Welcome to “Hidden Airport”
Unexpected Pleasures at a Terminal Near You.
WITH SCATTERED EXCEPTIONS, airports don’t have a whole lot going for them. They’re noisy, dirty, poorly laid out, and just generally hostile to passengers. As my regular readers are well aware, I’ve made this point in numerous prior posts — perhaps too many times.
Now, so that I’m not always harping on the negative, here’s something different. “Hidden Airport” is a semi-regular feature highlighting little-known spots of unexpected pleasantness.
— NEW: Vonnegut at KIND
I wrote about the KIND Gallery in Indianapolis once before (scroll down). It’s time for a revisit, now that they’ve got an installation honoring the city’s favorite literary son, Kurt Vonnegut.
It’s funny how this happened: I was walking along the concourse towards my gate, and I said to myself: They should have something about Vonnegut here at the airport. Twenty seconds later I saw the KIND Gallery and its new exhibit.
There are books, of course, a typewriter (the significance of which is unclear), photos, and some of the author’s sketches.
This is a big one for me. I had long-time infatuation with Vonnegut’s work, beginning in my teens and running into my early 20s. I think I’ve read everything he published. Just a few months ago I re-read “Jailbird,” my favorite of his novels.
— FROM IDLEWILD TO JFK
No sooner did I write about the 100th anniversary presentation at Boston-Logan (see below), when I came across a similar setup at JFK. “From Idlewild to JFK” is a collage of photos following the history of the airport we all love to hate.
Kennedy is a dysfunctional mess half the time, and most of its architectural highlights have been demolished, but it’s nonetheless the most historically significant airport in the nation, if not the world, and this exhibit hits the bullet points: Saarinen’s TWA’s terminal, the Worldport, Pan Am 707s, the Concorde.
The whole thing is a bit half-assed, frankly. The airport deserves more than just a temporary gateside exhibit with a wall’s worth of black-and-white photos, and much is ignored (how is there no mention of I.M Pei’s famous “Sundrome” terminal?).
But it’s better than nothing, and a welcome distraction in the otherwise boring terminal 4. It’s over near the A gates. Have a seat in one of the economy class chairs and relax for a few.
The runway graphics on the floor are cute, I guess. Except there’s no runway 23 at JFK.
— Green Bay Game
I discovered this foosball setup near gate B2 at the pleasant little airport in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
I suppose it could get a little rowdy, but on the morning I was there a couple of kids were quietly knocking the ball back and forth.
Foosball is table soccer, which seems anathema in NFL-obsessed Green Bay (I was taking the Packers to Denver on a charter flight), but what the heck. It’s a welcoming, low-tech, old-school sort of distraction you don’t find much at airports anymore.
— Historical Logan
In terminal E at Boston’s Logan International, near the new security checkpoint, is an exhibit called “Logan 100,” commemorating the airport’s centennial. It’s a collaboration between Massport and the Boston Globe.
We Bostonians take a unusual civic pride in our little airport. More than a mere gateway, Logan is a part of the city. It’s a vibe you can feel as the seven LCD screens sequence through a century’s worth of archival photos, showcasing the people, planes, and events that helped shape Boston over the last century: VIP arrivals (The Beatles, Muhammad Ali), airlines that have come and gone (Northeast, Air New England), and the unforgettable headlines (the Blizzard of ’78, the arrival of Pope John Paul II in 1979).
What’s not here are Logan’s more infamous moments. The Delta and Eastern crashes, for example, or the World Airways incident in 1982. But that’s to be expected, I guess.
If you’re flying out, take a few minutes to stop by. You don’t need to be an airline nerd to appreciate the pictures.
Congrats to Massport and the Globe for having the good sense to come up with this. Now, if you’d please turn off those unbearable promotional PAs that blare in the connector walkway between A and E.
— BANGKOK GREEN
The new concourse at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport has opened. A short train ride connects it to the main terminal. The gates are designated with “S,” for satellite.
In one of the more peculiar flourishes I’ve seen at an airport, several of the gateside waiting areas include a wide section laid with artificial grass. I’m not entirely sure what the intent is, but I like it.
Do with it what you will: sprawl out and relax; let your bratty kids run around. If you’ve got your clubs, maybe practice your swing. I laid down for a few minutes and stretched.
You don’t see a lot of green in airports, and the effect is strangely pleasant and refreshing — even if it’s fake. I think they should go one better and install some plants or small trees along the perimeter.
— MSPee BREAK
Yes, it’s a mosaic in the vestibule of an airport men’s room. Minneapolis-St. Paul, concourse F. The artist is Josie Lewis, who presumably is this person. (She may or may not have a similar installation in the nearby women’s bathroom. For obvious reasons I didn’t check. Maybe a reader can report back.)
It feels wasted, maybe, to have such a pretty work of art in such an easy-to-miss space, where the only people who see it are rushing to take a whiz. On the other hand, aesthetic non-sequitirs like this can be charming, popping up where you least expect them. It’s aviation-themed, too, if that’s not too much of a stretch.
— NORFOLK SPECIAL
This one isn’t so hidden. Indeed it’s the entire main terminal of the airport in Norfolk, Virginia.
I’ve always been fond of ORF, and was happy to find myself there on a layover recently, for the first time in at least a dozen years. We love the clean, almost Scandinavian-style architecture, the unencumbered spaciousness, the skylights. I was able to get two great photos; one evening and one daytime, from more or less the same vantage point.
U.S. airports can be dreadful. Sometimes it’s the smaller ones that set themselves apart. Norfolk is a great example.
— CHAIRLESS IN BOSTON
This one is an almost. It’s a squander.
Where we are is Boston, at the south end of the pedestrian bridge connecting terminals A, E, and the central garage, just at the top of the escalator. This tucked-away alcove, right at the end, is a sunny, quiet spot out of range of the loudspeakers, with great views of the tarmac and the skyline beyond. It’s a perfect little spot. Except, there’s nowhere to sit. A hideaway like this needs to be savored. We dig the bottlcap sculpture, don’t get me wrong, but why are there no chairs?
The pedestrian bridge, in place for about twenty years now, was a welcome addition to Logan and architecturally handsome, the floor inlaid fetchingly with sea life mosaics created by Somerville artist Jane Goldman. But if you’re making the walk, the experience is ruined by a constant bombardment of public address announcements. What could be a relaxing six-minute stroll is spoiled by a tape-loop of needless “Welcome to Boston” promotions and parking instructions. This alcove offers a relaxing escape, but without a place to sit it’s easily overlooked.
Note to Massport: Chairs. Get some chairs. And turn off the bloody PAs while you’re at it.
— CINCINNATI READING ROOM
Cincinnati International (CVG) isn’t as as bustling as it once was, with Delta drawing down service after its merger with Northwest. But it’s a fairly busy airport and a pleasant one at that. And over on concourse B you’ll find this little library of sorts.
It’s more of a book swap than a proper library; you’re free to abscond with the title of your choice, or exchange your half-read copy of “Our Country Friends” for something better. Or drop into that funky chair and peruse a few chapters of some shitty crime thriller.
I have to say, the pickings were pretty dismal on the day I dropped by. And it feels a little ad-hoc: we wonder if this isn’t just a place-holder standing in for some unrented retail space, soon to be yet another overlit shop selling magazines and phone chargers. Possibly, but we like the idea, and for the time being it’s a peaceful nook to steal away in.
— BAHAMA CHILL
Nassau’s Lynden Pindling International Airport, in the Bahamas, doesn’t give you much to write home about. It’s an unpleasant complex of noisy kids, dirty fast food joints and hour-long security lines. But just outside, in a space between the domestic and international departure halls, you’ll find this sunny oasis of greenery and water.
We had three hours between flights, and this was the perfect spot to wait things out. No children, no crowds, no racket save for the sound of birds (which, I discovered, is piped in through a speaker). There are shady spots with benches, and the free airport wifi signal is strong enough to stream on.
You can sit inside at a greasy table at KFC, or you can sit here.
— BLEACHER FEATURE
A vast, overcrowded echo chamber of concrete, Mexico City’s terminal two is one of the least enjoyable airport buildings around. Downstairs in the arrivals lobby, however, set back against the rear wall, is one of the most creative and idiosyncratic features I know of: a set of bleachers, seven benches tall and about fifty feet wide, where family and friends can wait for passengers to emerge from the customs hall.
Arrivals lobbies are often a chaotic scrum of jockeying and shoving, people calling out names and craning their necks. From the bleachers, you have a clear view across the crowd, and can easily pick out your mom, your son, or your mistress without having to wade into the mob.
Here’s a low-tech idea that saves space, is eminently helpful, and costs almost nothing. Why have I not seen this anywhere else in the world?
— GATESIDE GRAFFITI
Terminal Four at Kennedy Airport isn’t the most passenger-friendly building, but it has its spots, including the famous Calder mobile dangling from the departure hall ceiling (see below). Now, in the B concourse close to gate 25, you can enjoy this interactive wall mural. It was put in place last summer, presumably as a sort of post-pandemic morale booster for travelers.
It looks like most people just scribble their autograph, but some leave the names of whatever far-flung destinations they’re headed to — or wish they were headed to. You might get your clothes dirty, but grab a giant pencil and jump in there. Give us a “Bayonne, New Jersey,” or a “Smolensk.”
— INDY KIND
Indianapolis International is the rare gem among U.S. airports. It’s spacious, clean, and splashed with natural light. Best of all, and unlike almost every other airport in the country, it’s remarkably quiet. According to Airports Council International, IND is the Best Airport in North America, and the readers of Conde Nast Traveler have dittoed that sentiment multiple times.
Tucked into the A concourse, between gates 14 and 16, is the KIND Gallery. Created in partnership with the city’s Arts Council, it showcases the works of Hoosier artists. The gallery is neither large nor — depending on your tastes in art — particularly breathtaking. But it’s exactly what it should be: an engaging and relaxing little sneak-away spot. My favorite of the current installation is “Cloud Study 1-4,” a four-frame series of cloudscapes by an artist named Kipp Normand.
What do we do at airports? We kill time. And here’s a way to do it that’s a little more fulfilling than staring at your phone or browsing the magazine kiosk.
And about that name, “KIND.” Chances are you’re familiar with the three-letter identifiers for airports, Indy’s being IND. What you probably didn’t know, however, is that airports also have four-letter identifiers. These are assigned by ICAO and used for navigation and other technical purposes. Airports in the United States simply add the letter “K” to the existing three-letter code. KLAX, for example. Or KBOS or KSFO or KMCO. Or, in this case, KIND.
— KENNEDY CALDER
The next time you’re on the check-in level of terminal 4 at Kennedy Airport, look up. Suspended from the ceiling near the western end of the building is a sculpture constructed of balanced aluminum arms and trapezoidal panels. This is “.125,” the famous mobile made by Alexander Calder in 1957, back when JFK was still known as Idlewild Airport.
At 45 feet long, it’s supposedly the fourth-largest mobile in the world. For years it hung in the arrivals hall of the old Terminal 4, better known as the IAB (International Arrivals Building). Later it was moved to the departure level when the terminal was rebuilt. “People think monuments should come out of the ground, never out of the ceiling,” said Calder. “But mobiles can be monumental too.” The name “.125” comes from the gauge of its aluminum elements. What it evokes is, I suppose, in the eye of the beholder. One can detect a certain flight motif, though to me it looks more like a fish.
This wasn’t Calder’s only aviation-related project. In the 1970s he hand-painted two airplanes for Braniff Airways, including a Boeing 727 for the Bicentennial.
— UNDERGROUND ATLANTA
The Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has its negatives, to be sure. The low ceilings, beeping electric carts and endless public address announcements make the place noisy and claustrophobic. Many of the windows are inexplicably covered over, and the airport’s skinny escalators were apparently designed before the invention of luggage. On the other hand, ATL’s simple layout — essentially six rectangular concourses sequenced one after the other — makes for fast and easy connections. It’s one of the most efficient places anywhere to change planes.
The neatest thing about it, though, is the underground connector tunnel. This is where you go to catch the inter-terminal train, but the better choice is to walk it. (If, like me, you purchased a Garmin Vivofit and have become obsessed with step-counting, note that it takes sixteen minutes and 1800 steps to cover the tunnel’s full walkable length.)
Along the way you’ll pass a series of art and photography installations. Between concourses B and C, is an excellent, museum-quality multimedia exhibit on the history Georgia’s capital. You could easily spend a half-hour here. My favorite section, though, is the forest canopy ceiling in the tunnel between concourses A and B. This installation, made of multicolor, laser-cut aluminum panels is the work of artist Steve Waldeck. Described as a “450-foot multisensory walk through a simulated Georgia forest,” it features an audio backdrop of dozens of native birds and insects.
What a welcome change it is, listening to the calls of sandhill cranes and blue herons instead of some idiotic TSA directive. It takes only two or three minutes to pass beneath the length of it, but these are about the most relaxing (if a bit psychedelic) two or three minutes to be found at an airport.
— The 9/11 MEMORIAL AT BOSTON-LOGAN
The idea of building a memorial to the 2001 terror attacks, at the very airport from which two of the four hijacked planes departed from, ran a fine line between commemorative and tasteless. It needed to be done just right. What they came up with is superb, and ought to serve as a model for such memorials everywhere.
Reached along an ascending pathway that twists upward amidst grass and trees, the main structure is a sort of open-topped glass chapel, inside of which are two vertical slabs, one for each of the two aircraft that struck the World Trade Center — and mimicking the shapes, one can’t help noticing, of the twin towers themselves — engraved with the names of the passengers and crew. There’s one for American’s flight 11, the Boeing 767 that struck the north tower, and the other for United 175, which hit the south tower a few minutes later. The glass and steelwork allow the entire space to be flooded with silvery light, creating an atmosphere that’s quiet and contemplative without feeling maudlin or sentimentalized.
There are no flags or any of the crudely “patriotic” touches one might expect (and dread). It’s everything it should be: beautifully constructed, understated, and respectful.
Officially it’s called the “Place of Remembrance,” and it was built by the Boston-based firm of Moskow Linn Architects, as part of a public competition. The final design was chosen by airline workers, airport representatives, and family members of the victims. The engraved names are separated into columns of crew and passengers, and the names of off-duty United employees on the flight 175 plate include a small “tulip” logo of United Airlines. This might seem a strange touch, but this memorial was built primarily for the community of people who work at Logan Airport. Among the passengers and crew killed on the two jets were more than a dozen Logan-based employees.
But anyone is welcome, of course, and I only wish the memorial were more easily accessible. If you’re at BOS and have some time, it’s worth seeking out. It sits on a knoll just to the southern side of the central parking garage, at the foot of the walkway tunnel that connects the garage with terminal A. Find the tunnel and follow the signs.
— SFO DRAGONFLIES
Airport art installations of one form or another are awfully trendy these days. Paintings, sculptures and mobiles are popping up all over the place. And good for that. Among the best is artist Joyce Hsu’s “Namoo House” sculpture at San Francisco International.
It’s a huge, wall-mounted display of aluminum and stainless steel insects that, in the artist’s words, suggests the way the airport “fuses science, nature, and imagination, to become the transit home for all passengers” — whatever that might mean.
To me, the metalwork moths and six-foot dragonflies represent both natural and human-made flying machines. And they remind me of the erector-set toys that I played with as a kid. Go to gate A3 in SFO’s international terminal, near the Emirates and JetBlue gates.
— RALEIGH-DURHAM’S TERMINAL 2
“Ah for the days when aviation was a gentleman’s pursuit, back before every Joe Sweatsock could wedge himself behind a lunch tray and jet off to Raleigh-Durham.” That’s from Sideshow Bob, in an old episode of the Simpsons (back when that show was still watchable), and we love the way he gives the words “Raleigh-Durham” an extra nudge of derision.
I guess Bob hasn’t seen RDU’s Terminal 2. Home to Delta, American, jetBlue and United, this is possibly the most attractive airport building in America. Opened in 2008, it was the first major terminal with a wood truss skeleton. The design earned architect Curtis Fentress, whose firm also designed Denver International and Korea’s impeccable Incheon Airport, the American Institute of Architects’ Thomas Jefferson Award. “A blend of the region’s economy, heritage and landscape,” is how Fentress describes it. “Terminal 2’s rolling roofline reflects the Piedmont Hills, while the daylit interior provides the latest in common-use technology. Long-span wood trusses create column-free spaces that offer efficiency and flexibility, from ticketing to security.”
All true. And unlike most airport facilities in this country, it’s quiet. Boarding calls and other public address announcements are kept to a minimum. This, together with the building’s architectural style and flair, almost makes you think you’re in Europe.
— THE QUIET AREA AT MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
On the whole, the Minneapolis airport is about as architecturally unexciting as a parking garage. It’s an older complex with low ceilings and endless corridors that reminds me of the ’60s-era grammar school that I once attended. And like most American airports, it has a noise pollution problem. But unlike most American airports, it has a place to escape the racket: an upper-level “quiet area” overlooking the central atrium of the Lindbergh (Delta Air Lines) Terminal. It’s difficult to find, but worth the effort if you’ve got a lengthy layover and need a place to relax. Look for the signs close to where F concourse meets the central lobby.
The long, rectangular veranda has pairs of vinyl chairs set around tables. There are power outlets at each table and visitors can log in to MSP’s complimentary Wi-Fi. Delta provides pillows and blankets so that stranded passengers can nap. It’s a bland space without much ambiance, lacking the funky chairs, sofas, and other quirky accoutrements that you might find in Europe or Asia (Incheon Airport’s quiet zones are the coolest anywhere). But it does what it’s supposed to do. It’s comfortable, detached and peaceful. It’s a shame that more airports don’t set aside spots like this.
— THE La GUARDIA GARDEN
I’ve written at length about the Marine Air Terminal at La Guardia Airport in New York City. This historic art-deco building, in the far southwest corner of LGA, is one of the most special places in all of commercial aviation — the launching point for the Pan Am flying boats that made the first-ever transatlantic and round-the-world flights. Inside the cathedral-like rotunda is the 240-foot “Flight” mural by James Brooks. What few people know about, however, is the cozy garden just outside. Facing the building, it’s to the right of the old Art Deco doorway, set back from the street.
It’s a quiet, tree-shaded hideaway amidst, grass, flowers and shrubs. Grab a sandwich from the Yankee Clipper and enjoy it on one of the wooden benches. To get there, take the A Loop inter-terminal bus to the Marine Air Terminal. The spot is best appreciated in the warmer months, of course. Like the Marine Air rotunda it is outside of the TSA checkpoint, so you’ll need to re-clear security if you’re catching a flight.
Related Stories:
THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE U.S. AIRPORT
AMSTERDAM-SCHIPHOL: THE AIRPORT OF QUIRKY CHARMS
PLANE, PRANKS, AND PRAISE: ODE TO AN AIRPORT
Leave a Comment
Maximum 1500 characters. Watch your spelling and grammar. Poorly written posts will be deleted!
144 Responses to “Welcome to “Hidden Airport””
You are viewing newest comments first. Click to reverse order
Have any plans to travel through PDX? I’m curious to hear your opinions of the main terminal remodel. I haven’t been through there myself yet (I don’t air travel much; it’s my home airport) but friends have been impressed.
Austin-Bergstrom has a “secret” gate ∞ between gates 12 and 14, complete with a departure board with imaginary destinations, including Pemberley, Penn, SimCity, Slumberland, and more.
https://sightlinesmag.org/now-departing-for-narnia-at-austins-airport-janet-zweigs-interimaginary-departures
“What’s not here are Logan’s more infamous moments. The crashes, for example.”
Yes, not really surprising. Most larger, older airports could probably set up a “crash museum” but it’s hard to imagine the idea catching on.
Not at all surprised to learn you’re a Vonnegut fan. A latter-day Mark Twain (whom he consciously emulated in his appearance I think). Good to know Indianapolis celebrates its native son.
If you have a layover in Indianapolis, there is also a Kurt Vonnegut Museum about 15 minutes from the airport.
https://www.vonnegutlibrary.org/
What’s next at these airports… fern bars?
I like finding the artworks exhibited in Vancouver’s international departures terminal. Not just the monumental First Nations pieces (which are awesome), but the small pieces of pottery and fabric that are placed close to the gates.
It helps that I’m only usually there waiting for the late night flights back to London, but it is an elegant, beautifully lit space that doesn’t feel as hectic as most airports.
We also have a family ritual to take a photo of The Story of Fog Woman and Raven sculptures to tell folks we’re through security and ready to fly. It’s a nice place to sit, eat and take in the artwork.
What do you think of he international arrivals terminal at YVR? To my way of thinking it’s the most beautiful terminal, with indigenous artworks and an amazing waterfall as you come down the escalator towards security (though I’ve learned that it’s seasonal and apparently doesn’t operate in he winter for some reason).
“This tucked-away alcove, right at the end, is a sunny, quiet spot out of range of the loudspeakers, with great views of the tarmac”
It’s not called the tarmac. It’s the apron!
I agree with most of what has been written below, and can add only this: This week I had to fly into Newark for the first time in a while, and I was not happy to return to an airport I always hated. I was consequently very, very pleasantly surprised to see how the newest terminal (Terminal A- flying Delta) was an open, beautiful and easy to navigate delight—-comparable to Incheon or Changi, two of my favorite terminals. With the new changes at LaGuardia, this means travel to the NYC area now has a few really nice terminal options.
Patrick, I don’t know if this counts as a “space” but have you noticed the floor of terminal B in Seattle? The floor features many brass fish swimming in a stream, but not all of them are fish. A few are airplanes instead. Also, some of the fish have luggage instead of fins on the sides of their bodies. And a few are cartoonish “fish” like you’d find carved on a totem pole.
These are great! For the other side of things, we just returned from Turks and Caicos via Providenciales. The terminal is the size of a high school gym and there were no fewer than 5 flights scheduled within about 15 minute intervals. The announcements were super loud and completely unintelligible, and roughly 5000 people were crammed in there trying to get to their departure line, dragging their carry on luggage and what seemed to be thousands of screaming children through the crowd. Every flight was late; we barely made our connection in Chicago and the others in our party (going ultimately to Indy and NY) all missed theirs. There were def no cute, quiet, places to sit and wait!
I’ve been to Nassau (albeit a long time ago) and it was way more charming than this!
I’ve spent more than one night in the MSP quiet mezzanine as a regional pilot after missing a commute. It’s definitely a hidden gem.
Also, as grungy as the Honolulu airport is I really like their cultural gardens leading out to the E gates and the CB Lansing garden (in memory of the poor Aloha 243 FA) over towards the A and B gates.
I’ll nominate the outdoor deck at AUS. It’s at the far end near Gate 1 and the Delta Sky Club. Outdoor deck with lots of seating and even a gender neutral bathroom readily available. Obviously it’s pretty loud being right on the tarmac, but with noise-reducing headphones it’s a great spot to sit away from all the in-terminal noise and hordes when it’s not a billion degrees outside.
Another “hidden” but nice spot if you have kids is in the LAX international terminal. We haven’t been there since 2019 so I don’t remember exactly where it was but it was close to the gate for our ANA flight to Japan. It’s tucked away near a food court. Basically a large open play area with some ramps and stuff for kids to climb, nothing high, and benches for adults. When we were there, there was only one other family. Best of all, there were vending machines selling bottled water for $1.50 (in 2019 anyway) which was far cheaper than buying from a restaurant. And bathrooms nearby. It was totally quiet, out of the way, and gave my kids a great play to stretch, run around, be silly whatever, without overstimulation. We stumbled upon it by accident because there were no signs indicating a kids play/rest area.
Another great hidden airport feature is BWI’s Observation Gallery. Unfortunately it was closed when I was there, but from pictures it looks like a fun & engaging (very Avgeek-friendly) place.
@Alex B Similarly, airports in Hawaii have ICAO codes beginning with
“PH”. Honolulu (HNL) is PHNL; Maui-Kahului (OGG) is PHOG; Hilo (ITO) is PHTO, and so forth.
re: the underground connector tunnel in ATL. I was there only once and my first thought was that I’m having a flashback! The things we did way back when.
“Airports in the United States simply add the letter “K” to the existing three-letter code. KLAX, for example. Or KBOS or KSFO or KMCO. Or, in this case, KIND.”
While this is far more common with overseas airports, there are a few examples in the US where the last three letters of the ICAO code (the four-letter one beginning with ‘K’) differ from the IATA code (the three-letter ones with which we’re all familiar). One example I can think of is University Park airport in State College, PA. Its IATA code is SCE, however it’s ICAO code is KUNV.
I’m sure there are others though I don’t have the time/energy to look for them at the moment.
MCI is my idea of hell and why people like it is a mystery to me. Sure if you are a local exiting is quick but with the remote car rental hall there’s no exiting convenience for non-locals and the departure experience is flat-out terrible with tiny bathrooms, usually dirty, wet and messy, too small to handle the number of passengers in each departure area (I am old enough to remember when there weren’t *any* bathrooms). Then to access restaurants or newsagents or whatever you have to exit the secure area and usually walk a long way around the concourse to find what you are looking for, walk back and go through security again. Don’t get me started on the purgatory it is when your flight is significantly delayed. I have traveled all over the world and can’t think of a worse airport experience anywhere (Pulkovo 2 at LED was close but it’s been replaced by a nice new modern terminal).
Re the bleachers: I doubt you’ll see those in the United States for several reasons:
– people would be confused about how to use them, no matter how many signs there were
– folks would get into fistfights over who gets the top/bottom rows
– most significantly, the lawyers would say “Absoutely not” because of fears that someone would fall and hurt themselves or whoever they fell on
Ya know I’m right, alas…
Iv’e got bad news for you, KCI (MCI) in it’s current form is not long for this world. The two remaning horseshoe terminals, B & C (terminal A is already history) will be history in about 6 months when the new airport with a more traditional design opens in spring 2023.
You probably don’t get here often if ever, but CVG has a seating area with comfy chairs and TV’s at the bottom of the escalators that take you from the arrival gates to baggage claim.
Jeff
This dispatch is unnerving …
I have to say, your thoughts on US airports generally being terrible are correct. From their design, noise level filth they are a perfect metaphor for the state of our infrastructure in general. The restrooms at DCA perfectly capture all of these “qualities.” But at least gate 35X is gone.
However I have recently been to the new terminal A at SLC and the new terminal at MSY and I think they are great. Spacious, lots of natural light and clean. Same with DTW even though it’s not as new as these. What do you think?
I’m guessing you don’t spend much time in domestic lounges. I’m gold with Delta, so their lounges are my reference point. In my opinion they range from ok to awful, with just a few notable exceptions. The outdoor space in terminal F in ATL is fabulous but the lounge and food overall is average at best, just like in every other lounge there. The new lounge in SLC and PHX are bright, clean and have good food options and the outdoor space at SLC is amazing. Ever thought about doing a post with your ratings and how they could be improved?
Happy Holidays!
Jeff
And let’s not forget the inexplicably weird tunnel at O’Hare that connects United’s two Concourses. I’m referring to the one with the weird colored panels along the walls that bring to mind the tacky amusement rides at my local county fair. I haven’t been through ORD in a while, but I think that it still exists.
A hidden gem in our neck of the woods is the ‘Recombobulation’ area on the airside of the TSA security checkpoints at Milwaukee’s Mitchell Field. Providing an area to reassemble ones luggage, persona, and psyche, the well-signed areas are intended to add some comic relief to what can be a tense aspect of air travel, according to Barry Bateman, the former airport director who retired in 2020.
https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/recombobulationsigns
I’ll put in a plug for Pittsburgh International (PIT) as a great airport, blessedly free of crowds, with a unique (in my experience) design, interesting stuff to see, and several spots to hang out that are quiet and restful. Also a fine Calder mobile that could never be mistaken for a fish!
Plenty of anti-love for IAD here. I live 10 minutes from it, so it’s my airport and I’m used to it, but sure can’t disagree with the criticisms.
My favorite part of IAD (i.e., “stupidest part”) is how the AirTrain for terminal C stops a quarter mile from the terminal, since they built it to where Terminal C is *supposed* to be, not where the “temporary” Terminal C is — the one that’s been there for well over 30 years. Interesting definition of “temporary”.
Whenever I go through Terminal C, I keep an eye out for the non-locals whose consternation grows as they make the long trek to/from the train and wonder why.
I guess the exact inverse of this is the “subway” at MSP that runs for about twelve feet (OK, it might be 100 yards). I’ve been through there with colleagues and when we get on the train I tell them “You might as well sit down and get comfortable” and then get to laugh when we arrive at the end 20 seconds later! Ya gotta wonder whose brother-in-law got that contract…
I live in Tampa. It’s 50-year old airport has been undergoing improvements and construction all this time since opening. It is highly rated by most evaluations as NEAR THE TOP as the best airport in the world. It is beautiful and very much loved by the public. Walking distances are radically short.
Its remote car rental building and long-term parking have been relocated away from the main terminal, accessible on the property by modern shuttle cars. A second spoke-and-hub terminal is planned for around 2030.
IT IS THE BEST AIRPORT I HAVE EVER SEEN. ALL NEW INTERIOR DECOR WITH A TROPICAL FLORIDA FLAIR.
Slightly off topic but I know you have strong opinions about airline names and logos.
They have just announced a new budget airline will launch in Australia next year. It is to be call ‘Bonza airlines’
Love seeing the recognition for Indy! That’s my home town and my favorite airport because when I’m there, I’m going somewhere fun even if it’s for work. Unfortunately flying internationally with a starting point of KIND usually means two layovers. The “DON’T LEAVE YOUR BAGS UNSUPERVISED” announcement every three minutes has now been replaced with “WEAR YOUR MASK OR GET FINED” every three minutes. That’s all US airports though and as of last week was also the case for LHR and MAN. The British are following suit of annoying overplayed announcements.
Your recent essay on LGA and The Marine Terminal really evoked some memories. Back in the day, if I was destined to NYC, I always tried to go thru LGA if possible, one of the prime reasons being if you were coming from the south, the flight path, base and final approach vectors usually took you right over over very close to Manhattan and Queens at perhaps 3500′ or so and descending(?) And if you timed it for around sunset, the view looking west over Manhattan, The Hudson River and Jersey into the sunset and the shadows cast by the NY skyline was staggering.
If you sat on the port side, you’d get the view coming up The City north, and if you sat on the starboard side and they were landing on Runway 13, you get the late long view while they were on final. I always took port, because you never knew in advance which final they’d use to which runway, but you always got the view on the port side.
Thanks for the memories, as Bob would say.
Hidden Airport a lovely piece. Next time you are at SFO check out the museum and library. It’s beautiful, and the museum is fully-accredited and very well curated. I spent an afternoon at the library doing some research (staff most helpful) and donated my autographed, personally-inscribed copy of Jonathan Livingston Seagull to the collection in thanks. And Terminal 1, which is beautiful architecturally, has a terrific exhibit on Harvey Milk, for whom it is named, and other aspects of LGBTQ civil rights.
Having known that Calder mobile most of my life (it and I–a native New Yorker–are about the same age), it always evoked “flight” for me–so you see a fish, huh?
As for the garden at La Guardia, wow, great discovery. I have been to the Marine Terminal a few times over the years, but never noticed the garden. Last time I was passing through the Marine Terminal it was -10 with the wind chill outside and I was sliding through snow and ice trying to find the rental car shuttle before freezing to death. I avoid La Guardia if at all possible, but maybe someday I will get back there and check it out.
You do have a nasty anti-American streak in your writing though – I’ve picked it up in a few of your articles. I know you think you’re clever, and maybe you are in your circle of friends, but you’re not as smart as you think you are. Just wanted to give you a heads up in case you think you’re fooling anyone. That may be how you talk to your wife, but it doesn’t fly with the rest of us. (See what I did there?)
Late to the party here by several years from the looks of it, but one other standout feature of MSP is the Observation Lounge in Terminal D, near the McDonald’s. It’s not accessible per ADA standards, but you can head upstairs and get a view of operations along nearby sections of Terminals C-E, as well as takeoffs and landing along Runways 12L/30R. While not strictly enforced, its considered a “Quiet Area,” much like the aforementioned lounge. Whenever I’m traveling back home from my Minneapolis based office alone, its a favored refuge following lunch or dinner at either the Rock Bottom or Ike’s that are in that vicinity.
And… being unfortunate enough to be PHL based, just realized I referred to MSP’s CONCOURSES as Terminals, as is tradition here. Yes, Terminal 1 (Lindbergh), Concourse D. Sorry and thank you.
From the large to the small…
Allow me to put a kind word in for MVY. It’s a friendly place. Even the TSA seems chilled out. You walk off your flight (down the airstair if need be), across the tarmac, out the (chainlink) gate and into the arms of your waiting family. Parking is free, no staties telling you to move, now, and there’s no white zone for loading and unloading only. MVY is a pleasant little airport that serves kids flying in from far away to spend a week with their families on the Vineyard, as well as the Captains of Industry who jet in on their corporate Gulfstreams and the presidents who depart from the far side of the field in a gaggle of helicopters and Ospreys.
Sadly, I just read that the terminal is to be “upgraded” (supposedly to meet new FAA requirements) and (also required by FAA) that the upgrade is to be paid for by implementing Logan-style parking fees. Enjoy it while it’s still there.
Beautifully written! You really have an eye for the unseen beauty around us! I never knew Logan airport had a 9/12 memorial and I’ve been there more times than I can count! Keep up the fantastic work
MCI is a truly spectacular airport that does not work well in the modern super-duper security world. As you’ve noticed, it’s a wonderful airport to arrive at. Just a few steps to get off the airplane, a few more to baggage claim, and only a few more to get outside to catch a ride of some kind.
Departing from that airport was also a dream. No half mile walk from the ticket counter to the gate. The security system that got started in the early 70’s made some aspects a bit of a hassle, but not much. The ludicrously increased security post 9-11 made that airport unpleasant to fly out of as there were no bathrooms behind security.
When built, the hope was it would become a major transfer point for various airlines. Alas, that never happened. I don’t know if you realize that there are three terminals, one of which is completely empty, Terminal A, which is apparently where the new terminal will be. Originally there were to be four terminals, and if you look at that airport on a map it’s obvious where the fourth terminal, the never built Terminal D would have been.
In its own way, it’s like Dulles. That was another airport where you didn’t have to hike vast distances from ticket counter to gate, or from arrival gate to baggage claim. The mobile lounges from gate to planeside was fantastic. When it opened, no jets were could fly in and out of DCA, although that changed. I’ve flown in and out of IAD in recent years and it’s a nightmare of an airport.
Agreed about the Atlanta airport art exhibits. The African sculpture section is really beautiful too.
I LOVE the walk beneath the Atlanta airport. Did you see the drops of ‘water’ between the two sections done in light on the floor? Beautiful!
And the African music playing in the sculpture exhibit has welcomed me home from many trips overseas.
Yes, I’ve seen the “water” drops. You’re right, that’s a cool touch.
The African music, though… that whole Zimbabwe installation needs to be swapped out, I think. It’s better than NOTHING, but it’s been there forever and it’s gotten a little stale.
Not exactly hidden, as the art is a major piece right in luggage pickup, but I love “Samson” by Brian Goggin at the Sacramento Metro Airport. Not a huge deal, but rather whimsical. You can see a photo at
https://sacramento.aero/smf/about/art
It is the third piece down.
I know this is an older post; but I wanted to weigh in on MCI. I fly out of there frequently. What most people do not know is that the airport was “finished” just prior to 9/11. It literally had a completely open plan where you could walk from the front door to the gate in thirty steps. We flew from SFO to MCI on October 12, 2001 and we were immediately caught by the temporary, glass and plastic partitions, along with several new security scanners that had popped up. The ONE, more than tiny, problem with MCI is that there are NO BATHROOMS once you’re past security. Seriously. IF you need to go, and especially if you’re travelling alone, you have to leave the gate, exit the secure area dragging all your crap with you, and find the bathroom outside….then re-navigate security to get back to your gate. They finally installed a small soda/snack bar in the Delta terminal…you used to have to exit security for that, too. I think that’s the logic behind the redesign. The first time we departed out of MCI to return home, they stripped my then 3 month old down to his diaper because it hadn’t quite been a month after 9/11 and, since we bought a seat for his carseat, his ticket was selected for additional screening and the cornstarch based powder I used on his bottom got a sniffing by the dogs. Now, it’s a family legend (we even have pics): then, it was a pain in the ass we tolerated because, well, 9/11.
Happy to hear I’m not the only one that detests MCI. At least for some gates they later added small bathrooms but not enough to handle demand. Getting food or anything else still requires that you exit and reenter the secure area. Thankfully KC residents have finally woken up and endorsed a single consolidated replacement terminal.
Check out the two observation decks at Zürich Airport / Flughanen Zürich – ZRH.
On is inside the the security area and the other is outside.
Cost is CHF5.00 but free with a boarding pass of the same day
It’s a shame that these airports are upgrading to beautiful spaces while MIA looks like a dump. It is the gateway to the US from many cities, particularly Central and South America. It’s outdated, dirty and not traveler-friendly in the least bit.
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon every day.
It’s always interesting to read through
content from other authors and use something
from their websites.
If you’ve never been to the Albuquerque airport, it’s stunning Southwestern architecture and sunny observation deck make for an enjoyable wait before your flight.
My favorites:
MPL – the right-sized airport with efficent new security screening area, easy access from parking, even the AF staff are pleasant!
DTW – best international access to USA with efficient customs/immigration on the way in. No surprise midwesterners overweight – concourse offers fab selection of decadent American fast food.
IAD – international departure concourse has airside toilet for assistance dogs!
Worst
LTN – as Pam Ann said, I’d rather crash in Brighton than land at Luton.
Next time you are in RDU T2, make sure you check out “2nd Edition Used Books”, the sort of store every terminal should have. Heavy on the books normal humans actually like to read, light on the endless procession of buzzword-packed ghost-written CEO memoirs, and with personable and friendly help. They even have a few 1st editions and vintage books!
In 2008. I was working for a UK company that installed Common Use systems at Terminal 2 in RDU. We faced a bit of a technical challenge there, and with the opening day approaching, I was sent to try to organize our resources more efficiently (read: calm everybody down and make them work with each other again). Nevertheless, as I arrived I was told that the next day an open door event is being held to let the public see the new terminal building for the first time. To mark the occasion, everybody who worked over the years at T2 site (well, more like those who were present at that particular day) were given a large sheet of paper to sign. This sheet of paper was later made into metal plaque which proudly sits on the wall somewhere at the terminal. No need to say, even I spent mere two days at the site, my signature is now engraved for future generations to see and appreciate 🙂
i may have been hallucinating, but i remember my first visit to RDU in about 1972, when the (only) terminal was a small portion of what is now called Terminal 1. I recall it having three gatges, numbered 1, 4, and 11, to make people *think* the airport was that much bigger.
This may be an inaccurate memory, but that’s how i recall it.
My only complaint about RDU terminal 2 is the hike from one end to the other, in case you want to eat a different variety of airport food. The security lines are short, even for regular folks, and the TSA agents are human.
Ive just come home from a one month trip to the USA, after following you for so many years i was very interested in the airport designs.
Here is my feedback on a few. My favourite on the trip was Orlando, the layout was strange however it worked and it was quiet, comfortable and well equipped.
Memphis was extremely dated and it was a very long walk between gates. Atlanta is well equipped but the scale totally did my head in.
New Orleans was also rather dated (however i believe that a new terminal is under construction). JFK seemed ok but I only arrived through it and didn’t see much.
Las Vegas was way too spread out plus the slot machines made it tacky. And the less said about LAX the better.
Orlando is one of the most friendly and attractive big airports in America. As to JFK, the overall experience can be very terminal-specific. Kennedy is composed of six unconnected terminals (numbered, at the moment, 1,2,4,5,6, and 8), and they all are very different.
I have to respectively disagree with you with respect to MCI. I think it’s the singularly worst airport I’ve ever flown out of and would gladly choose CDG or FRA over MCI. Sure it’s quick from plane to the curb when arriving but that’s the only good thing I can think of. The car rental is remote so you still have to catch a shuttle bus to/from.
However it’s departing that I think it really sucks. Each gate has it’s own security area with just a pair of small two-stall toilets for 200 people. Plus if you want something to read or grab a bite you need to go back though security (with your luggage of course) and walk and walk around the horseshoe to get to the one or two choices open. IMHO it’s kind of like Purgatory except I’m sure Purgatory has better food and more toilets.
Check out the sculpture garden at GSP sometime.
Patrick, Thanks for helping to spread the word on MCI. Just FYI, the “remodel” of the KC terminal seems to be on hold. Once the powers-that-be surveyed they citizens, rather than the politicians and lobbyists, it was noticed that no one wnted the MCI space “fixed”.
“Massport really, really, really needs to do something about the public address pollution in the otherwise beautiful walkways that connect terminals A, E, and the central parking garage.”
This is a problem everywhere. It reminds me of that Harrison Bergeron story by Vonnegut where smart people aren’t allowed to think for very long so are interrupted periodically by very loud noises. You get shouted at about generic security warnings – shouted at about “welcome to (whatever local city this is)”, and then shouted at about flight announcements. Often the shouting is in stereo. They shout at you on the train “please stand clear of the doors, this train is departing”, shouted at in line, and shouted at near the gate. On the plane they shout at you – by the time the pilot comes on all I want is for him to keep it down to 3 sentences at most. If you are unlikely you are on a united flight offering DirecTV and the loudest shouting is reserved for the ads trying to get you to pay for DirectTV.
Isn’t that from the “Welcome to the Monkey House” collection? Wow, it’s been so long since I read that.
Vonnegut’s best book was “Slaughterhouse Five,” but his funniest was “Deadeye Dick.” My sentimental favorite, though, was the lesser-known “Jailbird.”
I have a framed autograph from KV hanging in my office room. He drew me a caricature of himself.
I totally agree on the announcements in the passageway to central parking – if you parked your car in the garage, it’s because you live there…having mayor Walsh welcome you to Boston is sort of pointless. Is there a petition we can sign?
Sorry Patrick, gonna have to go ahead and uh, disagree with you there. I fly to Kansas City frequently for work and I can’t stand that airport. Sure, it’s a nice short walk to the gate, but that’s about it. There is absolutely nothing (save for a small food/drink stand) past the security checkpoints. To even so much as use the restroom airside you have to trudge down a flight of stairs to the basement. And outside of security ain’t much better. Newsstand and a couple of crappy no-name bars is all you get. Good luck finding a power outlet if you need to charge, and even better luck finding one that actually works! And thanks to the airport’s ancient design, everyone tries to remain outside of security until the last possible minute, making for long lines at the checkpoints. I’ve gotten through at places like Newark/PHL faster than I do at MCI. And no PreCheck lines. Oh, I get the little pink card that lets me keep my shoes on. Whoop-de-doo.
End of rant.
Dead on right. Once you go through security it’s absolute hell. Headed there tomorrow, and I’m already dreading the return trip.
I have to agree that MCI stinks. Most of the pluses are basically because it’s a small city airport with relatively little traffic so not crowded. I do like the arrival experience – luggage is quick because the luggage truck doesn’t have far to travel, a quick walk outside, and since they put all rental car companies in one location it’s usually a short wait for the rental car bus. But departing – very bad, man. First, the unique design of the airport means you can’t go through security and then access all of the gates, so they created little 4-gate security zones with basically no amenities. This means any restaurant – and there are very few – is outside security. Lines generally aren’t bad, and I haven’t been there since 2010 so don’t know if they have pre-check, but you still realistically have to hang around the gate area a long time just in case.
The MCI wiki page has a very detailed write-up and this is an example of an airport with a unique and promising vision that fell totally flat. It was built with the intent of being a mid-country hub for TWA, but was immediately obsolete. The main problem they were trying to solve was reducing the long walk from parking to the gates, and they did that. But large planes like 747s overwhelmed the hallways. The early 70s hijacking era quickly made it clear that the airport simply had no room for security checkpoints – this was made much worse after 9/11. Soon, it became clear that a true hub would need more gates than the semi-circles allowed, and a faster way to transport people from gate-to-gate. But like DFW, the semi-circles prevented moving walkways from being installed. TWA asked KC to rebuild the terminals to fix these problems, but KC refused, TWA moved out, and now KC has this funny albatross.
The only advantage is that no one ever connects through MCI, so there is a lot less traffic. Flight delays are far fewer. Unfortunately, when a flight is delayed there is virtually no where comfortable to hang out.
And while we’re at it, here are some of my favorite spots in airports outside of the US (yes, I travel a lot):
HKG – One of my favorite airports anywhere. Can be a long walk between gates, but an enjoyable one because the ceiling is so high (4 stories?) and floor-to-ceiling windows means the planes are right there in front of you, the least claustrophobic airport in the world (along with PEK). No buses or shuttles to navigate (although there is a train if you want to take it). And you can always find quiet spots at the ends of the two offshoot terminals; it never feels very crowded (unless you’re in the food court).
Tokyo HND – Well laid-out and efficient, and so much easier to reach from Tokyo than the long haul to Narita – hop on the monorail at Hamamatsucho and you’re there in 15 minutes.
Berlin TGL – A real relic, what flying must have been like in the 1960s. Taxi drops you off and you’re 100 feet from the boarding gate. Like flying from an aviation museum.
SIN Changi – Some great things about my current hometown airport, although I don’t rate it as high as some. Many places to chill out (the butterfly garden is nice), but it bugs me that I can’t bring a bottle of water or soda on the plane because of the gate-by-gate security. No major airport is quicker from offloading to the taxi, though, and the lounges are huge.
Paris CDG – Don’t get me started; some interesting architecture, but the worst airport anywhere for passenger convenience.
I live overseas and don’t fly around the US as much as I used to these days, other than a few times a year through the usual hub hellholes like ORD, ATL (so unbelievably packed with people), CLT, and my old hometown LAX, which has really become a 3rd-world airport. If not for Global Entry, arriving there from overseas would be a 2-hour nightmare resembling the last scene in “The Year of Living Dangerously”.
But my favorite flying-related place anywhere has to be the temporary art installation in the United terminal walkway at SFO. It rotates every 4-6 months and is always full of the most interesting exhibits, not necessarily air-travel related (prior to the Super Bowl this year they had display cases with old memorabilia from each of the 32 NFL teams), but also exhibits on what it used to be like to fly United to Hawaii back in the 1960s, with menus, uniforms, promotional material. Or displays of old family board games, or the history of personal electronics. Always a treasure trove of some aspect of American social history, laid out in an unobtrusive way that doesn’t slow you down if you are in a rush to get to the gate. I make time for that on every trip through SFO. The airline museum in the International Terminal is also interesting, although as noted, is often closed.
MCI was built right before any security at all, and so the layout was even better back then. As you’ve noticed it’s a twenty foot walk curbside to jetway, although often longer because of the roundabout way you might have to go through security.
After 9/11 and the ludicrously enhanced security that ensued, there were no restrooms inside security, which was a huge problem. They’ve since constructed some, which is a help, but there was never much in the way of eating or shopping, and for some reason those things are considered necessary inside security. The terminals are simply too narrow to accommodate those things, and so a total rebuild has been considered.
I know that a few years ago, which airlines used which terminal got reshuffled, and one of them (terminal 3?) was mostly empty. There was originally an intention to build a fourth terminal, which is pretty obvious if you look at Googlemaps, or possibly when flying in our out, depending on how much sight-seeing you can do when landing the plane.
Two other wonderful small airports are the one in Evansville, Ind (EVV) and the one in Traverse City, MI, (TVC). The former has rocking chairs along one concourse also. TVC is simply pretty, well-designed, with a fairly new terminal.
Glad you finally made it to MCI. It’s all that an airport needs to be. A place to get on/off the plane. Other than Southwest, there is no reason to connect. We never became a big hub and that was a good thing. As we’d now be like STL, PIT, MEM, CLE and CVG. With all the mergers and bankruptcies, we went from over 200 mainline jet departures to around 160 today with half or more RJs on the three majors. Terminal A was closed and and the other two are not fully used with several empty gates unlikely to ever be used. The current airport needs 750 million or more in renovations for infrastructure, not for unneeded frills like shops and restaurants. The airport commission has been convinced by the airlines, mainly SWA, that a new single terminal with fewer gates is needed. A new single terminal is not that much more costly than fixing the current ones.
“all that an airport needs to be”
Try saying that when you have a few hours’ delay there. Happened to me twice in the last year at MCI. It’s nice to be able to get a decent bite to eat.
I’d like to nominate the airport at Jackson Hole as a scattered exception. It is, as we say in New Zealand, pretty as. (Outside, obvs, but inside too.)
Terminal-to-terminal transfers at MCI used to be a bad hassle, as the buses ran infrequently and only in one direction around the circle. I came in once on a flight whose touchdown was delayed by a sudden and very histrionic hailstorm. By the time I got clear of the gate, my connection, at the terminal furthest away in bus topology, was due to leave in 18 minutes. The buses would not have got me there; after requesting, but not receiving, advice, I walked, which one is clearly not *expected* to do. My flight was just finishing boarding when I got there.
One of ABQ’s many grace notes “hides in plain sight,” smack in the middle of everything, yet mostly unnoticed by people rushing around with their head down and their mind in a cellphone: a 1914 biplane hanging from the ceiling.
https://www.cabq.gov/culturalservices/albuquerque-museum/museum-collections/history/online-history-exhibitions/the-1914-ingram-foster-biplane
Airports with aircraft on display are always a favorite of mine. Another great one is MDW, with its WW2 Douglas Dauntless dive bomber as showpiece of an educational exhibit about the eponymous battle; and of ORD has an F4F Wildcat fighter similar to the one flown by their namesake “Butch” O’Hare.
O’Hare also has what I think of as the Minbari Cathedral, officially “The Sky’s the Limit” — what might have been just another people mover connecting two concourses was turned into an experiential art installation with a mile of neon and 23,000 square feet of mirror, not to mention New Age music.
2 Stories about airports. Where there is always an opportunity to do good!
Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you.”
–Augustine of Hippo (St. Augustine)
1. In the tunnel at ATL: http://southgeek.blogspot.com/2010/11/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html
2. ICT -wichita… great little airport as well!
http://southgeek.blogspot.com/2010/11/wichita.html
I have some fond memories of SJC (San Jose, CA) back in the mid-80s. Nothing fancy, but easy to use. My job was field support for a computer system, and it required going to SJ one week out of 3. We had a corporate apartment to use during the week, but on Friday afternoon I got to go home.
I would leave the customer’s building, get in the car, drive to SJC, and park it in the Hertz lot. A moment to fill in the quick check-in form, hand it and the keys to the Hertz employee. Maybe 50 feet to the terminal door, walk in, walk right through the metal detector, and off to the gate.
I would plan to arrive at the airport 15 minutes before my flight departed, and if traffic slowed me down by 5 minutes I would still be okay.
Then the powers-that-be decided they needed more space, or something. Now the rental car lot is most of a mile away. You drive in, check in (that part is still fast), and wait for a shuttle bus to the airport proper. For some odd reason I left that job a few months later.
I had an interesting experience at the old SJC terminal in the mid-90’s. I flew in from Portland and as I turned to walk through the terminal to get to baggage claim, I ran straight into a full grown Indian elephant standing in front of the ticket counters! “Now that’s something you don’t see everyday.” I told myself.
Turns out they were filming a Bill Murray movie where he inherits an elephant and has to take it cross country… http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116823/
Having traveled most of my life I completely agree with you about MCI. Other than airports in some African countries (where I received special treatment) I have never had a quicker experience with any airport.
Having said that, I love spending time in airports and usually arrive 4 hours before any international flight I take, much to the chagrin of my wife. Every human experience can be seen at any given airport on any given day and if you know just a little about how airports work, you can always find the best places to relax and either people-watch or just sit back and enjoy. I still remember a hidden bar & grill at JFK that allowed smoking even after the indoor ban took affect. It was occupied by mostly airport workers with very few travelers, all of whom had been given instructions on how to navigate the empty hallways and unmarked doors leading to it.
I don’t comment often but I wanted to thank you for your posts and to let you know that I enjoy them immensely.
Safe travels,
Eric
Thanks PS as always. Let’s not forget one of the most pleasant spots at one of the pleasant airports around: HNL. Near the interisland terminal, before it connects to the main Hawaiian Air terminal (I think the gate #’s are in the late 50s), there is the most lovely sunken garden, filled with grass to lie on, benches to sit on, and plumeria trees almost always laden with flowers.
Too bad MCI is an hour drive into town!
John
MCI is 12 miles to downtown Kansas City down I29. 15 minutes at most. I am 30 miles from MCI and it’s a 30 minute drive to the Terminals or Economy Lot.
Downtown Kansas City isn’t too far away, but if you live in Overland Park (as I did for 18 years) or Olathe, it’s a good 45 minute drive. Once I went to a concert by some Irish group, and while they loved coming to Kansas City, they said that you could drive across most of Ireland in the time it took to get from the airport to the city!
Hi Patrick.
Great piece on quiet spots.
My favourite is at HNL – it’s the triangle shaped wedge garden located between the inter-island terminal and the walkway to Hawaiian’s big plane concourse. It’s on ground level which means you take the stairs down to ground level to get to it (all this is open air). There, you can lie on the grass, get more sun, watch birds, smell plumeria, and best of all, listen to the sounds of jets spooling up.
Off the beaten path and very pleasant environment at GSP. Garden, fountains, sculpture, all very close to departure gates and runways.
Have you been to TVC? It gets my vote for the most artistic, beautiful airport. The terminal is Arts and Crafts/Frank Lloyd Wright inspired. It encompasses the openness and natural setting of the Grand Traverse region. The welcome area is reminiscent of a north woods lodge, with a glowing stone fireplace and a beautiful art glass collection. The terminal is filled with cherry wood, copper light fixtures, stone wainscoting, and stained glass in the famous Frank Lloyd Wright style.
I am glad to hear that some airports offer Quiet Zones. And not only for those who have long lay overs & need sleep. I would love to see Quiet Zones in all airports–must mute cell phones, take any loud conversations elsewhere,as in, if others can hear your conversation, it it too loud….
Came through MSP on 4-30-15. Thanks for the heads-up about the Quiet Seating Area. Spent a 4-hour layover there, reading and napping and listening to some live music coming from the concourse below. Very nice. Thanks for the tip!
I’m waiting to hear just one positive thing about Philly.
Robert-Ain’t gonna happen. Cheers!
I actually like Philly! Maybe I’m biased because it’s my home airport, but there’s plenty of shopping and eating options, and you can walk between all of the terminals (except for F) airside.
My only gripe with PHL (with the exception of A West & F) is the narrow concourses. The passageways are only about 15 feet wide and always get choked up with slow-moving people. If you’re late for a flight and need to run this can be a big problem.
Security can be a little longer than average but I’ve always breezed through PreCheck with ease.
I was in the Minneapolis airport enroute to Houston TX on August 1, 2007. The I-35 bridge collapsed that day.
What I’ve always found entertaining about MSP is the “subway” to the rental cars — it runs about 100 yards. Somebody made a fortune building that thing, I imagine!
That MSP cable car also links the terminal to the light rail station. That light rail line also has a stop at the secondary terminal.
“Quiet area” — So nobody shouting down a cell phone (“Buy low! Sell high!”)?
This is excellent!!
What? You passed through MSP without a single mention of the Observation Deck? I’m horrified – plus, I submit that the Observation Deck is a much quieter space than the Quiet Seating Area.
I plead guilty for neglecting the observation deck — one of the last such decks at any major airport in the U.S. I’ll have to save it for another installment. I didn’t realize it was still there until only yesterday, when I saw a sign for it in one of the concourses. I didn’t have time to check it out. I haven’t been up there since 1980!
For anyone who is interested, the Observation Deck is located in Concourse D. I would say that you can’t miss it, but that’s apparently not true, since there’s almost never been anyone there whenever I go.
Been to the MSP observation deck and like it. Recently to the Iconic LAX mid-airport structure – believe it was built in the early 60’s as a futuristic space age structure. Most people don’t know it’s open to the public above the restaurant and its outdoors, with a view of the runways on each side. You need to walk outside between the terminals to get there, and there are no signs, even when you get into the building – I just hit an up elevator and voila, to the deck!
RDU has a nice observation deck with live ATC feed. My home airport ILM (Wilmington, NC) is putting up a sheltered one under the Tower-I provide the local ATC feed for LIVEATC.net. Would like to see more airports do this – It always seems to be a hit.
RDU is a great airport in general. The new terminal there is one of the nicest in the U.S.
I’m partial to the observation deck, as well. It does, however, have final boarding announcements for flights. Mercifully, it does not have every flight, every group, every announcement, piped in. All in all, it’s pretty palatable.
But much to Patrick’s chagrin, I’m sure, there are no CNN tv’s wailing away.
The only probelm with the observation deck is it’s on the wrong side. The south side has more activity with the heavies and traffic to and from Humprey.
I am heading to Minneapolis in a couple of weeks. If I have time I will check out the quiet zone. Thank you for the timely post.
MSP might have undistinguished architecture, but it was the airport used to film “Airport” back in the late 60’s.
Not a lot nice can be said of Hartsfield, but terminal E is a gem.
As is Terminal F, particularly if you want to actually see out!
Another nice amenity is the aviation library at the International Terminal in San Francisco; a very restful place. Unfortunately it’s not always open.
One airport that will probably never be on anyone’s “best” list but should be is T.F. Green in Providence (KPVD). While the terminal is compact and small by anyone’s standards, the layout is simple and the atmosphere is relaxed and laid back. A traveler with just carry-on baggage can be on Rt. 95 within 15 minutes of touching down.
Detroit Airport (DTW). The tunnel between the A and B/C concourses, is lined with color-changing glass panels synced to new-agey music. Riding the moving walkways and enjoying the show is a soothing way to kill a few minutes.
Also, at the top of the escalator at the A end, there’s a fountain made of a disk of black stone, shooting bursts of water across it. I’ve been told it’s supposed to represent the different routes that Northwest then flew.
I often see parents using both to distract travel-crabby children.
I appreciate the Honolulu Airport very much. I love everything in the area. The airport traffic is good and I will land here again next year!
General Mitchell in Milwaukee is a terrific airport. Good food, free ping pong tables and a signed “Recombobulation Area” after the TSA station – which is manned by helpful humans, not hostile androids – are highlights. There is also a magnificent book store, Renaissance Books, which sells used, collectible and new books.
MKE in Milwaukee is indeed a very nice airport. The bookstore is wonderful; a remarkable collection for such a relatively small space. There are good views of the field from on top of the parking structure as well.
I’ve always wondered about what looks like a memorial garden at Newark; It’s visible from the airport train on the way to the NJT/Amtrak station. Does anyone know what it is?
MKE is great! And you get get cheese curds there too!
I agree that JFK T3 should rank near the bottom — especially the large addition from 1967 built to accommodate the 747. But I am still going to miss it. It’s one of the jet age terminals and when you look past the overcrowded check-in area and other unforgivable shortcomings, there is still a great relic of the early 1960’s, The Pan Am Worldport. I’m sure it’s not the least bit practical to keep it, but I’m sad to see this and the late terminal 6 (The National Airlines Sundrome designed by I.M. Pei) fall to the wrecking ball.
T5 may also be an aesthetic nightmare airside, but at least they didn’t tear down the old TWA Flight Center.
Newark airport is horrible. Transporting passengers from one terminal to another is ridiculous. Get off one bus to get on another bus to finally get to a terminal and then climb 20 stairs outside (while lugging suitcases, etc.)to get inside the airport.
Bus? You must use the economy lot. EWR has a monorail connecting all its terminals.
Agree that terminals A & B are crap but the Continental (now United) terminal C is very nice, especially the newest concourse with the high ceilings.
Frankfurt? It used to be great, but my recent experience belied any reputation it used to have. First, the terminals are aging, somewhat dirty, and maintenance is lacking. Second, we arrived at a bus gate (!!?), had to be driven all the way back to the main terminal, go through a massive line at security, and then run all the way back to a gate not too far away from where we originally were scheduled to deplane. We made our flight by 3 minutes, but our luggage did not. Combine that with a miserable experience on Lufthansa (my wife and I had booked seats together but were both re-booked in center seats apart from each other, and the flight was so over-booked that I saw them move one man to three different center seats before we departed), I doubt I’ll be transiting through Frankfurt again.
Even if we eliminated the necessity to fetch and recheck bags, etc, people would still fly via Asia, simply because flying via the US would likely entail US airlines (or a change of carrier.) Can you imagine 25 hours on United?
SFO yoga room:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/26/sfo-yoga-room-terminal-two_n_1235363.html
Timely. My husband and I were discussing some travel we will be doing to the US later this year. Heading to New Orleans first, then Denver, then home to Calgary. For the YYC to MSY leg, we cannot get a direct. We have several choices of where to transfer, but it wasn’t even a question. We will transfer at Pearson to avoid more than one US airport for the day. Pearson isn’t exciting to hang out in, but at least it’s pleasant. And we were very relieved to note that there are directs home from Denver.
Love this post for those hidden gems. Are there any in the MSY or DEN airports? 🙂
One of the little known but much appreciated amenities of many airports is the USO. There is one hidden in most major airports. When traveling for the military you can stop in, watch a movie, get internet access, a bite to eat or a place to crash overnight all free of charge. I have not had the opportunity to use one in a few years but I always donate when I see them fundraising.
One of the little known but much appreciated amenities of many airports is the USO.
How about the central garden in Honolulu’s airport? It has to be at least two acres of lush plants, streams and koi ponds. Here’s some links to pictures.
http://hawaii.gov/hnl/customer-service/images/2006HNLJapaneseGarden01.JPG/image_preview
http://hawaii.gov/hnl/customer-service/images/2006HNLHawaiianGarden05.JPG/image_preview
There’s also the interisland terminal garden.
http://hawaii.gov/hnl/customer-service/images/CBLansing.JPG/image_preview
I love that walkway at Logan. I can attest that they are very comfortable rocking chairs!
It’s not really hidden, but the Honolulu airport has a beautiful outdoor garden that includes a memorial to C.B. Lansing (the flight attendant was was killed when the fuselage of Aloha Airlines 243’s fuselage ruptured in flight). It’s part of the interisland terminal.
Agreed. It’s a little oasis of an oriental style garden with ponds, shade trees, and little pavilions. It’s a great place to relax while waiting for a flight, or eating a snack. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get much ventilation as it’s surrounded by building, and the rest of the airport isn’t worth talking about. But, that garden is probably the best hidden feature of the airport. It’s visible from the domestic/international terminal, but it’s not heavily used. I live there, but even I appreciate it. 🙂
I’m Australian who visits Europe every couple of years, and I’d never go via the US. Singapore is by far the best transit I’ve found – straight off the plane into the terminal, with transfer train/buses between terminals or you can just walk (nice straight corridors you don’t get lost in), somewhere to have a swim and a shower, no checked in bags to worry about, free computer terminals to send emails/ read this website :), NO announcements except in emergencies, butterfly house to explore or fish ponds to look at, big windows to watch the planes, information desks to help with whatever, and if you’re stuck for something to do the internet start up page has a list of everything that’s available, with different suggestions for different amounts of time you’re there (up to “take a tour of Singapore – no visas required”). Other airports should follow their example.
Can I just throw out some effusive praise for Washington National Airport? Yes, technically it’s called Reagan now, but I liked the old name. Not necessarily in functionality, but in sheer aesthetics. I love that vaulted, cathedral-esque main area.
At the time of renaming Washington airport after Reagan, some sorehead complained that the airport was already named after a president,
I was one of those, I admit. Also, I don’t object to naming things after Reagan, but I object to naming EVERYTHING after him.
Most Washingtonians call it DCA or National 🙂
It’s worth noting this airport shares grounds with some of the old Custis plantation (George Washington’s wife’s family) and part of an excavation can be visited as well. Unfortunately you do have to go outside security, which makes it a bit inconvenient.
And there’s a great planespotting park within WALKING distance of the airport. Gravelly Point is almost directly under two of the approach paths at DCA.
When I used to work for Allegheny (whose headquarters were in a terminal in DCA), we would often go to gravelly point at lunchtime (along with some libations).
DCA is quite honestly a delight to fly in and out of, as long as you are on a long-haul jet instead of a regional to somewhere in the northeast. The regionals depart from a confusing set of gates and then require a walk down a jetway to a crappy and crammed little bus that whisks you out to all the little jets parked in a row. Yeah, I get the romance of the stairs to the plane in the open air, but I could skip giving up even my laptop bag and then the teeny-tiny aisles!!!
At DCA, TSA is fast and friendly, even the furthest gate is steps away from the Metro, there are lots of electrical outlets on standing-height tables in the terminals, and in general, it’s sparkly clean. Even the food and gift shops seem better, and they are definitely MUCH cheaper on comparable items when you look at IAD prices. Is this because it’s the airport our Senators and Congress-critters tend to use? Even if that’s the reason, I’m HAPPY for it. I have been in and out of IAD once and DCA three times in the past four months, and I’m not going back to IAD if I can avoid it!
I flew home to SEA last night on AS 3, and we actually pushed back 14 minutes EARLY because they were concerned about stronger-than-usual headwinds. We were at our gate in Seattle 11 minutes early. That would never-ever happen on a departure from IAD.
BTW, only tourists call it “Reagan”. Locals and frequent-fliers all still call it “National”.
When Virgin America started service SFO-DCA, the billboards outside SFO explicitly said “Washington National.”
Oh that’s awesome. I never noticed!
Odd – IAD and DCA are both the same Airport Authority, so the “Mall Prices Here” thing should apply to both. I don’t go often to IAD because offsite parking at BWI is so much better, and if I can I’ll simply hop the river to DCA.
If you’re mentioning all the gates being steps away from Metro, you might not have yet found the old terminal A. There’s rotating art on the walkway to A, and a little museum, now with some multimedia, about the airport’s history as well as the history of the location.
Flying into and out of A (which I do if I fly SWA/Airtran) is an absolute breeze if one has a ride; it’s maybe a couple hundred yards, tops, to the outside doors from the gate, with baggage claim across the way from the ticket counters, right by the door.
After all these years I only just found the Custis plantation ruins a few weeks ago after an Honor Flight. (I go in and out of TSA Term C a /lot/) I’m trying to remember whether it’s closer to B or A, but the TSA line at A is rarely there let alone long, at least in the midday.
Another nice thing about the new National terminal is that they use sound-absorbing materials extensively throughout.
I worked for ten years at DCA, and I will NEVER call it by the current name. I just hope I live long enough to witness them changing the name back.
Especially when you take into account his firing of the Air Traffic Controllers, it’s sacrilege to name an airport after him.
It’s not hidden, really, but can easily be overlooked if you depend on the Automated People Mover to get around: the Atlanta Airport Art Program (http://tinyurl.com/bjtx27f).
Usually very hidden, though, at Atlanta and 30-some other airports, is the non-denominational chapel–an oasis of calm amidst the nerve-jangling announcements, TVs, crying babies, and general chaos. On a long layover, if there’s no wine bar, that’s usually where I’ll hang out, just reading quietly or meditating.
The chapel at Cleveland is pretty easy to find if you want to, but very few people use it, so it’s pretty quiet. It’s near the beginning of Terminal B, as I recall (I haven’t flown through Cleveland in a few years, so my memory is hazy).
I unexpectedly found myself at Boston Logan in November with some time to kill… I liked the airport and if I ever get back there will hopefully get the chance to check this walkway out. Nice to hear about the LAX rose garden too, thanks Klaus!
Another hidden gem is the Rose Garden at LAX. It is located next to Terminals 7 & 8 (see http://goo.gl/maps/HUufT – it is the curved garden between the building and the freeway). Strolling under the freeway you get to a memorial garden square with an American flag that reminds us of those that gave their lives in aviation duty.
Both gardens have a very peaceful atmosphere – and on a couple of occasions I have very nearly missed my onward flights!
Klaus