Airports are crowded, busy, bustling places, but some are much worse than others.
A new report by Airports Council International ranks the world's busiest airports, and perhaps as no surprise to many, five of the top six are in the United States.
At the top of the list is Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) in Atlanta, Georgia, which is also the headquarters of Delta Airlines. It's a hub for international and cross-country travel, with over 130 acres of terminal space, over 200 vendors and 192 gates. I's followed by Texas' Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). Everything is bigger in Texas, and with DFW being the country's largest airport, it makes sense that it would be one of the busiest within its 27 square miles (that includes runways) and five often crowded terminals.
Third on the list is Denver International Airport (DEN), followed by Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), and finally an international location, Dubai International Airport (DXB). Additional airports in the top 10 include Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Istanbul Airport (IST), Heathrow Airport (LHR), Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG).
Luckily, many of these major cities have secondary airports that can help you avoid getting elbowed, long customs lines, security backups and more. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) is a good alternative in the Windy City, Gatwick Airport (LGW) on the outskirts of London may help you save some time and money and Paris-Orly Airport (ORY) can get you to the city of lights via public transit, without too much hassle.