The world seems a smaller place these days for sure – more modes of travel exist, and they are faster than ever. The internet allows global understanding on an unprecedented level, and the US is viewed by many (for better or worse) as one of the leading countries in the world. But after traveling outside of the US, we arrived back in the US at JFK with a thud. JFK is one of the dirtiest airports I’ve ever encountered. Its international arrivals area sported confusing, irrelevant or contrary signage, and was staffed by rude, unhelpful employees who acted as if we were intruding on their spare time.  It does not surprise me that about a week ago, a wayward jet skier wearing a bright yellow life jacket, was able to swim up to the airport, climb a fence, wander over a couple of runways, and walk into a terminal before any airport staff noticed.

O’Hare rivaled JFK in the lack of efficiency (and logic) in dealing with foot traffic and departing passengers. It seemed that most of the TSA personnel were devoting their time to yelling (in English) at a huge, confused crowd of international travelers.  We were directed to line up in lines that contradicted all written signage and worse, seemed to serve no purpose. It was clear from the practiced shouting that this chaos was managed by hollering with inexcusable frequency. How about some relevant signs? Better yet, how about some relevant signs in English and another language or two since it’s supposed to be an international terminal? There are Disney Parks all over the world run with startling efficiency, and those well-developed crowd management techniques couldn’t be applied in places like international arrivals terminals? It’s embarrassing – Goofy could do a better job running JFK and O’Hare.  And I bet Goofy would be a lot less frustrating to deal with than most of the staff, too.

In the interest of giving credit where credit is due, we were delighted by the amenities and space afforded by the new international terminal when we travelled through SFO. Terminal 2 had plenty of space, and concessions included a wide variety of healthy food options, a yoga room and a water bottle filling station. Nice!

The Hong Kong Airport is massive and can be overwhelming when you first encounter the huge hangar like space. It’s the third busiest international airport in the world (and just had a record number of travelers this past July) but manages to handle the volume of traffic with grace. Signs are clear (even to foreigners!) so travelers can quickly find their way, coming or going. Staff is helpful and service-oriented. Security is swift but thorough – largely because of the number of checkpoints and appropriate number of people to deal with the number of travelers. Lines moved swiftly and did not overwhelm the systems and spaces designed to keep them orderly. Baggage claim was relatively simple, and the public transport available is quick, easy and clean.

So I am curious to hear your airport reports.  What makes you a happy traveller?