By At least according to Global Traveler magazine it is:
Incheon International Airport has been named ‘Best Airport in the World’ by respected business magazine Global Traveler for three years in a row.
In a survey conducted on airport service among some 31,000 readers, Incheon International Airport scored the highest, followed by Schiphol Airport in Holland, with Singapore’s Changi Airport and Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok taking third and fourth places, respectively.
The magazine, which has a circulation of approximately 100,000 copies worldwide, conducts an annual survey and awards the best airport, airline, hotel, and travel destination. The prize-giving ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on Jan. 15. [Chosun Ilbo]
I have been through Chek Lap Kok, Changi, and Kuala Lumpur before and I find all those airports quite good and comparable to Incheon. However, what I like about Incheon now is the train service that can take you right into town rather quickly.
2:34 pm on December 2nd, 2008 1
Still, from my own personal experience in airports around the world, Incheon ranks highest for me, too. Lines are planned well, things are organized, and I've never had a bad experience there. I've never even had a long wait there.
They have their shit majorly together over there. As much as there is to complain about in Korea, you gotta give credit where it's due. It doesn't sound strange that Incheon's gotten these kudos, even if Rain being #1 on Time Magazine's most popular people of the year seems to go against the grain of reality.
Rather than jumping the gun to blame a conspiracy of Korean netizens in the absence of any proof in that direction, perhaps we might stop to consider that perhaps *GASP* Incheon really IS a good airport?
8:37 pm on December 2nd, 2008 2
Was the survey conducted online? If so, Korean netizens probably flooded it and skewed the results.
9:33 pm on December 2nd, 2008 3
My only complaint about Incheon International Airport is that they confiscated my shampoo when I was returning to Iraq from R & R. It was nice stuff that my wife bought me and I was carrying it my backpack. One of the security girls took it away because it might have been some sort of liquid explosive that happened to smell like heaven. I was stuck washing my hair with Pert or Prell, or whichever cheap brand AAFES was selling in Iraq, for the next 7 months.
Another complaint that some members of the USFK community — not me, personally, but some — have about the place is that it is nearly damned impossible for an Army officer to dump his dead wife over the bridge on I-120 without getting caught by a KNP patrol.
11:50 pm on December 2nd, 2008 4
U LG D V,
Good point. People make fun of KNP and their napping habits but every time an officer tries to dispose of his wife in a suitcase, they are Johnny-on-the-spot.
The only mystery they never solved was that Hmong private who wound up naked and dead under a taxi.
12:17 am on December 3rd, 2008 5
Actually, the KNP got lucky that night. However horrible murder is, it's one of the funniest round-eye stories in Korea. The cops thought that they had caught a NASCAR fan dumping garbage over the side of the bridge. They gave pursuit and Major NASCAR's whoopty gave up the ghost 300m down the road. He would have gotten away with it had he planned well enough not do the dump during low tide. If there had been water under the bridge, Old Girl would have gone out into the West Sea and NASCAR would have been nailed for littering. As it was, the cops looked over the side and saw her stuck in the mud.
2:25 pm on December 27th, 2008 6
[...] think this same observation could apply to Incheon International Airport in Korea as [...]
11:45 am on December 20th, 2010 7
just on the 20th december 2010,i was passing through incheon airport,due to unclear weather condition,flights were cancelled..i do witness first grade humiliation in the hand of korean immigration and air china staff,because i am from nigeria,i was not given a chance to even talk or view the circumstance that lead to the cancellation of the flight,everyone else was given fair and decent accomodation,i was ignored…incheon is one of the worst ill treated airport in the whole world.i have been to many other places,no such..
1:23 pm on December 20th, 2010 8
I'd have to agree. Incheon is one of the best. Compare to DFW – shudder.
That being said, is this the same "world" that declares Celine Deon one of the best singers in the "world"? Their judgment might be suspect. I'd be interested in the criteria and the survey sample…
1:39 pm on December 20th, 2010 9
As with most things and places, the quality of service you get depends on your apparent status or importance.
If you pass through a terminal looking like airport inspectors you will be surprised how well you are treated.