The U.S. Airports That You Should Try And Avoid

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport

Survey score: 769

Houston George Bush Intercontinental is actually quite far from main Houston, situated a lengthy 20 miles away from the downtown area. Reportedly many people struggle to navigate their way through the airport due to its enormous size. Even though the airport has various elevator devices and a subway system to help people move between terminals; people have still been complaining of the unrealistic amount of walking needed to navigate to connecting flights. Lacking clear visual direction to assist flight connecting passengers, many also have complained of the lack of charging stations. An average airport that “doesn’t feel old nor does it feel new”, the airport is very much a “middle-of-the-road type of airport” according to a review on Yelp.

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport

William P. Hobby Airport (Houston)

Survey score: 768

William P. Hobby Airport, despite it’s small stature and being overshadowed by larger airports in Houston, has actually caught more media attention over the past year than its counterparts. Hobby has been the place of a bomb scare (which turned out to be a toy grenade) and that of a spontaneous viral dance performance. Despite all the excitement, Hobby airport is actually well-known for having cancelled many flights due to mechanical issues, lack of hygiene, malfunctioning airport equipment, poor customer service and water-supply issues. According to a particular unhappy traveler, Hobby makes “LAX look like Disneyland” in comparison. Oh dear.

William P. Hobby Airport (Houston)

Salt Lake City International Airport

Survey score: 768

In anticipation of a new top-of-the-range airport soon to be arriving in Salt Lake City, residents will in the meantime have to make do with the current “claustrophobic nightmare”, as described by a traveler. Having been developed from the 1960’s and 70’s, Salt Lake City International’s most recent upgrade occurred in the 1980’s. Having been described as not keeping up “with growing air traffic and travelers’ needs”, Yelpers have complained about poor Wi-Fi, filthy facilities and crowded airport lounges.

Salt Lake City International Airport

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

Survey score: 767

Despite being named on the list of best airports of North America by Airports Council International, 2018, we have found that many passengers find the reality to this quite the opposite. To manage a growing business, Minneapolis-St. Paul attached a few badly-constructed expansions to itself. The current layout of this airport is confusing to say the least. Having underground crossings, traffic from cars, confusing signs and escalators; Yelpers report long-lasting security lines, with one Yelper even likening their situation to that of herding “cattle to a meat factory”. Apparently there is also a lack of toilets, long walks from security areas to gates and even cases of food poisoning! One passenger even referred to the airport as a “destination for one’s worst enemy”. An airport to surely avoid.

Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport

San Jose International Airport

Survey score: 767

Despite being in close proximity to Silicon Valley, having direct flights to large cities and having not had reports of significant delays, complaints of a poor layout overshadow the positives of this airport. Recent building-work on the airport didn’t do too much to rectify the poor design of the area. Described as a one-mile-long hallway, there is no device or system to assist passengers with carrying their luggage, and passing through tight areas due to poor flight planning. Many flights will arrive at similar times, causing a backlog of passengers to pass through one tight area. Apparently baggage claim and car-rental counters are on opposite ends of the airport. With the cars being on a different floor entirely. In addition to these poor planning features, signs have been said to have caused more confusion than help to the passenger. A passenger reported on AirlineQuality.com that “if you have difficulty walking long distances, avoid it at all costs.” It would seem that unless you have the legs of a sportsperson, this may be an airport to avoid.

San Jose International Airport

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Survey score: 765

An airport that has actually received recognition for its lack of delays, reliability, relief areas for animals, environmental awareness and nursing rooms has unfortunately had it’s praise tarnished by construction issues. The ongoing construction has left several areas of the airport permanently ignored. Particular issue has been raised with Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. Lacking restaurants, cafes or even a coffee counter at regular travel times, passengers have also been disappointed by damaged seating areas, the lack of working power outlets, the absence of Wi-Fi and two miniscule bathrooms that are not in proportion to the size of the airport. Described as a “zoo” by an unhappy Yelper, there have been instances of no air conditioning too.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Chicago Midway International Airport

Survey score: 763

Having been in a state of renovation since 2018, only disaster has occurred here. Chicago Midway has had additional gates inserted to an area that can’t quite contain them. Reports of crowding, lack of seating areas and security queues that can’t even be contained to be just indoors express just how much this airport is failing at the simple things. Enjoyable food options have been pushed out in favour of poor-quality food-chains, offering poor service and dire food. Yelpers complain about “dry microwaved bread”, having “Chicago’s worst pizza” and expensive salads with “scary brown lettuce”. Being the prime location for connecting flights, this centrally located airport needs to have decent food options for its many connecting travelers. The quality on offer right now is just not up to standard.

Chicago Midway International Airport

San Francisco International Airport

Survey score: 763

A rather old airport, initially opened in 1954, it consists of four terminals which includes a world-renowned aviation museum and library in its modern International Terminal. Many complaints however center around Terminal 1, claiming that this terminal’s redesign are rather poor. Housing only few restaurants, confusing announcements, malfunctioning charging ports and a general lack of space for the amount of customers; a Yelper referred to the airport as a “hellhole” that screams “You’re never getting out of here”. Best try and avoid this one.

San Francisco International Airport

Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Survey score: 761

Despite being the world’s seventh busiest airport, by means of air traffic, the terminal itself is in need of serious renovations to be able to cope with the amount of passengers entering and leaving each day. Complaints of crowding, lack of seats, lack of hygiene and no clear differentiation between construction and useable airport space fit the rhetoric of a particular Yelp reviewer who claimed that the airport is “absolutely gross”. It has “exposed wires, cracks and a draft from the outside”, he continues. Charlotte Douglas International certainly needs work, but with its current construction taking ever so long, something else needs to be done to fix the problems at this airport.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Survey score: 759

Having been opened in the earlier part of the 20th century, 1941, the terminals created in 1997 reflect the earlier styles. The terminals that Ronald Reagan Washington National has to offer may be interesting architecturally, but not in the standard of a modern passenger. Lacking power outlets and charging stations, the amount of staff can’t properly assist the amount of passengers. Though the glass-wall design of Terminal A may be visually pleasing to the eye, it unfortunately acts as a greenhouse in the afternoon, causing uncomfortable temperatures for passengers waiting in the terminal. Lacking proper access for disabled passengers, those in wheelchairs are quietly shifted through “shady hidden elevators and some private corridors to a bus” to bring them straight toward their relevant gate, reported by a traveler on Yelp.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Baltimore Washington International

Survey score: 759

An initial travel success, described by many, the airport has had so many alterations that its current state can only be described as a chaotic. Uncontrollable car traffic, lengthy distances to reach rental cars and long terminals ensure a poor score for this airport. Poor hygiene in bathrooms, few outlets and unhelpful airport staff have lead to the question, Why do people continue to travel through this airport? According to one Yelper, prices of flights at this airport are between $80 and $120 cheaper than it’s competitors. Depending on the value of your time, they consider the price difference “pretty decent savings”.

Baltimore Washington International

Kahului Airport (Maui, Hawaii)

Survey score: 757

An airport reported to be way before its time, Kahului Airport lacks air conditioning, has uncomfortable waiting lines, bottlenecks and signs that only confuse the passenger. Surprisingly, there is Wi-Fi here, but it needs to be paid for and is not too easy to locate. An open-air airport, high temperatures prevail here against the willpower of the passenger.

Kahului Airport (Maui, Hawaii)

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Survey score: 756

Considered too small to fully process the air traffic that the airport receives, the only guarantee is that you will find yourself waiting in long TSA lines, experiencing aggressive customer service, nowhere to sit and a messy travel experience to put it lightly. Refurbishment has only added to the chaos of the airport. Connecting passengers also lose out here with food options quickly closing at 10pm, leaving someone with a long connection somewhat of a problem to solve their hunger.

Seattle Tacoma International Airport

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport

Survey score: 753

On a day where all goes to plan, this Missouri airport can actually be considered okay. Offering many difference choices of cuisine, useful convenience stores for buying essentials, the airport has a useful connection to downtown St. Louis from it’s light rail. Again what seems to be a recurring issue for smaller airports is the lack of spatial planning compared to its incoming traffic. This ensures lengthy security lines. Slow service all round only brings the overall rating of this airport lower. With the airport being quite so spread out, navigating from A to B can add significant time onto your journey.

Lambert St. Louis International Airport

New York John F. Kennedy International Airport

Survey score: 752

New York City airports already give themselves a poor name, and JFK is no exception. Being the size it is, JFK has hundreds of thousands of flights come and go every year. However, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics report that for every five flights, at least one is delayed. If you consider that up to 59 million passengers travel through JFK annually, that is a large amount of delayed flights. Poor, slow service do not help the cause, and sometimes it can even take hours to fully pass through security to the gate.

New York John F. Kennedy International Airport

Washington Dulles International Airport

Survey score: 751

If you’re attempting to travel to D.C. from Dulles, you may experience a hard time to say the least. An extension to the Washington Metro Silver line (subway) is not quite close to completion, requiring the passenger to take a confusing combo of bus, subway, a long drive or a costly taxi. Dulles is similar to other airports mentioned in this article, in the sense that it doesn’t have the space required to fully process the number of passengers which pass through on a daily basis.

Washington Dulles International Airport

Miami International Airport

Survey score: 750

Having such a great route, in proximity to the Caribbean (and it’s popularity), Miami International is always super busy. Usually it is full of Florida residents in their attempt to return home or generally large amounts of tourists. Lengthy distances from beginning to end, confusing signs and poor service don’t enhance the traveler experience. With one in five flights experiencing delays, the humidity only ensures that any misfortune is worse.

Miami International Airport

Oakland International Airport

Survey score: 749

Having features such as grim bathrooms, littered common areas, poor to no customer service and few food options, it can be thought that Oakland International may be a fictional place direct from a Stephen King novel. The best thing to do at this airport, is to leave. Luckily this is actually quite possible, with the BART trains leaving every 6 minutes. It is quite laughable that helping people leave is the task that the airport does best.

Oakland International Airport

Boston Logan International Airport

Survey score: 747

Boston is an amazing city, full of attractive sites, great food and a rich history. The home of the Red Sox, the city is truly a great place to see- if you can actually leave the airport. From a Bureau of Transportation Statistic report, nearly a quarter of arrivals and departures experienced delays in 2018. Lack of food options and long wait times, slow service and a general unattractiveness of the airport only ensure a worse experience than previously imagined.

Boston Logan International Airport

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

Survey score: 744

If you came here expecting to see positives for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, you have made a mistake. A fifth of arrivals and departures experienced delays in 2018, causing long wait times and chaos for prospective passengers. Entertaining large amounts of air traffic from passengers moving to a cruise, the terminal exhibits no great option to travel to the port. Lacking seating areas, having expensive shops and poor hygiene in toilet facilities add to the chaos. Long walks between terminals do not help this airports cause.

Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

Survey score: 743

The time-planning of incoming and outgoing air traffic from this airport is actually quite positive. However, the airport just isn’t the correct size to handle the traffic it experiences. Tiny restrooms, few food options and lengthy queueing don’t help the situation. Poor general hygiene, malfunctioning charging ports and underappreciated staff don’t help this outdated airport to surpass expectations.

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (Honolulu)

Survey score: 736

For a city like Honolulu, which gets a crazy amount of tourism, the state failed massively when designing it’s international airport. Daniel K. Inouye Airport is impossible to navigate through. Despite boasting positive stats for its time-planning and lack of cancellations; it is still possible to miss your flight because you simply can’t locate your gate. Signs do not actually help navigate a passenger from A to B, more so leading them to dead ends and un-enterable areas. Extra time may be needed to locate your terminal prior to boarding. Considered outdated by many, this airport needs some serious work.

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (Honolulu)

Philadelphia International Airport

Survey score: 736

Philadelphia International is actually quite well-known, although for the wrong reasons. Lacking good hygiene, having terrible customer service; “escalators [are] not working, water fountains out of work, confused TSA agents”, the airport is a disaster from start to finish. A fifth of flights have already experienced delays this year, and even with the hope given to the prospective passenger that improvements will come, following the news of a $900 million planned renovation for the airport; don’t hold your breath.

Philadelphia International Airport

Chicago O’Hare International Airport

Survey score: 735

Despite having great options for eating and shopping, the airport fails most as what it is most required to do. With a fifth of it’s flights experiencing delays, flyers need to ensure that their layovers are of significant time, or they quite simply won’t make their connecting flight. Non-Domestic travelers need to travel by train across the airport to deal with unenthusiastic workers, long security checks and lengthy queuing. A particular Yelper who gave themselves “four hours between flights.. barely made it to my gate on time”. Disastrous to say the least.

Chicago O’Hare International Airport

Los Angeles International Airport

Survey score: 735

The problem with Los Angeles International (LAX) is not weather issues, but rather the insane traffic that Los Angeles has when arriving or leaving. Long waiting times, security checks and baggage claim issues don’t help the prospective traveler. Waiting times of up to an hour to claim luggage will leave you feeling less than pleased. A V O I D.

Los Angeles International Airport

Kansas City International Airport

Survey score: 733

For its size, you would think Kansas City International would not experience such massive problems. This is quite incorrect. With lack of parking options, many will have no choice but to use expensive transport to arrive or leave the airport. Bathrooms lacking the space needed, not enough space for security checks and lack of seating areas ensure great discomfort for any passenger. A Yelper even likened the airport to that of an “old, dilapidated bus station”. Which is actually quite a generous comment.

Kansas City International Airport

Newark Liberty International Airport

Survey score: 701

Experiencing poor planning, poor food options and general service, delays; Newark is an airport that requires significant improvement. Up to 30% of arriving flights have been recorded as delayed, along with 23% of departing flights from a 2018 report, an actual improvement on previous years. If you are wanting to arrive at the wrong time, or leave later than expected- come to Newark Liberty International Airport! The only positive however, is that there is a good service connecting it to New York City, a non-costly train. That is unfortunately the end of the positives. J.D. Power did find a worse airport, but that doesn’t say a lot.

Newark Liberty International Airport

LaGuardia Airport (New York)

Survey score: 678

Having the lowest score in this list, LaGuardia is certainly one of the worst airports you could possibly experience. New York City is a major city, there is no surprise that there will be large volumes of air traffic. However, LaGuardia just simply isn’t equipped to deal with that. With almost a quarter of incoming and outgoing traffic experiencing delays, the airport is additionally cramped and lacking organization. The lack of seating, restrooms, retail options and food options further support the rhetoric. Ongoing construction does not actually appear to be helping the airport improve. A Yelp reviewer explained that “Concourses are narrow and there are very few services like food and shopping”. Old, dirty and crying out for refurbishment, this airport needs some serious work. Survival of this airport experience will actually put a passenger in good stead for their New York adventures.

LaGuardia Airport (New York)

Outside of the US, there are many cities which are home to their own terrible airports. Continue on to discover which world-wide airports would be best to avoid.

Rhodes Airport, Greece

From long lines, a cramped terminal and a general feel of discomfort; passengers have long complained about this airport. Restrooms have been known to be often out of order, having unfriendly and unhelpful staff as well as a poor layout. Despite this, Rhodes airport actually moved up a place in rankings back in 2015.

Rhodes Airport, Greece

Paris-Beauvais-Tille, France

Home to mostly budget airlines like Ryanair or Wizzair, Paris-Beauvais-Tille is actually situated quite far from Paris, almost 90km. The distance between the airport and Paris center has been identified as the largest problem with this ‘Paris’ airport, but this blow is worsened by having to cover this distance with your own vehicle, or by use of costly airport shuttles. Poor seating options, and unsatisfactory customer care, along with the lack of restrooms and general hygiene do not help this airport’s case.

Paris-Beauvais-Tille, France

Santorini Airport, Greece

A well-known beauty hotspot of the Greek islands, Santorini Airport is the huge negative associated with this prime holiday destination. Only a small Mediterranean island itself, the airport is home to unrealistic, chaotic lines. A particular Yelper even suggested that it would be more worthwhile for a passenger to “take a ferry or swim” to the island, something apparently preferable to going through this airport experience. Wow.

Santorini Airport, Greece

Cluj International Airport, Romania

The worst thing about Cluj International? Where do we begin. A waiting hall that simply can’t contain the amount of passengers passing through, a gasoline-smelling shuttle bus, long wait times for baggage and poor flight-planning causes a huge mess at this airport. With so many flights arriving at similar times, discomfort will surely be felt. If this airport was to rectify this issue, it probably wouldn’t be so bad, but we are not holding our breath.

Cluj International Airport, Romania

Rome- Ciampino, Italy

Terribly long waiting lines, few seating options and a glum ambiance are the main factors affecting an airport for such an important city. The airport experiences high amounts of air-traffic, and it simply cannot accommodate the level of passengers it receives. Advice is to avoid this airport, unless you wish to feel like a member of a herd of sheep.

Rome- Ciampino, Italy

London Luton Airport, England

Being the fourth largest airport in London, Luton is surely the let-down of the lot. Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick are all considerably more well known, and are able to accommodate a larger volume of passengers. The home of mainly budget airlines, the airport proves costly in other areas. Everything seems to cost money. Whether that would be driving into the airport, using a luggage carrier or Wi-Fi just to name a few. With low quality food options, lengthy waiting lines and average customer care, you may find yourself waiting at counters and gates for long periods.

London Luton Airport, England

Chania International Airport, Crete, Greece

Complaints of poor service seem to be the primary issue facing Chania International Airport. For such a beautiful Greek island, it is a shame that the first experience you will have here will be such a negative one. Staff appear to be confused, lacking the ability to help travelers; food options are far and few and one ‘Skytrax’ reviewer labelled the restroom facilities as the “worst I’ve ever used”. A mind-numbing slow check in service, often taking hours has been another noteworthy complaint from this airport. Want information? Good luck finding it here!

Chania International Airport, Crete, Greece

Charles-de-Gaulle, Paris, France

Which airport is the least visually aesthetic? Charles-de-Gaulle. Charles-de-Gaulle airport is the least visually aesthetic. Housing huge rotundas and silly industrial pipes- the place is quite frankly rather hideous. The largest airport in France unfortunately is the largest let-down of all the French airports. Locating and navigating are two seemingly impossible tasks here. Confusing signage will actually lead you away from where you are trying to go. If you try to use the wall directions, you will surely have less chance of acquiring access to the local transport network.

Charles-de-Gaulle, Paris, France

Birmingham Airport

The fifth largest airport from one of the major English cities, Birmingham has is also a victim of a recurring issue throughout this article; poor spatial awareness. Birmingham airport is just too small to accommodate the level of passengers it takes. Crowding and confusion prevail here, long waiting times cause nervousness and tension among travelers. If you can use Manchester or one of the London airports, you probably should.

Birmingham Airport

Banda Neira, Indonesia

If a bumpy, confusing ride is what you desire; come and visit Banda Neira airport. The use of tiny planes, with scary looking propellers that make you feel extremely unstable, cause a tumultuous ride, to keep it light and simple. A beautiful  island worthy of a visit, make sure you are properly strapped in, and hope that you have nausea bags in close proximity.

Banda Neira, Indonesia

Pune, India

A city known for its extreme temperatures, 43 degrees to be specific; passengers struggle to contain their disappointment with this airport. Whacked in the face by severe humidity, passengers will still be catching their breath before being pushed out of the aircraft by large crowds of travelers. If the aircraft crowding was not enough, prepare yourself to be packed with hundreds of others in a shuttle bus from the terminal. A seemingly fearless people, perhaps used to crowding such as this; a tourist will surely struggle to deal with the chaos, while fighting the discomfort of the temperature and humidity.

Pune, India

Bergamo

A well-known poor airport, Bergamo is perhaps one of the worst ever used. Passengers have reported many robberies here, with opportunists taking advantage of sleeping passengers. Security guards seem to have little interest in helping or preventing this issue. It has been frequented that security often harass snoozing passengers, perhaps to keep them awake so they can surely guard their own possessions. Though exhausted, they will at least (hopefully) be able to keep their things.

Bergamo

Zurich Airport

For an airport that has been praised for its organization, new-feel and cleanliness, it is a slight shock to see Zurich airport on a list of poor airports. Why is it here then? Officials and staff members! Unfortunately for an airport with the potential to be a great option, the staff let the place down. People report issues with entering the country. Strict officers prevent a smooth process for incoming passengers. Following a lengthy flight, this is possibly the worst thing a traveler can experience on arrival. If you want poor customer service, use Zurich airport.

Zurich Airport

N’Djamena Airport, Chad

Perhaps merely a confusion of cultures; it has been reported by a particular reviewer on ‘sleepinginairports.net’ that where there was a sole functioning lavatory, it was frankly too gross to use due to the amount of travelers who have washed their feet in the toilet bowl. A chaotic airport needing repair and refurbishment, the poor quality of staff worsen the situation further.

N’Djamena Airport, Chad

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport

Receiving approximately 30 million incoming travelers annually, Moscow Sheremetyevo quite frankly is unable to maintain this level of traffic. Missing flight connections here is a common fault due to long security checks, visa and passport issues and the pure lack of a streamlined process. A few adjustments here in planning could send this airport back up the list for sure. Until then however.. best avoid.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Calcutta, India

A laughable airport, one ‘airlinequality.com’ user labels the airport as the “funniest terminal I’ve ever seen”. Lacking hygiene, working services; the structure and layout of the system is poorly planned and annoying to say the least. Nothing is where it would need to be, announcements are non-existent. A truly confusing airport experience.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Calcutta, India

Malé, Maldives

The Maldives are absolutely beautiful, and if you can visit, you should. With crystal blue waters surrounding the island, this seems like something out of a dream. Hulhulé International Airport is not too far from Malé, the capital city. The main concern here however, is that the end of the runway is the Indian ocean. The runway is not super short, but at 3km there is a tiny chance that if all goes wrong, you may find yourself swimming back to shore. Only a little scary…

Malé, Maldives

Saba Caribbean

Considering the many mountains the island has, and lacking the required foundations to fully sustain an airport; Saba previously only had a temporary runway. After entertaining a landing from future mayor, Remy de Haenen, the airport was built on this area in 1959. The runway consists of only 400m, and the end of the runway leads to a cliff that will happily let you drop into the sea. Approaching the runway can only be done here with special permission. Sketchy, and scary, this is possibly one of the worst airports of all time.

Saba Caribbean

Funchal, Portugal

Requiring only the most skilled of passengers to land here, the pilot needs to battle strong winds and a sharp turn on landing. Located on a cliff, the length of the Funchal Madeira runway is the least of the airport’s worries. Receiving an extension to 2777m over a bay with a strong supportive structure, the airport has slightly improved. However, it was set back 520 million euros with this expansion.

Funchal, Portugal

Gibraltar Airport

A tiny place in itself, Gibraltar’s airport runway crosses it’s only road connection with Spain. For an international airport, this is something strange, or unique perhaps. Like a typical road crossing, the road will close for incoming and outgoing planes.

Gibraltar