Best Airports

[Hawk]

Skytrax Research lists the World's Best Airports for 2004.

1. Hong Kong International

2. Singapore Changi

3. Amsterdam Schiphol

4. Seoul Inche

5. Kuala Lumpur KLIA

6. Dubai International

7. Copenhagen

8. Sydney Airport

9. Kansai International

10. Munich Airport



http://www.airlinequality.com/2004/airport_04_entry.htm

[TheOddOne]

Not a single UK airport on the list, only 3 European.

Ho Hum, must try harder.

Also, more hearteningly, I suppose, not a single North American airport, either, where (so they say) over half of all air transport takes place.

Gatwick does regularly win plaudits and awards from within the travel industry and I suppose the fact that we've grown 50% in the past 15 years must mean that the passengers vote with their feet, at least.

Cheers,
TheOddOne

[The Greaser]

All the major UK airports are all now far too small to handle their volume of traffic. Until they get flattened and rebuilt they will never appear on such a list.

[Direct VTB]

Yeah Baby

Hmzz... the Dutch hospitality finally pays off You go Amsterdam.....

[suppie]

.

yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

[PaperTiger]

And by way of counterpoint:

Full table of AETRA 2004 winners

Best Airport Worldwide
Hong Kong
Seoul Incheon
Singapore

By Region

Americas
Halifax
Minneapolis
San Diego

Europe
Copenhagen
Helsinki
Athens

Asia
Hong Kong
Seoul Incheon
Singapore

Africa / Middle East
Dubai
Cape Town
Durban

By Size

>25 million pax/ year
Hong Kong
Singapore
Minneapolis

15-25 million pax/ year
Seoul Incheon
Kuala Lumpur
Dubai

5-15 million pax/ year
Helsinki
Athens
Cape Town

< 5 million pax/ year
Halifax
Malta
Keflavik

Special features

Most improvement
San Diego
Seoul Incheon
Halifax

Best domestic
Halifax
Minneapolis
Helsinki

[TheOddOne]

All the major UK airports are all now far too small to handle their volume of traffic. Until they get flattened and rebuilt they will never appear on such a list.

Humph!!!!

We'd rather say that we make efficient use of the space, not sprawling all over the countryside like some under-utilised places do. LGW is currently doing 31 million pax from one runway & 2 Terminal buildings, one of which is well under-used at present. The plan is to grow to 40 million in that configuration. LHR with 2 runways and 5 buildings will I think achieve 90 million in that configuration. With Stansted's 30 million, in about 10 years time our 3 airports will be doing 160 million a year or nearly 3 times the population of the UK...

Perhaps being at the top of such a list is out of our reach with the constraints we work under but it's quite a buzz making it all work. No-one has the appetite or the money to do any flattening or complete rebuilding. I think we'll be more or less as we are, until the oil runs out (and that ain't as far away as you might think. It's quite possible that the last airline pilot has already been born).

Cheers,
The Odd One.

[phillipas]

We'd rather say that we make efficient use of the space, not sprawling all over the countryside like some under-utilised places do.

That the new airports which have topped the list have generally shown quite a bit appetite for land is true, but as a point it's relevance is limited.

The problem with the UK's airports is that generally 'as they are' is not 'a cohesive design'.

Heathrow is probably the best example of this in the world. A 'master plan' (from the 1950's) that was half built with every development from then being squeezed in using ever more ingenious (sp?) ideas.

Give anyone a blank sheet of Heathrow shaped paper and there is no way what is currently on the ground would ever be designed!

The best design is the simplest. I transited MUC last year and it's a truly wonderous design - straight lines and right angles.