4 U.S. Airports Were Just Ranked Among the Worst in the World
When you’re heading to the airport, the last thing you want to worry about is having a bad experience. Of course, some places can’t help but face issues, especially in places where delays caused by storms are relatively common. But in some cases, air travel hubs can become overcrowded, messy, and chaotic by virtue of the fact that tens of thousands of people can move through them every day. Now, new data has shed some light on which airports are the worst in the world, including a few that are located in the U.S.
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In a recent international analysis conducted by Sail Croatia, information was collected on a variety of airport pain points. Categories included the overall percentage of flights that get delayed, passenger density, and the number of travelers who search for information on lost bags online. They then calculated each and awarded a final score out of 100, with higher numbers indicating a worse travel experience.
While you may not always have a choice of which hubs you’re flying in or out of, it can sometimes help to know which are more problematic so you can prepare yourself before you fly. Here are the U.S. airports that were ranked among the worst in the world in a new study.
4. Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)
Most travelers consider their time in the Las Vegas airport among the tamer parts of their trip (even though there are plenty of slot machines ready for anyone waiting to board). But according to the study, flying through Sin City’s Harry Reid International Airport can be worse than bad roll at the craps table.
Analysis found that despite a relatively low percentage of delayed flights at 21.6 percent, it still had very crowded terminals with 5.16 million passengers per square kilometer annually. There were also 1,400 searches for help with bags, overall landing LAS with a score of 34.90.
3. Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
West Coast-based travelers know SeaTac can be a busy place, but now data confirms it. The Seattle airport ranks very closely to LAS across the board, with 20.98 percent of flights delayed and 5.16 million passengers per square kilometer.
However, the Washington State hub saw double the number of lost baggage searches online, with 2,800 queries. This landed the airport with an overall score of 36.
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2. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
As the “third” airport serving the New York City area, Newark Liberty faces its fair share of challenges, including weather-related delays. In fact, data from the Sail Croatia study found that 28.9 percent of flights from the hub didn’t take off on time.
It’s also dreadfully crowded, coming in third on the list for passenger density with 5.95 million per square kilometer. Combined with 1,400 annual lost-bag searches, it scored 39.6 overall.
1. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
It might not come as a surprise that the busiest airport in the world—carrying a whopping 108 million passengers per year—runs into operational problems. In fact, the Atlanta hub ranked second in the world on the list, thanks to its especially crowded terminals and about 21 percent of its flights getting delayed.
But it’s the lost luggage that really sends this massive transit hub over the top. The airport sees close to 36,000 annual lost bag queries, which is roughly seven times higher than the next-worst offender on the list. All in all, ATL was served with a score of 51.24.