World's most efficient airports named

If you're looking for hassle-free travel, airports in Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham (North Carolina), Oslo, Geneva, Hong Kong, and Seoul-Gimpo are your best bet, according to a study released earlier this month.

The Air Transport Research Society (ATRS), an academic body that studies global airport performance, released its annual ranking of airport efficiency July 7 after studying statistics such as traffic data, on-time statistics, financial reports and passenger throughput.

It concluded that Atlanta is the most efficient airport in North America and the world, as it handled the most traffic for the 11th consecutive year in 2008 as well as being well financially-managed and a competitive place for airlines to operate.

Hong Kong International was identified as the most efficient in Asia-Pacific, although the ATRS singled out Seoul-Gimpo as having experienced a "remarkable turnaround" since international flights were transferred to Incheon in 2001.

Australian airports fared reasonably well in their categories, with Sydney's airport named the second most efficient in the region after Hong Kong for airports handling more than 15 million passengers per year. Perth was named second most efficient airport in the region for airports with under 15 million passengers, behind Seoul-Gimpo.

In Europe, Oslo Airport was judged the most efficient, taking the crown from Copenhagen which has topped the European rankings for several years.

Nic Nilsen, the managing director of Oslo Airport, said that the award was "proof that the airport operates efficiently, which benefits everyone, and these things do not go unnoticed in the world at large.”

World's most efficient airports