Why can't all airports be like Incheon?

— -- If you could design the ideal airport, what would you include? How about free Internet access and free public access computers for those inclined to leave their laptops at home? Perhaps you might provide free showers and a clean place to change clothes between connecting flights. Would you consider a lounge accessible to any passenger with a tempting buffet of hot food and super comfortable lounge chairs, available for a nominal fee or free for premium credit card holders? How about a full-service hotel adjacent to the gates where you can rent a private room and bath for just $40 for up to six hours or $100 for 24 hours? Would it ever occur to you to offer connecting passengers an array of local one- to six-hour guided sightseeing tours or golf outings that whisk you away and back to the airport again in time for your next flight?

Is this ideal airport just a fantasy? Actually not. Such an airport exists today and more than eight million travelers ranked it number one among 190 airports worldwide in a survey just released by Skytrax. The airport with all these marvelous amenities and many more is Incheon International Airport in Seoul. I just happened to be passing through the airport observing all of these wonderful features when Skytrax released their survey results proclaiming Incheon the best in the world in 2009. The Skytrax survey evaluates airports using 39 different criteria, including check-in facilities, ease of transit through airport, Internet access and lost/delayed luggage.

It's not often I praise an airport. Most U.S. airports are inadequate, overcrowded, outdated facilities, ill equipped for processing passengers and providing creature comforts in the post-9/11 era. But Incheon is setting standards for all others. The spacious facility, opened in 2001, processes 30 million passengers each year and is still underutilized, according to Michelle Mi Sung Wee, an airport official at Incheon. Each time I passed through the airport on my recent trip it was peaceful, tranquil and never appeared crowded.

Incheon has won other awards, but this is the first time it grabbed top honors from Skytrax, dethroning Hong Kong International Airport and Singapore Changi International Airport, which have alternately shared the top slot every year for the past decade.

In addition to the amenities and features described above, Incheon also boasts a free television news and movie viewing room, a "Kids Zone" play center, a full-service massage room and spa, a free Korean cultural exhibition and museum, and a "Traditional Experience Korea" center where travelers can make their own traditional Korean fans, boxes, and other handicrafts while listening to live, traditional, local musical performances – all for free.

If none of the above holds your interest, perhaps you would rather peruse the 90 shops or sample one of the 70 airport restaurants. Remarkably, Incheon ranks second only to the much larger London Heathrow Airport, among all airports, in duty-free sales, according to Wee.

Incheon is a great place to connect because the airport is served by 70 airlines and is a major hub for both Asiana Airlines and Korean Air. When traveling to an Asian city not served directly from the U.S., Wee claims you are better off connecting through Incheon since you can send your bags directly to your destination, while you must collect your luggage, pass through customs and immigration, and then re-check your bags again if you fly direct into that country first and then connect to a domestic flight. The connection process is further compounded in cities like Shanghai or Tokyo, where your domestic connecting flight might leave from another airport across town. In spite of this, less than 20% of all Incheon passengers use the airport to connect, though the airport serves 92 Asian and 170 total destinations.

Though the economic crisis has currently slowed growth, Wee projects Incheon's passenger traffic to grow by almost five million travelers in 2010 and by 15 million by 2015. Asiana and Korean Air both have aggressive growth plans. Korean Air currently serves 12 North American gateways – more than any other Asian airline – and the airline has 40 new airplanes on order, including ten super-jumbo Airbus A380 jets. Asiana is also expected to grow by nearly 7% annually, according to Wee. With Asiana in the Star Alliance and Korean Air in SkyTeam, each airline stands to gain as the alliances expand.

Two new low-cost airlines will soon be flying to Incheon, and the airport is currently courting both Delta (which now controls Northwest's vast Asian network) and United Airlines to transfer their regional hub operations from Japan's severely congested Narita Airport to the expansive facilities of Incheon. The airport is also adding a fourth runway and expanding existing facilities to accommodate as many as 100 million passengers annually. Beyond passenger processing, Incheon is the second-largest cargo handling airport worldwide, and Korean Air is the largest cargo carrier among commercial airlines, with a fleet of 25 widebodies and another 15 on order.

While Incheon is inarguably among the world's best airports, many others enjoy great reputations and receive many votes in the Skytrax competition. Unfortunately, few if any U.S. airports ever make the Skytrax top ten (see box at left). Many Asian and European governments recognize the importance of a good airport to stimulate commerce and economic growth. Somehow this message has been lost in the U.S. While other countries build new airports and upgrade existing facilities to encourage more travel, most U.S. airports are constrained and unable to grow. Instead of expending precious efforts capping air traffic, rationing landing slots, and haggling over a badly needed next generation air traffic control system, the U.S. ought to be taking lessons from the Koreans or any of the other countries whose airports consistently make the Skytrax top ten. It's the best way to assure our continued leadership status in the global economy in the long term.

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Send David your feedback: David Grossman is a veteran business traveler and former airline industry executive. He writes a column every other week on topics of interest and concern to business travelers. E-mail him at travel@usatoday.com.