My job frequently involves what we call "deadheading". This has nothing to do with the Grateful Dead, in fact there's little to be grateful about. It involves me being just another business traveler trying to get to where the company needs me.
This means I get to spend a lot of time in airports. More than I care to sometimes but that comes with the job. Fortunately airports on average are getting nicer than they used to be.
In no particular order here are some of my favorites and least favorites. I'll only hit the ones I've been through as a passenger. Some airports I only see from the cargo side, which is usually off in some far corner that you never see.
Atlanta - Arguably the best of the large US airports. Fly Delta and you'll probably connect there at some point. It's a long way between terminals so be sure to take the train unless you have a lot of time and want the exercise. You can take MARTA to/from downtown which I found very convenient.
Boston Logan - I haven't been through Logan as a passenger in many years. I recall it being a huge disorganized mess the last time I went through there (kind of like Boston roadways).
Charlotte - Charlotte is an extremely busy airport due to all the US Airways connections. The last time I connected through there my suitcase didn't make the connection. It seems that they got rid of all their union baggage handlers and replaced them with contractors. Capitalism for the win! Otherwise it's a nice enough airport.
Chicago Midway - Southwest loves Midway. Glad somebody does. This is a very busy little airport due to the number of Southwest connections. It's not as run down and dirty as it used to be but I still try to avoid it.
Chicago O'Hare - O'Hare is a huge, sprawling mess of an airport. Do not schedule a "quick turn" between flights going through here. If you have to make your way from one concourse to another you'll never make it. Except your connecting flight is probably late so maybe you will make it after all. The last time I went through here they pulled a last minute gate switch on me and I had to really hustle to make my connection. I grew up in Chicago, I love Chicago, but your airports suck.
Cincinnati Northern Kentucky - CVG is a ghost town since Comair shut down and Delta closed its Cincinnati hub. One of the terminals is basically deserted. Walk through there and you expect to be chased by zombies. We'll see more of this as the airlines continue to consolidate. Note that CVG is actually in Kentucky and quite a ways from downtown Cincinnati.
Port Columbus - My hometown airport is underutilized since America West pulled out years ago. It's currently going through a much needed upgrade so expect some construction. Otherwise I'd rate it as pretty average.
Dallas Fort-Worth - Everything in Texas is bigger and better. Well, bigger anyway. DFW is no exception. There's an urban legend about a businessman who rented a car, drove around for an hour and then returned the car, never having left the airport. You can walk between terminals but it's a hike. Take the elevated train if you need to get there quickly.
Denver - Nice airport except I think it's in Kansas. If it was any further from downtown it would be. You have a good chance of connecting through here if you're flying on United.
Detroit - DTW is actually a pretty nice airport. Basically it has two terminals, one for Delta/Skyteam and one for everyone else. I believe you have to take a shuttle from one to the other so keep that in mind if you're connection involves different airlines.
Indianapolis - They just built a new terminal here within the last few years and it's very nice. I'd say this is an underutilized airport.
LAX - I've been through the cargo side of LAX many times but only as a passenger once. I don't recall much about the terminal itself so it must be about average. I do recall the cab/shuttle area being an absolute nightmare of traffic while trying to actually get out of the airport.
Miami - Haven't been there in a long time but I remember it as being very chaotic. Travel to the Caribbean or points south and you'll likely connect through here. Traffic to and from the airport can be pretty insane. Give yourself plenty of time.
Minneapolis St. Paul - Once the main hub for Northwest. Delta seems determined to erase any memory of Northwest so you don't see as many connections through here as before.
Newark - Arguably the best of the New York airports but that's not saying much. Very crowded and good luck finding an outlet to recharge your phone.
New York/JFK - Those of you who live in the New York area are served by three major airports and none of them are good. JFK is a throwback to the days when each airline had its own terminal. Getting from one terminal to the next can be a bit of a pain. This is an airport badly in need of a makeover. Note that it can be a very long ride (sometimes over an hour) to/from Manhattan in traffic. I believe you can connect to the subway from JFK but I haven't done it.
New York/LaGuardia - I've only been through LGA once in recent years and I didn't stay very long because I had to catch a cab across town to JFK to make an international connection. My wife had the opportunity to spend a day there when her flight home was delayed. She describes it as "old fashioned".
Oakland - A lot of people are now using OAK as a cheaper alternative to SFO. Southwest has a big presence here and Hawaiian now flies to Honolulu from here. Facilities are a bit spartan. Note that the nearby hotels fill up quickly due to the increased traffic. They just finished extending the BART line out to the airport so I'd expect it to get even busier.
Philadelphia - Nice enough airport but it's a 10-minute bus ride from Terminal F to the other terminals. Watch your connection time.
Phoenix Sky Harbor - This was a big hub for America West and a lot of that has survived the US Airways merger. Southwest also has a big presence here. You have a very good chance of connecting through here going to or from the West Coast.
Portland - I just went through PDX for the first time and I was fairly impressed. One of the nicer airports I've been to. The inside looks more like an upscale mall than an airport.
San Francisco - You can take BART to and from the city so it's fairly accessible. Note that the rental cars are a ways from the terminal and take a long ride on a shuttle bus to get to.
Seattle-Tacoma - It's been a long time since I've been here. Fairly nice airport as I recall. Rental cars are off site so you have to take a shuttle bus. I recall a fairly steep tax on the rental cars to pay for their sports stadiums. There is a light rail link to downtown which might be a better option.
Washington Dulles - I just recently went through IAD for first time. I came in on some regional carrier and had to stand next to the jet waiting for my gate-checked bad to be offloaded. "I wonder what they do when it rains" I thought, then I noticed the big box of umbrellas off to one side. Yes, really. Otherwise pretty average as big airports go. You have to go down umpteen escalators to get to a train that takes you to the main entrance, where you go back up umpteen escalators.
Washington National - I still refuse to call it "Reagan". As a pilot I think they should just bulldoze it and build a high-speed rail line out to Dulles. I feel like I'm playing "You bet your license!" every time I land here. As a passenger it's very convenient because it's close to DC and you can take the Metro to and from downtown.
Canada - For an American, flying in and out of Canada isn't much different then flying domestic. The main difference is you have to clear customs.
Edmonton - Got stuck here once for half a day with a delayed flight. I don't recall it being very impressive. Facilities were a bit sparse.
Montréal-Trudeau - This is a big airport but fairly modern. I've only been through here once so I don't remember much. Ground transportation is limited to car, bus or cab.
Toronto Pearson - I had to pick my wife up here once and I remember it being a bit of a mess. It's a long way from downtown and traffic can be very heavy. I believe you can take the subway to the airport which might be a better option. You can actually clear US customs prior to departing Pearson, which is a plus.
Vancouver - Very nice, modern airport. One of the best in my opinion. Allow additional time to go through customs if you're traveling from the US.
Europe - European airports run the gamut from nice to nightmare. In general expect security to be tighter than at a US airport. You think the TSA is bad? Wait until you meet their German equivalent. Don't be surprised to see armed soldiers patrolling the airports. Europe has been dealing with terrorism for a lot longer than we have. Expect to stand in a long line waiting for a bored customs agent to stamp your passport. On the plus side most have decent public transportation.
Amsterdam Schipol - One of the best airports in the world. This is KLM's big hub and you have a good chance of going through here on a European connection. Note that if you've come in from the US you'll have to go through security again before connecting to a city in the EU. Allow plenty of time, this is a big airport. It's a fairly short train ride from here to downtown as I recall.
Budapest - Want to see what life behind the iron curtain was like? Fly out of this airport. The "new" terminal is still pretty spartan by European standards. I flew out of here on Malev (Hungarian national airline). We had to take a bus out to the airplane and then go up the stairs. Very old school.
Dublin - There's no train to downtown. You'll need to take a bus or taxi. Otherwise not much stands out. It's nicer than CDG but so are a lot of places.
Frankfurt - Very big, busy airport but run with German efficiency. I've only been through here once and I don't remember much about it. Seemed nice enough although Munich was nicer.
Lisbon - Flew in here exactly once. Seemed like a nice, if very crowded, airport. I recall it being a very long cab ride downtown but I believe there's a train.
Milan - Milan has two airports, Malpensa and Linate. Malpensa is the "big" aiport and handles most of the long-haul international traffic. Linate is smaller (and dirtier) and mostly handles domestic and intra-Europe flights. I don't recall either as being particularly efficient.
Munich - You have to love an airport with its own beer garden. Security is about as thorough as you would expect from a German airport. After getting a severe groping by the screener I think we're now going steady. "Excuse me sir but you'll have to at least buy me dinner first if you want to touch me there".
Paris Charles de Gaulle - I love CDG. Not because it's a good airport - it isn't. It's a terrible airport. I arrived there in a snowstorm once and waited three hours for my checked bag to be unloaded. When it arrived it looked like someone had stuck it in a snowbank. Another time they basically destroyed my (fortunately old) roller bag. The handle had been mangled. Obviously French baggage handlers have something against me.
I like CDG it because it looks like how people in 1964 imagined the year 2015 would look like. It reminds me of one of those "City of the Future!" drawings from back in the day. Plus they have a Concorde mounted on a stick, which is pretty cool. Your best bet getting downtown from here is the RER (commuter trains) which will take you to Gare du Nord. From there you can connect to anywhere in Paris on the Metro (subway). There's also a fairly cheap shuttle bus that goes downtown.
Most of the airport hotels are in a small town nearby called Roissy-en-France. There's a shuttle that runs to all the hotels but it can be a bit of a wait.
Seriously, avoid CDG if you can. I've heard Heathrow is even worse but I haven't had the pleasure.
Stockholm Arlanda - Take the train downtown. It's a lot faster than sitting in a cab in heavy traffic. Nice airport otherwise. Parking is tight here. A guy once pinned me between our hotel van and his car - fortunately my frantic pounding on his car got his attention.
Mexico
Guadalajara - Fairly modern although I recall having to go up stairs to the plane rather than a jetway. At least I got groped by a female security screener this time.
Monterrey - Surprisingly nice, modern airport. Very busy. The ride downtown takes over an hour in traffic.
Middle East/Asia - Other than with the military I haven't done much flying around Asia. Feel free to chime in if you've been there.
Istanbul - OK, Istanbul airport is in Europe but most of Turkey is in Asia. All I remember about this airport was that it was very big and very crowded. We came in on a Turkish Air flight from Adana and I seem to recall having to get on a bus to the terminal. Otherwise it seemed fairly modern.
Jeddah - Unless you're making the haj to Mecca or fighting a Middle East war you'll probably never see this airport. From a real estate standpoint this is the biggest airport in the world. You could fit DFW between two of the runways. I spent two weeks in 1991 sleeping on a cot in one of the terminals so my memories are not fond.
Tel Aviv - Talk about security, they've got it. This is probably the safest place on the planet. I'm not sure what the machine does that sucks your suitcase in the one end and shoots it out the other but it's cool to watch. I'm told their screening is very extensive, but us airline types get escorted through so I didn't get "the interview".
Got any airport stories, both good or bad? Feel free to weigh in.