This Well-Known Airport Has The Highest Number Of Complaints About TSA In The US

When visiting the airport, you might encounter some of the absolute worst kinds of travelers at the TSA checkpoints. In some instances, however, it's not the travelers stirring up trouble — it's the TSA officers. TSA agents are there to screen passengers and prevent security disasters, but they don't always deliver the service passengers expect. This is especially true at Newark Liberty International Airport, one of the busiest and most well-known travel hubs in the country.

Upgraded Points looked at TSA complaints reported between 2015 and 2023 to determine which U.S. airport elicits the most dissatisfaction in the security line, and Newark topped the list with 6.83 complaints per 100,000 fliers. While that number may sound low, the study notes that the national average is only 3.92. Newark Airport also recorded the most complaints in 2023. In that year alone, a whopping 12.85 out of 100,000 travelers complained about TSA in the NYC-area port. No wonder Newark is said to be a total nightmare to fly in and out of.

Several Florida airports were also highlighted in the study. Palm Beach International Airport came in second place for the most TSA-related gripes, with 5.78 complaints per 100,000 travelers, followed by Orlando International Airport (5.6 complaints per 100,000 passengers) and Southwest Florida International Airport (5.5 complaints per 100,000 passengers). Cleveland Hopkins rounded out the top five with 5.38 complaints per 100,000 fliers.

TSA officers are often characterized as being cold and extremely strict, barking at passengers who placed their liquids in the wrong bin or were too slow at removing their shoes. However, customer service isn't the most common complaint of fliers. According to the Upgraded Points study, more people criticize TSA PreCheck than any other aspect of the security screening process. In particular, PreCheck seems to be a significant issue at San Francisco International Airport, where nearly 60% of all complaints are about the expedited screening program.

Another common complaint is the mishandling of passenger property. Though the study doesn't go into detail, some reports could have something to do with people's claims that TSA is stealing their things. Baggage mishandling is most prevalent at Miami International Airport, accounting for nearly one out of three customer complaints.

Interestingly, travelers are much more likely to complain about TSA between October and December, with the most complaints recorded in the final month of the year (1,457 per day on average). By January, complaint reports drop to their lowest counts of the year. Upgraded Points researchers speculate that these trends correlate to the stressful holiday season.

If you hope to reduce travel stress and combat your airport anxiety, you may want to fly through one of the U.S. airports with the fewest TSA complaints. Upgraded Points found that Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, had the fewest reported issues between customers and TSA staff, clocking only 1.97 complaints per 100,000 passengers. Charlotte Douglas also had the lowest number of complaints in 2023 (3.47 per 100,000 passengers).

Major hub Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was next on the list, with 2.63 complaints for every 100,000 passengers. Salt Lake City International Airport was third for the lowest reported TSA complaints — with 2.74 per 100,000 travelers — and it also happens to be the top-performing airport in the U.S., according to Cirium. Other hubs with few TSA gripes include Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (2.75 complaints per 100,000 passengers), Chicago Midway International Airport (2.8 complaints per 100,000 passengers), and Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (2.8 complaints per 100,000 passengers).