The most stressful U.S. airports revealed - and number one isn't New York's JFK or LAX
Travel experts went about analyzing multiple data banks to rank airportsThe five stress-inducing factors included passenger numbers and parking feesREAD MORE: Pilots reveal their LEAST favorite airports across the US
The most stressful airports in the USA have been revealed.
Travel experts went about analyzing multiple data banks to rank airports based on five stress-inducing factors: passenger numbers, distance from the city center, number of flight destinations, car parking charges and the overall airport satisfaction score.
They looked at the 15 busiest and biggest airports in the US to create the 2024 USA Stressful Airport Index and found Chicago O'Hare International in Illinois to be the most stressful.
With more than 33 million passengers, one of the highest flight destination options at 249 and the second most expensive car parking charge for a week at more than $283, it ranks almost 10 points higher than any other airport.
New York JFK International is ranked as the second-most stressful airport in the USA, being more than 12 miles' driving distance to the nearest city, having one of the worst satisfaction scores on the flight tracking app Flightradar24 and a high weekly car parking charge of $191.67.
The most stressful airports in the USA have been revealed, with Chicago O'Hare International flying to first place
Phoenix International in Arizona is ranked as the least stressful airport on the index
The most expensive car parking charge on the index is Seattle International in Washington at $376 for a week.
Dallas Fort Worth International in Texas has one of the highest number of passengers at more than 35 million, is the further distance from the nearest city and has the most flight destination options at 258.
However, it has one of the cheapest weekly car parking charges at $75, bringing it down the stress rankings to third place.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, has the cheapest weekly car parking out of all the airports at just $51.20.
It also has the lowest passenger numbers out of all the airports on the index at 19.8 million, along with San Francisco International which has 20.4 million.
Phoenix International in Arizona is ranked as the least stressful airport on the index as the closest to the nearest city (3.7 miles), having one of the fewest passenger numbers, the least flight destinations and cheaper parking options at $72.
Denver International also has one of the cheapest weekly car parking charges at $54, however, it is the furthest airport from a city and has some of the highest passenger numbers traveling through making it the fourth most stressful.
Despite having the most passengers traveling through (45.4 million), Atlanta International ranks ninth most stressful and has the best Flightradar24 score of 84 per cent, the same as Dallas Fort Worth International, Denver International and San Francisco International.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, has the cheapest weekly car parking out of all the airports at just $51.20
The research was commissioned by car hire site, StressFreeCarRental.com.
Commenting on the findings, the company's CEO, John Charnock, said: 'A stressful experience at the airport could make or break your vacation, so we've crunched the data to find which destinations travelers should steer clear of if they want a peaceful airport experience.
'There are certain airports in the US which can make travelers feel more stressed than others - and the 2024 USA Stressful Airport Index has shown us which factors at certain destinations are worse than others.
'Chicago O'Hare International in Illinois has been named the most stress-inducing because of the eye-watering car park fees, the millions of passengers which pass through and the distance from a city.
'Out of the fifteen busiest and biggest airports in the US that have been analyzed, Phoenix International in Arizona has been named the least stressful because of how close it is to the nearest city, low passenger numbers and the cheaper weekly parking cost.'
| State | Airport | Passenger numbers (millions) |
Driving distance (miles) | Numbers of destinations you can fly to | Weekly car parking charge | My Flightradar24 satisfaction score | Total points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | Chicago O'Hare International | 33.1 | 11.8 | 249 | $283.21 | 78% | 62 |
| New York | New York JFK International | 26.9 | 12.6 | 193 | $191.67 | 77% | 53 |
| Texas | Dallas Fort Worth International | 35.3 | 13.8 | 258 | $75 | 84% | 51 |
| Colorado | Denver International | 33.7 | 15.5 | 219 | $54 | 84% | 48 |
| California | Los Angeles International | 32.3 | 13.3 | 189 | $119.99 | 77% | 47 |
| Florida | Miami International | 23.7 | 7.2 | 192 | $175 | 78% | 44 |
| Florida | Orlando International | 24.4 | 8.9 | 172 | $256 | 82% | 43 |
| New York | Newark International | 21.5 | 8.3 | 184 | $200 | 71% | 42 |
| Georgia | Atlanta International | 45.4 | 6.7 | 187 | $133 | 84% | 39 |
| Nevada | Las Vegas International | 25.3 | 4.3 | 164 | $252 | 82% | 36 |
| Washington | Seattle International | 22.1 | 7.5 | 127 | $376 | 82% | 35 |
| North Carolina | Charlotte Douglas International | 23.1 | 4.5 | 187 | $93.99 | 80% | 33 |
| Texas | George Bush Intercontinental Airport | 19.8 | 13.4 | 184 | $51.20 | 80% | 32 |
| California | San Francisco International | 20.4 | 8.6 | 142 | $175 | 84% | 24 |
| Arizona | Phoenix International | 21.8 | 2.2 | 145 | $72 | 83% | 16 |