Most Boring Airports To Be Stuck In

Sometimes when we travel, we manage to book direct flights and spend hardly any time waiting around. Other times, we are required to spend hours in an airport as we await our connecting flights. While many travelers are happy to spend time in some airports, others leave visitors feeling bored and routinely checking their watch. In those moments, even a quick game of Klondike or Spider Solitaire can be a simple way to pass the time and stay engaged while you wait.

At Solitaired, we know that you can only play so many games on your phone before you seek out other activities to pass the time. That’s why we set out to learn which airports in North America are the most boring to be stuck in.

To do this, we collected airport ratings from Skytrax related to dining, shopping, and terminal comfort. We then scraped Google reviews for each of the 62 airports for mentions of 45 keywords related to boredom and a lack of entertainment.

Finally, we searched for unique amenities at each airport to identify interesting offers to travelers spending time there. Using the data collected, we calculated a boredom score on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 representing the most boring airports. Read on to learn where you should schedule your next layover and where you might want to avoid.

Key Takeaways

• Winnipeg Richardson International Airport is the most boring airport in North America.
• Las Vegas McCarran Airport is the least boring airport in North America.
• Kansas City International Airport is the most boring airport in the U.S.
• Travelers specifically complain about boredom and a lack of entertainment options the most at Kansas City International Airport.
• Montréal-Trudeau International Airport has the best dining options in North America.
• Houston William P. Hobby Airport has the best shopping options in North America.

Most and Least Boring Airports in North America

While some travelers enjoy simply reading a book in the terminal while they wait for their flight, others seek out exciting activities to pass the time. Unfortunately, not all airports provide a variety of options to keep you entertained. Topping the list as the most boring airport in North America to be stuck in is the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport in Manitoba, Canada, with a boredom score of 98.73 out of 100.

Coming in second place for the most boring airport is Kansas City International Airport with a score of 98.04 out of 100. Despite the sensory rooms offered to travelers, Kansas City International received the second lowest terminal comfort score and the lowest score for shopping facilities, both of which contributed to its overall boredom score.

Up next is the Norfolk International Airport in third place with a score of 96.62 out of 100. While the airport provides a gallery displaying art and artifacts from the region, Norfolk International has the third highest percentage of negative reviews from visitors regarding boredom.

Although many airports leave travelers wanting more, we found several locations throughout North America that provide visitors with an exciting layover. Topping the list for the least boring airport is Las Vegas McCarran Airport where travelers can kill time between flights by testing their luck on slot machines in the gaming lounges.

In second place for the least boring airports is Mexico City International Airport where visitors can rest in a capsule hotel. Despite the small space, these capsules provide a memory foam mattress, TV, and dimmable lights for a relaxing experience.

Wrapping up the top three for the least boring airports in North America is Portland International Airport. One factor contributing to this ranking is the microcinema, which shows free short movies to travelers as they wait for their flight.

Where Travelers Complain Most About Boredom

In this study, we analyzed Google reviews for each airport to learn more about travelers’ experiences. While the percentage of boredom mentions were factored into the overall score for each airport, we wanted to shine a light on the places where visitors complain most and least about boredom.

Coming in first for the most boredom complaints is the Kansas City International Airport at 4.84%. This is followed by the Ottawa International Airport in Ontario with 4.73% of negative reviews complaining about boredom.

Despite receiving the second highest score for terminal comfort, we discovered that Norfolk International Airport had the third most mentions of boredom in reviews (4.23%). Wrapping up the top five airports with the most boredom complaints are the Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (4.06%) and the Halifax Stanfield International Airport (3.86%) in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

When analyzing rankings for shopping options, we found Houston William P. Hobby Airport had the best selection, providing visitors with a variety of shops to spend time between flights. On the other end of the scale, however, the Kansas City International Airport was ranked the worst airport for shopping options.

We also discovered the Montréal-Trudeau International Airport had the best selection of dining options for travelers looking to grab food during their wait. With more than 50 locations to purchase food and drinks, travelers are sure to find something to satisfy their hunger. Coming in last place for dining options is the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport with the lowest score.

Combat Boredom with Solitaire

Layovers and flight delays are often things that are simply out of our control. While some travelers enjoy spending a little extra time in a new place, many people just want to reach their destination as quickly as possible.

So if the next time you are flying you find yourself stuck in a boring airport, let Solitaired help pass the time. With free, online games you can relax in the terminal while challenging yourself to a game of Golf or FreeCell. Before you know it, you’ll be boarding your plane and traveling to your next destination in no time at all.

Methodology

In this study, we set out to learn which airports in North America are most boring. To do this, we scraped Skytrax airport ratings and Google reviews for 62 airports. Additionally, we researched each airport to find a presence of useful or interesting amenities (i.e., small movie theater). We then awarded points to each airport based on the level of unique amenities on a scale of 0 to 4, with 4 representing the most interesting amenities.

For Skytrax, we calculated an average score for four categories including: terminal comfort, terminal facilities, shopping facilities, and food and beverage. For Google reviews, we scraped reviews with 3 or fewer stars for mentions of 45 keywords related to boredom. We then divided the number of reviews with 3 or fewer stars with a keyword mentioned by the number of reviews with 3 or fewer stars to create a percentage of boredom mentions among negative reviews.

We then used this information to create an overall rating for each airport based on how boring it would be to be stuck there for a longer period of time. To do this, we adjusted the percentage of boredom mentions on a scale of 0 to 5 to match the other scores. We then weighted each score and penalized airports for higher mentions of boredom in reviews. Weights for scores were as follows: unique amenities score (0.4), average terminal comfort score (0.025), average terminal facilities score (0.025), average shopping facilities score (0.025), average food and beverage score (0.025), and percentage of boredom mentions (0.5).

In addition to the overall rating, we also created separate rankings for the airports with the best and worst dining options, best and worst shopping options, and which airports people are waiting in the longest, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection airport wait times for the past 12 months.