Making the Most of Airport Locations

Choose convenient airport locations with the best available travel amenities

Making the most of airport locations begins with smart planning and a good eye for unique possibilities. Rather than getting sucked into the rat race of traveling through major hubs all the time, regular airport commuters should consider the benefits of alternative traveling through smaller regional and local airports.

Commuters need not succumb to the madness and unfriendliness of the larger airport locations in the US and across the globe. Choosing the right airports for departure, arrival and layovers can turn a miserable process into a rather enjoyable experience. When choosing airport locations, consider these pointers:

1. Local and regional airport facilities provide much more passenger-friendly accommodations than the travel hubs.

2. Maps of airport locations make finding nearby airports easier.

3. Comfortable travel, both domestic and international, begins with the proper preparations.

 

Research local airport locations to find accommodations nearest to you

Frequent business fliers are already familiar with all the domestic and perhaps international hubs for air travel; however, flying through local and regional US airport locations offers benefits such as shorter security lines, smaller terminals and better customer attention. Many large metropolitan areas with major hubs also contain smaller regional airports. In the Chicago area, for example, Gary/Chicago International, Chicago Executive and Lansing Municipal are smaller alternatives to the usual bustle of O'Hare or Midway.
Try: Find regional or international airports nearest you with AirNav, or search airport locations by airport code at AirportCodes.us.

View maps of locations of airports for a hands-on approach

The visual element of maps can make finding the airport location of your choice easier. Rather than relying only on a search engine of nearby airports, take a look at a map to see possibilities that may have slipped the computer's notice. Sometimes, you can find an airport just outside of a city or in another urban area that turns out to be much more accessible and convenient than you may have thought.
Try: For a more interactive approach to searching United States airport locations, see a map of airport locations in the US by state from MapXL. See world airports through World Travel Guide; click on the country to get a list.

Travel comfortably and wisely by choosing the best airport locations

When traveling through unfamiliar territory, deciding your final destination is just half the battle. This is particularly true for world airport locations - if you're traveling internationally, be wary of your flight connections. A long layover somewhere is inevitable, so take precautions on where you get stuck for an extended stay. Frankfurt International and Singapore are wiser choices, while reviewers recommend travelers avoid the ill-maintained facilities in Bombay and Cairo at all costs. To ease domestic travel pains, choosing the best regional and major airport locations in the US is important, as well.
Try: Check out customer reviews and insider tips on the best airports for layovers at The Independent Traveler. Also, The Guide to Sleeping in Airports has similar reviews, with a more streetwise approach. U.S. News & World Report compiled a list of domestic airports with high rankings in service and dependability.

 

• Use an airport locations map to double-check your destination. Relying only on airport codes can be confusing - passengers headed to cities with the same names sometimes mix up their destinations. Some passengers can tell their horror stories about thinking they were headed to West Lafayette, IN (LAF) but ended up Lafayette, LA (LFT).

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