V-Flyer

Just shows how easy it is to jump on a bandwagon of negative publicity - I agree Paul, LHR really isn't that bad. I can often get from check-in to Club House in 20 mins or less and I have to say that's much better than many airports I can mentioned. Also, when you travel throughout the rest of the world, to say Heathrow is the worst simply is a silly joke. That said, I don't find ORD to be too bad either!

Well then V-Flyers, if Heathrow isn't your favourite, but isn't the worst either, what would you nominate as your bottom three, here are mine:

Mumbai / BOM - did you say you want facilities and polite staff? Ask again!
Los Angeles / LAX - particularly the VS terminal checking in for the VS008
Dubai / DXB which to me amplifies everything that is bad about LHR (aka it's a shopping mall, remote stands, long queues, miserable staff ...)

I agree with slinky about LAX.

The worst staff, and most chaotic check-in in the VS area that I have ever dealt with[n]

Worst three

LHR, MIA and SJO

Not counting staff:

LAX T2 - no amenities, dull
ORY - disgusting, poor amenities, feels dated

45.

JFK T4, no comfy seating before security, rubbish amenities after security, for a major airport I think its dreadful.

LAX- rude staff and just horrid.

ATL- also being revamped inside creating havoc.

FRL- Forli, Italy= FR Hole= in the middle of nowhere, departures is a hangar with stone cold floors horrid.

NAN- dated and not big enough to handle three lots of 744 pax waiting for late night departures.


TBH I find a lot of International terms in the US to be horrid and lacking in amenities. And also find UK airports are just stuffed full of the same shops I see on the high street day in day out.

World's most boring international airport... Brunei

(I love LHR! Prefer T4)

AUH and DOH are like cramped squatter camps.
Agree about the VS experience at LAX
AA term at BOS is always Bedlam and seems to be under constant repair(reminds me of T3 a couple of years ago).

BOS has to get my vote as worst VS destination airport I have visited.

As for others, find an atlas that has a map of Italy or Greece and take your pick...

LAS

US airports seem to be a recurring theme...


45.

BOM without a doubt

I've been there for an Economy flight at 3am, that was deleyed until 5am. It is not a place you want to spend any length of time when you should be sleeping!
Even when I've got lounge access, the lounges are dire.

But they are busy renovating it at the moment.... with at least one coat of fresh paint.

And then there's the lack of runways and taxiways that mean you need to use operational runways to taxi on. In some wind conditions there is a need to taxi the wrong way down the runway, then "pull" a 180 and line up for take off. That must really slow operations down.

Mumbai is supposed to be India's financial centre, and on a par with Shanghai.. they should go flatten a mountain and start from scratch!

I find FRA very hard to find my way about and have got lost several occasions on the bloody monorail which seems to have life of its own. Staff rude and no attempt to speak English, French or any other langauage other than German.

Iain

LPL - Expansion work to the terminal building a few years ago has been completely swallowed up and will need expansion again soon.

Also had one or two gripes with MAN in the past.

Originally posted by iforres1
I find FRA very hard to find my way about and have got lost several occasions on the bloody monorail which seems to have life of its own. Staff rude and no attempt to speak English, French or any other langauage other than German.

FRA used to be okay, you could transfer quite easily between LH flights.

However, since changes in security regime, it's become a complete nightmare. If you're connecting, your ejected almost all the way to the arrivals hall, outside of the sterile area, and then have to go back through security, which has hideously bad queues and appears to be staffed by rude ignoramuses who often shout "schnell" at you, or refuse to process you becuase you're "in the wrong line" (I'm like "Hey, this is the way the signs sent me...").

Worst of all is that to get to some flights, I've often been through three, and on one occasion four, seperate full search combs (x-ray and metal detector), one of which was about two minutes away from the previous one.

FRA used to be good, a model of German efficiency. It's now a display of German bureaucracy, which they conveniently "blame" on the US and UK, and of course has nothing to do with their own ineptitude at running an airport.

I hate FRA. More than LHR, actually. I tend to stick to MUC or ZRH if I have to change planes in that neck of the woods.

I'm not a fan of JFK either, mainly because of the crap transport (I've been trapped on the Van Wyck thinking I'd die there), and the hideous ground delays.

In terms of airline lounges, I think AMS is a woeful place, despite everything else it might have going for it. Most non-KLM lounges are operated by handling agents from what I can tell, and look like they were last decorated in the 1970s, or 1980s at best. Even the KLM lounges are pretty grot.

Mike

Originally posted by mike-smashing
...

In terms of airline lounges, I think AMS is a woeful place, despite everything else it might have going for it. Most non-KLM lounges are operated by handling agents from what I can tell, and look like they were last decorated in the 1970s, or 1980s at best. Even the KLM lounges are pretty grot.

Mike

Agree with you on the AMS lounges - Whilst AMS is a great place to change flights, and gives you global connections from many UK regional airports, the lounges are terrible. I've seen mice running around in the KLM lounges on many occasions. - No jokes about clogs please!

Originally posted by PVGSLF

Originally posted by mike-smashing
...

In terms of airline lounges, I think AMS is a woeful place, despite everything else it might have going for it. Most non-KLM lounges are operated by handling agents from what I can tell, and look like they were last decorated in the 1970s, or 1980s at best. Even the KLM lounges are pretty grot.

Mike

Agree with you on the AMS lounges - Whilst AMS is a great place to change flights, and gives you global connections from many UK regional airports, the lounges are terrible. I've seen mice running around in the KLM lounges on many occasions. - No jokes about clogs please!

I used to think that the BA lounge at AMS was one of the best ...

Not a big fan of LHR but it's heaven compared to ORD - never enough immigration staff, check in is a joke and always over crowded.

I also have a strong disliking for BHD mainly due to the fact that it charges high taxes for pax and the facilities are appalling

LAX - agree with previous posts - crap check in and boring terminal.

MIA - the worst arrivals ever for queuing in immigration.

LHR T1 - glorified bus station.

Miopyk[8D]

I'm another of those people who really don't mind LHR, although the part in T1 where they hide the Aer Lingus planes is rather grim and was looking very tatty last week with the upholstery on the chairs held together by duct tape. [:0]

My worst would be:

LAX - for the same reasons as everyone else

DUB - a zoo with a ghastly prefab extension

SYD - especially the nightmare that is Arrivals. Departures was OK

STN - bland and soul-less

MIA - Sprawling, dirty and disorganised!