World's worst airports

Few people list airports amongst their favourite places ? the queues, the security checks, the delays and the tedium of waiting for hours on a hard chair with nothing for entertainment but the grating voice over the intercom announcing over and over again that your flight has been delayed.

And if that is the sum of your troubles, count yourself lucky, because it could be worse. So much worse. If you happen to be destined for one of the world?s worst airports or are stranded in one of these black holes of bureaucracy, you will find yourself dreaming of an intercom and a chair. Or perhaps a swift and painless death.

By no means a definitive list, this is our inventory of airports that you should avoid at all costs. And by all costs we mean cold hard cash, hours of extra flight time and perhaps even hostage-taking?

London Heathrow

Admittedly an unlikely contender, when there are clearly more flea-ridden, rat-invested contestants to choose from, but this English monstrosity is not all easy passage and polite bobbies. In the words of iafrica.com?s travel editor Richard Holmes:

"It is also an overcrowded, crumbling maze that is a nightmare to transit through. It takes over an hour to get from one terminal to the next, and after walking through endless underground tunnels you wonder whether you?ll ever see daylight again."

All of this is compounded by surly shopkeepers, oppressive security and immigration officials who are convinced that every non-Briton is trying to set up an illegal business empire on the soggy island.

On the bright side: The shopping is pretty good, and British Airways' futuristic Terminal 5 will provide some relief for travellers on the national carrier.

Charles de Gaulle

Another first world airport which should know better is Charles de Gaulle in Paris. This modern concrete jungle can ? at best ? be described as confusing and disorganised. Terminal One is permanently under renovation, while Terminal Two is in fact six terminals (2a through to 2f). The general sense of disorientation is not helped by misleading signage and disinterested staff.

CDG?s reputation is further tarnished by poor washroom facilities, a dismal selection of consumables and frequent strikes.

On the bright side: The airport has a train station which connects you to other cities directly. Perhaps you should have just taken the train in the first place?

Moscow Sheremetyevo

A throwback from the Soviet-era, this grimy institution embodies all that is depressing about communist austerity. People sit and lie on the grimy floors, consuming over-priced food and drink, with nothing to do but inhale stale cigarette smoke. Take your own toilet paper (and perhaps a fold-up camping chair) because you won?t find any here.

If possible (and this is a big if), take your luggage on board so that you don?t have to deal with the nightmare that is luggage collection presided over by unhelpful, unfriendly, Russian-speaking officials.

On the bright side: Terminal Two is apparently being upgraded and made more customer-friendly. Apparently.

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport

Visitors to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (formerly Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport) are greeted with a gargantuan sign that reads 'Drug trafficking is punishable by death!'

Now if that isn?t enough to put off even the most innocent of travellers, there is the fact that this 'international' airport has very little interest in foreigners. The toilets ? mostly of the squat variety ? are filthy, few people speak intelligible English (or for that matter anything other than Taiwanese), the food is a bit too authentic for most uninitiated tongues and the shops are few and far between.

On the bright side: Although there is no formal form of entertainment, you can amuse yourself by reading the dubiously translated English signs. Remember to 'Care the lovely plants'.

Baghdad International Airport

If you happen to be visiting Baghdad International Airport (formerly Saddam International) you pretty much deserve everything you get. It?s in a war zone for goodness sake! But because there are those who just have to travel to Iraq and because the perils are... well... perils, we thought it deserved a mention.

The actual airport is not so bad (that is if you are fond of barbed wire and big guns), having been refurbished by the US after the invasion, it is just getting there and leaving that poses a problem.

In an attempt to avoid being shot down, pilots make use of a Vietnam-era landing technique called the 'corkscrew'. And yes, it is as bad as it sounds, plummeting from on high in a series of tight turns to spend as little time as possible gliding in. Having landed safely and endured countless searches, you must still face the ?highway of death? leading into Baghdad.

On the bright side: It?ll make a great story.

Leopold Sedar Senghor International Airport

The Dakar rally and the Dakar airport have a few things in common ? both are dangerous, gruelling and require more than the usual reserves of stamina. Often unavoidable for travellers to West Africa, this is ? without out a doubt ? one of the most trying airports in the world. To begin with, it has no chairs.

Absolutely none. Zilch. Zippo. Nada. Now this wouldn?t be so bad if you were allowed to stand in one place for more than a minute. But this too is not allowed and if you attempt it you will be (a) reprimanded by a security guard for loitering and (b) accosted by at least five hawkers, vendors, porters or beggars. Furthermore, any attempts at spending as little time as possible in this aeronautical purgatory will be thwarted by the fact that 'processing' generally takes at least three hours.

On the bright side: If you eventually make it out of there, you will have a new benchmark for just how bad things can really get.

(πηγή: travel.iafrica.com 25/2/2008)