Airports, love them or hate them, they are a necessity of international travel. Skytrax completed its annual awards recently by knighting Hong Kong's airport the best in the world. However, H.K. International was not the runaway winner. Yes, the South China Seas' most storied air hub has dominated the award during the first half of this decade, but according to Skytrax, this year was different.

The final results being the most closely contested in the history of this global passenger survey....

Seoul's Incheon and Singapore's Changi, another habitual high scorer in the survey, came in a close second and third. Munich and Zurich airports were the highest scorers outside East Asia.

For this blogger, airports are interesting because they serve as a crossing point for many travelers on their way to different destinations and different experiences.

Plush lounges and flashy duty-free shops are nice, too.