The world’s best (and worst) airport transfers, according to frequent flyers
Ask your average frequent flyer about Gibraltar and you may notice their eyes light up. Perhaps they’ll even let out a wistful sigh. You wonder what about this charming Iberian outpost that inspires such an extreme emotional reaction amongst travellers. The answer: its much-loved airport.
“You can stand on the outdoor balcony and watch the flights take off,” enthuses Nick Eades, a veteran Boeing 747 captain turned author. “I imagine this is what flying felt like in the 1950s.” It’s a sentiment I’ve heard before – and that’s before we get to the airport’s legendary transit.
For the uninitiated, here’s how it works. Once you’ve passed customs, you walk across the runway (always a novel experience), along Winston Churchill Avenue – and straight into the city itself. If you’re wearing sensible shoes, the whole process should take you less than 15 minutes.
Given the tiddly size of Gibraltar, it’s probably unfair to use it as a stick to beat other airports. But oh how different it feels from the typical airport transit. No walking between terminals, no waiting around for a delayed train, no sitting in gridlock traffic willing the taxi-meter to stop rolling, just pure convenience.
No wonder, then, that the Rock has become a cult destination for so-called “extreme day trippers”, who like to fly in and out of a destination on the same day. Their whole game depends not just on finding the best-timed flights (i.e. early morning out; evening return), but also avoiding getting bogged down in transit.
So which airports get their nod of approval? The Baltic cities of Tallinn and Vilnius – the capitals of Estonia and Lithuania respectively – are two of the favoured. In both cases, the airport is less than five miles from the city, meaning you can be enjoying the sights within half an hour of landing.
Then there’s Copenhagen, which has seemingly set itself the mission of being the easiest airport in Europe to reach by train. “I can usually get to the city centre in about 15 minutes,” says Rhys Jones, aviation editor at Head for Points. “There’s usually a train departing every ten minutes, so you rarely have to wait.”
On that front, the Danes have some competition from their northern neighbours. “The train connections at Stockholm Arlanda Airport aren’t the cheapest, but they are absolutely brilliant,” enthuses Gilbert Ott, founder of God Save the Points. “The Arlanda Express gets you into central Stockholm in 20 minutes.”
That’s all well and good. But which airports are regarded as Europe’s laggards? Bucharest’s Henri Coanda is one name which comes up as a cautionary tale, largely due to the lack of a metro link and the increasingly congested traffic on the 10-mile ride to town.
Closer to home, London Luton used to be a total nightmare, with travellers having to catch both a bus and a train to get anywhere close to the capital. The new DART rail link (which opened in March 2023) has helped massively on that front, but you’re still reliant on the crowded Thameslink service to get downtown.
Naturally, the sheer distance of the journey doesn’t help when it comes to convenience. But Luton isn’t the worst offender on that front. Just ask anyone who’s used Milan Bergamo, which sits some 33 miles from the charms of the fashion capital, or Barcelona Reus, 58 miles from the Catalan capital.
Then there are Oslo Torp and Frankfurt Hahn – a staggering 68 and 76 miles, respectively, from the cities that they supposedly serve. Luckily, both destinations have closer airports – just in case you fancied an extreme day trip to Germany’s financial district – but they tend to be the preserve of the more expensive airlines.
Take a look beyond Europe, though, and you start to wonder whether we are luckier than we might think when it comes to getting to and from our airports. Spend an hour in standstill traffic on the way to São Paulo or Mumbai and you’ll think twice about criticising Gatwick or Stansted in future, suggests pilot Nick Eades.
Then there’s the United States, which once again lives up to its reputation as a land of contrasts. The likes of LAX (Los Angeles) and Miami International are notoriously painful – particularly when you’re sitting in an expensive Uber – whereas Portland, San Francisco and Atlanta all boast European-style transit systems.
Perhaps a special mention should go to Harry Reid International Airport (formerly McCarran) in Las Vegas, which uses an innovative “grid” system to help you find a taxi. Once you’ve called an Uber, you’re told exactly which square to walk to, meaning that your driver can find you as quickly as possible. As a regular, I can confirm that getting to the Strip has never been easier.
For frequent flyers, though, there is one US airport which stands tall above its peers. “Once you’ve flown to Boston, you realise what an excellent airport it is,” says Rhys Jones from Head for Points. “It’s easy to get downtown in 15 minutes. I’d struggle to name another airport of that size and significance which is such a pleasure to use.”
Impressive, yes, but can an airport on earth hold a candle to Gibraltar? To my surprise, a straw poll of travel anoraks does throw up one candidate. And while you may not have flown there, you may well have seen it online.
On the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, you’ll find Princess Juliana International Airport – which sits practically on top of the idyllic Maho Beach.
Regarded as one of the world’s best plane-watching spots, the beach has enjoyed fame on social media thanks to videos of beach-goers clinging to the railings as planes take off. This rather obscure extreme sport has even earned its own name: jet-surfing.
You may not fancy that particular pursuit, but who could say no to going from passport control to the beach in less time than it takes to hail a taxi? Just make sure you hold on tight to your towels when it’s time for the next take-off.
