The 10 Most Notoriously Chaotic Airports In The World & 10 Tips For Surviving Them
Stuck In Airport Purgatory?
While some airports feel like part of the vacation, others you'll want to avoid at all costs, whether because of poorly designed terminals that make us want to pull our hair out or overcrowded security lines that turn us into human sardines. Luckily, there are some tips and tricks you can use to survive your travel inferno and actually start enjoying your vacation. Here are the 10 most infamously chaotic airports in the world and 10 survival strategies for making it through, sanity intact.
1. Newark Liberty International Airport, USA
One trip to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and you'll see why it's everyone's favorite airport to avoid. Being one of the hubs for air travel out of NYC, the airport has to stomach insane crowds, which aren't helped by its confusing layout.
2. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France
Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport is often cited as the most stressful in Europe. Its seemingly cobbled-together layout, poor accessibility, and perpetually long security lines make it one of the worst places to have a layover.
Wilfredo Rafael Rodriguez Hernandez on Wikimedia
3. London Heathrow Airport, UK
Any airport that services a city of almost 10 million people is bound to be a little chaotic, but London's Heathrow is something else. Not only is it horrendously crowded, but it's expensive and flight cancellations and gate changes are entirely too common.
Konstantin Von Wedelstaedt on Wikimedia
4. Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Philippines
Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Philippines often wins "worst airport in the world" on rankings because of its outdated facilities, frequent delays, and disorganization. The amount of traffic going through the airport has far outgrown the aging infrastructure.
Manila International Airport Authority on Wikimedia
5. Heraklion International Airport, Greece
Crete is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, but its airport? Not so much. Heraklion International Airport is infamous for its long wait lines and overheated, overcrowded terminals, especially during peak summer tourist season.
6. Miami International Airport, USA
Miami International Airport is one of the most notoriously disorganized airports in the US. It's plagued by some of the longest TSA wait lines and a confusing layout, and a bad reputation for losing baggage.
FunctioningMemberOfSociety on Wikimedia
7. Ho Chi Minh City Tan Son Nhat Airport, Vietnam
Get ready to feel like a sardine the second you enter Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat Airport. It's infamous for its long lines, outdated facilities, and old-school IT systems that make everything move at a snail's pace.
8. Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport, Portugal
In the past few years, it feels like everyone is vacationing in Portugal. As a result, the airport is perpetually overcrowded, disorganized, and seems unprepared to deal with the influx of tourism.
Sharon Hahn Darlin on Wikimedia
9. Bogota El Dorado International Airport, Colombia
Bogota's El Dorado International Airport is the busiest in South America. Although modern, it's known for having significant, frequent delays, indicating that its operational flow struggles to keep up with the high volume of traffic.
Reg Natarajan from Vancouver, Canada on Wikimedia
10. Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, Ethiopia
Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in Ethiopia is a major hub for East Africa. It's known for its confusing layout, chaotic overcrowding, and inefficiency.
Now that we've talked about the world's worst nightmare airports, let's cover strategies for surviving them.
1. Arrive Extra Early
You probably already arrive a couple of hours early for international flights, but at any of these chaotic airports, you may want to consider showing up even more obscenely early to save yourself from unnecessary stress. The worst that will happen is you end up having to kill some time waiting comfortably by your gate.
2. Use Fast-Track Services
Many countries, including the US, offer fast-track services that allow you to skip the customs line. You don't have to be VIP to use them, either.
3. Book An Early Flight
Airports are known to get busier towards the end of the day. Avoid becoming part of the people soup by booking an early morning flight.
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4. Use Flight Trackers
At many of these chaotic airports, gates change at the last minute, and you aren't always clearly notified. To save you from waiting at the wrong gate, track your flight obsessively using flight tracker apps.
5. Know Your Terminal & How To Get There
Many of these chaotic airports have a multitude of terminals that aren't necessarily easy to get between. Check in advance what terminal your flight will be leaving from, know how to get there, and plan for traffic.
6. Bring Snacks & Water
At any of these chaotic airports, there is no guarantee that you'll have time to buy food or beverages. Bringing your own will save you from having to subsist all day on an in-flight pretzel packet.
7. Pack Light
Most of these airports have a terrible track record for losing checked baggage or just taking ages to release bags onto the carousel. To avoid this headache, pack only a light carry-on.
8. Mentally Prepare Yourself
Mentally preparing yourself for your travel day by expecting the worst. Maybe then, reality will exceed your expectations, and it won't seem so bad. This will help you maintain a patient and calm demeanor.
9. Schedule A Long Layover
If you're layover is at an airport known to be chaotic, make sure you have plenty of buffer time. We're talking a minimum of three or four hours between flights.
10. Use Google Maps' Terminal Maps
Google Maps has a terminal map function you can use to navigate confusing airports. Given that some airports don't have consistent wifi, make sure to download maps ahead of time.
