What is the best airport to be stranded in overnight and where did you sleep?

If you were to do it again, what would you do differently?

I don’t think anyone plans on being stuck in an airport, or would want to do it again.

Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, 1971. Out of money, flight in the morning, slept on the floor. Not the worst night’s sleep, not the best. Priceless because shared with a friend.

Yes
I actually spent months living in a terminal at JFK International Airport because I was denied access to the states (I had no papers), yet I could not go back to my home country due to a revolution

Tucson, Arizona. There were several waiting areas, each with big cushy chairs, sofas and sofa tables. Also, the place is small and pretty deserted most of the time so it was quiet enough to actually sleep.

@teh_kvlt_liberal Whoa! Did they make a movie about you with Tom Hanks?

No
I am Tom Hanks
I was also stranded in an island after a plane crash and made friends with a volleyball

o.k. then.

I try to get bumped every time I go to New Orleans for a conference (schedule flight out in the evening of heaviest conference travel day). When successful, I don’t sleep. Of course, I’m not technically spending at the airport either.

Definitely not Denver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ugh!

Logan International was my favorite to get stuck in. Maybe it was because the airline paid for us to stay overnight in a nice hotel, I was younger but I remember it being overtop a highway…

@deni Yes, that airport totally sucks. They also need to work on their air conditioner system. I’ve been there so many times, and can’t stand how warm it is. Good bar at the top though.

JFK has the best food, from what I’ve experienced. Detroit’s airport has and probably will always smell like piss.
I’m from Philly, the airport we have isn’t confusing at all, and the hotels are very close. I imagine if something happened, it’d be easy to get to a hotel nearby….nothing to look at though, it’s no where near the city.

@teh_kvlt_liberal I went to school with Tom Hanks. I knew Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks was a friend of mine.
You, sir, are no Tom Hanks.

@Hollyrsoyez Welcome to Fluther. Lurve.

I would nominate the Atlanta airport. There are bench seats along one side of the food court, behind a ½ size wall that you can lay down on.

I was stranded in the old Denver airport, and it was fairly comfortable, also. They had cots, because they got snowed in so much.

I was stranded in the Utah airport once, and they offered free coffee and donuts.

Ironically, now that I have free airport lounge privileges, through my credit card, I don’t even fly that much.

Thanks for the welcome!!!

I can honestly say that I like being stuck in airports. I fly standby 99% of the time through a relative with passes and I get stuck in a lot of airports. It may be the factor of the unknown or simply the fun of being so isolated yet so surrounded by people but I LOVE IT!!!

However after spending nearly 36 hours in several different airports, Salt Lake City is the WORST!!! However there are very comfy sitting chairs near the main terminal entrance just inside security if you’re there for a long time. Chicagobis nice at night because there are bench seats and dark corners with lots of plug ins but everything closes really early. Atlanta is nice and big and has lots of variety. Seattle is interesting to explore and clean. Kansas City is a joke….almost as bad as Wichita. Denver airport is ok bit nothing special and Pheonix is only a tiny step above Salt Lake City. Dallas has some nice aspects to it. And LAX is disgusting. And knowing that I will more than likely be stuck while standbying-it, I keep my overnight kit with me at all times. Also the bathrooms in Salt Lake City have to be the cleanest.

Salt Lake City IS the worst, fark! I suffered near 13hrs there earlier this year and the floor was the most comfortable surface I found to freeze my bony ass on. 8pm in the evening and not a kiosk nor restaurant open, no vending machines.

Houston has a hotel in the terminal. That was a pretty good nap.

The old Athens airport (chaotic, dirty but also with various unused corners and benches) was great for that.

The new one is good in that they don’t make any flight announcements, but unfortunately they make security announcements every 2 seconds (same goes for any airport anywhere in the world after 9/11 I’m afraid). Also it has very few benches where you can lie sideways, most of the seats have handles.

The old Prague airport was great, you could get a shower and it was very quiet, unfortunately the seats weren’t too comfortable, but I knew of a bench behind the car rental booths and nobody bothered me.

The new one is busy and noisy and you can’t find a quiet corner anywhere.

I’ve had a good night’s sleep at Manchester airport, but that’s because I had a sleeping bag and just found a nice clean piece of floor out of the way somewhere. I don’t remember the seats.

Frankfurt it a nightmare, though I know they’ve rebuilt it since I was last there.

Leipzig is ok I guess, Dresden is generally quiet and you could probably find a corner to sleep in somewhere (though I lived in Dresden, so didn’t need to do that)

Been to many others, but can’t remember particular details, never had to spend more than a few hours in them. Trying to even remember them I realise they’re more than I thought (over 50).

Out of the more memorable ones, I’d say the old Ruzynye in Prague was the best for me, the Frankfurt one is the worst. Having said that, spending a night in Frankfurt you’d at least be able to get something decent to eat, whereas at Santiago de Compostella everything was closed.

@filmfann I remember you, butters!