Worst Airports

· 10. Dulles Airport, Dulles, VA (IAD)

o This airport is just alright. It’s not that bad but still dated and laid out all over to make it a bit of a mess. It’s large and serves as a hub for United. Getting through security isn’t too bad and there are plenty of food and beverage options spread throughout. The different terminals are connected with underground tunnels and trains as well as these funky looking shuttles that ride along the tarmac. This airport is in Data Center Alley therefore I prefer to fly here more than the antiquated Reagan out of pure convenience.

· 9. Logan Airport, Boston, MA (BOS)

o Even though it’s my home airport, it’s not good. It’s dated and cramped, which really can’t be improved given the location. Depending on the terminal, there’s a good selection of food and drink places. Delays are common here with New England winters as well as it’s within the congested air traffic of the Northeast. I had a bad string of delays and cancellations here before the pandemic so that counts against them significantly in my rankings. Traffic is usually terrible and the Ted Williams tunnel is normally backed up any time of day or night. They should just build a beautiful new airport west of the city.

· 8. Miami International Airport, Miami, FL (MIA)

o Only flew in and out of it a couple of times and hated it. Don’t really remember much other than it being a pain in the ass to get to the rental car area and being cramped in the gate areas I was in. Plus it’s an American Airlines hub so no reason for me to go there. Miami is an overrated city anyways.

· 7. Ft. Lauderdale Airport, Broward County, FL (FLL)

o I’ve flown in and out of here quite a bit. This one isn’t really any better than Miami but with Southwest being here and not Miami, this is where I ended up. It’s always warm and uncomfortable in here and the gate areas are really cramped. I remember their Wifi sucking and not having power outlets at the seats. The rental car facility is decent and accessible via a walkway, which is great because the hotel shuttle bus area is a disaster. You could walk to South Beach faster than waiting for your hotel shuttle.

· 6. Midway International Airport, Chicago, IL (MDW)

o As a major Southwest flier, there is no way to avoid this airport. This is a major hub for them, but is their worst one. It’s in the heart of the south side of Chicago and you have to take a crappy bus to get to the rental car facility. It’s a pain to get to and there’s no Giordano’s or Portillo’s in it. I’ve spent many hours waiting for my connecting flight in this place and had some crazy turbulence as the planes arrive over the lake. I’ve never been to O’Hare fortunately so I have no personal experience with that place.

· 5. Kansas City International, Kansas City, MO (MCI)

o As of writing this, I just recently experienced this airport for the first time. It sucks. It’s very outdated, the security checkpoints are small and aligned to a few gates at a time, and also very few food options post-security. This is one of those places you’ll want to push arriving to the airport as close to boarding time as you possibly can. Fortunately, they are going through a major rebuild of the airport so this one should improve in a few years. The Patrick Mahomes effect I suppose.

· 4. Reagan National Airport, Arlington, VA (DCA)

o This is another airport tucked into a small footprint so there isn’t much room to move around in here. Gate areas have very limited seating so you’ll find a lot of people sitting on the floor and standing on top of each other. Rental car facility is a decent walk but you at least don’t have to take a shuttle. Rental car selection is small but decent.

· 3. Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark, NJ (EWR)

o This one really should be tied with the top 2 for the worst but for some reason I had a slightly less miserable experience at this one than those other 2. There isn’t much good to say about this other than getting to it is a bit easier as a traveler compared to JFK and LGA. If you have to go anywhere in New Jersey or parts of New York west of the Tappan Zee, this is the only one I’d fly into.

· 2. JFK Airport, New York City (JFK)

o This is close to being the worst on this list but only one airport can take that and it’s nearby. It’s cramped and dated like others on this list. Your flight will be delayed here and on top of it you’ll have to get to your connecting flight on the shuttle they have going out on the tarmac. Food choices aren’t good and no room to get away from people. We’ll see how the renovations go to improve it.

· 1. LaGuardia Airport, New York City (LGA)

o No surprise here. Known by everyone as one of the world’s worst airports and I can confirm that’s the case. Getting to it sucks, security checkpoints suck, the gate areas are cramped, dated and dank, and food options are abysmal. Oh and you can guarantee that your flight will be delayed 30+ minutes. Avoid connecting through here at all costs. This one is also undergoing significant renovations so it can only go up from here but not by much. One thing that won’t ever improve is the delay factor since the air traffic is congested and there’s no changing that.