Seoul's Incheon: number one for passenger satisfaction

Seoul's Incheon airport has won this year's Skytrax World Aiport Awards. The awards, which are based on passenger satisfaction ratings, rated the South Korea's main hub as the best across 38 seperate categories.

Incheon beat last year's winner Hong Kong International Airport, while Singapore Changi Airport was ranked third. It's been a good year for the airport which has already bagged laurels for being the Best Worldwide Airport from Buying by Business Travel magazine and Best Duty Free Airport from Australia's Luxury Travel & Style magazine.

Over 8.6 million questionnaires completed by airline passengers in 2008/9, covering more than 190 airports worldwide. The survey evaluates traveller experiences across 39 different airport service and product factors - from check-in, arrivals, transfer through to departure at the gate. (via)

WORLD'S TOP 10 AIRPORTS

1 Incheon International Airport
2 Hong Kong International Airport
3 Singapore Changi
4 Zurich
5 Munich
6 Osaka-Kansai
7 Kuala Lumpur
8 Amsterdam
9 Centrair Nagoya
10 Auckland

© 2009 Copyright Skytrax (All rights reserved)

First sight: Free wifi and power poles in Hong Kong International

Hong Kong International led the way last year when it became the first airport to offer free wireless internet access to its customers. Now they've go one better with the installation of a network of "power poles" that allow you to plug in your electonic items and recharge them. This is such an innovation, as many weary travellers will testify. Being able to recharge your laptop or mobile or iPod after a long flight, or on a connecting flight, is an absolute godsend.

Update: Power poles and recharging points also seen at London City Airport and Heathrow T5. Any more out there?

(via)

Final call: a history of airport identity

Just a quick nod towards the excellent exhibition on airline identity at the San Francisco Airport Museum which includes more than 125 vintage and present-day items from 45 airlines, plus flight attendant uniforms, airline signage, flight bags, in-flight service items, luggage labels, ticket jackets, safety cards and model aircraft to boot

The exhibition is on until August.

The very long and winding road

What the hell is happening at the brand spanking new Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad? The new airport, which will open on March 16, is equipped with a 70m high air traffic control tower, India's longest runway (capable of handling the world's largest aircraft the Airbus A380) a seven-storey passenger terminal, 42 parking bays, 60 check-in counters, a business hotel with 308 rooms and shopping outlets ... but officials seemingly forgot to build a decent road, let alone a modern metro top the airport.

Hyderabad, often dubbed cyberbad, is meant to be one of India's hi-tech cities, super-keen on winning more foreign visitors, business and investment. It seems obvious that 25km of bad roads to the new airport does not a good first impression make, even if a modern elavated highway is in the pipeline.

Airports we love #2: Portland, Oregon (PDX)

Oh Portland, why do we love thee? Let me count the ways. Free WiFi in every terminal; "business centers" with power ports that are perfect for killing time before a flight; light rail directly to the city center. The "Mexican" food chain store near Terminal C has power ports along the baseboards near the tables. But maybe most of all its the connections. We loved being able to take well-designed public transit to our hotel downtown for just $3.


Major plus: It extra fun shopping because of the lack of sales tax.
Major drawback: The conservative interior design of PDX belies a cosmopoliatan and outlooking cities in the US

Us airports face ever longer delays

Wired Magazine has rated the US airports that face the longest delays and rendered it in a useful Google Map. It makes grim reading for anyone flying in or through the States. "The year 2007 was the worst for flight delays," it reads, "since the [US] government began keeping stats more than a decade ago. In 2002, 17 percent of flights arrived late (defined by the Federal Air Authority as delayed 15 minutes or more). Last summer it was nearly a third, and travel in 2008 won't be much better."


Newark Liberty is bottom of the list, racking up an astonishing average of 72.8 minutes for arrival delays and 67.3 minutes for departures

Airports we love #1: Helsinki Vantaa

Bright, gleaming, super-efficient Helsinki-Vantaa is one of the reasons we chose to build this blog in the first place. It takes just minutes to get through security (who rank among the most pleasant staff we have encountered). Branches of Marimekko, Iitala and Stockman make shopping an uplifting experience (hunt out bars of delicious Fazer chocolate in the latter). Good coffee, a well-stocked newstand full of international media and German Weissbeir on tap in the bar. Need we say more?

Major plus: Beyond Gate 33 is one of the most stylish smoking rooms remaining in any aiport.(unfortunately you have to pass through passport control to reach it)
Major drawback: No metro connection from the city centre (although an excellent local bus service more than compensates).