The P-B's Travel Scene column a couple of weeks ago said Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport ranked 30th in the world in passenger traffic. What are the others? And which ones are the best?

This is an easy answer because the busiest airports and the best are ranked every year by the airline industry. But only a couple on the "busiest" list are listed among the best.

Here's the "busy" list: Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta is by far the busiest, with 90 million passengers crowding (actually overcrowding) the terminals there in 2008.

For years, O'Hare International Airport in Chicago was first, but Atlanta, home of Delta Airlines' giant hub -- which is getting bigger with the purchase of Northwest Airlines -- became No. 1 several years ago.

O'Hare now is second, attracting 69.3 million passengers last year.

The rankings for the "best airport" look a lot different -- the Top 10 includes only airports in foreign countries for the main difference, and many are a lot smaller than those on the "busy" list.

The list of best airports is compiled annually by SkyTrax which surveys 196 airports throughout the world, basing the rankings on results from 8.8 million passenger questionnaires.

Passengers representing about 95 nationalities responded.

The survey included a host of categories -- 39 in all, that covered such topics as service and product, speed of check-ins, convenient arrivals, transfers and departures, immigation procedures, waiting times and the like.

No. 1 airport in this survey again was Incheon International Airport in Seoul, Korea, a winner for several years in a row.

Incheon boasts such amenities as a golf course, sauna, private sleeping rooms, a casino and indoor gardens.

Seoul has two airports -- one mainly for domestic flights and the other for mainly international flights. I've been to both.

The domestic airport -- Kimpo -- was ranked the "worst" airport in the world, and Incheon the "best." I'd agree with both choices.

Other Top 10 "best" rankings in order: Hong Kong International; Singapore Changi; Zurich, Switzerland; Munich, Germany; Kansai, near Osaka, Japan; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysaia; Schiphol in Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Centrair near Nagoya, Japan, and Auckland, New Zealand.

Doesn't matter though whether the airport is the best or the worst: If you have to go there, you have to go.

Planning a trip but need some advice? Ask the Travel Man, a weekly column that seeks to find all the answers. Send travel-related questions to life@postbulletin.com.

Next week: Places to stay in the Caribbean.

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