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Just in time for Holidays - Most Stressful Airports

Just in time for Holidays - Most Stressful Airports

Old Nov 22, 2012, 4:28 pm
  #16  
 
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Wandering aimlessly on the interwebs today looking at Thanksgiving topics, I ran across this page, detailing the route of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower and Speedwell ships in 1620. Talk about a stressful voyage!
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 5:50 am
  #17  
 
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Originally Posted by LTBoston
Anywhere they force you to ride a bus between terminals is stress-inducing for me.
Like that busride between ABE and EWR. @wheee.
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 10:17 am
  #18  
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I am slightly suprised that they put FLL in there and then said PBI is better. I agree PBI is quite but I have seen other lists which consistently show PBI as "The most entitled airport" in the country. I would have thought MIA beat FLL for stress. Just my 0.02$
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 10:31 am
  #19  
 
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Interesting list.

I've flown through a number of them (and destination'd at a few more) and some of them really aren't that bad - I find ORD and IAH totally reasonable. I've even connected internationally via different terminals at IAH in 49 minutes landing to takeoff ... wouldn't recommend it, didn't realize I'd have to clear customs (stupid US habit of not making ALL airside space secure regardless of terminal, always forget that in planning connections!) - so okay THAT trip was a tad stressful, but otherwise IAH one of my preferred connections stateside.

LAX on the other hand ...
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 11:35 am
  #20  
 
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Originally Posted by LTBoston
Anywhere they force you to ride a bus between terminals is stress-inducing for me.
Seconded/thirded. Where buses are involved, I can never be sure how long it will take to get from X to Y. Trains are ok. Buses, not so much.

I counted 14 or 15 out of 16 (can't remember if I've been to MIA). I'd go for JFK for #1 for transferring onto a domestic flight arriving internationally, but none of them are really all that bad. Not with lounge access, anyway Worldwide, I am sure there are worse, but SVO is up there.
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 12:02 pm
  #21  
 
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I'm feeling stressed just thinking about it

IAD is stressful for me. I have to change levels at least four times to board an airplane.
Any airport where I must ride a bus in order to connect to a flight on the same airline: CDG is the worst.
Any airport that was designed and built several generations ago. The parts no longer fit together in logical way.
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 1:05 pm
  #22  
 
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I've flown through all of them, and would concur with the assessment in most of them. They left off a few that ought to be on this list:

MCI
MEM
PHX
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 4:26 pm
  #23  
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Originally Posted by Dresden
I've flown through all of them, and would concur with the assessment in most of them. They left off a few that ought to be on this list:

MCI
MEM
PHX
MCI is absolutely brilliant if you are local and dont have to connect.
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 7:21 pm
  #24  
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ORD at the top?
Crazy list - totally inaccurate for thanksgiving travel
ORD is busy, but if you are connecting domestic to Domestic you can walk the whole way in max 30 min even if you are going from AA G to UA B terminal.
I just went back to ORD for the seminars (grew up there but what has changed is the security lines all along the terminals).
Unlike JFK where you may have to take the AirTrain.

Atlanta is fine as you can take a train and connect without going through security again

I think the list has to be changed to look at D-D and I-D or D-I and I-I transfers.
Any place that you have to go outside and then reenter another terminal in this day and age should be on the list.

For D-D on same airline ORD is fine; For a different airline D_D is still OK
There is no problem at ATL, DEN etc - laid out in the new herring bone style.
Boston Logan is the pits as are JFK, LGA and LAX
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 8:26 pm
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It looks like a flawed study to me. I think that the compiler of the list did nothing to compensate for the fact that some airports are simply busier than others and therefore get mentioned more often. LaGuardia, on the other hand, definitely earned its way onto the list for being a stressful airport as did JFK, and why isn't Logan much, much higher on the list?

Also connecting vs start or end of journey makes a huge difference. DFW is well designed for start or end of journey, but I pity the folks connecting there. Of course, DFW is a real mess right now even for the locals due to road construction.

On the other hand, lots of pleasant connections at ORD for me, but starting or ending there hasn't ever gone well for me.
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Old Nov 23, 2012, 10:05 pm
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Originally Posted by ffI
Any place that you have to go outside and then reenter another terminal in this day and age should be on the list.
Exactly !
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Old Nov 24, 2012, 1:28 am
  #27  
 
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This list seems to be based on a poll of infrequent domestic travellers. Visitors to the US will probably put JFK at the top of the list. For that matter, most airports in the US are a nightmare to visitors.
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Old Nov 24, 2012, 5:49 am
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by Passmethesickbag
Definitely O'Hare. .... I'm flying through again in two weeks and I'm already stressed over the thought of missing my connection.
Global Entry. Problem solved.
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Old Nov 24, 2012, 6:07 am
  #29  
 
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As a leisure traveller I have been through 4/16 airports (BOS, SFO, ORD + JFK) and the only stressful part I find is the immigration bit. Will they/won't they let me in the country! Security (going airside) process generally no hassle. Passport check, scan of belongings what is there to stress about?! When I visited ORD last year both immigration (2hr wait) and security (45 min wait) were abit of a headache but just remember there is nothing I can do but wait.
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Old Nov 24, 2012, 8:45 am
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by Sheikh Yerbooty
Lagos. Or Kinshasha. Doha at rush hour can be bad, but the aforementioned are in a league of their own.

US airports? None would even make the footnotes of a list with the "most stressful" airports.
I've never wondered if my taxi driver is going to rob me at JFK, or considered how much I need to bribe the airport staff at ORD...
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