airports

know before you go: SEA-TAC (SEA)

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Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is one of my favorite airports of all time.  There’s a SubPop records store and a Beecher’s cheese shop. Those are two very random things that can make me happy, in one airport! That being said, just because it’s a personal favorite, doesn’t mean it rates highly in terms of convenience.  Not everyone is looking for that old Death Cab for Cutie vinyl to take with them.

It is located about 15 miles from Downtown Seattle, so prepare for any traffic accordingly.  Because it is a gateway for air and cruise ship travel to Alaska and Canada, on any given day there could be hordes of tourists everywhere.  There are 80 gates, a central terminal with two satellite terminals (regional and international arrivals).  Concourse A has Air Canada, JetBlue, Delta, and United. B has Southwest, Virgin and more Delta. C is Alaska (it’s hub is here, and includes a new lounge) and D are Alaska and American.  The South Satellite is for international carriers.  There can be a lot of walking between terminals and their tram isn’t the most convenient.

Now the fun stuff, if you’re landing in the daytime, you’ll descend over a hazy gray landscape dotted with the islands of the Puget Sound or you’ll see Mt. Ranier.  It’s really pretty.  There’s a couple of seafood restaurants in this airport, which might seem like a bad idea during travel, but they’re not terrible.  Of course, you’re in Seattle, so there’s Starbucks, Seattle’s Best and a random California shoutout to Coffee Bean.  In fact, if you’re entering security in the central terminal, you will be greeted by Starbucks.

Something that could be annoying: there’s 12th man stuff everywhere, literally I think every being who lives in Seattle is required to own a jersey or some sort of Seahawks gear and they must wear it to the airport.

Remember: ✈️ = black hole sun ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ = nirvana

Ease of navigating through terminals: ✈️✈️ (there’s an underground tram that connects the concourses, but it’s somewhat inconvenient to get to.  It’s a very long walk between concourses, I’ve done it many times in the name of mac and cheese)

Convenience of security lines: ✈️✈️✈️ (can be a wait, especially if only one security area is open [they do a weird rolling system of opening security lines depending on the traffic].  However, there can be one separate line just for TSA Precheck which is ✈️✈️✈️✈️).

Dining: ✈️✈️✈️ (Ivar’s, Anthony’s, Beecher’s–concourse C such creamy mac and cheese goodness, there’s also locations in Pike’s Place and NYC), along with the usual fast food, coffee options)

Bathrooms:✈️✈️✈️  (clean)

Charging stations/wifi: ✈️✈️✈️✈️ (free wifi, charging stations under the seat everywhere)

Amenities: ✈️✈️✈️ (shopping is random, but interesting i.e. SubPop store, Alaska lounge, live music.  The amenities celebrate the city itself which I appreciate.)

Rental car facility: ✈️✈️✈️ (super easy to use, the buses come pretty frequently)

 

know before you go: Las Vegas (LAS)

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McCarran International Airport (LAS) serving Las Vegas, Nevada is one of my favorite airports to fly through.  There’s a lot to do here on a layover like gamble!  I’m not sure I’ve ever flown internationally from here, but I would say I average 6-8 domestic connections per year.  It’s a huge hub to and from the west coast with 110 gates.

First of all, it’s fairly close to the strip (less than 5 miles), and it’s cool to see Las Vegas boulevard from an aerial view as you start your descent.  This part always makes me very excited.  However, because Las Vegas is hella hot, both takeoffs and landings can be very turbulent.  This part makes me hesitant.  That’s Las Vegas in a nutshell.

The worst thing about flying into Vegas is that inevitably, one of your flight attendants will call it “Lost Wages.”  This is the worst joke, it needs to be retired.  Please.

The confusing thing is that it is split into Terminal 1 and Terminal 3.   There is no Terminal 2.  Not sure if David Copperfield made it disappear or what, but it’s not there.  Terminal 1 (concourses A-D) has a lot of domestic, but not all.  Terminal 3 (also D along with E) has international and some domestic.

I love people watching here.  There’s no other airport where the arrivals and departures are so bipolar.  When people get here, they’re ready to party, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed.  And then when they leave…well they look more like Conor McGregor after 10 rounds with Floyd Mayweather.

The security lines are always a bit hairy, and you’ll watch the TSA video featuring celebrity impersonators/Vegas entertainers like a hundred times, but once you’re in, there’s chimes and flashing lights and all sorts of commotion from the slot machines!

They have good fast food options, it’s easy to get from one concourse to the other (although from the Southwest C gates takes half your life).   You have to take a tram from the gates to baggage, but it’s quick.  The baggage claim area is huge.  Their rideshare waiting area can be tricky to get to (have to cross the street into a parking structure whose elevator levels have the weirdest designations)–random mezzanine level, huh?). But overall, if you had to have a layover here, it wouldn’t be a complete loss (unless you do get tempted by the shiny machines with the flashing lights).

Remember: ✈️ = lost wages to ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ = viva, las vegas!

Ease of navigating through terminals: ✈️✈️✈️ (good signs, it’s a long walk)

Convenience of security lines: ✈️✈️ (get there early)

Dining: ✈️✈️✈️ (mostly fast food, great hours, and there’s Coffee Bean and Starbucks)

Bathrooms:✈️✈️ (always crowded, need more)

Charging stations/wifi: ✈️✈️ (free wifi available, not enough charging stations in the gate areas, but have designated areas that are always packed)

Amenities: ✈️✈️✈️✈️ (Gaming facilities.  People watching can occupy you for hours.  Only a few lounges (AmEx and United), some Xpress Spas, weird B list mall stores, no luxury purveyors because I think they want you to spend the money in their casinos instead)

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know before you go: Taipei (TPE)

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The Taipei Taoyuan Airport (TPE) is one of the most popular layover spots to and from the US to any destination in Asia (serves as a hub for China and Eva Air).  It is so popular, they’re planning on adding a whole new terminal in the next few years to increase the population traveling through by about 45 million/year (that’s like 80 million total)!

I have been through this airport several times to and from Asia, and it never disappoints (even when you’ve missed your flight due to delays and have an unexpected extra night here before being re-routed through another unplanned destination before going home, oh and by the way, they’ve lost your luggage–luckily, there are loungers that are pretty comfortable to sleep in).  There’s a gym where you can shower for free, arcade games, playground areas, a library, and massage areas to pass your time.  And everything is super clean here.

However, it can be confusing to navigate for not having technically that many gates (~ 40).   First of all, it is located about 30 minutes from Taipei, so plan accordingly, as traffic can be a bear.  Once you get there, it’s pretty big for only having two terminals.  Terminal 1 has concourse A (north) and B (south).  Terminal 2 is split into concourse C (south) and D (north).  It’s a little counterintuitive.  Terminals are connected by a SkyTrain (although not the easiest to get to); concourses are connected by the main halls (immigration, passport check, etc). Lounges are on the 4th floor, the departures happen from the 3rd floor, while the arrivals are herded to the 2nd floor from the same gates.  There’s a lot of up down, down up happening in this airport. Fortunately, there are a lot of signs in both Mandarin and English, which helps a lot.

Terminal 1: Emirates, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cathay, etc (flights to most Asian countries)

Terminal 2: Delta, United, Eva, China, China Southern, China Eastern, Singapore, Japan, KLM (flights to non-Asian countries)

Once in your concourse, it gets easier.  There are a lot of restroom facilities, breast feeding rooms, cultural displays, and restaurants–mostly fast casual.

The food choices are mostly Taiwanese/Asian inspired except for standard Starbucks, McDonalds and Subway.  I had an above average Taiwanese beef noodle soup in the Terminal 2 food court.  The shopping has a lot of local Taiwanese souvenirs, teas, aboriginal gifts, but not so much in terms of luxury boutiques (for some reason I only remember Van Cleef & Arpels and Bvlgari).

The best thing about this airport are the themed gates.  Namely one…the Hello Kitty gate.  Eva Air features a Hello Kitty flight, so one of their gates is decked out in all her glory.  IMG_0602.jpg

Remember: ✈️ = goodbye, kitty to ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ = hello, kitty

Ease of navigating through terminals: ✈️✈️

Convenience of check in/security lines: ✈️✈️✈️ leaving Taipei (the luggage carts are free), but immigration line on arrival was ✈️✈️

Dining: ✈️✈️✈️ (not bad for Asian food, not the best for variety)

Bathrooms:✈️✈️✈️✈️ (very clean facilities and a plus for availability of free shower)

Charging stations/wifi: ✈️✈️✈️  (free wifi available)

Amenities: ✈️✈️✈️✈️ (gym, arcade, cultural exhibits, Hello Kitty, airline lounges, places to sleep, however I expect more variety from duty free shopping)

know before you go: Honolulu (HNL)

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A consensus amongst us when we started talking about creating this blog was that there was a lack of information about airports during layovers.  Navigating clunky, confusing, disorganized airport websites isn’t really easy to do on a phone…with limited battery power and spotty service/wifi.

Whether you’re running for your life to make that next flight or have an eternity to kill, we all need the basic 411 to help us get where we’re going.

Our rating system is subjective, but is simple:  One ✈️ = hope your layover is short or this is your final destination because there’s nothing here for you to 5 ✈️ = might as well unpack your bags because this is better than where you live currently.

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Recently, I had the pleasure of having a several hour lei-over (see what I did there?) on my way to Kona, HI in what has to be one of the world’s most scenic airports: the Daniel K. Inouye Honolulu International Airport (HNL).

There are three terminals connected via outdoor walkways (could there BE a better way for Hawaii to display its temperate climate?):

Terminal 1: commuter; Terminal 2: Interisland; Terminal 3: main

The confusing thing about this airport is that they designate letters for the terminals despite also numbering them.  Terminal 3 is M for main, and Terminal 2 is Z for who knows why.  Most flights from the mainland, including mine on Hawaiian Airlines (the best domestic carrier IMO), arrive in Terminal 3.  Many of the building are really 1970s in architectural style, so you feel like you traveled into the Brady Bunch episode where Bobby finds that evil tiki idol (I think I’m aging myself here).

It’s actually a smaller airport, for being one of the most travelled in the US.  Very easy to walk from one end of the main concourse to the other.  As this is an older airport, there are not as many built in charging areas.  If you’re someone like me who is a little (read: a lot) paranoid about using third party public charging stations (rather than airport controlled), you may be in trouble.  There are random outlets throughout the gate areas, but you’ll be sitting on the floor.  There could also be more bathrooms and better signage for international travelers.

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Also, for a large international layover destination, dining options are limited.  It’s mostly fast food options: Starbucks, Pinkberry, Burger King, chinese, sushi, CPK.  There is a Honolulu Cookie Company store, which I appreciate because pineapple shaped shortbreads are the world’s cutest and tastiest souvenirs.

All of this really doesn’t matter though, because the airport plays on the beauty of its locale by being half outside.  You disembark after hours of flying and the tropical humidity offers a big Aloha with a plumeria scented hug.  HNL is basic, no frills, but what are you doing sitting around an airport anyway when you could be on Waikiki throwing up a shaka on a surfboard while drinking a Mai Tai and eating a malasada?  That being said, if you have a lei-over (oops, I did it again), you’re just going to have to wait a little while longer before finding your true hau’oli.  Aloha!

Ease of navigating through terminals: ✈️✈️✈️

Convenience of security lines: ✈️✈️✈️

Dining: ✈️✈️

Bathrooms: ✈️✈️

Charging stations/wifi: ✈️  (wifi not available)

Amenities: ✈️✈️✈️ (cultural gardens, airline lounges, luxury duty free shopping options)

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oh hi, view of diamond head from the runway, fancy meeting you here