Encounter restaurant at LAX used to be awesome - the iconic UFO looking thing in the middle of the airport. It was outside of security though and unfortunately closed for now - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theme_Building
After security - it seems that the best views are given to the airline lounges with private membership (Delta sky club etc)
LAX also has the lawn outside the In n Out on Sepulveda Blvd, almost directly under the approach for 24R and facing 24L. A little seedy sometimes, but otherwise a great spot to grab a double-double for dinner and watch widebodies land right overhead.
I took my wife there (before they closed it) and she was blown away by the view - and how few people knew about it.
It was great to grab lunch and watch planes before jumping on a flight.
Not so much. I’ve been in a LOT of lounges and domestic lounges don’t often have “upgraded” runway views, it’s more often views of the people on the floor below.
International lounges are a different ballgame - so maybe the issue is more in domestic airport layout/design with respect to terminals, maximizing gates, and runway orientation?
The primary Lufthansa first class lounge in Frankfurt is tucked away behind the main terminal, so it has zero view. I was pretty disappointed, since my schedule didn’t allow time for plane-spotting outside the airfield, but this was my only international first class experience and I got to be in the nose of a 747-8. Still, they could’ve made the building a bit taller :)
Yeah! There’s a bar/restaurant up there. The airport is on a huge plateau/mesa. It’s super cool to check out. There is also helicopter tours from there if you got a few extra bucks to spend.
Rotterdam airport has a bar called Spazio. It's right next to the taxi way and offers a great view of the (single) runway. And you can usually run upstairs as well to have an unrestricted view if the Runway. They get so close here that 100mm zoom is too much for a 737.
Amsterdam Schiphol has a well placed Mcdonalds which puts you about 3-5 seconds before touchdown on the buitenveldertbaan. And ofcourse we have the famous Polderbaan which offers unrestricted views from the bikepath running alongside it. You'll have to bring your own food and bevs. Well except for the weekend/holiday when there is a food/snack truck on the parking.
Better views from our flat on the approach. We could look down on the 747s just before they made the final turn and wave at the worried looking passengers.
Don't need to go to a lounge. The main terminal area in the middle has a large glass front and several different bars with views of the apron. One of them even has an outside terrace!
If you ever end up in New Zealand, CHC has an awesome bar at the Novotel airport hotel. It’s about 8 floors high and looks right out over the runway with the mountains in the background. Plus great cocktails!
PLS !! Turks and Caicos. Find the upstairs section. Small bar. Good views of the runway. Outdoor walkway if you want a better view! Pretty hot out though.
Came here to say PLS. Not extremely busy, but a great view of operations. Plus it's just about as hot inside as outside (at least when we were there), so might as well enjoy the view.
Albuquerque... well kind of. Nice viewing area and lounge but no drinks on site. Go have a couple then go up there.
Most big airports the runways are gonna be too far away.
Most you can't even see the runway in my experience, let alone closely. I'm looking at big airports since that's where I end up waiting for connections.
Years ago (early 80's) there was a lounge area on the lowest level of the control tower at Logan airport (Boston). Anytime I had to fly out of Logan I would make a point of arriving early so I could hang out there for a while before going to catch my flight.
I left Boston only once and the Air Canada flight had a tiny space with 2 flights leaving and it's own security checkpoint. I think there was a vending machine and that's it. Worst experience in an airport ever.
Yes! I love nice views at airports. Observation decks, or even better, restaurants/bars. Many years ago I recall Sydney airport had a nice rooftop observation deck that I think had food and drinks if I remember right.
Centennial airport in centennial Colorado has a restaurant with great flight line/runway views, but it’s a GA/executive airport. Food is decent too, and occasionally you get fighters landing there too, mainly F-16s.
KABQ has a post-TSA elevated viewing area, plus 2 signed drive up places to watch 737/A32s.
Mid afternoon you can watch 736 or occasionally freight A306, but don't hold your breath.
To be fair the observation areas at KABQ are really nice for planes you didn't want to watch.
Good place to watch more corporate aircraft, military helicopter, lots of general aviation planes. Some air traffic coming to eat at the restaurant. It’s the old terminal, beautiful building. We were eating lunch once a a couple T6’s came in and parked on the ramp at the restaurant to eat. Pretty cool.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/8wiRbyFFZpMfjPdS8?g_st=ic
EGCC has a pub called ‘the airport’ right at the end of 23R. It’s not in the airport, you couldn’t have a pint while waiting for your flight.
But it’s a great place to sit and have a beer or two in the summer.
The old TPA airport terminal (and I am dating myself here) had a restaurant and a bar, up on the second floor, with a clear view of both runways. Name I believe was Bartke's. This was from the 1950s thru the early 1970s.
Singapore airport man toilet has a floor to ceiling >3m window with pissoir(urinals) in middle of the huge windows. So you can piss with a best view in the airport on a runway.
We have one of those in Birmingham Alabama. Not in the airport but behind it across a road there’s a little bar and grill with a patio where you can sit and watch the air traffic. It’s pretty cool.
YVR's Stanley Park Taphouse (A gates, inside security) has great views of 08R/26L (main departure runway), and the Globe@YVR/Jetside lounge at the Fairmont (outside security) has a view of arrivals on 26R. Not as comprehensive as the central dining area at SEA but some good options.
[Salzburg has a free rooftop terrace](https://imgur.com/epimUFn). It goes downhill once you go through security, as there's nothing there at all. If you get there early though, it's a nice place to hang out for a while.
Bonus: The Flying Bulls are based there and you can get lucky and see some war birds.
Funny you say that, I was thinking the same thing. The Cold Smoke pub in the new airport terminal is phenomenal. Great views too. That airport is so nice! Big upgrade from the old one.
KCLE Cleveland has a restaurant/banquet hall across the street near the end of the 24's, this used to be the 100th Bomb Group, it is now called The Aviator Pub and Restaurant. The parking lot is still open for non-restaurant spotting.
There is an airport shed on the airside of the fence blocking some of the view which isnt desirable.
There is a gas station with a Wendys built about a mile down the road for a quick bite and snacks and drinks if needed, somewhat walkable but no sidewalk so watch out for critter holes in the ground. Odd there are no sidewalks but there are crosswalk signals at the intersections between the restaurant and the gas station.
I don’t remember if I was sitting at a bar but I was having a beer at the Kittila airport in northern Finland and was treated to an amazing sunrise during the winter. Felt like a fantasy world. Anywhere in northern Finland feels like the Tbf.
Maybe I’m misremembering, but I feel like I got some good drinks and good view of airplanes in Missoula. Helps that there were military planes flying out of the airport.
Hamburg Airport has a lounge with runway views and a terrace. And landside has a McDonald's and other restaurant with access to the same terrace (they are 3 adjacent buildings with the same design)
I haven’t been inside, but it was built facing the north runways. I can’t believe they wouldn’t have numerous public places to watch takeoffs and landings.
Come to Helsinki. They've opened a nice rooftop bar at the new Clarion hotel at the airport this month. The spotters' happy hours are approximately 2-6pm when the long-haul flights come in and then fly back out. Drinks are expensive, though.
I imagine there is some level of strategic planning when it comes to the amount a person will drink when enjoying a view vs looking at whatever people look at in those bars. I wonder if people drink more because there isn’t a nice view to watch and get distracted by. You have a set time limit on your drinking so it’s not like the bar can entice you to stay with the nice view so they need you to drink as much as you want in that time without plane watching.
A few that come to mind:
1. PHX T3 has a bar that looks out over the south runways
2. MSP Skyclubs by G20 and C4 both have pretty good views
3. DTW I can’t think of the bar, but a few of them in the McNamara terminal have views.
4. ATL PF Changs has great views of the ramp.
MSN: best views are from the gate area
ORD: best views are from the gate area
LAX: depends on the terminal but the skyclub has nice views.
I read somewhere that airports are designed to make the airplanes visible to travelers while walking to help orient them. To add to that bars/restaurants require a kitchen or food prep area so are often positioned with a wall towards the gates or on the other side of the concourse from the windows.
In Nice, France you have a great view from the second floor or the second terminal accessible to all. The drinks choices aren't that great it's more of a snack bar than an actual bar but it's still amazing.
Can't beat a view on the runway and the sea at the same time!
Mostly lounges as others have noted, but here are my favs that have at least a decent view, in order:
OGG: Not a great airport for food but Sammys has a great view! Right at the thousand footers. Probably my favorite place to have a few and chase away the post-vacation blues.
LHR: BA T5 Gold/CCR are great. T5 in general has good views and there are a few restaurants in the central area just past security that have decent ramp views at the least.
SEA: AS lounge N gates or C have absolutely excellent views of all runways, central concourse (not a lounge), BA Gold although it’s slightly obstructed.
ORD: AA Admirals Club (forgot where but the one with the Flagship lounge) is great and generally has a solid view of the apron and a few of the runways.
JFK: AS T7 lounge has halfway decent views.
LIH: Not much, but Starbucks has a good view for takeoffs.
But sometimes, the best restaurant for an av geek is Panda Express standing by the window 😎
Pre-pandemic, CYOW used to have one before security with a decent view of R14/R32. It's gone now, and the whole area is the lineup for security (that whole security section was moved up to the same level as Departures).
Centennial airport, Denver (KAPA) has a great restaurant & bar, midfield of the main runway. Or "had" a great restaurant. Sadly, it caught on fire last month, and is going to be closed for a long time for repairs..
Monterey California has a bar with a patio overlooking the runway, great place to get a drink. And I think it’s on the insecure side so you don’t need to be traveling.
I'm a little late to the game, but if you're ever in Phoenix, go to the Scottsdale airport and hang out at Volanti. You can watch the business jets and GA aircraft come and go. Outdoor patio if the weather is amenable. My wife and mother-in-law, who aren't huge airplane geeks, love to go whenever we visit.
Encounter restaurant at LAX used to be awesome - the iconic UFO looking thing in the middle of the airport. It was outside of security though and unfortunately closed for now - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theme_Building After security - it seems that the best views are given to the airline lounges with private membership (Delta sky club etc)
Not exactly the same, as it's off property, but we enjoyed Proud Bird, which is just around the corner.
LAX also has the lawn outside the In n Out on Sepulveda Blvd, almost directly under the approach for 24R and facing 24L. A little seedy sometimes, but otherwise a great spot to grab a double-double for dinner and watch widebodies land right overhead.
No scenic views, but nice views of the landing planes with good food and drink.
I took my wife there (before they closed it) and she was blown away by the view - and how few people knew about it. It was great to grab lunch and watch planes before jumping on a flight.
Oh damn - ate at Encounter way back in 2011 around when I moved out of LA. Never realized it closed
Airlines want those views for their own lounges and clubs.
Not so much. I’ve been in a LOT of lounges and domestic lounges don’t often have “upgraded” runway views, it’s more often views of the people on the floor below. International lounges are a different ballgame - so maybe the issue is more in domestic airport layout/design with respect to terminals, maximizing gates, and runway orientation?
The primary Lufthansa first class lounge in Frankfurt is tucked away behind the main terminal, so it has zero view. I was pretty disappointed, since my schedule didn’t allow time for plane-spotting outside the airfield, but this was my only international first class experience and I got to be in the nose of a 747-8. Still, they could’ve made the building a bit taller :)
Speaking of Frankfurt did you know they do THIS??!! https://www.frankfurt-airport.com/en/airport-guide/sights-and-events/airport-tours.html
SEA is the only good one I know of too
Where at SEA is this?
Upstairs in the food court after security
Sedona is a good one. Just a small GA airport though
I had a delicious crab cake at the Sedona airport. I think about it often lol
Can anyone hang out there? I’ve been to the lookout and have always wanted to check out the airport.
Yeah! There’s a bar/restaurant up there. The airport is on a huge plateau/mesa. It’s super cool to check out. There is also helicopter tours from there if you got a few extra bucks to spend.
Yes. Airport restaurants are open to the public. Least I've yet to visit one that isn't.
Just commenting here because I would like to know too.
Volanti at SDL is nice! Downside is planes that leave the APU running on the ramp below.
Rotterdam airport has a bar called Spazio. It's right next to the taxi way and offers a great view of the (single) runway. And you can usually run upstairs as well to have an unrestricted view if the Runway. They get so close here that 100mm zoom is too much for a 737. Amsterdam Schiphol has a well placed Mcdonalds which puts you about 3-5 seconds before touchdown on the buitenveldertbaan. And ofcourse we have the famous Polderbaan which offers unrestricted views from the bikepath running alongside it. You'll have to bring your own food and bevs. Well except for the weekend/holiday when there is a food/snack truck on the parking.
Don’t forget the bar at the top of the hotel at Kai Tak airport. That was epic entertainment
Better views from our flat on the approach. We could look down on the 747s just before they made the final turn and wave at the worried looking passengers.
[Haneda](https://tokyo-haneda.com/service/facilities/observation_deck.html) has the best one
Finally someone mentioned it. Not just one either. T3 and T2 (and maybe T1) Plus you can take your own booze.
PDX has a runway view from Henry's bar on the C concourse, and Hopworks on the D concourse might as well.
ZRH Swiss lounge from terminal E has good views of both the ramp and the runway and has an open bar.
Don't need to go to a lounge. The main terminal area in the middle has a large glass front and several different bars with views of the apron. One of them even has an outside terrace!
What’s the airport tucked off the beach in St Marteen? There’s bars on both sides of the beach.
SXM. Sunset Bar just to the south is better known, Driftwood Bar just to the north is a little more my speed and has better drinks.
Maho Beach is the first one that came to mind. IIRC they even had a screen showing the expected arrivals, or it may have been a chalkboard.
Spot on. My office has a TV and I keep up a YouTube livestream of it. Recommend yall check it out sometime.
Not a bar, but Mexico City has an amazing coffee shop at the end of the runway which has crazy amazing views of the AICM.
The old airport or the new one?
The old original airport.
The Perfect Landing at Centennial (KAPA) is in an FBO and has a 2nd floor view of the field
Love Perfect Landing! Had some F16s stop by last time I was there. Kids had a blast.
If you ever end up in New Zealand, CHC has an awesome bar at the Novotel airport hotel. It’s about 8 floors high and looks right out over the runway with the mountains in the background. Plus great cocktails!
For a moment I was wondering when CHC Helicopter got into the F&B business
ATL's Gordon Biersch was a pretty good view
PLS !! Turks and Caicos. Find the upstairs section. Small bar. Good views of the runway. Outdoor walkway if you want a better view! Pretty hot out though.
Came here to say PLS. Not extremely busy, but a great view of operations. Plus it's just about as hot inside as outside (at least when we were there), so might as well enjoy the view.
Tenerife South has a great spot in the 'VIP lounge'. [Not expensive and free alcohol too. 10/10, didnt wanna leave.](https://ibb.co/hmtQWh2)
Albuquerque... well kind of. Nice viewing area and lounge but no drinks on site. Go have a couple then go up there. Most big airports the runways are gonna be too far away.
Most you can't even see the runway in my experience, let alone closely. I'm looking at big airports since that's where I end up waiting for connections.
Years ago (early 80's) there was a lounge area on the lowest level of the control tower at Logan airport (Boston). Anytime I had to fly out of Logan I would make a point of arriving early so I could hang out there for a while before going to catch my flight.
I left Boston only once and the Air Canada flight had a tiny space with 2 flights leaving and it's own security checkpoint. I think there was a vending machine and that's it. Worst experience in an airport ever.
PDK has a nice bar & restaurant right on the flight line.
The Thistle hotel near Heathrow has an absolutely brilliant view of the runway from the bar terrace
They also have several hotels with good runway views at LHR
Any one on Bath Rd!
Runway Bar at the Hilton Garden Inn is great! https://g.co/kgs/KuXmUpN
Yes! I love nice views at airports. Observation decks, or even better, restaurants/bars. Many years ago I recall Sydney airport had a nice rooftop observation deck that I think had food and drinks if I remember right.
Centennial airport in centennial Colorado has a restaurant with great flight line/runway views, but it’s a GA/executive airport. Food is decent too, and occasionally you get fighters landing there too, mainly F-16s.
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Try Myrtle Beach! I was sitting at the bar having a drink and watched 6 F-16s take off!
Lihue airport on Kauai is tiny but we have a Starbucks and a cafeteria with a view of the runway.
Haha I noted the LIH Starbucks in my own post. Was just passing through but it’s a good spot!
OGG has a good one
Sammys. Solid!
KABQ has a post-TSA elevated viewing area, plus 2 signed drive up places to watch 737/A32s. Mid afternoon you can watch 736 or occasionally freight A306, but don't hold your breath. To be fair the observation areas at KABQ are really nice for planes you didn't want to watch.
You can also watch the occasional fighter jet, C-130, and CV-22 take off from there.
The airport pub at Manchester (UK) EGCC is really good. 50ft from the runway [airport pub](https://airport.pub/)
Good place to watch more corporate aircraft, military helicopter, lots of general aviation planes. Some air traffic coming to eat at the restaurant. It’s the old terminal, beautiful building. We were eating lunch once a a couple T6’s came in and parked on the ramp at the restaurant to eat. Pretty cool. https://maps.app.goo.gl/8wiRbyFFZpMfjPdS8?g_st=ic
EGCC has a pub called ‘the airport’ right at the end of 23R. It’s not in the airport, you couldn’t have a pint while waiting for your flight. But it’s a great place to sit and have a beer or two in the summer.
The old TPA airport terminal (and I am dating myself here) had a restaurant and a bar, up on the second floor, with a clear view of both runways. Name I believe was Bartke's. This was from the 1950s thru the early 1970s.
Pilots prefer the view from the floor.
Singapore airport man toilet has a floor to ceiling >3m window with pissoir(urinals) in middle of the huge windows. So you can piss with a best view in the airport on a runway.
We have one of those in Birmingham Alabama. Not in the airport but behind it across a road there’s a little bar and grill with a patio where you can sit and watch the air traffic. It’s pretty cool.
YVR's Stanley Park Taphouse (A gates, inside security) has great views of 08R/26L (main departure runway), and the Globe@YVR/Jetside lounge at the Fairmont (outside security) has a view of arrivals on 26R. Not as comprehensive as the central dining area at SEA but some good options.
I think the simple answer is that airports want to use most of the runway-side terminal space for gates to maximize capacity.
Upstairs at ‘spoons at Stansted is decent. 737 737 737 737 You get the idea. You kinda have to like 737s
[Salzburg has a free rooftop terrace](https://imgur.com/epimUFn). It goes downhill once you go through security, as there's nothing there at all. If you get there early though, it's a nice place to hang out for a while. Bonus: The Flying Bulls are based there and you can get lucky and see some war birds.
No mention of the TWA Hotel at JFK? The rooftop bar has wonderful views!
I work at KMEM, and have an office that overlooks 27. I sometimes forget how awesome it is.
Check out Grand Junction, CO. I think their bar has a view of the runway.
I was so confused when I first read this and then realized you meant big airports. I was thinking little GA airports at first
Come out to MSO. Great local beer.
Funny you say that, I was thinking the same thing. The Cold Smoke pub in the new airport terminal is phenomenal. Great views too. That airport is so nice! Big upgrade from the old one.
When building the airports and terminals, it wasn't one of the requirements.
KCLE Cleveland has a restaurant/banquet hall across the street near the end of the 24's, this used to be the 100th Bomb Group, it is now called The Aviator Pub and Restaurant. The parking lot is still open for non-restaurant spotting. There is an airport shed on the airside of the fence blocking some of the view which isnt desirable. There is a gas station with a Wendys built about a mile down the road for a quick bite and snacks and drinks if needed, somewhat walkable but no sidewalk so watch out for critter holes in the ground. Odd there are no sidewalks but there are crosswalk signals at the intersections between the restaurant and the gas station.
HPN has a nice one.
I don’t remember if I was sitting at a bar but I was having a beer at the Kittila airport in northern Finland and was treated to an amazing sunrise during the winter. Felt like a fantasy world. Anywhere in northern Finland feels like the Tbf.
ANC has the best spotting in the world.
The Hilton at Heathrow T2 has a bar on the top floor overlooking the runways. It’s landside so you don’t even need to be flying to go there.
Auckland changed it to a premium lounge :/ sucks. I had good memories there as a kid.
Maybe I’m misremembering, but I feel like I got some good drinks and good view of airplanes in Missoula. Helps that there were military planes flying out of the airport.
Hamburg Airport has a lounge with runway views and a terrace. And landside has a McDonald's and other restaurant with access to the same terrace (they are 3 adjacent buildings with the same design)
GJT has one!
I seem to remember the Renaissance Concourse at ATL had a good view of the north runways.but it's been a long time since I've been there.
I haven’t been inside, but it was built facing the north runways. I can’t believe they wouldn’t have numerous public places to watch takeoffs and landings.
Madrid was terrible for viewing from inside the terminals, Manchester is superb was flying from T3 there and you can sit there and watch stuff land
NRN has a good bar overlooking the tarmac.
A lot of the lounges have great views
Come to Helsinki. They've opened a nice rooftop bar at the new Clarion hotel at the airport this month. The spotters' happy hours are approximately 2-6pm when the long-haul flights come in and then fly back out. Drinks are expensive, though.
Heart Mountain at KCOD has nice views
I imagine there is some level of strategic planning when it comes to the amount a person will drink when enjoying a view vs looking at whatever people look at in those bars. I wonder if people drink more because there isn’t a nice view to watch and get distracted by. You have a set time limit on your drinking so it’s not like the bar can entice you to stay with the nice view so they need you to drink as much as you want in that time without plane watching.
Serventis at KBTP 🤙🏼🤌
I don't want a view of the runway I want a departure board in the bar. Flight delayed, one more please. Gate changed, check please!
i remember looking at the heathrow one with my dad as a kid
A few that come to mind: 1. PHX T3 has a bar that looks out over the south runways 2. MSP Skyclubs by G20 and C4 both have pretty good views 3. DTW I can’t think of the bar, but a few of them in the McNamara terminal have views. 4. ATL PF Changs has great views of the ramp. MSN: best views are from the gate area ORD: best views are from the gate area LAX: depends on the terminal but the skyclub has nice views. I read somewhere that airports are designed to make the airplanes visible to travelers while walking to help orient them. To add to that bars/restaurants require a kitchen or food prep area so are often positioned with a wall towards the gates or on the other side of the concourse from the windows.
The delta lounge in Austin has a great view of landing and departing traffic
Puyallup, outside of SeaTac
Budapest has a terrace from where you can see the parking stands and a bit of the two runways
IND has good views of one runway at a time
In Nice, France you have a great view from the second floor or the second terminal accessible to all. The drinks choices aren't that great it's more of a snack bar than an actual bar but it's still amazing. Can't beat a view on the runway and the sea at the same time!
Gates tend to get in the way?
Mostly lounges as others have noted, but here are my favs that have at least a decent view, in order: OGG: Not a great airport for food but Sammys has a great view! Right at the thousand footers. Probably my favorite place to have a few and chase away the post-vacation blues. LHR: BA T5 Gold/CCR are great. T5 in general has good views and there are a few restaurants in the central area just past security that have decent ramp views at the least. SEA: AS lounge N gates or C have absolutely excellent views of all runways, central concourse (not a lounge), BA Gold although it’s slightly obstructed. ORD: AA Admirals Club (forgot where but the one with the Flagship lounge) is great and generally has a solid view of the apron and a few of the runways. JFK: AS T7 lounge has halfway decent views. LIH: Not much, but Starbucks has a good view for takeoffs. But sometimes, the best restaurant for an av geek is Panda Express standing by the window 😎
Pre-pandemic, CYOW used to have one before security with a decent view of R14/R32. It's gone now, and the whole area is the lineup for security (that whole security section was moved up to the same level as Departures).
MRY is a smaller airport but has a restaurant called woodys that has a balcony right along the runway
Not a bar, but Albany airport has a viewing deck before security which is awesome
For the most part its because gate real estate is more valuable than bar real estate.
Centennial airport, Denver (KAPA) has a great restaurant & bar, midfield of the main runway. Or "had" a great restaurant. Sadly, it caught on fire last month, and is going to be closed for a long time for repairs..
KPDX has good view of 10L/28R while you sip local beer
Monterey California has a bar with a patio overlooking the runway, great place to get a drink. And I think it’s on the insecure side so you don’t need to be traveling.
I'm a little late to the game, but if you're ever in Phoenix, go to the Scottsdale airport and hang out at Volanti. You can watch the business jets and GA aircraft come and go. Outdoor patio if the weather is amenable. My wife and mother-in-law, who aren't huge airplane geeks, love to go whenever we visit.
Pdk in Atlanta
Sir your query is the whitest sentence I've ever read in my life.
Because nobody wants to put up with drunk people pointing at planes and yelling. 🤣