Having lived around LA for 20 years and prior to that in the New York area and Washington, DC, I agree with rankings here just based on my own experience. Although LAX is huge and has never undergone a thorough renovation, it seems to function very well for an airport of its size. I've had many more nightmarish experiences at O'Hare, JFK and Dallas/Ft. Worth than I've ever had at LAX.

Texas? For confusion and lonh walks, try Austin.

Having been a high mileage business traveler out of Boston and Atlanta, I find that the ratings for these airports are only fair compared to what is very commonplace. Traveling into or out of any major airport can be a patience tester. The security time averages are very misleading. If you hit the security line at 11:00 PM there is rarely a wait at any airport compared to the wait times at 7:00 AM on Monday. Those who did this study should include security wait times at high, medium and low travel hours. Averages are a poor method of assessment. The travelling experience is often times complicated by poor attitudes from airline personnel, who are more than willing to blame the passenger for the error made by the airline in question. I am not looking to have my hand held or have my ass kissed, I am looking for good service. Airlines are nortorious for making excuses for whatever poor service has been offered. Such as bumping people that have had a ticket in hand well in advance because the airline has decided to oversell the flight. Not being able to find a passenger in their system eventhough that passenger has a boarding pass and a confirmation number in hand. This ocurred last night to my wife at Delta out of Atlanta. This lengthy delay caused her to miss her flight. They of course had an unacceptable and inaccurate excuse why this happened. So back to the airport we go today. They made flight arrangements for her today at no cost. The flight change should be at no cost since it was their error from the beginning and of course they expected us to feel grateful for the no charge change. How accomodating!

In general flying is faster than driving but the service is poor. I don't blame the ticket agents or the flight attendants for the poor service, nor have I ever taken out my frustration on either of the aforementioned. The entire system needs an overhaul.
Such as the per hour airplane handling capacity at major hubs. There are too many flights scheduled for departure and arrival at the same time. There are only so many airplanes that can be efficiently moved in or out during the same 15 minute period. This scheduling is permitted by the airport so the airlines are more than happy to jam the gates with aircraft.

Don't be misled by this study.

St. Louis has the only airport in the world where the roof leaks even when its not raining.

if i hadn't grown up flying out of newark, i think i would hate it, too. but i'm biased, because for me it means going home.

This article somehow overlooks San Diego's Lindbergh Field, which is the easiest, quickest airport I've encountered in a major city. Very simple to navigate, and the employees there are actually helpful. I don't get the oversight -- San Diego is a much bigger city than most of those listed.

John Wayne Airport in Orange County is also great, but maybe the writers thought it was too small? I don't get it.

Phoenix as one the the top Best??? They have to be kidding. Any airport that requires the passengers to go through security again when they change terminals is the pits! The fact that they are ontime means they don't care that I am stuck in security for the second time! The flight leaves.

I want to enjoy my thanksgiving so I avoid the terrible *carriers* of North America like AA, Delta or United and stay at home, with family and friends, consuming the bounty this the earth provides.

Why anyone would want to spend a long weekend out of town bookended by air travel is beyond me and certainly not my idea of relaxation,

Too bad int'l airports aren't on the list; CDG in Paris has got to be one of the worst places on Earth, as an airport or anything else!

I would like to add that as an American living in France, yes, I do think Americans use int'l airports for Thanksgiving travel

Generally agree with the lists...but should include international in this day&age as as the world keeps shrinking. We live in the USA and London so we're over the pond back and forth constantly. Worst airport I've ever been through however is Frankfurt... just the walk to change carriers can take more than a half an hour. Good luck if you arrive late on a flight or have a tight connection.

I've never had a problem with SFO, DFW or CLT, which is what I travel through, admittedly only several times a year except for CLT, and never on a holiday. St Louis on the otherhand, which I use to fly through, I found painful for a variety of reasons, except for the light rail system that goes downtown.

This list is completely bogus. LAX is a nightmare: unlike the BART to SFO, or the AirTrain to EWR, there's no rail line to the airport, it's by car or nothing. And inside it's just awful: filthy, run-down public areas, too-few, too-long security lines, the junkiest fast food...overall it's worse than a bus station. Not to mention that if you arrive International and have to change to Domestic, you put your luggage on a cart, exit the International terminal, and push it like a street person along the sidewalk to the Domestic.

Now, a really nice airport not even mentioned? PDX! Gorgeously renovated, well-lit, good coffee, live musicians, quality food and shopping at reasonable prices, free WiFi throughout, free work areas (desks, etc.) Oh yes, and MAX train Red Line from most of the city. One of the country's nicest airports.

Avoidance of good eye contact has alway caused job applicants to be rejected. It shows a sign of guilt and that the person is hiding something. The use of SPOT at airports is nothing new, law enforcement agents have always stopped and searched suspicious looking characters. The best way to avoid looking suspicious is to dress conservatively and hold the head up high. A broad smile on the face also helps.

Worst: Dulles, w/ Atlanta a close second.
Best: Ironically, National.