Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) made a list it would probably rather not make, tracking which airports in the U.S. are the least and most stressful.
European tour company Travel by Luxe compared 30 major airports across several stress-inducing flight factors, such as security wait times, flight delays, cancellation rates, passenger traffic, and average airfare prices. The airports were ranked according to which were the "best equipped to keep travelers calm rather than frazzled."
Out of all 30 airports, DFW Airport landed at the bottom:, making it the most stressful American airport of those surveyed, with more flight delays and cancellations than other major U.S. airports.
Delays and cancellations. According to passenger traffic data from December 2024, nearly 3.6 million travelers flew through DFW for the holidays last year. More than a quarter of all flights were delayed — about 26.06 percent. In addition, DFW had the second-highest rate of cancelled flights (2.08 percent) out of all 30 airports analyzed during the same period.
Cost. Average flight costs at DFW came out to $417.38 in the final quarter of 2024, which the report determined was the 12th most expensive airfare out of the 30 U.S. airports. Although the report clarified that fares are not as stress-inducing as flight delays and security wait times.
TSA process. Travelers should always plan extra time to get through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lines during peak travel times, but the report found that getting through DFW security lines in December 2023 (where the latest data was available) took only about 9 minutes. That's the sixth-shortest wait time nationwide.
The 2025 holiday travel season is expected to be one of the busiest on record; nearly 8 million travelers are expected to fly through DFW during the final two months of the year, making it the second-busiest airport in the U.S. over the holidays.
"Holiday travel is supposed to be joyful. [T]hink of all the twinkling lights, family reunions and much-needed downtime," the author wrote. "But anyone who has battled chaotic airport lines, last-minute cancellations or a departure board full of red delay warnings knows how quickly that festive spirit can evaporate."
The No. 1 most stress-free U.S. airport to travel over the holidays is Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona, the report said.
The top 10 U.S. airports with the smoothest travel during the 2025 holiday season are:
- No. 1 – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- No. 2 – Salt Lake City International Airport
- No. 3 – Washington Dulles International Airport
- No. 4 – Tampa International Airport
- No. 5 – Harry Reid International Airport
- No. 6 – Chicago Midway International Airport
- No. 7 – Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
- No. 8 – Philadelphia International Airport
- No. 9 – Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
- No. 10 – LaGuardia Airport
