Santorini, Chania and Heraklion Arports, Greece among the top 10 worst airports in the world by travelers’ survey…
How many hours have you spent in airports all over the globe wondering and awaiting your flight? Airport conditions and services are of profound importance for achieving excellence and a level of minimum customer satisfaction.
Recent survey based on travelers’ votes on a worldwide scale, has shown juicy results regarding services and facilities available within terminals, cleanliness, customer service, comfort and overall airport experience.
With great surprise, we found out that 3 of the biggest peripheral airports in Greece are among the 10 worst airports in the world regarding all of the above. An astonishing number of passionate bad critiques from visitors stress out the fact that these airports are dirty, uncomfortable, unfriendly and lack the most basics of services and amenities. Future travelers are being advised to avoid these airports at all costs.
So, if you do find yourself at one of the following airports, you’ll need a lot of patience and ease of mind to pull it through… Let’s see them one by one from the visitor’s point of view.
1. Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport, Saudi Arabia (JED)
It took 3 hours to go through the immigration. There were only 2 people working and 200 people in line. Then 2 working just leave their position without getting replaced and come back whenever they please.” – survey respondent
Immigration officers are described as careless, rude and arrogant while cleaningness is a mythical concept. Enormous queues of unsatisfied travelers during peak hours add negative value to the overall airport experience.
2. Juba International Airport, South Sudan (JUB)
Immigration can take 2 hours to process a single plane load of people while you watch what can only be described as an auction in the baggage area. It’s best not to pack valuables or sentimental things in your check in luggage.” – survey respondent
Huge chaotic and sweaty airport with a questionable security system, notoriously hot boarding gates and broken toilets and accommodation seats.
3. Port Harcourt International Airport, Nigeria (PHC)
How can an international airport receive passengers in a tent? It is a disgrace. Also the domestic waiting area should be bigger, there are not enough chairs for everyone.” – survey respondent
Last year, Port Harcourt rated number one in the list of worst airport in the world, but managed to fix some things this year. Most comments here include among others major difficulties in picking up luggage, lack of restrooms and sufficient air-conditioning. Situation gets rough during summer season.
4. Tashkent International Airport, Uzbekistan (TAS)
When going out of the overcrowded bus that lead us from the plane to the passports control, people pushed me, I fell and then several local passengers walked on me while I was on the floor.” – survey respondent
Tashkent holds also the title as the worst airport in Asia, as the primary airport for central Asia with an unimpressive number of checkpoints among checkpoints that travelers need to pass through.
5. Santorini Thira National Airport, Greece (JTR)
To start, you have to wait in one of 3 lines in the heat. There is no one to tell you which line to go in so you just have to wait for an hour and hope you picked the right one.” – survey respondent
Unfortunately, Santorini airport hits number 5 in this list with its biggest problem the lines and crowds during hot summer season. Santorini airport serves as the connectivity factor for island hopping in Cyclades islands.
6. Chania International Airport, Greece (CHQ)
We had to stand in line for one hour to get our boarding cards, another 20 minutes to leave our baggage and finally 15 minutes to the security check.” – survey respondent
Greece’s presence on our global worst airports list continues with worn-out Chania International Airport. Long lines and chaotic security processes aggravate travellers immediately upon arrival
7. Crete Heraklion International Airport, Greece (HER)
Advice: break it down, and build up a new airport somewhere else. Not possible to make something out of it.” – survey respondent
Heraklion International Airport on the Greek island of Crete secures the title of seventh worst airport in the world thanks to long lines, crowded gates and no air-conditioning.
8. Caracas Simón Bolívar International Airport, Venezuela (CCS)
It was once one of the best airports of all America. Then a nationwide corruption plague took over, and wham, it sunk all the way to the bottom of the darkest abyss.” – survey respondent
Lacking in modernization, Venezuela airport constitutes an epitome of terrible logistics, poor luggage safety and an absence of cleanliness.
9. London Luton International Airport, England (LTN)
As you head out of the airport, spend a bit of time considering the irony that your experience between getting off the airplane and now walking out of the airport was actually longer than your flight.” – survey respondent
Passengers get ridiculously charged for almost everything while construction works limit space to minimum, resulting in long queues and lineups. Luton airport has been characterized as the “aftermath of a humanitarian disaster”.
10. Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal (KTM)
Some of my darkest memories are from having to use the toilets at this airport. “- survey respondent
We cannot ignore the fact that Nepal was in the eye of devastation and disaster that occurred in 2015, leading to the corruption and the ugliness of Kathmandu airport due to crowds, inadequate conditions and overall chaos.
