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, and 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.
Which are the least stressful airports?
According to the research, 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 the top three least stressful airports.
Singapore Changi Airport was ranked first for the most stress-free airport. 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 and scored highly for airport transport links, 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 other factors, and Incheon absolutely earns its end score of 72.61 out of 100.
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.
- Newark Liberty International Airport
Ranking first for the most stressful airport is Newark Liberty International Airport. This is Jersey City’s primary airport, which has been named a hotspot for travel stress, ranking in with the worst check-in score, and the second-worst score for ease of getting to the airport.
Newark was placed second-worst for security check, and worst for customs and immigration wait time. 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.
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.
- Humberto Delgado Airport (Lisbon Airport)
Moving over to Europe, Lisbon airport in Portugal was ranked second most stressful. Lisbon Airport had the highest delayed departure time of any airport, 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, alongside a security check rating. However, Lisbon Airport scored the best for ease of getting to the airport compared to the rest of the top five, although this could be a small comfort ahead of what could be a stressful airport experience.
- Manchester Airport
Ranked third for most stressful airport is Manchester airport, beating all airports in the United Kingdom. The baggage claim sentiment was the lowest with Manchester travellers. It was a similar story for the security check wait time as well, with Manchester scoring at the bottom for this area.
In fact, the only saving grace for Manchester is its lower cancellation rate, putting it below Newark Liberty International Airport and Lisbon Airport in this area and to keep it third place.
- John F. Kennedy International Airport
Returning to the United States, John F. Kennedy International Airport ranked fourth in the most stressful airport index. The alternative airport to Newark for many fliers planning on visiting New York, starting with relatively low flight cancellation rates.
John F. Kennedy International Airport scores poorly for other factors in the index, including getting the worst score for time spent in customs and immigration, third worst for security check, and fifth worst for ease of getting to the airport, all of which combines for a potentially stressful airport experience.
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport
Chicago O’Hare International Airport was the third worst for immigration and customs, with a rating by travellers of 70% for their experience.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport performed slightly better than the rest of the top five, notably doing the best for check-in, but less so for baggage claims and security check wait times.
