Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT): A-
While some may see this as biased, since PIT is my home airport, it really is true. Travelling through PIT is a lovely experience. Unfortunately, the only reason to travel through PIT now is to go to Pittsburgh, since US Airways dumped the custom-built-for-USAir hub a few years ago. There are no crowds, and if the alternate checkpoint is open, security only takes a matter of minutes – with usually pleasant personnel. There is free WiFi throughout the terminal – which is an unusual and highly appreciated amenity. However electrical outlets aren’t easy to find. Bathrooms are clean and not crowded.
A bonus: Andy Warol wallpaper and some history exhibits.
Navigating the terminals couldn’t be easier. All ticketing and baggage drop off/collection happens in the “landside” terminal. After security, you board a shuttle train that has only one other stop: the “airside” terminal. This terminal is a big X. Each branch has a letter, each gate number consists of a the branch letter and a number. Everything is clearly marked.
There is regular bus service to the city; an hour of parking for drop-off and pick-up is only $1. (There is a curb as well, but you can’t park there.)
New York JFK (JFK): D+
JFK’s main problem is that it’s too big. This could be mitigated if they just bothered to post signage telling you what terminal you’re in on arrival. Unfortunately I had to find an ask an airline employee to find out that I was in terminal 8. The train to terminal 7 was relatively easy to find, though again the signage was unclear and I thought for a moment that there was a fee to use it. (There is a fee to connect to/from the NYC transit system.) Unfortunately that meant I had to go outside of security and back in to make my connection.
Wifi is offered through Boingo Wireless, and while a limited time is available for free (“sponsored”), it costs $4.95 an hour after your free period runs out. The connection was buggy as well, so I didn’t get to make the most of what I did get. Worse, there were few working outlets. There were some that were there but apparently didn’t work, and every five minutes someone new would come by and bother the person sitting in front of or beside it as they tried (unsuccessfully) to get a charge.
While the terminal was generally clean, the seating in my area was definitely showing its age. The bathroom stalls were coming apart – the doors on some didn’t lock, and it looked like some sections were hanging by a single bolt.
London Heathrow (LHR): B-
British Airways planes on the tarmac outside the terminal at Heathrow.
Again, just plain too big. If you’re going to make airports this big, some better planning and faster processing is necessary. Everything is clean, neat, and well labeled. Bathrooms are clean and well maintained. Plenty of seating, some very comfortable, including some fun looking couches.
Beware of immigration. If you’re coming in from outside the EU, you will have to stand in a queue that could last for a couple hours. Then you have to go through security again to gain access to the terminal. Even with FastTrack status for people with quick connections, the queue can take over an hour. This makes US immigration lines in Charlotte (CLT) look like the races. (I do seem to remember that the last time I was in LHR, immigration went rather quickly. But you need to be able to deliver high quality service consistently, especially where there are severe time penalties if customers are delayed.)
WiFi is free for 45 minutes, 90 minutes if you have a Heathrow loyalty card (free). It is £3 per hour after that. Connection was terribly spotty. Even with a connection and four or five bars, loading web pages was hit or miss. With such a poor preview, I would not pay for service. Fortunately I located a SIM for the Three mobile network in a W H Smith store and soon was getting high speed internet.
Overall, PIT is lovely but feels empty, JFK was workable, and Heathrow was nice except for immigration and the wifi. I would have rated Edinburgh (EDI), but I was barely there. It seemed nice, though.
