Worst Airport, Airline, Customs...

JohnNewYork says on Jul 26, 2007, 12:41:

It has to be the first time I visted Medellin. I speak no spanish, everyone starring at me like I was from Mars. The dark airport and they search you when you enter the country. I amost dumped on myself. That was my first trip to south america.

scotty says on Jul 27, 2007, 02:25:

same with me my first visit to Cali, no spanish, no idea what the hell im doing there, not a smooth transition. Finally happy when a pretty latina was waiting for me outside the airport. It was the starngest trip i had ever taken.

Get Rhythm, when you got the blues. Johnny Cash

panthdave says on Jul 27, 2007, 16:21:

Worst Airport via Transit: Panama Fokin huge shopping mall with one little fokin cafeteria. The place drives me crazy..but Copa has good prices sometimes..The place needs a nice fokin bar and all those Electronic Stores and Drives me nuts..
Worst Airport: Frankfurt, Germany/Dulles Airport D.C./Lima, Peru but 10-20 years ago
Worst Airline: United/Lufthansa/Avianca(flights out of Colombia)
Worst Customs: No Question in my Mind JFK>>>>>

Note: Colombia Airports are Great....Don't know why not Modern but you know what good...I remember the good ole days in Bangkok's old airport and Lima, Peru 20 years ago when I was 18...What shitholes those were...

panthdave Miami

Man Tequila says on Jul 27, 2007, 21:56:

I've travelled a little bit and seen a few bad airports. I'm no fan of Newark in New Jersey or Panama's airport. Charles de Gaulle in France has nowhere to sit and expensive crappy food. Frankfurt may be poor but it is better than Frankfurt Hahn (RyanAir) which is two hours from the city. Some of the airports in India were crowded and smelly; in Chennai there were a couple guys in the washroom injecting themselves with the hard stuff.

I've never had a very bad experience with customs anywhere, though. I've never had a very bad experience at a Colombian airport but was mildly put out when someone checked in my suitcase in Bogota while I was paying the airport tax...

Aunque no me creas/ si me lo propongo/ lograre olvidarte/ porque a fin de cuentas/ no soy tan cobarde./ Y termino todo una de estas tardes/ no sera dificil buscar algún sitio donde refugiarme/ donde nunca mas vuelvas a encontrarme. (Polo Montañez)

Robert Jorge says on Jul 28, 2007, 00:25:

I have never been in an airport I actually liked. But of the several that I been through (probably 25 or more), probably De Gaulle in Paris sucked the most for me. I have only been through that place twice, and I just didn't like it. But, most airports don't really stand out as really bad or really great to me - which is probably indicative of my lack of travel; and perhaps good luck. I remember St. Louis being a ball breaker trying to walk the miles of corridors to get from one gate or baggage claim to another gate. I will say, El Dorado in Bogota might have been the easiest entry point of any international port of entry that I have ever gone through. In the 3 times I have landed there, It has never taken more than 30 minutes from wheels on ground, to the madhouse outside the exit doors of the airport. Once, I got through the gauntlet in perhaps 15 minutes. Of course checking in and boarding is a whole different story. I felt VERY secure on the flights out of Bogota. Talk about getting checked closely ... and repeatedly.

--"I believe in making the world safe for our children. But not for our children's children, because I don't think that children should be having sex." - Jack Handy

Peter (Moderator) says on Jul 28, 2007, 01:11:

Moscow airport is HORRIBLE. The people who work there treat you like shit, and there's nothing open on long stopovers. That was my worst airport experience ever.

Poor but snappy

podborski says on Jul 29, 2007, 14:23:

no one's complaining about Bogotá? The airport is WAY too small, horribly understaffed (guess that is the airlines fault), massive lineups, the worst I've ever seen by a long shot.

The only airport where you really do need to be there 3 hours ahead of time, or you'll be in trouble.

Amsterdam airport was by far the best I've seen.

Customs staff at ezeiza are predictably miserable and arrogant.

Man Tequila says on Jul 29, 2007, 21:50:

I''ve always managed to get the Tax Free stamp at EZE after checking in those items. But I've also sen three hour lines AFTER going through the departure gates. Never seen a line like that at any other airport.

Amsterdam is a great airport.

Bogota has a good food court, at least. Customs has always been polite to me there. I did have an Air Canada flight where someone checked my bag while I went to pay the airport tax, which made me nervous. But can't really blame that on the airport. I've made conencting flights easily with as little as fifty minutes to spare. The airport is not in my worst ten.

Aunque no me creas/ si me lo propongo/ lograre olvidarte/ porque a fin de cuentas/ no soy tan cobarde./ Y termino todo una de estas tardes/ no sera dificil buscar algún sitio donde refugiarme/ donde nunca mas vuelvas a encontrarme. (Polo Montañez)

BaJaHa says on Aug 10, 2007, 14:27:

Sharm el Sheck (spelling) in Egypt
New Jersey USA
Dabolim India

These were somewhat of a trial for me personally (there were many more of course)

Egypt: The guy kept rubbing my shirt pocket and then returning to the same spot over and over again, (There was a few Egyptian pounds there) when I ignored him he eventually said to me,
"Is there something in there for me".
"Imshie ascarie" from me
He ‘imshied" (f***** O**)

USA: I was totally lost and was looking for the place that I had to pick up my hire car. I spied a policeman and asked him (with my wife in tow)
" Could you direct me to the car hire area/department or whatever"
He just looked at me and said nothing. I asked him again and my answer was
"Do I look like a god damned tourist information guide"?
I said "No, you look like very bad example of a human being"
I was Instructed to "Move on"
Possibly he thought I was a Scottish Muslim and my face would explode over his nice uniform'. (Everyone after that in the USA, were the most helpful and polite that I had met anywhere in the world except for Dando in India, (only one inhabitant there and he was always asleep))

Vasco Da Gama, India. Customs man asked my friend who had brought his dog in.
"How much is the dog worth?" he asked.
"He is a ‘mut' about five pounds from the local rescue centre in England"
"How much is he worth to you?" was the reply
My friend paid him over one hundred pounds sterling (USD 200)

The same clown got over 2 hundred pounds (Cash) from me for my six cases, I got a receipt for 40 Pounds? (its a long story)

These few things happened over the last 18 months. I could fill a document the size of the ‘Dead Sea Scrolls with my experience of foreign customs and airport scams over the years.

~ It's better to cry than laugh, with a laugh, your tormentor may punish you, if you cry, he may come closer and you can then kick him in the nuts ~
....ARMacleod.....

scotty says on Aug 13, 2007, 02:26:

Ba Ja ha, that USA cop actually said that to you? what a dick! Most cops I ask for info are very helpful but I have also on ocassion come across a cop that was rude.
His attitude was all wrong because actually he is supposed to assist you he is a civil servant and he should have helped you. he was probably constipated from eating to many donuts.

Get Rhythm, when you got the blues. Johnny Cash

scotty says on Aug 13, 2007, 02:29:

Ba Ja ha, that USA cop actually said that to you? what a dick! Most cops I ask for info are very helpful but I have also on ocassion come across a cop that was rude.
His attitude was all wrong because actually he is supposed to assist you he is a civil servant and he should have helped you. he was probably constipated from eating to many donuts.

Get Rhythm, when you got the blues. Johnny Cash

Peter (Moderator) says on Aug 31, 2007, 00:18:

BaJaHa, you have some great stories!

Poor but snappy

gringolondinense says on Sep 5, 2007, 08:06:

Best airports:

Hong Kong...marvelous..so much space..lots of shops. Its bloody clean. Chill out areas, diffeernt films to watch for free, free internet everywhere. Burger King does the best chicken burgers for about 4 dollarsUS.

Stockholm (the smaller one, not arlanda): So small, you can land and be through customs in 2 minutes, if you dont have checked in bags to wait for. Oh, and there were no customs or immigration. Perfect!!

Worst:
London Heathrow. Supposedly the worlds busiest airport, but also the worlds shittest. Expensive and crap food, nowhere to sit. 1950s decor.Hitleresque immigraion and customs staff.

scumbuster says on Oct 31, 2007, 13:45:

Worst Airport & Customs.
Moscow Russia.. Right off the bat you have to go through customs and there is no way to communicate.. There are not even any words in there language that sound remotely familiar. The customs agents all look like they are ready to send you before a firing squad. The alphabet is Cyrillic, which may as well be from another world, which is where I felt I was, when I got off the plane. As soon as I got through luggage claim the taxi hyenas were all over me. If you have ever been there you know about the taxi hyenas. ;-) Not only are the people in Russia generally rude, but everything is filthy. From the airport, subways to busses. Any common areas in apartment buildings are smelly and are filthy. All that said though, it was a good first travel experience. I knew when I left Russia I could travel anywhere in the world. It is a little romantic there, something about the place keep drawing you back. PS. I highly recomend taking a train from Moscow to St. Petersburgh.

chris932 says on Nov 1, 2007, 16:35:

Madrid is the worst airport I´ve been to. No signs, chaotic "queuing", full offensive airport staff and thieving customs workers.

quantum says on May 29, 2008, 13:06:

Well, Ive never been to Moscow or Calcutta or a few other places which might qualify for worlds worst airport, but in my humble experience, Miami is bad enuff. At least Panama is small, eazy in and out. And as far as hassles with customs, no question about it. Ive never been hassled anywhere including Colombia and Brazil, only in the good ole U.S. of A. where they have strip searched me in Honolulu Hi. after traveling for 2 yrs in Asia and the South Pac and Indo. The guv doesnt like it when u dont stay at home paying yur taxes. They want their pound of flesh and when yur out there havin a good time learning something about the world instead of sittin home on the couch getting yur daily propaganda fix from Fox news they dont take too kindly to it. And theyve pulled me into secondary several times and scrutinized me, for instance when they somehow just knew that Id been to Cuba even tho it wasnt stamped on my passport. They tried to get me to admit to my having been there but no way Jose.........bad news the U.S.S.A theze daze disafortunadamente............bout time for a change but I got a feeling its gonna get a whole lot worse before it gets any better. Been too much dummin down now for too long........

kat1 (Moderator) says on Jun 3, 2008, 02:39:

American Airlines, AND Miami AIRPORT

engage brain before opening mouth

bickerss says on Jun 24, 2008, 21:56:

Lagos Nigeria - not a fun experience,

Luanda Angola - almost not as fun as Lagos. The staff ready to give you a yellow fever shot incase you dont have it do not give you a warm and fuzzy feeling!!

Khartoum Sudan - a painfully long process to get through.