In the last Geo Quiz in November we asked you to name an international airport with a bad reputation -- and as we all know there are lots of candidates. Maybe you can share a personal experience...
What was your worst experience at an international airport?
Where was it? Were you stranded because of delays? Security alerts? Were people there friendly and understanding or rude and unhelpful?
At Rangoon,Burma International Airport probably the worst airport in South East Asia and I wouldn't be surprised if its one of the worst in Asia. So I went to the toilet to take a crap only to find out afterwards that there was no toilet paper. As nobody was in the restroom, I scooted over to the other stalls in the hope of finding one but all was in vain. So I walked over to the sink(with my pants still at my ankles)to try to use the water there and voila, no water. Finally I rubbed the crap off my butt with my briefs/boxers and left the boxer right there in the stall. some experience it was. my email is mersformule@yahoo.com
rangoon,burma international airport which is the worst in south east asia and one of the worst in asia. So i took a crap in the restroom only to find out that there was no toilet paper. since no was in the restroom, i scooted over to other stalls in the hope of finding one but to no avail. i walked over to the sink (still with my pants at my ankles)to try to use the water there and voila, no water. finally, i rubbed the crap off my behind with my briefs/boxers and left it there in the stall. don't let this happen to you.
In response to not having toilet paper in the restrooms at Rangoon,Burma airport...you must be a guy. There are wet wipes now, I suggest you bring some when traveling anywhere these days Tissue is another great thing to bring. Prepare yourself ahead of time and just in case Sir!!
One of the worst airports I've seen in a Western country is New York JFK, which has all the charm of a Greyhound bus station. Quite a poor introduction to the wealthiest country in the world. Frayed carpets, and slow and inefficent service is what I remember about JFK.
Couldn't agree more with the comments about US customs officials. They and the TSA folks can be horribly rude without reason. Just the tone of their voice when they speak to people is generally rude.
In the late 1980's, I had been done a consulting assignment for the World Bank in Malawi and was transiting through Nairobi on the way to Rome to get back to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I left on an early morning flight and arrived in Nairobi around 10:00 AM. to connect to a flight to Rome at Noon. I waited in the lounge with, of course, no information when in mid-afternoon, Kenya Airways finally acknowledged that the plane was "delayed". Around 9:30 in the evening, they rounded up the passengers and said that they would put us up at a hotel in Nairobi. We collected our luggage under the eyes of the inevitable guards with machine guns from the gigantic pile of luggage heaped in a storage room. (Hint: This must be where all of lost luggage must end up. I still can't figure out how luggage with a baggage tag for Anchorage Alaska ended up in Kenya.)
They picked us up early the next morning and took us back to the airport. The plane, which turned out to be an old Boeing 707, finally arrived in Nairobi at around 7:00 PM. The technicians immediately began working on the #4 engine. Finally, they closed up the engine around midnight and called the flight. As we waited in line to walk out to the plane and identify our luggage, I mentioned to the passenger next to me that "We might actually leave this time." He turned back to me and remarked casually "Don't count on it. I was on this flight about a month ago with this same plane. They had the same problem with the engine then but decided to take off anyway. The engine failed on takeoff and the pilot aborted the takeoff and the plane went off the end of the runway."
Having been in Africa long enough to know that "It will work this time, insh'allah!!!" is standard operating procedure, and not wishing to die gloriously, I took the ticket back and walked out to the tarmac and sat on my luggage. They held the plane and tried to convince me to get on the plane. I wished them luck and waved as they closed the door of the plane. It turned out that Kenya Airways had decided skip going to Rome and decided to go to Frankfort instead, so it really did not make any difference anyway.
I finally got back to Jeddah via Saudia. Probably the only time that I voluntarily flew on Saudia Arabian Airlines, but that is another story.
Me and my daddy were going to catch a flight out of Paris at Charles de Gaulle Airport. It wasnt so much the airport that was bad, I very much liked it, it was the airline:American Airlines. We were about to register our luggage when they said the flight to Boston was cancelled becuase it was underbooked. So they gave us a 1 hour wait in CdH, and then we got on a plane to go to Heathrow Airport in Britain. I really liked it in Britain. But we had a layover of 2 hours there so it got kinda boring considering we were in an airport. But it was a very nice airport. After that, we got on our plane to Boston and we were on a 6 hour flight.
I had a real bad experience with an AA flight once.
I purchased a ticket from MAN to ORD and I got my ticket and bill, a day later, I received a second billing, they changed the my ticket w/o my knowledge for a day on which I could not possibly fly. After a week of negotioating with their service, which of course is based out of India, and in the UK is nott a free hotline, but bore like a 1-900 at about 45p a minute (90cents) they listned to the recordings that they make of the phone calls and realized that I was right, so they changed it back, however without any recompense.
I have had plenty worse, but this was part of a bad story of AA
All airlines suck! I've recently reached the conclusion that part of the training to work for an airline company is to master rudeness! I've experienced it with AA, US Air and Delta. The ONLY airlines that have been friendly to me have been Aerosvit and Aeroflot. Keep in mind that I am NOT, nor have I EVER been one of the customers who complains or makes waves. I ALWAYS try to smile and be nice to those who are there to "help" me. I really wish the US would get their act together with rail service and I'd only use the airlines for crossing oceans. They've got us over a barrel and they know it! Pity.
I am now thankful that I was delayed due to incompetence at Athens International after reading some of the previous stories. Hold on to your ticket and boarding pass at the check-in counter in Athens. Olympic Airlines ticketing forgot to give me my ticket back and I had a four hour layover and didn't know I needed my ticket and boarding pass (I'd flown with them previously and didn't realize this) and when I went to board the plane, even though I had a boarding pass with my name and my passport, they would not let me on the plane. After spending 150E at a hotel for the night (I wasn't going to sleep in the airport) and paying 20E to cover the "lost ticket fee" (even though the airline accepted they screwed up--I still had to pay) I was on my way to my destination and only arrived 24 hours late. Then, the airlines canceled my return flight because I hadn't arrived at my destination on my original ticketed flight--but I did end up getting 200E out of them for their mistake--and only got delayed 6 hours back to Athens.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan -- I was accused of having counterfeit money. At the time, you had to pay an exit fee of USD25. I handed two twenty dollar bills. They said my money was not real. So I handed two more, which they accepted. Another trip to Ashgabat I had difficulty leaving the country because I did not have a declaration form. The reason I did not have this form is that a colleague helped me get into the coutry faster by bypassing customs, which avoided me from completing the delcaration form. The language barrier made the situation more difficult. What I thought was a favor upon entry obviously proved to be a real headache during my departure. I was searched like a criminal, and then some. As we were getting ready to depart, policemen boarded the plane and took the only other fair-skinned passenger from the plane, and he did not return to the plane. Still do not know why to this day. My visits to Ashgabat occured between 2002-2004, and all were very nice while in country. Beijing entry and departing are adventures too, but it's especially an adventure departing Beijing on a China domestic flight -- absolute chaos!!
Been to Ashgabat MANY times as a military pilot. It went a bit smoother, but boy is the corruption rampant. They would pack me in a little car with a translator and a driver and send me into this dilapidated terminal (after running at about 75 mph down a road with crumbling buildings and walls on either side) to "pay." We would have to strip all insignia off our uniform (like I wasn't an American with his big gray plane outside, right?) and get sneers from all the locals as we came in. I always felt like I could be abducted at any time. But, as luck would have it, I did get a wedding proposal and a few date requests from the "girls" (term used loosely) working the terminal from their tiny, former communist, efficiency cubicle. I politely declined their requests however, as I don't know if my dental plan would cover the required work. Overall, nothing but very creepy experiences there, can't say I ever felt too safe other than the fact the country is run with a pretty strong arm and not much tolerance for terrorism... we hoped.
I think the most in depth search is the frisking you get in between flights in Frankfort, Germany. I fly alot and it is just as bad as Baghdad. The best thing to do is carry no liquid or as little as possible.
I used to fly in and out of Frankfurt all the time. They were strict as hell, but they generally courteous and professional. Once I, an American, kinda lost it on baggage check for being so anal, and they politely and professionally informed me that they had no desire to go looking for my hair-curler either (it had showed up on the x-ray), but that after 9/11 it was my government that made them do it.
San Diego airport is as strict as Frankfurt, but the airport personnel is twice as rude. The staff is paranoid, unfriendly and utterly uninterested in decent customer service. I always recommend to people going in and out of San Diego that they are better off flying out of Tijuana International Airport (40 minutes south). You have to keep a close eye on your things there and lock your car tight in the parking garage, but most airline staff and security guards to their best to assist travelers, and are generally very helpful.
I am frequent traveler, and have an experienced of over 70 international airports world wide., but this is the first time I have bitter experienced when I travelled to Casablanca from Dubai on Emirate Airlie code sharing with Air Moroc on December 14 after a lapse of 10 hours transit I took again Air Maroc flight to Cotonou of Benin in West Africa. This flight was via transit Lome of Togo, flight landed safely at Lome Airport, but it takes hours and hours flight didn't move than passenger start shouting.. sweating, sofocations by sitting in Aircraftm later they advice us to go to transit lounge at 1.am., The airport was dark no light, no airconditions, no food no drinks, The Maroc Airport manager said it is matter of an hour... but later they allow hotel to those passenger those were boarded at Lome airport but they didn't allow all international passenger to take Hotel on Airline account, neither on passenger's account... So with enjoying of false commitment of Airline Manager, we were are around 35 passenger emojoying in darkness with mosquito bites... finally after alapse of over 9 hours we took same flight to Cotonou... Becareful with Air Maroc and Be careful with Lome Airport.
I would rather post airports that overall were a good experience. They should serve as models for others. Two come to mind, Savannah, GA and Dallas, TX.
Although they have it designed quite well and it handles a massive amount of traffic, it is the staff that get me. Whoever is in charge of hiring seems to be targeting only fresh-off-boat migrants who must be having a hard time finding any other type of work or something. That in itself is not a bad thing as it is giving jobs to people who need them. But it is the staff attitude, and I am convinced it is tied into the type of people they hire as well as the general New Jersey/New York "I don't give a crap about you attitude". Everywhere from check-in, baggage handling, food outlets to the rental car companies, most of the people you deal with do not seem to regard you as worth their time or effort and ANY attempt to help you is ALWAYS half hearted, if at all. Usually they are involved with some personal discussion with a co-worker nearby (most of time in some other language) or on the phone or reading a magazine and you are but an annoyance that they have to interrupt their main pastime for, unbelievable. On my most recent trip there (jan08), I had 2 flights canceled in 2 days, which gave me a fantastic 3 days there. When I finally went to rent a car to drive myself away from that place, I had a guy in the rental car lot wave his hand, mutter something I couldn't make out and then go back to his magazine when I dared to ask for a different model car to the one he gave me. At that point 3 days worth of Newark airport stress unloaded on him, poor guy, I'm sure he thought he could get away with his terrible attitude, they all do there. I would rather be stuck in Mohamed Murtala airport in Nigeria or Chennai or Delhi airports than go through Newark with its staff again.
TSA people were ok.
On any future trips to the US, I'm going to avoid Newark liberty, actually, I'm going to avoid the entire New York area if I can.
On October 2006 I traveled with another 2 friends. We were coming back from Barcelona into the US, with a stop in Philadelphia to change planes and continue to our respective destinations (2 of us were continuing to Puerto Rico and the next one was heading towards Florida, oh and I forgot to mention that Hurricane Wilma was heading towards Florida that same day). When we arrived (delayed) into Philadelphia we had to wait into a hellishly long line in immigration to then go ahead, claim our baggage (which we had to wait for about 30 minutes) and drop it in another place in order to the baggage be delivered into the next plane we were taking. As the flight of the friend continuing to Florida was leaving before us (in about 15 minutes), we suggested that she should go ahead and then we would follow. To our suprise we were sent into another direction different to the one that the Florida friend was sent. She missed her plane. Nevertheless, as the Philadelphia airport was so badly signed, it was difficult to follow into the correct terminal and gate. We almost did missed our plane because as we reached our gate (running) they were making the last call and everyone was already onboard. As we sat into our respective seats our Florida friend called crying saying she was still at the security point and that her plane was already gone. We later learned that she was placed in the last flight leaving to Miami, Florida in order to arrive before the Hurricane. Although the flight was delayed, as the immigration line was extremely long and slow, and the process to wait for the baggage was also terribly long and the airport being like a badly signed labyrinth it made my experience there awful. Since then I always stay away from that airport.
01/19/2008 5:37:50 AM
