blue lists

sometimes at work i get to take over the travel section. my actual job is fiction, but everyone knows i love travel literature, so when someone else needs cover, they often let me do it. the other good thing about the travel section (besides the cool books) is that they arent man people, and they seem more considerate than the guys who go to fiction (or worse still: erotica) which basically means less straightening and tidying for me to do, and more time to look at cool books with exciting pictures. it was in this way that i became addicted to the lonely planets blue list 2007. i had flipped through last years edition (oddly titled blue list 06-07, i suppose they didnt realise how popular they would be) but the new one is even better. it provides all kinds of ideas as to where to go and what to do on your next holiday.
inspired, and trying to alleviate boredom, a collegue and i started composing lists of our own. here are mine.
Worlds Worst Airports
1. Paris-beauvais: for a city like paris, this is really just an embassament
2. tie: Moscow-sheremetevo 1: once coming back from africa it took me 3 hours to clear customs
Moscow- sheremetevo 2: the queues, the queues, the queues........
4. canaima international (venezuela): when i showed pictures to my mother, she asked if it was a native hut!!!
5. San josé (Costa rica): the smoking section is IN THE BATHROOM. just like in high school....
6. Rochester (usa): the guy at check in didnt know where "moscow" was. he then preceded to put my luggage into the computer with the wrong tags.....oh, and the airport is in the middle of a corn feild, and has some of the fattest people i have EVER seen.
7Adler (Russia): the last time i was there, they still insisted that foriegn passport holders sit seperately from russians while waiting for their plane.
8Tie: Washington: reagan national: the place just sucks. and it has no shuttle to dulles!
Washington: dulles international: there is no link to public transportation at all, and the airport is only accessible by car or taxi. there is no proper shuttle to reagan, although you often have to transfer from one to the other.once inside, the queues are absolutely enormous, and the duty free is HORRIBLE. there is not even anything edible to buy.
10.narsarsuaq (greenland): this place is just depressing. especially in april.

Worst Airline
1Air rutaca: i dont think this one flies anymore actually. i hope.it had a big crash shortly after the last time i took it. i think it went bankrupt after that.
2. KrasAir. they are based in krasnayarsk, what more need be said?
3. Canada 3000: They stole my camera! and they have a horrible slogan (we're leading the way, nous sommes au sommet)
4. air transit: why, when air canada is so acceptable, are all the other canadian ones so bad?
5. JAT: the mysterious flights that never take off....
6. Air india in the 1980s: it might have improved. but i still have nightmares of the stench.
7.delta: this is a personal vengance, they lost my luggage 3 times
8. ryan air: we all know, the service just sucks.
9 Aeroflot in the 1980s: things have improved today on the international services. but once years ago we landed by accident in poland....our tickets said germany......
10. Balkan: do these planes EVER leave on time????do the pilots even have watches?

Most Entertaining Airline:
1 Aeroflot: they let my cat run around the plane, and served her a meal.ok, i gave the stewardessa some money, but still....it was appreciated.
2. Cubana. the inflight movies are incredible. i can never decide which is better: the revolutionary accomplishments of the health care system, or the revolutionary accomplishments of the education system. both are riveting.
3. estonian air. they serve incredible fresh meals with REAL plates and REAL cutlery and fresh baked rolls. even on 45 minute flights from St petersburg.
4. air rutaca (before the crash). the flights were terrifying, but the cute pilots always let good looking young girls sit in the cock pit with them, which i admit was kind of cool, even while i feared for my safetly.