Plenty of people complain about the worst airport they've ever visited (I vote for Charles de Gaulle Airport, myself).
I'd like to do the reverse and say that Copenhagen Airport in Denmark
is one of the nicest.
I don't know the terminal in which I landed, but I can tell
you that it was fantastic. Many of the main corridors had wood
floors, and were nice enough that I felt guilty about dragging my bag
across them. Off the corridors were well-lit, comfortable seating areas;
the chairs and couches were far enough apart that you could move your bags
through without clambering over people or mowing them down. Throughout
the airport, there were stores ranging from luxury shops to convenience
stores, and on the way home I spent a good part of the wait for my flight
just browsing.
The train to Copenhagen itself arrives just downstairs from the
terminal. According to my watch, it arrived within forty-five seconds of
its scheduled arrival time. I find this almost miraculous. Oh, and my cabdriver spoke more English than most New York City cabbies, which was funny though not entirely unexpected
I sat down and found myself relaxing, which almost never happens in an
airport. I flipped on my laptop and (to my surprise) discovered that I
had wireless Internet access. I also discovered that I was able to
concentrate on what I was doing, which doesn't usually happen in an
airport. After some time, I realized why: There were very few
announcements on the allcall. Signs everywhere advised me that CPH was
a "no-call" airport (I've forgotten the exact phrase they used), meaning
that they did not announce departures to the terminal at large. You are
responsible for being at your gate at the appropriate time--the airport
assumes you are a mature, competent adult. Thus, I was spared the
constant earsplitting crackle that plagues most other major
airports.
Copenhagen Airport is clean, spacious, efficient, and attractive. The
airport's designers created a structure that combines functionality with
aesthetics; indeed, much of its appeal stems from its functionality (heck,
from what I saw, that's true for most of Denmark). I never knew one could
be proud of an airport, but if I were Danish, I would be proud of
CPH.
I must say that, through my ignorance, I somehow managed to
order a hamburger that came with bacon and a fried egg on top.
To all the Danes out there, I loved visiting your country, but I
have no idea why you're not all dead of heart disease or cholesterol
poisoning.