Memphis Airport

First the positives! The most welcoming TSA staff I have encountered in the US. We arrived in Memphis so can't comment on facilities but ground transportation was efficient and it was easy to find a taxi. The most annoying thing was having to be screened on entry. We had already been screened in Norwich and Amsterdam but to be screened on arrival is over the top. Some people in the queue missed connecting flights as a result of this extra screening. I appreciate that we have to go through the terminal but if an airport deals with international flights then they need to review this and ensure that those departing in Memphis can leave without going through the terminal.

Memphis an ex-Northwest Airlines hub still exists as a hub for Delta post-merger with Northwest. For how much longer I can't say as it's close enough to Delta's fortress Atlanta hub to overlap the geographic area. The airport terminal was built in the 1960s and still retains the dingy poorly lit and low-ceilinged design of that time. The terminal piers are compact enough so as not to require long walks between connecting gates. Cleanliness leaves a bit to be desired. Food and beverage services are basic for U.S. airports but Corky's BBQ (an outstanding local chain) has 2 locations and is delicious.

Memphis may not be the world's most attractive airport but having recently flown in from Amsterdam I can only congratulate it on having the most friendly welcoming Immigration and Customs officers I've yet to encounter in the US.

This is a mediocre airport even by U.S. standards. The concourses are narrow and crowded and the food is atrocious save for the local barbecue place. Worst experience: traveling through MEM on a Christmas day. Not one food concession or store was open despite hordes of passengers. Only sustenance was vending machines but I had only $5s and $20s and there was no working change machine The airport's workers -- particular NWA employees -- can also be unhelpful and surly -- and this despite MEM being in the supposedly friendly south.

A 1960s-era high school with jet bridges. Gray interior low ceilings old bathroom fixtures narrow hallways. The only things missing were the graffiti the lockers and the used tobacco in the water fountains.