The Airports You’ll Love, Hate… and Can’t Stop Talking About✈️💸

So, before you lace up those shoestrings, toss your bag over your shoulder, and board that flight… let’s have a little chat.
If you can avoid certain airports  do. If you can’t, no big deal. Just be prepared.
Consider this your friendly PSA from someone who’s been there, sprinted that, and eaten the overpriced sandwich.

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The “Pack Your Patience” List 🛑

These airports have a bit of a reputation  and not the glamorous kind.

1. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

📍 Newark, New Jersey
Ah, Newark… the airport where time stands still  literally, because your flight might not leave for hours. I once spent six hours delayed here, and all I got was a stale pretzel and a strong desire to never say “New Jersey” again.

Why travelers grumble:

• Consistently ranked at the bottom for on-time departures.

• Customer satisfaction surveys often give it a side-eye.

• Weather delays + air traffic congestion = a patience marathon.

✈️ Fun Fact Box:

• Opened: 1928, making it one of the oldest U.S. airports.

• Busiest Day: Mondays  business travelers flood the terminals.

• Odd Trivia: Its original terminal is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

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2. Miami International Airport (MIA)

📍 Miami, Florida
Miami is gorgeous… but MIA will test your mental stamina. The layout feels like a maze designed by someone who really loves exercise. Oh, and your bags? Sometimes they take their own little vacation.

Why travelers grumble:

• Frequent baggage handling issues.

• Overcrowded terminals in peak season.

• Confusing signage that makes you feel like you’re on an episode of The Amazing Race.

✈️ Fun Fact Box:

• Gates: Over 130.

• Languages Spoken: More than 60  it’s one of the most linguistically diverse airports in the world.

• Odd Trivia: It has a full-size yoga room… which you’ll wish you could teleport to after TSA.

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3. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

📍 New York City, New York
The Big Apple’s biggest airport can feel like a time capsule  a mix of iconic history and… facilities that haven’t aged as well as they should.

Why travelers grumble:

• Long security lines.

• Aging infrastructure in some terminals.

• Delays thanks to NYC weather and air traffic.

✈️ Fun Fact Box:

• Opened: 1948 (originally named Idlewild Airport).

• Busiest International Route: London Heathrow.

• Odd Trivia: There’s a luxury hotel built into an old TWA terminal that’s a retro dream.

  
  
  

  
  

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My Personal “Avoid If You Can” List 😅

I’ve got my own nominees  and these are purely from battlefield experience.

• Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL): I know I’m East African and we’re meant to run marathons, but this place makes me sprint like I’m chasing deer. Huge, confusing, and gates that seem to exist in different time zones.

• Newark (again): See above. Delay trauma is real.

• Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA): TSA lines here test my faith in humanity. That’s all.

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My “Breeze Through” Favorites 🌟

Let’s balance the scales with some airports I actually like.

• George Bush Intercontinental (IAH), Houston: Maybe it’s home bias, but under the Texas sky everything just feels right.

• Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA): Compact, organized, and gives you monument views on takeoff.

• Baton Rouge Metropolitan (BTR): Small, simple, and the kind of friendly that makes you smile.