Occasionally one of those ever popular website lists, most famous this, or most numerous that's, actually catch my attention. I rarely bother to do more than glance at them, but one made me smile. We have all been stuck in airports and seen or worried about what's going on .... Johannesburg Airport (now renamed 'O. R. Tambo International Airport'), was an interesting experience for me. The unofficial 'helpers' are allowed to wander around freely, and demand a fee for 'helping you' ~ 10 rand as I recall.
So when I saw these listings on customers complaints and reviews about Airports on a couple of sites, I felt compelled to combine and re-list them below ..... enjoy.
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Manila:
The NAIA in Manila has been voted as the 2011 world's worst airport by users of the on-line travel website 'The Guide to Sleeping in Airports' (www.sleepinginairports.net), based on reader reviews and poll votes.
The website listed reasons such as safety concerns, 'theft, poor facilities, bribery and lack of comfortable seating'. One reader said: 'You will not want to even close your eyes here! Bribery and theft exists. Airport taxes are collected, but the money does not seem to go towards the betterment of the airport. In terms of facilities, passengers may have better luck at the newer Terminal 3, where it is clean, spacious and offers an internet connection.'
Charles de Gaulle International Airport, Paris:
It might be the largest airport in France - and one of the busiest in the world - but Paris CDG, which opened in 1974, has since frequently been criticised for its confusing layout, rude staff and ugly buildings. What's more, the seating benches have been deemed uncomfortable and insufficient, and homeless people are said to frequently disturb sleeping travellers ~ I have passed through this airport and its not the most attractive.
Frankfurt Hahn Airport, Germany:
Frankfurt Hahn also made the worst airports 2011 list. They said: 'Limited seating, bucket seats, and a lack of passenger facilities. A very basic airport for budget airlines.' In a 2010 World's Worst Travel Survey, passengers also complained of 'confusing signs' and 'unpleasant ground staff'..... its also I can testify from experience, huge.
London Heathrow Airport, UK:
In a Priority Pass survey in 2010, London Heathrow was voted the least favourite airport, owing to the fact that it is also one of the world's busiest. The problems of winter 2010, when the airport was ill-prepared for bad weather and snow grounded thousands of flights, further weakened its image. Long security queues and hours waiting at the baggage line have also been cited .... can't deny the queues complaints.
Delhi, India:
According to Independent writer Peter Popham, Delhi airport's 'carpeting is a thin scarlet runner, and stains are splattered in corners. Creature comforts are negligible. Passport control takes an eternity. Half the trolleys are broken down. They force you to x-ray your luggage coming in to the country as well as going out.' And, according to a survey by 'Foreign Policy magazine', it also boasts 'aggressive beggars, syringes on the terminal floor, and filthy bathrooms'.
Mutala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Nigeria:
According to reports, 'the odour of faeces and urine abound in this airport, which no doubt attract the hoards of rats, cockroaches and other bugs that scurry around the departures and arrivals area.' There's also been talk of overflowing toilets, and passengers escaping the airport chaos only to be mugged or beaten up on the tarmac outside.
Los Angeles International Airport, America:
The San Francisco Chronicle describes LAX as 'eight terminals connected by a traffic jam'. And, according to one review seating is limited, rude security staff who 'automatically assume you are a terrorist, or that you will never leave their country', bathrooms are in poor condition, direction signs are poor, and there are no conveniences for people in transit .... 'not even a 24 hour coffee shop.'
Lukla Airport, Nepal:
This small airport in the town of Lukla in eastern Nepal is popular as it is the gateway to the Mount Everest region in Nepal. But it will give you a nail-biting landing, involving a plummet onto an uphill airstrip cut into the side of a mountain. And on take-off, the airstrip comes to an abrupt end at the edge of a mountain cliff .... squeaky bum time.
Leopold Sedar Senghor International Airport, Senegal:
At Dakar's airport 'there is only squalor, an unnerving sense of confinement, and to some extent danger,' said salon.com's Patrick Smith. Foreign Policy magazine's survey also concurred, writing: 'Dakar has no seats and travellers are targeted by hawkers, porters and security guards who move them on. Immigration takes three hours.'
Simon Bolivar International, Colombia, Venezuela:
Simón Bolívar International, known locally as ‘Maiquetia’, is the main international airport in the South American state of Venezuela. It is located around 29km from the centre of the capital, Caracas, and is described as being 'situated practically in the middle of the favelas'. Hundreds of travellers have been robbed or mugged as soon as they left the airport, while kidnapping, stabbings and shootings 'have all occurred before passengers have even reached the taxi line', according to the Matador Network. What's more, you'll be charged a $53 airport tax for the privilege of risking these abuses.
So there you are .... a rogues gallery of nastiness, acute enough to thrill any potential traveller to these spots ... no doubt there are many other such travel danger zones, so feel free to add them (but keep the language clean).
UPDATE:
By chance I found a list from 2015 compiled by the website SleepingInAirports based on its travellers surveys which covered various criteria, not just safety, so different regions expected different things from their airports standards. They could have just gone for other African airports which have dreadful reputations. e.g, 2. Khartoum International Airport - 3. Kinshasha International Airport - 4. Juba International Airport - 5. Djibouti International Airport etc.
In Worst Order:
For Comparison - Best Order (top five):
So when I saw these listings on customers complaints and reviews about Airports on a couple of sites, I felt compelled to combine and re-list them below ..... enjoy.
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Manila:
The NAIA in Manila has been voted as the 2011 world's worst airport by users of the on-line travel website 'The Guide to Sleeping in Airports' (www.sleepinginairports.net), based on reader reviews and poll votes.
The website listed reasons such as safety concerns, 'theft, poor facilities, bribery and lack of comfortable seating'. One reader said: 'You will not want to even close your eyes here! Bribery and theft exists. Airport taxes are collected, but the money does not seem to go towards the betterment of the airport. In terms of facilities, passengers may have better luck at the newer Terminal 3, where it is clean, spacious and offers an internet connection.'
Charles de Gaulle International Airport, Paris:
It might be the largest airport in France - and one of the busiest in the world - but Paris CDG, which opened in 1974, has since frequently been criticised for its confusing layout, rude staff and ugly buildings. What's more, the seating benches have been deemed uncomfortable and insufficient, and homeless people are said to frequently disturb sleeping travellers ~ I have passed through this airport and its not the most attractive.
Frankfurt Hahn Airport, Germany:
Frankfurt Hahn also made the worst airports 2011 list. They said: 'Limited seating, bucket seats, and a lack of passenger facilities. A very basic airport for budget airlines.' In a 2010 World's Worst Travel Survey, passengers also complained of 'confusing signs' and 'unpleasant ground staff'..... its also I can testify from experience, huge.
London Heathrow Airport, UK:
In a Priority Pass survey in 2010, London Heathrow was voted the least favourite airport, owing to the fact that it is also one of the world's busiest. The problems of winter 2010, when the airport was ill-prepared for bad weather and snow grounded thousands of flights, further weakened its image. Long security queues and hours waiting at the baggage line have also been cited .... can't deny the queues complaints.
Delhi, India:
According to Independent writer Peter Popham, Delhi airport's 'carpeting is a thin scarlet runner, and stains are splattered in corners. Creature comforts are negligible. Passport control takes an eternity. Half the trolleys are broken down. They force you to x-ray your luggage coming in to the country as well as going out.' And, according to a survey by 'Foreign Policy magazine', it also boasts 'aggressive beggars, syringes on the terminal floor, and filthy bathrooms'.
Mutala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Nigeria:
According to reports, 'the odour of faeces and urine abound in this airport, which no doubt attract the hoards of rats, cockroaches and other bugs that scurry around the departures and arrivals area.' There's also been talk of overflowing toilets, and passengers escaping the airport chaos only to be mugged or beaten up on the tarmac outside.
Los Angeles International Airport, America:
The San Francisco Chronicle describes LAX as 'eight terminals connected by a traffic jam'. And, according to one review seating is limited, rude security staff who 'automatically assume you are a terrorist, or that you will never leave their country', bathrooms are in poor condition, direction signs are poor, and there are no conveniences for people in transit .... 'not even a 24 hour coffee shop.'
Lukla Airport, Nepal:
This small airport in the town of Lukla in eastern Nepal is popular as it is the gateway to the Mount Everest region in Nepal. But it will give you a nail-biting landing, involving a plummet onto an uphill airstrip cut into the side of a mountain. And on take-off, the airstrip comes to an abrupt end at the edge of a mountain cliff .... squeaky bum time.
 |
| Lukla Airport In Nepal... that runway drops straight off the mountain. |
Leopold Sedar Senghor International Airport, Senegal:
At Dakar's airport 'there is only squalor, an unnerving sense of confinement, and to some extent danger,' said salon.com's Patrick Smith. Foreign Policy magazine's survey also concurred, writing: 'Dakar has no seats and travellers are targeted by hawkers, porters and security guards who move them on. Immigration takes three hours.'
Simon Bolivar International, Colombia, Venezuela:
Simón Bolívar International, known locally as ‘Maiquetia’, is the main international airport in the South American state of Venezuela. It is located around 29km from the centre of the capital, Caracas, and is described as being 'situated practically in the middle of the favelas'. Hundreds of travellers have been robbed or mugged as soon as they left the airport, while kidnapping, stabbings and shootings 'have all occurred before passengers have even reached the taxi line', according to the Matador Network. What's more, you'll be charged a $53 airport tax for the privilege of risking these abuses.
So there you are .... a rogues gallery of nastiness, acute enough to thrill any potential traveller to these spots ... no doubt there are many other such travel danger zones, so feel free to add them (but keep the language clean).
UPDATE:
By chance I found a list from 2015 compiled by the website SleepingInAirports based on its travellers surveys which covered various criteria, not just safety, so different regions expected different things from their airports standards. They could have just gone for other African airports which have dreadful reputations. e.g, 2. Khartoum International Airport - 3. Kinshasha International Airport - 4. Juba International Airport - 5. Djibouti International Airport etc.
In Worst Order:
- Port Harcourt International Airport - Nigeria.
- King Abdulaziz International Airport - Saudi Arabia.
- Tribhuvan International Airport - Katmandu Nepal.
- Tashkent International Airport - Uzbekistan.
- Simon Bolivar International Airport -Caracas Venezuela.
- Toussaint Louverture International Airport - Haiti.
- Hamid Karzai International Airport -Afghanistan.
- Tan Son Nhat International Airport -Vietnam.
- Benazir Bhutto International Airport - Pakistan.
- Beauvis-Tille International Airport -Paris.
For Comparison - Best Order (top five):
- Changi International Airport -Singapore.
- Icheon International Airport -South Korea.
- Haneda International Airport - Japan.
- Taoyuan International Airport - Taiwan.
- Hong Kong International Airport - Hong Kong.
As an infrequent flyer, I found that even in the small sympathetic airport of Nice in the south of France, the operators neglect to indicate from which terminal my flight was to leave, with equal neglect in the airport itself, aged me a year.
ReplyDeleteAirports are, by their nature, a shock to the system - places where foreign cultures are thrust upon us with the speed of modern jet engines.
Funnily enough I have also been to Nice airport, but I don't recall any problems .... maybe we were lucky. I guess airports are like women, one man's meat is another man's poison.
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