Gleaming acres of glass and marble are neither here nor there. Although international airports represent the gateways to the cities they serve, all too often they seem to merge into one another. There is little sense of place. Modern travelers find themselves moving through a homogenized, global “Transitland.”

Or so it was. Increasingly, governments are recognizing that an airport terminal is much more than a transport hub. It represents a country’s shop window, its public face, its first point of contact with the world. An airport terminal defines a traveler’s initial impression of a destination.

Beijing Capital International Airport © Tea | Dreamstime.com

Of the new generation of airport terminals, none evokes a striking sense of place quite like Terminal 2 at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, which opened in February.

The fabric of the $2 billion building speaks of India, with architectural references to the sumptuous palaces of the rajas. The ornate white columns in the terminal’s main halls are inspired by peacock feathers. Elaborate chandeliers dangle above the passengers in the departure lounge.

The Loyalty Lounge for premium-class passengers adds an extra layer of exclusivity, with a complimentary bar, gourmet nibbles and access to all the technical paraphernalia required by business travelers.

T2’s uniquely Indian ambience is completed by the display of more than 7,000 works of art, showcased in a nearly two-mile-long art walk dubbed Jaya He. This is not just an airport terminal. It can genuinely claim to be India’s largest museum.

Art is also central to another newly opened Terminal 2. Four years after demolition of the old Terminal 2 at London’s Heathrow Airport, a shiny new incarnation started operations in June, devoted to Star Alliance carriers.

A sinuous, 230-foot aluminum sculpture by artist Richard Wilson dominates the ceiling of the entrance court. Entitled Slipstream, it replicates the flight path of a stunt plane.

In contrast to its Mumbai equivalent, Heathrow’s Terminal 2 (also known as The Queen’s Terminal) has been designed primarily to maximize efficiency rather than to project a sense of place. Architecturally, it sticks to the old “could be anywhere” model of terminal design. But this is very much a terminal for the times in which we live, with less emphasis given to the check-in area (most passengers now check in online or at self-service terminals), and more space given over to moving large volumes of people through the necessary layers of security.

Premium travelers are fast-tracked, with their own dedicated security lanes. Plush lounges await them, and of course, the temptation is to hurry there. But that would be to miss out on the main departure lounge, where Terminal 2 unashamedly proclaims its Britishness.

Many of the 62 shops showcase British brands; a pub serves an exclusive ale brewed at Fuller’s Brewery, just eight miles from Heathrow, and there is a restaurant — The Perfectionists’ Café — overseen by the country’s most celebrated chef, Heston Blumenthal.

Star Alliance airlines also benefit from a dedicated new terminal at Brazil’s São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport. Terminal 3 opened in May, prior to the FIFA World Cup, and immediately helped to ease some of the strain suffered by Latin America’s busiest airport.

For veterans of São Paulo’s chronically congested airport, Terminal 3 will come as a culture shock. While the old terminals collectively resemble a dingy, 1970s-style concrete cavern, the new terminal is bright and airy.

As operations increase, it will get much busier (with a projected annual capacity of 12 million passengers), but for now it exudes a refreshing quiet, and premium passengers don’t automatically breathe a sigh of relief when they reach the sanctuary of the airline lounges (as they continue to do in the other terminals).

Unusually, both in the context of Brazilian infrastructure projects and when measured against the track record of new terminals around the world, São Paulo’s Terminal 3 arrived on time and on budget.

Doha’s Hamad International Airport © Edmondlamcw | Dreamstime.com

The same cannot be said of several other high-profile projects. One of the most extreme examples: Doha’s Hamad International Airport, which finally opened in April, six years late and at a total cost of $16 billion. Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways (the new airport now serves as the carrier’s global hub), maintains the end result was worth the overruns. ‘‘The facilities we have in this building are unprecedented in any other airport.’’

Certainly, transit passengers with hours to kill between connecting flights will find it difficult to choose among so many options for whiling away their wait. Alongside a shopping mall, there are a short-stay hotel, a gym and even a swimming pool.

But it is premium passengers who will most benefit from the switch to the new airport. After the inevitable wrinkles have been ironed out (some of the premium lounges are not yet finished), Qatar Airways aims to extend its claim of being a 5-star airline to incorporate the experience on the ground.

First- and business-class passengers have their own entrance and glide seamlessly from check-in to security to lounge to aircraft. Every detail has been finessed to enhance the experience.

Premium passengers also benefit from exclusive facilities on arrival in Doha, including a Pre-Arrival Lounge where they can freshen up before proceeding through the entry formalities. Immigration usually takes about 30 minutes, though expatriate residents of Qatar can apply for an e-gate card which allows them to bypass the lines.

Dakar, capital of the West African nation of Senegal, desperately waited for its new airport, Aéroport International Blaise Diagne, for three years beyond its intended 2011 opening. The current target date is December 2014.

Given the record of switchovers elsewhere, air travelers should brace for initial disruption when the state-of-the-art, Saudi-built airport finally begins operations. For now, Dakar’s old Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport, never a traveler’s favorite, continues to decline and presents an increasingly chaotic ordeal for all users, including premium flyers.

Even legendary German efficiency is tested when it comes to getting a new airport up and running. After German reunification, Berlin found itself with three commercial airports. Plans were soon drawn up to shift all commercial flights to one purpose-built facility adjacent to the former East German airport, Schönefeld.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport was originally slated to open in 2010. Year by year, the date has slipped, with a lengthening catalogue of construction problems and other glitches. It is unlikely now the airport will open before the end of 2016. When it does, Berlin will turn into a major aviation hub and the airport will radically improve the experiences of premium travelers to the city, with a range of dedicated services.

The delays provide rival airports in Germany the opportunity to upgrade their facilities. Munich Airport aims to open a new satellite terminal in 2015, adding 52 extra gates to the existing Terminal 2, to which it will be linked by an automated railway. Five Lufthansa lounges in the satellite will double the number of lounges available in and around Terminal 2.

Throughout the 20th century, Europe and North America dominated commercial aviation. In the 21st century, the center of gravity shifted east, especially to China, where new and upgraded terminals are unveiled almost every week.

Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport © Hkctsang | Dreamstime.com

A radical expansion of Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, on the Chinese mainland close to Hong Kong, is just one of several major new developments altering the aviation map of the world. The futuristic new terminal, which opened in November 2013, offers swanky new premium lounges and provides business travelers an alternative hub to Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok Airport.

In March, Beijing Capital International Airport officially became the busiest airport in the world, thanks to the capacity added by the massive Terminal 3, which opened in 2008. An even bigger airport is now being planned to serve the Chinese capital. Beijing Daxing International Airport (its provisional name) will be the world’s biggest airport when it opens, possibly as early as 2018.

The Chinese experience proves airports cannot afford to rest on their laurels. The aviation industry constantly evolves. Whereas once new terminals were built for prestige, now they are a necessity.

Scotland is one territory that has lagged behind. That will change with the expansion of Edinburgh Airport. A major upgrade to the terminal will open later this year, transforming the passenger experience.

As Scotland asserts its identity, Edinburgh Airport, currently the fifth-busiest in Great Britain, is likely to become increasingly important. The airport already offers airline lounges. On domestic flights for which there is no premium class, travelers have the option of booking into the Servisair Aspire Lounge, from $32 per person.

In common with Edinburgh, San Francisco International Airport needs to make up ground on some of its national rivals. In January, the airport unveiled its newest renovation, Terminal 3 East (T3E for short), a $138 million, 10-gate expansion to United’s West Coast hub.

The word “terminal” has always been a misnomer. It suggests the end of a journey. But for modern travelers, whether departing or arriving, airport terminals are staging posts. They are places to pass through, as efficiently as possible, ideally in comfort and with style.