US Airports Suck. Here's Why...
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
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When I say the words “American Aviation”, what comes to mind? Perhaps you picture the queen of the skies, that American icon who helped define the jet age. Or perhaps you think of America’s Big 3 - who’ve become synonymous with flying in the states. Or maybe, just maybe, you think of American airports - more specifically, just how much they suck.
While many airports in Europe, Asia, and the middle east feature vibrant, high tech terminals catered to the customer experience, American airports are defined by long security lines, overcrowding, and a general sense of poor upkeep. But why is this - why does the richest nation on earth have some of the world’s worst airports? Let me explain...
#LAX #JFK #LGA #Avgeek #Planespotting - Auta a dopravní prostředky
What a great video Coby🙏 So glad to work with you on dissecting US aviation!
How's your health Dan? Have you completely recovered from Covid?
Thank you Dan for collabing with Coby
But, how did you guys come together on this? Very eager to know
Yours was also excellent
@@droidforecast7441 He has Covid-19?
US aviation really suck. But, jetBlue is very good. Airport in USA are trashes.
Living in the LA area one of the most frightening things you can hear from a friend is "Can you drive me to LAX?"
You’ll be stuck in the drop off line all day
Just go to ONT or BUR
@Aviation LAX ont has a route to Taipei. For international travel LAX is the place to go but through ONT you can one stop just about anywhere through SWA or UAL. Ditto for BUR and LGB. SNA too but that’s south
@@Speedster___ Or LGB or SNA but tell that to your friend who is flying to Europe.
@@shrimpflea lgb go to DFW... SNA go to JFK BUR also dfw ont go to atlanta
Be careful what you wish for. All Australian airports are private owned. They also don't want public transportation to connect to them as parking charges are their big cash cow. They also have no seating at departure gates which is horrible for older people and young families (because they want you to sit in one of the outrageous priced restaurants or browse a retail outlet full of crap). A cup of coffee is $6 and don't even think of asking how much a sandwich is.
Sydney's airport does have train stations, but they charge $15 just to go through the turnstiles!
Travel tip: if flying internationally, travel light and don't mind a half hour walk, walk to the Wolli Creek station. It's a very nice walk and you save $15.
Well said. Profit-driven/privately owned does not automatically translate into a better customer experience.
Coffee's about the same at LAX. Sandwiches are about 13 AUD at the cheap fast food places, and 20+ AUD at the others.
Exactly what I wanted to say! Private investors' priority is getting a return on their investment, not to make their airports selfie ready for influencers. They would just continue to rake in the billions in parking fees.
Some of the best airports are actually state owned. They see the airport as the first thing a foreigner would see on arrival. So it’s a matter of prestige. They also have excellent facilities and connections. I would think it’s more ideology in government that hamstrings airport management from implementing better facilities and services.
All airports in Norway is owned by the government, and yet airports like Oslo are keeping up with their private or semi-private counterparts in Europe. This proves publicly owned airports don’t need to suck. And if you want small regional airports to stay afloat while being private, the government can subsidise the airport, so it is profitable for private companies. Why don’t the US use one of the techniques?
The same reasons they don't use Norway's techniques for healthcare, social programs, education, etc. The political will to raise taxes enough to implement them is simply not present.
This isn't to say that Norway's system is not better. Just that the US is a very long way off from that type of approach.
But running an airport privately with government subsidies wouldn’t necessary be any more expensive than the government running it. Private companies would have the incentive to run the airport as efficiently as possible, so they might be able to run it more efficiently than the government. This would not need a tax increase, maybe it would even save the government some money. Why don’t the US use this technique?
@@MayBeAmund That may be true. Though like Coby said, US airports run the gamut from big and profitable (a few) to small and almost entirely unprofitable (many more). I suppose it would depend on what airports you would want to privatize and by how much.
Well I get it, but first we need the average American to be able to live. The only way of doing that without inflation is tax breaks. Then we can make things better.
Except that even though Norwegian airports are publicly owned, they rely heavily on Tax Free revenue (Avinor, the airport administrator takes a cut). Oslo’s Tax Free finances all the tiny airports that don’t turn a profit in the rest of the country. That model will now be heavily challenged due to Tax Free disappearing because of the pandemic (there is no political will to keep Tax Free as no one is using it and it has arguably other bad side effects on the population that consumes Tax Free goods). While our airports are excellent, investment in future upgrades and improvements will probably fall significantly. Our airports will probably not become bad, but investments will be harder to justify without the Tax Free revenue stream.
You glossed over the most important fact when comparing European airports. Because there is a viable alternative to flying, they must build a system to attract customers. That isn’t the case here, nor is it ever likely to be, so Americans should expect more run down facilities and major price gouging if airports are ever taken private.
Ask the Australians.
Then explain why many European airports are even worse than American ones.
@@yoironfistbro8128
That is not my experience.
@@shakey2634 You don't the gate until the flight is about to depart
The gate areas themselves often have no shops or other amenities
Bus/ramp boarding is common and many airlines don't use jetbridges at all
Extra checkpoints for non-Schengen departures
the list goes on, and that's before even mentioning that the airlines are worse too.
@@shakey2634I guess that explains why "Amtrak Joe" was the one who called out our airports. Making American airports great again starts with doing the same thing for passenger rail.
Then why is Dublin international airport (an airport with no HSR nearby) still better?
Noooo!
We've had awful experiences privatising airports in Australia. They charge even more for parking and everything is still shitty
We'll trade our prisons for your airports.
@@spencergraham-thille9896 We don't want your prisons.
@@spencergraham-thille9896 our airports aren't even good
Cannot talk about Australian situation. But the videos conclusion is complete BS!
@@australianpatriot isn't Kingsford good?
Watching Dan's video along with this one, I'm left with a weird dichotomy:
Why do US airports suck? Because they're publicly owned.
Why do US airlines suck? Because they're private & have to serve shareholders first.
It's almost like maybe the forces driving a focus away from customers in US aviation are not their ownership models.
Spanish airports are good and public
Also most American airports don't suck. In fact, I'd say that the worst airports I've ever been (except for Newark) to are Munich and Frankfurt (although I was just connecting there, so maybe they were better outside of the international zones).
Also don't forget the customer American customers are spoiled and will complain about everything but I think you're on to something public airports can work in a country like maybe Norway but in the United States our government is so corrupt at the state the federal level. You have to have a government that actually cares about its people for a public model to work and they just don't despite what they say.
The richest country on earth overall hasn't maintained its infrastructure.
USA is the best!
Thanks to the government.
The richest country in the world is over 28 trillion dollars in debt.
@@philipward7846 Debt-rich it is.
@@yengsabio5315 You are delusional,and or you don't live in the USA
It's always amused me that the airport with the best public transit connectivity to Manhattan isn't even in the same state.
Newark has the best connectivity? I find JFK to be better connected.
jfk takes you thru only 2 trains (air train and LIRR or E line )
Amtrak and NJ Transit have a stop dedicated to EWR.
@@hjancaitis It's very European to have to take Amtrak to the airport
Why would that be surprising?
0:06 Oh yes, the biggest American air icon, KLM.
747. Dummy.
Says American icon, shows American plans, belonging to Dutch in Dutch airline colors
He says the American icon in reference to the BOEING (US made) 747, not the airline flying it. I think he knows KLM.
Sad to think that aircraft is scrapped by now.
@@FellowManofAggieland we all understand. but sloppy, as there is easily obtained stock footage of an american 747
I don’t know… every time I travel internationally I always feel I have an easier time in American airports. I don’t really care what stores an airport has, (I mean, who buys clothes in an airport anyway?), but the security, staff, check-in always seems waaay more efficient/helpful when I compare to what I just dealt with abroad.
My airports are beautiful but also a lot smaller compared to let's say Asian airports. Those airports are nice looking. But very large to where it takes some time to get out. Here in US. You can get out real quick. Who wants to spend time in a airport anyway
I care about the lounging/eating accommodations but not luggage and clothing stores.
I hope most can agree that plane tickets are either
A) an expensive luxury reserved for a vacation splurge, in which case I’d want a bit of luxury/experience to start my trip I saved for
Or
B) an evil part of our traveling job where we’ve spent too much time at airports. When I lived this, I wanted a place to escape the noise
+1. Herr Coby. . Our travels often take us from New York JFK to Frankfurt, Germany's FRA airport. . The NY JFK airport time has stood still, it's a slum.
i second that as I've been to both and many others but just to consider I fly to IST almost every year for the bast 20 years that 20 years jfk opened terminal 4 rather nice and i guess they're renovating Laguardia. on the other hand ist Ataturk airport went from total shithole made for the early 60s to completely demolished rebuilt expanded and finally reduced to the second-biggest airport in turkey cuz they built a brand new Istanbul Airport
@@atakorkut5110 You clearly havent been through the jetblue terminal its nice
Nuke JFK and start over
JFK American terminal has been rebuilt and is nice. Jet Blue and also Terminal 4 is nice. Also International Arrivals has been rebuilt, and LaGuardia is being rebuilt from the ground up.
@@jeffreyanderson1007 Oh did they improve the international i haven't been myself in the past 2.5 years....I also think Laguardia will look nice at the end of the rebuild i just hope it also improves traffic even if its just by a tad bit
I was an Airline Pilot and commuter for 25 years, and I had to put up with over crowded airports, rude people, and jam packed airplanes every time I went to work. Now that I'm retired, with the exception of occasionally going to visit family and friends, I don't care if I ever fly any where ever again. All airports suck! Also, being crowded shoulder to shoulder with "large" people on smelly airplanes really sucks. Hooray for road trips and travel trailers!! Life is good. Oh, BTW, I like your videos.
Hence why sitting in the flight deck is x10 better than paxing in shitty Y class hahahah
As a charter flight attendant, I hate when we have to commercial hoe or to the aircraft! Such a pain in the a$$
Have you been to Zurich Airport ?
So far the practically only airport that I didn’t hate ;) but I definitely don’t hate the others equally ;)
feel ya. everytime i see what we carry, i feel really happy there's a big door separating me from the passengers. Traveling by plane is trully on of the worst experiences of a travel.
I'd rather not travel than to enter those smelly tubes and being stuck 2 hours in a seat with a retard next to me removing his shoes and farting after eating the "free buiscuit".
This is why I love regional airports. I’m one of the few rare people who love to fly CRJs. My hometown airport (south bend), is super accessible because it’s not busy. You check in at the counter, which takes 10 minutes at most, go through TSA, which usually has no line and then you arrive at the gate, right next to TSA. For me, flying CRJs is fun but idk why.
You have a delightful demeanor and appearance and your enthusiasm for aviation is our benefit. - Gee Boggs, Sonoma, CA
Actually no, what came to mind when you said 'American Aviation' is the entire GA community here, and that I'm eternally grateful that we have both have a regulator and a culture surrounding GA that makes the community so vibrant, fun, and rewarding to be a part of. GA forms lifelong friendships, and a camaraderie exists around it that is comparable to maybe only the military and the marching arts. I'm so grateful I get to call myself a part of it, and I'm so grateful for the experiences and friends I've picked up just by being a part of it.
It’s different for everyone. Not everyone are pilots.
Been there. It's a mess and the atl area is a hell hole.
Maybe I am crazy but I think DFW, Love Field, AUS, IND, and ATL are fantastic airports that put JFK and LAX to shame just as much as any other International airport.
LUV is my closest airport and the oldest airport in the region. I like it, too. ATL is as good an airport can be and still be that large.
I travel abroad twice a year, and I can tell you there are many foreign airports that are lacking and some that are pretty good. Long security lines? Who doesn't have long security lines, now?
ATL is a good airport but it doesn’t come close to Munich. For one thing, security at ATL sucks… you never see lines in Munich even close to those in ATL. And the switch from international to domestic…. Awful… On the other hand, MIA and CDG both rank as the worst airports I’ve had the mispleasure of using….
@@kodewerk probably because Atlanta receives nearly 7 times as many passengers yearly as Munich.
@@Kevbot6000 yup, no doubt being busier is a factor but you still have to plan to resource known bottlenecks properly. Munich probably has close to the same number of security queues. Atl simply needs more… otherwise, Atl is a great airport
That's because LAX, EWR, JFK, and LGA are by far the worst airports in the country.
Great video, I was in La Guardia twice last year. it has been renovated and is looking great.
I agree. Just departed from LGA a few days ago and even though some parts are still under construction, the entire experience in terms of check-in, security, and all-around convenience was flawless.
@@TheWestDweller they’re tailoring their terminal infrastructure as one seemless, cohesive experience, which is great.
3:10 I love how you used Southwest Colors in the graph
He's clearly a southwest fanboy
I actually prefer JetBlue to Southwest, it's a better low-cost carrier.
Decent ex-plane-nation 😎
nice
Lol
I see what you did there 👍👍
i know where you live 😡😡😡💀😡
@@ilikecrawfish21 wtf 😂🤣
I get along exceptionally well in airports because I show up 4 hours before my flight and sit in the AA lounge before my flight. The thing that makes me so much more weird than others is that I love airports and flying, but the biggest thing that makes it work so well for me is that I force myself to be in a ridiculously good mood the entire time. My system hasn't failed me in 52 years.
That's an intriguing way to think about travelling, most American's find flying very stressful.
@@azan-183 most Americans don't have access to airline lounges...😉
@@saphorap9709 That's true, but technically, most could buy access to one even if you have an economy ticket.
great analysis, great content. It´s not true that European Airports are completely privately owned. Most are run by private companies as a legal form, but with the state, the city and/or the nation as co-owners.
Zurich for example is Entirely Private actually, and it's even an international airport company now
@@Chroma747 I think that Zurich and Heathrow are the exception on the video list. But on the rest they are owned by government entities between 51% - 100%
CDG is owned in a 51% by the French government and on top of that the government nominates half the board of directors.
@@LVTN979 That actually works quite well in many cases, ensuring efficiency while local government can withhold essential level of control.
@@Chroma747 I thought the Canton of Zurich has to own at least a third of the shares of the company? But the company itself is private. US regulations tend to frown upon these "golden share" type structures where governments own a substantial but not majority shareholding for competition purposes. So unless the whole system is changed, I don't see the US following the Zurich model.
I just flew out of Atlanta. Dropped off my Rental car, got on light rail train to the Terminal. Once in the Terminal I dropped my bags at Delta when through TSA Pre and got on a shuttle to the gate. Very easy.
I was wondering why non-US airports didn't announce gates until near boarding time. The explanation certainly makes sense.
They want your money
@@partydemon2849 yeah but in the US the airline wants your money so you overpay for you plane tickets. In Europe, air travel is cheap and the airports make money from shoppers but shopping is optional so in the end of the day, European travellers are in a win win situation
Everytime I visit my uncle in Munich, I always take the Munich S-Bahn (Commuter rail) to the City centre from which I can transfer to the U-Bahn (Metro) and get off at the station closest to his apartment. No car needed, only train and walk and it takes less than an hour to get from Airport to City centre.
I'd live at Munich airport!
They have a grocery store with normal prices!!
@@saphorap9709 my local airport of Stuttgart also has a store (Edeka), even open on Sundays
It is pretty much the case with all major German airports : Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, and Düsseldorf.
One important reminder is that the nice airports, like Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur etc are all generally medium to long haul hubs, where a lot of passengers spend a lot of time on their layovers, and these cities are in fierce competition with each other.
ie it's very important to the Singapore economy that you fly through Changi en route from Sydney to London, and Dubai would really prefer you make a stopover through that city, whilst Malaysia would love it if you went through KL instead.
Whilst American airports are generally bus stations. So, if you are flying from Memphis to Houston, you don't have a convenient choice. You aren't going to drive to Nashville and fly into Austin for a nicer airport experience.
what you just mentioned are super hubs, american airports have no business being super hubs
I found this a helpful explanation to me. I fly out of a small airport though three medium (one a former hub for a Big 3) are at most 2 hours away. It’s been undergoing renovation since I last flew (2019), and I am eager to see the renovations.
Maybe this is why flights in the US are so cheap? I can't get onto the runway at YUL for less than 600$, even if only flying to YYZ, a 50 minute flight.
1:40 hehe “LAX airport LAX a rail connection” xD
LMAO
Huge fan of this channel but I really disagree with this video. Seems like he’s cherry picking the best international airports alongside the worst US airports. Instead of choosing MEM, LGA, and LAX, choose JFK, DFW, MIA and hell even new LGAs new terminal. Along with that instead of choosing the best middle eastern/Asia airports choose literally any other countries airports. Not to mention the other hundreds of incredible “midsize “ US airports.
Well that wouldn’t fit the narrative and wouldn’t make for “good” content lol
The fact that you are saying JFK is a good airport for american standard, you can tell American airport really sucks
Really good video - and I learned a thing or two I was not aware of. Nice one Coby. Apart from airports like MEM (former NW hub), has it ever occurred to you that there are quite a few airports with decent area / multiple runways in sparsely populated areas that attract little or no passenger service (e.g. CYS, SUX)? This is a lot of infrastructure that doesn't get a lot of use by passengers. Perhaps some of these airports fulfil a dual function - military as well? Really enjoyed both your and Dan's videos on US Aviation.
I remember landing in Seattle from the UK back in 2019 and the strangest thing happened. Our baggage collection belt had been changed and was split over 2 belts. Now imagine 250 passengers shuffling between 2 belts to try and find their bags!
4:37 Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is actually 100% publicly (Dutch State) owned 😉
Great video nonetheless, I appreciate your effort in making it.
Then why is it listed as being owned by Royal Schipol Group, a publicly traded company with the Dutch State listed as owning 69% of the "A" Shares?
It is a commercial company that just happens to be owned by the state, two local municipalities and some other company. But it is run as a business. And I seem to remember the government having plans to sell their stake in the company.
That airport is AWFUL! Now I know why it’s called Shithole.
Been watching for awhile, but I was told to say "Hi in the comments"
Hello!
Came from Dan’s channel and since then I’ve loved this channel! So glad I subscribed Coby! You’re awesome!!
Just discovered your channel Coby! Love your content. Keep it coming!
I love my home airport, (DEN), they’re doing some construction right now to make it even better, it has a train line right to the terminal, decently cheap parking, and is laid out pretty simply. From downtown Denver to the airport on the train is 37 minutes, not too bad. Also, the runways are laid out pretty smartly, so it cuts down on taxi time once you leave the gate, or after rolling out on landing.
Denver airport is cursed, has a horse that kills people, and looks like a swastika from above.
@@wiisports4921 who cares what it looks like from above, if it works, it works, and it does.
I fly to Denver several times a year and always thought it was a nice enough airport. Not super spiffy, but not bad, either.
This video was very informative! My favorite American airport is Tampa International (KTPA) The design is very nice and easy to navigate around. Having around around 60 gates, the traffic isn't *too* bad. TPA is also a public airport!
I live in Tampa and dropping off and picking up in the short term parking is great. As long as you are in and out of the short term parking in under an hour, it is free. I can park, ride the elevator down to the baggage area and back up in under an hour if I arrive when the plane lands. Awesome airport. The airsides are in a concentric ring around the central terminal, so there are trams to get there. No absurdly long concourses to walk.
@@steveaustin2686 Exactly!
When I flew back into DIA in 2013, it was Bus Station of Empire. By contrast, Brussels Int’l was sparkling, with direct rail links to the Brussels city center.
Very interesting.
Live in UK but travelled extensively until no longer possible so would agree.
Loved the shot of NW 727!
Whoah, that thumbnail looks like a business insider thumbnail... nice job!
7:29-7:52 is actually Vancouver, Canada (YVR). Named by Skytrax in May 2020 as North America's best airport, for the 11th year in a row.
And it has a very efficient rail connection. One train, you're downtown.
As a foreigner who avoids flying through the US as much as possible. What comes to my mind is. Shitty airports falling apart. Terrible airlines and service. Boeing shitty planes flying themselves into the ground. Getting yelled at by TSA barking morons the moment you get off the plane until you board the next one.
Thank you for joining my TED talk.
Coby I just discovered you a few days ago from Dan’s channel and I have been on quite the binge. Thank you.
Really interesting and so true. I’m from England but a frequent traveller to the US under normal times. Fully agree with all your points. US airports very disappointing. 🇬🇧
This proves the free market - for most case scenarios - is better than the government at controlling the forms of infrastructure.
I guess you never visited Gatwick or Heathrow? In any case, you said US airports were disappointing. So, what were you expecting?
Hey! Nice video, thx a lot! One thing however ... pls stop saying that the US is the richest country on earth. Thats quite oversimplifying and misleading when seeing the big picture :) Greetings from Europe!
Stop saying? It literally is. 4% of the world’s population yet holds 30% of the world’s wealth. The USD is the world’s most traded and primary reserve currency.
@@Jack3md what about the citizens?
Why so many homeless in the USA
US isnt the richest per capita - that’s Luxembourg if I remember correctly
Why US is richest in nominal gdp? A literal superpower
Actually there is no doubt that the US is rich & powerfull; even though "richest" really depends on the perspective i.e. GDP is a very flawed indicator for societal wealth. My point is that Americans somehow tend to claim things like "the richest .." or "the greatest country on earth/in history" etc. Just sounds a bit chauvinistic for my ears. I would just appreciate a more humble approach in a video about "airports" :) greetings from Europe
Great video ! Have been a huge fan for some time ! Thank you
Thanks for stickin around :)
Fun fact: Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport is in Hebron, KY and CVG stands for Covington Airport back on the old days. My son used to work there and he told me that. Anyway CVG is 26 miles from where I live in the upper part of Cincy.
I think another factor, which Dan mentioned, is the lack of international competition since the US requires Visas for those connecting between international flights. Airports like Singapore are a great attraction for those who live or travel to Singapore, but it's also an incentive for those trying to find where their layover would be. Given that those layovers are often a few hours long no matter which one you pick, passengers may be more inclined to pick an airport with a butterfly garden, pools, movie theaters, etc., leading to more revenue for the airport.
Meanwhile, in the US, airports like Atlanta are competing with DFW, O'Hare, Denver, and others for short domestic layovers. Since US fliers are usually trying to minimize their layovers, there's hardly an incentive to build up large amenities other than a few airport lounges. There, the main goal is to make sure passengers get from one gate to another efficiently. If Atlanta had to compete with Singapore or Heathrow, it might look a little differently.
Also, I wonder how much of an impact airport age is. It seems like many US airports were built up around the same time (like the 60s and 70s) and then just kind of left there. With the extra security built up since 9/11 and the increase in passengers, many of these old terminals have become really crammed too. There might not be room to build a whole new terminal, and rebuilding/renovation on the same site presents its own challenges. And as you said, being publicly owned not only means there is little incentive to improve, but also any planned improvements have to go through more hurdles as it uses taxpayer money.
This was a great video and still left an optimistic tone at the end as it discussed future improvements to some of these airports. I don't think the US needs a Changi-like airport, but even some moderate improvements would be great.
The thing is, most European airpost kept up, while the US's infrastructure was stagnant for 40 years. This is why even older parts of Heathrow and CDG look better than older areas of US airports (like the old LaGuardia or Dulles/IAD concourse C/D) because they are continuously upgrading them. Also, many airports are doing improvements without much federal money because they have neglected them for so long, and they are scrambling to improve things for FIFA 2026 and LA 2028.
Phoenix sky harbor has some of the best public transit going to it. They've got the SkyTrain that connects the light rail to the airport. And Uber is easy to use as well.
I am visually impaired so I rely on public transit, out of all of the airports I've been to, Phoenix is the best and easiest to get to and from with public transit.
I’ve used the SkyTrain to connect with the Valley Metro light rail into downtown. I look forward to the completion of the SkyTrain extension to the consolidated rental car facility.
Living in Phoenix, I have to agree with you 100%! I ride the light rail every time I fly out of Sky Harbor International Airport! Seattle has an awesome light rail as well!
Too bad that there is nowhere to sit.
I really enjoy your videos for both the information presented and the incredible footage used to illustrate them, but in this case I feel a need to point out (as a local spotter) that the video of the 737 MAX taxiing at about 7:28 was shot at Vancouver International (CYVR). In fact, YVR appears in many of your videos, but in this case it's a little ironic!
Well, in NY if you are departing from Penn Station rather than Grand Central, you can use the Long Island Railroad and AirTrain and have only one connection and less than 1 hour. But it costs several times more than the Subway.
I can't resist making an idiot comment... -You keep saying "don't forget to look up!"... every time I do this I see the crack in the ceiling and the light fixture next to it! (Gotta fix that crack one of these days...) :
Quick edit. Yes getting to JFK may be a hassle but if you know how to do it it’s not. Grand Central is not the only main transport hub. Penn Station is actually the larger hub and you would only need to take 1 train (LIRR) To JFK and then take the airport shuttle to get you to the correct terminal. It’s actually faster than a car. However If you are at Grand Central right now you would need to take that extra train to get to Penn. However later this year LIRR will be in Grand Central so back to that 1 LIRR train. 😅
Yes LIRR (or the E line if u wanna save and are not in a rush) and then just take the airtrain
@@thejokerjoker508 I would never suggest someone to take the subway to the airport if they have luggage. It just makes me feel unsafe with all that luggage.
Compare that with NRT, ICN, TPE and more, where the downtowns are reachable with comfortable, sleek, direct fast trains right from the terminal, combined with slower, more affordable metros. Some airports in Europe and China are even connected to their national high speed rail network, also at terminals.
I still don't understand why many American airports keep building those 'AirTrain' or whatever connections, instead of just branching out the subway.
This is true but the airport shuttle from the nearby Port Authority Terminal on 42nd street or on its two hotel stops is likely faster and easier than using Penn Station. We did that on our last trip out of the city and it worked well. Now I did also use the LIRR as you suggested coming from JFK and it was fine and slightly cheaper but all in all the bus was faster and more comfortable.
@@steinwaldmadchen do the "in town check in" in Hong Kong and breeze away on the train.
Wow, I just discovered your aviation channel. It's great. Keep it up. I will recommend it to others.
Thanks :)
I recently flew into and out of Heathrow from Denver and honestly, I preferred DEN. It feels so much less cramped and that led to it feeling cleaner as well.
True. Denver is said to be one of the best airports in the U.S.
I love how out of all things america chooses to have socalised is airports, like seriously
If the Air Ports were Socialized everyone would pay the same price for tickets and there would be fewer flights.
One annoying thing about US airports is that you have to pass through customs even if you're only transferring in the US to go to another country. I live in Canada and sometimes fly to Asia. If I take United and transfer through the US, I always had to pass through customs.
Without going into a big explanation, there WERE some valid reasons for doing this. While it was an inconvenience to honest travelers like yourself, there were several instances when "would-be" terrorists came up with some amazing ways to try to infiltrate the US by these connections. (I had inside knowledge about some of this because of my background.) Personally, however, I DO say "Welcome" to our Canadian neighbors and wish the problems didn't exist, but sadly, the world is not always as nice as we wish it was.
That's because there are no exit controls, so there's no international zone at the airport. This means either clearing into the country as if you were actually visiting, or being detained in an exclusive section that doesn't mix with the outside until boarding. Canada, Mexico, and the UK lack exit controls as well, and thus have similar policies for international transits.
I would say, most European countries (except the UK) have smaller customs points, and they are fitted between areas of terminals/concourses. In Europe, all passengers entering and exiting the secure area have to go through passport control. I've had connecting flights in Europe, and they have passport control but they release you into the secure area, instead of into the arrivals hall. Also, these airports have separate international and domestic gates that have passport control between the sections.
In the US, passport control and customs only occur upon arrival, departure is just ID/passport checks by the TSA, while checked luggage is handled separately by US CBP. Because of this separation, passengers are released into the arrivals hall due to a lack of coordination between them. Domestic passengers don't get checked at arrival, so they have to separate, otherwise, mixing could be a security threat. The European way is generally better. There are exceptions, Dulles/IAD has separated United transfers, so connecting passengers clear customs and security in a separate hall and get released into the United concourse. This is rare for US airports, but it does happen.
@@doujinflip not 100% accurate but hehe cool
@@doujinflip At least in 1997 I flew Seattle to Vancouver to London without needing to clear Customs in Vancouver. I did just to get some more food options and because the lines were short but I didn't need to. Now the rules may be different now or different if you are coming from other countries.
Changi Airport
While there are some ok American airports (Denver, SLC, Long Beach, Columbia, SC), the real USA problem is infrastructure. Bridges collapsing, lousy streets, ancient subways, crapy airports, undeveloped railway, etc., etc.
Hello from Pune, India
Though I have been subscribed to your channel since your 747-8 video(which is ur most popular video),so longtime Coby Fan😅✈✈
Thanks for sticking around :)
@@cobyexplanes My pleasure😁✈👍
@@cobyexplanes this video misses an important point France has one international airport of significance. Germany two. The Netherlands one. Austria one. If I am going to, say Florence, do I change planes in Frankfurt, Paris, etc.. I have a choice and if one of these airport is a LGA-type mess than I will just avoid it. Leaving from my home in the US there is often little choice. In Georgia, there is ATL, like it or not, unless I want to do a two stop route which is invitation to missed connections. Pretty basic stuff that could have at least been mentioned in ten minutes.
Definitely one of the first ones here
But anyways
Here in india I thought the American Airlines and airports were just better
But I never expected them to be like this
I’ve always liked Indian airports btw
Edit: I’m 2nd !
Mumbai CSMIA, Bangalore KIAL, Delhi IGIA etc - helo
@@PhoenixAviation006 no I mean that I thought their airports were better but then I really looked into it and saw that their airports aren’t that great
Believe me I really like Delhi airport IGI. It’s literally my favourite...
And I know CSMIA is also great
@@himanshshah9425 oh...
@@PhoenixAviation006 CSMIA Mumbai Terminal 2 is by far one of the best Terminal designs I've ever seen though.
Even I had the same thought initially. But then came to know that Indian airports like BLR, BOM, DEL and HYD were better, seeing some American airports.
We won't forget to look up, friend. Thanks for posting the video.
Hi! Coming here from Dan's channel. Great video.. as a non American, Ive always wondered why major US airports are so sub-par.
Memphis still has FedEx.... When I was there, waiting for my flight to Atlanta, I saw 15 jets take off. Ten were FedEx...And Yes... I agree Memphis INT Airport does need a shot in the arm.
Memphis is FedEx's main hub. The area north of the terminal is all FedEx, and they fly to just about anywhere in the world from there.
@@fighter5583 I know that... I'm from Memphis and usually fly Southwest from BWI...
@@fighter5583 When Federal Express was created, the founder wanted to be based at the airport with the fewest weather delays. In the 1970s that was MEM. As for the Southern/Republic/Northwest hub there, when Northwest bought Delta and kept the name (Coby has the details wrong) then Atlanta was too close and was the bigger city with more corporate HQs, so it got the nod.
An exception in Europe is CDG Paris, horrid.
Weirdly enough I have never found trouble getting to the airport in LAX via public transit as there is a flyaway bus that goes through the freeway, some parts on the private paid roads, and usually beats any other method of traveling from most of the northern san Fernando valley major terminals to LAX. And its like 15 dollars round trip so its fairly affordable given LA standards.
Yup, the FlyAway bus via the Express Lanes from Union Station is pretty reliable (except for the first bit from Union Station to around USC).
About the point regarding smaller airports not being able to have privatization: as a counter example, PAE (Seattle/Everett) is partially privately owned (or it was at least privately designed), and it is tiny compared to SEA (Seattle/Tacoma) on the other end of the metro area.
Coby : Explains why American Airports suck
Me: Dreaming to go to Los Angeles only to pass through the airport and do some planespotting
I'll be honest, as an Indian , I used to believe that American airports are state-of-the-art, even though I loved New Delhi airport the most
LAX is excellent for plane spotting - definitely worth having to deal with the LAX flying experience as a whole
@@cobyexplanes Thanks for replying Coby.
In fact, whenever I try to look for a US trip, I try to pair LA and Seattle. LAX for Plane spotting and Seattle for, you know what
A nice aviation trip you know
@@cobyexplanes Can you pls reply to my other comment too, where I am asking about how this collaboration came together?
So happy for you Coby that you got to collaborate with Nonstop Dan. He's one of my favorite CZcamsrs, and I always wanted you to collaborate with him. But , how did you guys meet and get this collaboration together? Pls let all Coby Explanes fans and Nonstop Nation(Dan's fanclub) know this
Atlanta has a decent airport considering they're the busiest in the world. Close to the city with Marta (Atlanta's rail system) having a direct shot to the airport from the city center. It's not glamorous at all but it's well run for the most part.
...there's an old saying that when you die, whichever place you end up going to you have to connect in Atlanta.
Coby, check where you get your video from. I saw at least one scene from Toronto and one from Calgary when you were talking about American airports. Otherwise interesting analysis. I fly a lot from Toronto to Palm Springs to visit family. Palm Springs is pretty nice, but they do gave the advantage of being able to have much of it outside. We have taken to avoiding LAX whenever possible. Even when we were undergrads in the 60s, those of us who lived in Southern California developed various secret back-road routes to LAX for when out-of-state classmates asked us to take them to the airport. Unfortunately most of those stopped working years ago as traffic got worse and worse.
SAV (Savannah/Hilton Head Int’l) is actually a very pretty airport and is the second biggest in the state of Georgia and is home to Gulfstream
I think all the GA airports are overshadowed by ATL because it is just so busy.
@@azan-183 yeah true
@@azan-183 well SAV is a very busy airport before COVID it was getting like 100+ flights a day
@@aviationgaming1564 OMG, that’s actually quite a good number!
@@azan-183 yeah I mean it serves 2 high tourist destinations being Savannah GA where many movies were filmed like Forest Gump and also Hilton Head
That was quite insightful, Coby. I have never been a fan of US airports, not being the most welcoming of places. The ownership by local authorities and strangulation through airline consolidation goes a long way to explain why that is. Thank you.
Great video! A new follower from Colombia (which has not the best airports in the world, unfortunately)
Keep up the good work Coby. You are always balanced and fair............ Brian Netherlands
It's not just the airports, it's everything else too
LA used to have decent public transport but the auto industry intervened. USA, buying politicians since forever.
Hi.LaGuardia airport just saw a pretty big renovation, so must be better,but getting there I guess still takes the same time like before😁
Midway Airport has a train station and bus depot connected to it. The orange line train has the airport as its last stop. O'Hare Airport has the blue line train connected to it. If you live in the suburbs, it would take a couple of hours to get there. Parking is way too expensive in Chicago anyway.
It’s easy to take shots at US airports. We simply have a lot of them. Most countries don’t have as many major points of entry as the US, so it is easy to throw a lot of resources at one or two and make a good impression. The US has at least fifteen international airports (of major significance), plus many more that have a few international flights, e.g. PDX. I travel overseas often and have experienced smaller and larger airports in Europe, Eurasia and Asia. Moscow has three major airports, but one, SVO handles most of the international flights - for the country. Most international flights to France go to CDG. Brussels Airport is okay, Frankfurt has very long corridors without moving sidewalks, and BUD is overcrowded. The new IST is impressive and massive, but then again, the Turks could throw everything at it to impress the world and bolster their brand. Relatively few countries have more than one major entry point. China is an exception. But, they started from nothing and could build everything with the latest tech. They also don’t have to worry about property rights like we do in the US, thus their ability to take any land they chose for airports or railroads or highways, with relatively little political cost. Plus, they have been flush with cash over the past twenty years. And, there are other examples of public/private partnerships in the US besides airports. Even national parks are sometimes done that way. The US has never strictly followed the capitalist model.
It is easy to take pot shots at American airports as they are truly awful. Just like Donald Trump. The US has a staggering GDP of _$20.8 trillion annually_ and the major airports are still rubbish. It is not about resources, rather priorities, focus and motivation. America has its failings. The sad state of its airports is emblematic of these problems. The Chinese airports are much better. ✈️ 🇨🇳 一萬歲!
Interestingly I found Indonesian airports fairly usable, despite they are way poorer than US or even China, and depend on air traffic as much as the latter two - if not more.
Major gateways like CGK and DPS are fairly well, but even secondary ones are not that bad either - in fact Medan is the first in the country to have airport trains.
As an American who has experience in not just American airports but European airports as well I will say this is true
But many European airports are worse than American ones.
I've always wondered why this was the case. Now I know. Thanks for a great video.
I recently took AirTrain JFK to Jamaica and the then took the LIRR to New York’s Penn Station. Total travel time was maybe 35 minutes?
The reason is, the US government don’t care, especially Republican Party who didn’t care about infrastructure especially Public transport, and also car are their main revenue
Most major cities are Democrat run and local governments have more influence on airports. Don't let the red v. blue fool you when politicians only care that they have something to bring in revenue when there is no competition to make it better.
It's only one change from Penn Station in NYC. You take LIRR to Jamaica and board the airtrain to the terminals.
The subway is cheaper yes, but there it is also only one train change: A to Howard Beach/JFK or E to Jamaica/Sutphin Blvd. That takes long but is cheaper than LIRR.
Hi Coby from Boston. Very insightful video! I’m new to the channel, definitely gonna hit that subscribe button
Hey James! Thanks for stickin around :)
If your from Boston you know how Logan airport is CROWDED!!!
Have to say that my home airport (BOS) has made some great upgrades to the terminals recently. Also it is very accessible by subway, bus, and car.
...Portland extended it's Max LRT to PDX from Downtown a number of years ago. Chicago also extend CTA Rapid transit and Seattle's first LRT line travels serves SeaTac airport from the city centre.
Milwaukee WI is the first to actually have an Amtrak station (on the busy Hiawatha line between Chicago and Milwaukee) at the west end of the airport with shuttle service to the terminal. There is also a train arrival/departure board in the airport terminal.
Both Portland's and Milwaukee's airports are considered to be two of the nicer ones in the nation. Sadly for both, Milwaukee being only 85 miles from Chicago and Portland's proximity to Seattle pretty much put them in the shadow of their larger neighbours. Milwaukee had always been an important city for Northwest and the airline considered it a "focus city" from which there were direct and nonstop flight to a number of destinations. That all ended with Delta's purchase of Northwest in 2010. Meanwhile in the 1990s, Portland was an important Pacific gateway and mini hub for Delta until the airline acquired the MD-11 and later, Extended range models of the 767 which were able to fly nonstop to Tokyo and Hong Kong from Dallas and Atlanta. This eliminated the need for the stop on the West Coast. Northwest also offered nonstop service to Amsterdam and Osaka. Both have since become little more than spokes on Delta's route system.
Milwaukee is an interesting case as for years Chicago mulled over the idea of constructing a third airport to relieve O'Hare, when they already had a very viable one jsut to the north that could handle the largest aircraft with ease (the A-380 and AN-225 have both made appearances there) Again there is the Amtrak link which with a bit of modification could be turned into an HSR between the two cities reducing travel time and the city has transit service from downtown to the Airport. There is also interest in attracting RTA service as well. which likely would also go through the airport station.
In several tests it was illustrated that it takes less time for Chicagoans living in the middle class and more affluent neighbourhoods on the north side of to get to Milwaukee than to to O'hare even by highway. The airport could easily handle a greater volume of flights and still not experience the frequent delays and issues O'Hare does. Unfortunately, the decision was made to further expand the Terminal at O'hare adding more operations to an already over-saturated airspace and crowded facility (I used remember seeing aircraft bound for Chicago in holding patterns over my neighbourhood in Milwaukee). Even before Covid, operations at MKE fell off (in spite of Southwest opening a hub there following the demise of home grown carrier Midwest) so much that one concourse has been closed and is in the process of being demolished.
As someone from Frankfurt, I have to say that Frankfurt airport is technically not privately owned. The company behind it, Fraport, is organized like a typical private company per German law - but the majority of this company is owned by the city of Frankfurt and the state of Hesse. So it is still considered as public ownership, even though it is managed like a company. A minority of Fraport is privately owned though....
Was just at LAX in February. There is a ton of construction going on there
I love my local airport, Gatwick is really amazing and has some hidden gems
Great video, very informative! 😊 Based on my experience, LHR & CDG should not be on the list in terms of transit, connections, rider ships and layout of the airports. I believe YYZ should be on that list since Pearson has done a lot of upgrades in terms of what I mentioned earlier and more infrastructure to come.
I agree - I guess that's why so many people have problems with skytrax
Pearson is a killer for walking
@@cobyexplanes This is true. Also, amazing work with all the videos you put out there. Always look forward to watching your content. Keep up the amazing work :)
While CDG is messy, it's actually quite well connected. TGVs depart from the terminal and essentially the whole country and nearby regions are within a few hours.
I think of aviation, virtually everything of which* was invented in the US. First airplane, first airline (St Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Company), started in 1914, air traffic control, radio, instrument flying, largest airline manufacturers (current and past-Douglas, Lockheed, Martin, Fairchild, Consolidated, etc.), and so much more. *Jet Engines were invented in the UK.
Who cares about water falls and art, no one goes to the airport for entertainment, they go there to go somewhere else.
To be honest I didn’t have a bad experience when I went to logaurdia (I don’t know how to spell it) it was quite clean. Same as Memphis, Tampa, BWI, and San Antonio. Atlanta was crowded but they were all very easy to navigate to the gate I had to get to.
I feel like Boston is one of the few exceptions, it’s one of the best in the country. It’s literally right next to the city center, within about a 30 min drive if there’s heavy traffic, 15 if there’s none. It’s got great connections, with express bus services right from downtown Boston and going directly to the terminals, it’s got a train station, and it’s got shuttles that take you to it from outside Boston. It’s pretty clean and modern, not confusing to get around, and the security takes very little time to get through.
But no non stop to Greece
Hi there, do we still have to do covid tests for outbound international flights?
Hi! I grew up in South Portland Maine, you should check out the history of Portland international jetport (PWM) and it's evolution! I currently live in Austin Texas, Austin Bergstrom international airport is under going an expansion project. You should check that out as well!
Very informative. Thank you!!!
To be fair, A Lot of US airports are undergoing major upgrades or total rebuilds. Examples: Memphis, Kansas City, Charlotte, Dallas, Salt Lake. LAX and La Guardia just to name some.
@coby maybe you can do an update in a few months.
True, but they were stagnant for 40 years. The Europeans kept up, while the US just left things be. And many airports are adding new terminals (not complete transformations, but major) like JFK, Newark, O'Hare, National/DCA, ATL, etc.