Guest column: Best airports for biz travel

Guest column: Frommers.com at the request of TravelMole has compiled the world’s best airports for business travelers. They define “best” as “most efficient airport,” which does not mean the facility is necessarily a major global hub. The survey focused on airports that excel at getting business travelers from point-to-point.
“We did our homework and studied user ratings and awards, but it took more than statistics to impress us,” said a spokesperson for Frommers.com.“We awarded bonus points to airports with alluring in-terminal hotels, streamlined baggage claim service, and snappy train service to vital business districts.”
The article below was written by Sean O’Neill.

Destination: Singapore
Airport name: Changi (SIN)

Among all of the free amenities at Changi — Internet, child-free snooze rooms, and films in three movie houses — we call dibs on the butterfly garden with the 27-foot waterfall. At the amazing Changi Airport, we’ve even heard of walkie-talkie-waving airport workers help business-class passengers make tight connections by guiding them from gate to gate.

Get downtown: A 35-minute MRT commuter rail trip to Raffles Place Station, near the financial district, from about SG$3, or about $2.25, round-trip.

Destination: Hong Kong, China
Airport name: Chek Lap Kok (HKG)

Even the most jet-lagged of business travelers can manage Hong Kong’s main airport well. At two downtown train stations, you can check your luggage and print your boarding pass for return flights on United, Continental, Cathay Pacific, and some other airlines. The train stops right inside the terminal. Between the train and the gates, there are no stairs or escalators. When your flight is delayed, there’s a nine-hole, golf course nearby Terminal 2, with night play, from HK$320 or about $41.

Get downtown: 20-minute ride on the Airport Express line (MTR) Rail to Kowloon Station, from HK$152, or about $19.50, round-trip.

Destination: Tokyo, Japan
Airport name: Haneda, a.k.a, Tokyo International

Haneda Airport’s new international terminal, which opened in October 2010, is a half-hour closer to central Tokyo than Narita. It also has a departure hall that is far better than Narita’s McFoodCourts. It delivers a locally authentic vibe, lined with traditional Japanese shops, like the stationer Itoya.

Get downtown: 45-minute ride (with two connections) to Shinagawa, the city’s largest station, from about ¥740, or about $8.90, each way.

Destination: Washington, D.C.
Airport name: Ronald Reagan National (DCA)

Many of this airport’s picture windows frame views of the nearby cityscape. Separate security lines at each tiny terminal speed up passenger processing, and ample seating at the gates makes for a pleasant wait. Warning: Like all things in this town, the airport’s name is political: Republicans call it "Reagan," Democrats call it "National," and Libertarians call it "a boondoggle."

Get downtown: a 25-minute ride (with one connection) to Union Station, next to the Capitol building, from $3.60, round-trip.

Destination: Copenhagen, Denmark
Airport name: Kastrup (CPH)

The best-connected of Nordic airports — which is kind of like saying "the hottest supermodel" — Kastrup Airport epitomizes efficiency. Electronic boards report to the minute when your luggage will arrive.

Get downtown: 13-minute train connects to Copenhagen Central, from 70 kroner, or about $12, round-trip.

Destination: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Airport name: Dubai International (DXB)

Dubai International stands out for offering key amenities 24-hours-a-day, such as free Wi-Fi in its palm-tree-studded lounges, a health center with showers, a gym, and a swimming pool that can be accessed for about $8 an hour, and 58,000-square feet of duty-free shopping. Bonus perk: hotel rooms are available within Terminals 1 and 3.

Get downtown: Roughly 20-minute taxi ride, AED 75, or about $20, each way.

Destination: San Francisco, California
Airport name: San Francisco International (SFO)

In spring 2011, Terminal Two will rise again after a $383 million renovation. It’s expected to have plug-in power outlets near every seat, 10 security lanes serving 14 gates, and post-security "recuperation" areas. The original terminal is also a gem, with free Wi-Fi (since August 2010) and relatively quick passports-and-customs processing.

Get downtown: 30-minute light-rail BART ride to Embarcadero Station, near the financial district, from$16.20, roundtrip. To Palo Alto or Mountain View, take the Bart (from $4, one-way) and then Caltrain, ($6.50, one way) for a 30-minute trip each way.

Destination: Seoul, Korea
Airport name: Incheon (ICN)

This airport has many perks: a transit hotel inside the customs barrier, information booths with English-speaking staff, two relaxing gardens, and a futuristic train terminal arrival hallway. Happily, you may not need to wait around and take advantage of any of those amenities, because 83 percent of planes arrive and depart here on-time, according to the website

Get downtown: 90-minute ride in a white or yellow taxi to the business district, approximately 40,000 won, or about $35, each way.

Destination: Munich, Germany
Airport name: Munich Franz Josef Strauss (MUC)

Who can’t love an airport with its own authentic Bavarian brewery? Stop by Airbräu to sip pints of lager (from 2.40 euro, or about $3.25) at a communal, long wooden table indoors or, in good weather, outdoors. Then stroll this airport’s clean corridors, which are as sleek as a BMW showroom, and, in fact, often showcase new BMW vehicles.

Get downtown: 45-minute ride on Deutsche Bahn downtown, from about €8.

Destination: London, England
Airport name: London City Airport (LCY)

Located in the Royal Docks area next to the financial district, hedge-fund-owned London City Airport is a royal treat for Americans flying the all-business-class airline OpenSkies. Rapid baggage claim, quick international arrivals processing, and an in-terminal rail connection help reduce the time you have to spend here. (Caveat: There’s a chance of an early spring 2011 strike by the airport’s workers.)
Get downtown: 18-minute ride on the DLR line and the Underground’s Jubilee Line to Canada Water Station, near the financial district, from 4 pounds, or about $6.50 each way.