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Friday, May 25, 2007 12:00 AM

Ask the Pilot

A filthy lobby, sullen-faced employees, no place to sit, and a vague sense of danger all add up to the World's Worst Airport.

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  • Sunday, May 27, 2007 07:25 AM

    MCI and...

    MCI stands for Midcontinent International. Airport codes in the US never begin with K's, N's or W's, because those are reserved for broadcast stations. I am not sure why Canadian airport codes all begin with a "Y."

    I enjoyed the airport at Brainard, Minnesota (I believe it is called Crow Wing Airport). One woman to run the whole place--she takes tickets, does tarmac work, loads and unloads the baggage, is the fry cook...

    Madison, Wisconsin has a gorgeous new airport designed with Prairie Architecture. Good beer too. Minneapolis, Orlando, Houston and Washington-National (one of my home airports) are probably the best large airports in the US. Long Beach is indeed wonderful, but over capacity. I think that in light of how busy it is, O'Hare is actually a miracle--it works better than it should.

    LAX, JFK and Boston Logan are pretty bad. Security at Logan strikes me as lax. Security lines at Dulles are moving much better now, and Terminal B there is quite pleasant--one needn't take an awful "mobile lounge" to get there, and the food options are good.

    Relative to national affluence, I agree that CDG is the worst. Dhaka, on the other hand, is surprisingly clean and functional. And I just give a "porter" TK 50 to carry my bag 100 yards--he needs the money more than I do. Immigration is inefficient but polite.

    Mumbai, Cairo and Quito are no better or worse than could be expected. Singapore is by far the best airport I have ever used; even with a 20 hour layover, it is pleasant. One can rent a room for a small charge, get a nice haircut, drink a Singapore Sling, and shop at interesting stores. I will be going to the new Hong Kong airport for the first time this summer; it has a great reputation, and so I am looking forward to seeing what it is like.

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