger traffic. While the airport is not convenient when you have to switch terminals between flights, its Terminal 2 (officially known as the Queen's Terminal) and its 15 year old Terminal 5 (with two satellite terminals) are great and airy spaces to spend a couple of hours before a flight. These terminals offer some of the best and most abundant airport shopping and dining in the world, with heaps of high-end boutique shops, a Harrods outlet, and a Gordon Ramsay restaurant. Unfortunately, this is a sharp contrast to the Terminals 3 and 4, which feature an old and tired design. Heathrow serves as the main hub for British Airways (which mainly uses terminal 5, in addition to terminal 3) and Virgin Atlantic (which mainly operates from terminal 3).
With 85 million passengers in 2019, Dubai International Airport is the world's 3rd busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic (behind Atlanta and Beijing). As a home base for Emirates - the largest A380 and B777 operator in the world - is shouldn't come as a surprise that the airport also has the most Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 movements of all airports in the world. Dubai International is a massive space of almost extragalactic dimensions, as it employs approximately 90,000 people, indirectly supports over 400,000 jobs and contributes over $26.7 USD billion to the world's economy. The airport dazzles its passengers, not only by its size (one of its three terminals is the second largest building in the world by floor space), but also by its outrageous, Arab inspired design with glimmering pillars and shiny floors separating water ponds, lush gardens, and relaxation areas. The airport offers a mind-boggling array of leisure facilities, such as sensational shopping and world-class spas, in which fliers can indulge while waiting for their flights.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the main international airport of the entire country of the Netherlands, located just south of its capital Amsterdam. The airport - which handled 60 millions passengers in 2019 - is the hub for Holland's flagship carrier KLM as well as a major European hub for Delta Air Lines and Jet Airways. What makes Schiphol so convenient from a passenger's perspective is the single-terminal concept, where all facilities are located under a single roof, radiating from a central plaza. Schiphol also offers a wide variety of leisure facilities at Holland Boulevard: you can learn about Dutch art and culture at a free exhibition in a glass pavilion of the world-famous Rijksmuseum, enjoy interactive science-based activities with your kids at Nemo (Amsterdam's most famous science museum), or curl up with a good book at the airport's library. For aviation enthusiasts, Schiphol features a large rooftop viewing area, called the Panorama Terras, albeit not accessible to passengers in transit.
Vancouver International Airport is the second busiest airport in Canada behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, and IMHO, the best airport in North America (San Francisco's airport is not bad either). The airport's interior features a unique and award-winning West Coast inspired decor, providing its passengers the first or last impression of British Columbia with architecture reflective of British Columbia's diverse landscape and people. Among vibrant touches of blue and green that reflect the colors of the rainforest and the Pacific Ocean, the airport features the largest Northwest Coast Native art collection in the world, which includes totem poles and the Spirit of Haida Gwaii canoe. Other great things about the airport are the super-friendly staff (well, this is Canada after all), high level of organization, and easy access to downtown Vancouver. Vancouver International also boasts a floatplane terminal, two satellite Vancouver Aquarium exhibits, and one of the best airport hotels in the world, the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel.
Located on an island just outside of the South Korean capital, Incheon International Airport (sometimes referred to as Seoul–Incheon International Airport) serves as a hub for Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. The bright and ultra-clean airport, which opened in 2001, has a golf course, two movie theaters, private sleeping rooms, an ice skating rink, a casino (albeit not located inside the airport but 2 minutes away at the Hyatt Regency Hotel) and no less than seven indoor gardens in addition to a bevy of cultural performances. The airport even has a museum where you can check out Korean traditional culture that dates back thousands of years. Airport authorities claim that average departure and arrival at immigration takes 19 minutes and 12 minutes respectively, as compared to worldwide average of 60 minutes and 45 minutes respectively, ranking it among of the fastest airports in the world for customs processing. The airport also claims that it has only a 0.0001% baggage mishandling rate, one of the lowest in the world.
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