Traveling is stressful enough as it is, but there’s nothing worse than dealing with a miserable TSA system.
So, travel publication Upgraded Points recently reviewed TSA complaint data spanning from 2015 through 2023 to determine which airports get the most complaints to the Transportation Security Administration.
The most common complaints revolve around TSA PreCheck, followed by mishandling of passenger property, customer service and the screening process.
Upgraded Points also noted that the months with the most complaints were:
- December: 1,457 complaints per day
- October: 1,450 complaints per day
- November: 1,398 complaints per day
This adds up, considering the busy holiday season.
More complaints can mean more delays, so keep this list of airports in mind when planning your next trip — if your airport is here, you’ll want to arrive early.
10. La Guardia Airport
TSA complaints: 4.42 per 100,000 passengers (compared with the national average of 3.92)
Airport code: LGA
Location: Queens, New York City
LaGuardia got a $8 billion makeover in 2023 that included a graphic water curtain. The airport is named for Fiorello La Guardia, who served as mayor of New York City for 12 consecutive years, including during both the Great Depression and World War II.
9. Washington Dulles International Airport
TSA complaints: 4.67 per 100,000 passengers (compared with the national average of 3.92)
Airport code: IAD
Location: Dulles, Virginia
Named after John Foster Dulles — the secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower — Washington Dulles International Airport sits on more than 11,000 acres in Virginia’s Loudoun and Fairfax Counties.
It has 113 airline gates and five concourses in one terminal.
8. Tampa International Airport
Airport code: TPA
Location: Tampa, Florida
Tampa International Airport has made a strong push to become more sustainable. Nearly half of the airport’s fleet is made up of alternative-fuel vehicles. Preferred parking spaces are available for those who drive alternative-fuel vehicles, and the lot has electric vehicle charging stations for public use.
7. Logan International Airport
TSA complaints: 4.72 per 100,000 passengers (compared with the national average of 3.92)
Airport code: BOS
Location: East Boston, Massachusetts
Logan International Airport has the second-smallest footprint of the top 20 major U.S. airports, yet it’s still one of the busiest in the country. It gets tens of millions of passengers every year and employs about 17,000 people.
6. John F. Kennedy International Airport
TSA complaints: 5.25 per 100,000 passengers (compared with the national average of 3.92)
Airport code: JFK
Location: Queens, New York
John F. Kennedy International Airport, named after the 35th president of the United States, is the nation’s busiest international airport, with 128 gates, and the country’s third-biggest freight gateway in terms of the value of shipments. It was built to relieve the growing traffic at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport.
5. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
TSA complaints: 5.38 per 100,000 passengers (compared with the national average of 3.92)
Airport code: CLE
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
The Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has been around for about 100 years, having opened in 1925.
At first, it was only used as a stop for U.S. Air Mail planes making long coast-to-coast flights, but it gained more attention as the decades went on and repeatedly drew in historic greats like Amelia Earhart. It was also the location for the National Air Races from 1929 to 1949.
4. Southwest Florida International Airport
Airport code: RSW
Location: Fort Myers, Florida
Certified for operation in 1983, this airport in southwest Florida remains one of the newest airports in the nation.
Like some other airports, Southwest Florida International Airport offers a Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program that allows travelers to wear a sunflower symbol — on a lanyard, bracelet or other item — signaling the need for “more assistance, extra time or patience,” the airport says.
3. Orlando International Airport
TSA complaints: 5.6 per 100,000 passengers (compared with the national average of 3.92)
Airport code: MCO
Location: Orlando, Florida
Orlando International Airport is the busiest airport in Florida and the seventh-busiest in the country, according to the city of Orlando. On-site amenities include a hotel, 10 rental car companies, several aircraft maintenance facilities and more than 170 food, beverage and retail locations.
2. Palm Beach International Airport
TSA complaints: 5.78 per 100,000 passengers (compared with the national average of 3.92)
Airport code: PBI
Location: West Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach International Airport is a medium-sized airport that boasts that passengers can get from the ticket counter to their gate in just 15 minutes, on average. A nine-hole putting green is among its amenities.
1. Newark Liberty International Airport
TSA complaints: 6.83 per 100,000 passengers (compared with the national average of 3.92)
Airport code: EWR
Location: Newark, New Jersey
Newark Liberty International Airport opened in 1928 and is the oldest airfield in the country. Previously known as simply Newark International Airport, word “Liberty” was added to its name in 2002 to honor the United Airlines Flight 93 that departed from the airport on Sept. 11, 2001.
Upgraded Points says most complaints at Newark Liberty International — with almost twice the average amount of complaints — stem from TSA PreCheck (44.8% of all complaints), customer service (14.6%) and mishandled baggage (14%).
It also had the most complaints overall in 2023 — 12.84 complaints per 100,000 passengers — not just in the span of the study.
Airports where TSA is least annoying
If you’re looking for a smooth trip through security, these airports are your best bet. The following airports have the fewest TSA complaints.
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport: 1.97 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport: 2.63 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Salt Lake City International Airport: 2.74 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport: 2.75 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport: 2.8 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Midway International Airport: 2.8 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport: 2.85 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- San Francisco International Airport: 2.87 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Dallas Love Field: 2.89 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Kansas City International Airport: 3.02 complaints per 100,000 passengers
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