r/Airports

I don’t mean the small, domestic/regional airports or airstrips, but the large International Airports or international airport hubs within USA only.

Which ones are the worst for arrivals, departures, or simple transfers?

If possible please provide details. I’d really like to know why.

[edit] Well shit; didn’t expect this to blowup. From what y’all are saying, Newark must be in the ninth circle of Hell.

The Washington DC area's WMATA transit agency is the only agency IN THE WORLD where both of these criteria are met:

-Serves at least two airports with metro style rail operated by the same transit agency

-Neither airport serves as the terminus of the rail line serving it (at least one non-airport station on either side of the airport)

Many cities around the world qualify for serving two airports with one system, but WMATA sits apart once you require neither to be the end point of their rail line. The Blue and Yellow lines continue past DCA to several stations further south, and the Silver Line serves two stations further west in Loudoun County after IAD. You wouldn't expect DC/NOVA to be the only place where this happens.

DCA was really just a matter of geography. Thr airport is close to the city center and there are many populated communities further south. Dulles was a combination of political boundaries and smart investment. IAD sits 25 miles from downtown DC, and the Silver Line added 19 miles of new Metro service to reach Dulles. Planners were smart to basically say, were going to spend billions to get to Dulles, why not add some track after the airport (they built 4 more miles) to connect more communities and get a higher ROI on that huge investment? They also saw Loudoun County demand a pair of usable, developable stations if they were going to chip in financially, since the airport is only just over the border from Fairfax County.

Other cities should realize they stand to gain by extending lines beyond the airport, as you then add more communities to often long and expensive metro lines, you add pick up/drop off opportunities on the further end of the airport, thus reducing airport road traffic, and you can better locate end-of-line infrastructure like yards and pocket tracks away from the airport where it may be easier or operationally more efficient than in an airport terminal.

I find it astounding that only WMATA meets those two straightforward criteria. Some others are close, but fail on at least one point.

Sunday, Oct 4. Spain → Frankfurt → Washington, 2-hour connection, US passport.

Spain–FRA is a Schengen flight, but US flights leave from the non-Schengen Z gates, so you have to clear exit border control. That's where it fell apart.

The line kept freezing for 10–15 minutes at a time while the system locked up. Two hours to get through. I missed my flight, and so did a lot of people around me. Yes, you can register at the EES kiosk. Doesn't matter. You end up in the same line as everyone who skipped it, and the officer processes you manually anyway.

Maybe three staff were managing the whole queue. Nowhere near enough, and they wouldn't tell us anything. At one point the lady metering people to the kiosks strapped off the entrance and walked away for 10 minutes. Passengers pulled the barrier down and mobbed the kiosks. It came close to a riot.

After I missed the flight, the Lufthansa desk in Terminal Z refused to help and sent me to the main desk at departures. As far as I could tell, the only way out of Z was back through border control, in the other direction. Another 2½ hours. They rebooked me for the next day but refused a hotel voucher. Not their fault, they said; whoever booked should have allowed more than two hours. They said “file a complaint with the EU.”

With so many people stranded, nearby hotels were full or expensive. I ended up in a closet-sized room 2 miles away for $90. The kicker: the next morning, border control was empty. No line at all. So whatever's going on seems to hit hardest in the afternoon, when the US flights go out.

My advice:

* Give Frankfurt 3+ hours on any Schengen → non-Schengen connection.
* If you can, connect in the morning.
* If you miss a connection and it was one ticket, ask about EU261 care (meals/hotel).

Frankfurt a full-blown clusterf***.

Which airport is more reliable for connecting flight, Newark or Laguardia for international flights?