Close to 3 million people fly into and out of U.S. airports every day, according to the Federal Aviation Authority. There are 5,082 public airports in the U.S. and 5,400 airplanes over U.S. airspace at peak times. The air travel system is vast and complex, and getting travelers through the airport, onto the airplane, and safely to their destination requires many workers at different levels and many processes functioning properly. (These are the busiest airports in the world.)
While paying customers understand the complexities of air travel and are mostly familiar with the different required procedures, they also have a reasonable expectation that going through the airport will be at the very least a neutral experience rather than an aggravating one. In an ideal world, we would show up to the airport, check in our bags with minimal frustration, get through security without a lengthy wait, board the plane without too much of a hassle, and take off without too many delays. Similarly, we would expect the same when we land.
At America’s best airports, travelers not only get all of the above, but some creature comforts are thrown in, too. Dining options are good and plentiful. There are plenty of places to sit and conveniently-placed chargers. The terminals are modern and thoughtfully-designed with passenger comfort in mind. At America’s worst airports, all of that goes out the window. (Also see, these are the best and worst airlines for getting to your destination on time.)
To determine the worst airports in America, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed J.D. Power’s 2022 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, which scored U.S. and Canadian airports by air travelers satisfaction, grouping airports into three categories: mega, large, and medium. The airports listed here are those that scored below the average in their respective size category. The 10 worst mega, nine worst large, and seven worst medium U.S. airports are listed here, ranked by customer satisfaction score (out of 1,000).
J.D. Power’s study measured terminal facilities; airport arrival/departure; baggage claim; security check; check-in/baggage check; and food, beverage and retail. Mega airports are defined as those with 33 million or more passengers per year; large airports handle 10 million to 32.9 million annual passengers; and medium airports 4.5 million to 9.9 million annual passengers.
According to the study, overall customer satisfaction declined in 2022 after reaching an all-time high in 2021, when air travel was still a fraction of pre-pandemic volumes. With volumes back to 91% of pre-pandemic norms and staff shortages causing delays and cancellations, customer satisfaction declined 25 points (on a 1,000-point scale) in 2022 compared to 2021.
From interminable security wait times to lengthy delays, these are the worst airports in America. If you happen to find yourself flying into or out of any of these, prepare yourself.
Click here to see the worst airports in America for customer satisfaction.
Click here to read our detailed methodology.
Mega Airports
10. Charlotte Douglas International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 768 (mega airports avg.: 769)
> Avg. security wait time: 16.1 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 71.8%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 67.6%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 20,900,875
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9. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 765 (mega airports avg.: 769)
> Avg. security wait time: 7.7 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 73.2%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 69.4%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 18,940,287
8. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 764 (mega airports avg.: 769)
> Avg. security wait time: 10.5 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 67.8%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 65.8%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 13,598,994
7. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 764 (mega airports avg.: 769)
> Avg. security wait time: 14.0 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 79.3%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 80.7%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 17,430,195
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6. Denver International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 759 (mega airports avg.: 769)
> Avg. security wait time: 11.3 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 76.4%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 68.6%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 28,645,527
5. George Bush International Airport (Houston, Texas)
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 758 (mega airports avg.: 769)
> Avg. security wait time: 12.4 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 81.1%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 77.2%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 16,242,821
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4. Boston Logan International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 754 (mega airports avg.: 769)
> Avg. security wait time: 13.2 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 68.2%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 70.9%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 10,909,817
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3. Los Angeles International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 753 (mega airports avg.: 769)
> Avg. security wait time: 10.7 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 74.7%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 75.7%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 23,663,410
2. O’Hare International Airport (Chicago, Illinois)
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 751 (mega airports avg.: 769)
> Avg. security wait time: 16.7 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 78.8%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 75.3%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 26,350,976
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1. Newark Liberty International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 719 (mega airports avg.: 769)
> Avg. security wait time: 17.6 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 59.5%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 58.5%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 14,514,049
Large Airports
9. Oakland International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 773 (large airports avg.: 784)
> Avg. security wait time: 8.1 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 75.8%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 72.8%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 4,011,953
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8. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 771 (large airports avg.: 784)
> Avg. security wait time: 11.0 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 69.7%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 69.7%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 6,731,737
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7. Chicago Midway International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 770 (large airports avg.: 784)
> Avg. security wait time: 16.6 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 70.7%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 52.4%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 7,680,617
6. San Jose International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 768 (large airports avg.: 784)
> Avg. security wait time: 13.1 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 76.7%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 75.6%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 3,619,690
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5. St. Louis Lambert International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 765 (large airports avg.: 784)
> Avg. security wait time: 13.5 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 71.7%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 69.3%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 5,070,471
4. LaGuardia Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 761 (large airports avg.: 784)
> Avg. security wait time: 14.1 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 67.4%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 67.4%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 7,827,307
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3. Kansas City International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 760 (large airports avg.: 784)
> Avg. security wait time: 4.8 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 70.6%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 75.7%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 3,795,290
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2. Honolulu International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 758 (large airports avg.: 784)
> Avg. security wait time: 10.9 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 78.1%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 80.6%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 5,830,928
1. Philadelphia International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 729 (large airports avg.: 784)
> Avg. security wait time: 15.7 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 71.1%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 71.6%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 9,820,222
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Medium Airports
7. John Glenn Columbus
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 803 (medium airports avg.: 807)
> Avg. security wait time: 9.6 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 68.7%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 74.4%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 2,825,259
6. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 793 (medium airports avg.: 807)
> Avg. security wait time: 6.6 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 69.2%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 74.8%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 3,050,597
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5. Eppley Airfield (Omaha, Nebraska)
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 791 (medium airports avg.: 807)
> Avg. security wait time: 12.4 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 70.3%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 75.9%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 1,829,912
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4. Bradley International Airport (Hartford, Connecticut)
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 789 (medium airports avg.: 807)
> Avg. security wait time: 10.0 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 65.3%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 74.8%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 2,273,259
3. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 780 (medium airports avg.: 807)
> Avg. security wait time: 7.1 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 72.3%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 78.2%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 3,552,402
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2. Kahului Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 767 (medium airports avg.: 807)
> Avg. security wait time: 12.0 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 78.5%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 71.4%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 2,933,315
1. Hollywood Burbank Airport
> Customer satisfaction index rating: 763 (medium airports avg.: 807)
> Avg. security wait time: 4.3 minutes
> Pct. on-time arrivals, June 2022: 76.9%
> Pct. on-time departures, June 2022: 78.1%
> Total departing passengers, 2021: 1,942,417
Methodology
To determine the worst airports in America, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed J.D. Power’s 2022 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, which scored U.S. and Canadian airports by air travelers satisfaction, grouping airports into three categories: mega, large, and medium. The airports listed here are those that scored below the average in their respective size category. The 10 worst mega, nine worst large, and seven worst medium U.S. airports are listed here, ranked by customer satisfaction score (out of 1,000).
J.D. Power’s study is based on more than 26,000 completed surveys from August 2021 to July 2022. Respondents were asked to evaluate a departing or arriving airport based on terminal facilities; airport arrival/departure; baggage claim; security check; check-in/baggage check; and food, beverage and retail. Mega airports are defined as those with 33 million or more passengers per year; large airports handle 10 million to 32.9 million annual passengers; and medium airports 4.5 million to 9.9 million annual passengers.
Mega airports are defined as those with 33 million or more passengers per year; large airports with 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year; and medium airports with 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year.
24/7 Wall St. added data on average airport security wait time from tsa.report retrieved in September, 2022; the percentage of on-time arrival and departure from the U.S. Office of Aviation Protection’s August 2022 Air Travel Consumer report, covering data from June 2022; and the number of enplanements (departing passengers) in 2021, also from the Office of Aviation Protection.
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