Can Changi Airport charm its way ahead?

SINGAPORE (Feb 27): More often than not, I find myself in a mad dash for the airport. It begins at home, with me bunging possessions into luggage, then frantically trying to get hold of a cab, and telling the driver, breathlessly, to please get me to there in 15 minutes before the check-in desks close. But somehow, once I reach the ground agent and hand over my passport, a calm settles over me. I take time to appreciate the bronze Kinetic Rain installation, or wander slowly towards immigration and the gates, looking in the shops even though I have nothing to buy. Once or twice, I was so relaxed browsing at the bookstore that I didn’t realise it was already time to board.

It could be the familiarity of a home airport or it could just be the way Changi has been designed. Large signs tell me where the gates are and how long it would take me to walk over. The carpeting absorbs noise and, together with the soft lighting, background music, shops and shrubbery, creates a cosy, stress-free environment. Importantly, passport control and security checks are decentralised, which does away with long queues. All this compares well against the utilitarian drabness and chaos at many other airports, an unpleasant experience often compounded by security checks and lengthy flight delays.

I may be biased, so take it from more than 13 million other travellers from around the world. Changi Airport has consistently been voted the world’s best in surveys by Skytrax. It isn’t just about the aesthetics, of course. According to the UK-based consultancy, the survey asks travellers dozens of questions about a range of issues that includes the ease of getting to and from the airport, the experience at immigration and security screening, and facilities such as disabled access, washrooms, entertainment and rest areas.

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