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Which airports are the world’s most stressful?
From getting through security to baggage claim, airport travel can be stressful. Find out which are the most stressful airports
Whether you’re treating yourself to a much-needed holiday or flying for business, you might find yourself at many different airports around the world. But which airports are designed to help start your holiday or business trip stress-free, and which airport seems to be the most stressful in the world?
The travel insurance comparison service, iSelect, conducted a study of 50 major airports from around the world. We ranked these airports based on flight delays, ease of getting to the airport, flight cancellations, check-in and security wait time, among other key factors. This comprehensive list is designed to help travellers identify and prepare in advance for stress-free travel.
The top 5 most stressful airports to fly from
From the heart of America to the north of England, the following five airports have the unenviable reputation of being the most stressful to fly from according to our index.
1. Newark Liberty International Airport
Ranking first for the most stressful airport is Newark Liberty International Airport, scoring 18.46 out of 100 in our index. This is Jersey City’s primary airport, which has been named a hotspot for travel stress, ranking in with the worst check-in score in our list, with 77% of reviewers rating the check-in service process favourably, and the second-worst score for ease of getting to the airport in our list with a score of 74%.
Newark was placed second-worst again for security check with a 70% score, and worst for customs and immigration wait time with a 66% score. If you’re flying into Newark Liberty International Airport you might be waiting some time for your luggage, as they scored the third worst in this factor with 71%. Newark Liberty International Airport was also let down by flight delays and cancellations, with an average departure delay of 21.40 minutes over the past year, and a cancellation rate of 1.43%, meaning there could be a chance that you get all the way through to your gate, only to find you might not be flying out on time.
2. Humberto Delgado Airport (Lisbon Airport)
Moving over to Europe, Lisbon airport in Portugal was ranked second most stressful in our index. Earning a score of 22.51, Lisbon Airport had the highest delayed departure time of any airport in our index, with an average of 27.39 minutes in the past year. Adding to this was their flight cancellation rate of 1.49%, which was third worst in the index.
As for internal airport stresses, check-in is another area in which Lisbon Airport falls short when compared to other airports, with a score of 79%, alongside a security check rating of 77%, both scores rated by travellers.
However, Lisbon Airport scored the best for ease of getting to the airport compared to the rest of our top five, with a score of 84%, although this could be a small comfort ahead of what could be a stressful airport experience.
3. Manchester Airport
Ranked third for most stressful airport is Manchester airport, beating all airports in the United Kingdom with a score of 23.10 out of 100. The baggage claim sentiment here was the lowest in our index, with Manchester travellers rating it 69% overall. It was a similar story for the security check wait time as well, with Manchester scoring 69%, again putting it at the bottom for this area, followed by a check-in wait time score of 77% satisfaction rating from travellers.
In fact, the only saving grace for Manchester is its lower cancellation rate of 1.18%, putting it below Newark Liberty International Airport and Lisbon Airport in this area and to keep it third place.
4. John F. Kennedy International Airport
Returning to the United States, John F. Kennedy International Airport ranked fourth in our most stressful airport index with a score of 26.83 out of 100. The alternative airport to Newark for many fliers planning on visiting New York, starting with relatively low flight cancellation rates of 0.91%, and a baggage claim satisfaction rating of 74% from JFK travellers.
However, much like all of our top five, John F. Kennedy International Airport scores poorly for all our other factors in the index, including getting the worst score for time spent in customs and immigration (67%), third worst for security check (71%), and fifth worst for ease of getting to the airport (76%), all of which combines for a potentially stressful airport experience.
5. Chicago O’Hare International Airport
US airport in our top five, with a total score of 31.01 out of 100. Chicago O’Hare International Airport was third worst in our index for immigration and customs with a rating by travellers of 70% for their experience.
As for all of our other ranking areas, Chicago O’Hare International Airport performed slightly better than the rest of the top five, notably doing the best for check-in with a 81% satisfaction rating from travellers, but less so for baggage claims, with travellers scoring it 72% and 77% for the security check wait times.
Which are the least stressful airports?
Our research has taken us around the world to identify the airports that are the most stressful. But which airports provide a stress-free experience for you to get through security and start your holiday or business trip on the right path?
According to our index, airports in Asia have ranked best for a stress-free experience, with Singapore Changi Airport, Doha’s Hamad International Airport and Seoul Incheon International Airport all ranked as our top three least stressful airports.
Singapore Changi Airport was ranked first for the most stress-free airport, scoring an impressive 82.07 out of 100. It scored the highest for immigration and customs (92%), security check (92%), check-in wait times (93%), as well as ease of getting to the airport (94%), while also having the second-lowest rate for flight cancellations, with an average of 0.19% in the past year.
Meanwhile, Doha’s Hamad International Airport placed best for baggage claims at 93% and scored highly for airport transport links with a rating of 94%, both of which helped contribute to its excellent final score of 75.89 out of 100.
Finally, Seoul’s Incheon International Airport was rated best for the lowest cancellation rate, beating with an average of only 0.15% of flights not going ahead in the last year. Add to this its consistent positioning in second and third for most of our other factors, and Incheon absolutely earns its end score of 72.61 out of 100.
“Airports can be stressful at times, but understanding which ones are more likely to cause delays or longer wait times can help travellers prepare and plan for their trip. Whether it’s giving yourself extra time before a flight or sorting your travel insurance ahead of your trip, iSelect can help you compare travel insurance from a range of providers to help you find one that’s right for your next trip.”
Adrian Bennett
General Manager – General Insurance
Written by:
Sarah Grealy
Digital Public Relations Specialist
0413 363 690
Sarah is our Digital Public Relations Specialist, and brings more than a decade of experience in the insurance comparison industry to iSelect.
With a passion for storytelling through data-driven insights, Sarah strives to empower Aussies with practical guides and tips.
About the data
This dataset ranks 50 of the world’s most popular airports on how stressful they are to travel through. Each airport was assessed across punctuality and passenger experience factors, and once all data was collected and normalised, each was given a score between 0 and 1, before being combined into a total score out of 100. These airports were then ranked from best to worst.
The factors used:
– Average departure delay – Historical flight data from Aviation Edge (Past year)
– % of departures cancelled – Historical flight data from Aviation Edge (Past year).
– Getting to the airport – FlightRadar24 passenger reviews relating to access and transport links.
– Check-in experience – FlightRadar24 passenger reviews covering check-in processes.
– Security – FlightRadar24 passenger reviews on security wait times and efficiency.
– Immigration and customs – FlightRadar24 passenger reviews covering border control
– Baggage claim – FlightRadar24 passenger reviews on baggage claim speed and reliability.
Factors weighting:
– Departure delays – 25%
– Cancelled flight % – 25%
– Getting to the airport – 10%
– Check-in experience – 10%
– Security – 10%
– Immigration and customs – 10%
– Baggage claim – 10%
Index rules:
– Flight delays and cancellations – Lower scored better
– Review ratings – High scored better
All factor values were normalised to a 0–1 scale before weighting and combination.
Sources:
Aviation Edge – Historical flight API
Flightradar24 – Passenger review
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About 
At iSelect, we’re passionate about making Aussies’ lives easier by saving them time, effort and money. We are Australia’s go-to destination for comparison across insurance, utilities and personal finance products made available from our range of providers. Our service is provided at no cost to the customer.
iSelect does not compare all travel insurers or policies in the market. Travel insurance is only available through our website and not all policies are available at all times or in all areas. Not all policies available from our partners are compared by iSelect and due to commercial arrangements and customer circumstances not all policies compared by iSelect will be available to all customers. Click here to view iSelect’s range of providers.
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