What Are The Best Airports In The World? Here Are My Picks…

Airports have changed a lot over the years, both for better and worse. On the one hand, they have some unbelievable amenities that would have been unimaginable decades ago. On the other hand, many airports just haven’t grown efficiently, and don’t seem to consider the passenger experience.

In this post, I thought it would be fun to talk a bit about the world’s best airports. I’ll share what I consider the best airports to be, and then I’d love to hear what OMAAT readers think.

What makes an airport great?

The fundamental issue with deciding which airport is “best” is that airports serve different needs for different travelers at different times.

Passengers can have vastly different experiences, depending on whether they’re originating or connecting at an airport, how long they plan to spend at the airport, what terminal they’re departing from, if they have to change terminals, if they have lounge access, if they have to clear security or immigration, etc.

Let me give a few examples:

• If you’re flying Lufthansa first class and are originating at Frankfurt Airport (FRA), it might be the best airport in the world for you, thanks to the First Class Terminal; for everyone else, that’s definitely not the case
• There’s something to be said for airports that get you from the curb to the gate as quickly as possible; for example, Tampa Airport (TPA) is amazing for this, thanks to the way concourses are set up, and I can always get from the curbside to the gate within five minutes
• There are individual terminals in the United States that I find to be world class in terms of design, like Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles Airport (LAX), but they still don’t offer a great passenger experience in terms of security wait times and ease of getting between gates
• As an avgeek, I absolutely love the design of some of the terminals at Paris Airport (CDG), but that’s about the only thing I like about the airport (well, other than the amazing Air France La Premiere Lounge)

My point with all this is simply to say that I don’t think there are any right or wrong answers as to what airports are the best. Everyone is looking for different things, so this all comes down to personal needs and preference. With that in mind…