Four of the 10 worst terminals in the world are in the U.S., according to a respected travel guide, and the worst is a Delta Airlines (NYSE:DAL) New York hub.
Terminal 3 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, which serves Delta exclusively, “is known for endless immigration lines in a dank basement, an utter lack of food and shopping options through crowded and confusing entry points,” according to Frommer’s Travel Guides. “There’s also a sense that the cleaning crew gave up in despair a while ago.”
Admittedly, the former Pan American Airways Worldport at JFK was built more than 50 years ago, and is in the process of a $1.2 billion makeover. But that is cold comfort to current travelers suffering the travel nightmares of today.
And on the plus side, JFK’s Terminal 5, which serves discount airline JetBlue (NYSE:JBLU), was listed at No. 5 on the Frommer’s list of the world’s best air terminals — so don’t think the entire airport is a travel nightmare.
Here are the 10 worst airport gateways on the planet, according to Frommer’s
- New York, JFK Terminal 3 serving Delta
- Manila, Philippines, Terminal 1
- Moscow, Shermetyevo Terminal B/C
- Nairobi Kenyatta Airport
- Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport, Terminal 3
- Amman, Jordan, Queen Alia Airport
- New York, LaGuardia, U.S. Airways (NYSE:LCC) Terminal
- Newark Liberty Terminal B serving Delta, Virgin, Southwest (NYSE:LUV) and others
- Paris Beauvais Airport
- Chicago Midway Airport
On the positive front, Frommer’s listed the world’s 10 best airport terminals as being:
- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Hajj Terminal
- Leifur Eriksson Airport, Terminal Keflavik, Iceland
- Seoul, South Korea, Inchon Airport
- Wellington, New Zealand, “Rock” Terminal
- New York, JFK Terminal 5 that serves Jetblue
- Singapore Changi Airport, Terminal 3
- Marrakech, Morocco, Menara Airport Terminal 1
- Madrid, Spain, Barajas Terminal 4
- Carrasco Airport, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Bilbao, Spain, Main Terminal