The 25 worst airports in America

[jbhtexas]

Are we flying through the same dfw airport? I fly through dfw when I go back to Omaha from new Orleans and its pretty nice. I had a3hour layover on Friday and terminal d is actually pretty nice...

Not sure what the gripes are about DFW. At DFW, Terminal D is the new international terminal (although many domestic flights go through there), and it is very nice. The other terminals are in the process of being renovated to have a more "Terminal D" feel. As far as airports go, it is one of the cleaner ones I've been in.

Currently, the biggest problem I've had at DFW are the delays on American due to their peeing match with the pilots. That is improving however...

[Angie]

Not sure what the gripes are about DFW. At DFW, Terminal D is the new international terminal (although many domestic flights go through there), and it is very nice. The other terminals are in the process of being renovated to have a more "Terminal D" feel. As far as airports go, it is one of the cleaner ones I've been in.

Currently, the biggest problem I've had at DFW are the delays on American due to their peeing match with the pilots. That is improving however...

I haven't flown through Terminal D, to my recollection. All of the other terminals are old - dark, grungy, just feel cramped. Combine that with delayed flights, and it feels like ATL West. It may improve in the future, but it's currently just sort of crappy. The layout is also not ideal.

[jbhtexas]

I haven't flown through Terminal D, to my recollection. All of the other terminals are old - dark, grungy, just feel cramped. Combine that with delayed flights, and it feels like ATL West. It may improve in the future, but it's currently just sort of crappy. The layout is also not ideal.

Sorry...just not seeing that. When is the last time you've been at DFW, and what terminal was it?

[Angie]

Sorry...just not seeing that. When is the last time you've been at DFW, and what terminal was it?

About three years ago. I don't have my ticket stubs from then. It's very possible it's changed, and that is fine. I don't think it's really that big of a deal.

[jbhtexas]

About three years ago. I don't have my ticket stubs from then. It's very possible it's changed, and that is fine. I don't think it's really that big of a deal.

DFW is in the process of spending $1.9 billion on "terminal renewal", so hopefully it is changing for the better...

[DistrictCyclone]

Sometimes the airline you fly on, can have an effect on your perception of an airport. Detroit, is a good example. If you fly Northwest or Delta, you'll always go through their new terminal, which is gorgeous, has a really good gate to gate transit system, and is generally very pleasant. However, if you get unlucky and have to fly out of their old terminal, it can be much worse. Gates are lined up along long, dark hallways with very little seating, and few amenities.

Another one that falls into that category is Charlotte. Their main terminal is awesome. But their old terminal is designated for Southwest Airlines, and it's like a 3rd world country over there. There is literally a demarcation zone, where you go from one terminal to the next, and it's very noticeable. All of a sudden, the floors are dirtier, the ceilings are lower, the lights are dimmer. Obviously it's the difference between an old building and a new one, but I can see how people flying into the same airport can have entirely different experiences.

Very true. At DCA, if you fly any of the "non-major" airlines like Frontier or Sun Country, you get relegated to Terminal A, which is the old, outdated original section of the airport. It's a good hike from the rest of the airport, not directly connected to the rail system, has very "Soviet" aesthetics, and has a complete lack of amenities other than a newsstand. If this was your only experience with the airport, you'd think it was a complete dump (you might anyways).

[Mr Janny]

Sorry...just not seeing that. When is the last time you've been at DFW, and what terminal was it?

I'll second on DFW being grungy/filthy. Standing outside baggage claim, waiting for my rental car bus, and the ground looked like it had never been cleaned. Cigarette butts and trash everywhere. Disgusting.

As far as the terminals go, the older terminals feel exactly that, "old." Bad seating, with everyone crowding around the few televisions. Could definitely use some renovation, so if you say they're doing that, then good news. The last time I was through there was a couple years ago, so that's what I'm basing my info on. I've also had some of the worst delays of my flying career while at DFW, so that obviously affects my opinion.

[Angie]

DFW is in the process of spending $1.9 billion on "terminal renewal", so hopefully it is changing for the better...

That's good news. I bet it's improved a lot in the last few years, I really have slowed down traveling since about late 2008/early 2009.

I will say that Seattle (and SeaTac) are the cleanest places I've ever been. I saw people polishing parking meters in the streets, and the airport was impeccable.

[cycloneworld]

Outside of the lack of Starbucks and food inside the airport I agree totally. I swear I've had years of 0 to 10 min lines at DSM. The last couple of months it's more like 30 mins of winding through a weird line. No idea why it got bad just like that.

Mornings and early afternoons are bad out of DSM because of additional flights that have been added over the past year. Now, there are typically dozens of flights from 6-8am and 12-2pm.

EDIT: Just checked their website. They have 15 departures between 6 and 8am. And 11 of those are between 5:52am and 6:48am. That will make for some busy security lines. They also have 15 flights out between noon and 3 pm.

[leroycyclone]

Frequent fliers - what's the weirdest flight you've ever taken?

I had to fly to Cold Lake, Alberta once for work. It's way north in Alberta, the only airport there is a military base. I had to fly into Calgary the night before, stay overnight, and then I boarded a tiny six-seater plane that basically amounted to an air-bus the next morning. We stopped at four different tiny airports on the way up to Cold Lake, and let people off at each.

Coolest experience.

On a Malawi Air flight from Johannesburg to Dar es Salaam, the first stop was at Arusha, Tanzania, near the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The pilot asked us, since there were so few of on board, if we'd like a good view of the mountain. We stood behind the pilots, stared out the front window and he headed straight into Mt. Kilimanjaro before turning towards the airport.

[MrOtter]

Denver is weird as hell (look up the conspiracy theories about some if the paintings, the barbed wire facing in, the creepy horse out front) but I've always had nice experiences,

About the Denver airport:
Something is rotten in the Denver airport (13 Photos) : theCHIVE

Those murals are pretty strange indeed. But I've also always had a great experience flying into or out of DIA so whatever.

Oh and to the folks talking about the Memphis airport, can't agree more. One of my very favorites. The airport itself is, well, an airport, but the food is absolutely heavenly.

[Cybone]

I live in Denver and pretty much everyone here hates that demon-horse at DIA. When the Treasures of King Tut exhibit was here, there was a large statue of Anubis next to the demon-horse. When I saw it, i thought "Great the demon horse is going to kill me, and the Egyptian God of the dead is right there to claim my soul"

My worst flight was from Aspen, CO (when i lived up there) to Grand Junction, CO to Sky Harbor. It was a twin prop airplane. There was a family with two small children in the back of the plane. I swear I felt every pine needle, tree leaf and branch hit the plane between Grand Junction to Sky Harbor. The children were screaming and crying the entire time, understandably so.

LAX - Very dirty, security lines were long and entirely too intimate.
Buffalo - Reminds me of Des Moines, in and out of there pretty quick.
Dulles - I got bounced between two customer service counters 100 yards apart for 2 hours. That airport is just too big.
DFW - I remember this being a very dirty airport and cramped.

I remain partial to Denver, but i am biased...

[Mr Janny]

About the Denver airport:
Something is rotten in the Denver airport (13 Photos) : theCHIVE

Those murals are pretty strange indeed. But I've also always had a great experience flying into or out of DIA so whatever.

Oh and to the folks talking about the Memphis airport, can't agree more. One of my very favorites. The airport itself is, well, an airport, but the food is absolutely heavenly.

I had a lengthy morning layover in Memphis, so I stopped for breakfast at one of the many fine restaurants, and had possibly the best biscuits and gravy I've ever eaten, period, let alone in an airport.

Additionally, on another trip through Memphis, I was running very late, and I was struggling to reach my connection. I made it to the gate after they had closed the door. I pleaded with the attendant to let me on, and after a phone call, they got clearance to open things back up and let me board. I gave her as many thanks as I could, and made sure to get her name. On my return trip, I made it a point to see if she was working and thanked her again. In my experience, it's not often that they'll make exceptions once the gate doors are closed, so I'm pretty sure she went out of her way to help.

As a result, Memphis holds a soft spot in my heart.

[CtownCyclone]

Agree with those folks who have been to DFW Terminal D. That terminal is pretty nice.

My home airport is Bush Intercontinental. Terminal B is pretty lame, but E terminal is nice. Hit up the Pappadeaux in E terminal if you have the time. Good ****!

[weR138]

The 25 Worst Airports in America, From Newark to Dallas (Photos) - The Daily Beast

Interesting to see. I've been to 18 of the 25 they list, and in my opinion, they got most of the worst ones, although the omissions of Sky Harbor and SeaTac are glaring. I disagree with Denver being on the list, though. I've always had good experiences there, and they have a ton of amenities if you get tied up there for a while.

For me, the worst will always be O'Hare, with Atlanta being a close second, and Dallas at 3rd.

I've been to seven on this list and while I've had bad experiences at O'Hare, Atlanta was worse by far on a couple occasions. That airport SUCKS.