LONDON, May 6 — Airports are often rated and ranked for punctuality or entertainment and dining options available to passengers waiting before a flight, travellers can’t deny that cleanliness — in washrooms and other public areas — is a key element of comfort in any long journey. In this regard, Asian airports are setting an example for the world.
Empty soap dispensers, an absence of toilet paper, toilet seats that look dirty... the time spent waiting to board a flight can be subject to many annoyances. And it’s not just a question of flight delays, but also of a lack of cleanliness in the public areas of an airport. However, not all hubs are prone to shortfalls in this respect. On the contrary, in Asia, airports generally rate highly for offering travellers clean, comfortable facilities.
According to Skytrax, the London-based consulting organisation specialising in airline analysis, Japanese airports provide the world with a masterclass in cleanliness, with no fewer than four hubs in the top-10 of this ranking. Tokyo Haneda airport is the cleanest in the world, along with Nagoya (5th), Narita, Tokyo’s outlying airport (6th) and Kansai, serving Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe (7th). Seoul Incheon and Singapore Changi come in second and third place respectively. The only European airport to make the list is Zurich, Switzerland, in tenth, while the only other airport outside of Asia to crack the top ten is Doha Hamad in fourth.
Often referred to by travellers as a destination in itself, with its orchid greenhouse, butterfly garden and waterfall cascading right through the departure gates, it comes as no surprise that Singapore Changi airport placed in the top three in this ranking.
As with Skytrax’s other numerous rankings dedicated to the best airlines in terms of entertainment, comfort and catering, this ranking is also based on the opinions of customers who share their impressions via satisfaction surveys carried out in over 570 airports. — ETX Studio
