The Most Stressful Airports in the US Revealed, and Number One Isn’t JFK or New York’s LAX

The most stressful airports in the US have been revealed.

Travel experts analyzed several databases to rank airports based on five stress factors: number of passengers, distance from the city center, number of flight destinations, parking fees and overall airport satisfaction score. airport.

They looked at the 15 largest and busiest airports in the U.S. to create the 2024 U.S. Stressful Airport Index and found that Chicago O’Hare International Airport in Illinois was the most stressful.

With more than 33 million passengers, one of the highest flight destination options at 249 and the second most expensive parking charge for a week at more than $283, it ranks almost 10 points higher than any other airport.

New York JFK International Airport is ranked the second most stressful airport in the US, being more than 12 miles away by car from the nearest city, it has one of the worst satisfaction scores in the flight tracking app Flightradar24 and a high weekly parking fee. of $191.67.

The most expensive parking rate on the index is at Seattle International in Washington, priced at $376 per week.

Dallas Fort Worth International in Texas has one of the highest passenger numbers at over 35 million, is furthest from the nearest city, and has the most flight destination options at 258.

However, it has one of the cheapest weekly parking charges: $75, which puts it in third place on the stress rating.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas has the cheapest weekly parking of any airport at just $51.20.

It also has the lowest passenger numbers of all airports in the index at 19.8 million, along with San Francisco International Airport, which has 20.4 million.

Phoenix International in Arizona is ranked the least stressful airport on the index as it is closest to the nearest city (3.7 miles), has one of the lowest passenger numbers, fewest flight destinations, and cheapest parking options at $72.

Denver International also has one of the cheapest weekly parking charges: $54; However, it is the furthest airport from a city and has one of the highest numbers of passengers traveling, making it the fourth most stressful.

Despite having the most passengers traveling (45.4 million), Atlanta International ranks ninth most stressful and has the best Flightradar24 score of 84 percent, as do Dallas Fort Worth International, Denver International and San Francisco International.

The research was commissioned by a car rental site, StressFreeCarRental.com.

Commenting on the findings, the company’s chief executive, John Charnock, said: “A stressful airport experience could make or break your holiday, so we’ve analyzed the data to find which destinations travelers should avoid if they want a quiet airport.” experience.

‘There are certain airports in the US that can make travelers feel more stressed than others, and the 2024 US Stressful Airports Index has shown us which factors in certain destinations are worse than others .

‘Chicago O’Hare International Airport in Illinois has been rated the most stressful due to exorbitant parking fees, the millions of passengers passing through it and the distance to the city.

“Of the fifteen largest and busiest US airports analyzed, Phoenix International in Arizona has been named the least stressful due to its proximity to the nearest city, low passenger numbers and “Cheaper weekly parking cost.”