The airports that never sleep

UNLIKE the celebrated Iranian refugee Mehran Nasseri whose botched Paris transit in 1988 resulted in an 18-year residence at Charles De Gaulle airport, most air passengers would be quite happy if they never had to deal with airports at all - whether it be lumpen security officials, overpriced food, sloth-slow immigration or taxi rip-offs. In-and-out at warp speed is the motto of most business travellers as they glide artfully through the throngs, wheelie bags in tow.

Some places like Sanya Phoenix International Airport, unburdened by WiFi or air-conditioning, further discourage lingering travellers by actually closing the airport and fastening a chain around the entrance doors when there is a lull in flights. This happens at night, in the afternoon, and anytime the mood strikes, with the entire uniformed staff marching out in lock step, bewildering barred passengers who thought checking in early was the wise choice.

At airports like New Delhi's once-acclaimed Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal 3, arriving passengers often cannot physically leave on account of the taxi mayhem outside and the lack of call cabs. This facility, like many others, wrongly believes that transport is something "outsourced" and not part of the airport "experience". Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi meanwhile serves up a security screening as epic and white knuckle as any Die Hard sequel.