JANUARY 8, 2001 VOL. 157 NO. 1

Killing Time: A Guide to Asia's Airports
By DAFFYD RODERICK

Illustration for TIME by Elwood Smith.

Hanging out at an airport is never what you want to be doing. Airports are simply places where you wait to get taken from where you are to where you want to be; they are not destinations, no matter how gussied up to look like shopping malls they may be. But delays are inevitable, and the differences between an awful transit airport and a good one are painfully obvious after you've spent a few minutes wandering around. So who has the best transit facilities and who has the worst? We've suffered through all of them, and here's what we think.

Hong Kong Open slightly more than two years, Chek Lap Kok is architecturally appealing and extremely efficient at processing travelers. But while it's a great airport if everything goes smoothly, it is deadly boring if you are delayed. Unless you have access to an airline lounge, the eating and drinking options are ridiculously limited. A decent cup of coffee? Not possible. A nice pub for a beer? Forget about it. An oyster at the Oyster Bar? Sorry, it doesn't sell oysters. Plaza Premium Lounge (www.pbc-asia.com) offers full lounge services for $33, including a passable buffet, drinks, Internet access and resting chairs. Shopping, of course, is plentiful.

TRAVEL WATCH Killing Time: A Guide to Asia's Airports Who has the best transit facilities and who has the worst? We've suffered through all of them, and here's what we think Short Cuts Chinese soldiers have invaded Taipei's Museum of History, and the Taiwanese are happy to have them Detour After 150 years of raising cattle in Australia's rugged Gulf Savannah region, the Collins family was ready to call it quits Travel Watch Archive Browse hundreds of Asian travel tips

Bangkok Don Muang's transit area is not a place you want to be stuck. The seats are uncomfortable—better designed for cleaning than for sitting, although they don't seem to be cleaned very often. And there is little to choose from in terms of food, unless you're a big Burger King fan. If you need to pick up a bottle of Johnny Walker or a carton of Marlboros, this is one of the cheapest sources in Asia. But finding a quiet place to make a phone call is a different story. Spending more than an hour here is as depressing as the poorly lit surroundings.

Kuala Lumpur This colossal white elephant is not a bad place to do a little time. The seats are reasonably comfy, there is plenty of natural light and—since the facility is operating at about half its capacity—there is little in the way of crowds. As in Hong Kong, Plaza runs an airside lounge that includes Internet access, massage chairs, free-pour beer and inviting chairs and sofas—all for $18. There are plenty of options for duty-free shopping, and it's possible to rent a hotel room by the hour.

Tokyo Narita For years, transiting through Narita felt like punishment. But recent renovations have given the grim senior a face-lift. While the seats around the gates are still clogged with bodies, you can now escape the crowds, or at least avoid someone mistaking your lap for a headrest. On the third floor of Terminal 2, you'll find showers and day rooms as well as a video room. If you're traveling with kids, you can park them in the playroom in the satellite building, or accompany them to take advantage of the 10 Sony PlayStations.

Seoul With the new Inchon airport scheduled to go into service this spring, Kimpo has done little to improve itself in the past few years and it shows. Seats are hard enough to numb your bum and decent distractions are painfully lacking. There are no free lounges and nothing seems to be open when you would expect it to be. Not as bad as Don Muang, but a close second with its grim-faced staff and tight security.

Shanghai Pudong is China's first attempt at building a modern airport. But while it looks good from the outside, on the inside it's still a work in progress, like a lot of Pudong. The airport is operating at less than 50% capacity, so there is a lot of space but little else. The old airport, Hongqiao, is busier and more convenient but equally dull.

Singapore Changi airport is a testament to the fact that humans in transit don't have to wear a grimace. Simple touches like the separate TV lounges—sports, news and movies—as well as the infrared ports for accessing the Internet make this airport the best in Asia. The quiet areas are shockingly quiet, and the service people are professional and pleasant. It's not as glossy as the airports in Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur, but Changi is living proof that killing time doesn't have to kill you.

Write to TIME at mail@web.timeasia.com