I'm Already There

I've mentioned this in various contexts before, but I'd just like to confirm that I love air travel, and I love airports.

I was riding to Logan today, and I felt that familiar thrill of being at the airport, and thought "you shoud mention this."

Because I just think airports are nifty - I don't know when it started. We traveled when I was a kid, to visit relatives and eventually to move from Boston to Washington DC.  Whenever it did, I just remember travel, especially air travel, being exciting and glamorous.  Airports had less security back then, so you usually had relatives take you all the way to the gate (which had few amenities, but somehow looked nicer.  And people dressed to fly. I remember we had to put on nice things.

So what can I say - it's still a thrill. And like anything you love, I've made myself a solid traveler - I can whip a suitcase into shape in 20 minutes, I don't bring toiletries onto the plane anymore, I know to get 2 bins at the security checkpoint, one for my pooter, and one for everything else (jacket - men should always have a sportcoat ready on a trip - keys, money, wallet, belt, watch, shoes). I always wanted to travel for business... and somehow, it never happens for me. :(

I think stewardesses have the most glamorous job imaginable. Still (heck, I still say stewardess, with reverence). I think the popularity pof the "rollie" suitcase, as much as it's about convenience, comes from giving regular travelers some of the ziz of the old stewardess culture - they had those bags first.

Jennifer and I were talking about our differing taste in airports - she sees them purely for function, I see them as a world unto themselves. She's trying to wend her way through carrying toiletries onto the plane; I can't be bothered. Knock on wood, I've never lost a bag. Ever. I think bag losing, like so many things, is for amateurs.

A while back, I offered some thoughts over at Red's place on Miami's airport (terrible). After the jump, just a few thoughts on my fave airports.

1. Logan - What can I say? I've passed through Logan since I was a kid, and it still strikes me as a solid regional airport.  Food offerings are much better than they once were, the multiple public transportation options (bus line, subway line) are easy and efficient, and security is not hopeless (especially if you are Delta Shuttle). One word of caution - if you need directions you will probably have to ask - Bostonians are happy to help, but they will not come to you just because you look lost.
2. LaGuardia - My favorite of the New York airports. Let's begin by saying New York airports are their own special... heck, if not hell; hard to get to, badly laid out (less so of Newark, though it's flawed), with many inconveniences. Kennedy has gotten much better -= and easier - since the introduction of Air Train, but with so many terminals in heavy renovation - Jet Blue's Terminal 5, and American's Terminal 9 for starters - getting around, getting parked... still not so good.  Which is why I love LGA, still - sure, the bus and subway options aren't perfected, but they're pretty good. The Delta Shuttle operation, off on its own, is fabulous. The main terminal has gotten a lot of decent food options (and not stranded out at the gates), and US Air's terminal is not bad, either (I don't love Delta's main terminal). Security has always been surprisingly good here, with people who always seemed to know how to handle a long line efficiently. That's New York for you - a place where lines are expected, and people know what to do with them.
3. Dallas/Fort Worth - For my money, the best transfer point outside of NYC - easy to get around, almost entirely under the control of American (my favorite major - and Red, I have our crazy former boss to thank for that), with my favorite food option (Chick Fil A) in easy reach. Even if you wind up staying in the area, it's still easy - it's the only place I've seen where bag claim is steps away from your gate, on the same floor, with the taxi just a few steps more (and DFW was built with a highway up the middle, so you're good to go). If only I liked Dallas. :) Well, I don't hate it - but outside of work, I really wouldn't go.
4. Atlanta - Not my favorite, not as a transfer point to be sure, and not even to fly in or out of. Traffic in Atlanta is terrible, and you often wind up coming or going in rush hour, which is worse. Delta has the nightmarish ability to put connecting flights whole terminals apart from one another, leading to nightmarish runs (one trick - the other airlines all have small areas that are contiguous, if you can use them), and all the decent food seems to be in Terminal C. Still, if your layover is long, they have amazing amenities - whole offices you can camp in for a small fee all over the place. And they are awfully nice down there, southern hospitality and all. I'd like them better if I could really love Delta - which, now that they're un-bankrupt, maybe I can.
5. SFO and OAK - Like so much about San Francisco, their airports are very idiosyncratic; weirdnesses abound, from location to convenience to amenities.  Oakland is hard to get to, but with a good public transportation solution, but has few decent amenities and a bargain basement feel (Hello, JetBlue!); while SFO is at once somehow nearby and a long ways off, beautiful to fly into, with nice, if seventies tack-ish, decor and decent options.  But for the boys, a few days in Gay Mecca can make all the weirdnesses worthwhile... certainly for me.
6. Philadelphia - By rights, I should never fly into Philly; indeed, aside from Pennsylvanians west of the city, I have no idea why we even need an airport here, sandwiched practically on top of Newark and BWI (in a big picture sense).  A once smaller and sadder airport than it is now, it is still the little airport that strikes me as trying to prove it can play in the big leagues.  Security is almost always horribly slow, the amewnities are dicey (US Air's terminal has the best I've seen)... but they have a good train into town and a nice rental car setup (as opposed to say BWI's setup, 10 miles from the airport and horribly inconvenient to everything). But still, why go?  If UsAir forces you to do the LGA to PHI route (all the Caribbean flights go out of PHI or Charlotte), just kill yourself; it's the most pointless 20 minutes (no seriously) in the air in a jet you can imagine. Especially suntanned and tired and flying home at night.

I think I'll leave it at that - would love to hear your sirport thoughts, experiences, and any specific suggestions...

Comments

[jinbaltimore]

plane hit bldg go boom...nuff said

[Jennifer]

If loosing bags is for amateurs please tell me how to prevent it. We never check bags when we fly within the US but when we fly to Europe they force us and I am terrified-I am very attached to my clothes and my accessories are the sum of a lifetime of collecting.

And what if my signed by Manolo Blahnik MB shoes were lost??? At least my Chanel "classic" is replaceable. Oh and not taking those pieces is not an option-I am who I am and I will reflect that. :)

[Jennifer]

Sorry J, I don't agree. If one lives life allowing fear to rule it one could make an excuse for not doing anything. There are plenty of car crashes-do we not ride in cars? Houses burn down-are we planning to go live in the woods hidden from everything and everyone? Well...there are forest fires too. Life is more fun, fulfilling, and yes, challenging if we live to the fullest. As for me I don't do nature and the terrorists will have achieve their objectives if we stop living because of them which is something I would never allow.
I don't love flying but I love being in Paris, until my husband lets me live there-flying is the ends justifying the means.

[Leigh]

Yes, by "amateurs," I hope you mean the airlines and not the passengers. Jennifer is right. On long trips it's difficult to take such few toiletries that you can not check your bag. I almost always carry my bag on - especially in the U.S. Indeed, when I was commuting b/w NOLA and Boston and had a house in both places, travel was a wonderful breeze given I had to carry very little with me b/w the two places. Yet, on my 18 day trip to South America, for a wedding and all, I had to check my bag, and TAM Air, the developing-country-bus-in-the-sky, lost my bag for 2 days. I bristle at the word amateurs because I consider myself a) to be a very seasoned traveler, and b) occasionally still at the mercy of the transportation system, no matter how well I navigate it.

Also, consider yourself fortunate that your biz travel has been limited. I also love to travel, and love airports and air travel in theory. The sense of glamor is not lost on me. However, I find the best way to have that sense of privileged, elegant mobility dashed is to travel regularly for work. Suddenly you realize you're outnumbered in a sea of sales reps having the most boring conversations everywhere around you, and the desire to get from point A to point B as quickly and as painlessly as possible makes the layouts, likely delays and crowds at the major transfer points (e.g., Atlanta, Philly) much more of a nightmare that far outweighs the few benefits that you point out.

That said, I HATE Logan - 9/11 anyone (2 planes took off from there; Massport has a legendary corrupt reputation up here)? And mainly because their baggage claim is among the SLOWEST. Do everything to avoid checking bags if you are flying into Logan. The best thing about Logan - and yes, this does deserve points - is its accessibility from both the downtown and the burbs. It is remarkably easy to reach by train and commuter bus, and within an hour, even from my apartment way out here in the outer boroughs. :) But just as your childhood has left you with fondness for Logan, I was raised to disparage it.

I really like LaGuardia; living on the UES and "commuting" b/w NYC and Boston through my 20s, I came to appreciate its proximity to my house that made flying a much quicker and often cheaper process than the train (even though Amtrak long to convince me otherwise; don't get me started on Amtrak!). Being able to buy discount Delta Shuttle tix in packs until age 25 sealed my affection for LaGuardia in my first few years in the city. I'm not at LAG too often anymore, but it feels like an old friend when I pass through.

I don't have too much of a relationship with JFK, but the few times I've flown through it have been en route to major destinations (Africa, Hungary) so it makes me feel quite important. Plus, it's relevance as our 21st century Ellis Island (a conversation the M.A.S. and I were having yesterday at lunch) makes me think it's the coolest. (I feel similarly about Heathrow, though I'm more of a Gatwick "regular" as it seems to have the better deals from Logan. The Amsterdam airport is another one with this mystique.)

I hate Atlanta and Philly - see biz travel complaints above - especially the latter. Philly is where commuter time tables go to die. It's too small to handle its volume, and everything is always delayed. I'm a US Air loyalist after 18 months of commuting to NOLA, and I go out of my way to avoid flying through PHL whenever possible. DCA (National) and Charlotte are much preferred.

National is one of my favorites; if I'm there it means I'm either attending an important policy meeting ( ;) ), or visiting friends. It's as convenient as Logan, especially compared to BWI and Dulles. Charlotte is a handy little airport to transfer through; my dad loves the food court in the middle of all the terminals, but I'm ambivalent about it - the lines are always too long for me at just about every food option. But it's not big, not overly crowded, and US Air manages its flights pretty well through it.

The NOLA airport is terrible, mainly because of the lack of amenities and the prices. The taxes on food are also off the charts, though I am well aware of why they might need the revenues. ;)

Another airport to avoid is the Sarasota airport. Actually, it's great to arrive at if you're visiting the old timers on the Gulf Coast, but flying out of it is terrible, as it's staffed by said elderly and the people passing through security are again, old people, or families with children under 5 visiting them. It takes forever because everyone's moving at a glacial pace, unless they're trying to round up the three year old twins who are zooming around the security area in a frenzy. (The Tampa airport is cool only for the commute from there down the Gulf Coast involves some pretty modern and intriguing looking bridges over the waterways.)

As you can see, I'm mostly hopping around the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast. I've traveled quite a bit around the U.S. for work and pleasure, but that makes for a few trips to many of our airports, which I can't remember in comparison to trying to dash through those I've just listed.

[Leigh]

PS: Fun post.