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[tb86]

denpansar bali,

gotta pay to get in, visa and a fixer not so bad, and out of the country,convientely the atm is outside of the building, just in case you didnt know that you needed to pay cash to the customs in order to leave.... ah yeah they also want to see your ticket before you check in at the counter.... i guess they havent realized now a days many people dont actualy have anything untill after they check in at the counter....

[ballzafire]

I thought I'd chime in here and concur with others about Changi being hands down the nicest, most functional, best thought out airport of the lot.    

I don't want to mention the worst, but some that have already been mentioned, well, let's just say they need improvement.  

  I would also like to give honorable mention to Siem Reap, however. Though very small it has a distinctive design all its own.  Kinda in line with the temples.  It was a nice send off from an incredible visit to Angkor!  Left me smiling as I boarded my plane!

[NanLaew]

Bangkok is undeniably the best because that's where 'home' is. I can get from kerb to gate (and vice versa) in around 45 minutes so it's doing just fine.

Jakarta sucks with all those lounges only for those that hold Indonesian-issued credit cards... WTF?!

Narita is a great transit airport; tempura udon and a pint of Guinness for less than 20 bucks... nice (if expensive) stopover snack.

Singapore is... over rated but user friendly, sort of like the Far East answer to Schiphol.

I had to laugh at Samui's recently lauded status as one of the regions best by some podunk local travel publication. Any airport that uses the same kinda 'buses' as they use to ferry people from the carpark at Pattaya's Tukom isn't really up there IMHO. That and the fact that it's almost 100% non-airconditioned compounds that argument. If 'boutique' means sweating your bollocks off walking 500m between check-in and security and then 500m back to the gates before your short hop to Bangkok to connect with your +8 hour flight home, then I don't need no boutique! Also pain in the arse that the Arrivals and Departures have totally separate road access despite being only about 500m apart as the crow flies. You have a 2km, 5 minute drive between them (unless you know where the hole in the hedge is)! I can see where the one-time tourist may find it charmingly tropical but it's a bugger for a regular commuter.

[petros]

Can smaller airpoorts be counted ?
My most favourite airport is Sukhothai, a lovlier airport I have never seen and the check in procedure is one of the easiest I know.When you depart from there they  give you an orchid to pin on your shirt/blouse.Free tea/coffee and so relaxed its great

[SantiSuk]

Norrad, on 2006-10-28 17:44:19, said:

My vote for the best goes to Hong Kong. The staff are very friendly and will go out of their way to help you and there are duty free shops on both ends of the airport.

Hong Kong gave my Thai GF, now wife, a full (ie including internal) body search on her first ever international flight, which left her in floods of tears. Not my favourite!!

I voted for Singapore because it was the only international business city I knew where I could guarantee to be in my cushy downtown hotel and in the shower within an hour of touchdown. Hugely efficient (but a pretty boring town).

Worst = Mumbai, but have not yet done Manila and probably never shall having read this post

Edited by SantiSuk, 2009-10-17 23:37:40.

[SantiSuk]

jeffer, on 2007-10-01 09:43:25, said:

I voted Singapore as best like many others did but KL is also excellent. I often think KL is the airport that Thailand should have copied for Bangkok. It's well laid out, hassle free and the air-con works.

I voted Bangkok as worst only because they had the chance to build a really great airport and with all the money available didn't. It's not that bad an airport compared to many but every time l go there l'm never sure if l will be hassled by taxi touts, have to wait an hour for immigration ...

Tell us when you typically arrive and leave and we'll know what time to avoid! Average wait at immigration going out I would put at ten minutes and average coming in 5 minutes. Bangkok immigration is way better than most other places I flew through in a long business career.

I agree with your other points (just to make it clear I am not the traditional Saturday night/had too many beers/no nooky in sight/Tv critic)