Airports that Suck !!

MIA.

Being rude is a job requirement there.

Miami definitely rates the worst in my book; rude, disorganized, baggage lost / stolen, flights always delayed. I was even deported back to the UK once by an ahole immigration guy who did not like my valid visa. Frequently now on my way back from somewhere, I blow off my connecting flight home, party in Miami for the night, then drive home the next morning.

San Juan, PR does follow a close second. Frankly, flying just about anywhere sucks these days.

Wow .. MIA is really racking up the votes here !!

and Cor .. I know what you mean about luggage .. I know Heathrow has had their problems .. funny thing is for me it has always been the MIA part that looses the luggage and so I can't really blame BA or Heathrow.

And indeed very nice to meet you, tis a small world, meeting in concourse F of fast becoming Wp's most hated airport. (PS Cor is taller than I had imagined !)

And re. old Hong Kong airport . yes the Landings were great fun, loved racing cars and dodging buildings and bracing to help stop the plane from crashing into the mountain ...

Giles, the dutch are the tallest people per capita in the world..

you are welcome for todays most useless knowledge on WP

I must admit, I just had one of the most pleasant experiences ever. Heathrow T5 is really nice, everyone was friendly, everything went smooth. Planes were on time, and icing on the cake, our luggage made it through. If LHR can keep this up on T5 they finally have a winner there. I did not see any of the reported chaos. If it was there, they were hiding it well.

I guess MIA never really bothers me because I never have to transit. I always have to stay overnight because the flights dont match. It is a very sparse and chaotic airport, so I can see how connecting flights or long waits can be very annoying and tiresome.

Giles, the dutch are the tallest people per capita in the world..

Hehe, thats true. Im 6'2 and about average here,

Cor

I'd have to say MIA, too - I really try to avoid connecting there. Heathrow is a close second, mostly because it seems like you have to walk MILES to make connections (the farthest I've EVER had to walk in an airport).

I also hate connecting in Cairns, Australia, but that is more because the Qantas carry-on nazis ALWAYS make me gate check something there, so that's more an issue with an airline, not an airport......maybe fodder for another thread?

Strange, I find LAX less appealing than MIA. Although the 'tude in MIA is far worse.

While I don't look forward to MIA, resting unchallenged on the top of my list of all-time favorite airport restaurants is LaCarreta cuban restaurant, located on Concourse D next to the TSA counter. Get your meal in the bar, enjoy a couple Mojitos, then grab a strong Cuban coffee for the road...

I've had very bad luck every time I fly into MIA. I've had to spend the night there at least twice because I arrived too late to catch my next flight out. My cousin, who lives in the Miami area, has had me as his unexpected overnight guest more than once. It's a good thing I have a relative nearby or I would have had to pay hefty hotel fees.

Once there was a weather delay and the airline bussed all of us unfortunates to the Don Schula Hotel. The problem was that after waiting at least half an hour to check into the hotel, I didn't get into my hotel room until after midnight. We had to wake up at 3AM to get the shuttle to the airport to get the morning flight they put us on. What a good night's sleep I had that night

I'll fly into Ft. Lauderdale or West Palm any day rather than deal with the hassle at MIA.

Heathrow: dreadful!

Obviously, no Brit who has to buy SCUBA gear and cameras can afford the business lounges, so that side of LHR is a closed book.

My gear is unpacked EVERY TIME I check in, and bits go missing.

The crowds are horrible, and the delays worse.

At least smelly third-world airports make travel an adventure!

Tim

B)

How can we be forgetting "Detroilet" (Detroit) ?? I've been flying routinely since 1969 and detroilet is still, even after some changes, one arm-pit you don't want to have to be stuck in.

Miami is no picnic either, but if you have at least a 5 hr layover, take a cab and go to some place fun outside of that hellhole. For detroilet, what do you do? I mean, no personal offense to any of you Michigan folk, but being stuck there is not even worth the cab money to go someplace else.

It could be worst though. We could all not have the luxury or opportunity to travel.....and live in Detroilet. <_< .....No wonder alcohol is legal.

Have to say I think we have to divide it up to 3rd world and those who should do better.

Third world my worst Port Sudan , amusing was the customs search and then the Sharia search for alcohol. We were warned so no problems apart from the 4 hour baggage wait (we were theflight that day!!!!!!!!!!).

Do not try to get out of this airport without local help, our local agent with tickets and passports went into 4 different offices, some more than once in order to satisfy the labyrinthine exit buracracy. But the Umbria is a great dive.

Developed world sorry chaps, the only time I've been to the US, JFK New York about 17 years ago on business the most unfriendly place, large fat b*****ds who look as if they are lookingfor an excuse to shoot you! I really did not like this and have not been back to the US since.

Best I'm with a t lot here Changi Singapore.

Cheers Tim Digger

the only time I've been to the US, JFK New York about 17 years ago on business the most unfriendly place, large fat b*****ds who look as if they are looking for an excuse to shoot you! I really did not like this and have not been back to the US since.

Hi Tim,

Please don't make the mistake of thinking New Yorkers represent a cross section of the US. There is a reason we keep them on an island. From the movie Terms of Endearment "Are you being particularly rude today or are you just from New York?" Those guys you met weren't looking to shoot you, that's just their way of saying Hello. Well actually they were thinking, "Hello and get the hell out of my way you confused, adle brained, looking lost, turist $%^%k." Truth be told most of us who live out west won't go across the Mississippi (big river down the middle of the country, for our friends in kilts) unless someone pays us.

Let's see, maybe on your next trip you should try Miami, no that's out, according to everyone here the airport sucks. You could try LA, no that won't work, if you go into the wrong part of town they will shoot you. You could come and see us in Arizona, no sorry, you'd probably melt in the glorious sunshine. 110 degrees F and folks from the UK don't mix. How about San Francisco? Not sure you'd ever be the same after that town though. I've got it, Seattle, rains all the time, you'd be right at home.

Steve

Not that I have been to many US airports....but yes NY was tough to deal with as was Miami....Vegas and Orlando on the other hand was great!

I do love Changi Airport and KLIA in Malaysia. Less hassle, less dumb questions..... and they seem to be more exposed to technology (hence no dumb questions about my UMPC, strobes, media Storage, etc.

The one airport which I refuse to transit in and consider as part of my journey (unless I have to be there) is Heathrow. THey are ridiculously strict on the hand carry weights/sizes and their track record on lost baggage is horrible.

Strange, I find LAX less appealing than MIA. Although the 'tude in MIA is far worse.

My thoughts exactly...

(and add San Juan as a close third)

I'm going to dogpile LHR and MIA. I choose routes to avoid them whenever possible.

LAX I don't mind so much. Sleeping on the floor in the American Eagle terminal after flying back from Indonesia last year was quite a treat

Please don't make the mistake of thinking New Yorkers represent a cross section of the US.

No indeed Steve, I guess it is quite a big place, and there are Americans who I count as good friends, the west coast is actually very appealing not only diving but I really would like to see the home ground of my american hero, Ansel Adams. Maybe one day but there's so much else out there. Even at home, pic our own Lake District 2 weeks ago.

regards

Tim Digger

I have to reply to this thread! As I was so angry with American Airlines after my last flight up from the British Virgin Islands that I swore I was going to use every last point I had on them and fly anyone else!

So, I have to go back down to the BVI from San Francisco this month, went in to use points, and to use anything other then first class 120,000 anytime points on the days I wanted to travel, they were giving me this itienary:

San Francisco to Detroit

Detroit to Miami

Miami to San Juan

San Juan to Tortola

Effectively rolling EVERY single airport I hate the most into one itienary that I could have the pleasure of using all my Frequent Flyer miles. Decided to use 120,000 points to get something else and I have the pleasure of going from SFO to MIA to SJU to EIS, got to miss out of DTW. Effectively making me hate American even more then I already did....

It's interesting that MIA gets such a bad rap when statistically it's not that bad. It's not even in the top ten in the US for delayed arrivals.

http://www.avoiddelays.com/worst-offenders...al-airports.asp

I guess this poll is more a reflection of what gateways divers use rather than air travel in general. And, of coarse, raw statistics don't take into account other factors like: attitude, confusing or stupid procedures, environment, and why can't I get a Pepsi once I clear security at LAX.

It's interesting that MIA gets such a bad rap when statistically it's not that bad. It's not even in the top ten in the US for delayed arrivals.

http://www.avoiddelays.com/worst-offenders...al-airports.asp

I guess this poll is more a reflection of what gateways divers use rather than air travel in general. And, of coarse, raw statistics don't take into account other factors like: attitude, confusing or stupid procedures, environment, and why can't I get a Pepsi once I clear security at LAX.

Maybe not delayed arrivals, but I cannot recall a departure that was not delayed in the last few years.

MIA does get a lot of heat, but when you think that it started as a small town airport and then as the city expanded around it you really have this landlocked airport with nowhere to expand. Part of the problem is the ongoing construction within the terminal that has been going on forever.