Features of the World’s Top 10 Airports

TMP 110 - Airports
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Jenn: Hey everyone and welcome back to the Travel Mug podcast. This is Jenn, joined by my partner in podcasting, Meggan. How is it going today, Meggan?

Meggan: Pretty good. I have a bit of a dry throat, so if I sound a little off, that is why, but honestly, otherwise, fine. How about you?

Jenn: Pretty good. So I'm really excited for this episode because, um, Fun fact about me is I love airports. And this episode has been kind of in on our ideal list for a little while. And we're going to be talking about the world's top 10 airports, as determined by Skytrax World Airport Awards, not as determined by us, because we have not been to these.

So we can help you cannot help you but these airports have been voted best in the world by travelers.. So it is like a survey based Awards and we're going to talk about what makes them great. But then at the end we're kind of gonna talk about what features we would want in an airport that we designed. So I hope you're as excited as I am Meggan.

Meggan: Definitely. I never thought I had something I would consider, but here we are.

Jenn: I do want to point out before we get going that there's no North American airports on this list, which is, uh, interesting

Meggan: I noticed that. I was like, hmm, maybe we need to step up our game, or we actually definitely need to.

Jenn: definitely need to step up our game. They do have a separate list for best airports in North America and Vancouver takes the top spot there. I haven't been to that airport. Have you, Meggan?

Meggan: I literally, I went to Victoria once and I think I may have stopped there as literally a stopover. This was like in the early 2000s and I don't remember it. Sure it's lovely, but I don't remember it.

Jenn: Uh, ironically, right now, as we record, my friend is flying to Vancouver airport and should be landing any moment now, so

Meggan: check in and see how her airport

Jenn: I will have to see what she thinks. So let's, uh, let's dive into the actual top 10. Let's start with number 10 and do this countdown style. Meggan, what's number 10 on the list?

Meggan: So number 10 is Istanbul. So, located 35 kilometers outside of the actual city. What seems to make this airport special from what I could find is its size. So it has the largest airport terminal in the world, which can cater to 90 million passengers annually, which seems like a lot, a lot of people. , and it also has one of the world's largest duty free areas. So for lots of people. They provide lots of things that you can purchase, you know, it is of course the largest airport in Turkey and second largest in the world. Does bigger always mean better though when it comes to airports? I'm personally not sure but I can see why because of this it made the top 10.

Jenn: Yeah, yeah, it's very interesting because a bigger airport is probably going to mean more amenities. It's probably going to mean higher passenger satisfaction. So I think this list does skew towards bigger airports for sure. So that brings us into number nine, Zurich Airport, which is just 12 kilometers from downtown Zurich. So like very close. It's the hub of course for Swiss International Airlines. And according to travelers, it is organized, clean, and convenient. I mean, how much more could you want in

Meggan: Um, They're very efficient.

Jenn: It's also, um, really close to the city center and it is well connected by public transit, which is a huge plus. Like if you've ever flown into Halifax airport, you know how annoying it is to get from the airport to downtown, which is ridiculous. , they have an area known as the circle and it's a great place to spend time if you have a connecting flight right now, it's currently like decorated for summer with palm trees and a giant chess board and like cornhole and table tennis and more, I'm sure it changes throughout the seasons, which is really cool.

It's technically outside of security. And that's something I want to bring up. Like a lot of this stuff that we talk about. A lot of these airports, the fun stuff is like outside of security, which to me is very annoying. Like, that's why I had to leave the secure area. But anyway, I'll bring that up when I come back around to how I would design an airport.

Um, but it, it does sound like an amazing place to spend a layover in the circle. In the passenger area, there are restaurants from fast food type places to sit down restaurants,. Of course, lounges, showers and plenty of shops. So, lots to do, and the, uh, the circle looks really cool.

Meggan: Excellent. It sounds very interesting indeed. And there's definitely reasons why all these airports made the top 10 for sure. So next up number eight is Munich airport in Germany. Which is 30 kilometers from downtown. So Munich airport is all about shopping, good food and cool views from their observation deck and comfort. Plus y'all, it's clean. So at the Munich airport, you can peruse over 150 shops and services. Sounds like a downtown of like some city. Um, you can eat at 60 restaurants and cafes and bistros right up my alley indeed. Plus they even have a visitor's park, which is open all year round and it is free. It includes playgrounds, a restaurant, visitors hill, so you can watch planes take off and land, and an interactive exhibit of the inner workings of the airport. That could be very interesting for children or just really curious folks to sort of see, like, how does all this magic happen?

Jenn: Yeah.

Meggan: The airport also boasts Europe's largest Covered pub garden. Uh, and yes, this is at the Munich airport, which I didn't see coming. Honestly, I really want to visit, Munich now partially to see the airport.

Jenn: I mean, it sounds cool. Like, so crazy.

Meggan: I know

Jenn: Alright. let's go to number seven, which is the Dubai airport. And in 2022 it was the busiest airport in the world. But, What makes it so great, you ask. There are numerous spas, restaurants, and the biggest duty free shop in the world.

Meggan: the biggest,

Jenn: The biggest. They had a playground area for kids that I saw, so that's really cool. Uh, one really cool thing is the G Force Health Club. You can swim, relax in a hot tub, use a sauna or a steam room, or and or work out in their gym. So that sounds like a great place to spend a layover. And All Clear Travel Insurance has named the Dubai International Airport the most luxurious in the world. So that is definitely something.

Meggan: definitely.

Jenn: However, Meggan, the Dubai airport is likely to close in the next 10 years.

Meggan: Why are we closing this fantastic place?

Jenn: Right, because they are expanding the nearby Al Maktoum International Airport. So once that is complete, they plan to kind of move everything over to that airport, all of the operations. So what will happen to the Dubai airport? We do not know. Maybe it'll just become like a mall type thing where you can still go and go to all of these shopping things.

I don't know. It's, uh, really, it's Interesting. I've never been to, like, an abandoned airport. I don't know what happens.

Meggan: I, I, me either. And it will be interesting then to see if this airport that sort of covers everything will then start to make this top 10 list.

Jenn: Yeah. Yep. We'll have to stay tuned.

Meggan: We shall, we shall indeed. So number six is Paris Charles de Gaulle. As one can imagine, this is the busiest and biggest airport in France and the largest in Europe in terms of surface area. And of course it is the hub for Air France. What helped put Charles de Gaulle on the list of top 10 best airports though? This is an interesting one because it is known as a complex airport and has been called confusing By travelers. However, it is highly rated based on its options for passengers entertainment. Shopping, and Terminal 3 ranks very high as a terminal for low cost airlines. I found this one a bit tough to research because it made the list, however, it seems from a passenger's perspective, it isn't that great in a lot of opinions, of course. So I guess it really does depend on what's being measured and by whom, but that was kind of an interesting one.

Jenn: This is really interesting because this is the only airport on the list that I have actually been to, and it's I don't remember it being either great or not great, which I think is really interesting, so I don't know. I don't know why, um, people, see if someone out there, passengers out there are voting this as as an airport that they really like, but

Meggan: I know. So it's obviously something that really divides people and it's the only one on the list I've also been to as well. And I remember Upon arrival, which was from another European airport is that it looked like the Jetsons. All of these walkways and, and whatnot were going over one another like I was in like a big complex city.

So I could see it from that perspective. But yeah, it's obviously something that divides people. There was a lot of reddits about how we do not like Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Jenn: Very interesting. I mean, who knows? So let's, uh, let's go to Asia for our number five. So Tokyo Narita, there are two major airports in Tokyo, as we will learn next. Tokyo Narita is the larger of the two. It is modern and convenient and has world class shopping and plenty of restaurants. There are observation decks where you can watch planes land and take off. I think they're both, or I think there was one or two observation desks. And they were outside of the secure area, which sucks. I want more things in the secure area. If anyone who designs airports is listening, that is

Meggan: you.

Jenn: Uh, one cool thing that they do have is cultural activities. So there was like demonstrations going on in the airport.

And, art exhibitions as well. So that's really cool. If you have long layovers, I saw that there are tours that you can book that pick you up at the airport, take you on the tour, and then bring you back to the airport. So that's really convenient and a good way to see a little bit of uh, of the area if you have a longer layover. Obviously if you have a shorter layover, we do not recommend leaving the airport.

Meggan: That is really interesting, actually. It's like a cruise stop where you can book a little tour, come back, hop on your next plane. That's really interesting.

Jenn: Yeah, I thought so too.

Meggan: All right, well, let's stay in Tokyo, because why not? Number four, Tokyo Haneda Airport. So from my research, this airport is all about clean. So in January 2024, it was rated the cleanest airport in the world for the ninth year in a row.

Jenn: They're killing it.

Meggan: They are, don't mess around, they're clean. There are many dining and shopping options which seem to be very prevalent in getting on this list. It really has to be a big feature, but the main feature of this Terminal 3 section of the airport is , Edo Alley. This is a shopping and dining area that recreates an Edo streetscape, giving it the feeling of Tokyo from yesteryear reflecting tradition. So I thought that that was a really neat thing to be able to see. And you can guarantee there in Terminal 3 as well, it's going to be clean. So there's always that no matter what.

Jenn: All right, so next up is Seoul Incheon in South Korea. So it is the main airport for Seoul, the biggest airport in South Korea. Here. you'll also find a replica of a Korean street. So like similar to the last Tokyo one we talked about, which is really cool. They also have musical performances and art installations as well. A movie theater, an artificial ice rink that you can skate on. An indoor driving range, and of course, plenty of opportunities to shop and eat, etc, etc.

Meggan: Wow.

Jenn: I know! So there's a spa called The Spa on Air, and it offers, uh, spa things, dry sauna, shower rooms, a resting room, and a lounge. And the airport is also listed number two on Skytrax's list of world's cleanest airports. And rated number one on their list of most family friendly airports. So, if you're traveling with kids, apparently it's really great.

Meggan: Awesome.

Cool. Well, let's stay in Asia and talk about number two on the list, which is Singapore Changi. okay. This one was quite interesting. I was very excited to talk about it. This is an airport, if you can believe it, where locals actually go just to visit and hang out at the airport.

Jenn: Crazy.

Meggan: I know, I know. I was thinking that's not how I would assume people would spend their day, but now that I've read about it though, I get it.

So there is an amazing shopping mall The jewel attached to Terminal 1, actually created by a Canadian architect. It has the world's tallest indoor waterfall. There is a Disney themed light and music show. And Terminal 3 has kid friendly carnival. with games and rides, right? You can buy groceries here. So they have a grocery store and it is easily accessible by subway or bus for the locals who do go to spend time there. So other attractions include an air conditioned rainforest, a hedge maze, and a 12 meter high slide. If you're flying out and find yourself at the airport a little too early, the transit area is equipped with a spa, a theater screening free movies, and a swimming pool, not to mention massage chairs, and a butterfly garden. So I found a really amazing article, a BBC article, talking all about the splendor of this airport. So we will link this article detailing more of what makes it really special. And my goodness, in my wildest dreams, please let me be able to visit there someday.

Jenn: That's amazing. It's crazy. The thing, I mean, it's an airport, but it's a, it's a destination.

Meggan: It is. It's, it's cool. And it's number two. So Jenn, what's number one?

Jenn: what is number one? So number one is Doha Hamad. It is the. uh, highest rated airport on this list. It's in Qatar, and it's only been open for about 10 years. It opened in 2014, and it has been expanded several times since it has opened. So the most prominent figure inside the airport is a giant bronze statue of a teddy bear with its head in a lamp.

I don't know why. It's known as Lamp Bear, of course, although this statue does not have an official name.

Meggan: Okay, let's stop it. Let's stop there. Why doesn't it have an official name? Like, how can you have a bear with its head in a lamp and then yet not name it?

Jenn: No, I mean, that's why people call it Lamp Bear. I mean, what else do you call it?

Meggan: They have no choice. Okay, but let's, that's, that's that's a shame, but go on.

Jenn: So other features of the airport include, of course, world class shopping. So many restaurants from like quick takeout to fancy gourmet sit down restaurants. Spa, sleep, and fly lounges where you can stay for an hour or overnight and have a little snooze. There's a play area for kids. The vitality, well being, and fitness center offers a pool, gym, hydrotherapy tubs, and shower rooms, massages, beauty treatments.

And then there's squash courts and a golf simulator. So many things. There's also an indoor tropical garden to explore, art installations. And more. And you can also easily get to Doha via public transportation. So, that's number one. But, uh, Singapore, if you go back and look through the list, Singapore has been number one more times.

So, interesting.

Meggan: Very interesting. Indeed. And those two being like sort of neck and neck one and two makes complete sense. They sound like they have some similarities and just sort of maybe are dodging each other for that top.

Jenn: for sure. So I thought it would be really fun to talk about some of the things we would want in an airport. So Meggan, what are your thoughts if you're designing your dream airport?

Meggan: So some of these features, and honestly I didn't read through everything before I came up with my ideas because I didn't want them to be spoiled by stuff that already exists. But it turns out my ideas have run through other people's minds. So these are sort of my top five features that I thought of independently. And apparently I've never had an original thought. So these were my, uh, five. First is spa services. So I was thinking like mini services because it really, you may be in a time crunch if you aren't, great. But they do offer mini massages, facials, quick 15 to 30 minutes maximum. Could get longer, but at least if you only have a bit of time, you can get something relaxing in while you're there. In terms of food, I was thinking more of a European idea of food hall. So with cuisines to suit all cultures who might travel through the airport. So just a big section where all of the food is housed and you can just sort of get quick bites from all kinds of different cultures. Number three was sleepings pods with a spa like atmosphere. So quiet, hushed, soothing tones and pods that sort of offer everything that can enhance a sleep experience at a reasonable price. I guess if this is my dream airport, it's

Jenn: It's free.

Meggan: because we're just dreaming here. So even maybe the spa services, we'll call those free too. You get those on the house. a movie theater, which one of the airports we just mentioned have for those longer layovers. I think that would be an incredible way at an airport to pass time.

Jenn: Yeah, for sure.

Meggan: Um, and then finally, when I picture an airport, I picture the hum of. Too many people. So my number five would be a quiet zone for relaxing. So not for sleeping, but for reading. listening via headphones, of course, not just listening to videos in public. But no talking, like we're going to go in there and we're all going to be quiet and there's going to be someone like manning that because this is why people have come in there.

Jenn: Yeah, yes, and these things all need to be after security in the secure area Here's the problem with all of those airports is like half of the stuff is outside the secure area and I hate Leaving the security like if you have a layover Unless it's really, really long, I'm not leaving the security area for like a four hour layover. I'm not doing it because getting back through security gives me anxiety and I

Meggan: Well, exactly. So that leads very well into number one for you. So what would you say are your features of a dream airport?

Jenn: Yes, so this whole episode was inspired by, I saw pictures of the Palm Springs airport and the Palm Springs airport is like outside. After you go through security, you can go outside. So the ability to go outside in the secure area and just be out there. Maybe some, like, lounge chairs. Some, like, food huts. Like, ugh, I just want to be able to, like, keep the good vibes going before I fly home. You know what I mean? Obviously, this works in places where the weather is good. So, in my dream world. It's always good weather, but

Meggan: I love that for you.

Jenn: yes, exactly. Definitely. Like you said, like a large kind of food hall type area with like lots of different options I was thinking of, and I can't remember what it's called.

We went to it in Boston. And it was in the TD garden and it's like mini versions of a bunch of their like more famous restaurants Have little spots there and i'm like that's such a great idea for the airport a library and comfy lounge space kind of what you were talking about like Quiet, and, uh, you know, you're not sleeping, you're just kind of reading, like, relaxing. People could definitely have headphones on in there as well, but comfortable chairs, must have comfy chairs, because airport chairs, not comfy.

Meggan: Yeah. And I get why they make them not comfy, but if we're designing dreams, it's comfort.

Jenn: Yeah, for sure. So next is a museum type space, museum space, art space, just something that you could like wander through and learn something about the place that you're in and, uh, also kind of keeps the vacation vibes going. And lastly, I would like some showers because I feel like if you have a long layover, especially if you're getting ready for like a nighttime, overnight flight, it would be so nice to like have a shower, put on clean, comfy travel clothes. And then get on a plane and I feel like I might might actually fall asleep if I did that

Meggan: I hope you get to find that out someday.

Jenn: Someday, so that is all we have for this week Let us know what features you would like to see in an airport or if you've been to any of these amazing airports and Let us know how they were. You can find us on social media and youtube at travel mug podcast. Or on our website, travelmugpodcast. com. You can also support the show through buy me a coffee or by leaving us a review on Apple podcasts or Spotify, or by sharing the show with a travel loving pal and until next time, happy travels. We'll see you soon.

Meggan: Bye everyone.