If I’m flying home, my favorite airport is the one I’m leaving.
Chhatrapati Shivaji International (CSI), Mumbai, India. The CSI is vast, spanking new, and beautiful. Lots of greenery and water bodies. Designed to move people along efficiently, but it does get crowded. Mumbai is a dreary city and CSI literally stands out like a shining gem. I love it.
It was the deliberate re-x-raying of a scone that I had literally eaten half of, and was holding in my hand when I stepped through the x-ray machine, successfully I might add.
It gets a little old to have to go through the same TSA business every time you have to pee, get a snack, etc… with the SAME crew of people at that gate. And the scone was on my third trip through security (I got there early), and I had bought it within sight of the TSA checkpoint.
It just seemed pretty annoying to me that everyone had to go through all the nonsense every time, just because the airport design is dated.
That’s my pick when feasible. There’s a decent area to eat and a pretty good selection of food, including barbecue.
Though Brookwood Farms didn’t have fried okra when we passed through last time, which is criminal.
I’m sure it’s annoying to have to go back through security, but I’m not sure why it being the same people matters. Do you expect them to say “Oh, go ahead, we already scanned you once” without screening you the second time? Then it would become trivially easy to get a gun or other weapon through security. You’d just have to go through security once, leave a while later and pretend you’re going to pee or something, have an accomplice hand you your gun in the bathroom, go back through security and say “Oh, you already scanned me earlier”, and then go hijack a plane. Nor do I think it matters that you were within sight of the checkpoint the whole time – I don’t think it’s really reasonable to expect the TSA workers to keep an eye on everyone when they leave the secure area; they’re busy with other things. Besides, for all they know your accomplice might be the Cinnabon guy and he’s concealed a gun in that bag of pastries.
I once did a charter from Charlotte to Pensacola. Using the codes it came out as CLT-PNS.
Mumbling Butthead laugh
Hong Kong is definitely one of the best airports I’ve ever been to. One of the great things there is that the airlines have check in desks at the train station downtown, so you can check your bags all the way to your final destination there. You take the train to the airport and your big bags are already out of your hands.
Two that I like for trivial reasons:
Vancouver BC: as soon as we touched down i suddenly had an urgent need for a bathroom. Agony of waiting while we taxied and then the doors open, and I was one of the first out and lo! there was a men’s room right in the gate area - not near the gate area or in the hallways but right there, a right turn out the door of the skyway and there it was. I have no idea if this is common in this airport, but it was like the airport was reading my mind about what I wanted most.
SFO - San Francisco airport is unlike most other airports in how its food providers are selected. Instead of contracting with one big food and drink monolith who then arranges all the different bars and cafes and restaurants and shops, SFO contracts with each one individually, selecting for such features as local roots, and other good practices that I frankly forget now, it was a couple of years ago when I was told this by the head of the airport. So there are no chain restaurants (there may be chain coffee, I’m not sure). By cutting out the middle man they save money at both ends, and passengers have a better selection.
Now for one I dislike: Honolulu. I hate the wiki wiki shuttle, and I hate the alternative long long long walks to the gates. And why does Hawaiian Air, who surely must have Honolulu as their hub, have the gates and the luggage carousel that are furthest away from each other and from everything else? Did someone miss their payoff?
London Gatwick used to have this but security has changed so much I’m not sure it’s still there, but it’s also paired with a fairly rare example of a functional European drinking fountain. And when I first found it, I was coming back from Madrid where they are even rarer: I didn’t find any drinking fountains at all in the Prado and was about to give up and drink using my hands as a cup in the restroom when I saw the person in front of me do exactly that. So I wasn’t alone in my desperation when I indulged in tap water hand drinking.
Isn’t it every pilot’s dream to file a flight plan from Sioux City, Iowa to Dickinson, North Dakota? Or for those who don’t get it, SUX-DIK.
Under non-favorite airports there’s Bush/Intercontinental, which is badly in need of updates. In particular baggage claim, which is ancient, small and inefficient, looking like something you’d have seen in a midsized airport in 1962.
I’m in the small minority that like Newark - for me, it’s my home airport so I never have to connect there; I know the ins and outs of how to get there and where to go once I’m in the terminals. I’ll admit it can be confusing at first (or second or third) visit.
There are very few places in the world you can’t get a direct flight to from Newark; and since connecting flights are my least favorite part of flying, that’s a big deal.
Terminal C is far better than the other two in terms of services; but the other two usually have shorter security lines.
Some others I’ve like based on recent flights: Halifax, NS has a great new little section for once you’ve passed US Customs; even though you’re restricted to the two gates, it’s pretty comfortable. Raleigh Durham is good as mid-size airports go. I’ll admit I was stunned by how nice Tri-Cities airport was (Kennewick/Pasco, WA) - I didn’t expect much since it had only five gates, but it was modern and comfortable (and of course, easy to navigate).
I’ve only ever connected at IAH, so I don’t know about baggage claim, but I’ve found that airport to be a very mixed bag. I don’t think I’ve ever been in Terminal A. Terminal B sucks (and IIRC A and B do date from the early 1960s, which probably explains your experience with baggage claim). Terminal C is fine; not particularly fancy, but adequate. I’m not sure I’ve ever been in D. Terminal E is fairly new and very nice with lots of amenities.
My favorite airport is Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) in Austin. Since I usually fly Southwest, it is very easy in and out. The WN gates are right in the middle of the main terminal. There are four TSA checkpoints, so getting through security is easy. Just the four are far apart, so it’s hard to know which is the best choice. To help with this, they’ve put up monitors showing the wait times at the other checkpoints. The restaurants reflect the local flavor, there is sometimes local live music playing, and the music on the sound system is always local acts.
My favorite part is going from the gate down to baggage claim. It’s all wide open and you go down an escalator in full view of anyone you may be meeting. It’s very dramatic as you see your loved-ones waiting at the bottom or you see your beloved descending the escalator.
The worst part is that rideshares are not allowed to pick up at the terminal. The City of Austin has a hate-hate relationship with Uber and Lyft. They have a dedicated pick-up point with convenient signage, but it is a LONG walk through the garage to the staging area.
Pittsburgh, not too bad. XNA (northwest Arkansas) is about 15 minutes from my house. It’s basically the Walmart/Tyson airport. Very small and nice, but pricey. Southwest will never fly there because of high landing fees. 
Same in Pittsburgh.