The problem with post-9/11 air travel is that I'm afraid to bring my non-prescription drugs with me. In 1999 you could completely obliterate the memory of a flight. You either passed out or were too happy to give a sh*t. These were simpler times.

Speaking as someone who was in Manila airport two days ago, the only way to improve that place is to nuke the site from orbit. I'd be way, way too scared to sleep there.

Is there such thing as a GOOD airport to sleep in?

filter: Is there such thing as a GOOD airport to sleep in?

I'd rather see a survey of which airports have the best bars to get totally hammered in before boarding.....because if you're flying, especially in coach, being drunk is pretty much mandatory.

filter: Is there such thing as a GOOD airport to sleep in?

Some airports have secured hotels inside, though they're not free. AMS does, and I think LHR may as well.

Also, when your 'commitment to excellence' involves promises of running water and regular bathroom cleaning, you deserve something worse than "Worst".

They have signs there to the effect of "If you make a joke about a bomb, we will shoot you."

That really tested me.

digistil
I'd rather see a survey of which airports have the best bars to get totally hammered in before boarding.....because if you're flying, especially in coach, being drunk is pretty much mandatory.

good idea until you realize the flight crew may like the airport for the very same reason.

Singapore Changi is a good airport. I have spent many happy transit hours there. It's clean, safe, full of amenities, and it's also convenient for getting to the city.

It is one of the worst airports I have ever seen. The 5 or more waiting lines, the multiple bag scans, the super nasty bathrooms, toilets don't have lids, nor toilet paper and there isn't any soap. Plus there is one runway for taking off and landing so you'll usually land late and take off late and a stupid airport fee just the leave the place.

starlost: digistil
I'd rather see a survey of which airports have the best bars to get totally hammered in before boarding.....because if you're flying, especially in coach, being drunk is pretty much mandatory.

good idea until you realize the flight crew may like the airport for the very same reason.

If I've had enough to drink, I won't really notice all the screaming, temper tantrums, flight delays, "in-flight incidents", the crashing and burning of the aircraft, sitting next to the smelly, unwashed masses....after some beers and a few bourbons, it's all good.

filter: Is there such thing as a GOOD airport to sleep in?

Schiphol in Amsterdam has a bunch of comfy lounge chairs tucked away in low-traffic and therefore low-noise areas. Maybe not a good place to sleep in an absolute sense, but much better than most, IMHO.

Damnhippyfreak: filter: Is there such thing as a GOOD airport to sleep in?

Schiphol in Amsterdam has a bunch of comfy lounge chairs tucked away in low-traffic and therefore low-noise areas. Maybe not a good place to sleep in an absolute sense, but much better than most, IMHO.

And, as I discovered last year before having to sleep there myself, they have a cafe shaped like Pac-Man...what more does an airport need?

Anybody who claims that Manila airport is the worst clearly hasn't traveled very much. It's no superstar, but it's far far far from the worst.

And a chorus line of groin kicks to anybody who claims that some US airport is the worst. Generic? yes. Full of fat people? yes. but "the worst worldwide?" GABMorans.

filter: Is there such thing as a GOOD airport to sleep in?

Changi (aka Singapore) airport totally rocks. I fly to Australia from the UK once a year or so and always try to get a stopover of at least 6 hours to chill out at the pool with a beer and have a snooze on a sunbed (even if it always seems to be a bit overcast there).



And if it's daytime you can spend some time enjoying the butterfly garden.

I'm not as well traveled as some but I think I would rather sleep in Manila than in Bangalore. Agree re HK / Singapore. I slept in the old Bangkok airport once and no worries but I do get this rash every now and then.

There have got to be airports in SA than are worse than Manila.

Slept in both Bremen and Hamburg airports in Germany on my annual pilgrimage to Wacken Open Air, and other than the flies, they totally rock.

To be fair, the flies may be attracted to us for camping in a field for 5 days or so without so much as a shower

That place is an absolute hell-hole, to put it nicely. I wholeheartedly endorse the nuking idea. In fact, lets just expand the nukage to all of Manila. Christ, what a horrible city.

Luffans: That place is an absolute hell-hole, to put it nicely. I wholeheartedly endorse the nuking idea. In fact, lets just expand the nukage to all of Manila. Christ, what a horrible city.

Only if there are arrangements to airlift the LBFMs out first. Shame to waste the Philippines' only quality natural resource.

I certainly agree that Aukland rocks -- I had a layover there (LAX-AUK-MEL) in 2001 and even on the sterile side of Customs it was great. A shower to refresh myself then on to the bar, followed by a nap.

I guess in NZ any international flight is at least a few hours; by definition international arrivals are tired.

Meh, any airport in India, Pakistan or Nepal gives Manila some good competition.

richwell: Meh, any airport in India, Pakistan or Nepal gives Manila some good competition.

What about Dhaka, Bangladesh. That is a terrible, terrible place and way worse than Manila.

Manila is pretty bad, but not the worst by far. If you want to sleep at the Manila airport, get a nice foot massage, the big reclining chairs they use are nice and comfy.

Moscow by far is the worst. It's a gray concrete hangar. That's it.

/Spoiled by HKG

richwell: Meh, any airport in India, Pakistan or Nepal gives Manila some good competition.

Actually, I found the Islamabad airport fairly decent... at least I didn't worry about my physical safety, security of my luggage, and I was very well treated by staff (probably because I was traveling with an infant). Paris CDG is my least favorite... only place I've ever seen passengers get so frustrated and insane over staff, seating, food, etc. that fistfights have broken out in the terminal. Not been to Manila, thankfully...

Schipol is goddamn awesome. Though generally I've never found myself able to do anything other than wander over to the "irish" bar, order a huge breakfast and start sipping.
Oddly enough, the best place I've ever had to nap in was Gatwick, London. Years ago mind, before they'd done the latest extensions / remodelling. There was this big, long, top level corridor towards the back-left of the place, with dimmed lighting, nice alcoves to set up camp in, comfy chairs, the works. And they had showers along back in the main section! Showers! *dies*

KradDrol: Manila is pretty bad, but not the worst by far. If you want to sleep at the Manila airport, get a nice foot massage, the big reclining chairs they use are nice and comfy.

Moscow by far is the worst. It's a gray concrete hangar. That's it.

/Spoiled by HKG
Agreed.

I would also say the airport on Guam is nice, only because you can get trashed at 6 in the morning. So many deployments have ended on that route that I honestly loved that little bar there.

Went through Manila airport last year. You'd have to be insane to want to sleep there, although that was the last thing I wanted to do as I was there purely to board a plane and nothing more. Didn't have to use the toilets so can't say what they're like.

Big ups to Changi and Hong Kong airports though, they're amazing. The latter is crazy big, too.

filter: Is there such thing as a GOOD airport to sleep in?

Cincinnati is carpeted and not all that busy.

KradDrol: Moscow by far is the worst.

Domodedovo (Домодедово)? I didn't think it was all that bad.

Singapore, Hong Kong and Amsterdam are my favorite airports, with Singapore way above the rest.

Vegemite Quote 2011-10-20 07:33:59 AM
richwell: Meh, any airport in India, Pakistan or Nepal gives Manila some good competition.

What about Dhaka, Bangladesh. That is a terrible, terrible place and way worse than Manila.

I cant believe there are worse airports than Manila (holding only major cities and airports with similar amounts of passenger volume to the same standard). What an utter shiathole of an airport. Just terrible.

When you arrive in the departure area its like some kind of SE Asian version of Dante's inferno - crowds of beggers, con artists... You feel an anxiety you may get kidnapped or knifed just arriving in that damn place.

The people who run that airport must be the biggest farking morons in a country that has no shortage of morons.

I travel there every other year, so believe me... just awful.


Kudos to Hong Kong airport (my fav). I also like Inchoen, just because it looks it has all the exact same franchises as a US airport (trust me, if you live in Asia, that's cool).

ATL Airport has the lovely atrium, it's outside the security gates, but lovely

Harry Freakstorm: The airport in Tucson was really really nice to me a long long time ago. I was tossed out of the girlfriend's college apartment a day earlier than planned. I had a number of an airport limo driver; the only other person I knew in town. He told me if I got to a hotel, he could pick me up. I walked over to a hotel on Craycroft, called him back and he took me to the airport.

There, he talked to the manager and they let me sleep in the airport day care center. Beat sleeping in a bus stop on top of my stuff.

Happy ending: The girlfriend tracked me down at the airport, apologized and hit me up for my last $20 bill. Then she complained that she was going to waste fifty cents of it riding the bus back in to town. When I landed at my destination, I didn't have the money to get the car out of long term parking and had to bum a ride. The car sat for a couple of extra days until I got paid and could bail it out.



Should option this out for a screenplay. Just add some hookers and a fat yet jovial drunken friend

SirEattonHogg: Vegemite Quote 2011-10-20 07:33:59 AM
richwell: Meh, any airport in India, Pakistan or Nepal gives Manila some good competition.

What about Dhaka, Bangladesh. That is a terrible, terrible place and way worse than Manila.

I cant believe there are worse airports than Manila (holding only major cities and airports with similar amounts of passenger volume to the same standard). What an utter shiathole of an airport. Just terrible.

When you arrive in the departure area its like some kind of SE Asian version of Dante's inferno - crowds of beggers, con artists... You feel an anxiety you may get kidnapped or knifed just arriving in that damn place.

The people who run that airport must be the biggest farking morons in a country that has no shortage of morons.

I travel there every other year, so believe me... just awful.


Kudos to Hong Kong airport (my fav). I also like Inchoen, just because it looks it has all the exact same franchises as a US airport (trust me, if you live in Asia, that's cool).

I do hate the Manila airport. I learned a good lesson the first time I flew there. Carry a little money, because they charge a fee to get in to the actual flight terminal, I needed to borrow some from a dude from South Africa just so I could board my flight. Not a single ATM worked in that god forsaken airport. Thankfully someone was kind enough to lend a little cash or I would have been farked.

Minimally Hairy Beer-Powered Simian: filter: Is there such thing as a GOOD airport to sleep in?

I'd rather see a survey of which airports have the best bars to get totally hammered in before boarding.....because if you're flying, especially in coach, being drunk is pretty much mandatory.

only problem is now they arrest you or kick you off the plane if you are drunk

Anyone who has been to Manilla also been to Jakarta?

Absolute mad house and th eterminals are labeled in such a way that you can only read the numbers when you are right in front of them, so if you want to switch you don;t know which way to go.

The info people, who speak english, will try and get you to board the city bus when you are trying to switch terminals as they get soem sort of kickback, and the terminal bus with big signs that say "gratis" (free) will demand money.

I have also had a customs guy demand a bribe because I had a knife in my checked baggage. his rational was that I was flying to singapore and they were illegal there (so my bribe wouldn't have helped if I was actually stopping in Singapore).

filter: Is there such thing as a GOOD airport to sleep in?

I have slept great in the Singapore airport. If you are too good for th efloor they have fairly cheap rooms that consist of a bed and tiny TV.

EatHam: Minimally Hairy Beer-Powered Simian: I'd rather see a survey of which airports have the best bars to get totally hammered in before boarding

None in the US anyway, as you won't be allowed to board if they can tell you're drunk.


I am going to have to go with Singapore again with this one. I got shiat bombed there on time and missed that my flight was delayed an hour and th egate moved. I somehow also missed this ont he big screen. So I stumbled to the info desk, to find out what was going on. Now most people in singapore have no problem with english, so I don't know if it was my slurring or what, but she didn;t really respond to my question, but just asked me to sit down. A minute later one of those carts for old/handicapped people came by and drove me ot my new gate (I was very polite during this, I imagine if I was in any way belligerent it woudl have gone differently).

Slightly surprised at the love for Incheon. It's new, clean and safe, but a bit too sterile. Plus, it's miles from the city if you have a long stopover.
It's fine, but not a favourite.

Oh, and CDG Paris is a toilet. Really, it feels like a toilet. Tiled walls and everything.

As someone who doesn't fly very much anywhere, the worst airport in my memory is the Franz Kafka International Airport (new window).

/Probably still better than Manila

liam76: Anyone who has been to Manilla also been to Jakarta?

Absolute mad house and th eterminals are labeled in such a way that you can only read the numbers when you are right in front of them, so if you want to switch you don;t know which way to go.

The info people, who speak english, will try and get you to board the city bus when you are trying to switch terminals as they get soem sort of kickback, and the terminal bus with big signs that say "gratis" (free) will demand money.

I have also had a customs guy demand a bribe because I had a knife in my checked baggage. his rational was that I was flying to singapore and they were illegal there (so my bribe wouldn't have helped if I was actually stopping in Singapore).

filter: Is there such thing as a GOOD airport to sleep in?

I have slept great in the Singapore airport. If you are too good for th efloor they have fairly cheap rooms that consist of a bed and tiny TV.

EatHam: Minimally Hairy Beer-Powered Simian: I'd rather see a survey of which airports have the best bars to get totally hammered in before boarding

None in the US anyway, as you won't be allowed to board if they can tell you're drunk.


I am going to have to go with Singapore again with this one. I got shiat bombed there on time and missed that my flight was delayed an hour and th egate moved. I somehow also missed this ont he big screen. So I stumbled to the info desk, to find out what was going on. Now most people in singapore have no problem with english, so I don't know if it was my slurring or what, but she didn;t really respond to my question, but just asked me to sit down. A minute later one of those carts for old/handicapped people came by and drove me ot my new gate (I was very polite during this, I imagine if I was in any way belligerent it woudl have gone differently).

Yeah Jakarta is ethically challenged to say the least.

They obviously have never been to Juba. Trust me, it's the worst.

The shiatty airport is the least of the problems in PI.

The diabolical national 'cuisine', hideous accent and shiatty culture rank far higher on reasons never to willingly return to that farking dump of a country.

/I said shiatty twice
//because it is super shiatty

St. Thomas USVI, sucks to high heaven. It's hot, it's dangerous to fly into or out of. If my plane is diverted there ever again (4 times so far) I will exit the aircraft. You can't get drunk enough to deal with that place. God knows I tried. I think I emptied the beer vending machine or at least tried to. Sleep? No. Not unless you want to be picked, probed or just plain groped. And the yammering, my christ it never stops. I would be pleased to find out that it was closed or burned down or for any reason was no longer in existance.

Sleeping in the Antiguan airport isn't too cool either. Lots of lizards some birds and police that carry submachine guns.
At least in 1995 they did. Won't go there again either.

St Lucia? Why on earth would you stay at the airport when the beach is 300 yards away? Why?
Barbados? I would live at that airport if I could. Not that in it's self it's great but, they're so damn polite I think they'd find you a room or at least bring you home with them.

Logan. January. Baggage Claim area. A cold metal carousel. Worst night of "sleep" ever. 1984. Bad ending to a bad day all around.

The prayer rooms - particularly the Muslim ones with low lighting and pillows - make primo emergency nap spots. In a pinch.

What about if you want to live in one?

Bomb Head Mohammed: Anybody who claims that Manila airport is the worst clearly hasn't traveled very much. It's no superstar, but it's far far far from the worst.

And a chorus line of groin kicks to anybody who claims that some US airport is the worst. Generic? yes. Full of fat people? yes. but "the worst worldwide?" GABMorans.

You obviously have not been in Miami International.....the US Congressman who once labeled Miami as Third World obviously flew into MIA

Cancun Airport.

as soon as you get off the plane you are hustled into a cattle pen with no lineups so every local and tourist is pushing you and cutting in front of you. when you actually get through customs they push you into a lineup to have your luggage x-rayed ON THE WAY OUT of the airport. when I went there last time they threw my laptop bag face-down and luckily my ipod broke the fall of my laptop and broke the screen. As soon as you get out of there everyone has their hand out and tries to either take your luggage 20 feet to the bus or sell you a timeshare. On the way back the scumbag working the check-in desk told me my bag was overweight by two pounds and the charge was $80 per pound "cash only" and that "American or Canadian money, doesn't matter" I told him that the only way I would pay that would be if he gave me a receipt showing the fee. I speak a bit of Spanish (not enough to try speaking it but enough to understand 80% of what others are saying) and his buddy in the adjacent booth told him not to worry about it, and tell him it's free.

bathrooms were farking disgusting, shiat on the walls/floor and all toilets were clogged and flooded. there was a cheerful clipboard on the back of the door saying it had been cleaned every hour that day with the first name filled out on the top, and ditto marks every hour for at least the last 18 hours.

/CSB
//TL;DR White People Problems

Having been to numerous airports,,,the best I have been in is my own hometown one, Orlando. And, after having to wait for an overly late flight from Atlanta to pick someone up....sleeps quite well. Comfy chairs, carpeting in most areas....and probably the busiest airport in the world without a major airline hub