Qatar: Hamad International Airport

Hamad International Airport, Doha, Qatar. March 2019

Airport Review:

Occasionally, a traveler gets to pass through a just-opened airport terminal, but an entire airport? That is rare indeed.

Hamad International Airport had literally just opened on my first visit. Qatar was desperately trying to copy the Emirates and Singapore Airlines model to become a leading player in the aviation industry. One wonders just how many airlines the world can support as "major players"? Hamad International Airport was built to promote Qatar Airways as a world brand, to be the national airport of Qatar, and to serve as the entry point for the 2022 World Cup.

The place had growing pains for sure.

In the world of airline security where "we trust you to fly your plane to our airport, but we don't trust your security screening for our connecting passengers" and with a company like Qatar Airlines where most passengers were connecting and not actually traveling to Doha, the "transit security checkpoint" was a choke point. That perhaps was an understatement. When several wide-body jets landed at once, the large checkpoint became overwhelmed and with Qatar Airlines selling tickets with as little as a 45-minute connection time, transit security became a zoo. My first experience was actually so bad, I vowed never to fly through Hamad Airport again! I barely made my connection.

I DID return to the airport a few years later (there was no other option) to find that whole checkpoint had been reconfigured and worked like a dream. Cynical me says the Qataris were less concerned about passenger comfort in changing planes and more focused on making sure people got back into the main terminal as quickly as possible to spend money! A queueing passenger is not spending money and probably being put in a bad mood. Unhappy people don't spend money (except maybe in an airport bar).

The new airport was super modern and sleek to be sure. I liked it architecturally, but it was also not inviting. On my return trip I had a few hours to wait and I found the place very cold and uncomfortable. A big fan of Changi Airport in Singapore, I want an airport to be relaxing and a place to take my mind off the stress of flying. I don't want to be impressed with an airport, I want it to relax and maybe even entertain me. I think Hamad Airport was made to wow travelers instead of easing their journeys.

One oddity in the airport was this huge teddy bear at the very center which served as counterpoint to all that austere modernism.. He just sat there, roped off, like some giant had flung him onto the concourse. I didn't quite get it - a Middle Eastern country and a teddy bear. Japan with its love of all things "kawaii" (cute) would not surprise me with such a display, but Qatar? I passed by it the handful of times I used Hamad Airport and was mystified each time.

The Doha Metro now reaches Hamad Airport, so people flying to Qatar can easily hop on the train and go into town. Dubai, Doha, Jeddah, and Tel Aviv are the only airports in the region with "easy access" airports using public transportation. Riyadh will eventually join the club when its much delayed metro project reaches the airport. From someone who has flown a lot, there is nothing better than knowing the option of public transport exists upon arrival.

Another tick on the list of life experiences - using a newly opened, HUGE passenger airport. The only caveat - when that happens, travelers must suffer through working out its kinks.