Category: Airplane Travel Hacks

Considering taking a cheap Ryanair flight? Here is what you need to make your Ryanair flight more comfortable.

Contrary to what some might tell you, it absolutely is possible to have an insanely cheap AND enjoyable Ryanair flight. After flying dozens of times with the airline I’ve put together this guide on getting the most from your Ryanair experience.

1. Watch for sales and book in advance

Booking at least two weeks ahead of your departure tends to ensure a much better price for Ryanair tickets. And while Ryanair is already known for cheap fares (and bad service) it is possible to (sometimes) save even more money if you catch a good sale. The budget airline is known to even sell ‘free’ flights on occasion (you only pay the airport taxes). But Ryanair is more regularly running modest sales for all kinds of routes – if your travel dates are flexible you’ll have more luck in scoring one of these reduced-price tickets.

To automatically stay in the loop on these sales, follow Ryanair on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Ryanair).

2. Be sure to print your boarding pass before heading to the airport.

Unlike other airlines, Ryanair requires you to check-in online and print your boarding pass before you reach the airport. Forgetting this important step can cost you $50 or more, as Ryanair has zero tolerance for passengers that show up at the check-in counter without their documents in hand.

3. Check your departure & arrival airports

Searching through Ryanair destinations, you’ll notice that this airline often uses smaller, less-popular airports that can be hours away from the city you want to visit. For example the “Paris Beauvais” airport is almost 60 miles from the city center, and “Stockholm Skavsta Airport” is even slightly further. When calculating if a Ryanair ticket will actually save you money, don’t forget to add in the extra cost of getting to some distant airport for your flight.

If you scored a great deal on a Ryanair flight departing from London Stanstead airport, don’t be surprised when simply getting to this remote departure airport from central London costs nearly as much as (or more than) your cheap flight.

4. Buy trip insurance (but not from Ryanair)

This is particularly true if you are taking a Ryanair flight and connecting shortly after to a flight on a different airline. Try Squaremouth.com for a good selection of budget travel insurance plans. Without travel insurance, any delay in the Ryanair schedule could mean loosing your seat on the connecting flight. After several times when travel insurance really came in handy, I buy travel insurance from Squaremouth.com every time I leave the country.

Plus considering that Ryanair customer service leaves a lot to be desired, the airline tends to do a bad job of taking care of passengers if you are to get stranded.

5. Don’t go for the upsells!

Ryanair really wants your hard-earned cash. While the ticket prices are cheap, any conceivable add-on will cost you. However I’ve flown Ryanair dozens of times and never had to pay an extra cent and there’s no reason you can’t do the same! During the booking process on Ryanair.com you’ll be electronically harangued into buying various add-on services: all of which can be ignored by most travelers.

6. Bring snacks for the ride!

Ryanair gives away precisely nothing for free. Food and beverages (including water) are only available for purchase (cash only) on your Ryanair flight. Be sure to buy some snacks before boarding your flight (ideally before heading to the airport) and grab plenty of water while in the airport waiting for your departure. This will save you some money and make sure you don’t go hungry while in the air.

7. Re-check your bags on connecting Ryanair flights

Let’s say you pieced together a Ryanair itinerary to get you from Budapest to London and then from London to Dublin a couple hours later. Be warned that when you arrive in London to catch your connecting flight on to Ireland, you’ll actually need to pickup your checked bag from the baggage claim, and check it in again for your next flight. Be sure to allow plenty of time to claim your luggage and check in again during your connection, as you certainly aren’t the only one going from London to Dublin today.

8. Know your rights.

Booking your ticket directly on Ryanair.com now gets you a few privileges that even non-budget airlines sometimes won’t allow. Within 24 hours of purchasing a ticket on Ryanair.com, you can now make “minor” corrections to your booking, such as correcting passenger names, spellings and routings. Given the non-specifics available from Ryanair regarding this new policy, I suggest contacting the airline about any changes with a polite but determined attitude.

Read more: Air Travel Tips for Seniors

9. Need some extra sanity? Book a ‘Quiet Flight’.

All Ryanair flights that operate before 8am and after 9pm local time are now considered ‘quiet flights’. Your fellow passengers may or may not be on board with the whole ‘quiet’ concept, but at least the airline pledges to dim the cabin lights and keep PA announcements to a bare minimum.

The list of best airlines in the world is always changing as carriers compete to get a chunk of your hard earned cash.  In the last few years the U.S. based airlines have struggled to get on the list in favor of Middle Eastern and other Asian airlines.  This year is no exception.  Check out the list below for the top five best airlines for the economy class budget traveler.

5. Qatar Airways

Common reports from Qatar Airways’ economy class passengers include “lots of legroom”, “great in-flight entertainment” and “decent food”. This is one of the Middle-East’s biggest and best airlines. Competition for luxury travelers is steep in their corner of the world. Other swanky airlines serving the region include Etihad (more on them later), Emirates and obscure but excellent Oman air. All this competition keeps Qatar Airways on their toes and constantly striving to impress.

Look out for the occasionally well-priced Qatar Airways fares for long haul connections from Europe or the USA to East and Southeast Asia (they serve destinations such as Shanghai and Bangkok).

4. ANA All Nippon Airways

Japan’s premier airline, ANA has improved in the rankings in recent years to become one of the world’s finest airlines. ANA has a 5-star Skytrax rating and seems to have a knack for turning customers into life-long fans. When talking to fellow travelers in Asia about their favorite airline, ANA seems to always come up.

While ANA isn’t known for their cheap fares, look out for ANA flights when redeeming frequent flyer miles from any Star Alliance partner airline (such as United or Air Canada.)

3. Etihad Airways

By far the youngest airline on the list, Etihad airways (founded in 2003) is a rising star of luxury airlines. Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (think desert & skyscrapers) but they have very competitive fares for travel between Europe and South Asia.

Tip: When booking Etihad flights from Europe to Asia, adding a free stopover in Abu Dhabi may be possible. Use ITA Matrix to check.

Etihad Passengers report comfortable seats, good amenities like in-seat power and in-flight entertainment and nice flight attendants. The food on the other hand: nothing special.

2. Asiana Airlines

Korea’s most luxurious airline is known for their great service. Don’t let their crash last summer in San Francisco scare you away – Asiana is absolutely one of the best ways of getting to/from Asia.

On board, the excellent cabin crew will make you feel like a celebrity. Plus, decent seats, good food and clean airplanes make this a top choice when going to/from North Asia.

1. Singapore Airlines

Describing this Southeast Asian airline as “super premium” might not quite do it justice. It really is that good – but it’s not just what happens onboard the flight that makes Singapore Airlines passengers so happy. The airline’s hub at Changi Airport in Singapore is also rated as the #1 airport in the world.

On board, passengers can expect comfy seats, 110v power sockets, good in-flight entertainment, surprisingly good food and an above-average drink and snack selection. If you’re lucky Singapore Airline staff might even hand out candies to passengers waiting in the terminal area before your flight!

Passengers frequently schedule in extra long layovers in the Singapore airport so they have enough time to take advantage of the fun activities, like the rooftop swimming pool, orchid garden and movie theater.

If that wasn’t enough, smoked salmon and Singapore Sling cocktails for everyone in economy class on Singapore Airlines? I’m sold.

1. Biman Bangladesh Airlines

Occasionally you’ll be able to score a good deal flying on a short flight around South Asia on Biman Bangladesh Airlines – which may not be much to worry about. But if you’re thinking about booking a long-haul flight on Biman you can expect some not-so-ideal extras.

• Poor on-time performance is common. Some routes experience regular delays or ‘re-timing’ as they call it.  Allow plenty of extra time (at least 4 hours) for any onward connections when flying with Biman Bangladesh.
• Their in-flight entertainment is pretty much non-existent.  So if you’re into playing games on long-haul flights or need to watch a movie to fall asleep, you may be out of luck.
• Passengers report that the flight attendants can be rude to passengers. This isn’t a luxury airline, and you should be prepared for treatment that even Ryanair might not approve of.

2. Uzbekistan Airways

There are several fine airlines serving Central Asia, including Asiana, Turkish Airlines, and Lufthansa.  When traveling to Central Asia Uzbekistan Airways can have some pretty attractive deals on airfares, but be aware of their reputation before you fly.  Passengers report filthy planes, rude staff and sub-par in-flight entertainment.  The extra comfort you might get on a different airline could be worth the extra price, so be sure to double check.

3. American Airlines

It may be surprising to find a major U.S. based airline scoring among the likes of Uzbekistan Airways for overall quality.  But this airline has been through tough times recently – something that is reflected particularly in the attitudes of their cabin crew.  American Airlines flight attendants have been known for their rude remarks to passengers and generally disgruntled attitude and appearance.  Just remember the airline is squeezing every drop out of their employees to cut costs during their recent bankruptcy issues, so who can really blame the flight attendants who look half asleep for making nasty sarcastic comments about their passengers?

Read more: How to Easily Save 20% on Flights

Also, since the food served in economy class isn’t freshly prepared, we suggest grabbing a meal in the airport or bringing a sandwich from home. You won’t regret it!

4. Bahamasair

Bahamasair ranks among the worst North American airlines.  The national airline of the Bahamas get a mere 2 out of 5 stars from airline rating agency Skytrax.  At the time of writing, 57% of Bahamasair flights arrived late over the last 3 months.  Delays lasting 5 hours or more are a regular occurrence with the airline’s short hops to Florida.  Even if you run into a sticky situation don’t expect much of an apology from the airline staff.  Passengers report rude airport staff and no compensation for delays.  Need an alternative? Check out SkyBahamas instead.

5. Nepal Airlines

The national airline of Nepal seems to make a genuine attempt to please passengers at times, but the facts are clear.  In the past 3 months (at the time of writing), over 20% of flights on this airline were cancelled.  Technical problems cause frequent delays with the airline.  In at least one case the airline resorted to slaughtering “two goats to appease a Hindu god, following technical problems” with a Boeing aircraft.

On the plus side, the Nepal Airlines’ cabin crew get high marks.  Passengers appreciate the friendly and helpful attitude of the staff onboard, despite the delays and lack of inflight entertainment.

Thinking about a trip to Nepal?  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based AirAsia has very reasonable fares to Kathmandu, Nepal (KTM) from Kuala Lumpur.  Book in advance to get one-way fares for $80 or less.

Knowing if you really got a bargain airfare can be tricky. Let’s say you want to spend a month in Europe next summer and need to find a cheap airfare deal. You’ve looked at the fares available on ITA Matrix, but aren’t really sure if the prices you see are a bargain or a rip-off.  If you’ve never had a need to search for cheap airfares to Europe before, it might not be easy to know if you’re actually getting a good deal.

So how does one know for sure? You could try to find some historical prices or you could wait around and check the fares regularly over the course of a month (not a good plan if you’re departing in <2 months) but both of these options have drawbacks. Here is an option that I use so I know exactly if I’m getting a good deal or not … even if I know nothing about what the ticket prices “should” be.

Use the Price Per Mile as a Guide

Example: A Ryanair flight from Budapest, Hungary to Eindhoven in the Netherlands could cost you just $18. It’s about 680 miles directly between these two cities, making this ticket cost just 2.64 cents per mile. That’s a great deal!

Taking lots of flights around the world, and comparing the cost of countless plane tickets, I wanted to share this chart to give you an understanding of the possibilities. It is something I often use when booking flights, but I find it particularly useful when booking flights on budget airlines, as some of these low-cost carriers want you to think that every flight they sell is a great bargain – when that isn’t true at all.

Sample Data to Consider

Here are some sample flights with one-way fares and mileage shown.

Mileage     /     One Way Ticket Price     /                         Origin & Destination                         /        Price Per Mile

   3600                                 425                                               New York to Paris, France                                         .118

    680                                   18                                       Budapest, Hungary – Eindhoven, NL                                .0264

   1500                                 120                               Muscat, Oman – Thiruvananthapuram, India                            .08

   6500                                 330                                       New York – Tashkent, Uzbekistan                                      .05

   4000                                 120                                       Burlington, VT, USA to Lima, Peru                                      .03

   1650                                 130                                  Burlington, VT, USA to Denver, CO, USA                              .0787

   3150                                 360                                   Shanghai, China to Colombo, Sri Lanka                               .114

    375                                  175              Singapore to Penang, Malaysia (AirAsia during holiday season)          .4666

     28                                  1000                        Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia                     .028

Which Flight is a Good Deal?

Of course the Burlington, VT to Lima, Peru and Budapest to Rotterdam flights easily beat out the other airfares for the best value, but there are other good fares on this list too. For example, getting from New York to the exotic Central Asia capital of Tashkent for just 5 cents per mile is an awesome bargain.

GUIDELINE RULE: Anything cheaper than 8 cents per mile is a good price. Anything below 5 cents per mile is a great price.

Why is the AirAsia Fare to Penang, Malaysia Ridiculously Expensive?

It’s because this sample fare is what you might expect to pay to fly during a peak holiday week, even if you book 6 months or more in advance. It is not a good deal at all… in fact at almost 50 cents per mile!  You are far better off to travel by train.

While AirAsia and other budget airlines don’t always have cheap flights, a little advanced planning and watching for sales can get you a great deal.  AirAsia flights to common destinations (particularly between AirAsia hubs) can be dirt cheap if purchased in advance.

If you don’t need to check any bags, decline trip insurance, the “comfort kit,” an assigned seat and all other “extras” and go from Borneo from Kuala Lumpur for just 2.8 cents per mile – that’s a fantastic price.

Do You Own Calculation

When calculating the value of your own airfare bargains, just remember to find the distance between your origin city and your final destination city for your itinerary. For example, if you’re looking at a ticket from Chicago to Sao Paolo, find the distance directly between those two cities. Even if you have connections and are changing planes in Atlanta, Charlotte, or anywhere else, the stops are not a part of this calculation.

Use the Google Distance Measurement Tools to find the distance

The Google Distance Measurement tool does just what you think it might – it measures the distance between places. You can use this tool to find the distance between your departure and arrival cities. Here’s how to get it setup (courtesy Google Inc):

1. Visit maps.google.com.
2. Click the Maps Labs link at the bottom of the left-hand panel.
3. Enable the Distance Measurement Tool.
4. Save changes.
5. Click the ruler icon at the lower left-hand corner of the map.

Click your starting point on the map, then click your destination point to trace the path. A red path will appear on the map between the two locations. Then, the distance will be shown in the left panel.

AirAsia has been running promos from time to time which you can take advantage of. We have also listed out a guide to get the most out of this budget airline.

Booking an airline ticket is just the first step of your adventure. Make sure to make the most of it!

A stopover is a connection between two flights of more than 24 hours.  A stopover is a great way to maximize your travel budget by adding an additional destination to your itinerary – ideally at no extra cost.

Let’s say you wanted to fly from JFK in New York to Kochi in Southern India to reach the destination Varkala, India (one of the top 10 South/South-East Asia backpacker beaches).  You might end up using a Gulf Air flight that is routed through Bahrain in the Persian Gulf.  Gulf Air generally allows free stopovers in Bahrain, which means you have the option of adding a Persian Gulf exploration onto your trip to South India.

It’s not uncommon for a national airline (such as Gulf Air) to offer free stopovers in the airline’s hub airport. This makes sense for a nationally subsidized airline to allow passengers the option to stop and spend extra tourist money in the country they’re flying through.

Working a Stopover Into Your Plans

Checking the Stopover Rules

1. Click on ‘rules’ link next to the Fare 1 or Fare 2 (highlighted in red).
2. Fare rules will open. Scroll down or use the browser’s ‘Find’ feature to find the ‘Stopovers’ section.

From this sample itinerary we see that this ticket does allow free stopovers, it actually allows 2 free stopovers!

Booking a Flight with a Free Stopover

Adding a Stopover to a Rewards Ticket

1. You will probably have to call in to the airline reservation center to book your ticket. Online interfaces can’t generally handle stopovers on award tickets.
2. Just because the first airline ticket agent you speak with says your requested itinerary is impossible, that does not make it so.  Politely hang up and call back a moment later.  You’ll eventually find a representative who is willing to help.
3. The stopover city generally needs to be approximately on the way to your destination (assuming you take the most direct route).  Sometimes it is possible to have a stopover in a city that is in a distant and remote location.
4. If you’re told that adding a stopover will increase the miles required for your ticket, again politely hang up and try a different ticket agent.

Here are the official rules for getting a stopover on a reward ticket for common frequent flyer programs.

United Airlines Frequent Flyer Mile Stopover Rules

US Airways Frequent Flyer Mile Stopover Rules

1. For travel within the continental U.S., Canada and Alaska, a stopover is defined as a stay of more than 4 hours between connections (if there is a connecting flight available within 4 hours). If you’re traveling outside the continental U.S., Canada and Alaska, a stopover is defined as a stay of more than 24 hours between connections.
2. Stopovers are not permitted when travel is within one award region or for multi-city travel.
3. For travel outside the continental U.S., Canada and Alaska, you’re allowed one stopover per US Airways itinerary at a US Airways gateway or international destination (or in a partner hub city if you’re traveling on an award partner). US Airways hub/international gateway cities include Charlotte, Philadelphia and Phoenix. Please call Reservations for additional US Airways international gateways and partner hub cities.
4. Stopovers are allowed only for the most direct route of travel.
5. Stopovers must be included in the reservation when you book. You may not add a stopover once an award has been ticketed.

American Airlines Frequent Flyer Mile Stopover Rules

Delta Airlines Frequent Flyer Mile Stopover Rules

Air Canada Frequent Flyer Mile Stopover Rules

Avianca Airlines Frequent Flyer Mile Stopover Rules

By flying on Spirit Airlines you can save loads of cash on your trip to Costa Rica, Peru, and many other destinations. Knowing where this stingy but cheap airline excels and where it lacks will help you get the maximum value from your next Spirit flight.

How Spirit Airlines Differs from Other Airlines

1. The moment you step on a Spirit Airlines flight you can immediately notice the tight seat space with minimal legroom. Spirit uses modern Airbus jets and since they have different seating arrangements among their planes you may be stuck in a super cramped seat. To get technical, the seats in the Airbus A320s used by Spirit Airlines have a “seat pitch” (a legroom measurement) of 28 inches, the lowest of any U.S. based airline.  A 6 foot tall person could not sit in a normal position in this seat due to minimal legroom. As a comparison, economy seats on Thai Airways have 22% more legroom at 34 inches of seat pitch.
2. Flights sometimes depart at odd hours in the night. To keep their costs low, Spirit Airlines aims to have very high plane utilization. In other words they want to be flying 24/7. If you want to fly from Plattsburgh, NY to Fort Lauderdale, FL, your flight will leave around 2:30am.
3. Bad customer service at the call center. Many Spirit Airlines representatives are located overseas and customers have found them to be particularly unhelpful and frustrating compared to other airlines.

Spirit Baggage Fees

This is something you really got to watch out for. If you plan to fly with a lot of baggage then Spirit Airlines may end up costing you more than flying on a different airline as excess baggage fees quickly add up. If you’ll be traveling with extra baggage then it’s best to purchase an extra allowance in advance on spirit.com in advance. The price for excess baggage on the web stays the same at any time prior to check-in. (TIP: Spirit Airlines is generally less strict about size and weight of carry-on bags than you might expect given the language on the website. Obviously, this is not something you can count on.  Your mileage may vary.) Buying the extra baggage allowance at the airport is a sure way to rack up the cost of your flight very quickly.

What Not To Expect From Spirit Airlines

1. Free food or beverage of any kind. You may be able to score a minuscule amount of free water, but it seems that Spirit Airlines has a policy against giving food/drinks away for free. The only exception to this is if you were to request water from a flight attendant for the purpose of taking medication. This is an unpublished rule that all Spirit Airlines flight attendants are supposed to follow. Even in this case they will give you one small glass of water.
2. Don’t expect to use cash (even U.S. dollars) on-board a flight to buy water or food. Only debit and credit cards are accepted. No cash. No Exceptions.
3. Any room for negotiation with over weight checked bags. The counter agents won’t give you any leeway with checked bags over the weight limit. They may be less strict (and in some cases much less strict) with the exact dimensional size limit (length, width, and height) of your checked bags and less strict with both the weight and size of your carry-on bag(s). Sometimes the airline staff may not weigh your bags, but this isn’t something you can count on.
4. Short, efficient check-in queues. It could be that quarter of all the passengers on your Spirit flight want to argue with the counter agents about excess baggage fees (unfortunately this is not an exaggeration). This often creates long lines at Spirit check-in counters.
5. If a delayed Spirit Airlines flight causes you to miss a connecting flight on any other air carrier, Spirit is not responsible or liable and will not compensate you. This is especially problematic if you book a flight on a different airline to get to a Spirit hub (like Fort Lauderdale, FL). It’s best to give yourself at least 4 hours between flights to have some level of security.  You can also purchase travel insurance to make sure you don’t get stuck having to buy a flight last minute. Sometimes airlines will hook you up with a free re-booking if you missed your flight, but you shouldn’t count on this.

When is Spirit Airlines Better Than Other Airlines?

1. Even though it’s not always the case, Spirit Airlines generally has lower fares than the competition (like the $110 one-way flight from New York to Peru).
2. The flight attendants are surprisingly pleasant for a U.S. based airline.  (If you want really pleasant flight attendants catch a flight on a Middle East based airlines like Qatar Airways or Etihad!)
3. When your flight route is discontinued after you’ve booked your trip, Spirit Airlines can be very lenient in letting you change your flight.  You may even be able to select an entirely new destination at no extra cost. One traveler was booked to fly from Plattsburgh, NY to Panama City, Panama when the flight was suspended. Spirit Airlines re-booked the passenger (and his 3 travel companions) to Lima, Peru (a much more expensive flight) at no extra cost. The airline isn’t obligated to do this, but appear to do so as a customer courtesy. Props to Spirit Airlines!
4. Spirit Airlines flies the same modern jet planes that adhere to the same FAA safety standards as other U.S. airlines.  Often times, other low cost airlines don’t use such nice planes.
5. If your flight is oversold, delayed, or canceled Spirit Airlines is obligated to compensate you under the same FAA (the U.S. based Federal Aviation Administration) guidelines that apply to all other airlines.  There are no special exceptions to discount airlines like Spirit.

Have you come across any things you do or don’t like about Spirit Airlines?

Outside the U.S. you can find some of the world’s finest airports. Their amenities might include swimming pools, movie theaters, spas, hotels, and even free city tours! These “extras” won’t be found in airports stateside. Some American airports get such bad satisfaction ratings that they should be avoided, especially if you have a tight connection. The list below details some of the worst; you should definitely keep these in mind when booking your next cheap airfare.

1. Newark, New Jersey (ERW)

The winner of the most delayed airport in the US; one out of every three flights (33.48%) was late in April 2013; certainly not worth your hard earned money. To add insult to injury, employees are rude, the design is depressing at best, and the outdated airport lounges give a feel of your local DMV. To get between terminals is about as easy as navigating through an old European city with no street names (not to mention the 33 million confused fellow travelers competing with you to get to the gate on time).

You might as well take a taxi to the airport there since parking starts at the low cost of $18 per day, seriously?!? Silver lining: if you get stuck there due to bad weather, airport officials will give you cots & blankets to spend the night.

2. La Guardia, New York (LGA)

Known for its 3rd worst on-time performance of any major US airport; 68.69% of flights arrived on time in April 2013 (31.31% were late). Not to mention it is the closest airport to Manhattan (think crazy traffic).  The design is about as inspiring as a cardboard box, and it’s dirty. Out of all of the 5 worst airports, it’s the smallest, yet 23 million passengers crowd the terminals every year. And of course, being in New York the parking is not cheap, ranging $18-$33 per day.

Every dog has its day, so in the Delta terminal, you can find lots of charging stations for iPads (and the like) and freely use comfortable seating while you wait.

Read more: Finding Extremely Cheap Last Minute Flights

3. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL)

In accordance with the trend of bad airports, Philadelphia’s International Airport has an outdated (read: poor, low tech) design. Giving it a clean bill of health would be lying at best. The 30 million passengers that squeeze through it every year only add to the unpleasantly slow inter-terminal bus transportation. The shockingly long transfer times are enjoyed on buses that drive through the tarmac and next to idling jumbo-jets; here the passengers can enjoy the modern fragrance of jet-engine exhaust, health implications are free of charge – economy parking, on the other hand, will set you back a whopping $11 per day.

However, one perk is that travelers can reserve bedrooms on an hourly basis ($34/hr) through the private company ‘MinuteSuites’; to make a reservation ahead online (http://minutesuites.com/locations/philadelphia-international/).

4. Los Angeles, California (LAX)

The largest of the 5 worst airports, it handles 63 million passengers a year. This makes sense considering that it’s the starting point or final destination for more travelers than any other airport in the entire world. Since this is Los Angeles, parking is difficult to find, and if you do find it the cost starts at $12 dollars per day (better to find an alternative and get to LAX with public transport or taxi).

However, as always there is a silver lining. Free WI-FI and charging stations are found throughout the terminals and the large selection of airport lounges.

Read more: Turkish Airlines – Safe or Not?

5. JFK Airport, New York (JFK)

Make sure that you have plenty of time between connecting flights since long transit times between terminals plague this airport. 47 million passengers that travel through this airport only make the problem worse.  Although not as dirty as the other airports on this list, it is getting dirtier and continuous construction suffocates this place. The outdated lounges, which are hard to find, (as is WI-FI) are overcrowded and basic. Parking starts at an eye-watering $18 a day!

But Terminal 5 (JetBlue) is the diamond in the rough. It has a nice and modern design and boasts free WIFI to your heart’s content. To boot, sometimes musicians perform concerts in Terminal 5!  Also, it’s cheap ($7.50) to get to any terminal at JFK from Brooklyn or Manhattan so you don’t have to break the bank for parking.  Just combine ‘AirTrain JFK’ ($5) with the NYC subway ($2.50), more info here: http://www.panynj.gov/airports/jfk-to-from.html.

So, here you have it: America’s Worst Airports in 2013. Feel free to add your own airport experiences in the comments!