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119 Comments
- DeskFlyer, on 10/11/2007, -1/+49Many flight delays aren't caused by the airlines. The NE corridor is one of the busiest air traffic areas on in the entire world. ATC is forced to carefully meter the departing, arriving, and transition air traffic throughout that region. This means that they must factor weather conditions not only at the airports in the NE, but every other region that the planes will be coming from and departing to, and the weather in between them. It is very common for traffic to be affected by something that is happening hundreds of miles, even thousands of miles away.
So when you are sitting at JFK or EWR and your plane is under a ground stop delay, you're probably looking at the nice sunny weather outside and thinking, WTF?? Well, it's probably because there simply is no slot to get that aircraft out at its scheduled block out time and it had to be moved back a bit to make room for a stream of arrivals or departures due to weather problems elsewhere (normally due to a low pressure system somewhere west of there). This happens a lot because there are many other aircraft arriving and departing well past their scheduled times (normally due to those aircraft themselves being delayed by similar reason) and there is simply too many of them to handle.
The opposite also holds true; planes that are destined for those airports are often held at their departing airports until they get their takeoff slot that is issued by the center that controls the airspace near the arriving airports. So that means someone can be sitting in LAX under a ground stop while the weather is nice there, but there is a giant line of severe thunderstorms somewhere in the NE that is messing up air traffic across the entire country turning the whole day into a giant *****.
There are a ton of other factors that I could get into here (like mechanical problems and flight crew rest issues), but I simply don't have the time to type it as I am at work right now. Hope that helps. :) - timusca, on 10/11/2007, -3/+29All airports should be tied for 1st place. Flying has become a miserable experience with the exception of JetBlue.
- DigitalPimptres, on 10/11/2007, -1/+26Aren't these really the busiest airports?
- sistertodd, on 10/11/2007, -1/+26No wonder traveling is so awful these days. Everywhere I fly is on the Top 10.
- Dayyve, on 10/11/2007, -0/+19@DeskFlyer
Well said. To me it is amazing how many flights take off on time. The logistics of handling so many flights going on at any one time with a zillion factors involved and then throw in Mother Nature who can explode at anytime, anywhere, and it stupefies me that the 'system' is as efficient as it. The fact that airports can all synchronize and basically tie all the world's flight transportation together and do it as successfully as they do is an amazing feat.
edit: @cblokzyl1 - that is what auto-pilot is for! He's got the new vs. of FF for (airplane) Consoles. - irvman21, on 10/11/2007, -0/+19The fact that I can comment on 42 out of 47 of these makes me want to go home.
- xDFuNK, on 10/11/2007, -1/+18Being from NY, i can definitely agree that JFK and Newark are miserable, 1/3 flights i take are delayed at least a bit, no matter the weather, the time of day, or the day of the week.
- Tabou, on 10/11/2007, -6/+23Or you can sum up the whole (useless) article in one sentence: "20% to 40% of flights originating in US major airports experience delays" or better yet "60% or 80% of flights originating in US major airports depart and arrive exactly on time."
No airport or airline could ever be 100% punctual. If you're going to complain about 1 or 2 hours of delay while being flown from coast to coast for a couple hundred bucks, maybe you should go back to driving or taking the bus and see how far that gets you. - AriaStar, on 10/11/2007, -4/+14My experience at Chicago O'Hare was so bad that I sat down and started crying. I was 20, and am not kidding. NEVER again will I fly through there. Just the thought of that place makes me feel stressed, six years later.
Thankfully, San Jose (about five minutes from me) and Oakland are the airports I consider local, and they've got pretty good rankings, the third and first best. - lunarworks, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10I've been on a connecting flight through Detroit.
It was HORRIBLE.
One memory that stands out: I went to get some pop from the airport cafe. I asked the lady for a Coke with no ice. She gave me a death look, filled the cup half with ice, and then put the Coke in. I was terrified, so I just paid and took it. - rwallen, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10In order from worst to least worst.
DTW Detroit: Detroit Metro Wayne County
ORD Chicago: O Hare
CLT Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Douglas International
JFK New York: Kennedy International
EWR Newark, NJ: Newark Liberty International
MSP Minneapolis/St. Paul: Minneapolis St Paul International
FLL Fort Lauderdale, FL: Fort Lauderdale International
MIA Miami: Miami International
LAS Las Vegas: Mc Carran International
DFW Dallas/Ft.Worth: Dallas/Ft Worth International
DEN Denver: Denver International
SLC Salt Lake City: Salt Lake International
MCO Orlando: Orlando International
CLE Cleveland: Hopkins International
IAD Washington, DC: Dulles International
CVG Cincinnati: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
PHL Philadelphia: Philadelphia International
PIT Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh International
ATL Atlanta: Hartsfield-Jackson
PHX Phoenix: Sky Harbor International
LAX Los Angeles: Los Angeles International
IAH Houston: Houston Intercontinental
LGA New York: La Guardia
SFO San Francisco: San Francisco International
BOS Boston: Logan International
MSY New Orleans: Louis Armstrong International
HNL Honolulu: Honolulu International
MKE Milwaukee: General Mitchell Field
IND Indianapolis: Indianapolis International
SEA Seattle: Seattle/Tacoma International
DCA Washington, DC: Washington National
SAN San Diego: San Diego International Lindbergh Field
RDU Durham and Raleigh, NC: Raleigh-Durham International
TPA Tampa: Tampa International
MEM Memphis: Memphis International
SMF Sacramento, CA: Sacramento Metropolitan
SNA Santa Ana, CA: John Wayne International
MDW Chicago: Chicago Midway
BWI Baltimore: Baltimore/Washington International
PDX Portland, OR: Portland International
BNA Nashville: Nashville Metropolitan
MCI Kansas City, MO: Kansas City International
STL St. Louis: Lambert International
DAL Dallas: Dallas Love Field
SJC San Jose, CA: San Jose International
HOU Houston: William P Hobby
OAK Oakland, CA: Metropolitan Oakland International - quomen, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1147 Airports?
Pretty much one for all the states. Lets come out and just establish that most if not all airports nowdays suck. - irvman21, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8They need to include in the rankings the relative ***** of each airport. Detroit would rank even higher, most prisons have better amenities and are more comfortable. STL during a rainstorm is a joke, there are buckets everywhere and the air conditioning barely works, it's probably 80 degrees in that airport most of the summer. DFW may get a lot of delays but at least they've got some decent places to eat while you're waiting out the thunderstorms.
- marm0t, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8This list is a load of crap. I fly out of Detroit (DTW) a LOT, its better than most airports I've been to. If this list was from 10 years ago I might agree, but its not. Honestly, I despise Midway (MDW) more than most other airports on that list. I find it hard to believe its so low on that list.
- aldenhg, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6I wouldn't even put PDX on there. It's a great airport - lots of parking, wide open terminals, skylights EVERYWHERE and a good selection of beer. The security is a placed in some weird areas (they could push it back a bit to make less of a bottleneck getting into line), but that's about it.
- dracostimpy, on 10/11/2007, -1/+6Agreed. I live in Chicago so I know all about O'Hare's multitude of suckages, but at least it's fairly clean and well-appointed. Detroit and Atlanta airports both struck me as ideal settings to film a scene for the next Snake Plissken movie.
Tip to fellow Chicagoan diggers: Try Rockford airport if you're going to Vegas or the couple other places that it serves. Free long-term parking just outside the terminal, short walk to the gate... piece of cake! - InfamousAtheist, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5Being a road warrior (~82% travel this calendar year), I agree with the list... I'm in Houston and fly out of IAH almost always. Houston Hobby's listed as the second-best airport but you have to change planes at another major hub if you want to get anywhere or don't want to fly Southwest Airlines (I don't).
Over the last five years, the quality of the air-travel experience has dropped significantly. I still get plenty of perks being a high-mileage status holder, but flights are overbooked more often, regularly delayed, and the level of service from airline employees has dropped significantly. People are (generally, not always) rude in airports to, so the whole experience typically leaves me in a bad mood. - Philodox, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5I actually like the Seattle airport, it's full of random art that you can look at while you wait.
- nickj6282, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5Ugh, I'm flying from #42 to #29 and back next week. Woe is me :(
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5Not to mention, if you don't want to drive - the MAX brings you right to the door.
- D3koy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5I actually really like Atlanta's new airport....
- RickiBerlin, on 10/11/2007, -4/+8That's every airport in the country.
- Unr3a1, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4San Jose should be closer to the top. It's a complete joke when you're trying to make a flight on a weekday because the security line regularly stretches all the way out to the parking garage and beyond. Marked article as inaccurate.
- cawpin, on 10/11/2007, -2/+6This list is way off. Phoenix airport isn't bad at all, especially for its size. Neither is Vegas for that matter. Plus, they both have free wifi.
- wheresmysocks, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4The weather might have something to do with it too.
- kingkool68, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Check out the airport performance calculator -> http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/airtravel/flight-plan/index.html Pretty neat stuff.
- wastern, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4awful list. The new DTW terminal for Northwest is awesome. Much better then LAX where I ended up, that place was dog *****
- gharding, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3I've never flown out of JFK, but Newark is never a miserable experience for me. I mean.. it's an airport so I don't expect luxury, but I've never found Newark to be a terrible place. I'm glad LaGuardia. I most commonly use LaGuardia and arriving was always a bitch. I no longer check baggage if I fly through LGA.
- zenerdiode, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3I fly out of San Jose regularly (as well as Oakland and SFO). I say you're insane if you truly believe SJC is No. 3....especially if you've had to go through security on a weekday morning in Terminal 1. Oakland, on the other hand, deserves the #1 spot.
- dyreschlock, on 10/11/2007, -2/+5All the international airports anyways.. plus a few national ones.
- BBeerB, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4Damn, I already knew this being that I am from DC, and all three major airports made the list (IAD, DCA, and BWI). I wouldn't fly out of BWI unless someone pays me a million dollars, it is just an awful experience.
- topgun553, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Detriot Airport from my experience is one of the best airports I have ever been to. I have never had to wait in line for security for more than 5 mintues, everything is nicely organized with a express tram, it is clean, and all my flights have been on time... unless I am the exception I would not put much faith in this list.
- DangerCollie, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3To me flights being delayed doesn't make an airport miserable. What makes it unbearable is being a crappy place to wait around if your flight is late or canceled. My personal list of airports I hate flying through:
DFW - It can take forever to get to the gate if you land on the far runway and the design reminds me of a repeating strip mall, only with less to do.
Roswell, NM - The airport itself is totally cool but I flew in there one time on the last flight of the day. Went outside to check to see if my hotel shuttle was picking me up and they closed the airport with me standing out by the curb and left. There wasn't another living human being for 10 miles. Then they turned most of the lights out. Perfect. Thanks.
Boston Logan - Horrible, nasty old dirty airport. If the traffic getting there doesn't kill you, don't drink from the water fountains. *urp*
Overall I don't fly much anymore if there's any way to avoid it. Flying sucked before 9-11, it sucks harder with extra security now. Airlines keep trying to find ways to narrow those seats and pack more people on already obscenely full planes. Some people pack like Bedouins, bringing everything but the family goat herd and try to stuff it all in overhead bins. And if being stuffed in an aluminum tube going 300 mph wasn't bad enough the creep in front of you leans his seat back so his greasy head is right in your face. It's a horrible, disgusting, stressful experience even on the best airlines. - raisputin3, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3You can sum up the whole article thusly:
Until the U.S. Government disbands the completely useless TSA, all airports will be completely uncomfortable. - superstewy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I can't say I've been to a ton of American Airports, but wherever I go I'm always happy to land back at Vancouver (YVR). It's one of the nicest airports I've been to. I dread going to LAX, it's a Zoo. Then again, I just flew out of Manila, Philippines...that was pretty bad.
- YanSan, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2i don't fly much, but it's comforting to know that the ***** airport is the one i live by.
- georgehuff, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2PDX has free Wi-fi, I could care less about delays if I have that.
- compgeek7889, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Newark NJ is horrible, i had 2 go thru there twice, once there were to many planes on the ground and was rerouted to cincinatti , the other time is was so packed and just horrible. If u can dont go threw Newark
- mojaam, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2@BBeerB
Tell me about it, just the other day, I dropped off my sister at BWI, we made it on time and everything (early in the morning around 6am), but as I was returning, I got a call from her very disappointed because they were intentionally making her miss her flight. So she had to wait all day for the next flight. Damn you BWI! - damonlab, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I went through DTW and ORD (supposedly the worst two) in the past month. Flight from DTW to ORD: long check line, but on time. Flight from ORD to DTW: short check line, but had me up in the air an extra half hour while waiting for landing space. All in all, nothing that I would consider too bad of an experience. Keep in mind that these were short flights and took place on a Monday and a Tuesday.
- kete00, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I agree that the ranking should be worse for SJC, although since they only rank based on load and late flights, it's not accurate for true misery. Anyone that's had to enter SJC's tiny terminals with one unisex bathroom, or the rental car shuttle that circles the parking lot for almost an hour would quickly change their opinion of what makes a crappy airport.
- lnfalandino, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-22-2007/0004593730&EDATE=
link to jd power and associates article regarding DTW as second best airport in terms of customer satisfaction. - TheKillDoctor, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2You can fly out of the best airport in the world and still end up seated next to someone who needs to bathe, or a kid constantly kicking the back of your seat, or the usual baby crying and crying, or all three at once.
- DeskFlyer, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2"stuffed in an aluminum tube going 300 mph "
It's probably closer to ~400-500 mph. ;P - LoadStar, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Agreed. Milwaukee would be quite a bit more miserable if you include this factor.
I mean, being stuck at the airport is bad enough... but at least at most airports there's enough going on that it keeps you occupied for a bit... some decent stores, restaurants, maybe even just riding the rail transit back and forth between terminals, something to do. At Milwaukee, there's just NOTHING THERE. There's a Burger King, a couple of pictures on the wall they call a "museum of flight," a used book store... and that's really about it. The upside is there's lots of really quiet places to curl up and take a nap if you need to... the whole airport is quiet. - zeejay, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Also agreed. Flight delays happen everywhere - the amenities or lack thereof really factors into what makes an airport truly "miserable." By biggest beef is with the airports that are simply too damn small for the amount of people in them. It's bad being delayed, but it's much worse when you're delayed in a stinking sweatbox full of white trash packed in like sardines. I hate Atlanta, any of the NYC airports, Memphis, and the old side of Detroit the worst. Chicago Midway and Denver used to suck, until they upgraded them.
All I need is a seat, preferably near an outlet that I can use to charge the laptop, preferably w/ wi-fi, preferably in a decent bar. I used to have an Admiral's Club membership. If you do a decent amount of traveling, the price is *so* worth it (if you don't get it for free via mileage). - DaffyDuck, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2GSO, or Greensboro NC airport ranks very high on the lost baggage list. We have a lost bag on roughly 90% of our flights into GSO. We always get them back the next day but it makes you wonder about the imbeciles running things. Other than that, it's a nice and relaxed airport.
- ijustam, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Indianapolis International will, hopefully, be better once the new terminal is finished. Right now you spend 10 minutes taxiing to and from the runway.
- Aeaus, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3It depends as much on the carrier as the Airport. I fly out of DIA (Denver International Airport) quite often, and as long as I choose Lufthansa or JetBlue I never ran into problems, hell I've even been on some of the "el-cheapo" vacation (DIA -> Mexico) flights and I've never encountered delays in either the flights or through the check in / screening process.
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