Airports are fascinating structures, and require a level of planning and design not unlike a small city. In this regard, a customer’s perception of whether an airport is “good” or not depends on many factors: signage, food selection, facilities for the disabled, ease of movement, rest options and even how many bathrooms there are. 

Failure to plan correctly can result in expensive delays, such as when Heathrow Airport’s new Terminal 5 opened in 2008 and had to content with dozens of cancelled flights and thousands of stranded passengers on its first day. Similarly, Denver Airport’s cutting-edge baggage system turned out to be a failure, costing the airport USD $1 million per month in maintenance costs until it was ultimately abandoned. When it comes to airports, details matter.

For the survey, Agoda chose 15 major Asian capitals: Bangkok, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, New Delhi, Phnom Penh, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, Vientiane and Yangon. Travelers to these airports were asked to give it an overall rating on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). The survey was based on over 11,000 respondents.

Unsurprisingly, Singapore’s Changi Airport came in first, with an overall rating of 4.37. Known for its hyper-efficiency and consistent investments in improvement and upgrade, it features in the top 3 of nearly every airport ranking list in the world. In 2012 Changi handled 51 million passengers. Airport Fact: For every $10 you spend in the airport you can claim a ride on the four-story indoor slide. It won’t speed up your plane, but it makes waiting a bit less boring.

Second spot with a rating of 4.13 was Hong Kong International Airport which, similarly to Changi, usually places very high on any ranking list due to its convenient transit links and high-tech design on a huge chunk of reclaimed land in the South China Sea. In 2012 Hong Kong Airport handled 56 million passengers. Airport Fact: The airport employs over 65,000 people!

Rounding out the top three is Seoul’s Incheon International Airport with a score of 4.01, which handled 39 million passengers in 2012. Interestingly, the airport holds a record that is now unbreakable – it was named the Best Airport Worldwide by the Airports Council International for a record 7 years (2005-2011), and the award was discontinued after their final win. Airport Fact: Long layover? No problem! Incheon includes a golf driving range, putting course, and even an ice skating rink with artificial ice!

Here, below, are the top ten airports and their rankings. 

 

1 Changi International Airport 

2 Hong Kong International Airport

3 Seoul Incheon International Airport 

4 Indira Gandhi International Airport 

5 Suvarnabhumi International Airport 

6 Narita International Airport - 

7 Kuala Lumpur International Airport 

8 Beijing Capital International Airport 

9 Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport 

10 Phnom Penh International Airport