These Are The Worst Airports In The World, According To Reddit

The only thing worse than traveling through a congested airport only to pile into an even more crowded plane is when it is notoriously poorly managed or short on amenities. The good news is that Reddit is a veritable Library of Alexandria when it comes to complaints. Fortunately, Redditors have plenty to share in relation to helping other travelers avoid the pitfalls they encountered at some of the world's worst airports.

To help your next flight go more smoothly, we combed Reddit for the worst airports and some of Redditors' best advice for dealing with them. While not every airport can be as pleasant for riding out layovers as Istanbul, knowing what to expect when passing through a stressful airport can go a long way in mitigating travel headaches. And sometimes, avoiding those headaches comes down to something as simple as booking your flight at the right time of day. Here's what Reddit has to say about the world's worst airports.

Ah, Paris, the City of Lights. It's a place of romance, beauty, art — and an airport that one Redditor compared to "the waiting room to be sent to hell." While some airports are roasted for one or two failures, Charles De Gaulle (CDG) airport brings a wide range of criticism as hilarious as it is horrifying. Reddit is loaded with complaints about the boarding system, or lack thereof. As u/Jammiedodger_1985 warned, "There is no queuing system, just a free for all to get on the plane." 

Others cautioned that CDG's system completely breaks down periodically, with delays causing passengers to miss connecting flights altogether. While it might be unsurprising to many that most CDG employees only speak French, they are also notoriously rude. Furthermore, the food options at CDG are mostly limited to cold items like salads and pastries; as u/Stock_Distance2663 complained, there is nothing but "overpriced mediocre coffee and stale sandwiches."

To circumvent the nightmare, one user suggested booking Paris-Orly Airport whenever possible. If CDG is unavoidable, veteran Paris traveler u/bhbull suggested arriving three hours ahead of your flight. If you're able to, opt for a mid-afternoon flight since security lines for these tend to move more quickly. Additionally, consider giving yourself an extra day in case things don't go well for you at the airport. Finally, they concluded, consider shelling out for a ticket upgrade to economy so you can gain priority access through security.

Miami International Airport has its share of high points. Many Redditors praise it for its food and coffee selections and note that some gates — particularly Delta — are a breeze to travel through. But none of that is enough to redeem the southern airport in the eyes of most travelers, and chief among their complaints is Miami's frustratingly unintuitive layout.

For many, the issue revolves around the lack of connected terminals, a setup that makes it impossible to exit the building from most areas without a serious trek. As u/GreenFireAddict put it, "I hate the cutoff terminals that cannot access others." Based on the airport's endless liminal spaces, another Redditor, u/macncheeseface, hilariously hypothesized that the airport had simply forgotten to hire an architect. U/P0RTILLA's review was even more scathing: "It really needs to be demolished and start over again."

Other Redditors agreed with this assessment but added that, overall, the airport seems to be extremely outdated and poorly maintained. And u/HatBixGhost noted that shouldn't be much of a surprise given the construction company behind the airport's expansion was the same one that built the doomed Florida International University bridge, which collapsed in 2018. The best piece of advice for travelers who can't avoid Miami: Bring a good pair of walking shoes and be prepared to Fred Flintstone your way around in a hurry.

Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport is known for many things, and most aren't great. According to the Reddit hivemind, the biggest issue is the airport's reputation for missed connections, thanks to the Portuguese flag carrier airline, TAP Air Portugal. Reddit thread r/digitalnomad is full of travelers recounting concerning experiences. For example, u/mm1747 spent eight hours sleeping face-down on folded arms on a Burger King table due to delays.

Expressing frustration at employees' lack of consideration for travelers' plights and what they perceived as general airport mismanagement and poor layout, Redditor u/rvp0209 recounted their own story. As it goes, the airport had been running on a skeleton crew despite a high volume of passengers. After waiting three hours to gain entry to their gate, they, along with hundreds of other travelers, missed their flight. "They have two security queues for thousands of passengers to go to several different terminals, both domestic and international," the Redditor explained. Factor in a lengthy intake process for immigration, and it's a recipe for disaster. 

To make matters worse, booking another flight meant yet another three-hour wait. For u/rvp0209, that was an eight-hour wait time at the airport — and they were among the lucky ones that day. To survive your time at Lisbon's airport, experienced Portugal travelers recommend giving yourself at least three hours.

Arriving at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) might have been a long-awaited dream for the survivors of ABC's "Lost." However, there are plenty of folks on Reddit who would prefer being marooned on a mysterious island to navigating its concourses. Summing up the sentiment in a rant on r/travel, Canadian traveler u/the_monkey_ complained, "I guess if you start or end there it wouldn't be outrageously bad, but connecting through it is a goddamn nightmare."

For travelers not accustomed to the Los Angeles heat, the Redditor emphasized, the lack of adequate transportation across the generally crowded airport can make LAX connections intolerable, a problem worsened by a shortage of directional signage. And then there's the issue of traffic around the airport, with many Redditors describing the passenger drop-off and pickup zones as the stuff of nightmares.

While plans for the long-awaited LAX Automated People Mover are underway, delays continue to push its arrival. Until then, frequent flyers suggest using the economy shuttle or having your friends and family meet you at the McDonald's on Airport Boulevard. As u/schoolhouserock put it, "Double small fries and stress free. Eat one while waiting, hand the other to your inbound passenger when they get in the car."

Ranked the world's busiest airport by the Airports Council International since 2022, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) boasts a massive complex with 192 gates. All of the airport's concourses are connected by the efficient Plane Train, a 3-mile loop with 11 four-car trains running every two minutes. For the most part, passengers passing through Atlanta realize the airport does a pretty darned good job for what it has to work with.

The sheer volume of travelers the airport sees as Delta's headquarters makes it one of the least pleasant hubs for many airline customers. As u/Away_Act7285 wrote, "I fly all over and Atl always takes at least twice as long to get through as any other airport I fly from." Considering its sheer size and serious crowds — particularly on Fridays — it operates rather efficiently. However, ATL veterans say stopping for food or traveling across the building will cost you dearly in terms of time.

The good news is that while the crowds can be intimidating, ATL features a pretty straightforward layout. It comprises gates arranged in a straight line and accessible via the Plane Train. Just try not to book any tight connections — give yourself at least an hour between flights, and you'll probably be fine.

Long lines, sour-faced employees, endless bureaucracy — these are miseries generally associated with a trip to the DMV. But according to Reddit, Maui's Kahului Airport gives the DMV a run for their money. Take it from u/mamakat1305, who reported, "The lines for TSA were just winding around and around. We were waiting for about an hour for that. If you're going back to the continental US after that, then you'll have to add more time for the agricultural check too." 

Reporting on the problem in 2022, Maui Now cited long, snaking lines that zigzag around to the outside of the airport in some cases. Add to this issue is the local TSA work culture that u/boop66 calls "an edge, an uncool sharpness." It often arises when dissatisfied workers become power drunk, and the airport can get pretty miserable.

To make the most of the situation, seasoned travelers recommend doing a TSA pre-check, which can reduce some of that wait time dramatically. Some Redditors were able to walk right through security without a wait altogether. It's also worth noting that wait times seem to worsen between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. If your travel plans are only for a few days, consider packing everything inside your carry-on instead of checking any baggage. Finally, if you simply can't avoid traveling through Maui's airport at peak travel times, follow u/bamagal89's advice: "Definitely plan to get there three hours early."

Ever since the pandemic, it seems like the public can't go long without someone's air travel meltdown going viral, and according to experts, that's because they're on the rise. In terms of wild airport behavior, it doesn't get much worse than Cairo International Airport, according to Reddit. Many say that's because travel privileges we take for granted — like orderly lines and politeness in general — seem to fall apart at the Cairo airport. As if that wasn't bad enough, one Redditor reported a bribery attempt from a Cairo security agent — a claim backed up by an Al Arabiya News report, which suggests bribery attempts are common among Cairo airport security employees.

Responses to an r/PublicFreakout post of a "Cairo Karen" meltdown confirmed just how viscerally travelers hate this airport. Redditor u/intlcreative complained, "Cairo airport is literally the worst place I have ever been," with u/AliceTrippDaGain adding, "Nah the whole airport is ****. Like you just pile in and there's no order to anything."

To survive your trip through Cairo, veteran travelers recommend giving yourself a minimum of two hours to make your flight. Have all of your documents printed and ready to go ahead of time, and be prepared for long waits in the security lines — especially if you're traveling through terminal 3. Additionally, don't worry about being too polite — although it might feel uncomfortable, several Redditors advised that pushing your way through the crowd may be necessary.

When Mark Twain mused, "I would like to live in Manchester, England. The transition between Manchester and death would be unnoticeable," he could scarcely have fathomed the purgatory that would one day reside there. Voted the U.K.'s worst airport in 2024 by Which? Magazine, the United Kingdom's Manchester Airport garners a wide range of rather explicit complaints among the Reddit community. One of the biggest frustrations revolves around the airport's disorganized and inconsistent security protocols, which passengers say seem arbitrary and overzealous. 

One Redditor recalled getting their packaged contact lenses flagged as liquids, while another reported seeing an 18-month-old get pulled aside for what would add up to an hour-long search. Others found the airport overall bleak and disappointing. U/CerebralAccountant wrote, "Surly staff, sky bridges between terminals that heat up like greenhouses, dull architecture, and nothing remarkable in the way of food & shopping." Factor in overcrowded lounges and moving sidewalks that aren't always functional, and it's not hard to see why people despise this airport.

While there aren't many good hacks for getting through the airport, Manchester veterans do offer some advice. If you're looking for a calm spot for a drink on your layover, try heading out to one of the far terminals. When you're feeling especially stressed, step outside for a quick cuteness fix. As u/Imaginary-Delay-6828 recommends: "There's loads of bunnies living around the car parks and grounds of the airport. They are easy to spot and free to gawk at. You're welcome."

Serving a whopping 62 million passengers per year is no small feat, so we have to give London Heathrow Airport some credit. Most users seem to agree that the airport is fairly efficient and clean while boasting a decent selection of amenities. But that hasn't stopped Reddit from delivering some pretty solid roasts for the overburdened hub — particularly for the airport's employees. Redditor u/itbelikethatsometyms wrote, "The security are absolute donkeys, smiling and laughing and taking their time," while another user added, "the staff feels like abusive unorganized teenagers."

Much like Manchester's security, Heathrow's staff can reportedly get rather petty over items like liquids. One noted being asked to repackage everything inside disposable plastic baggies, while another was forced to throw away items that no other airport took issue with. Others reported having to remember to show their passports before disembarking from a plane. They were also instructed to go through security just to change terminals, and some spent nearly three hours trying to get through the process, including check-in. To avoid missing your flight, one Redditor suggests arriving as much as four hours ahead of schedule. And if possible, consider traveling with a carry-on only if you can't avoid passing through Heathrow.

For the most part, North Carolina's Charlotte Douglas International Airport is fine. An American Airlines hub, Charlotte is small enough to walk and easy enough to find your way around. The problem is that the airport gets more volume than it reasonably has room for. Several astute passengers noted that the airport simply hasn't expanded to keep up with the growth of American Airlines, leading to some serious congestion — particularly at terminal E.

As u/CPNZ writes, "Way to many people for the layout – no room for people waiting to board at ends of B and C when 4 planes are boarding at same time, narrow moving walkways that slow and oblivious people block all the time." Additionally, passengers stand smack dab in the center of walkways because there simply aren't enough seats available. Several Charlotte veterans reported tight connections that required a sprint across the airport in as little as 15 minutes by the time their planes disembarked — a nightmare when you're dashing through a crowded terminal. To reduce your chance of a pre-flight snafu, consider downloading a map of the airport before you go.

It's not the crowds or the employees that travelers hate about Virginia's Dulles International Airport — it's the antiquated people mover system that Redditors say is in dire need of an overhaul. A visionary mid-century modern work of art conceived by airport architect Eero Saarinen at the airport's inception, the people mover or mobile lounge concept functions much like the jet bridge on wheels and was originally meant to dock directly with the airplane.

Massive vehicles that transport more than 100 passengers to their flights, these people movers have become a reminder to many that the airport's transportation system is in dire need of an upgrade. Emphasizing the system's shortcomings, Redditor u/vanzeppelin explained, "When these were the only way between terminals, you'd get crowds waiting to cram in these things like a Chinese subway." 

Summing up many travelers' feelings on the outmoded transports, u/THENDONTCOMEOVER lamented, "They are completely impractical and waste travelers' time." Fortunately for anyone holding out hope for Dulles to replace the old system with a fancy new monorail or tram, the airport announced a multimillion-dollar people mover renovation was underway in April 2024.

To find out which airports Redditors hated the most, we combed through r/travel in search of lengthy threads devoted to bad airport energy. As usual, Reddit has no shortage of strong, unfiltered opinions. We quickly honed in on recurring themes to help us compile our list, following up with a deep dive into each of the most notorious offenders.