Ok, to be fair, I don’t love all airports. My home airport, not great. It’s a small city airport with only 24 gates and one place to get coffee, so you can imagine what that line looks like at 7:00 in the morning.
But, even though my home airport isn’t a shopping mall like some airports, there’s one moment in every trip out of my home airport that makes me smile. That moment when I get through TSA and I’m in the terminal. It feels like all the worries of day to day life are gone. Getting through security means that I’m on vacation. My job doesn’t exist, the chores and work at home dissolve into fuzzy memories. At that moment it feels like the world is mine. Does anyone else have this feeling?
So, back to airports. Let’s talk about what makes then good.
1. Getting people on planes: For me, how efficiently I get through security is one of my pet peeves. Some airports are well staffed and move the line quickly while others seem as if they’re surprised all these people showed up first thing in the morning. In the 2025 Skytrax World Airport Awards, Copenhagen was number 1. If you’d liked to see the rest of Skytrax top ten list of World’s Best Security Screenings, click HERE.
2. Food and Drink choices: When you’ve got a 3 to 4 hour layover, you’re going to need to eat. Some airport options are dicey, or completely mid as the kids would say. When I’m on vacation and have to live in an airport like Tom Hanks for the next four hours, I don’t want to slug down another badly made fast food meal. Singapore’s Changi Airport was ranked N0. 1 by Skytrax in 2025. (Click the Skytrax link for the full list.) Some of their best restaurants are Jumbo Seafood for Chinese seafood, Kaveri Indian Vegetarian for fast Indian food, and Ya Kun Kaya for Singaporean breakfast.
3. The Washrooms (eye roll) How many times have you walked into an airport washroom, saw the lines and the place looks like that time you made your kids clean the bathroom, then you turn around and walk out, saying to yourself, “I’d rather wait and go on the plane.” The Skytrax Awards have thought of everything. And… toilet paper roll, the winner is Singapore Changi Airport. (click for the full list)
I live in the States and I often have to fly through New York City to get a flight to elsewhere and lately the Starbucks in the New York City airports (LaGuardia, JFK, & Newark) are offering mugs with an image depicting the flavor of each of the five boroughs. (Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan & Yonkers) For fun I’m getting a new mug with a different borough each time I go to or pass through New York City. My favorite NYC airport is LaGuardia for the three things I highlighted here. The last time I was there I had a great lunch at an Italian restaurant.
Those are my make or break choices for what makes an airport feel like home away from home. Which ones do you agree or disagree with? What are your pet peeve airport likes and dislikes? What about lounges?
Have a great day and travel safe!
