There are some notorious complainers in New Jersey.
According to a report, Newark Liberty International Airport has the most complaints related to the Transportation Security Administration in the country.
Among the 44 largest airports in the United States, Newark topped the list by a wide margin between 2015 and 2023, according to TSA data analyzed by Upgraded Points, a travel and financial advisory firm.
With 12.84 complaints per 100,000 passengers in 2023, Garden State Airport recorded the most complaints of any major airport, surpassing the national average of 3.92 per 100,000 travelers.
After Newark, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport recorded 10.35 complaints per 100,000 in 2023, Palm Beach International Airport 8.98, and Southwest Florida International Airport 8.92.
The Big Apple’s other two major airports, JFK International and LaGuardia Airport, also top the list, ranking sixth and tenth respectively.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Newark had the third-most delays in the country in fiscal year 2023, with 13,000 or more delays, behind Las Vegas and LaGuardia.
Newark Liberty Airport recorded the third most cancellations during the same period.
“Airports with more TSA complaints could mean longer delays,” the Upgraded Points study says.
“Knowing the security checks at an airport will help you plan your trip better and avoid being in a rush when you arrive.”
At the other end of the spectrum were Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field, the three airports that received the fewest complaints, according to the report.
Last year, 3.47, 4.22 and 4.3 complaints were reported per 100,000 passengers respectively.
Not surprisingly, the data shows that complaints are at their lowest starting in January, before rising slowly throughout the year and peaking in December, during the busy holiday travel period, when an average of 1,457 complaints are recorded per day.
“Increased passenger volumes can make an already stressful situation even more tense and almost certainly lead to a worse experience and more complaints,” the study found.
The most common complaint, accounting for more than 40% of all airport complaints nationwide, concerned the TSA’s expedited passenger screening program (TSA PreCheck).
The second most common complaints concerned improper handling of passengers’ belongings and customer service issues.
