Oct. 25--BAHRAIN International Airport (BIA) ranks among the best in the Middle East for its services, amenities and sleep comfort, according to a study.
It has been rated fourth in a survey conducted by the travel website Guide to Sleeping at Airports, behind only Dubai International Airport, Abu Dhabi and Doha.
The Best and Worst Airport survey collects feedback from travellers through a questionnaire that asked users to share their views on a range of issues -- from armrests, crowded terminals, unfriendly staff to even immigration officers who prefer to play Angry Birds than process the documents of travellers.
"When selecting an airport to declare as the 'best', travellers were asked to consider the four Cs: comfort, conveniences, cleanliness and customer service," says the website on its rating process.
This included relaxation zones, free WiFi, food courts, friendly airport staff to clean floors.
"The airport offers rest chairs near the gates," the study said about BIA.
"If you are looking for more privacy and quiet, you can pay to use one of the lounges for a few hours.
"The lounges have showers and buffet meals."
The survey has been conducted for 17 years.
Manila Airport was voted the world's worst by the users of the travel website for the second year running, while the best rated airports were found in Singapore, Seoul, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Helsinki.
BIA is due to undergo a major revamp as part of a multi-million dinar expansion.
The reported $1 billion overhaul includes a new terminal and other expansion to boost the airport's capacity.
BIA serves a maximum of nine million passengers annually, which could increase to 13.5m as part of the new plans. [email protected]
Copyright 2013 - Gulf Daily News, Manama, Bahrain
