Best/Worst US Airports

It’s a very buggy link but here is a link to a local news agency in our area as Sacramento international was given the ranking of #1 for midsized airports. It has been a delight to live so close and utilize this efficient, reliable airport with all the art installations I enjoy every time we pass through.

https://www.kcra.com/article/sacramento-international-airport-is-named-the-best-midsized-airport-in-us/41995784#

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-and-worst-airports-of-2022-11668645546?st=zqz7vvvfsblkgg7&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Thanks for the official link TheOrdinaryRebeca, much more informative.

Newark ranking worst in 6 out of 12 factors

Having passed through Newark on my way home from Portugal last month, I bet I could name some of those factors. Yikes, the chaos.

I found ATL to be very easy in Sept. and hoping my experience transiting through there next week is just as positive

Roubrat...I, too, found Atlanta pretty easy in October when I arrived back to the US. I did have access to the Delta Sky Lounge which was nice as the concourses were crowded. Coming thru Immigration was pretty easy (no awful Border/Custom's agent like I've gotten the last 2 times thru Seattle) for GE and I was familiar with the PlaneTrain set up.

Pam, we did have a drill sergeant type agent yelling at everyone, but at least we moved through fairly quickly so we were rid of him before long.

I have come through Atlanta my last several times between France and the U.S. and find it easy to navigate and get around in.

My last time there was ....yesterday !

We logged 2.5 miles walking at Newark flying to Athens. I think they changed our gate 4 times and then someone forgot to load a cart (!) that was apparently critical for takeoff, so we had to taxi back to the gate...

I have to agree with Mona that flying to and from Sacramento International is never an ordeal like some other airports.

Kim!! I'm glad you got thru it well.

One caveat with Atlanta is if flying in winter know that they can't handle weather that the cold country airports handle as a routine. If anyone gets caught there overnight and needs a place to bed down in the airport I suggest the floor under the ceiling sculpture Forest Walk. ribbit-ribbit

Stan, when I saw your title, I thought Newark & JFK! I haven’t been to Fort Lauderdale; thanks for the warning! ; )

I do like Minneapolis & Atlanta for transfers.

I posted Airport Miracles 3 months ago after our first post Covid international flight at SFO. I guess it wasn’t such a miracle after all, just an efficient airport now getting some recognition. 😂

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/transportation/airport-miracles

Jean in Idaho, We've flown in and out of Ft. Lauderdale many, many times, and have never had any real problems at all. It is a bit small, so it can be crowded when cruise ship(s) passengers are all trying to fly out the same morning. But otherwise it's much, much better than the ranking would suggest. And it's way better than Newark.

If anyone gets caught there overnight and needs a place to bed down in the airport I suggest the floor under the ceiling sculpture Forest Walk. ribbit-ribbit

Hahahahahahaha

Anyone that ranks, Atlanta’s immigration as one of your top airport is living in fantasy land

This is the airport where I saw the global entry agent grill a flight attendant for 15 minutes because he had too many stamps in his passport. Gee I wonder why? after all it’s not like he flew on airplanes to foreign countries as his job? Apparently the immigration agent had never heard of that.

It’s also the airport for a few years ago they decided they didn’t have enough staff so in order to prove that they went out of work slow down. Check one person’s paperwork, get up, go talk to your friends go get a cuppa coffee come back check one person‘s paperwork. Repeat- they did this for days. They were very proud of themselves

and of course it’s also the airport where we took out the kiosk to allow you to use mobile entry because we couldn’t allow anything helpful could we?

The last few times I’ve flown through at least half of the global entry kiosk were out order.

Having cleared immigration in a large number of airports in the United States, if I didn’t live in Atlanta, I would never fly here internationally

Kim--We transfer in Atlanta next week, heading to Munich though. On the way home we transfer at CDG which I am dreading, but I made sure our layover is like 4 hours.

OAK is the easiest airport, especially for being an international one. It is so tiny, and easy to catch an Uber etc.

I am not a fan of SEA even though it is my home airport. The security lines have been a mess for ages, and the Uber situation is a huge mess. The lounges have not been great either in quite a while, although a new one is being built and due to open any time.

PDX is super easy, like OAK, and probably my favorite.

@mikliz, I transited thru CDG on the way over in September and it was much easier than I thought even though the inbound from Seattle landed at one of the tarmac gates. All the times I've left from CDG (on Delta) we left from an inside gate so I suspect that will be your case on the way back this time. Since you've got plenty of time I think you'll be OK.

In Seattle I don't like landing at the S gates because I hate those long escalators to go up and over to the new International arrivals area. I'm going to look for elevators next time. That was also where the Border Control guy (who was actually the one that usually does Customs) asked the Delta Pilot in uniform ahead of me how much money he had. He said "I don't know" and walked on. He grilled me as well...wanted to know where I'd worked before I retired and what I did. Since I have global entry it was all in his screen. So stupid and a waste of his time.

Pam--Thank you. We have had to board on the tarmac at CDG before and I really dislike that, so yes, hoping for an inside boarding. I just overall dislike CDG, but will survive;) Yes, that super tall/long escalator at SEA now is a bit dizzying. We did it a few weeks ago coming back from Iceland. This upcoming trip is with our daughter and son's gf, neither of which have Global. So I will go through there and then have to wait on them;)