h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I would rate the Airports I have had the pleasure(?) of using
in the following order (best first)

Chicago O'Hare
Singapore
London Heathrow
Auckland
Keflavik (Iceland)
London Gatwick
Newark
Kuala Lumpur
Amsterdam Schipol
Dublin
San Francisco
London (?) Luton
Sydney
Paris Charles De Gaulle

I've got to say that airports are never as romantic as railway stations. However, after many years travelling the globe I must nominate my favorite airport as Skiathos on the island of the same name in the Aegean. Its a two minute, £2 pound ride from the town and once you've checked just wander across the road to one of two tavernas.

You can hear the departure announcements whilst sipping a cool ouzo and sitting in the sun. My bags liked it so much they stayed on a couple of days after me recently.

oh, yes.
London Luton Airport.
the high point of luton and trhe quickest way out.

London Luton is in fact quite a good airport as you will find it the cheapest way to get to the South of France, quite an interesting place full of 3 kinds of people:
1/ Little people speaking in rapid jerky sentences which noone apart from other little people talking in rapid jerky sentences can understand

2/ Americans(see entry under born of the devils own arsehole and thick as a bank vaults wall)

3/ Rich people spending most of their time trying to look beautiful whilst subjecting themselves to massive doses of UV and radiation.

(oh then theres me on my merry little way to the nearest bar to drink myself stupid and pick up a girl for a shag.

Luton airport in itself is one of the most singularly interesting microcosms of life in the universe for all the same reasons that the London underground is a multiverse built on a much more understandable model than the larger and less accessible one.

i like the airport. i love it, in fact. it took me to malta, corfu, all sorts of lovely places.

but it also brought me back to luton.

and i know several of the little people talking in short jerky sentances u talk of.
it's the luton accent in 'annoyed and bloody well stressed' mode.

Skiathos airport is everything you described - but it must be pointed out that it has a runway that was clearly built for the use of remote-control aircraft.

It is incredibly short, with water at both ends, so that the pilot must not only slam the thing into reverse and jam on the handbrake but all of the passengers are obliged to lean backwards in their seats and discover religion.

Now that you know that, it won't come as quite such a life-threatening shock....

But Skiathos' runway is half the fun of going there! First you approach the island, recognising the shape from the guide book (or the telly) and then you listen to everbody panic as you clearly fly right past it. As everybody says "That was it, wasn't it?" and "Do you think we're on the wrong plane?", the plane tips gently to the right until you're all leaning heavily on your neighbour/the window and starting to get worried as all on the lower part of the slope see the sea getting nearer and nearer.

Just as you think the wing tip is going to brush the water, there's land ahead. The plane levels out, descending rapidly towards...more sea! But all is not lost. As the brakes start to roar, you see a bus running alongside you and feel land beneath the wheels. You can all breathe a huge sigh of relief: Welcome to Skiathos Airport.