I chose Denver because it’s not busy. No competing for plugs or seats, no lines at restaurants or bathrooms. I had to spend the night there when trying to get home after 9/11.
@Raptor_007 I will be there again on wed. for a long layover. There are usually lines for restaurants. I cringe when I fly thru PHL. Truly, one of my least favorite airports. Flt delays and cancellations are the norm.
@hchavers I suspect JFK sucks, but I have picked up woot friends there and brought them out for pizza and a quick tour of Queens. Because of traffic we had to stay in Queens. I was born close enough to get into and out of JFK without going on the highways. Although now there is only one big road in the airport that you have to use.
@retswerb they still have a little bit of it left. I wish they wouldve found someone to remake it tho… the new one is ugly. Im actually making a baby blanket out of fabric with the old pdx carpet pattern on it.
Also there is free movie theater at PDX that plays short films from local film makers.
And beer. Good beer. They will even fill a growler at most of the bars, which is my best travel advice: TSA doesn’t care if you bring an empty bottle/jug/mason jar/hydroflask/etc through. Fill it with beer once you’re past security, discreetly drink it on the plane.
@jnicholson0619 I’ve got to agree. Best shopping and food I’ve ever had in an airport. I have the loveliest earrings i bought in a shop there. Good times…
There’s so much to do in ATL. For an extended layover, I prefer MSP as you can take the light-rail to the Mall of America to burn lots of time.
For an overnight layover, Boston is fun. Take the train downtown and eat at Durgin-park (try the real Boston Baked Beans) or grab an airport hotel shuttle.
I don’t think any airport is necessarily good for a layover. I will say DTW is possibly the worst. I was stuck there for 19 hours in a blizzard. It was excruciating.
@JoeSeadog I’ve flown out of BWI a few times just because flights have been way cheaper than out of Philly. Nice airport and I give them credit for cheap long term parking.
It used to be that LAX was pretty dreadful – but it’s gotten way better since they opened the new international terminal and opened airside connections between most of the terminals. I’m not sure it’s actually the best, but it might be “most improved in the last 5 years.”
I really use to like Charlotte for a layover, but that has changed recently. It is now a very busy airport. Almost impossible to grab a rocking chair now.
@katylava I use to love Charlotte. I still like it. But, it has gotten busier, especially since the AA takeover of US Air. Some sites has it as the 10th busiest airport in the nation. Based on other numbers some have it ranked fifth. A lot of construction going on. A month ago I flew thru and the terminal I was in had no ceiling - just a lot of pipes and wires dangling everywhere.
@katylava@mfladd Open ceilings with exposed bits seems to be an airport trope/stereotype these days. Much like highways in major cities and population centers, they are seemingly always under construction. Even Brussels Airport was like this when I was there in June.
I used to like SRQ because it’s so small but nice. ATL is pretty nice considering the crowdedness makes it very difficult to enjoy.
I’ll put in LGA for worst airport in case I miss the next poll.
Sea-Tac. Its the only one I’ve been through whose designers seemed to focus on comfort over style. Lots of carpet and stuffed furniture. Kinda feels like a coffee house, appropriately enough. And their big, centralized food court has more unique options than the standard airport lineup.
Got stuck sleeping on the floor in DFW once. Inbound flight was delayed due to weather, missed the last connection to PHX. It was one of the worst experiences of my lifetime. No one was willing to help us, couldn’t even find a shitty airplane blanket to use. You can’t sleep on the seats because they have armrests blocking you from laying down. Everything was closed but the damn TSA recordings still play every 30 seconds all night long. Tvs were blaring nonstop. I hate that place.
@cinoclav I had a similar experience at the Minneapolis airport. There was a big snowstorm and I missed my connection … but somehow my luggage made it on the connecting flight. Go figure.
In addition to the damn TSA recordings, I remember that there was a loop of about 5 CNN stories that was playing over and over again and very loudly.
Also, I had a headache and there was nowhere open to buy any kind of pain reliever, so it got worse and worse until I finally had to puke in a garbage can.
It was about 15 years ago and still the worst night of my life.
@christinerenee Funny, I had the same issue with the news playing over and over. Just didn’t mention it as I figured I can only bitch about so much at a time. At DFW we eventually had a little group of us lay down on the floor. I think I fell asleep around 4 am, only to wake up around 5 to people walking past and looking down at us oddly.
The airport in Amsterdam is quite nice and when I was there (many years ago) there were shuttles to go into the city on your layover. I was wishing I had a longer layover so I could do that.
Of the listed airports, I’ve only ever been in Denver and that was my destination, so no layover. Also, it was in 1985 so not very relevant to today’s reality.
I don’t fly all that often, and when I do, I almost always fly direct so layovers aren’t much of a thing for me.
Worst one was a 10 hour layover in Newark on a 23 hour (direct) flight from JFK to Las Vegas that eventually involved three planes and a van. While it was not fun, it did give my then relatively new girlfriend and me a chance to talk. A lot. Think like 17 dates rolled into one. I earned major points by not losing my cool over the delays. Missed seeing Penn & Teller that night, though we were able to get a full refund on the tickets.
Best one I can remember was shortly before Christmas 2015 when a 90 minute layover at Dulles became 3-1/2 hours. After about an hour, I got into a very interesting conversation in a bar with a submarine weapons officer who was heading home for the holidays. My girlfriend (same one) wasn’t totally happy that I was gone for an hour, but in my defense, she’d turned down going to the bar so she could read her book.
I voted DFW since that’s the only one on the poll that I’ve been in. I liked it though, they had trams to go to terminals so where you can see vehicles below. It was like something out of Total Recall.
Worst was Charlotte. Hard to find a seat, delayed flights to and from my destination. So much congestion.
Although they did have a setup providing free iced tea so that was nice. Also would have been nice if their Bojangles, a place that’s not in Florida, served breakfast (I got excited to see “grits” on the menu).
MSP is sprawling, has good food and is laid back. Detroit can get boring but it’s quiet and comfortable. nothing on the east coast. DFW has good terminals for layovers.
I like Detroit as the best for layovers as it’s clean, has a nice quiet tram to take you quickly throughout the terminal and has a decent variety of eating places. I agree with idealflaw, it is quiet and comfortable.
To be honest I fly so rarely that I don’t even know the name of our airport. That also gives me indifference as to it being named after a plane crash victim.
TIL OKC has two airports (news to me) and they are both named after people that died in the same crash. My indifference might be changing… I’m going to stop learning about this now…
@jst1ofknd So you could say that you are indifferent then. I didn’t know the name of your airport either. But I do see you have a Wiley Post airport too! You OKC people sure love your plane crashes!
I chose the last option because I have never flown before.
@lakertaylor13
I no vote because I rarely fly…
I was actually shocked at how nice the airport was in Minneapolis.
@cinoclav I was too.
I’d have to say Las Vegas. You can gamble away your savings while waiting for your delayed flight.
@cinoclav Vegas and Denver are my favorite airports to be stuck in.
@Thumperchick https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/denver-airport-conspiracy-theories-construction-signs
I chose Denver because it’s not busy. No competing for plugs or seats, no lines at restaurants or bathrooms. I had to spend the night there when trying to get home after 9/11.
Denver.
/image empty airport
I got drunk in a Denver airport bar about 32 years ago.
that’s it.
that’s my airport story.
@therealjrn covered all the important bits at least
DFW, they have a spa and you can get a fully body massage, mani/pedi, etc
@tinamarie1974 new gaming centers too
O’Hare you need to have a long layover just to catch your connection after your United flight arrives 6 hours late
PHL is a good option as well. Lots of different shops and places to eat.
@Raptor_007 I will be there again on wed. for a long layover. There are usually lines for restaurants. I cringe when I fly thru PHL. Truly, one of my least favorite airports. Flt delays and cancellations are the norm.
@Raptor_007 Seriously? I live 15 minutes from PHL and even I wouldn’t choose it as a place I want to spend more than 30 minutes in.
SFO, you can take BART into the city for a meal or just hang out for a few hours. Then back on the train right to the airport.
Vegas, baby, Vegas!
I can’t believe none isn’t an option.
@2many2no the least painful is the best, right?
@2many2no I was going to say I hate them all.
@2many2no I’m not the only one! Madness!
No one said JFK, ATL, or MIA? We’ll have to wait for the morning crowd.
@hchavers I’d go with ATL only because that’s where I’ve spent the majority of my layovers (because I am a slave to Delta.)
@hchavers I fly into MIA this wed. It will be my first time at this airport.
@mfladd welcome to Florida. What’s your final destination? Miami or surrounding areas?
@RiotDemon Miami. Work is not even giving us one night by ourselves to go get dinner. I will never see the outside of the hotel, wed - fri
@mfladd yuck. Sorry. I’ll look in your general direction and wave hello.
@RiotDemon Are you close?
@mfladd not really. 1.5 hours away or so. Used to live closer.
@hchavers I suspect JFK sucks, but I have picked up woot friends there and brought them out for pizza and a quick tour of Queens. Because of traffic we had to stay in Queens. I was born close enough to get into and out of JFK without going on the highways. Although now there is only one big road in the airport that you have to use.
@mfladd Get in, get out. Miami airport is hideous.
@hchavers Every time I’ve had a connecting flight at ATL, it’s been at the other end of the airport from where I landed.
MHT
Scenic surroundings, never “busy” and the friendliest, most considerate TSA staff you’ll ever encounter.
Not in the US, but Doha is a great airport. I had an 11.5 hr layover there once.
Honolulu. Just because you’re in Hawaii.
PDX. Not for any specific reason… just cause I know it the best. But they do have excellent restaurants and shops.
@jnicholson0619 Definitely PDX. They used to have the best carpet too…
@retswerb they still have a little bit of it left. I wish they wouldve found someone to remake it tho… the new one is ugly. Im actually making a baby blanket out of fabric with the old pdx carpet pattern on it.
@jnicholson0619 @retswerb That must be some carpet.
@jnicholson0619 @retswerb @therealjrn learned something today. Never knew airport carpeting could be so popular.
https://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/Portland-airport-carpet-products
@jnicholson0619 @retswerb @RiotDemon @therealjrn You have no idea how crazy Portland is about that carpet… I’m just gonna leave this here https://www.oregonlive.com/rosefest/index.ssf/2015/03/pdx_carpet_will_roll_as_starli.html
Also there is free movie theater at PDX that plays short films from local film makers.
And beer. Good beer. They will even fill a growler at most of the bars, which is my best travel advice: TSA doesn’t care if you bring an empty bottle/jug/mason jar/hydroflask/etc through. Fill it with beer once you’re past security, discreetly drink it on the plane.
@jnicholson0619 @Oneroundrobb @retswerb @RiotDemon That is cray cray crazy with a carpet mascot and everything. All those dignitaries up there with him…wild.
@jnicholson0619 I’ve got to agree. Best shopping and food I’ve ever had in an airport. I have the loveliest earrings i bought in a shop there. Good times…
@jnicholson0619 @Oneroundrobb @retswerb @RiotDemon @therealjrn I first heard of it because it has its own episode of 99 Percent Invisible: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/pdx-carpet/
There’s so much to do in ATL. For an extended layover, I prefer MSP as you can take the light-rail to the Mall of America to burn lots of time.
For an overnight layover, Boston is fun. Take the train downtown and eat at Durgin-park (try the real Boston Baked Beans) or grab an airport hotel shuttle.
@j8048188 The light rail id’s new since my last long layover at MSP, but even then there was a bus that got there and back quickly.
@j8048188 In Boston take the boat that goes from the airport to downtown if you have a bunch of time.
I’ve been lucky enough to consider an hour and a half a long layover. That’s not even long enough to get out of and back into most airports.
I don’t think any airport is necessarily good for a layover. I will say DTW is possibly the worst. I was stuck there for 19 hours in a blizzard. It was excruciating.
@ruouttaurmind but they have that cool jumping water fountain over in the delta terminal
@nolrak The only thing I noticed was a painful lack of wifi coverage and an extreme disproportion of chairs vs. asses seeking chairs.
BWI, good food, good shops, pleasant atmosphere. You can walk forever on the huge concourse, get your steps in and never go into the cold or heat.
@JoeSeadog I’ve flown out of BWI a few times just because flights have been way cheaper than out of Philly. Nice airport and I give them credit for cheap long term parking.
It used to be that LAX was pretty dreadful – but it’s gotten way better since they opened the new international terminal and opened airside connections between most of the terminals. I’m not sure it’s actually the best, but it might be “most improved in the last 5 years.”
And I agree MSP is surprisingly nice.
Meh needs to sell airplane ticket vouchers so that I can afford to actually have an opinion on this matter.
I haven’t flown much but I enjoyed MCO. I’ve been in MEM the most but it’s kind of boring.
@tnhillbillygal Glad you enjoyed your ‘stay’ at my hometown airport! They are good people.
I really use to like Charlotte for a layover, but that has changed recently. It is now a very busy airport. Almost impossible to grab a rocking chair now.
@mfladd bummer. I came here to say Charlotte.
@katylava I use to love Charlotte. I still like it. But, it has gotten busier, especially since the AA takeover of US Air. Some sites has it as the 10th busiest airport in the nation. Based on other numbers some have it ranked fifth. A lot of construction going on. A month ago I flew thru and the terminal I was in had no ceiling - just a lot of pipes and wires dangling everywhere.
@mfladd well I guess you can blame me for that
@katylava @mfladd Open ceilings with exposed bits seems to be an airport trope/stereotype these days. Much like highways in major cities and population centers, they are seemingly always under construction. Even Brussels Airport was like this when I was there in June.
2001 was the last time I flew and I’ve only been on the east coast while flying with short layovers, so I have no idea.
hartsfield in atlanta? why not?
SAT Not enough seats, parking is awful, no moving sidewalks. Two terminals which give a 50% chance of picking the right one. So much better than DFW.
Are not all airports identical? Big, walking, bagels, coffee, expensive. I like all of them, so far.
I was in an airport with a Chik-Fil-A. I love those chicken nuggets. I think it might have been in North Carolina someplace.
I used to like SRQ because it’s so small but nice. ATL is pretty nice considering the crowdedness makes it very difficult to enjoy.
I’ll put in LGA for worst airport in case I miss the next poll.
Most of my long layovers were due to delayed flights and having to wait until morning to fly out. No airport is good 2AM-6AM, everything is closed.
I haven’t had long layovers in a lot of airports.
Detroit sucks, or did twenty years ago, anyway.
DFW wasn’t bad, especially since it was a business trip and i could expense my meals.
You can catch a bus to the Mall of America and back from MSP.
@craigthom yes I could enjoy a long layover in MSP.
I’m thinking"worst airport for a layover" might have gotten better stories.
Sea-Tac. Its the only one I’ve been through whose designers seemed to focus on comfort over style. Lots of carpet and stuffed furniture. Kinda feels like a coffee house, appropriately enough. And their big, centralized food court has more unique options than the standard airport lineup.
As for the worst: either Atlanta or Newark.
Pittsburgh airport is awesome
Got stuck sleeping on the floor in DFW once. Inbound flight was delayed due to weather, missed the last connection to PHX. It was one of the worst experiences of my lifetime. No one was willing to help us, couldn’t even find a shitty airplane blanket to use. You can’t sleep on the seats because they have armrests blocking you from laying down. Everything was closed but the damn TSA recordings still play every 30 seconds all night long. Tvs were blaring nonstop. I hate that place.
@cinoclav I had a similar experience at the Minneapolis airport. There was a big snowstorm and I missed my connection … but somehow my luggage made it on the connecting flight. Go figure.
In addition to the damn TSA recordings, I remember that there was a loop of about 5 CNN stories that was playing over and over again and very loudly.
Also, I had a headache and there was nowhere open to buy any kind of pain reliever, so it got worse and worse until I finally had to puke in a garbage can.
It was about 15 years ago and still the worst night of my life.
@christinerenee Funny, I had the same issue with the news playing over and over. Just didn’t mention it as I figured I can only bitch about so much at a time. At DFW we eventually had a little group of us lay down on the floor. I think I fell asleep around 4 am, only to wake up around 5 to people walking past and looking down at us oddly.
Charlotte (CLT) has the best eats.
@steve149 Are you referring to the Chik-fil-A? Are you? You are. I can tell you are.
MCI (lolz)
I guess I pick Minneapolis because I could just go home during my layover.
@ianrbuck Ditto. Or since I work at MSP, I’ll sometimes go downstairs and hang out with my co-workers.
McCarran in Las Vegas. Eat, drink, play, smoke.
@number51 I came here to say this.
well, not “smoke” so much.
The airport in Amsterdam is quite nice and when I was there (many years ago) there were shuttles to go into the city on your layover. I was wishing I had a longer layover so I could do that.
MCO, absolutely! And not just because I’m friends with them on Twitter.
Of the listed airports, I’ve only ever been in Denver and that was my destination, so no layover. Also, it was in 1985 so not very relevant to today’s reality.
I don’t fly all that often, and when I do, I almost always fly direct so layovers aren’t much of a thing for me.
Worst one was a 10 hour layover in Newark on a 23 hour (direct) flight from JFK to Las Vegas that eventually involved three planes and a van. While it was not fun, it did give my then relatively new girlfriend and me a chance to talk. A lot. Think like 17 dates rolled into one. I earned major points by not losing my cool over the delays. Missed seeing Penn & Teller that night, though we were able to get a full refund on the tickets.
Best one I can remember was shortly before Christmas 2015 when a 90 minute layover at Dulles became 3-1/2 hours. After about an hour, I got into a very interesting conversation in a bar with a submarine weapons officer who was heading home for the holidays. My girlfriend (same one) wasn’t totally happy that I was gone for an hour, but in my defense, she’d turned down going to the bar so she could read her book.
I voted DFW since that’s the only one on the poll that I’ve been in. I liked it though, they had trams to go to terminals so where you can see vehicles below. It was like something out of Total Recall.
Worst was Charlotte. Hard to find a seat, delayed flights to and from my destination. So much congestion.
Although they did have a setup providing free iced tea so that was nice. Also would have been nice if their Bojangles, a place that’s not in Florida, served breakfast (I got excited to see “grits” on the menu).
MSP is sprawling, has good food and is laid back. Detroit can get boring but it’s quiet and comfortable. nothing on the east coast. DFW has good terminals for layovers.
SFO, PDX, DIA, or IAH in that order.
DFW gets an honorable mention, but it’s kind of a pain in the ass.
SEA is the worst airport
I like Detroit as the best for layovers as it’s clean, has a nice quiet tram to take you quickly throughout the terminal and has a decent variety of eating places. I agree with idealflaw, it is quiet and comfortable.
Oklahoma City because… Well for no reason because as previously stated I don’t fly enough to have a real opinion…
@jst1ofknd How do you feel about it being named for somebody that died in a plane crash? Wiley Post I think?
@therealjrn
To be honest I fly so rarely that I don’t even know the name of our airport. That also gives me indifference as to it being named after a plane crash victim.
/google Oklahoma City airport name
Will Rogers World Airport - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers_World_Airport
@therealjrn
/google How did Will Rogers die
Will Rogers - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers
@therealjrn
He died in a plane crash… Didn’t change my indifference.
@therealjrn
TIL OKC has two airports (news to me) and they are both named after people that died in the same crash. My indifference might be changing… I’m going to stop learning about this now…
@jst1ofknd So you could say that you are indifferent then. I didn’t know the name of your airport either. But I do see you have a Wiley Post airport too! You OKC people sure love your plane crashes!