Singapore Changi Airport | © Soon Wee Meng via Dreamstime.com
By BENÉT WILSON
After my column earlier this month on what my dream U.S. airport would look like, several of my Twitter followers faulted me for not including non-U.S. airports on my list.
So here’s what Aviation Queen International Airport would look like if it were built, say, to replace Paris Charles DeGaulle Airport (CDG).
I’m a girl that likes airport eye candy, so I’d want my facility to look like Singapore’s Changi International Airport. The facility is quite striking inside and out, with lots of glass, light and open air spaces.
I also really enjoy my airport shopping, so I’d want the vast selection offered at Seoul, South Korea’s Incheon International Airport (ICN). That airport has shops that offer the world’s iconic brands, but also offers stores that fit along all price points.
Staying on the shopping tip, I must give a tip of the hat to British Airways’ London Heathrow Terminal 5 for the liquor tastings at its duty-free shops. Thanks to those tastings, I switched from Tanqueray 10 Gin to Bombay Sapphire Gin. I also discovered Amarula, a South African liqueur that gives Bailey’s Irish Cream a run for its money.
For easy in, easy out access, I love Munich Airport (MUC). There’s the central terminal, then two terminals on either end. There’s no miles and miles of walking that you see in many European airports, but I won’t name names.
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) gets mad love from me in several different categories. One, it’s a great place to be if you have a long layover because there’s plenty to do — an the Rijksmuseum, with real Van Goghs in it; a casino; a spa; and the boutique Hotel Yotel. Second, there’s great shopping. And third, if you want to take a quick trip to downtown Amsterdam, there’s plenty of cheap public transportation to get you there.
I am one of those people who love spotlessly clean restrooms and Brussels Airport (BRU) wins my award hands down. I never saw people cleaning during a long layover, but no matter where I went, those bathrooms were spotless.
My best airport for clearing customs was the UK’s Manchester Airport (MAN). I traveled to Manchester regularly when I worked for a UK-based company and even though my flight tended to arrive with other international flights, the lines here were never more than 10 minutes.
For food, I want the chef that runs the Italian restaurant at Switzerland’s Lugano Airport (LUG). I had spent a week in Baveno, Italy, at a resort that served food I still have nightmares about. The whole trip, foodwise, was saved by the pasta I ate at that little place in Lugano.
But if you’re looking for a variety, I have to give the nod to Incheon. It has a great selection of restaurants, from sit-down to carry-out, catering to different cuisine tastes.
But now that I think about it, my perfect international airport already exists — Changi Airport. Take all the items I mentioned above, and Changi has them — and more.
It has special baby lounges where mothers can nurse and take care of their children in a pleasant, accommodating environment. There’s a health clinic on site in case you’re not feeling so hot. There are business centers and plenty of Internet access. There are live music lounges, a nature trail, free rest areas, shower, fitness and spa facilities and a swimming pool.
Have at least a five-hour layover? You can register for a FREE two-hour tour of Singapore, which includes transportation.
So tell me — what is your favorite non-U.S. airport? What are some of the best amenities you’ve seen at these airports?
Greg’s Take
I really didn’t need another reason for wanting to check out Singapore, but now I have one: Changi airport. Normally, you can’t wait to get away from the airport, but Benét’s description of Changi makes me want to go hang out there.And coming from a long line of frustrated would-be fighter pilots, I have to love any civilian airport that doubles as an air force base, which Changi does.
So far, Schiphol is my favorite international airport, and its reputation as one of the world’s best is well-deserved. But I suspect Changi, especially the new Terminal 3 seen above, could give Schiphol a real battle for the hearts of air travelers.
Singaporeans must be amazing people. These are are the same folks who built a swimming pool the length of a football field — and stretched it across the tops of THREE high-rise buildings! Their country may be small (pop. 5 million, a quarter the size of Mexico City), but when they decide to do something, they clearly don’t half-step.
Besides, how could you not love an airport whose international designation is SIN?