Cramped seats, lack of food options, dirty carpets... Airports are not always the most pleasant places to spend time. For many travellers, stopovers or long delays can turn into hours of boredom and stress.
To discover the best places for stress-free travel, Solitaired analyzed data from Skytrax, Google reviews, and various travel articles on more than 400 airports around the world. It then created a relaxation rating on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 representing the most relaxing airports.
Key Points:
Incheon International Airport, located in Incheon, South Korea, is ranked #1 as the most relaxing airport in the world.
Zhanjiang Airport, located in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China, is ranked #1 among the least relaxing airports in the world.
Indianapolis International Airport, located in Indiana, is ranked #1 as the most relaxing airport in the U.S.
Oakland International Airport, located in California, is ranked #1 as the least relaxing airport in the U.S.
Houston Hobby Airport and Seattle Tacoma Airport are ranked #1 for terminal comfort among all U.S. airports.
John Wayne Airport is ranked #1 for the lowest average wait time in the U.S.
The World’s Best Airports for Peaceful Travel
For this study, Solitaired included overall ratings for each airport and analyzed locations in five categories: walking distance, terminal convenience, terminal facilities, shopping and dining.
First up, the most relaxing airport in the world is Incheon International Airport, located in Incheon, South Korea. Among the five categories we evaluated, Incheon International Airport's highest rating is for shopping, with 4.7 out of 5 stars. From various options like cosmetics and fashion in Terminal 1 to convenience stores and a bookstore in Terminal 2, there are plenty of options to keep travelers busy while waiting for their flight.
In second place is Singapore Changi Airport, with a relaxation score of 92.90 out of 100. Located in Changi, Singapore, this airport received its highest rating in the terminal facilities category, with 4.88 out of 5 stars. This category includes Wi-Fi access and allotted time, quiet and relaxing areas to spend time, leisure facilities, and vending machines. So, whether you’re using Wi-Fi to work remotely or you’re using a quiet space to enjoy a relaxing game of FreeCell Solitaire, Singapore Changi Airport offers a pleasant experience for all travelers.
Third, we move from Asia to the Middle East with Bahrain International Airport in Muharraq, Bahrain, which received a relaxation score of 92.80 out of 100. This location takes the top spot in our terminal comfort category with a rating of 4.89 out of 5 stars. This category includes several factors such as congestion around the terminal, décor, condition, air temperature, seat availability, seat type and comfort, and access to charging stations. This creates the perfect environment to relax before your flight while also ensuring your devices are charged before your journey.
At the other end of the spectrum, Zhanjiang Airport in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China, received the lowest relaxation score (40.01), making it the least relaxing airport in the world. This is followed by Havana’s José Martí International Airport (45.56) in Havana, Cuba, and Yanji Chaoyangchuan Airport (46.93) in Yanji, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin, China, which rank second and third, respectively, for least relaxation.
Among the airports surveyed, 29 received a perfect 5-star rating for walking distance. Bahrain International Airport scored highest for terminal comfort with 4.89 stars, while Singapore Changi Airport led the way for terminal facilities with 4.88 stars. For shopping and dining, Hong Kong International Airport ranked highest with ratings of 4.80 and 4.64, respectively.
Fuente: Solitaired / Skytrax.