Airport dining memories traditionally haven’t topped my holiday highlights. Maybe I’ve been fleeced too many times for grab-and-go soggy or stale sandwiches at extortionate prices. After dealing with traffic congestion and the rigmarole of aviation security at so many airports, just getting to my gate on time can feel like a personal achievement.

But in a bid to entice passengers to arrive earlier and linger longer, airports around the world are taking dining to fresh heights, revamping airport terminals with innovative dining offerings, where the accent is on celebrating local, seasonal and signature tastes. In fact, many airports are repositioning themselves as an extension of their respective city’s local foodie scene. Here’s a few airport standouts, highly-trafficked airports by Kiwis, where you may well want to pack an appetite.

Los Angeles International, LAX, has spent mega-bucks transforming its perception in eyes of the travelling public. And the Great Hall in the Tom Bradley International Terminal delivers a far more appealing airside experience than what Air New Zealand passengers had to previously withstand in their soulless old terminal.

Amongst the new-found abundance of dining options at LAX, the star performer winning constant accolades is ink.sack. At first glance, it’s just another sandwich bar but, except they’re created by award-winning  chef Michael Voltaggio. Just like his smash-hit West Hollywood shop, ink.sack serves artisanal sandwiches like the Jose Andres Spanish Godfather with ham, tomato, chorizo and manchego, and gravlax with pickled onions, capers. Another top-seller is the pork butt banh mi. These ridiculously delicious and diminutive sandwiches of high quality, are right-sized, so that you can sample two or more at a time.

If you’re in a celebratory mood, make a beeline for Petrossian. This caviar purveyor is the ritziest airside venue at LAZ. It’s all about caviar, Russian yeasted pancakes (blinis), Champagne, and maybe a shot or two of vodka to toast your flight. Another trending venue at LAX is Lemonade, in Terminal 5. Fostering a red-hot following across Southern California, you’ll struggle to find a better selection of quick-casual gourmet salads.

Across the pond, Plane Food by Gordon Ramsay is creating a lot of buzz at London Heathrow, Terminal 5. So much buzz, that reservations are actually recommended at the first airport eatery from award-winning celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. You can kill time watching the runway action through large picture windows while enjoying vintage British fare like dry-aged British beef, English pea and broad bean risotto, toffee pudding and cheese plates.

If you’re pressed for time, choose from the Plane Fast menu, organised by the amount of time it will take to be served, with a gourmet two course 25-minute or a 35-minute three course option. Or you can cause serious in-flight envy with your very only Plane Picnic, a selection of your choice of starters, entrees and desserts, ready to devour at 35,000 feet.

Heading to gorgeous Vancouver? Globe@YVR blends a riot of award-winning British Columbian cuisine with floor to ceiling runway windows and cosy fires blazing in stone fireplaces.

Meanwhile at Miami, or MIA as its more informally known, Café Versailles scoops a lot of plaudits for its grab-and-go French and Cuban fusion sandwiches. Their classic Cubans absolutely hit the spot. Plus their flaky Cuban pastries with fillings like coconut, guava, and cream cheese are addictive.  Best of all, Café Versailles serves genuine Cuban coffee.

Singapore’s Changi Airport is renowned for its slew of time-killing amusements, art works and retail excess. But if you’re your taste buds need entertaining, follow the covered walkway to Changi Crone Plaza Hotel, which is home to Imperial Treasure. I experienced this lavishly decorated restaurant last year and if you enjoy Cantonese cuisine, this quintessential Chinese restaurant, is absolutely sublime. The menu runs the gamut from fresh fish to roast goose, but my recommendation would be the deep-fried prawns smothered in a wasabi sauce.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol offers a particularly effervescent affair at 8 Bubbles Seafood & Winebar. The restaurant’s name is very self-explantory, pairing bubbly wines with fresh seafood dishes and share plates. The generous platters of North Sea oysters never lose interest, but it’s also a great chance to sample an old-school  Dutch speciality – raw herring served with pickles and onions. An added feature is the bar’s giant saltwater aquarium, filled with exotic fish along with and in-house casino. Just be sure not to miss your flight with these pre-flight distractions.

Finally, Munich Airport has the unique European novelty of sporting an airport brewery and beer garden.  Airbräu Brauhaus, in Terminal 1, even offers brewery tours. I prefer just to chiil in the beer garden. The menu operates a different theme each day. For example, Monday is schnitzel day, Saturday is suckling pig day and Sunday is the best of the lot, it’s Bavarian feast day, with the ‘Airlebnis Buffet’ laying on a lavish spread of Bavarian signature dishes.

Mike Yardley is Newstalk ZB’s Travel Correspondent on Saturday Mornings with Jack Tame.