Worst Airports

[M_Six]

We're talking major airports here. Some are lousy inside (LGA) and some are just awful to get in and out of.

My recent trip to Logan airport in Boston is a good example. The terminals themselves are ok and have some decent restaurants and some comfy waiting areas. On the outbound flight I spent a little over an hour on a very comfy couch with a place to charge my tech. But on the inbound leg we spent almost 90 minutes just to get through the pathetic car rental center they have and then ran into more hassles getting out of the airport when the first thing you hit is a toll tunnel that only uses transponders. Luckily my nephew had an EZ-Pass transponder he brought with him (and then forgot about and left in the rental). Logan is an old airport with a non-expandable footprint, so it is what it is. And Logan is right there in Boston, unlike O'Hare which is quite far outside of Chicago. But when Wifey and I need to go visit her father in CT, we'll find a way to get into Hartford's airport even though that means a two-leg flight. Taking the non-stop into Logan is just not worth the hassle of getting out of Logan in a rental car.

Indy has the best access/egress I've ever seen. The valet parking is cheap compared to other places and when you get back from your trip, your car is waiting and it's less than 2 minutes to the interstate. You can literally be driving in your car less than 20 minutes after touching down on the runway. But Indy, being a mid-sized airport, has far fewer flight options than O'Hare. So there's a trade-off.

Lots of serious travelers on this forum. What are your loves and hates as far as airports are concerned?

[BMW F22]

Hmm I would say PHL (Philly) is probably my least favorite. I haven’t had anything that’s truly terrible though so it might not be the worst. LHR (London Heathrow) is pretty strict and so was CPH (Copenhagen). Had a pretty bad experience at EDI (Edinburgh). Other than that, they have all been pretty good.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by BMW F22

Hmm I would say PHL (Philly) is probably my least favorite. I haven’t had anything that’s truly terrible though so it might not be the worst. LHR (London Heathrow) is pretty strict and so was CPH (Copenhagen). Had a pretty bad experience at EDI (Edinburgh). Other than that, they have all been pretty good.

Heathrow is my favorite once I'm through security. But the security process there sucks. Not bad getting in and out of Heathrow, though. Munich was nice, but we were last there in 2009, so God only knows what has changed since then.

[________]

Vancouver. Like walking in an airport in the 80s, in Asia.

[Jbrown7403]

McCarran in Las Vegas because of the limited terminal seating, endless walk to ride share parking plus it just smells like sadness

[deltavid]

IAH for the above ground monorail.

Does Denver still have the horrendous security that takes hours to get through?

[Germanauto]

LAX is a nightmare to get in and out of. Some terminals are horribly outdated while only a couple are modern.

I live 20 minutes away (without traffic) yet even at 5:30am on a weekday it takes over 45 minutes to reach. The 110 fwy and the airport circle itself are parking lots. Then when arriving, have to take a bus to a ride share location, wait on the Uber/Lyft, sit in traffic again, etc.

In any properly developed city, I would be able to just hop on a train directly to/from the airport. But we can't have that in Southern California, car dependence is king.

[HFW003]

Schipol in Amsterdam is the worst airport in the world, end of story!

Recently, a few weeks ago, it took us five hours to check in and get through security and what I understand this is normal.

[eluded]

CDG

[demas]

Logan.

[Murf the Surf]

Pearson Airport in Toronto has been ranked worst and 2nd worst in recent months and routinely is in the top ten....or bottom ten I guess. Getting to your gate to depart isn't too bad if you use Nexus but other than that the security line ups are horrendous and arrivals, make sure you bring walking shoes, I kid you not you are often walking about a mile to get out of the place. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2056928835691

[Tommy-G]

Hands down Newark NJ. I believe its even rated one of the worst by the FAA

[Fly320s]

My point of view is from the other side.

I like flying in/out of Logan because it has a small footprint which means the taxi time if usually short. Also, Logan ATC does a good job of keeping the traffic flowing, even during the big pushes.

Then there are airports like DFW, DEN, and MCO where the taxi distance can be three miles.

[Fly320s]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

LAX is a nightmare to get in and out of. Some terminals are horribly outdated while only a couple are modern.

I live 20 minutes away (without traffic) yet even at 5:30am on a weekday it takes over 45 minutes to reach. The 110 fwy and the airport circle itself are parking lots. Then when arriving, have to take a bus to a ride share location, wait on the Uber/Lyft, sit in traffic again, etc.

In any properly developed city, I would be able to just hop on a train directly to/from the airport. But we can't have that in Southern California, car dependence is king.

LAX is pretty good for pilots, but sucks for passengers.

They are building a light rail to the airport, but it won't be finished until next year.

[Alfisti]

LAX is properly dreadful for international transfers, it's so, so bad. Massive line ups, needless security checks, zero space to move etc. You're often lining up down stair wells for example, it's just so bad.

[Kolyan2k]

Logan is a shitty airport compared to many in EU.....not a fun place to wait hours for a plane. But I guess seats are comfortable and there are plenty of outlets to charge devices. There are a few restaurants/bars which are usually packed when I am there.

As far as EZ pass transponder, I am 99% sure you don't need one. Entire mass is switched to pay by plate system (you can use transporder as well, its a bit cheaper)

I like Zurich airport, plenty of shops etc

[R3dliner]

LAX is like the worse airport in the West.

Newark, JFK, LaGuardia are the top 3 terrible ones in the east coast.

[2008M36MT]

I've been to or through 59 airports around the world. LGA is the worst.

[infinitekidM2C]

Pyongyang sunin intl

[440i6MT]

Great question.

Can't remember the name of it, but I had a layover in Amsterdam. I swear, the airport had zero width and was all length. The lines looked like the snake game on old Nokia's. Crowded as all hell. Not to mention, the people were so tall I couldn't see a damn thing in the distance.
LAX, I'm very familiar with. As a major international airport, it's very poor. The ring is a great concept, but man what a poor implementation.

Thank god I remembered! Budapest Airport was the wild, Wild West
I couldn't believe what was going on over there.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by 440i6MT

..
LAX, I'm very familiar with. As a major international airport, it's very poor. The ring is a great concept, but man what a poor implementation...

LAX is limited by acreage. It has the most traffic on the smallest acreage in (at least) the USA. It also can't be expanded.

[MunkyTool]

LAX is a pretty bad airport when you think about the size, location and overall density of travelers. Traffic is horrible on a good day. Transfers are a pain regardless of what airline you take. Good luck taking a convenient ride share. I've been to overall worse airports but when you consider the scale and position LAX is supposed to serve, it's pretty pathetic.