During the survey, users were asked to rate 36 airports on a number of criteria, including: ease of navigation within terminals, cleanliness of restrooms, and quality of parking. Flight delays also had a significant impact on the rankings. Tourists noted that departures from the worst airports were regularly delayed due to lengthy security checks and queues at check-in counters. Tourists visiting the UK also noted that entry into the country has become more complicated due to a new scanning system that doubles passport control time.
The negative rating cannot damage Heathrow's reputation – there is nowhere further to go. Last year, politicians and businessmen already labeled the airport a 'disgrace to London' in a survey. Nevertheless, the airport's slots continue to be in demand by airlines for transatlantic flights. Indeed, if today flights between Heathrow and the US are only allowed to be operated by two American and two European carriers (British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, and United Airlines), then the 'Open Skies' agreement will open access to the hub airport to a larger number of airlines. On the other hand, British Airways is already charting a course for 'retreat'; the company has identified a number of alternative airports for transatlantic flights, including airports in Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, Milan, and Madrid.
The website TripAdvisor included only the world's largest airports in the list for compiling the rating. That is why our airports did not make it into the worst rankings, despite the high growth in passenger traffic in recent years.
20 worst airports
1. Heathrow (London)
2. O'Hare (Chicago)
3. John F. Kennedy (New York)
4. Hartsfield (Atlanta)
5. Los Angeles (Los Angeles)
6. Miami (Miami)
7. La Guardia (New York)
8. Charles de Gaulle (Paris)
9. Dallas Fort Worth (Dallas)
10. Newark Liberty (New Jersey)
11. London Gatwick (London)
12. Cancun (Cancun, Mexico)
13. Toronto Pearson (Toronto)
14. McCarran (Las Vegas)
15. Frankfurt (Frankfurt)
16. London Stansted (London)
17. Orlando (Orlando)
18. Denver (Denver)
19. San Francisco (San Francisco)
20. Amsterdam Schiphol (Amsterdam)
'Open Skies' Agreement
The agreement between the European Union and the United States is to simplify transatlantic flights starting in spring 2008. The agreement will remove quotas on the number of companies operating transatlantic flights.
According to the approved draft, European air carriers (regardless of the EU country they represent) will be able to fly to any city in the US, as well as partially use domestic airlines. In return, US airlines will be given wider access to European hub airports, in particular London's Heathrow.
The increase in passenger traffic, given the opening of access to any EU airports, could lead to a redistribution of route geography. In the UK, about 37% of all transatlantic passengers currently take off and land, with German Frankfurt in second place, but the situation could change somewhat in a couple of years. It is possible that the fear of losing its top position was the reason why the UK resisted the signing of the 'Open Skies' agreement longer than anyone else.
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