Skytrax awards: Best airports are...

The Gateway goes behind the scenes of the world's major transport hubs, revealing the logistics that keep goods and people moving. This month, the show is in Singapore.

(CNN) -- Singapore's Changi Airport has been crowned the best in the world for the fourth time in 14 years at the prestigious World Airport Awards in Geneva.

The Southeast Asian hub beat off competition from Incheon Airport in South Korea and Amsterdam Schiphol in the Netherlands, who came in second and third respectively.

The award was based on surveys conducted by international travel research and consultancy group Skytrax, who polled 12.1 million passengers over a nine-month period.

A total of 39 services and products -- including check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration -- were examined at 395 airports across the world.

See also: 7 of the world's most entertaining airports

"In winning this prestigious accolade, Singapore Changi Airport cements its place as one of the world's favorite airports," said Edward Plaisted, chairman of Skytrax.

A bustling aviation link between east and west -- catering for more than 52 million passengers and 1.81 million tons of cargo in 2012 -- Changi has gained a reputation for its attentive passenger experience and abundant entertainment services.

The airport offers free city tours to all travelers on a stopover of five hours or more and plays host to facilities such as an on-site swimming pool, butterfly garden, nature trail and cinemas.

Changi was also one of the first airports to introduce free WiFi areas and previously scooped the Skytrax best airport award in 2000 before going on to win again in 2006 and 2010.

In an interview for CNN's monthly feature show The Gateway, Changi's executive vice president for airport management, Tan Lye Teck said: "It's always heart-warming to know there are people who show appreciation for things we do."

"We will continue essentially what we've always been trying to do (which is put the) passenger, the user, the customer ... at the center of everything," he added.

See also: The world's record breaking airports

Other destinations to highly in the best airport category this year include Hong Kong International and Beijing Capital International, carrying on a tradition of strong Asian performance at the awards.

All in all, five out of the top ten airports were based in East Asian cities.

Hong Kong has previously claimed the best airport gong eight times, Incheon twice and Singapore Changi four times.

Only one non-Asian airport has ever won the sought-after prize, Amsterdam Schiphol in 1999, the award's inaugural year.

Schipol was named the best European airport for 2013 while the honor for best North American destination went to Vancouver International Airport in Canada.

Cape Town International, Lima Jorge Chavez International, Panama Tocumen and Abu Dhabi International took home the regional prizes for Africa, South America, Central America and the Middle East respectively.

A full list of the winners and prize categories from the World Airport Awards can be found here.

Via: Skytrax awards: Best airports are...

How to fake it as a New York local

(CNN) -- New York: It's the city that gave the world Martin Scorsese, the Ramones and proper bagels (thanks, local tap water).

While most visitors will never experience all its boroughs -- indeed, they'll likely fail to go south of Houston Street -- there are certain characteristics that will land you in good stead from Chelsea to Coney Island, or at least stop New Yorkers from urging you to get on your tractor and ride back to Iowa.

Memorize them and begin your deception.

1. A New Yorker doesn't necessarily come from Manhattan

Thanks to Woody Allen, the world sees all New Yorkers as apartment-dwelling self-obsessives who are unable to operate automobiles.

Nonsense!

While the Woodman offers eerily accurate portraits of Manhattan -- and certain chunks of Brooklyn -- the other boroughs have their own unique character, including neighborhoods full of single family homes with yards and readily available free parking.

That said, since as a tourist you won't come anywhere near these areas unless you fall asleep on the subway ...

2. For your purposes, a New Yorker is from Manhattan

It's a world of skyscrapers and parking garages that cost as much as an Ivy League education, with the result that while automobiles are virtual necessities in the rest of the United States, a New Yorker casually revealing that he owns two cars is a display of wealth akin to taking a Faberge egg from your pocket and making it into an omelet.

Returning to the skyscrapers ...

3. A New Yorker never looks up

"King Kong" is highly unrealistic. Not because of the ape climbing the Empire State Building, but the fact that New Yorkers noticed.

New Yorkers do not look up. Ever.

Most of us are deeply proud of our skyline, but haven't actually looked at it since a second grade class trip to the Statue of Liberty.

Why don't New Yorkers look up? Because ...

4. A New Yorker never stops moving forward

Tourists find New York a place of endless wonder (Times Square in particular seems to enchant them), to the point that sometimes they're walking along and they just need to freeze right in the middle of the sidewalk and take a photo of Guy Fieri's restaurant.

Worse, they're strolling through Grand Central Station and notice that the ceiling has stars painted on it!

This makes actual New Yorkers apoplectic, for...

5. A New Yorker is always rushing to catch a subway or a bus or a train

The vast majority of New Yorkers rely on the vagaries of public transportation and they know when the subway doors close just as you arrive it may mean you get the next one in two minutes or that you never see home again.

This is worst-case scenario, but with track construction and train re-routings and the dreaded "Police are investigating a crime at the 59th and Lexington Station" announcement, best not to risk it.

Because if there's a subway standstill and you're not near a bus route, you have to take a cab and ...

6. A New Yorker doesn't take cabs

Exceptions to this rule: someone's had so much to drink they can't remember their subway line or you live in Queens and need to get to LaGuardia Airport.

Even expense accounts or unspeakable personal riches don't justify cabs, as by then you should have graduated to a town car. Which brings us back to the subway ...

7. A New Yorker knows subway etiquette

If you see someone having trouble standing because of age, injury or an infant, give them your seat.

That said, if the 64-year-old woman who still trains for marathons every weekend feels like being on her feet, do not think chivalry compels you to forcibly bench her.

Also, if a subway car pulls up and you notice two-thirds of it is packed and the last third is empty, everyone's not too stupid to walk to the end: they just smell something you don't yet. If you're not prepared to brave the stench, save yourself the embarrassment and stay with the crowd.

Since you're already saving by taking the subway ...

8. A New Yorker sees no shame in 99-cent pizza

While every New Yorker has their favorite pizza place -- often, they have a favorite for each borough, such as Grimaldi's in Brooklyn or Sac's in Queens -- it's also accepted that city life is both costly and rushed. As a result, grabbing a slice from 2 Bros or one of NYC's other dollar vendors is perfectly acceptable.

Unless it's Papa John's (the line has to be drawn somewhere). One final financial tip ...

9. A New Yorker knows not to rent a car in New York

Things in New York tend to be pricey, so you'll feel ripped off, then you're smacked with the state's brutal 19.875% special sales tax rate on rental cars.

Yes, New York actually sort of justifies the gouge by implying, "Hey, actual New Yorkers aren't stupid enough to pay this."

The result is finding yourself stuck in rush hour wondering if it would have been cheaper just to buy a vehicle.

More reasonable rentals can be had by taking Metro-North to Connecticut or NJ Transit to New Jersey. New Jersey is, of course, the home to New York's two confusingly named NFL teams, which leads us to ...

10. A New Yorker understands the implications of rooting for the Giants/Yankees versus the Jets/Mets

In the last 25 years, the Giants have won three Super Bowls and the Yankees five World Series. The Jets and Mets combined for zero titles, with most seasons more grim than glorious.

To compensate, the Jets/Mets have done their best to provide off-field entertainment, like Jet Coach Rex Ryan making foot-fetish videos with his wife and then-Met outfielder Vince Coleman lobbing firecrackers at fans.

Ask yourself: "Would I rather gloat or complain?" then pick your teams accordingly.

And should you happen to meet Jet QB/butt-fumbler extraordinaire Mark Sanchez ...

11. A New Yorker views celebrities as regular folk, only worse

Whereas in other cities commoners fawn over the beautiful people, New Yorkers show their respect by going out of their way to let them know that they may have put out some OK songs with Led Zeppelin, but that doesn't give them the right to take two seats at the bar, Robert Plant.

So, if you see someone you recognize from TV, don't be intimidated: just march right up and demand to know what possessed them to make "The Love Guru."

Unless the celeb is Woody Allen, in which case give him a hug and a wet kiss. (Don't worry, he loves it.)

Follow these tips and you'll be passing yourself off as a local in no time.

And even if you fail, remember: A tourist in New York is still better than a local in Boston.

Via: How to fake it as a New York local

China tourism surge: Your reactions

(CNN) -- We knew even while researching Tuesday's feature on the global impact of Chinese tourism that the story was likely to generate strong reactions among readers.

After all, in a matter of just a decade or so, Chinese tourists have gone from being relatively rare outside of Asia to becoming the most important market in global tourism, surpassing American and German travelers in 2012 as the world's top international spenders, with a record $102 billion shelled out on the road.

Chinese travelers the world's biggest spenders

But even we were taken aback by the intensity of the emotions -- often thoughtful, sometimes ugly, always illuminating -- the story elicited among our global readership. (Per CNN policy, we've been monitoring and removing the explicitly hateful and threatening comments from the site.)

Many readers focused on the individual habits of Chinese tourists, positive and negative.

All comments are at the bottom of this: Chinese tourism: The good, the bad and the backlash

Ed Connolly summed up the feelings of the more outraged commenters: "Basically get ready for loud conversations, small tips, deceptive behavior and cutting in line. For anyone who has traveled to Asia, China in particular, you know all too well what I'm talking about. Chinese are rude and inconsiderate. Think I'm too opinionated? Spend a week in China and get back to me."

Weighing in from Thailand, Katy Khan voiced a similar sentiment: "Here in Thailand it's a big deal. They can't stand Chinese tourists and are complaining to the government about it. It's pretty bad. Chinese people are quite rude compared to any other culture I've ever experienced."

Readers such as Mi Jo, however, reported markedly different experiences with Chinese travelers: "I deal with lot of Chinese tourist every summer and I have to say that they are very kind. They leave impression of shyness. I do not know if they don't talk much anywhere or they are just shocked by cultural differences but they are very very [quiet], and most of them don't speak at all (even though they know English language)."

Added tigerlee: "Not only you guys but people in China feel uncomfortable with this group of people [rude travelers]. But most of Chinese are friendly and good mannered."

A number of readers compared the reputation of modern Chinese travelers with another frequently bashed group.

Wrote William Trudeau: "Anyone remember 'The Ugly American' and similar discussions about U.S. travelers not all that long ago?"

Apparently, not all of those conversations are from so long ago.

Said britishpal: "I worked in hotels for a number of years, and time after time the thing that got staff all panicked and on edge were when American tourists were expected. Most of the rude behaviors described in this article could just as easily be attributed to American tourists; demanding services that aren't offered, expecting meal times to be extended far beyond reasonable hours, the expectation that their cash-flashing would give them extra entitlements, etc. And to be fair, I've heard British tourists are just as bad in European countries, even outside of World Cup events."

Wrote fattsmann: "I'm Chinese-American and I agree that mainland Chinese are horrible tourists based on my trips to Europe and the Middle East. The article hits all the key notes and as other comments have noted, Americans had the same stigma/problems about 1-2 decades ago. The key issues are education and awareness of foreign cultures (including learning the basics of a foreign language before travel), respect for foreign cultures and customs, and patience (including waiting in line, not making snap defensive judgments, etc.). Years ago, it was Americans that were rude and culturally insensitive tourists. Now it's the Chinese. Then it will be another group of people with money to travel."

Like fattsmann, a number of mainland Chinese and Chinese citizens of other countries were anxious to join the conversation.

Wrote ptran281: "As a Canadian born to Chinese parents.... I can say I can't stand Chinese tourists! There is such a thing called lining up and waiting your turn. I was called a fake Chinese when I reminded them we don't behave like this in Canada."

iamjustin provided an explanation for the perception of poor behavior abroad: "I am a Chinese in the mainland; as for the rudeness of Chinese visitors which raised a fire in the comments section, I have something to clarify... The reason why so many Chinese nowadays are so rude and impolite is originated from abolishing of Confucius philosophy and the wild interpersonal abuse in the notorious Cultural Revolution launched by Mao Zedong! ... So the conclusion is that Chinese people in the mainland are the victims of tradition loss, communist political chaos, and the rudeness and lack of self-cultivation are the consequences of the above."

CNN International's Facebook page garnered some even more passionate responses. Edith Duarte points out that Chinese have been global tourists for centuries: "Guys, thousands of years ago the Chinese have marveled the world. They are in seven continents all over the globe, Chinatowns are all over the U.S."

Meanwhile, Nicolas Serge suggests people on both sides of the tourism equation benefit from Chinese travel. "The U.S. is encouraging people at home to learn and speak Chinese. Furthermore, Many U.S. students are studying in China. Tourism is helping chinese to learn more about other cultures. We remain certain about an effective partnership U.S. and China could build in the future to face global challenges."

In the end, of course, the Chinese travel boom -- and perhaps some of the resentment of it -- is driven by the almighty dollar. Or, in a potential shift that seems to both worry and excite the world, the almighty yuan.

Summing up the "just because you've got money doesn't mean I have to respect you" contingent, THEGenuineOLiTWiST wrote: "In general, most mainland Chinese who are 40 or over are suffering from this money= respect syndrome. The younger ones are much better at 'fitting in' with their travel destination's social and cultural norms."

Perhaps in the end, JohnkinsBob makes the best argument by taking the pragmatic approach to the issue: "The article makes Chinese tourism sound like the yellow peril. If these people have the cash, bring em on! The U.S. is getting back at least part of the dollars that are being sent over there."

It's a fascinating and important discussion that will surely continue to engage us all in the years ahead.

If you've had experiences as a Chinese traveler or with Chinese travelers, feel free to add to the discussion in the comments section below.

Minor edits have been made to some of the comments above strictly in the interest of clarity.

Via: China tourism surge: Your reactions