Airports Airlines To Avoid

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U.S. Airways Everywhere but Phoenix
The merger of the old U.S. Airways and America West Airlines has been an operational nightmare. Its two East Coast hubs (Philadelphia and Charlotte) are deteriorating. The airline was also dead last in systemwide on-time performance in March, April, and May, the most recent months for which there are government statistics. Its recent expansions to Europe and Hawaii are generating complaints due to poor service and frequent cancellations. Worse, the airline is also slashing the number of first-class seats on all its aircraft. If you must fly U.S. Airways, make sure you use its hub in Phoenix, which is running notably better than the rest of the airline’s system.

Southwest Airlines at Baltimore/Washington International
Despite its all-coach configuration and its continued policy of not offering assigned seats, Southwest Airlines has gained favor with business travelers because it is fairly timely and efficient for short-haul flights. But avoid Southwest at Baltimore-Washington Airport. The airline seems understaffed there, and even Southwest’s vaunted point-to-point flying system isn’t immune to East Coast thunderstorms.

United Airlines Flights to Asia
Seventeen months removed from the longest and costliest bankruptcy in airline history, United Airlines is running on fumes. Its fleet is old and tattered, and its in-flight service has been slashed. Many of its flights (its “Ted” service) have no first-class seats at all. But United fares most poorly on its Asian routes, where top-notch competitors such as Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and All Nippon Airways fly newer planes with dramatically better business- and first-class amenities.

Airports of the Damned
If it were just the airlines that were running poorly, life on the road this summer might be bearable. But some of the world’s most important airports are overwhelmed too.

In Asia, Tokyo’s Narita Airport is overburdened with flights and is unreliable and unpleasant as a connecting facility. Instead, change planes in Seoul if your destination is northern Asia. If you’re headed to Southeast Asia, try Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, or Hong Kong. Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is less than a year old, but it is dirty, crowded, and plagued by shoddy construction. Avoid it too.

In Europe, Milan’s Malpensa Airport is generally considered the worst choice on the continent to change planes. Charles DeGaulle Airport in Paris is under construction and has never been a good place to change planes. Hardcore business travelers have always liked compact and efficient Schiphol Airport, outside Amsterdam, but baggage handling there is notoriously poor in the summer. We already covered some of London Heathrow Airport’s problems in last week’s column (Read "Later, London"). If you need to change planes in Europe, try Munich (relatively new and quite pleasant), Vienna (compact, with good connections to eastern Europe), or Copenhagen (efficient, with good connections throughout northern Europe).

Notably bad in South America is Brazil, where the air-traffic-control system is horrendous. Most African airports are hopeless too, although Johannesburg is workable for connections to the southern part of the continent. If you’re headed elsewhere in Africa, try connecting in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, where the Arab carriers are flush with cash and making an effort to connect to Africa’s leading business centers.

The Fine Print
Most business travelers can avoid overscheduled Fort Lauderdale Airport by flying to West Palm Beach or Miami instead. But if you’re trying to catch a cruise and need to use Fort Lauderdale, leave a day early. Ditto for Seattle-Tacoma, where the airport is often overwhelmed during the height of the summer cruising season.

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