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As a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, I’ve spent a fair amount of time at this airport. I can say it is NOT worthy of this scathing title. I’m not defending its cleanliness or the volume of “dubiously intended hangers-around,” but a few polite but firm words will, at best, elicit a laugh and, at worst send them on their way. While a sense of humor and lowered expectations are a must (functioning ATMs? Please…), the bar is a great place to get a cold beer and enjoy the wonderful chaos or, as the author refers to it, the “muggy sort of dignity.” Who is acting sullen now?
It is no fault of Senegal’s, or a reflection of its “national pride,” that the airport did not live up to the author’s romanticism. To be sure, where did the idea of wanting to be “sandwiched in the back of the overbooked Airbus with luggage-laden Africans" come from?
It is possible to find negative experiences at any airport – developed and developing countries alike. I have certainly had my fair share of mishaps at airports from Philadelphia to Tajikistan. I would argue; however, that the ungracious title of the World’s Worst Airport it is more a reflection of the author’s state of mind. The alternatives are simple: either stay home or leave the expectations on the tarmac, hop on the airport shuttle that takes you about 20 feet from the plane’s stairs to the terminal, and enjoy the experience!
