missed the previous post, but my vote would have been for Raleigh or Minneapolis - we used to live in Raleigh and that airport is the easiest and fastest to get in an out of - never have had it that easy in any other airport.

Charles De Gaulle is by FAR the worst airport in any developed nation. No restaurants, cafes or anything after you make it through security. Just dreary, depressing lines and nothing to make the travel experience an actually enjoyable one.

On the other end, I have always enjoyed Heathrow (amazing efficiency with that much volume).

Dulles is a depressing S***hole. Internationally, I vote for Singapore Changi.

Singapore has the best international airport in the world.

Assuming that most of those participating in the poll are in the Washington area, it is no surprise that a Washington area airport, DCA won. It is far nicer than the other area airports, but also much newer and with fewer flights (especially international) than the others. The fact that Dulles scored realatively low, below Pittsburgh, should be wake up call but probably will not be. New, of course, does not always mean better: the brand new Bangkok airport has tons of problems, ranging from tarmac holes to the most poorly designed gate boarding configurations I have seen.

Ease of getting in and out -- OK. But that doesn't counteract the ugliness of that yellow mess, and it isn't what the question was about. DCA would be my very LAST choice of airport to be "stuck" in.

After arriving in Frankfurt from Philadelphia, while waiting to meet outbound friends for breakfast, I went over to a mid-terminal coffee bar and asked for a cup of hot water so I could put into it the bag of herbal tea that I carried with me. I was shocked when they charged me the equivalent of $2.75 for hot water. I travel all the time and no vendor in a US Airport has ever charged me for hot water! Add to that multiple security screenings - including at the gate, airport employees racing around corners on bicycles and inbound and outbound passengers sharing the same space in the Customs Hall and it's an airport to avoid - if you can!

I assume Reagan won only because it's local. Otherwise, it's cramped w/o anything to do (at the airport) if you're stuck. The worst major airport has got to be LAX. It's unbelievable that it basically closes shop at about 6 pm, and doesn't have that much going for it at any time. I've taken the 11pm redeye from LAX to Dulles numerous times and have gotten to the airport early. I shouldn't bother, nothing is open during the evening or night.

Sorry, ATL didn't exist the last time I cleaned up Atlanta. I'll be glad to come back from the dead and clean it up this time so they can start over with a new airport!

Chicago's O'Hare is an airport I viscerally despise--it's the equivalent of saying 'Blucher!' to horses (pardon the Young Frankenstein reference).

Best international - Incheon, Korea. With an 18 hour layover on my way to Malaysia, I was able to take a tour, go to a Korean spa, check the internet, get a massage/shower and have a great meal. It was a mini-vacation prior to my vacation.

Worst domestic airport... Detroit!!!!

Was diverted there a few times, NOTHING to see or do.

Dulles, LAX and JFK have to share in the "axis of the worst US airports" award. Crowded, cring-worthy security lines and user unfriendly lay-outs from departure to arrival. Tampa comes out on top in my mind domestically. Internationally, Schipol is hard to beat.

As annoyed as I get with NorthWorst Airlines, my husband and I have learned how to get along in Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport. (Although I'm sure part of that is his membership in the World Clubs).

It can be a total pain in the butt to get around when you have a close connection (90% of the airport is NWA, so you can easily land on one side and pick up a connection on the other), but if you're stuck, they have some decent restaurants. And if you're REALLY stuck (like, overnight stuck like we were a few Christmases ago), the light rail stops there and will take you to the Mall of America. If you can't find a way to kill time at the MOA, you just aren't trying. The people watching alone is astounding ;)

Dulles is gross, dirty, and depressing. Terminal B (the newest one) is passable, but the C/D terminals are a disgrace. I fly out of there regularly (I'm local) and compared to other airports around the country and the world, it truly sucks. Even when the trains/tunnels are done, it will still suck inside the terminals, though getting rid of those antiquated bus-things will make things alot better.

Internationally - Singapore is incredible - bright, spacious, friendly (free internet terminals everywhere, free luggage carts), and efficient.

Domestic - I'm hard-pressed to pick a favorite US airport. Pittsburgh is pretty decent, DCA is OK as long as you are flying inside the continental 48. I think the smaller US airports are much better than the big ones, as a whole.

I missed the first poll. Internationally, The airport in Vienna, Austria is awful to be stuck in. I had a 5 hour layover and there weren't even places to sit!! The neatest airport internationally, I think is in Istanbul. You can hit the Prada store while you wait for your flight.

Domestcially, I'm not surprised DCA is on top. It literally is the only airport you can arrive at 45 minutes before you take off and be assured that you will make your flight. It's top notch in efficiency.

Dear General Sherman,

Yes, please come back from the dead and torch Hartsfield-Jackson, aka, ATL. The only way to improve that place is to raze it and start over. The same can be said for that evil spawn of ATL, Denver International. While you're at it, can you please put the fear of God into the Delta customer service reps. If the airline had to be named after their attitude, Delta would be named Whatever.

I'm out of breath just thinking about Denver. I had a 90 minute layover there once. Landed on time, the next plane took off on time, and I nearly missed it. Why??? Because it took 30 minutes just to get to the gates from the furthest runway. Then another 20 minutes to find the right gate. With 40 minutes to go until my next flight, I thought ok. Nope, Then took up another 20 minutes to deplane. Thank goodness my next flight was at the next gate.

And flying into there in the late afternoon, oh my. I've never been so scared in my life on a plane. A 45-degree or more pitch to the left for 20 minutes while slipstreaming because of the winds off the mountains. I shudder thinking of it.

A vote for Munich's airport internationally and a vote for Savannah/Hilton Head's airport domestically. Hard to beat being able to leave your car at the curb for a moment to walk your loved one in the door to say goodbye. But sadly, one of the few ways to get to Savannah is through ATL.

As a non-DC'er who lived in the district for a year (I feel for young GOPers looking for a job right now -- I as a Dem was in the same place in '95), I gotta say the love for DCA is delusional. Yes, it's easy to get to (assuming it's not during one of the 30 or so weekend festivals in the district), but consider all the problems: 1) No decent food beyond security; 2) No intra-security access to other concourses (a pain when you're leaving at the same time as colleagues and want to use your airport downtime to go over your notes from the meeting you just finished; 3) No level of comfort -- you do not want to be stuck there... even the airline clubs don't hold a candle to most other major city airports.

As far as being "literally ... the only airport you can arrive at 45 minutes before you take off and be assured that you will make your flight," this person has clearly never flown out of AUS, LIT, SGF, OKC, TUL, MAF, AMA, or even DFW (which I hate as an airport, but if you're flying out of it, you can't beat walking through security right at the gate you're flying out of), or any of dozens of other efficient airports around the country.

And I'd be hard pressed to praise most of those, with the notable exception of Austin: there are at least two good barbecue choices (not that Red Hot and Blue abomination -- good 'cue), Amy's Ice Cream, Mangia Pizza, Schlotzky's Deli (and a lot more, but I never get to the others); live music in a couple different venues; clubs for AA and CO/NW/Delta; is not a hub but is a short hop to AA and CO's hubs; Served by Southwest & JetBlue; easy rent car pickup/return at terminal garage; and if you stay on surface streets, only takes 15 minutes to get to from downtown at rush hour.

Also, OKC would get some love from me if the little grill between gates 8 and 10 hadn't stopped serving their homemade potato chips which they made fresh for every order. They do have a Sonic though so you can get a corn dog and a diet cherry limeade for your flight, or just a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich any time of day.

"Worst domestic airport... Detroit!!!!"

They have an airport there? By the dingy yellow tile-brick walls I was pretty sure we landed at the bus station.

Oh - can I add a vote for the most nauseating/scary airport in the country: Missoula, MT.

Missoula is pretty much located in a bowl created by the Rocky Mountains. So when you start to descend, you do so in a diminishing spiral. I've got a halfway decent stomach for travel, but I was reaching for my airsick bag shortly before landing. And when you go out, you pretty much go straight up (at least that's you're impression - it's the steepest takeoff angle I've ever been at).

I've been to Aitutaki, and the airport facility is indeed as the poster described.

Best airport if you are stuck: Las Vegas - hey, at least you can gamble! :)

These are the things that all airports need: comfy chairs, WIRELESS internet, a spa, some shops and decent food beyond security. Is that too much to ask? Something else that would be great would be a playground or area where they kids could play and get some of that energy out before they get on a plane!

I would like to see several airports route public transit rail lines and bus lines INSIDE the terminal area, instead of requiring you to take a shuttle bus from the terminal to the main bus line or rail line.

I would also like to see local governments run their public transportaion from the airport to downtown 24 hours a day.

I would like to see the city of San Francisco, which runs both SFO airport and the "MUNI" public transit syetem in town, have a joint fare arrangement with B.A.R.T., to make B.A.R.T.'s airport train honor MUNI's fare passes. Particularly since the same city agency used to run both the airport and the transit system.

If you are a fan of Mission/Arts and Crafts style, try the new Cherry County airport in Traverse City, Michigan - it is gorgeous!

Heh, Dulles is on there? i was stuck there overnight like 3 years ago, it sucked! Everything shut down at like 1000pm, thhe staff were nice and helpful, but it just was annoying that everything was closed after hours, i was hungry... :)

Charles de Gaulle is definitely the worst I've been to.

We were stuck at Orly for six hours and it was a treat. They even have an outdoor cafe with a grass lawn on an upstairs terrace.

It just seemed like Orly was actually serving the number of people it was meant to, rather than 3 or more times as many.

Worst airport I've ever been in, definitely Newark Liberty. I've been there a few times, the staff members are rude, always irritable and not at all helpful, they *always* lose my luggage, and the place is like a damn maze, good luck finding the Continental baggage counter (don't ask for directions, the staff members won't help you). I had 4 hours between flights, and with the combination of lost luggage, rude staff and my inability to get any help for my problems or any of the directions that I politely asked for, I came very close to missing my connection. So help me God, I never want to see that God-forsaken airport ever again, I shudder just at the thought of it.

Best airport?? I'd have to say Portland, Ore., and the airport in Kahului, Maui, definitely the best airports I've been in, nice people, very helpful, and you just gotta love how Hawaiian airports are partly open-air. There's something to be said about polite, courteous staff, too, it really makes all the difference, and the staff at PDX are great, very nice, very helpful. Two thumbs up, guys.

Changi, Singapore is a great airport to be stuck in.

Detroit isn't _at all_ awful if you're flying Northwest or Continental. If you're on either of those two, you're in the new terminal, which is phenomenal, and has quite many dining options, good seating areas, televisions, etc.

If you're on any other airline...yeah, you'll be in one of the old terminals and it's gonna suck.

I agree with the Pittsburgh vote. Too bad it is no longer a hub. Has restaurants, shops, play area for children.

Internationally I agree with Changi (Singapore), Heathrow, and Schipol.

I must be the only person who likes Atlanta's airport. It's no fun flying out of there, but if I were to be stuck at an airport, it has many delicious restaurants, beautiful art exhibits, book stores, jewelry stores and a decent duty free store. I would prefer being stuck there anyday than at Miami Int'l, and coming back from international flights is much easier in ATL than MIA. I also give kudos to Dallas Ft. Worth because at least there's a hotel you can check into in case your flight is delayed overnight and the restaurants are pretty decent.

Aren't you forgetting ORLANDO? The airport walls are a hotel with a glass ceiling and water fountains right in the center with plenty of food, shopping, and nearby attractions. Beautiful views of blue sky and palm trees, you won't get that in any other US airport I've been in...

Atlanta (Hartsfield) is great. The bathrooms are clean, there's tons of great places to eat, you've got wireless internet, and the layout is simple & easy to understand.

The worst airport I have been to in the states is Dulles. The trams are crappy, everything is dirty, it's cramped, and it's the only airport where I have had more than one delay. I'm not a business traveler, but I fly six to nine times a year, and I dread that place.

I even had to stay overnight in Lubbock back in 1993 (I was 17) due to some mixup @ Dulles.

My vote would've definitely have gone to O'Hare in Chicago, world class airport

Orlando International is a great place to get stuck. It's basically a mall with airplanes. If you decide to leave the airport, though, use paid transportation; it's easy to get lost in that area if you don't know your way, and "lost" means stuck on a toll road or three.

Dulles? Are people just picking airports that they are (unfortunately) familiar with? It's decrepit, inefficient, and unaccessible. The "mobile lounges" do have a certain charm, but retrofitting an entire airport is slow, ugly work.

It's really two debates-- which are nice airports to travel through, and which are nice to be stuck in. From my limited experience getting stuck overnight at Pittsburgh was awful, but having the same thing happen at Denver was no problem-- food places were open late and there were plenty of long, padded benches to sleep on.

-Best in US? Detroit's new terminal: plenty of restaurants & diversion. Worst? Newark -- no food counters open past security at dinnertime?!
-Best abroad? Munich -- clean, pretty, and, of course, efficient. Worst? Milan Malpensa -- nothing redeeming.

DIA is a great airport except for the fact that it is out in a field very far from Denver proper.

Best Domestic Airport - SFO, it has a bunch of nice places to eat.
Best International Airport - Incheon, Korea. Its huge and beautiful.
Worst Domestic Airport - Atlanta for sure! The design of the airport is bad!
Worst International Airport - Heathrow is pathetic with regards to security/efficiency. I missed my intl connection when I had 2 hrs layover!!

My vote domestically would be Pittsburgh, full of shopping and eating options and a laid back feel, very pleasant. SFO gets low marks because of the inconvenience connecting to other flights and winding your way through the bowels of the airport to find your new terminal.

Salt Lake is also very nice, and beautiful to fly in and out of. Atlanta might not be aesthetically pleasing, but it gets the job done and is not a bad one to be stuck in.

Internationally, Changi in Singapore hands down the best. The restaurants and shopping, its high tech(free computers scattered throughout terminal) and has many other services including massage, even has a grocery store. I've also never seen a nicer Mcdonalds, more of an upscale starbucksian version complete with a compimentary computer station. And in Singapore you know its going to be clean.

Hong Kong also gets high marks from the amount of services they offer.

Internationally, I would vote for Hong Kong Interational. HKG is a special plus if you take the magnetic train from Central.

I live in Raleigh and I would agree with Anonymous that the ease of getting in and out is unmatched.

I can't believe that PHL, with its parking lot miles away from any terminal would be favored.

Personally, I like JFK...

I was pleasantly surprised to see my hometown (Portland, Ore.) hit a high rank. Then again, the wireless there is free... ;)

Someone above commented that Minneapolis/St. Paul isn't bad to get stuck in. hmm... last time I changed planes there, it was only about 8 or 9pm and I couldn't find anywhere to eat that was still open.

As for Chicago, I'll take a flight that adds an hour or more to my travel time to avoid changing planes there.

Pittsburgh is a great airport, lots of decent places to eat and shop. For me, the worst is Chicago O'Hare--bad food, huge distances between gates and terminals, most likely to close due to weather.

In Canada it doesn't get better than Vancouver International - plenty of outstanding artwork, large open spaces and comfortable places to hide while waiting for your next flight.

Other top international stops: Incheon, Singapore, Amsterdam.

Airports to avoid: Charles de Gaulle, any airport in India, Frankfurt

Milan Malpensa wins for worst international. In the states, I hate getting stuck in Minneapolis-St. Paul overnight because everything closes at 8pm, and once you're through security, there aren't even any comfy benches to sleep on (I have been stuck there many times and prefer to hitch-hike across Wisconsin to get home, if my flight gets canceled). And having to run across the airport to catch connections sucks too.

Singapore by far........ clean, big, easy to get around in. Easily accessible with trains,taxis that are not exorbitantly expensive. It is super efficient. If one is in transit long enough, one can hop on an island tour; not only free internet but an abundance of it throughout the terminals

Favorite : Denver is the cleanest, nicest airport that I've been to, Pittsburgh for its shoppes, Continental's terminal at Houston-Bush

Least Favorites: Atlanta because of its horrible layout, St. Louis and Phoenix because they are very drab inside

Cincinnati is pretty bad. But it's a shame, that first-time visitors to the U.S. get their first taste of the country in a place as terrible as JFK.

Dulles Airport needs to be razed and started over. It is the ugliest and most inefficient airport I have ever had the misfortune of being in. Not to mention the fact that no Metro runs out there, cabs cost at least $50 to get to anywhere close to town, and they only just discovered covered parking. And don't even get me started on those exhaust boxes they trundle you around in to get to different terminals. Yecccch.

My personal favorites (sorry I forgot this during my Dulles rant):

1. National Airport's new terminal for its great architecture.

2. Detroit's Northwest terminal uses a suspended monorail system to ferry people around, and it is also designed well and has great shops. I would get stranded there any day.

3. Amsterdam Schiphol also has a lot of great shops & is very easy to get around.

Atlanta's horrible layout?

I livd in Atlanta for five years and in that time I was constantly flying domestically and internationally. Although Delta can be a huge pain ("Whatever" is completely right), the layout of Atlanta is amazing. It seems like every other aiport in the world forces you to take some slow trolly 'round and 'round, going in and out of security just to get to another terminal.

In Atlanta, you hop on the airport train and there you are- new terminal. There are plenty of eating places, a nice guy playing piano in the food court, and lots of seating.

As for the worst? JFK. I think they must hire the rudest people in the country.

Not the best for getting in and out of quickly, but if the poll is about getting stuck, Austin's airport is great. Local musicians perform in the central area, and the restaurants are local favorites. It's a shame that you have to go through TSA to access all this, because I'm sure people would hang out there if they could.

Easy.

In the US - SFO - in the Virgin Lounge!

In the UK - LHR - in the Virgin Clubhouse - pool tables, restaurant, treatments....

PHILADELPHIA?! I was stuck there once - over night - and not was there very little assistance from the staff, but you can't even move between concorses without being stuck OUTSIDE after 12.

What makes matters worse is that Philadelphia is so disorganized, one tends to get stuck there more often than not.

The most efficient airport is Kansas City. Close parking, a security checkpoint every other GATE instead of just a couple per terminal, same thing with luggage carosels - your luggage comes out just steps from your gate. I bet you only have to walk 50 steps from car to plane, and vice versa. You wouldn't want to be stuck there, because there isn't much to do, but it's the quickest airport I've ever seen, by far. The worst is DFW. That's more like 5,000,000 steps from car to gate. If you want to lose weight or train for a marathon, fly American and go through DFW. I'm not a big fan of San Diego's airport either - it's small and old and only has one runway, by far the largest airport in the U.S. with only one runway. Don't even get me started on San Diego - I live in San Diego, but drive up to Orange County because it's so much better. And Orange County airport doesn't have much to offer as far as food and shops, so that's saying something.

Long Beach, CA
Small airport for ease of getting in and out. Car rental is right across the street! No need to take a shuttle with all your luggage. No crowds, lots of windows. Sit in the second floor bar to await your flight.

Wilmington, NC
You board and deplane directly on the tarmac, very nostalgic of the early days of air travel. There are graceful wooden rockers throughout, even child sized ones.

Best in NYC area:
Newark, cleaner, easier to navigate than JFK or LGA, decent shops and services. Only caveat, cabs are more expensive to take from NJ to NYC.

RDU, Raleigh Durham Int'l Airport
The only airport I know of that has an outdoor play area for kids called Observation Park. (NOTE: We visit before checking in or after landing, it is not accessable for passengers past security).

There is an outdoor deck overlooking the runway where kids can watch planes take-off and land. Also a small playground with sand box, picnic table and clean restrooms.

International: Singapore Airport is like a city within a city. Also offers free city tours.

Yes, I dream of mani/pedis and facials, steam rooms and massages in every major airport. What a wonderful way to wile away the hours and stress once you get past security!

Not only does the staff at DCA have attitudes, but they're inefficient as well. Every time I am flying from there, the people behind the ticket counters are talking to each other and moving so slooooowly. Some of us have planes to catch! There's no reason why I should be in line to check my luggage for a flight (that will connect to go internationally) 3 hours before my flight and then spend over 2 hours in the line, with only 19 people ahead of me.

my vote for best domestic is detroit's northwest terminal (not their other terminals, they are icky!) tons of food choice, shops, a cool monorail system that runs on the 'a' concourse and it is very clean. now i that i'm at school in michigan, i regularly fly from dtw to bwi and if i had to be stuck anywhere it would be dtw. worst- definatly goes to dulles. i will drive to whereever it is i need to go before i fly to or from there.

and i second charles de gaulle as being a TERRIBLE airport internationally. awful.

Kuala Lampur's new aiport is a wonder of glass and steel & very space-agey. The people are terribly inefficient, but the shopping's great. The government is trying its best to build up KL as a regional hub, so they spare no pains to make you completely comfortable & impressed.
And yes, Changi Singapore is one of the best internationally.

I vote for Long Beach, CA. as being the easiest in-and-out airport, but I love Honolulu Int'l airport too...wide open with lots of Hawaiian flowers and trees all around. The smells of Hawaii hit you the second you step off the plane...wonderful!

Best international would definitely be Tokyo Narita.

How about Salzburg? I know it's name dropping, but we had to leave from there to return home a couple of years ago, and I loved it: it was small, efficient, (Austrian, after all) and pleasant. Sort of like Long Beach, which we like a lot, and/or Honolulu, or maybe Maui? Give me a small airport anytime - right now, current favorite is ALBANY

The rocking chairs are a nice touch in the Philadelphia Airport and totally unexpected for a place with the reputation of Philadelphia.

Veracruz, Mexico has a very nice airport that is nostalgic with boarding on the tarmac. The airport is extremely clean and all-business. Since Veracruz is not a tourist destination, there is no one to hustle you and the place is not filled with cheap tourist trinkitt dives. Free Internet, wired and wireless, in the business center. A dynamite bar and nice restaurant also. Taxis available for 15-minute ride to Veracruz or Boca Del Rio. 1st class bus service available for trips to other towns.

Atlanta is not a bad airport at all. The sheer size, I think, is what intimidates people. What could be easier than riding the tram from the front door to your concourse. Nothing is wrong with the layout. With 6 concourses; It just takes time with the distances and volume of people. There is MARTA rail service, inside the Airport, to downtown Atlanta and points beyond. There are tons of hotels nearby with free shuttle service if you get stranded at the airport. The shopping atrium is a pleasant diversion; albeit an expensinve one. From restaurants to shoe shines, it's a full service airport.

Bless you for giving Heathrow a mention. I cringe as I pass through any of the 4 Terminals, (soon to be 5). As a Brit. I dont think that it gives the best impression of the UK to visitors, it has a long way to go.
I DO enjoy time spent at Tokyo Narita and Singapore Changi. If you ever visit Alice Springs, you will find one cool, organised and friendly airport. Regards from the UK.

Philadelphia? That place is the dregs.

Now, BWI....that's a nice airport....

I vote for Seattle/Tacoma as the best domestic airport. They have great restaurants which feature Northwest seafood and take out locations for bringing food onto the planes. They also have a four story wall of windows which look out onto a runway for viewing departing planes. The gift shops are top notch also including the duty free shop.

I agree with the negative remarks about the large American airports...in other words the hub system and all the inconveniences it creates stinks! Some of the small domestic airports are delightful.

Internationally I agree with previous statements and add Mexico City airport. Never a problem flying regularly in or out of a huge airport well supplied with technology, classy shopping and relaxing dining. Personnel of the airport and Mexicana airlines are a delight...they put all the wheels in motion once they expected we MIGHT miss our connection for an international flight. The end result was we had 10 minutes and we and our luggage made it to our final destination!

At La Guardia it was overnight in a fleabitten motel and 3 days to get our luggage. At LAX I never did get my luggage!

Guadalajara also has an efficient and very pleasant airport. Athens is pleasant.