San Francisco International Airport (California)
Of all the major airports, San Francisco’s congestion and on-time performance is better than others (75 percent on average), but the frequent appearance of SF’s infamous fog still makes the need to kill time in the airport highly likely. There are multiple city-specific gift stores, such as a SF Museum of Modern Art store and a Ghirardelli chocolate shop. The International Terminal is where it’s at, boasting Gucci, Burberry, Coach, a gourmet wine store, and Ebisu, a fancy Japanese restaurant. Showers are also located there for a mid-travel pick-me-up. In Terminal 3, you can pick up a loaf of Boudin’s famous sourdough bread, or enjoy a cup of Irish Coffee from the Buena Vista Café. InMotion Entertainment, a retailer offering rentable DVD players and DVDs, is found throughout the airport.
Newark Liberty International Airport (New Jersey)
This airport was named the worst airport in America by Travel + Leisure magazine, and after looking at its rankings on the BTS list, it’s not hard to see why. Newark ranked last out of thirty-one airports in the country for on-time arrivals (62 percent) and only second to last for departures (72 percent). At least the airport has a few mall stores like the Body Shop and Guess in Terminal C, as well as familiar food court staples and a few sit-down restaurants. But if your layover is longer than a few hours, there’s a train station in the airport that can get you to Manhattan in a jiffy. The New York Times even recommends taking a cab into New York if there’s enough time. In other words, if you can escape, do it.
According to the BTS, airport on-time performance has actually improved since 2008, even though we might not notice the difference. Regardless, it’s best to have a backup plan for ways to pass the time at the airport, even if yours didn’t make the worst-of list. Just go online, look up the offered amenities, and jot down notes for future use. Maybe you won’t have to refer to those notes during your vacation, but given how poorly some of these airports stick to schedules, it’s better to err on the side of caution. And who knows—with so many airports’ emphasis on local flavor, it might even feel like an extended vacation.
Updated December 20, 2010
