Top Five Airports For Transit

1. Hong Kong
Simply put, this airport is gorgeous. Transit is virtually seamless, since passengers are discharged into an arrivals corridor, having to clear security at one of several satellite checkpoints before going up a staircase and being right back in the main terminal. All the gates are located in the same terminal, so it never takes long to switch flights. You might have to walk a couple hundred feet, and that's it. There's a large shopping concourse at the center of the terminal. If you have extra time, you can clear passport control and head over to the Skyplaza, which is an even bigger shopping mall (it takes ten minutes to get out and ten minutes to get back in, and that's it). For me, I'm happy to just sit there and admire the architecture.

2. Amsterdam-Schiphol
Schiphol is a remarkably efficient airport. There is one central terminal with various concourses jutting out from it. Even at peak periods, passport control and security proceeds quickly. What sets Schiphol apart are the attractions inside the terminal, including a casino and a branch of the world-reknowned Rijksmuseum.

3. Toronto-Pearson
Now the renovations of Terminal One are complete, Toronto can take its place among the crown jewels of the world's airports. The spotless, spacious new terminal shines in the sunlight, which you can see from the floor-to-ceiling windows. The airport has also managed to streamline connections. Passengers from outside Canada can transfer to international flights through an express passport control checkpoint. Passengers bound for the United States pre-clear customs in Toronto, so that once they arrive back in America, they can just get on their way (or connect to another flight) with no further formalities.

4. Denver
The massive blizzard that paralyzed this airport last winter was the exception rather than the rule. While the airport is massive, a set of four-abreast moving sidewalks can get you from gate to gate quickly. Denver's runway configuration allows multiple planes to take off simultaneously with no possibility of cross-traffic. High-speed taxiways allow planes to reach even the most decent runways quickly. When a snowstorm does move in, a couple dozen deicing stations are set up on the tarmac to keep aircraft moving out.

5. Vienna-Schwechat
Vienna's airport is much more low-key than some of its European brethren. The terminal area looks like a shopping mall (and not one 0f those Heathrow-style in-your-face shopping malls) rather than an airport, which cuts down on the stress levels. Lines are short. In fact, most gates contain their own security checkpoint, so it's impossible to miss your flight because you're stuck at security. It's also a small enough airport that congestion isn't an issue.

And yeah, all these airports are aesthetic marvels. A nice-looking airport can make your layover all that much easier.