The world’s 10 best airports 2015 in pictures from Singapore Changi International and Seoul Incheon to Tokyo Haneda
Killing time before a flight is hardly a pleasant experience. It’s crowded, stressful, and the chairs are always uncomfortable…
But maybe we’re just flying from the wrong airports?
The top 10 airports in the world have been ranked by Sleeping in Airports, based on users’s votes. Asian airports outstrip the rest by far, making up six of the world’s 10 best airports.
Amenities at these babies include a butterfly garden, Hello Kitty-themed gates, free travel libraries, sleep pods and pet hotels. Maybe business travel doesn’t have to be so bad?
10. Zurich Kloten International Airport, Switzerland
The low lighting and impeccably clean surroundings make this a calm and soothing place to navigate. Those who sleep here are treated to relative darkness and quiet until 4 or 5am, where they can tuck away on couches and armrest-free benches with plenty of plugs around. (Sleeping in Airports)
9. Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur's main terminal continues to amaze travellers with its indoor rainforest, complete with wooden walkways along the forest floor and through the canopy.
8. Vancouver International Airport, Canada
We couldn't agree more with another voter who described it as a “hell of a welcome to Canada”
7. Helsinki International Airport
Helsinki’s airport has introduced perhaps the most traveler-friendly feature ever: Sleeping pods for travelers in transit.
Other treats within these Nordic terminals include art galleries, a spa, work stations and loads of eateries and shops.
6. Munich International Airport, Germany
Unsurprisingly, Munich International Airport is run with true German precision. Efficient, speedy and impressively organised, layovers through MUC are delightfully straightforward and reliable.
5. Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong
As well as allegedly being kept so clean you can eat off the floor (er, rather you than me), travellers praised the “availability of armrest-free chairs, the ultra-friendly staff and the abundance of 24-hour restaurant options.”
4. Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan
Taipei's primary airport first snags traveller attention with a series of creatively themed gates that pay tribute to Hello Kitty, tea, Taiwan music, and the Asian Oscars.
3. Tokyo Haneda International Airport, Japan
Travelers admired Tokyo's airport for being "tidy, efficient, modern and generally just really pleasant".
2. Seoul Incheon International Airport, South Korea
One traveller summed it up perfectly in saying that the saddest part of their time at ICN was realizing that their gate was open and that it was time to leave.
1. Singapore Changi International Airport, Singapore
(All photos: Flickr)
Changi has won dozens of accolades as the world’s best airport over the years.
Maybe it's the luxurious layover indulgences, which include a fish spa, a sauna, a butterfly garden, showers and a koi pond? Others might argue that it's the fitness and entertainment activities – which include a multi-story slide, a gym, a free movie theatre and the free city tours.