Above & Beyond

When your globetrotting includes a stop at one of the world’s top airports, getting to your destination can be half the fun.

Soaring architecture, efficient logistics, premium amenities and services galore make these airports attractions unto themselves. 

Aviation is a big part of the global economy, and airport authorities recognize the importance of branding and creating an outstanding customer experience – strategies that spur local economic growth and development as well. 

Hubs in Asia and the Middle East have set standards of excellence that are the envy of the rest of the world. Superior service, modern facilities and cutting-edge technology have transformed the airport experience. Airports on our side of the world have a lot of catching up to do.

Need a place to nap, a spa treatment or a quick workout before your next flight? These airports offer all those options and so much more. View an art exhibit, stroll through a garden or take the kids to a playground during your layover. Jet lag never felt so good. 

Here’s your ticket to some of the best airports on the planet.

Singapore Changi International Airport

Singapore Changi International Airport takes top honors on many “best” lists, including Travel + Leisure’s. And, for the sixth year in the row, it has won first place in the World Airport Awards by the consumer-aviation website SkyTrax. Changi Airport, home to Singapore Airlines, serves more than 100 airlines flying to 400 cities in 100 countries worldwide. More than 62.2 million passengers travel through Changi annually. 

When Jewel Changi – a mixed-use development with a stunning steel-and-glass façade that connects to terminals 1, 2 and 3 – opens this year, it will include the world’s largest indoor waterfall and sprawling indoor gardens with walking trails and play facilities.

Terminal 4, Changi’s newest, is fully automated from check-in to boarding. Using facial recognition technology, the system gets passengers quickly through the process.

Each of Changi’s four terminals has special attractions. With 400 retail and service outlets, movie theaters and free liquor tastings, there’s plenty to occupy your time. Tuckered out? Each terminal has a free snooze lounge where you can stretch out in a recliner chair.

If you’re seeking some activity, take a swim in the rooftop pool at the Aerotel Airport Transit Hotel in terminal 1. A small fee for non-hotel guests includes use of shower facilities. Or, if you have at least five and a half hours before your next flight, take a free guided tour of Singapore. 

For the kids, terminal 2 has an Entertainment Deck with movies, Xbox Kinect, PlayStations and arcade games, and the corkscrew slide in terminal 3 is four stories tall. Believe it or not, Singaporeans are known to take their children to the airport on weekends just for fun!

Changi kicked the wow factor up a notch by teaming with Warner Brothers to present a life-size, interactive Harry Potter installation. A Wizarding World Holiday, open until mid-February, meanders through three terminals and features re-creations of locations from the Harry Potter universe as well as snow and light shows. 

Hamad International Airport

Located on the Persian Gulf in Doha, the capital of Qatar, Hamad International Airport is strategically located between east and west. It opened for business in 2014 and is home to Qatar Airways. The five-star, two-terminal airport sits on 5,400 acres of land and cost $17 billion to construct. The undulating structure resembles the waves of the Arabian Gulf and was built with materials from 40 different countries.

Hamad has two parallel runways, among the longest in the world, designed to cater to the largest wide-body passenger aircraft, including the Airbus A380.

New security and customer-service training programs for its employees have enhanced transfer procedures, reducing passenger wait times for security screenings to less than five minutes.

Travelers ranked Hamad as third in Skytrax’s World Airport Survey for Best Airport Leisure Amenities in 2018, and it took home the Best Airport honor in the Middle East to boot.

Quiet rooms offer comfortable recliners to rest, read or nap. Activity nodes for kids and families include TVs, Mac stations, interactive art pieces and family rooms for privacy and relaxation. 

If you have time before your next flight, take a Doha guided tour or opt for a desert adventure.

The fitness center in the airport’s Oryx Hotel features an indoor swimming pool, a hydrotherapy tub, a gym and squash courts as well as spa treatments. A small fee is charged for non-hotel guests.

Art installations by local and international artists, curated by Qatar Museums, are interspersed throughout the airport. Swiss artist Urs Fischer’s whimsical bronze statue of a giant teddy bear with his head in a lamp is on display in the grand foyer of the airport’s duty-free shopping hall. The 23-foot-high sculpture previously held court in the Seagram Building plaza in New York City before the Qatari royal family bought it at auction for $6.8 million.

Incheon International Airport

Incheon International Airport, opened in 2001, is a gateway to northeast Asia and a hub for Asiana Airlines and Korean Air. The largest airport in South Korea, it handled 62 million passengers in 2017.

Incheon’s five-story terminal 2 began operations in January 2018. The terminal features an eco-friendly design, including a glass ceiling, photovoltaic panels on the roof and interior vegetation to save energy. The second stage of construction will be completed in 2023.

Robots help passengers find their way (while others clean the floors) and dozens of self-check-in and smart bag-drop machines serve passengers efficiently.

Incheon’s duty-free shopping mall includes the first Louis Vuitton store in an airport. While you’re shopping, pick up some of Korea’s renowned skin care products.

Incheon’s amenities abound, including an Ice Forest and skating rink, the nearby Sky72 Golf Course, a casino, an airport observatory and kid zones. If you’re tired, take advantage of nap zones as well as sleep capsule rooms for daytime or overnight snoozing. Not quite looking your best? Visit the hairdresser, drycleaner, shower rooms or spa to freshen up.

The cultural offerings are unparalleled at Incheon. Guests can attend a Korea Culture Museum, make traditional crafts, enjoy mini music concerts, see a procession of royal costumes or stroll down a replica Korean street. 

For visitors with plenty of time between connecting flights, embark on a guided tour of Incheon City; a palace; a Buddhist temple; or Paradise City, a resort complex.

Foodies may head over to Pyungwhaok in terminal 2, where Michelin-starred South Korean Chef Yim Jung Sik serves authentic North and South Korean fare, including scallion pancakes and bulgogi.

Hong Kong International Airport

Almost 73 million passengers traveled through Hong Kong International Airport in 2017. The primary hub for Cathay Pacific, the airport hosts more than 120 airlines traveling to 220 destinations worldwide, including 50 destinations in mainland China. 

Built on an artificial island away from the populous city center, Hong Kong International Airport, which began operation in 1998 and debuted its terminal 2 in 2007, consistently earns top marks for efficiency and the most advanced passenger experience. Passengers arrive from the city by road, rail or ferry. The airport’s soaring windows bathe the terminal in daylight.

Technology is at the forefront at Hong Kong International. Innovations include MyTAG, which notifies passengers via a mobile app when their suitcases arrive at the baggage carousel; supplying luggage trolleys in different locations through a monitoring system using a technology similar to facial recognition; and using radio-frequency identification to deliver and load baggage onto aircraft with high efficiency and accuracy.

Cultural activities include art, historical and heritage exhibitions. For families, the Dream Come True Education Park features 20 attractions, including the first My Cup Noodle Factory outside Japan, where kids can make their own ramen noodles, choose soup ingredients and toppings, and design a soup container.

Leave your luggage at short-term baggage storage while you catch a movie at the UA IMAX theater or play a round of simulation golf. 

Airport shopping ambassadors provide shop and restaurant recommendations and plan shopping itineraries. You’ll find 47 shops at terminal 1 alone, including brands like Burberry, Chanel, Prada and Versace.

Narita International Airport Tokyo

Two airports handle greater Tokyo’s air traffic. Although Narita International Airport Tokyo is 35 miles outside the capital, the world-class airport handles most of the international flights to the city, serving more than 40 million passengers in 2017. It’s a hub for Japan Airlines, ANA, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

Nothing gets lost in translation when management’s vision is to be “responsive, flexible, sensitive and speedy” for its customers, according to the airport’s website. Narita gets top ratings for cleanliness, hospitality and efficiency of operations from customers and critics alike. 

An airport app helps guests navigate the terminals with ease. NariNAVI enables the user to check their current position in any of the passenger terminals on a map displayed on their smartphone screen and retrieve information on shops, restaurants and flights. 

Japanese cultural events vary monthly and include dance performances, hands-on printmaking, origami and other traditional crafts as well as trying on kimono robes, Samurai armor and ninja costumes for children.

Narita Nakamise, the largest airport duty- free boutique mall in Japan, includes big-name luxury brands as well as fashion-forward Japanese designers.

Get your nails done in spectacular style at Nail Quick, where nail artists are ready to create an array of beautiful designs.

Don’t worry about pet care while you’re on vacation. Pet Inn Royal is an animal hotel in the terminal 2 parking facility. In addition to taking care of pets while passengers are on overseas trips, the hotel also features an adjoining veterinarian clinic and clipping salon.

Vancouver International Airport

North America makes the cut for best airports with Vancouver International Airport, Canada’s second-busiest airport and a gateway to Asia that served 24.2 million passengers in 2017. The not-for-profit Vancouver Airport Authority manages YVR under a lease with the government. It reinvests all earnings into airport development and improvements. Fifty-five airlines serve Vancouver, connecting nonstop to more than 125 destinations worldwide.

Last year, an independent customer satisfaction survey by Skytrax World Airport Awards ranked Vancouver Best Airport in North America for the ninth consecutive year. Friendly staff, good organization and easy access to downtown Vancouver (just 30 minutes away) are often cited. 

Vancouver was one of the first airports to introduce BorderXpress PIK (Primary Inspection Kiosks), a solution that allows the majority of travelers to use a self-serve border clearance option, ultimately reducing the overall processing time.

While amenities can’t compare to Asia’s best, passengers enjoy viewing two Vancouver Aquarium exhibits with a collection of marine life native to British Columbia. 

The magnificent art collection is also worth a gaze: It currently houses the largest collection of Northwest Coast native art in the world. The Lorne Balshine Inuit Art Collection comprises 75 contemporary Inuit sculptures purchased by the YVR Art Foundation for the airport. The sculptures record Inuit oral culture in the themes of wildlife, survival, traditional beliefs, family life and acculturation.

Conservationists will cheer the fact that Vancouver has one of the most dynamic wildlife-management programs in the world. A team patrols the airfield using a range of nonlethal methods to disperse hazardous birds and other animals from the airfield. 

Plus, a $9.1 billion expansion is underway at the airport that will include a forest inside the terminal. O