Flying is objectively a decent-at-best experience.
It is worsened, of course, by the prospect of a layover – a.ka. flying twice.
Now, it must be said that not all layovers are created equal. Some can even be quite alright. As Bayut.com recently discovered after surveying travellers who’ve had a layover between international flights in the past year, there is some major runway between a good stop and a forgettable one.
By all accounts, Tokyo Narita International Airport seems to be the best in the world to rest between flights.
Narita, which is the smaller of Tokyo’s two major airports and serves more than 40 million passengers per year, was voted the best for dining, safety, and overall enjoyment.
Here are the 15 best airports for a layover:
Canada’s lone representative on the list (only the world’s busiest were considered) is Toronto Pearson, which scored ninth overall. A further look at the numbers shows 53.3% of travellers saying they enjoyed themselves there on a layover.
Some interesting conclusions from the survey:
- – Almost 30 percent of the travellers said they would choose to use their layover time exploring the surrounding city if they had the option
- – The most popular layover activity is eating
- – Baltimore–Washington International Airport scored the lowest approval rating, with just 24% of travellers enjoying their time there
- – Istanbul Atatürk International Airport was determined to have the least safe airport, while Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport could really improve its dining options