2019’s Best Airlines & International Airports for Frequent Business Travelers

2019 is ending and my major international business trips are done for the year as CEO of EventBank. This year we’ve been expanding EventBank’s global clientele list, opening new offices, and speaking at, or attending conferences. My mileage count is somewhere around 230,000 miles on various airlines and I’m about 50,000 miles away from 1 million miles on United (Star Alliance).

I’ve visited 5 continents, 20 countries, and went through two more countries during a transfer. I have no doubt there are other business travelers that have visited more airports or flown on more airlines and there are certainly professional journalists that have done a more thoughtful study, but I figured I’d put my own rankings together with all those hours in airports and planes.

If you are a growing company like us, we fly economy, as we figure that money is best spent on things that directly impact our growth. So, decisions where to fly and which airline to fly on are generally made based on price and then schedule. Here’s a list of the best airports and airlines that I've experienced that should help you choose your next itinerary in 2020. Here we go:

Top 5 International Airports

1. Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) - The most convenient and best airport to travel to or through. No matter which terminal you land in or are leaving from, it’s always efficient, clean and there are plenty of options for good food. The most important aspect being that immigration and baggage claim are so efficient, you can get to your meeting within 30 to 40 minutes of landing. Oh, and the new terminal 4 is amazing.
2. Istanbul Airport (IST) - An amazing new airport opened this year and it’s ready to handle millions of passengers. A bit far from downtown, but you don’t mind showing up early to your flight here to enjoy the amenities of this airport.
3. Hamad International Airport, Qatar (DOH) - Opened in 2014, this is a great place for a long layover for transferring passengers. Nice food choices and plenty of shopping.
4. Dubai International Airport (DXB) - A huge hub with flights arriving from everywhere. Immigration is usually pretty efficient, as is the baggage handling. And the best part is it’s 15 to 20 minutes from baggage claim to the hotel.
5. Hong Kong International Airport (HKT) - In town check in, with efficient immigration. Good food choices (yes, they have Popeyes!). It would be ranked much higher, but too many flight delays due to “air space congestion”.

Most Inconvenient Airport: Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK)- An amazing architectural design, but for normal business travelers it's a tough place to be efficient (for VIP service, you can pay for it and be whisked through the airport). If you arrived with a bunch of other planes, the “foreigner” immigration line could be a couple hundred people ahead of you and if you check a bag, you might have to wait up to an hour for them to arrive. The “arrivals” area that the airport was designed for is closed, which makes trying to find your Didi (Chinese Uber) driver not a fun game after a 13-hour flight. Estimate at least 2 hours and 15 minutes to get to your meeting or hotel from gate arrival.

Top 5 Airlines

We’re still a growing company, so I only fly economy. So, the experience on some of these airlines is probably different for those sitting in the front of the airplane, nonetheless, here’s some airlines that stood out.

1. Singapore Airlines- The hardest working flight attendants in the industry. Good service and always a smile. An excellent entertainment system with many international choices and airplane food that you can say was “good”.
2. Emirates- Flying the A380 is always an experience at takeoff, so smooth for such a massive airplane. The best entertainment system on an airline with free wifi/tv and a well-trained team.
3. Cathay Pacific- Friendly team, comfortable seats and good food on-board. A very well run airline.
4. Turkish Airlines- Great branding and commercials to promote this ambitious airline. Well rounded from the team to the food to the entertainment system.
5. Qatar Airways- Comfortable new airplanes and good food. The prices for long haul are very reasonable and is definitely a good choice for any passenger.

Best Airline Business Lounge

Turkish Airlines- This lounge has some of the best food and drinks you will find anywhere. An amazing and diverse selection of food and doesn’t feel overcrowded if there are a lot of people traveling through. I always look forward to some time there.

Most Improved Airline

Air China- I have been flying Air China for many years and over the past couple of years, their service has improved significantly and their airplanes are much more comfortable. It has been a noticeable difference.

Note: These rankings are by no means scientific or compiled by a judging panel, they were compiled through many trips around the globe by one person. Not every country or airport was visited and not every airline was flown.

As the aviation industry continues to develop in Asia, the Americas and Africa, I am sure this list will continue to look different in the years to come. With places like Ethiopia, who are investing millions into their new “hub for Africa”, or all the work being done to revamp the ancient New York airports, it’s a daily part of our lives as we cross the globe to build our businesses. Hopefully, soon I will figure out the best way for a body to handle all the hours in the skies, but that’s a work in progress going into 2020. For now, we’ll keep growing EventBank (www.eventbank.com) and helping to enable organizations around the world with great software.