Survey says bathrooms make or break an airport

Three-quarters of travelers say a clean restroom is what makes an airport great. One in four travelers won't leave home without disinfectant and cleaning supplies, shower shoes, their own pillow, their own sheets and pillowcase, or their own towels. And six percent claim they were asked on a date or started a romantic relationship with a perfect stranger while on a flight, up from four percent last year.

These are some of the findings from hotel review site TripAdvisor, which released results this week of a survey of 4,000 travelers polled about travel trends ranging from choice destinations to biggest phobia while on the road (seems to be germs). While the poll targeted leisure travelers, there's plenty in here for road warriors to chew on.

Twenty-eight percent of travelers said their worst experience in a hotel room was a dirty bathroom; four percent of travelers reported experiencing bed bugs in a hotel room (See Bed bugs make a comeback, Oct. 12).

Favorite airports were Orlando International, Las Vegas McCarran and Denver International. Three of the most crowded airports in the country were voted least favorite: Chicago O'Hare; Atlanta Hartsfield International and New York's JFK International.

Fliers voted American Airlines best U.S. airline; Delta was named least favorite, and British Airways ranked number one among foreign carriers. Southwest earned second prize in the best airline category, but it also came in second in the worst airline category, casting doubt, at least for me, on the legitimacy of this barometer.

After all, how much can you trust a survey that puts Eureka, California on its list of Top Ten Hot U.S. Destinations for 2007?

Write to: Barbara Correa at bboydstoncorrea@yahoo.co,