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There’s nothing worse than waiting in line. Especially when at the end of that line is a flight waiting to take you off on a traveling adventure.
Alas, sometimes it’s something we must all do at airports – queueing is part of the travel game, right? Well, that’s partly true.
While queuing is to be expected in most airports around the world, there are some that do far better than others when it comes to how long the lines are.
New data from Casago has ranked airports around the world according to reviews from travelers when it comes to their queuing times, and the results may be a little surprising.
As well as global airports, the study focused in on specific regions, with the North American data being particularly interesting.
The five U.S. airports with the lowest percentage of four-to-five-star reviews with regards to their ‘queuing time’ were as follows:
- Newark International Airport, New Jersey
- Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Hawaii
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Washington
- Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah
- Miami International Airport, Florida
All five of these airports appear in the 10 worst airports in North America when rated on the same stat.
Newark International’s score of just 9.09% of four or five-star reviews on its line times and Daniel K. Inouye’s score of 9.72% see both of these airports appear in the worst 20 in the world on this rating system.
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Perhaps it’s no surprise that Newark fairs so badly in this study, as it’s consistently in the top 10 busiest airports in the United States handling more than 500 flights a day from around the country and the world.
However, there are bigger and busier airports above this New Jersey hub that didn’t feature among the worst rated according to this metric.
Seattle is also one of America’s busiest airports, but Salt Lake City, Daniel K. Inouye, and Miami don’t trouble the top 15 in terms of number of flights.
This means that it’s probably not just an airport’s size or the number of flights it handles that affect how long you will have to wait in line.
It’s worth noting that Hawaii was expecting an unprecedented summer of tourism and was already warning of long waits for passengers earlier this year.
How To Reduce Wait Time At An Airport
Sometimes there is quite literally nothing you can do about long lines at an airport, but there are a few things you can do to control the controllable, giving you a better chance of avoiding disruption.
The most obvious thing you can do is be prepared. Make sure you have done everything possible at home to speed things up at the airport.
Take advantage of online check-in (and also self-check-in at the airport), make sure your documents are all completed and confirmed in advance, and book everything you possibly can ahead of time.
That preparation extends to going through security. By being organized with your belongings and documents, you can whizz through while others are flailing.
You can also skip or reduce the queues at a cost by signing up for the Transport Security Administration’s Pre-Check Program or by being a loyalty member of certain airlines.
Another really obvious and easy thing you can do is arrive early. By giving yourself more time than you need, you may miss peak footfall and will also reduce your own stress if you do get caught in hold-ups.
Finally, make sure you are fully up to date on the latest rules and regulations about flying, the airport you’re using, and also the destination you’re headed to.
As the old motto goes, fail to prepare and prepare to fail.
What About The Best Airports For Lines?
And just for those curious to know and who really can’t stand to wait in line, the top 5 U.S. airports when rated on queuing times according to this survey are:
- 1. Southwest Florida International Airport, Florida
- 2. Portland International Airport, Oregon
- 3. Detroit Metro Airport, Michigan
- 4. Tampa International Airport, Florida
- 5. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Kentucky
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com