Flying this year is going to be stressful.
With more countries easing their Covid restrictions on inbound travellers, people wanting to travel and flight schedules going back to normal, some airports have been struggling to keep up with the footfall and runway traffic. A major example is Heathrow Airport in London. The venue has been in the news for weeks now due to huge piles of unclaimed baggage, lack of manpower, indefinite delays and flight cancellations, causing stress to thousands of travellers each day. It’s no surprise then, that Heathrow Airport recently bagged the unenviable accolade of number 1 on the list of the worst airports in the world, according to a survey of Priority Pass passengers.
In case you are looking to travel to the region, it is definitely a better option to not commute via Heathrow airport at this point. Here are some other airports you must avoid travelling to at all costs, to avoid trouble during your journeys.
The worst airports in the world — which you should probably avoid for now
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According to Fortune, Heathrow Airport isn’t alone when it comes to a providing terrible flying experience amid the pandemic. The publication, collating data from FlightWare, curated a list of airports that are best avoided at the moment, given the terrible condition of manpower and delays.
In terms of flight delays, these are the worst airports in the world
The data from May 26, 2022 till July 19, 2022 shows that these airports are the ones that have had the highest number of flight delays:
Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada
Flight delays have become common at the Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada, being attributed to a shortage of staff. At the moment, an average 52.5 per cent flights have been delayed here.
Frankfurt Airport, Germany
Travelling to Germany can be a nightmare at the moment because the Frankfurt Airport is dealing with staff shortages. To combat the delays, the authorities have capped the total number of flights operating from here. However, there have still been about 45.4 per cent flight delays.
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France
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Among the issues at the Charles de Gaulle Airport that make it one to avoid are unclaimed bags, flight delays, worker protests and more. The airport has seen a 43.2 per cent delay in its flights, giving it space in the list of airports to avoid.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands
Check-in queues that last almost five hours, heaps of unclaimed baggage, and airlines restricting passengers to hand luggage only — these are some of the troubles passengers at the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol have been facing due to staff shortage and more. The airport has seen about 41.5 per cent flight delays.
Gatwick Airport, the UK
Gatwick Airport is another one that has been seeing flight delays and deplorable passenger conditions because of traffic. About 41.1 per cent flights have been delayed here.
Heathrow Airport, the UK
Heathrow Airport has made the news for weeks now, owing to deplorable conditions, thousands of unclaimed baggage, delays, lack of staff and more. The airport has seen about 40.5 per cent delay in flights.
Munich International Airport, Germany
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The airport has had a record number of travellers, but this has also lead to flight delays. The airport has had about 40.4 per cent flight delays.
Athens International Airport, Greece
At a time when airports across Europe are becoming places to avoid, Greece’s Athens International Airport is not far behind. the place has recorded chaos, 37.9 per cent flight delays and a lot more in the summer months.
Sydney Airport, Australia
Moving away from Europe, Sydney is another destination that has reported massive flight delays and chaos at its airport. The airport has recorded 34.2 per cent flight delays so far.
Orlando International Airport, the USA
Moving ahead, the USA also has one airport that reported the worst flight delays and chaos. With 33.4 per cent flights being delayed here, the Orlando International Airport is definitely one to avoid.
(Main and featured image: L.Filipe C.Sousa/ Unsplash)
This story first appeared on Travel + Leisure India
