The World's Best & Worst Airports: The Final Breakdown

Hi there, Travellers,

This week, I’ve been out in the wild at Destinations: The Holiday and Travel Show in Manchester, chatting to avid travellers like yourselves about their upcoming adventures. 

As usual, I’ve been suggesting The Caucasus and Central Asia as underrated areas. History, food, landscapes, architecture — both offer their own unique takes in spades, and frankly, I am not willing to go through another year without returning. 

Next weekend, the Jack’s team will be out doing it all again on the other side of the Atlantic at the New York Travel & Adventure Show. We’d love to meet some of you fantastic NYC members IRL as well, so please stop by and say hi! If you can’t make it along to either of these shows, or indeed the London edition of Destinations at the end of the month, we’d still love to hear your travel stories. 

As a reminder, we're currently running our first-ever story submission contest! All you need to do is share yours to be in with a chance of winning up to £500/€500/$500 towards flights you book or upgrades on a flight you’ve already booked. And in case you need a little inspiration, here's a prompt:

“Plot twist! This was not on the itinerary: Tell us the moment your trip took an unexpected turn — for better or worse.”

The contest will close at 08:00 UTC on 23rd January. We’ll then pick our fave submission and notify the winner by 31st January. Full T&Cs can be found here.

[Enter now]

Happy travels and safe landings,

In theory, airports are meant to be neutral, liminal spaces, designed to efficiently get you to where you need to go. But for many travellers, that “Welcome” sign plastered above the terminal somehow always translates as “Prepare to suffer.”

So we asked the Jack's Flight Club community one simple question: “What are the best and worst airports you've passed through?”

Your answers piled up like the immigration line at JFK. And what came back was anything but neutral.

Some of you reflected on your most dreamy layovers and magical landings. Meanwhile, others relived hideous tales of crushing crowds, hours stuck on the tarmac, and being crammed like sardines in the “holding pen of doom”. 

And the frantic sprint across terminals to reach an impossible connection? Raise a hand if you’ve been personally victimized by Charles de Gaulle’s broken escalators. 

Once we sifted through the stories, patterns emerged. Very clear ones…

The Favourite Child (unsurprisingly) 

Changi Airport, Singapore

We wouldn’t be surprised if, among Singapore Airport’s lush greenery, there exists a cavernous golden hall lined floor to ceiling with Skytrax awards.

With little context—which, let’s admit, is hardly necessary—members praised Changi's gargantuan attractions and impeccable service again and again. Besides the dreamscape of butterfly gardens, steel domes, and valleys, here’s what you can expect while transiting through the World’s Best.

The runner-up

Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam

With Changi stealing the top spot, it's hardly surprising that the very airport to inspire its original design also goes down well: Amsterdam Schiphol. 

The easy navigation, "cool" staff, excellent shops, and efficient transfers left most of you feeling pretty good about one of Europe's busiest hubs. 

Fondness over Flashiness

Not every airport people spoke of fondly was flawless. Some didn’t win on speed, design, or serenity. Instead, they earned your points for something far less measurable: showing up at the right moment. 

Chicago O’ Hare kept coming up here, which surprised us. No one claimed it was the calmest or the most efficient. But several of you spoke about ORD with something close to fondness. A soft spot. A sense of gratitude that lingered long after the journey ended. 

What the best airports get right

Interestingly, the Jack's Community's most beloved airports often weren’t the biggest or flashiest. But they do share a few things in common:

A calm atmosphere

No surprise, the Nordics have got it down to a fine art:

And in the Dominican, the mantra is tranquilo:

Most gripes fell into a few clear categories:

Soul-crushing queues

This was the loudest theme. Sure, delays can be expected. But what we won’t tolerate? Waiting with zero explanation, seating or any visible progress. 

JFK, Manchester, and LAX took the brunt of this anger:

Edinburgh also came up repeatedly, not for one-off chaos, but for what sounded like a systemic tragedy. 

Layouts designed by sadists

The biggest rage breeder? Confusion. 

As though the building designers missed the memo on 'efficiency,' some airports were criticized not for being too big, but for being downright illogical.

Manila, for one, sounds like a horror show:

Canada’s second-largest city also got a mention (“Convoluted and complicated: Montreal), while Shanghai Pudong sounds like a soul-sucking experience (“A layover there feels like purgatory. Devoid of life and dining options).

On the other hand, airports like Rome Fiumicino, Burbank, Schiphol, and Tokyo’s Haneda were praised for their easy transit. 

Comfort, Cleanliness, and Basic Human Dignity 

You’re a fair bunch; you don’t expect luxury lounges. Just clean toilets, somewhere to sit, and enough space to breathe. Not feeling like herded cattle is also a plus. 

Addis Ababa, Khartoum, and London Stansted were among the most heavily criticized:

But sometimes it’s the small injustices that linger longest.

For what it's worth, friend, we asked the Jack's Community on Instagram if they agreed that the kidnapping of your potato salad was unreasonable, and you have been vindicated. 74% of Jack's Travellers were right there with you in the fight for your carb-based rights.

People don’t need the biggest airport, the glitziest of terminals, or the most expensive shops. 

We want:

• Lines that move quickly
• Affordable eateries open during all times of transit
• Logical layouts
• Somewhere to sit
• Clean toilets
• To be treated like a human being

But sure, if you want to throw in a seven-story rain-vortex waterfall, that’s cool too.

Agree with the crowd? Or ready to defend an airport to the death? We’re all ears!

Whether you call it “Mardi Gras,” “Carnaval,” or “Pancake Day,” the last Tuesday before Lent is one of the world’s favorite times to party.

While the most famous celebrations probably spring to mind immediately — New Orleans bathed in beads, Rio flooded with samba, Venice behind porcelain masks — there are plenty more places to cut loose...

…and plenty more ways to do it! From a 600-year-old Belgian tradition, to Caribbean street food, to castles carved from ice, here are five pre-Lent party options you might not have considered. 

Binche, Belgium

If you happen to find yourself in this small town near Charleroi on Shrove Tuesday, don’t be offended when you get struck by a flying citrus fruit.

Since 1394, the town of Binche has been putting on a festival steeped in Belgian culture. After three days of revelry, performers called Gilles don mustachioed masks and parade through the streets, tossing oranges at bystanders. It’s never meant as an insult, however — to get hit by a Gille’s orange is considered good luck.

This is the smallest city and the longest running festival on our list, so it’s a great spot to hit if you want a more local and traditional (but no less joyful) Carnival experience.

Sydney, Australia

In the largest town down under, “Mardi Gras” means “Pride”!

The Sydney Mardi Gras festival is a massive LGBT event, leading to an especially colorful celebration that takes over the city for weeks. Masks and feathered costumes still abound, but with a little extra glitter and a lot more rainbows. 

Of all the parties on our list, this one might have the biggest variety in events. You can catch Pride versions of the usual Mardi Gras parades and costume parties, plus more uniquely LGBT fare like drag nights, and even an entire queer film festival. In search of more specifically Aussie flavor? There’s also a sailing regatta and surf events. 

If you’re not sure exactly how you want to celebrate, but know you want to pack your Mardi Gras trip with positive energy, Sydney just might be your spot!

Quebéc City, Canada

The cold never keeps Canadians down, and Quebéc City’s Mardi Gras celebration is a perfect example. While it coincides with the holiday, it’s really more of a winter carnival — one of the largest in the world.

Events include ice canoeing, ice sculpting, tours through an entire ice palace… hey, it’s winter in Quebéc, there’s gonna be a lot of ice! All the French Canadian classics are here, from syrup-related competitions to climbs up Montmorency.

This is also one of the more family-friendly events celebrating the holiday, with tons of options for the little ones. No Bourbon Street debauchery here, just snowballs and sledding.

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

The largest of the Canaries is home to one of the largest Carnival celebrations in the world (beat out only by Rio) and boy, does it feel like it! This one gets wild. Events are split into phases (Contests, Galas, and Street Carnivals) but every phase comes with its own flavor of chaos. 

At Tenerife Carnival, costumes are practically mandatory. Contestants and Carnival regulars arrive in glorious, elaborate get-ups, but even the average Joes on the sidewalk are seldom seen in streetwear. It’s also customary for male attendees to dress as women, so gentlemen, please come prepared with your size 12 high-heels.

All of this celebration culminates in a Spanish Lent tradition: the burial of the sardine.

Trinidad

It wouldn’t be a Carnival list without at least one Caribbean locale! I have to give this one to Trinidad — the region’s biggest and most vibrant.

After a month of warm-up parties, the parade weekend kicks off with a reenactment of the historic riots that originally started the festivities. Then comes J’ouvert, a pre-dawn tradition that involves smearing yourself with mud or paint. The next few days are filled with Calypso music, steelpan performances, feather-covered costumes, and enough street food to stuff your belly.

The customs here have deep roots in the island’s history, pulling from African and early colonial practices. Keep a sharp eye out, and you might notice some familiar stock characters that have developed over the years.

So if your calendar is a little too bland in mid-February but the famous festivals aren’t really calling your name, maybe I’ve helped you fill in that blank :-)

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.

• Where's the best place to build a busy airport? Close to the city center for convenience? In the suburbs, where there's more room to spread out? How about... over the ocean?
• Good news for introverts with cottagecore fantasies: You can get paid thousands to spend six months on a remote Scottish island. 
• Fancy a platter of breakfast tacos before your flight? How about a chat with a robotic gargoyle? Here's six US airports that are just interesting enough to take the sting out of your layover.
• Imagine settling into your airplane seat, ready for take-off, when suddenly you hear screams coming from the cargo hold below. This isn't a nightmare, it was reality for these Air Canada passengers. (Thankfully, no one got hurt.)
• And finally, beachy, volcanic Madeira is the top trending destination for 2026! The US and UK also made the top ten list with one city apiece — but it's not London or NYC.