Flyin' High! Skytrax Reveals World's Best Airports

The world's best airports were honored this week, but apparently America's trophies were either delayed, canceled, or lost in transit. British consultancy group Skytrax has revealed its 2009 World Airports Awards winners, and Seoul's Incheon International Airport took top honors. Located about 43 miles from the South Korean capital city, the airport features private sleeping quarters, indoor gardens, a spa, a golf course and even a casino. Not bad for an airport that's also among the world's busiest.

As Fiddy would say, "It's okay Kim Jong Il, you can hate."

"Incheon is an airport that has been in the global Top 5 ranking for the World Airport Awards during the past five to six years, and it is a great achievement for them to secure this premier mark of customer satisfaction," said Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted in a statement. As any American could probably guess, there wasn't a single U.S. airport that made the list. Was it because of all those geese at LaGuardia Airport? Asia actually claimed the top three spots with Hong Kong's International Airport and Singapore's Changi Airport placing second and third, respectively. Skytrax noted, however, that the three airports nearly finished in a "dead-heat." (Coincidentally, Hong Kong and Singapore took the two top spots last year while Incheon finished third.)Switzerland's Zurich Airport ranked highest among all European airports at No. 4, one spot ahead of Germany's Munich Airport. Japan landed two in the Top 10 with Kansai International at No. 6 and Centrair Nagoya at No. 9. Rounding out the Top 10, Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur International finished seventh, Amsterdam Airport Schipol placed eighth and New Zealand claimed the final spot with Auckland Airport. By region, Dallas/Fort Worth was tops in the U.S., while Tel Aviv led the airports in the Middle East. Lima and Panama Airports finished first in South and Central America. And for those foodies out there, Hong Kong actually got top props for the best grub. Skytrax determined the list through a 10-month process that surveyed nearly 9 million passengers representing more than 95 nationalities at 196 different airports.

Incheon Airport photo courtesy of Wikipedia.