Pilots reveal their least favorite airports on Reddit
If you spend a lot of time traveling, you’ve probably developed a list of your most and least favorite airports. It’s probably based on the food, the lounges, or maybe even the crowds, but there’s one type of frequent flier that cares more about what’s on the outside of the airport than what’s on the inside: a pilot.
In a recent thread on Reddit, users asked pilots what their least favorite airports are – and the answers are eye opening. It seems the type of terrain surrounding an airport’s runway is what pilots care about most. We can’t say we blame them, after all, it is their job to safely deliver passengers from one destination to the next.
LaGuardia, New York
“LaGuardia. Hands down. Just a complete pain from 18,000 feet until you’re at the gate. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. “The airport is packed. The food sucks and it’s insanely expensive. There’s people everywhere. It’s old.”
Jiggalong Mission Airport, Jiggalong Western Austrailia
“Too many rocks.”
Georgetown Airport, California
“This is why I dislike it so much: 1. it’s on a mountain 2. one end of the runway ends on a cliff 3. the other ends 10 ft from some trees 4. the runway has an incline 5. the runway is narrow, bumpy, and a bit short 6. it’s in the middle of nowhere, and almost completely deserted if you fuck up 7. it’s not the worst airport in the world, but it’s not great either.”
Yeager Airport, Charleston, West Virginia
“The end is on a mountain, so you get to do a 180 on the edge … I can emotionally accept a Crash Landing, I have real trouble with a Crash after Landing.”
Los Angeles International Airport, California
“Even though it’s my home airport, LAX is a pain in the ass. The whole airport has been a construction zone for as long as I can remember, with no end in sight.”
Charlotte Douglas International Airport, North Carolina
“ATP here. I’m surprised no one has said Charlotte NC. Congested and massive taxi delays for no reason other than a shitty layout and incompetence on the part of ramp controllers.”
Toronto Pearson International Airport, Ontario, Canada
“Toronto Pearson international. Yes this airport is massive… but the second it gets windy or they get a mm of snow, the whole place goes to sh*t. Cancellations and delays everywhere. 2 days ago, 200 flights cancelled for a bit of wind. Last week we landed 5 hours late because of some snow. When we landed, I counted at least 20 planes sitting around waiting for gates, apparently some had been waiting for 2+ hours.
“Not to mention the landing fees are insane.” travelandleisure.com