Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. Evergreens

These airports make travelers angriest (and we know why)

If you hate flying in general, then stay away from the worst airports that are making passengers angry

By

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Passengers waiting at the airport, killing time o their phones.
𝓴𝓘𝓡𝓚 𝕝𝔸𝕀/Unsplash

We always know where to go when we need to know what the public thinks of something — Twitter. Forbes agrees and took a little time analyzing tweets to find out which major airports we think are the absolute worst. Well, not only the ones that are the worst, but the ones that tick us off when we have to fly through them. See if you agree with Twitter about the worst airports in the U.S., or if you think we aren’t using our powers for good in this case.

The way Forbes got there

The airports

Forbes kept it to any tweets aimed directly at the 60 biggest airports. So, if you don’t see one on the list you’re looking for, that could be why.

Recommended Videos

The magic words

  • Noise
  • Staff
  • TSA
  • Complaints
  • Delayed
  • Security
  • Hours

There are specific words that were searched for to narrow things down. Forbes captured tweets that contained these words to hone in on the anger.

The airport with the most hate

  • John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, with 65% of the tweets

It seems being the neighboring airport to the happiest place on Earth doesn’t mean all that much. But if you were the airport next to one of the busiest places to visit, you might struggle to get through the day yourself. Add the holidays when things are insane at an airport anyway, and you might rethink hitting publish on your next tweet. Or your rage-filled tweet might be published faster. It’s a toss-up.

The main reasons

  • Amount and length of delays
  • The general attitude of the staff
  • TSA complaints
  • Overall noise

Those are all solid reasons to be angry at the airport. There’s nothing to make people heavy sigh more than seeing another delay when they just want to get to their destination. 

Principal at Southern California PR firm Green Flash Media Jeremy Hyatt knows firsthand why the tweets are getting heated toward the airport. He sympathizes with both sides, but states that it’s “challenging for many visitors due to long rental car and TSA lines, unexpected California taxes and fees, limited take-off and landing times, and extended luggage wait times.” Yes, all that would put a damper on things for people who just want to be on vacation. That’s not a relaxing start.

The runners up

  • Jacksonville International Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, with 60% of mad tweets
  • Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, landed 59% of the hate

By comparison, the busiest airport in the world only ranked sixth. That’s not too bad for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It could easily drop out of the top 10 in the future.

The inside of a busy airport.
K Hsu/Unsplash / Unsplash

What airports keep the angry tweets away

  • Indianapolis International Airport
  • Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
  • Kansas City International Airport

These airports seem to have things together a bit more. Indianapolis International Airport actually ranks as the best in customer service for a midsize airport in North America. 

While we can’t always follow the tweets for complete accuracy — as with Tampa International Airport, which has 57% of angry tweets thrown at it, but was given top honors in a passenger satisfaction survey by J.D. Power — they do give a heads-up for potential problems. That makes planning for your flight easier, as you’ll know what you could face. Plus, we love to see what’s happening on Twitter, so keep the tweets coming.

Dannielle Beardsley
Dannielle Beardsley
Former Contributor
Dannielle has written for various websites, online magazines, and blogs. She loves everything celebrity and her favorite… Read Full Bio
Topics
Travel
5 Tips If You’re Traveling With Cigars: I Learned No. 2 the Hard Way
Wood, Hardwood, Accessories

Traveling with cigars can be challenging if you’re not prepared. The lack of preparation can lead to your favorite cigars getting smashed from inadequate storage, or they can peel because they weren’t kept at the proper temperature, among other issues. Sometimes you do all the right things, and still come away shaking your head.

I’ve been smoking cigars for two decades now, and it’s not beneath me to admit that I’ve made plenty of cigar travel mistakes in that span, and as recently as two weeks ago. You live, you learn, and hope you don’t waste a stogie on the next trip. My most recent cigar travel mistake is what inspired me to share these tips. Sure, there are plenty of articles out there offering similar advice. But this list comes from a cigar smoker and writer who has visited six countries and about a dozen states in the last year alone. And in that time, mistakes were made, and lessons were learned.

Read more
Travel
The art of adventure packing: packing light but effective
Clothing, Coat, Jacket

If you are like me, you grew up with stories of adventure. Whether you were fans of fictional adventure like Indiana Jones and Alan Quartermain, or you loved the true-life accounts of Ernest Shackleton and David Livingstone, there is a deep pull to venture into the unknown. The desire to abandon the Mon-Fri 9-5 in search of something deeper. You could spend your time thinking about hopping a boat and sailing the seven seas like the pirates of old. You could look up at the elusive peak of a mountain and believe it begs to be summited. You could stare into the depths of a jungle and wonder what treasures it hides beneath its canopy. No matter what kind of adventurer you are, you need to be prepared for whatever the world throws at you. I have climbed Salkantay Peak and explored the jungles of Peru. I have scanned the plains of Africa in search of a giant cat (the prospect of which was much more comforting than the actual sighting and wondering if I was far enough away). And I have disappeared into the secluded areas of Svalbard. One thing that remained constant was the need for the right pack.

Here is what I learned when packing for my adventures.

Read more
Travel
Savannah Beyond the Postcard
Architecture, Building, Spire

Savannah is one of those cities that seems almost too easy to like. The live oaks are dramatic. The Spanish moss does exactly what it is supposed to do. The brick sidewalks buckle in all the right places. The houses look like they were designed by people who understood proportion, shade, and the value of a proper front step. Even the light seems to arrive with better manners than it does in most places.

I have a built-in advantage when it comes to Savannah. We have family there, so we have been back several times, not just once for the checklist version of the city. I have also done a photography workshop there, which is a terrific way to learn any city. You get up early, stay out late, and pay attention to alleys, doorways, ironwork, reflections, and the way a city changes when the tourists are still asleep.

Read more