WHEN you travel as much as pilots do, you're bound to have some pretty strong opinions about airports.
And many have the strongest complaints about a single flight hub, citing the cost of food, the crowds, and the cancellations.
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A Reddit user sparked the discussion which went viral after garnering over 9,000 responses.
“Pilots, what is your least favorite airport?” they asked.
While airports from all over the world earned backlash in the thread — including Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong and Jiggalong in outback Western Australia — several of America's got the loudest gripes.
By far, the most complaints poured in about a major New York City airport.
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LAGUARDIA AIRPORT, NEW YORK CITY
Despite having a 4-star rating on Google, New York’s LaGuardia was mentioned several times.
“LaGuardia. Hands down,” one pilot wrote. "Just a complete pain from 18,000 feet until you’re at the gate.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. The airport is packed. The food sucks, and it’s insanely expensive.
"There are people everywhere. It’s old.”
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They added that leaving the airport is equally frustrating with “convoluted taxi instructions” and countless delays.
Another pilot agreed, saying “LaGuardia, short runways and crazy congested.
Inside travel tips from a pilot“You're close to other airplanes and the ramp area is tight.”
One more ranted, "LaGuardia is 100% the worst.
"There is a reason us pilots refer to it as LaGarbage. That miserable, always delayed, overcrowded s***hole fills me with such hatred it's unbelievable."
Yet another chimed in, "I'm going to say Newark and LaGuardia. Someone farting in the wind could cause 2-hour delays up there."
O'HARE AIRPORT, CHICAGO
One pilot who trashed LaGuardia added another airport to the list by complaining about the “ridiculous long taxi experience" at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
“I had to fly from Milwaukee to Chicago once and I swear the taxi after landing was longer than the actual flight,” another quipped.
“I fly out of O’Hare a lot, I’ve never had a taxi last less than an hour. I hate that airport,” a third chimed in.
GEORGETOWN AIRPORT - E36, CALIFORNIA
Yet another offered a whole list to support his hatred for Georgetown Airport in El Dorado County, California.
Because it's on a mountain, they said, "one end of the runway ends on a cliff" and "the other ends 10 feet from some trees."
The runway is "narrow, bumpy, and a bit short" and also has an incline.
It's also "in the middle of nowhere, and almost completely deserted" if you fuck up" if you mess up.
SOUTHWEST OREGON REGIONAL AIRPORT, OREGON
One pilot argued Southwest Oregon Regional Airport in Coos County, Oregon should top the list.
“There really shouldn't be an airport here in my opinion,” the pilot wrote.
“Any place where a single ship in the water can force you to kick half of the passengers of the plane was not planned well.
“Mass amounts of golf clubs to bulk out the cargo bin are fun. Shortish runways and terrible instrument approaches.”
The same pilot said Inyokern Airport in California should take the second spot due to its “narrow runway” and “severe turbulence.”
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TORONTO PEARSON AIRPORT, TORONTO, CANADA
Other pilots complained about the airports most affected by poor weather conditions, with Canada's Toronto Pearson International among the most plagued.
“Yes this airport is massive... but the second it gets windy or they get a mm of snow, the whole place goes to s**t,” one wrote.
“Cancellations and delays everywhere.
“Two days ago, 200 flights were canceled for a bit of wind. Last week we landed five hours late because of some snow.
“When we landed, I counted at least 20 planes sitting around waiting for gates, apparently, some had been waiting for 2+ hours.”
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IT'S ALL BAD
Other notable mentions in the thread posted to Reddit six years ago included Aspen/Pitkin County Airport for its complex terrain and Mexico City for being “too crowded.”
“As an airline pilot, all I can really say is that pretty much every airport has its ups and downs,” a pilot said.
“Airports that have challenging approaches often have breathtaking scenery to back them up.
"Airports buried in metropolitan areas are often the easiest to get into and out of and have great services.
“Even the ones with weird and complex procedures require a heightened awareness (and some interesting hand-flying) to make things work out right with an acceptable margin of safety.
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“I honestly think ‘least favorite’ airport mostly comes down to ‘What is the most boring airport I've flown into, with the fewest redeeming qualities?’
“I have trouble thinking of any airport that I've ever actually disliked, and I've been flying for nearly a quarter of a century.”
