Even without global software outages, some airports are worse than others. A recent study identifies the ten most stressful ones in the USA, which you might consider avoiding as you plan your next trip.
So what’s the most stressful airport in the USA?
The most delays and cancelled flights of any airport in the USA per 100 passengers is not at major airport hubs like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago or Atlanta.
It is relatively tiny regional Aspen/Pitkin County Airport in Colorado, which gets a top (or bottom) score of 30.32 out per 100 flights for delays and cancellations.
As a skier who loves Aspen/Snowmass, I have personal experience with this airport, and agree that flying in or out of here is rarely easy.
Although weather is always a factor at smaller airports like this one, the real problem here is the millionaire/billionaire private jets which clutter the tarmac and the flight schedule.
From January 2023 to January 2024 – before the crisis at US airport due to the international meltdown of CrowdStrike – this airport had 6,591 departures, each delayed by an average of 22.9 minutes.
According to the Colorado Sun 83% of flights in and out of this small, regional airport are private jets – and they trump the big guys, Delta, United, Southwest and Frontier at this airport with just one runway for both take-offs and landings.
Sometimes, flights are diverted to Grand Junction, and passengers are bussed 125 miles there or back.
Other times flights are delayed up to four hours or more – which – happened to me a couple of season ago. The delay meant I would miss the last connection home to NYC.
Luckily, a kind and wonderful United gate attendant switched me to another connection, leaving in a few minutes.
She actually held my new plane while my ski bag and boot bag were removed from my four-hour-delayed flight!
Beyond thanking her profusely while she printed out my new boarding passes, I was too frazzled to memorize the name on her nametag and thank her on social media for being the personification of customer service.
Simply, private jets get priority here, so if you are flying in or out, do it in the morning, before the pampered and demanding millionaires/billionaires wake up and smell the coffee.
Most Stressful Airports in USA Ranked
Aspen/Pitkin County Airport sees an average of 6.41 cancellations per 100 departures, the seventh-highest in the US.
- From January 2023 to January 2024, the airport had 6,591 departures, each delayed by an average of 22.9 minutes.
Santa Fe Municipal Airport in New Mexico ranks second with a score of 36.16.
- Departures are delayed by an average of 14 minutes, and 1.6 of every 100 Google reviews describe the airport as stressful or unsafe, the fifth highest in the country.
Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey comes in third, scoring 36.89.
- It averages a 15.2-minute delay per flight, with 1.2 out of every 100 Google reviews mentioning stress or safety concerns.
Tyler Pounds Regional Airport in Texas is fourth, with a score of 37.77.
- It averages 3.2 cancellations per 100 departures and a delay of 9.5 minutes per flight.
Chicago Midway International Airport in Illinois ranks fifth, scoring 37.79.
- Flights from Midway are delayed by an average of 13.9 minutes, with 2 out of every 100 flights canceled.
The Rest of the Ten Most Stressful Airports
Casper/Natrona County International Airport, Wyoming – 37.92
Williston Basin International Airport, North Dakota – 38.19
Texarkana Regional Airport, Arkansas – 38.43
Ithaca Tompkins International Airport, New York – 38.83
Martha’s Vineyard Airport, Massachusetts – 39.75
Least Stressful Airports in the US
- Newport News/Williamsburg International in Virginia, which scored 78.92 out of 100.
- Salisbury Regional Airport in Maryland, which scored 78.18 out of 100.
- Coastal Carolina Regional Airport in North Carolina followed, scoring 71.87.
About the Study
The study was conducted by the personal injury Whitley Law Firm, which analyzed Google reviews, the number of cancellations per 100 departures, and average flight delay times at US airports with 1,000 or more departures annually.
What are your airline horror stories?
We’d love to hear from you.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter currently serves as President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA).
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter also is a member of the North American Travel Journalists Assn. (NATJA) and the North American Snowsports Journalists Assn. (NASJA).
Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.
Copyright (C) Evelyn Kanter
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