New York JFK Airport

Customer Reviews

3 star Skytrax Rating
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Queuing Times 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Staff 12345
Customer rating from 583 reviews
3/10
3 star Skytrax Rating
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1/10

"The absolute worst TSA experience"

(United States)

Not Verified | The absolute worst TSA experience I’ve had in my life. Had a 3 hour layover from Paris and ended up having to run to re-check our baggage and catch our connecting flight because we spent over two hours in this particular layer of hell. The staff act like they’re having one long temper tantrum after another. Sure I get that they probably deal with a lot of difficult people, but the goal should be to deescalate and not escalate situations. Especially routine ones, like traveler confusion and slow lines. The lady “helping” people get their stuff onto the belt was yelling, snapping at people and barking out orders that made no sense. She was holding onto bins as if she were trying to actually make it more difficult for people. Kept barking for people to “move it along”. I have reduced mobility and I told her it’s very hard for me to move fast without my proper footwear (which they made me remove). She actually bellowed at me that she wasn’t taking to me, she was talking to the person behind me. Zero empathy, complete nastiness. You could tell she was burnt out and over it. TSA should seriously have some sort of plan to rotate out employees who hit the wall and can no longer function on any given day. The lady who ended up physically checking my bag could barely articulate in English and I’m pretty sure it was her native language, as it is mine. She confiscated some of my food and when I asked she said it was because it was a “sprayyyyyyeee”. Took me three tries to realize she was trying to say “a spread”. The whole experience was so nasty my daughter actually burst into tears. Ironically, my partner got through with his own “spraee”/spread—they only confiscated mine. Making me wonder if this is all really just theater. Either way, this experience does not need to be made so horrid. The agents are awful but it makes me wonder what kind of support (if any) they’re getting from on high. To those people I say this—like it or not, TSA are ambassadors of the cities they work in. I’ve had better experiences with TSA around the world and have returned to those cities again and again. I have absolutely zero interest in ever connecting through JFK again. Newark is no picnic but if I had to pick, I’d chose it over this layer of hell.
Experience At AirportArrival Only
Date VisitMarch 2024
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"JFK is the worst experience"

(United States)

Not Verified |   Others have already said it but I’m genuinely considering flying into LaGuardia or Newark next time, despite the fact it would take me longer to get to my destination after landing. I travel a lot for work and barring none, JFK is the worst experience. Incredibly rude staff at TSA, horrible people making aside comments and barking orders at people. They don’t have enough staff so the queues are always horrendous - we made it to the airport with plenty of time and still were the last ones almost to board because the queues were so astronomical. No air conditioning so just stuck with no seating in a hot corridor for over an hour waiting to go through security. And we didn’t even check bags! I’m disgusted. Ruined the whole experience of flying. This airport has serious problems - puts me off coming here ever again.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitFebruary 2024
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
Airport Staff 12345
no
3/10

"the rudest and most abusive"

(Australia)

Trip Verified | A lot of your security people are unnecessarily abrupt in America. TSA at JFK take the award for being the rudest and most abusive, throwing tubs around, bullying everyone. I get it that you are over the many stupid people that you have to deal with daily but just get a new job please don’t take it out on everybody else.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitJanuary 2024
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

"TSA at JFK are horrible people"

(United Kingdom)

Not Verified | The TSA at JFK are horrible people. Everyone is trying to comply with their demands but they shout and are verbally abusive and throw things around. I am American and used to the appalling behavior of a lot of the agents. I am ashamed that this is the impression visitors receive of America. We are so strictly told how and where to move in passport lines to enter from a foreign trip then the TSA bullies yell if you don’t do the opposite and move to form new lines quickly. It’s just appalling. Why do customers of airlines deserve to be treated like criminals?
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitJanuary 2024
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
3/10

"airport are doing daylight robbery"

(United Kingdom)

\✅ Trip Verified | I know all airports are expensive but $5.49 for water and $14.99 for jack links jerky! $40 for a charger - all in all this airport has cost me with 2 children $140 for a charger, food and beverages! It’s really not ok, we pay extortionate prices for the flights, plus baggage now and then the airport are doing daylight robbery! It’s not fair And really shows the level of greed for these multi million dollar business’. Oh and please do not call your Duty free ‘Duty Free’ when the alcohol is the same price in a U.K. Tesco and we’re supposed to be the expensive country! I really hope to not have to use this airport in the future.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitJanuary 2024
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"Female agent barking orders"

(United States)

Not Verified | Female agent barking orders to put items in trays and place on belt. As there were only a stack of white ones everyone started grabbing and using them. Once several people had placed trays on belt she then stated yelling at them to put the white trays back and wait for more grey ones to arrive. She them singled out an older Indian gent and yelled at him non stop for little things until he passed all the way through and even rolled her eyes at him and started bad mouthing him to another agent, really sad and disgusting. I know this job is thankless but there has to be other ways to get your kicks and feel self important.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitJanuary 2024
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

"unnecessarily rude and assumptive"

(United States)

Trip Verified | Airport staff waiting at the line for Global Entry - woman working 1pm on 12/3/2024 needs to be trained. There were no back ups in the queue and when my Face ID didn’t work she proceeded to yell at me saying I didn’t have it (when I know full well that I do and have used it 7 + times in the past 2 years). She proceeded to scream over and over that I didn’t have it and the border patrol gentleman was nice enough to signal to me that there was a line I could go to to see what the issue was with it not picking up my Face ID. Technology is not prone from error and this woman was not trained and unnecessarily rude and assumptive for no reason. There was no one even waiting on me with 5-6 machines wide open. Please train your staff.
Experience At AirportArrival Only
Date VisitJanuary 2024
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

"ESTA line is not moving"

(Hungary)

Trip Verified | Terrible! The ESTA line is not moving, there are 1-2 customs officers here in total, who are as slow as a snail. Some are taken out of line, so the others do not progress. 2 meters in an hour. Ridiculous and requires serious remedial action. Air is not moving.
Experience At AirportArrival Only
Date VisitDecember 2023
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"TSA staff was extremely rude"

(United States)

Not Verified | You need to train TSA agents at this location on true American hospitality and common human decency. TSA staff was extremely rude. They yelled at travelers, waived at them to move through lines with insulting hand gestures that showed impatience, abrasiveness, and disrespect. One agent dropped the buckets on the floor in front of everyone to show them she was unhappy about how the buckets were supposed to be lined up. The TSA agent verifying passports at the entrance was rude taking pictures answering questions with sarcastic and condescending comments to travelers who asked for clarification. It is not like there was a huge line or there were lot of travelers. Most of the end rows were empty. So the excuse that this is a busty airport and that TSA agents have to deal with lot of travelers will not fly in this case. I have gone through this airport many times in the past and I think the service at the international level is getting worse. Yes most travelers are immigrants and their level of English language knowledge could be limited but that is an excuse to bark at people and treat them like dirt. Not in America anyway.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitDecember 2023
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"the worst airport ever"

(Netherlands)

Not Verified | JFK is the worst airport ever. The staff is unfriendly and the waiting times are unbearable. How can such a big airport have such garbage service and border control. It’s ridiculous. Think twice before flying JFK.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitNovember 2023
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no