Airports (formerly "Japan('s airport) Rocks")

Posting from Tokyo airport. Fuckin' awesome wifi, totally free. This place rocks my socks off.

Going to LAX soon. Will post from there (after my 14 hour flight - ughhhh), if I can even get wifi. Last time I was there I paid for it and it didn't work, and LAX is a terrible place to be. Probably my least favorite airport, and I'm stuck there for 7 hours. 7 FUCKING HOURS. The only airport I can think of that is worse is the one I went to in Malaybalay in the Philippines, but that doesn't really count since it's more like a broken down building with a road that resembles a runway than an airport.

How about You WATMM? Good airports, bad airports? What are YOUR experiences???!?

Most airports these days have shitty pay wifi, and few areas to plug in your charger. Wtf, do outlets have to be rationed because they draw terrorists like bees to honey?

For LA, I prefer flying in to Long Beach and then driving up, fuck LAX.

I'm quite happy with Shanghai's extension to the Pudong airport, Terminal 2. Large and impersonal, but efficient.

My worst airport award may go to Paris' Charles DeGaulle, it's all spread out, annoying, and periodically collapses and kills people (do kind of like the futuristic design tho)

  On 6/25/2012 at 1:12 PM, lumpenprol said:

For LA, I prefer flying in to Long Beach and then driving up, fuck LAX.

Yeah, no choice for me unfortunately. Can't afford good routing when you fly as much as I do.

Anyway, boarding now, last post for 14 hours.

  On 6/25/2012 at 1:12 PM, lumpenprol said:

My worst airport award may go to Paris' Charles DeGaulle, it's all spread out, annoying, and periodically collapses and kills people (do kind of like the futuristic design tho)

That has got to be the world's most boring airport. Actually, I find most airports boring. Surprisingly boring. I had a good cup of coffee in Keflavik Airport (Iceland) a couple of years ago, though.

  On 6/25/2012 at 1:21 PM, Squee said:

  On 6/25/2012 at 1:12 PM, lumpenprol said:

My worst airport award may go to Paris' Charles DeGaulle, it's all spread out, annoying, and periodically collapses and kills people (do kind of like the futuristic design tho)

 

That has got to be the world's most boring airport. Actually, I find most airports boring. Surprisingly boring. I had a good cup of coffee in Keflavik Airport (Iceland) a couple of years ago, though.

DeGaulle is a fucking horrible airport which I had an extremely horrible experiance in, which was my fault. I went to the Techno Parade a few years ago and to cut a long story short we ended up at the airport early with a pocket full of head fuck and loads of time to spare. There was nobody else about and just me and one mate.

I went for a wander to the toilet to break up the day. Coming back I was fairly disoriented and couldn't find my mate where we were sitting. Half an hour I was on the phone to him trying to find him. Most of the time we were both outside of McDonalds but couldn't see each other, wtf???

Little did we know that there are two halfs to the fucking place. I somehow wandered accross to the other side which was like an exact replica, shops and all. Maybe if I'd have been on this planet at the time I would have figured it out a lot quicker.

Favourite airport is probably Luton because it's just so damn close and the beer is good. Stansted isn't bad either because they do a lot of tasters, the last one being Hendricks and cucumber

i really do hate airports, all of them.

train stations on the other hand

waterloo and birmingham moor street are awesome

The Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport is by far the one that left the deepest memory on me. The bird structure welcoming the passangers that just arrived is glorious and light floods everywhere inside. and it's not that big either.

But i don't usually like airports, train and bus stations. they are non-places for me. cold, impersonal, distant places. i wish i could get to know a really bad airport, because i find it more insteresting to be in one that really wants you out of there, than one that gives a false impression of comfort, which in the end, is what every single airport does.

I always see really attractive people in the Airports.

  On 6/25/2012 at 2:18 PM, compson said:

I always see really attractive people in the Airports.

i see attractive people everywhere

Same, but typically the most attractive people I have seen are at Airports for some reason.

Last time I was on a plane (this was about 5 months ago) I got to sit behind the emergency door so I could stretch my feet. These two pretty ladies sat next to me. I had gotten zero hours of rest the night before so I was too dazed to do much other than sleep but I always have this problem where if I am sleep deprived I will get boners easily and so I had to pretend for a bit that I was reading one of those Sky Mall magazines so I could rest it on my lap to hide my protruding penis.

I hate airports, it's the air I think. always so dry and dunno, used.. As though it's been used and recycled a million times before. it's horrible when you get off a super long flight, stuffy stuffy plane air, straight into stuffy airport air. Horrible.

UK airports are definitely worse than most on the continent. The fact that you cant smoke anywhere in them, stupid fkn UK. Everywhere else has those smoking rooms, but here in the UK, smokers are second class citizens.

Tbh, its difficult to remember one airport from another, they all blend into vague nowhere places, so unimaginably non offensive and uniform that they become bland and depressing.

actually, one stands out, Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow, I lived there for about 4 days after my passport was stolen and I had to wait for new passport, visas etc. I hate that places, more than you could possibly imagine..

I used to fly thru Dubai airport all the time back in the day when it was ONE gate. Now it's a fucking monster complex of gates, massive hotels and upscale malls. Shit is pimpin.

  On 6/25/2012 at 2:05 PM, kaen said:

i really do hate airports, all of them.

 

train stations on the other hand

 

waterloo and birmingham moor street are awesome

Birmingham Moor Street is only good because you subconciously compare it to the concrete abortion that is New Street. Worst Train Station ever. I really like the new St Pancras station, but York is probably my favourite for 'old school' station vibes.

Heathrow is pretty awful, airport wise. New Terminal 5 looks great and has some cool features but it's just far too slow in terms of security.

Austin's airport is one the best I've flown out of. Parking and pickup is straightforward. Nice long runways (former USAF base) and the terminal is spacious and actually has decent food and beverage options.

I find airports fascinating in general, probably because I don't use them much. As I kid I liked Osaka, Naha (pre-renovation, they even had arrival and departure signs with cool flip boards instead of digital screens), Seattle even though I was stuck there for over a day, and London Stansted (way nicer than Heathrow)

Many are lame though, DFW is huge and confusing and I remember St Louis looking like a 70s disaster film was shot there (this was in the 90s though) I was at Ft. Lauderdale's for a few hours that seemed like an eternity. Godawful layout, limited stores and restaurants, and a plethora of old people shuffling around.

I can't not mention Denver. It's nice but ripe with WTF features: intense murals, nWo rumors (the Queen owning part of it, underground facilities, swastika layout of the runways, alleged masonic themes) and also this statue that killed it's designer:

I thought Narita was pretty boring to be honest. Kansai is much nicer.

I don't mind Incheon (Korea), big, lovely architecture, lots to do (for an airport).

Changi in Singapore is a shopping paradise. You could buy anything pretty much.

Shanghai is alright. Taking the maglev into the city is the best part lol

LAX is an utter mess. San Fran is ok, pleasant enough for an airport. Salt Lake City is a boring shit hole that represents the Kafka-esque worst of bureaucracy.

Vancouvers is just meh - wants to be big city, is not big enough to be big city.

Heathrow and Gatwick are just a bit bland. The one in Amsterdam was alright I vaguely remember.

I like airports late at night, when there are fewer people there but they still have to play those recordings.

I haven't been there in a while but Minneapolis International isn't so bad from what I recall.

I thought Vancouver's airport was quite nice, and had lots of eye candy to look at, it also felt very open from what I remember

I've been to LAX a few times but I don't really remember it well... probably because I was younger and just trying to keep up with my famnily and make my way through the mess to get to my bags and leave for San Diego

Orlando's airport is the worst I can remember, it sucked, and I remember a nauseating orange theme throughout the areas I was in, perhaps it's different these days though.

Oh yeah, Hong Kong and Taiwan are two airports which get the definite bland label. The only thing that sticks out in my mind from HK is riding a double decker bus from the airport into city centre.

Also, that shit in Denver is fucking mental. That statue is like some demon horse. and the painting - wtf?

NYC LaGuardia is a piece of shit, but a lovable piece of shit.

LAX is currently being built still but despite this you can still leaving via a terminal that is all chipboard and plastic sheets. shithole. paying for wifi? get a book!

best airport ever was in Malta. why? open air patio for smoking. didn't feel like i was in an airport at all.

funniest airport i've ever been in was outside of Cork, Ireland.. I just remember seeing a bunch of Congolese men ridding their luggage of clothing, and filling each bag with as much whiskey as each hardtop case could possibly carry. They then used one of those shrink wrap machines to wrap up all of their clothes. Awesome.

Flight was only 9 hours, not 14 or 12 like my usual routing. I didn't figure this out until we were at cruising level. I was very happy; 9 hours is a fuckin' cakewalk compared to 14.

  On 6/25/2012 at 5:18 PM, chenGOD said:

I thought Narita was pretty boring to be honest.

Yeah, but free, fast wifi. That's a huge plus for me.

  On 6/25/2012 at 5:18 PM, chenGOD said:

LAX is an utter mess.

Posting from there right now. It's a mess; doesn't even feel like an airport. Free wifi outside of the gates somehow, but I don't think I'll have that once I check in.

You'd think a place as rich as this would have a nicer airport.

  On 6/25/2012 at 6:02 PM, chenGOD said:

Oh yeah, Hong Kong and Taiwan are two airports which get the definite bland label.

lol, Taiwan. It's actually a bit more interesting now, although that's more because they put ridiculous, hilarious things in the airport. There's this weird sanctuary place with three small religious rooms; a Muslim prayer room, a Buddhist (not really Buddhist, but folk-Buddhist [Mahayana]) god worship room, and then this "Christian" room with tiny pulpits and and a podium with a Bible in it, because apparently travelling Christians like to give spontaneous sermons in airports. Also, there are quite a few shopping places, but they seem to be geared toward people with large wallets (perfume shops, rolex, whiskey, etc.).

I really like airports at night. I like it when all the shops are shut down and the gates are empty, and you can see the lights on the empty roads and runways. Growing up in three different countries, I actually don't mind airports; they symbolize transition for me. I can't actually think of an airport that I've been in that I loved, though. Frankly I don't care about what there is to do there; I care more about the mood of the place, which is why I love 3 am flights. Sitting around in airports is like a calm before a storm in a sense. Also, Taiwan now has a high speed rail so if you're not already in Taipei (Taoyuan actually) you can get there super fast. The thing goes 214mph/345kph.

I think I'm staying in the States this time, but I'm still not sure, might go back to Taiwan for another semester or two.

edit:

Detroit is alright, although the airport security workers are jackasses.

edit 2:

  On 6/25/2012 at 1:15 PM, gmanyo said:

  On 6/25/2012 at 1:12 PM, lumpenprol said:

For LA, I prefer flying in to Long Beach and then driving up, fuck LAX.

 

Yeah, no choice for me unfortunately. Can't afford good routing when you fly as much as I do.

 

Anyway, boarding now, last post for 14 hours.

Also I'm not staying in LA so what was I talking about.

Detroit has that cool tunnel thing between terminals with the lights that respond to the ambient music they play.

And I don't remember free wifi in narita? I stayed in one of those rooms they have in terminal because I had like an 11 hour layover and it wasn't free there.

Bangkok's airport is not bad. Fairly modern as it was finished in 2006.

LAX is one of the worst places on earth.

Absolutely soul crushing levels of incompetence on display everywhere you turn.

narita sucks dick, not sure what the op is talking about.

laguardia is by far the worst i've been to. singapore changi is the best.

LAX is not too bad right now somehow. Free wifi, who would've thought.

  On 6/26/2012 at 6:10 AM, zaphod said:

narita sucks dick, not sure what the op is talking about.

It was mostly just an interesting topic title, figured it would get a bunch of people to click on it. Seemed to work. Narita is actually quite boring.