HarPiyTravel

I can’t call an airport the best or worst; it all depends on the experience. If I recall my various air trips, two airports stand out.

Good–

When we went to Yellowstone National Park for a family trip, we landed at Cody Airport, Wyoming, which is close to the park’s eastern entrance. It was a cute airport. There was not much hassle; the baggage drop was easy, and so was the security checkpoint. The airport was small and cozy. They had just two boarding gates, and even after that, everything went quickly. That was a great experience.

Bad–

When I think about the bad experience, Atlanta International Airport comes to mind. It’s the busiest airport; even if you arrive well in advance, there’s a chance you might miss your flight due to long security queues and multiple concourses, which sometimes require underground transportation.

I missed my domestic flight once at that airport. I left my friend’s house on time and took the metro to the airport. The metro connects to the airport. I checked in on the metro and didn’t have to drop my bag because I was traveling light. When I reached security, the queue was the longest ever. I waited patiently and didn’t ask anyone to let me advance; I don’t feel comfortable with that, unfortunately. After I cleared security, I had to take the train to my concourse, and when I arrived at the gate, my flight was gone. I had to wait at the airport till midnight to catch another flight, not a good experience.

Worst–

There was a worse experience as well; I think it was at the same airport, but I can’t say for certain. I was returning from India; that was a 14-hour flight, and then we landed at that airport, and guess what: the electricity was out, and there was chaos everywhere.

All connecting flights were canceled, and passengers were waiting cluelessly at the airport. I was already so tired and uncertain about when things would go back to normal. I slept on the ground. When the power was restored, there were long queues for rebookings, and it was a circus.

KFC and one other vendor provided free food to passengers, but as a vegetarian, I couldn’t avail of it either. I spent a long time in the queue, hungry and waiting for my turn, and got a booking for the next day. There was another racist episode that I don’t want to talk about, and that increased my stress level. I slept at the airport, and the next day, when I reached my destination, I went to my house without my checked bag. I was so tired that I completely forgot to collect my bags. I booked an UBER and came home.

After coming home, I realized I’d left my bags, so I went to the airport again and got them back. Thinking about that night is making me sick. But that doesn’t make the airport bad; it was just a bad experience.

What’s the longest you’ve ever been stuck in an airport — and what made it unbearable?

Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!