CNN ranks NAIA as world's '5th most hated airport'

By Ira Pedrasa, abs-cbnNEWS.com

Posted at 11/09/2011 4:56 PM | Updated as of 11/11/2011 11:09 AM

MANILA, Philippines - CNN said the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) brings the term “stuck in the 1970s” to a whole new level.

In an article titled “World's 10 most hated airports,” CNN’s Jordane Rane said up to the present, NAIA is “beleaguered by ground crew strikes, unkempt conditions, soup kitchen-style lines that feed into more lines and an overall sense of futility.”

It noted the rash of bad press it got, including the “Worst in the World” by the Sleeping in Airport blog.

This was capped, however, by a “collapsed ceiling in Terminal 1, a paralyzing ground service strike at T2, and the usual charges of tampered luggage, filthy restrooms, seat shortages at gates, re-sealed water bottles sold in retail shops and an Amazing Race-style check-in routine spiked with bureaucracy, broken escalators, lengthy Dot Matrix passenger lists and creative airport departure fees.”

It even told passengers to “wear a helmet.”

President Benigno Aquino III earlier said a new plan to improve the airport will soon be presented to him.

"It's a 30-year-old structure. It has suffered the ravages of time. A plan for improving it aesthetically and structurally will be presented to me by Tuesday next week. But it will be a stopgap measure for the next 4 or 5 years," Aquino said, in response to a question sent by a YouTube user regarding the government's plans to improve the airport.

Most hated airports

Nonetheless, NAIA was better off at number 5, compared to the top 3 that belonged to the world’s supposed best economies.

Paris-Charles de Gaulle in Paris, France emerged at number one. The article read, “grimy washrooms with missing toilet seats don’t help. Nor do broken scanning machines and an overall lack of signage, gate information screens and Paris-worthy bars, restaurants or cafés.”

The article also noted the “baffling” layout of the airport. To cap it off, however, the worst part is the airport’s “aura of indifference.”

“If you’re actually staying in Paris, you may be okay. If you have the gall to just be passing through between Malaga and Montreal, you can cut the spite of this place with a cheese knife,” the article read.

Second place went to the Los Angeles International Airport. The article noted, “[its] unsupportive donut-shaped design -- it’s been called 'eight terminals connected by a traffic jam' -- makes dashing between airlines feel like a diesel-scented cardio test.”

Third place, on the other hand, went to London Heathrow in England. The article read, “Parking messes. Busted baggage carousels. Deadlocked security lines. Long walks (or, more commonly, runs) between gates to a frenzied soundtrack of ‘last call’ announcements. Realizations that getting out of Heathrow took longer than actually flying here from Madrid.”

Fourth place was given to Toncontín International, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The article noted, “When do the most common airport gripes about inefficiency, uncomfortable gate chairs, dirty floors and lousy dining options suddenly become irrelevant? When you’re preoccupied about whether your 757 will actually be able to stop before the runway does.”

CNN’s ten most hated airports are:

10. São Paulo-Guarulhos International, São Paulo, Brazil

9. Perth Airport, Perth, Australia

8. Tribhuvan International, Kathmandu, Nepal

7. John F. Kennedy International, New York, United States

6. Jomo Kenyatta International, Nairobi, Kenya

5. Ninoy Aquino International, Manila, Philippines

4. Toncontín International, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

3. London Heathrow, London, England

2. Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, United States

1. Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris, France

3 comments

worst airport

by noslen66 on Fri, 11/11/2011 - 09:12

Sana pagandahin din ang waiting area. Marumi at may mga pulubi pang humihingi ng pera at nakakahiya sa mga bisita.
Huwag lang puro pera sa tollgate ang inaatupag. Yong naman mga taxi, ang nakalagay ay metered pero kung sumakay kana hindi pala at wala pa silang resibo na maibigay. Sa immegration naman dapat ay mga mababait at respectful sila sa mga tao dayuhan man o kapwa Filipino.