These Are the World’s Most Stressful Airports

Many travelers book vacations to escape the stresses of everyday life. But some airports really make you work for that escape. Certain travel hubs are notorious for having excessive delays and cancellations, others for time-consuming security screening processes, and still others for terrible traffic to reach them in the first place. To determine the worst of the worst, the travel insurance comparison service iSelect surveyed travelers for a study in October 2025, resulting in a ranked list of the most stressful airports out of 50 major airports around the globe. Here’s a look at the top five worst offenders.

5. Chicago O’Hare International Airport – Illinois

Study satisfaction score: 31.01 (out of 100)

According to the study, Chicago’s busiest airport — and the third-busiest in the U.S. — presents travelers with one of the most stressful flying experiences anywhere in the world. Factors in O’Hare’s fifth-place ranking include average flight delays of 22.86 minutes, coupled with the 1.03% of departing flights that are outright canceled, which may leave travelers scrambling to find an alternative.

In the study, 22% of travelers reported finding it stressful to get to and from the airport, which is located over 15 miles west from the heart of downtown Chicago via Interstate 90 — one of America’s most congested highways. Once at the airport, 81% of people reported being satisfied with the check-in process, but things get worse from there. Twenty-three percent of flyers said they encountered undue stresses during security screening, 30% reported problems with the long wait times at immigration and customs, and 28% found baggage claim to be stressful to navigate.

4. John F. Kennedy International Airport – New York

Study satisfaction score: 26.83

New York City’s busiest airport is also its most anxiety-inducing one. JFK is rated as the fourth-most-stressful airport of the 50 major global airports ranked in the iSelect study. Part of the reason for JFK’s low rating is that 24% of travelers found it difficult to get there. Passengers need to either take an expensive taxi — which will almost certainly get caught in traffic — or transfer from the subway to the AirTrain, which can be confusing to navigate if it’s your first time visiting New York City.

On the positive side, JFK has the lowest flight cancellation rate of any airport on this list, at just 0.91%. But 20% of travelers say that the check-in process made them feel stressed, 29% had concerns about the difficulties of passing through security, and a staggering 33% reported issues with the long wait times at customs. The stresses continue even once you’re cleared by immigration, with 26% of respondents saying they felt overwhelmed at baggage claim.

3. Manchester Airport – United Kingdom

Study satisfaction score: 23.1

Manchester Airport is the busiest airport in the U.K. after London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Its ranking as the third-most-stressful airport worldwide is largely due to the fact that it achieved the lowest satisfaction rate of any airport in the study in two separate categories: security and baggage claim.

Travelers didn’t have many nice things to say about immigration and customs, either, as 29% of people lamented the long wait times and other related stresses. On top of that, departing flights experienced average delays of 23.26 minutes, as well as an average cancellation rate of 1.18%. On the positive side, 81% of passengers said that Manchester Airport was easy to get to.

2. Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport – Portugal

Study satisfaction score: 22.51

Humberto Delgado Airport, which serves the Portuguese capital city of Lisbon, is rated as the most stressful airport outside of the United States. Lisbon’s airport had the highest average departure delays (27.39 minutes) of any airport in the study, as well as the third-highest departing flight cancellation rate (1.49%). 

Happily, Humberto Delgado Airport is located close to the city center, and 84% of respondents said they had no difficulties in getting there. But the experience goes downhill once you arrive at the airport — 21% of passengers reported issues with check-in, 23% with security, 25% with wait times at immigration, and 28% with baggage claim.

1. Newark Liberty International Airport – New Jersey

Study satisfaction score: 18.46

The world’s most stressful airport is Newark Liberty International, according to the iSelect study. With 451 daily flights on average (the 10th-highest total in the U.S.), Newark serves as a gateway to New York City and northern New Jersey. Interestingly, average departure delays rank as the lowest of any airport on this list at 21.40 minutes; however, Newark had a sky-high cancellation rate of 1.43%.

Additionally, 26% of respondents said that getting to the airport was stressful, 23% reported concerns with the check-in process, 30% had issues with security, 34% complained about the long wait times for immigration, and 29% found it stressful to navigate baggage claim.