Although they usually aren't listed among popular destination spots, airports are inevitably the first attraction that most vacationers will visit. Granted, few of us think of such sites as attractions; in fact, our first instinct upon entering an airport is oftentimes to devise the quickest route out of it. Yet a great number of these places are worthy of more than a passing glance -- aside from the enormous amount of time and money that is funneled into their construction, airports are a reflection of the locales that await. More than mere portals into another city or country, these buildings also suggest what our visits have in store for us, or serve as a final reminder of what we are leaving behind.
There are no better places to wait for the luggage carousel to cough up your suitcase than in the ten airports listed in this week's feature. Given the diversity of the locales that harbor them, no specific criteria was set forward in ranking these airports, but they were judged as products of their regions. Some consist of a single runway while others host millions of passengers every week, but they will all marvel you thanks to the distinct character they possess, making them each as unique as the landscapes which they open unto.
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Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, Vantaa, Finland
Oriented 11 miles north of Finland's capital, Helsinki-Vantaa airport is a fitting reflection of the city that has been called "the last in Europe to be built as art." The building recently celebrated its fiftieth birthday, having been opened in 1952 for the Helsinki Olympic Games, but that's not to say that its appearance is dated. A series of additions and renovations throughout the late '90s have earned this structure its reputation as one of the most beautiful airports in Europe, most notably the construction of the Middle Terminal. Situated between the crossing of the two runways, the Middle Terminal is comprised nearly entirely of triangular glass prisms, arranged so as to maximize the influx of natural light.
One driving force behind the extensions that the Helsinki-Vantaa has undergone is the increase in the number of people passing through it. Between 1993 and 2001, terminal traffic increased by 50%, and today roughly 10 million passengers visit the airport annually. Yet not all the additions have been entirely functional: the airport also boasts a hair salon, a pharmacy and a quiet room that contains bibles and hymn books in a number of different languages. As well as hosting its fair share of nervous flyers, the quiet room has reputedly been the site of some pre-flight weddings, making way for some Mile-High Honeymoons.
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Eleftherios Venizelos Airport, Athens, Greece
A 1999 earthquake and the International Olympic Committee's decision to make Athens the host of the 2004 Summer Games have brought about an abundance of construction in the ancient Greek city, one product of which has been the Eleftherios Venizelos airport. The largest greenfield airport in Europe and certainly among the most difficult to pronounce, Eleftherios Venizelos was built and tested over a 56-month period and was officially opened in March of 2001.
This airport's construction involved flattening a hill and relocating a 15th century Greek Orthodox church, two enormous procedures which in hindsight seem justified. The expanse of Eleftherios makes for an impressive sight, encompassing buildings and land that are capable of accommodating 600 landings and takeoffs per day, 89 aircrafts at a time, and 16 million visitors every year. Eleftherios Venizelos is also one of the world's first silent airports: flight information is not announced, so passengers have to actually look at the arrival and departure boards.
- Changi Airport, Singapore, Singapore
One of the points of pride for the people behind the Changi airport is that no more than thirty minutes is required for arriving passengers to disembark, clear immigration, get their luggage, and be on their way. Yet they undoubtedly take more pleasure in the fact that most visitors end up spending far more time there than is necessary. Changi is regularly voted among the top three that the world has to offer (of course, the AskMen travel department has higher standards than others), thanks in great part to the services that the site offers. Among the facilities to be found in its terminals are a mini supermarket, sports lounge, movie theater, massage parlor, indoor gardens, Jacuzzis, and a swimming pool.
Also of great renown is the airport's duty-free store, which guarantees lower prices than any of the city's downtown outlets -- if proven wrong, it provides customers with a refund of twice the difference. Changi, which officially opened in December of 1981, is currently expanding into a third terminal. The project is estimated to be complete by 2006, at which time the entire airport will be able to accommodate 20 million more passengers a year.
- Cassidy International Airport, Christmas Island, Australia
Although Christmas Island is Australian territory, it lies more than 1,600 miles northwest of the continent's mainland, just below Indonesia in the Indian Ocean. 63% of the island is comprised of National Park, and while it may not be the globe's hottest tourist spot, hordes of fishermen flock to Christmas Island every year to catch the enormous species of Sailfish and Wahoo that are found there.
If you're a fan of the rustic, back-to-nature lifestyle that Christmas Island offers, you won't be disappointed by the region's airport. Its terminal is little more than a ramshackle hut, but the airport remains nonetheless an international facility. Monthly flights to Singapore are available in December, January and February.
- Lester B. Pearson Airport, Toronto, Canada
When Toronto's international airport was renovated and reopened in 1964, the finished product was considered to be so state-of-the-art that the city's elite would make the half-hour drive from downtown just to be seen dining there. Roughly a decade ago, Canada's busiest airport became the city's focal point again as its third terminal was opened.
The aptly named "Terminal 3" opened in 1991 to much fanfare, and deservedly so. In addition to its 40-foot high glass walls, the new structure boasted such technological innovations as plasma information screens -- quite a leap from the services offered by the original building (known as Malton Airport), which was built in 1938 over 420 hectares of farmland.
Well the Toronto hipsters had better start shining their shoes again because Pearson is currently in the midst of undergoing further developments. The centerpiece of the new project, the total costs of which will be in the range of 2.6 billion dollars, is a horseshoe-shaped terminal capable of handling 45 million travelers per year. The new terminal's first stage is set to open in the spring of 2003.
- Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, Holland
Consistently voted among the most attractive airports in Europe, Schiphol is also one of the busiest: it ranks third in the continent in terms of freight traffic, and fourth for passengers. 39 million people passed through Schiphol in the year 2000, and that number has been growing every year since. It is anticipated that the traffic volume will reach its limit of 44 million by the year 2015, making it the fastest growing airport in Europe.
This rapid expansion can be attributed in part to the accessibility of the site: Schiphol lies within three hours flying time of every European capital, and can be reached from downtown Amsterdam in twenty minutes, via the city's public transport system.
In spite of the heavy traffic flow, Schiphol is surprisingly easy to navigate. All of the complex's terminals are housed under a single roof, making orientation much less of a task than at other airports. Schiphol's 50,000 employees man a range of facilities that include art exhibits, an oxygen spa and a casino (plans for an in-house brothel recently fell through). Schiphol was also the first major international airport to install iris-scanners to identify travelers -- so you can feel like Tom Cruise in Minority Report, even if no one else seems to agree that you look like him.
- St. Barths Airport, St. Barths, French Caribbean
St. Barths is considered the most expensive vacation spot in the Caribbean, which may account for the high ratio of celebrities that choose to retreat there. Even before setting foot on the island's grounds, one is given a sense of entering a private, well-hidden realm during the in-flight approach: the St. Barths airport consists of a single, 2,048-foot runway tucked away into the surrounding mountains, making for a descent so abrupt that highway drivers below are warned of the low overhead caused by incoming planes.
St. Barths airport is not equipped for night landings, and the span of the runway is such that it can only handle small, often dated propeller-powered planes. Yet whatever nerves may get jangled over the course of a flight will be quickly soothed upon disembarkment. One of the island's many beaches lies directly at the end of the runway, and the airport is a quick taxi ride from the downtown area, which boasts some of the world's best gourmet restaurants.
- Heathrow Airport, London, England
In its inaugural stages in 1946, Heathrow airport consisted of little more than an army tent and a runway. Plans to develop it into a full-fledged RAF base came to a halt when the war ended before the structure could be completed, and the site began being used for civil flights. Today, nearly half a century later, Heathrow stands as the world's busiest airport, witnessing the passage of more than 62 million passengers every year. 60,000 people work at the facility, and it ranks as the globe's second largest cargo port.
The size and pace of Heathrow is often enough to intimidate most visitors into heading for the nearest exit, but this place really does deserve to be lingered over. Named after a hamlet that was destroyed to make way for the airport, Heathrow is a testament to post-war innovation and progress. Its proportions are already staggering, but this complex is only going to get bigger when a fifth terminal opens in 2007.
- Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan
Kansai International Airport is the product of more than seven years of work, and stands today as the second largest airport in Japan. Yet what is truly remarkable about this facility is not its size, but rather its location. Kansai was built on a man-made island in Osaka Bay which, at the time of the complex's official opening in September of 1994, was the largest artificial one ever built.
The architectural magnificence of this structure does not stop at its foundations. The airport's terminal, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, is constructed almost entirely of glass and steel, and is considered one of the greatest architectural specimens of the late 20th century. While Kansai only has one runway, plans for building two more are currently underway.
- Sukhothai Airport, Sukhothai, Thailand
The ancient city of Sukhothai was once the capital of the first Thai Kingdom, and its ruins date back to the 13th century. Given this deeply historical context, it was a top priority of the architects behind the region's airport to ensure that the structure complemented the surrounding landscape, and most would agree that they did a bang-up job in this regard.
Built in 1996 at the ridiculously low cost of 12 million Thai baht (roughly the equivalent of $285,000 USD), Sukhothai Airport is comprised of a cluster of open-sided pavilions, supported by wood beams and topped by thatched roofs in the traditional Thai architectural style. Local artisans and craftsmen were employed in the complex's construction, lending it a local flair that earned the airport the 1998 Outstanding Architect Award from the Siam Architects Association.
The true charm of this building lies in the minute attention to detail: tropical flowers line the single runway, and fresh fruit is set out in the travelers' bathrooms every day. The flight to Sukhothai is worthwhile just to see this place; the rest of the city's attractions are an added bonus.
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