Going through TSA can be likened to visiting the DMV: all around unpleasant. And unfortunately for us, one of New York’s airports just ranked as having the worst TSA experience out of any airport in the country!
According to a new study from travel media company, Upgraded Points, Newark takes the crown for having the most TSA complaints at any U.S. airport.
Whether it was poor handling of property or malfunctions with expedited screening programs, the study analyzed the TSA Contact Center Complaint data between 2015 through 2023 to get its overall results on the best and worst TSA experiences across various U.S. airports.
Newark International Airport was found to have 6.83 complaints per 100,000 passengers. That’s almost twice as many TSA complaints than the national average (~3.93 complaints per 100,000 passengers).
Curious about the complaint specifics? Well, TSA PreCheck was the topic of 44.8% of all the Newark TSA complaints. The rest of Newark’s TSA complaints were in regards to customer service and mishandled baggage.
Sadly, this isn’t the first year Newark was awarded with the worst TSA experience in the U.S. It topped the same ranking in 2023, making this its second consecutive year with the most TSA complaints across any U.S. airport. At least the complaints per 100,000 passengers has gone down over the year, dropping from 12.84 complaints per 100,000 passengers in 2023 to the aforementioned 6.83 complaints per 100,000 passengers in 2024.
The top five U.S. airports with the most TSA complaints include:
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- 6.83 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
- 5.78 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- 5.6 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)
- 5.5 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE)
- 5.38 complaints per 100,000 passengers
P.S. if you’re curious, New York’s JFK airport sadly ranked sixth for the most TSA complaints in the country. For now, we’ll just have to hold onto LaGuardia’s glow up that made it jump from the worst to best mid-sized airport in the country.
Inversely, the study also analyzed the U.S. airports with the least TSA complaints. Charlotte Douglas International Airport managed to only have an average of 1.97 complaints per 100,000 passengers—almost four times less complaints than Newark!
The top five U.S. airports with the least TSA complaints include:
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
- 1.97 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- 2.63 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
- 2.74 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- 2.75 complaints per 100,000 passengers
- Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) and Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
- 2.8 complaints per 100,000 passengers
You can view the entire study here.