If you’ve ever wanted to run an airport without the stress of real life air traffic control, you might think this game is for you. Welcome to my review of Airport, the board game that promised my friends and me a wild ride of delayed flights, last-minute gate changes, and more passenger drama than a summer blockbuster. I played this one more times than I’ve sat on the tarmac, all to answer the burning questions—does Airport actually take off, or should it stay grounded?
How It Plays
Setting up
First, hand out a player board and little plastic airplanes to everyone. Shuffle the destination cards and place them in the middle. Throw your dreams of becoming a real pilot out the window—it’s about to get bumpy. Everyone grabs some starting money and you place the main airport board within arm’s reach (for those dramatic rerouting moments).
Gameplay
On your turn, pick a flight route and spend your coins to send one of your planes off. Watch out—other players might block your route or steal your best flight. You’ll draw event cards too, so brace for lost luggage or sudden weather that cancels your plans (like real life, just without the angry customers). Most turns will have you choosing which routes to claim, dropping off passengers, and snatching up quick bonus points.
Winning the game
The game ends once someone runs out of planes or all destination cards are gone. Tally up your points from completed routes, leftover coins, and any sneaky bonus objectives. Whoever has the most points is crowned Airport Royalty and gets to brag about their airline skills until the next game night.
Want to know more? Read our extensive strategy guide for Airport.
How Does Airport Play? Let’s Board the Mechanics Runway!
Alright, let me tell you about the gameplay flow of Airport. This isn’t your granddad’s Monopoly—though it is just as likely to send someone into a rage spiral if their flight gets delayed for the tenth time. Each player takes on the role of a busy airport manager. The goal? Coordinate flights, manage passengers, and build your airport into the biggest (and hopefully not the most chaotic) hub around.
Turns follow a clear order. First, you draw a flight card. This could be good news, like a celebrity arriving (who always needs a private lounge, of course), or bad news—my friend Lucy still hasn’t forgiven the time a thunderstorm closed her entire terminal. Then you allocate your available staff: do you assign them to security, cleaning, or just let them chill in the cafeteria? Pro tip: ignore baggage claims at your own peril. I once did, and suddenly everyone was yelling about lost luggage, and my airport got the one-star review of doom.
There’s a bit of worker placement, a dash of resource management, and—here’s where my eyebrow goes up—a lot of luck. Draw the wrong card at the wrong time, and you’ll swear the deck is stacked against you. Nothing personal, Airport, but I don’t like handing victory to whichever player pulls fewer catastrophe cards. Still, planning your terminals and racing to complete upgrades gives you a real sense of control, if the deck doesn’t mess you up too much. The game flows pretty quickly, with not much downtime unless someone spends six minutes deciding whether to upgrade the snack bar or the toilets.
Next up: let’s talk about Airport’s component quality and artwork—prepare for boarding with your eyes!
Component Quality and Artwork: Is Airport a First-Class Cabin or Budget Airline?
Alright, let’s talk about the bits and pieces you actually get when you open up Airport. The very first thing I noticed: these boards are THICK. You could probably use one as a serving tray for peanuts (don’t actually do this, trust me). The cardboard tokens are chunky and satisfying—no flimsy little chits here. Even my clumsy friend Greg hasn’t managed to bend one yet, and he once ruined a Jenga set by sneezing on it.
The artwork? It’s like someone actually travelled to real airports and took notes: bustling terminals, cheeky little planes, tired-looking passengers that somehow resemble my family after a holiday. I love how the artists packed personality into signs, luggage, and even the tiny security guards—who look simultaneously bored and suspicious. The player pieces look like they belong in a high end playset, and the cards have bright, clean illustrations that make the game table feel lively. You almost expect to hear a flight announcement or smell those weird airport sandwiches.
But here’s my nitpick: the player boards are a bit small if you have big hands, and the font on the tiny tickets is a struggle in dim light. If you wear glasses, prepare for a good squint. Otherwise, the rulebook is clear (and even manages a joke or two), which is a rarity worth celebrating.
Now that you know Airport’s components are closer to first-class than discount airline, let’s get ready to board the next topic: is this game more for strategic pilots, or does Lady Luck sometimes hijack your flight?
Skill vs. Luck: Who Really Runs the Airport?
Picture this: It’s my turn in Airport, and I am ready to show off my sharp planning skills. But then—BAM!—I draw a disaster card, and my runways are chaos. Welcome to the world of Airport, where strategy sits shoulder-to-shoulder with Lady Luck, and sometimes she throws peanuts at you from the back of the plane.
Airport does give you meaningful choices. You can decide where to send your planes, which upgrades to snag, and how to keep your terminal humming. I loved puzzling out the best way to juggle passenger demand and dodgy weather. There’s definitely a brainy layer, especially when you spot your best friend’s flight path and block it just to watch them grumble.
But let’s not sugarcoat it. Luck sneaks into every game like a sneaky stowaway. Card draws can crush the best plans, and random events can turn your five-star terminal into a luggage pile. Some folks in my group found the randomness hilarious. Others (mostly me after losing three times in a row) grumbled under their breath. If you want perfect control, Airport may make you want to hijack the rulebook.
Still, the balance isn’t a total crash landing. Smart moves often pay off in Airport, especially over several rounds. But if you’re allergic to luck, you may want to taxi elsewhere. Next up, let’s buckle in and chat about whether you’ll want to play Airport again and again—plus what happens when your frenemy tries to steal your passengers.
Is Airport Fun Over and Over? Replayability and Player Chaos on the Runway
So, you’re thinking about running your own little airline empire in Airport more than once? Fair question. Some games get stale quick—I’ve got a shelf of regretful purchases to prove it. Airport, though, does a pretty solid job at keeping things fresh…most of the time. Each round feels a bit different, thanks to the random events and the ever-changing player strategies. I’ve played with my friends (yes, I have friends, they’re just suspiciously good at board games), and no two games have played out the same way.
The player interaction in Airport is what kept us laughing (and groaning) the most. You’re not just running your own show—you’re elbowing your way through the crowd to snatch routes, planes, and bonuses before anyone else gets the chance. There’s plenty of blocking moves, sneaky plays, and desperate last-minute changes of plan. Sometimes my pal Dave would steal the exact contract I’d been eyeing, forcing me to scramble. I’m still not over it, Dave.
Airport also scales pretty well with different group sizes. With more players, things are wilder and occasionally cutthroat. With fewer, it’s a bit more strategic, almost like chess with airplanes (except no one actually knows what’s going on half the time).
So, do I recommend Airport? If you want a game that keeps you guessing and stays fun after a few plays, I’d say book your ticket. Just watch out for that one friend who always plays dirty. There’s always one.
Conclusion
That about wraps up my Airport review! If you’re looking for a game with lots of laughs, a bit of chaos, and don’t mind a little luck getting in the way of your best-laid plans, Airport is a solid pick. The component quality and artwork are top notch, and it’s easy to get new folks on board (pun intended). But if you want pure strategy and hate rolling dice with your fate, you might get a little turbulence here. My friends and I had fun, though—I laughed so much, I almost missed my boarding call to real life. Happy gaming, and thanks for sticking around for the whole flight!
