The 16 Worst (and Ugliest) Airports in the World

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Some airports are creating new features and design elements, from swimming pools to waterfalls, to improve travelers’ experiences. These are not those airports. These are the worst ones around the world.

They may be difficult to navigate, ugly, barren of any design, or plain and boring.

To find the best and worst ones in the world, BusinessFinancing collated all passenger reviews for major international airports from Airline Quality and calculated the average rating from reviewers categorized as “business travelers.” The last step was to rank the top-rated airports globally, by continent, and in the U.S. and UK.

These are the worst airports in the world according to those metrics:

Brussels South Charleroi Airport, Belgium

Brussels South Charleroi Airport, Belgium
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Bleakness, boredom, and lack of style are just a few of the things you might think of after walking into this airport, according to BusinessFinancing.co.uk,. When rating this airport out of 10, this airport averaged just 1.20.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Germany

Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Germany
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In this plain airport that looks like a massive gas station, the ceilings are low and the interiors are brutalist. It’s a place that looks depressing and feels repressive. It got a ranking of 1.56.

Leeds Bradford Airport, U.K.

Leeds Bradford Airport, United Kingdom
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Much of this airport seems cramped and uncomfortable. The tight spaces and low ceilings may make some people feel claustrophobic while navigating this airport. It has a rating of 1.57.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, U.S.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, U.S.
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The first of many ugly American airports, this one has nothing special about it. At all. It may be one of the most boring buildings you’ll ever see. Travelers have rated this airport as a 1.64.

Manchester Airport, U.K.

Manchester Airport, U.K.
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In this airport, you can see that management kind of tried to make it attractive and unique, but these spaces are very far between. Whatever they tried didn’t work. It has a rating of 1.68.

Luton Airport, U.K.

Luton Airport, U.K.
Image Credit: Kamil Smyk/Shutterstock.

 

This airport looks generic and industrial. It doesn’t have any individual style to it, and it’s a bit cramped. Virtually no one likes this airport as reflected in its rating of just 1.69 out of 10.

Kuwait International Airport, Kuwait

Kuwait International Airport, Kuwait
Image Credit: Matyas Rehak/Shutterstock.

 

Many areas of this airport are both busy and small, making the space feel cramped. It does try a little to have a style, but it’s just a mishmash of design elements. It has earned a 1.69.

East Midlands Airport, U.K.

East Midlands Airport, U.K.
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The U.K. is very well represented on this list. It has a lot of terrible airports that could look a lot better but mysteriously don’t. This one is generic and looks old and out of date. It has gotten a 1.70.

London Stansted Airport, U.K.

London Stansted Airport, U.K.
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From its hideous floors to its cramped terminals, this airport isn’t the kind of place most people would choose to be on purpose. Travelers dislike it enough to give it a rating of 1.71.

Newark Liberty International Airport, U.S.

Newark Liberty International Airport, U.S.
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Narrow passageways and low ceilings give this airport an uncomfortable feel. It’s overall a plain place that is completely forgettable. Those who haven’t forgotten it yet have rated it at 1.73.

Salt Lake City International Airport U.S.

Salt Lake City International Airport U.S.
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Very low ceilings, lots of beige, and generic artwork make this airport an unpopular one. It’s another forgettable one that has no real character of its own. Travelers have rated it at 1.89.

Perth Airport, Australia

Perth Airport, Australia
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This airport ties Salt Lake City with a rating of 1.89. Travelers aren’t enthusiastic about this airport it is bland and seemingly does not attempt to be otherwise.

Toronto Pearson International Airport

Toronto Pearson International Airport
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Ugly and old-fashioned, this airport may have looked great 80 years ago when it was new. The outdated style makes this airport a chore to be in. Travelers have rated it at 1.90.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport

Liverpool John Lennon Airport
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This airport is dull and cramped. It has a generic style that doesn’t have any sense of place. Travelers to this airport haven’t enjoyed the experience and rated it at 1.90.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

The Sea-Tac Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is the largest airport in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It is a main hub for Alaska Airlines.
Image Credit: EQRoy/Shutterstock.

 

This airport has a lot of natural light, but it’s ill-suited for large numbers of travelers. Narrow walkways and an ugly color palette of beiges have earned it a rating of 1.93.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Texas

George Bush Intercontinental Airport
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A few design elements are lurking in this generic airport, but none of them make this a great airport. It’s cramped and unattractive in nearly every way. It has a rating of 1.93.

The 20 Most Spectacular Waterfalls in the U.S.

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Image Credit: Mila Supinskaya Glashchenko/Shutterstock.

 

Waterfalls are among the top outdoor attractions people like to visit. Their effects range from soothing to inspiring to awe-inducing, and although they’re most common in mountainous areas, there are waterfalls in every U.S. state.

With more than 17,000 documented waterfalls in the country, any list of the best is going to be subjective, but you won’t be disappointed by the ones here.

The 20 Most Spectacular Waterfalls in the U.S.

20 U.S. National Parks Everyone Should Visit At Least Once

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Image Credit: Maridav/Shutterstock.

Our National Park System is one of the country’s greatest treasures, and it’s often been called “America’s Best Idea.” Currently, there are 63 national parks from the Pacific (American Samoa) to the ocean south of Florida (Dry Tortugas) and from the Arctic to the tropics.

Most people won’t get a chance to visit them all, so if you could only visit 20 and just one time each, which ones should they be? Here are our recommendations:

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The 15 Most-Visited Countries in the World

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Image Credit: Kseniia Perminova/Shutterstock.

 

The world is big, and there are countless places to explore. Some countries attract many more visitors than others. Countries that are popular with tourists often have a lot to see and do, as well as friendly people and great food.

According to Insider Monkey, these countries have the most visitors every year.

The 15 Most-Visited Countries in the World

The 5 States With the Best Roads (And the 5 That Are Just the Absolute Worst)

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Image Credit: Ezume Images/Shutterstock.

The state of the roads is important to everyone who travels over them. Virtually everyone notices when the roads are bad. The journey becomes bumpy and shaky and may even damage your vehicle.

Some states are doing a better job with their road quality than others. According to USAFacts, these are the states that have the best roads and the ones that do the worst job on their roads.

The 5 States With the Best Roads (And the 5 That Are Just the Absolute Worst)

The 30 Most Beautiful Places People Must Visit

 

Happy smiling woman looks out from window traveling by train on most picturesque train road in Sri Lanka.
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There’s no way you could ever come up with a definitive list of the world’s most beautiful places. However, if you ask around, some places come up a lot more frequently than others do.

Not in any particular order, the following are some of those places that people mention over and over again.

The 30 Most Beautiful Places People Must Visit

Author: Lizz Shepherd

Bio:

Lizz Shepherd is a freelance writer living in Alabama.

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