Airports

World’s Best Airports (according to Skytrax)

Airports

For the 13th time, Singapore’s Changi Airport has been named the World’s Best Airport in the Skytrax World Airport Awards.

Changi also won awards for the World’s Best Airport Dining, the World’s Best Airport Washrooms and as the Best Airport in Asia.

It’s no wonder. Changi Airport is a destination on its own, with free snooze lounges, game rooms and movie theaters, a butterfly garden, a swimming pool, great art, a fitness zone and, over in the Jewel entertainment and retail center, the world’s largest indoor waterfall.

Here are some of the other awards:

Greetings from Houston by Daniel Anguilu and Frank Nathan

Houston Airport System got the award for having the World’s Best Airport Art for the third successive year.

Vancouver International Airport ranked as the top airport in North America

New York’s LaGuardia Airport was awarded the best regional airport in North America

Tokyo Haneda Airport received an award as the World’s Cleanest Airport among major airports

Seoul Incheon Airport got the nod for having the World’s Best Airport Staff.

Istanbul Airport received the award as the World’s Most Family Friendly Airport.

Crowne Plaza Changi Airport collected the award as the World’s Best Airport Hotel.

The TWA Hotel at New York’s JFK airport received the award as the Best Airport Hotel in North America for the second time.

The Skytrax awards are based on the World Airport Survey questionnaires that evaluate customer experience across a wide varfiety of indicators, from check in, arrivals, transfers, shopping and security / immigration through to departure at the gate.

Big trouble at London’s Heathrow Airport

Airports


Giant headaches for travelers and airlines around the world today and no doubt for many days to come as London’s Heathrow Airport closed completely after a power outage caused by a nearby electrical substation that shut down power at the airport.

Heathrow initially announced it would be closed throughout Friday, March 21, but has since announced that it is restarting flights with a priority on “repatriation and relocation of aircraft.”

As you may imagine, a lot of travel plans are a mess.

More than 1000 flights to and from Heathrow – and to and from other airports around the world – have been canceled – so far – leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers affected.

As always, if you’re scheduled to fly to, from or through Heathrow or, really pretty much any European airport (many Heathrow-bound flights were diverted elsewhere), be sure to check with your airline for the latest news. And, if your schedule is at all flexible, consider taking the flight change waivers for this incident.

Here are links to the change fee waivers offered by just a few airlines – including, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, and British Airways. Check your airline’s website for the latest “Travel Alerts” to make sure you don’t end up getting stuck at an airport.

IATA Director General, Willie Walsh, clearly not a big fan of Heathrow, is thanking travelers for their patience, but saying that the shutdown “is yet another case of Heathrow letting down both travelers and airlines.”

Airports ready for St. Patrick’s Day + Cool special JetBlue livery

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Airports in the U.S. and abroad are preparing to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.

And check out this special livery coming to JetBlue

In February, JetBlue invited customers to vote on which of three special livery designs created by Puerto Rican artists will be painted on a JetBlue Airbus A320 to honor Puerto Rico’s rich culture.

The winner is the design created by Juan Gutierrez, better known as The Stencil Network.

The design embodies the spirit of Puerto Rico and features the proud jíbaro (Puerto Rican farm worker) on the tail and images of Puerto Rico’s fruits and flora on the body. On the plane’s belly is the phrase “Yo Soy Boricua” (I am Puerto Rican).

Look for this colorful plane to be flying this summer.

What are the best, cleanest & most enjoyable airports?

Airports

Here at StuckatTheAirport.com, we often say that the best airport is the one that serves as the gateway to where you want to go.

But there are many ways – and many organizations – that evaluate airports using other measurements.

And that’s just fine.

Airports Council International (ACI) World is one of those organizations. And, in partnership with travel technology company Amadeus, ACI just announced the winners of the 2024 ASQ Airport Experience Awards, which are determined by passenger surveys.

Here are some of the North American airports that got some of the top honors. You’ll notice some patterns. An airport that gets it right in one category is likely to get it right in others.

You can see the full list of worldwide winners here.

Easiest Airport Journey

This award recognizes the top 5% of airports for their performance on the ease of going through the airport.

Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) – Grand Rapids, Michigan

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) Greer, South Carolina

Portland International Jetport (PWM) Portland, Maine

Most enjoyable airports

This award recognizes the top 5% of airports for their offering, such as restaurants, shop and entertainment, and for the their efforts towards making the waiting time enjoyable and comfortable.

Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GREE) Grand Rapids, Michigan

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) Greer, South Carolina

Indianapolis International Airport (IND) Indianapolis, Indiana

Cleanest Airport

Gerald R. Ford International Airport

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport

Indianapolis International Airport

Best Airports in the region

This honor is awarded to the top 20% of the airports with overall satisfaction.

Under 2 million passengers per year

St John’s International Airport (St John’s, Canada)

Victoria International Airport (Victoria, Canada)

2 to 5 million passengers per year

Gerald R. Ford International Airport

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport

Portland International Jetport (Portland, United States of America)

5 to 15 million passengers per year

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

Indianapolis International Airport

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

Dallas Love Field Airport

Tampa International Airport

25 to 40 million passengers per year

LaGuardia Airport

Over 40 million passengers per year

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Toronto Pearson International Airport

Travel tidbits to kick off another wacky week

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JetBlue plans a makeover for T5 at JFK

JetBlue opened its flagship Terminal 5 (T5) at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in 2008 with a bevy of cool amenities and lots of hip design features. The facilities expanded in 2014 and an outdoor deck with a pet relief area for dogs (the “Wooftop”) was introduced in 2015.

The facility now serves 165 JetBlue flights and more than 35,000 customers per day.

So it’s time for a makeover.

JetBlues newly announced plans include adding more than 40 new concessions along with new amenities, including art installations, a permanent art collection and a redesigned center concourse that will take inspiration from New York’s iconic parks, with greenery, park benches and concrete chess tables. There will also be a spot for pop-ups, interactive events and live performances.

The first new concessions are expected to open throughout 2025, with the terminal improvements completed by the end of 2026.

The new offerings and brands include local and national favorites, including Eataly, The Halal Guys, Shake Shack, Jacob’s Pickles, Tiki Chick, Serafina, Benetari’s, Gotham Burger, Birch Coffee, Nom Wah, Devoción, Mister Paradise, the Blind Barber, Leon’s Bagels, DiFara Pizza, Neir’s Tavern and more.

We can’t wait!!!

Private suites coming to MIA Airport


And it looks like the promised private luxury terminal at Miami International Airport is getting closer to reality. PS already operates at LAX and ATL, and the last we heard the MIA venue was supposed to open sometime in 2025.