Newsweek ranked Orlando International Airport “The Top U.S. Airport for just hanging around.” Conde Nast Travel magazine has voted Orlando International Airport number two in the nation. Both polls stated that the Orlando International Airport offers a variety of passenger amenities such as 44 shops and services, 20 restaurants, 6 Bars, a micro-brewery, and a hotel, all inside one terminal. The Orlando International Airport also host a million dollar permanent art collection.

Orlando International Airport was also one of three airports in the state. Tampa International was voted number one, followed by Orlando International Airport and West Palm Beach rounding out the top three.  Internationally, Orlando International Airport ranked fifth.

See the following article for more information.

Tampa International Airport is the nation's best airport and Orlando and West Palm Beach airports are close behind, according to a poll by Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

The magazine's readers gave the airports high marks based on five criteria: location and ease of access; ease of connection; customs and baggage handling; food, shops and amenities; and comfort and design.

Tampa International ranked third in the world behind Singapore's Changi Airport and Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.

"It's my favorite airport," said Peggy Gray, a Largo resident who travels frequently. "It's so convenient, no trekking around for miles, the trolleys run often, and the remote parking isn't 10 miles away. Its layout is perfect. I travel to New Orleans and Washington, D.C., and (Tampa

International) is always in/out for me."
The latest version of the poll was e-mailed on Feb. 13 and 1,400 readers responded. The results were published in the magazine's March issue.

Orlando and West Palm Beach, which were Nos. 2 and 3 nationally, ranked fifth and sixth behind Tampa in the world. Rounding out the top five national airports were Las Vegas and Pittsburgh.

"It's a great day for Florida airports and a wonderful day for Tampa," said Louis Miller, executive director of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority. "It's rewarding to know that the customers recognize the efforts we put forward to make their experiences here enjoyable."

The last time Tampa International was named No. 1 in the country by Conde Nast was in 1993.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport ranked sixth, but Miami International ranked closer to the bottom - No. 32 out of 37 airports listed nationally. Miami International officials declined comment, saying they hadn't seen the survey.

The worst airport in the country was New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport; the worst in the world is Moscow.

The magazine noted that the top scoring airports don't handle a lot of connecting passengers "unlike the two giant airports, Chicago O'Hare and Atlanta Hartsfield, which run neck and neck for the dubious honor of world's busiest airport."

"The leaders also tend to be newer, located in Sun Belt and leisure destinations, and easy to navigate - typically with gate areas that radiate out from a main concourse and don't require you to run laps to get to the nearest coffee bar."

By RACHEL LA CORTE
Associated Press Writer