- 17 hours ago
With Thanksgiving one of the busiest travel times of the year, we visited Qatar's Hamad International and Singapore's Changi airports to see how they stack up, from branded experiences to massive art installations, as countries pour billions into their airports, fighting to be named number one in the world.
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00:00Airports are my least favorite part of traveling.
00:06But this one in Doha didn't seem torturous.
00:09Amazing. It's like a thick jungle in the middle of the desert.
00:12Hamad International has been rated the world's best airport three times.
00:17I usually get to an airport two hours before my flight.
00:20But this airport feels like a destination that you want to spend time in.
00:24Cities in the Middle East and Asia are investing billions in building these hubs.
00:31They've even become a showcase of national identity and ambition.
00:35Singapore has claimed the top airport title more than any other, 13 times.
00:41Meanwhile, Qatar has spent more than $16 billion on its sprawling Hamad International.
00:48We went to both airports to find out what makes them so special.
00:52That feels really good.
00:55And what it takes to be number one.
00:58If you want to pamper yourself, just come to this airport.
01:04International airports have become a place where luxury brands can tap into a unique market.
01:10The captive in-person customer with some time to kill.
01:14So many well-known designers are experimenting by not just selling bags and clothes, but also venturing into food.
01:22So now we're at the world's first Louis Vuitton lounge.
01:26Now, if you're into branded exclusive experiences, this is it.
01:30Even the floor has the Louis Vuitton logo.
01:32And as you'll discover, some of the stuff in the menu has the Louis Vuitton monogram.
01:36The menu was designed by Yannick Eleno, who is a three-star Michelin chef.
01:44Everything here was made, customized, especially for Louis Vuitton from Paris.
01:50The glasses here, Louis Vuitton.
01:52This one was actually made in, yep, Paris.
01:54Even the chopsticks are Louis Vuitton branded.
02:03Is this real gold?
02:05This might be the most expensive bite I'm about to take.
02:10Caviar, gold flakes, sushi.
02:19So all the wine here is provided by the Louis Vuitton Moet Tennessee Group,
02:24LVMH, and it comes in from France.
02:29Monogrammed the vanilla Entremet.
02:39I'm more of a savory person, but it is really good.
02:42And this concludes my dining experience at the Louis Vuitton lounge.
02:46Oh man, that wine is gone, I just noticed.
02:50Okay, transport me to the next lounge.
02:54Hamad now has more than 200 dining and retail outlets.
03:00So it's impossible to hit every single one.
03:04But I decided to explore the Dior spa for a kind of indulgence that I didn't expect at an airport.
03:10Here is our quality infusion welcome drink, and the ingredients are upper side of vinegar and the hibiscus.
03:16Amazing.
03:18A little welcome drink to the spa.
03:20The most affordable treatment here is getting a manicure, which I badly need, and that's for $70.
03:35And the most premium experience you can have here is a two-hour spa treatment for $550.
03:42Our first stop is the beauty room.
03:46Let's check it out.
03:48I guess you can get your makeup done here.
03:50I see some perfumes.
03:53All right, next stop is Constellation.
03:57This is the room where I think I want to spend a lifetime.
04:01So two massage beds, a jacuzzi, a hot sauna.
04:14So this is where the foot ritual happens before your pedicure.
04:20I mean, there is a tub ready here, so why don't I just soak my feet?
04:25That feels really good.
04:30So here we have the hot quad sand bed ritual, the heat therapy.
04:38I mean, can you imagine all of this is at an airport?
04:42It's quite amazing.
04:43So upstairs we had the spa, and now we're in the boutique where we can buy Dior products.
04:51The thing I'm really excited about trying is this skin scanner.
04:56So this machine helps the floor attendants recommend Dior products that might be best for your skin.
05:05Next, we headed to the Fendi Cafe, the first ever at an airport.
05:09Hi there. Can I grab a seat?
05:14It has all the basics.
05:19Breakfast, lunch, and quick bites.
05:21All stamped with a fancy label, of course.
05:25That's my cappuccino.
05:27Woo!
05:29Amazing. And this is the caprice.
05:31Here's a fun fact.
05:33Fendi started only as a designer of leather and fur.
05:37And now they're into food.
05:39And the prices aren't as outrageous as you'd think.
05:42At around $9 for a cappuccino, this is probably the only Fendi anything I could afford.
05:53It's the Muslim call to prayer in the airport, a reminder that you're in Doha and not in Florida,
05:58which is what the background looks like.
06:02And that brings us to the massive indoor tropical garden.
06:05So this place is called The Orchard, and it's got 300 trees and 25,000 plants and shrubs from around the world.
06:20Smells really good in here, too.
06:22You've got, like, large palms and understory trees, just like you would in the tropics,
06:28except that we're nowhere close to the tropics.
06:31It's nice to, like, suspend your reality for a second.
06:35The scene might look a little like another airport, Singapore's Changi.
06:39It also has an indoor jungle called The Jewel, which opened in 2019.
06:48It's way more elaborate, with the world's tallest indoor waterfall as its centerpiece.
06:54The rain vortex falls more than 130 feet and uses mainly recycled rainwater.
07:01A train connecting the terminals runs right through the garden.
07:07Hamad opened its orchard three years later in 2022.
07:12So, by now, you might be wondering why Qatar needs an airport like this.
07:18In the early 2000s, the Gulf nation was transforming into a major transit hub due to its location,
07:26pretty much at the center of the world.
07:28Qatar Airways' business focuses on a hub-and-spoke route model.
07:33And this essentially means that they're bringing in passengers from all over the world into Doha
07:37and then taking them from there to other countries.
07:41But its international airport was small and stuck in the 60s.
07:46So, in 2006, it began building the sprawling Hamad International Airport.
07:52The project was a huge undertaking that took nearly 20 years to complete.
07:56And it was plagued by scandals, including costly delays and accusations of slavery, which Qatar has denied.
08:06Despite that, the airport opened its doors in 2014 and completed the final phase of construction just this year.
08:14In 2024, nearly 53 million passengers flew through the airport on over 360,000 flights.
08:24100 planes can take off and land every hour, which is five planes every three minutes.
08:30And there's more.
08:31The passenger terminal is the largest building in Doha.
08:36It's the size of 75 soccer fields.
08:39Soccer.
08:40Not American football.
08:41Hamad International Airport is huge.
08:50So, to help passengers move quickly between the north side of the terminal to the south side of the terminal,
08:55you've got this rail link with glass ceilings and glass windows so you can actually look at the terminal while you're moving through it.
09:03The train has arrived at North North Station.
09:06The reality of building and maintaining an enormous climate-controlled structure on the hot Persian Gulf requires some special considerations.
09:16So, for example, the walls of the passenger terminal have a solar material that repels heat.
09:22And the ceiling is insulated.
09:24So, you know, on days like today, when it's 105 degrees outside, the AC doesn't have to be pumping that hard.
09:32So, all the wastewater from this airport is recycled and the treated water is used to irrigate plants around the airport.
09:40There are so many attention-grabbing things in the terminal, like this 23-feet-tall lamp-bear installation worth about $6.8 million.
09:50But the little details also stand out.
09:53I just noticed these things.
09:56Let's see if my phone can charge on it.
09:58Ah!
09:59Love that.
10:01I'm always running around the airport trying to find a charging station.
10:05There actually, I just noticed there are plenty of charging stations down here too.
10:08Plugs, USBs.
10:11So, you can always be connected.
10:13All of these amenities have earned Hamad International major recognition in the aviation industry.
10:19It was named Airport of the Year by Skytrax three times in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
10:31It's kind of considered the most important awards in the industry.
10:34Everybody wants to be able to say, I got the best airport award or the friendliest airport staff or the friendliest airline staff.
10:41Changi and Hamad have taken turns at that top airport award.
10:45But in 2025, Changi reclaimed its title as the best airport in the world.
10:51The Skytrax Airport Awards is based on a survey of customer satisfaction and they ask them about a range of different things at airports.
11:00This can range from things like the price of a coffee and how easy it was to get to the airport, to what the immigration system was like, and all the way down to the very minor things like the Wi-Fi speed.
11:12But the real reason these awards are valuable is the money they bring in.
11:17Having a Skytrax award helps you attract more customers.
11:21And for airports, the best customers are the rich ones.
11:25Airlines have always loved premium passengers.
11:28These are by far a lot more profitable than economy class.
11:32And they're also going to be spending more in airports.
11:35So airports like them as well.
11:36So let's check out where those premium customers are spending their layovers.
11:43So now we're heading on a very long escalator to Al-Safwa Lounge, which is the first class lounge.
11:51Travelers need a first class ticket on Qatar Airways to access this lounge.
11:55But some business class passengers can also be eligible.
11:59Hi.
11:59Good evening. Welcome to the class area.
12:02Thank you. So what do I do to get a room here?
12:05And if the lounge isn't full, you can pay to walk in.
12:11This is like a...
12:13Yeah, this is a proper bedroom.
12:15It's amazing.
12:17So Al-Safwa Lounge has 12 rooms like this, single rooms and double rooms.
12:21And you can book them out at six hours at a time.
12:24Time to relax.
12:27Again, let's remember, we're still at an airport.
12:31And this is a bedroom space in the first class lounge.
12:36So you've paid $8,000 for your ticket.
12:40And now this is free, which makes sense.
12:43This restroom is pretty nice.
12:45I mean, I think it's a little better than my hotel restroom.
12:48I mean, this is the thing with first class.
12:51I never know how to use things in first class.
12:54My economy self is just not used to things here.
13:03So this is Al-Safwa Lounge's spa.
13:07Let's check out what they've got.
13:08This is the relaxed room.
13:12I love the sound of water falling.
13:18You know, this really isn't like what most of the population experiences at an airport.
13:25Okay, let's head to the game room.
13:28There's a room for nannies that tells you something.
13:32And then you've got the game room in here.
13:35It's got a lot of arcade games.
13:37By now, we had spent at least eight hours at the airport.
13:42And there was still more shopping to check out.
13:48Like this duty-free area that offers something a little more local.
13:53So this is Sukal Matar, which is a traditional market where you can experience Qatari life without even stepping out of the airport.
14:00You've got the Tao boat and you've got some spices on display.
14:04So yeah, you can experience a little bit of Qatar life.
14:08This is the stuff that they put a traditional incense called bakhoor in.
14:17So pretty.
14:19And of course, lots and lots of camels.
14:22Camel frames.
14:24Camel stuff toys.
14:25It's just traditional wear, but I could wear it to a beach party in New York.
14:33So at the passenger terminal, there's a section called Viale di Lusso, which has Italian brands.
14:39And it's also got an Emporio Armani restaurant.
14:42So does this measure up to New York pizza?
14:46Let's find out.
14:48After my 11th meal of the day, we ended up at this airport hotel at nearly 10 p.m.
14:54So I was more than ready to crash.
15:00We're in the executive suite.
15:02This one goes for $480 a night.
15:05So the bathroom's got a lot of real estate.
15:08We've got two sinks here, a bidet, toilet, shower, stall.
15:14So you might not be able to see my view here, but it's basically the rail link that connects
15:21the north and south terminals.
15:24It's not much of a view, but, you know, if I missed my flight and the airline put me up
15:28at this hotel, I'm not going to complain.
15:30So it's been a pretty long day, and I'm going to end it with a quick dip at the swimming pool
15:37in the airport.
15:39Now that I've seen nearly every corner of Hamad International Airport, I have to say it's
15:44pretty mind-blowing.
15:45It's definitely better than my home base of JFK or really any international U.S. airport.
15:52Now let's check out Changi, the number one airport in the world.
15:56We went to Singapore back in 2023 for a visit.
16:00Now, I've flown all over the globe, and I usually want to get out of the airport as
16:04quickly as possible.
16:06So to test the title, I spent a day at Singapore's Changi Airport, which was just crowned the
16:10world's best for the 12th time.
16:12And we do not even have a flight.
16:15You want to land on me?
16:16I toured the gardens, the $1.3 billion lifestyle hub, and the rooftop pool.
16:22If airports are filled with people trying to go somewhere else, why did this tiny island
16:26nation spend so much money to build this place?
16:29And what's it really like to spend a layover here?
16:35A lot of the good stuff at Changi is airside, meaning you need to book a flight to see it.
16:42But the jewel is landside, so you can visit the giant donut-shaped shopping mall without
16:46having a plane ticket.
16:48And there are no gates here.
16:50It sits between the control tower and Terminal 1.
16:52It took four years to build and was funded with private investments.
16:55If you're airside, the train between Terminal 2 and 3 cuts right through the dome.
17:00After, what, three reports on this one terminal in my lifetime as a reporter, I finally get
17:06to see it.
17:07So it's this side, no?
17:09Here goes!
17:11It's like the best roller coaster I've ever been on.
17:13That doesn't even look real.
17:18It looks like all the pictures.
17:21Wow.
17:23But if you're landside and you don't have a plane ticket, you can still visit the jewel.
17:27You can enter through a footbridge from Terminal 3 ticketing.
17:30There are ten floors to jewel, five below ground and five above.
17:33In the middle sits the rain vortex.
17:36At 130 feet tall, it's the tallest indoor waterfall in the world.
17:41At night, the waterfall is a canvas for a 360-degree light show.
17:45The city of Singapore is known for its gardens, so the airport captured that theme inside jewel
17:50with this tiered vegetation.
17:52And 99% of these plants are real.
17:54You would never believe that planes are taking off on the other side of this.
17:58Canopy Park sits at the top of the dome and costs about $6.
18:01The mirror and hedge mazes cost a bit extra.
18:06You can change the gate to block off other people when they come around next time.
18:11I feel like I'm in Harry Potter right now.
18:13Oh my god, I made it.
18:14I got so lost.
18:16These skynets tower overhead, and you can pay an extra $13 to bounce on them.
18:22Oh my god, the elephant's my favorite.
18:24He's so cute.
18:26I'm not on fire.
18:27These are the foggy bowls, and apparently they're a hit among the little kids.
18:32Which, I am one of those, so.
18:35A hit among me as well.
18:37But my favorite part?
18:38This glass-bottom bridge that hangs 75 feet above the ground.
18:43We got media passes for the day to tour everything airside,
18:46starting with the hotel right by the gates.
18:49A third of passengers transit through Changi.
18:52So they don't leave the airport, which means that amenities here airside and hotels like the transit hotel are really important to keep people here.
19:00So this room is right on the transit side.
19:03So your view is overlooking the tarmac.
19:08Flight's taking off.
19:09But even if you're not staying in the hotel, the 24-hour gym and the pool are open to the public.
19:17We're just going to wait for the SkyTrain.
19:23If you want to plug your phone in here, you've got to do some cycling.
19:28I don't know how much more charge I want, actually.
19:33Nice little workout before your plane.
19:38Also airside, a free butterfly garden.
19:42Oh my god, it's so toasty.
19:44There's about a thousand butterflies in here, ranging 40 different species.
19:49And we're at an airport.
19:51They're teasing me, I just want to pet one.
19:54And I loved this koi pond.
19:57Are you camera shy?
19:59You're coming in hot, man.
20:01Woo!
20:03I didn't know what I did.
20:05And if you've got a longer layover, you can catch a flick.
20:08There's even a movie theater, and it's free.
20:10It runs 24-7, and I think right now the second Venom film is playing.
20:18There's, of course, tons of high-end shops from Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, and Fendi.
20:23I think I've seen like four Gucci's so far today.
20:26So I feel like it's just as much as an airport as it is a giant, really fancy mall.
20:31And to continue the luxury vibes, private lounges for business and first-class travelers dot the airport.
20:37But since I wasn't flying today, I went straight for the food.
20:40This is Singapore Food Street in Terminal 3.
20:42And there's a subway at the entrance.
20:45Oh my god, that cracks me up.
20:48There was also a Burger King on the other end.
20:51This food street is supposed to emulate a traditional 1960s hawker market, with all the classic Singaporean dishes to match.
20:58Three minutes?
20:58It's okay, perfect, yeah.
21:00And with plates under $10, it's a more affordable food option than other restaurants in the airport.
21:05Thank you so much.
21:06It's the biggest bowl of soup I've ever seen.
21:09So we've got some soup dumplings, we've got laksa, some minced pork soup, and chicken fatay.
21:18Can I double dip?
21:20We're just going to do it.
21:20This is one of Changi's newer terminals, but the rest of the airport isn't that old.
21:26At first, it had just one terminal and one runway.
21:29Singapore sits at the tip of the Malay Peninsula, making it a gateway connecting the west to the rest of Asia.
21:35Over the following decades, traffic increased.
21:37By 2007, the airport had over a 400% jump in passengers, and Changi launched Terminal 3.
21:43The fourth terminal came in 2017, and then two years later, the airport opened the $1.3 billion jewel,
21:51By that time, the airport had already snagged the title of best in the world 10 times.
21:56But when COVID-19 cases surged, Changi shut down, and the airport had to halt construction on the new Terminal 5.
22:04For the next two years, it lost out to Hamad International Airport in the Skytrax Award,
22:09because Qatar had looser COVID travel restrictions.
22:12But in 2022, Changi came roaring back, with four times the passengers as 2021, and a 35% increase in revenue.
22:19In 2023, it reclaimed the Skytrax title.
22:23And Changi hopes to stay on top, by beating out Seoul, Tokyo, and Hong Kong in international flight traffic,
22:29starting with the resumed construction on the $10 billion Terminal 5.
22:33But why has this tiny country of Singapore invested so much into an airport?
22:39Well, there are three reasons.
22:40First, the airport is a big moneymaker.
22:43Just about 6 million people live in Singapore.
22:46But the airport hosts between 30 and 70 million travelers in a typical year.
22:51That brings in a lot of money.
22:53Over a tenth of the country's GDP comes from air transport.
22:56The industry also supports 375,000 jobs on the island.
23:02Number two, all the new infrastructure in soon-to-be Terminal 5 will add 50 million passengers on to Changi's capacity,
23:10bringing in more flights and revenue.
23:12And three, the airport has to reflect the promise of luxury, set by its city and its main airline, Singapore Airlines.
23:18And that luxury has started a trend in Asia for the biggest, fanciest airports in the world.
23:24Qatar, South Korea, and Japan have all invested billions in their airports to create luxury travel escapes,
23:31effectively locking more utilitarian North American airports out of the top rankings.
23:36So after 10 hours in Changi, without a flight to catch, my final thought?
23:40Add this airport.
23:41Yes, airport, to your bucket list.
23:48Yes, airport, to your operators.
23:49Yes, airport, to your destination.
23:50Yes, airport, to your destination.
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