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Airport security can be a hassle with long lines, passengers confused about what they can bring through security, and surly TSA officers. TSA PreCheck® and CLEAR Plus help to mitigate many of these annoyances, but travelers still have issues on the daily. Upgraded Points collected Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Contact Center complaint data from 2015 through 2023 and compiled the results of the airports with the most complaints.
It should surprise no one that Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) tops the list. This was my home airport for many years and you get a dose of Jersey every time you come here. Everyone from the TSA to gate agents and retail workers are not happy to be there and you’ll soon learn that the customer is not always right here. Newark had nearly twice as many complaints as the airports ranked average (6.83 complaints per 100,000 travelers). TSA PreCheck® (44.8%), customer service (14.6%), and mishandled baggage (14%) were the most complained about items on the list.
Two other New York airports made the top 10: New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Florida saw four airports in the top 10: Orlando International Airport (MCO), Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), and Tampa International Airport (TPA). I’m surprised by Tampa as it’s a great airport. Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE), and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) make up the rest of the worst.
On the other side of the coin, there are airports with few complaints. Leading the list with the least complaints made between 2015 and 2023 is Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). Both Chicago-area airports: Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) made the top 10 best. Shockingly, mega-airport Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) was number four. The other six include: Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Dallas Love Field (DAL), Kansas City International Airport (MCI), Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), and San Francisco International Airport (SFO). There are actually eleven airports in the top 10 as two tied.
Keri Stooksbury, Editor-in-Chief at Upgraded Points, said:
Security checks are an unavoidable part of air travel, but the experience can vary greatly depending on the airport. And since navigating security can be such a high-stress experience, we identified where passengers are most and least satisfied with TSA, providing valuable insights for travelers.”
Q4 and the holiday season in particular generate the most complaints with over 1,000 per day in the final months of the year. Fewer travelers in January and February see these numbers drop each year.
Anthony’s Take: I’m not surprised that Newark is the worst or that many of the airports were in NYC and Florida. It’s good to see that midwesterners and southerners live up to the polite stereotypes.
(Image Credits: TSA and Upgraded Points.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
1 comment
I have complimented TSA at CLT many times. I tell them frequently they are the only thing in the whole horrible airport that works like its supposed to.