Most Stressful Airports of 2017

Holiday travel is a bittersweet endeavor: You get to visit family you haven’t seen in a while and get away, but you also have to trudge through security, hectic airports and rush the kids around from one place to another. You’re not alone. According to a recent study by InsureMyTrip.com, these 20 airports should be on your do-not-visit list next holiday season.

According to previously reported data for 2017, InsureMyTrip predicted these airports would likely be the most stressful for holiday travelers.

Begin with the world’s busiest airport: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International tops the list as the most stressful airport for travelers this holiday season. Not including the recent power outage resulting in more than 1,000 flights being canceled, Atlanta’s airport had nearly 4,000 non-stop domestic flights canceled in 2017, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

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Just below ATL on the airport headache list is Chicago O’Hare International with more than 3,500 departing flights canceled this year. Top reasons for flight cancellations in 2017 have reportedly been due to weather, air carrier issues, National Aviation system cancellations and security issues, respectively.

Weather being the No. 1 reason for flight cancellations at U.S. airports in 2017 has blown away the competition with more than 45,000 flights as compared to second-place air carrier issues causing less than 17,000 cancellations. Even third place, national aviation system cancellations, can also be due partially to weather, canceling more than 13,000 domestic flights this year.

If you and your family find yourselves in the unlucky situation of having your flight canceled, be sure you’re aware of airport policy. Flight cancellation policies vary by airline, situation and availability, but typically when an airline cancels a flight, most will try to rebook passengers on the next available flight. Most airlines cannot reimburse anything prepaid or a non-refundable loss as a result of the canceled flight, such as your resort, hotel, cruise, concert or tour.

Newark (EWR), New York (LGA), San Francisco (SFO) and Houston (IAH) airports fill out the departing flight cancellation list with 2,875–3,481 domestic flights.

Obviously, depending on where you and the family travel, stops at some of these airports may be unavoidable. Just keep in mind the possible cancellation risks according to recent studies, due to impending weather and everything in between.