New York JFK Airport

✅ Trip Verified | For an airport that has been established for so long, I could not believe at how disorganised it all was. You guys need to learn a few manners, try fellow Americans at Walt Disney world, they'd teach you a thing or two. Security staff were by far the worst here, very unprofessional, rude and unhelpful. Good luck to whoever is in charge of this disorganised team, you're definitely going to need it. You need to have a star rating for security/immigration, if there was, I'd struggle to award any star rating.

❎ Not Verified | Well after an eleven hour flight and not feeling too well - I was hoping for a speedy transit through customs (I was travelling with hand luggage only). Once I got into the customs hall reality hit - 1.5 hours waiting in line with hundreds maybe even thousands of other passengers to get processed. Heres the thing - they have 60 desks - 3 of which were manned. The whole feeling there was one of absoloute disdain for the passengers experience. Avoid this airport - find another route unless you like standing bored senseless as a first taste of America.

✅ Trip Verified | I won't be going near this airport ever again, I have never ever experienced such poor treatment, rudeness, laziness and gruesome attitude of staff that obviously think they are superior to all of us passengers. I hardly managed to catch my flight because of long queues, and because instead of following the signs and going into separate lines, all of us had to go in one line. Machines are not working properly, there is no one to show you what to do, and when you finally fight your way through crazed passengers and arrive to the officer in charge who will check your passport, you get a terrible treatment. Unfortunately, no one will care about all these negative reviews and about all our frustrations, until we all stop flying to and via NYC. Considering the number of people in the world, this will never happen, but I sincerely hope that someone will make a big deal out of it, someone important who will be treated like this and put a stop to all incompetent and miserable people who work there. Such an amazing city, but when you arrive it makes you never want to visit it again. Not even in transit.

✅ Trip Verified | Horrific experience. I am not sure why, but the staff here think they are far superior to any passenger! We were treated terribly on arrival to the airport, with staff either ignoring us when we asked questions about which ESTA lane to join or they simply shouted their robotic “all first time ESTAs this way” in our faces. Both of us had been to the USA previously, so we joined the “returning ESTA” line, but apparently if you haven’t been within the last 2 years you have to join the “first time ESTA” line? Had the rude staff member we approached explained this it would have been quite simple. Then on departure the man at security was simply inhuman. Screeming at people to step inside a security screen and then barking orders like “don’t you dare move a muscle”, “are you blind?”. I understand the need for strict security with all that has happened in recent years, and I can appreciate the need for staff to be formal and professional, but that is not what this was. There was a complete disregard for maintaining the respect and dignity of passengers. There is absolutely no need to speak to people in such a manner, these people need to be taught some manners and get off their high horses. I won’t be flying into America again for this reason. I’d rather explore all of the other wonderful places in the world that treat other people with dignity and respect. The cleanliness of the airport was also an issue. With smelly toilets that were consistently out of loo paper and sticky seats and tables.

❎ Not Verified | It was my 3rd visit to JFK and my daughters 1st. Each visit the process of going through immigration and security gets worse. On arrival from Heathrow it was clear to some of the staff at JFK that a few of us weren't sure where we had to go. When we approached staff we were either ignored, tutted at or laughed at. One member of staff was sniggering at a family struggling to use the self check in machines. It was chaotic. However at the end of our trip when we returned to JFK well what can I say. TSA service was disgusting. The only thing missing was a cattle prod. Shouting orders, humiliating people, talking to us like we were animals. I have never in my life experienced another human being talking to any member of the public like this. There was no need for it. Many people were visibly upset and uncomfortable. It upset myself and my daughter. I will never ever return to America again. It has totally put me off forever. I would also recommend friends and family to avoid JFK at all costs. That is unless they want to be treated like a prisoner. It was so nice to get home to Britain.

❎ Not Verified | After entering the airport, everything was going well until we came across the TSA checkpoint. This is the first tsa checkpoint I have encountered with the most rude and unprofessional personnel in my thirty years of traveling around the world. The superiors of the tsa personnel need to go under cover and see for themselves what a nightmare JFK airport really is. The tsa employees were inconsiderate, rude, and words cannot describe their unprofessionalism. Not only was my family affected by their actions, but everyone in the same line. Never ever go to this airport, until they clean up the tsa's act! Other than the tsa, everything was fine.

✅ Trip Verified | My boyfriend and I were travelling to Cancun from Heathrow via New York JFK. The booking allowed for 3.5 hours between flights which we assumed would be sufficient. In fairness to the airport there had been heavy snow the day before but when we arrived and went to baggage reclaim, it took 2 hours for the bags to come through, my bag came through on a different carousel! It was sheer luck I overheard another passenger telling someone that I found my bag at all. We deposited them with the Baggage Transfer Desk and ran to catch our flight which was, fortunately for us, delayed anyway. The staff there were surly, unhelpful and rude, no appreciation of our dilemma at all. We arrived at Cancun to find out our baggage had not arrived and in fact it took 3 days to turn up, we were very stressed and ended up having to go shopping for clothes and other items which we could barely fit in our luggage. On our return, everything ran very smoothly, arrived in time, quickly retrieved our luggage, passed it to Baggage Transfer and got on our flight without any problems back to Heathrow. Unbelievably only one of our bags turned up, we are still waiting for the other one which was delayed for reasons unknown in JFK. I will never ever go via this airport again, I will either find another route or not bother than go through this misery. If it wasn't for my boyfriend's and I determination to make the best of a bad situation, it would have totally destroyed out first long distance holiday together. Avoid this airport at all costs.

✅ Trip Verified | This airport is really poor in handling the air traffic let alone the ground traffic. I arrived from Cairo and left a 3.5 hour transit time. The immigration queues are massive and once you pass immigration you have go to baggage claim. You need to buy a trolley for $6, god help you if you manage to find one, let alone if you don't have dollars. Unfortunately the airport staff are not helpful and aggressive and make you feel you are not to approach or bother them. In transit you need to claim baggage first if you arrival in terminal 4, its chaotic getting out and trying to find your terminal departure or connecting flight - very crowded. I would honestly try to plan to avoid arriving in JFK. The departure hall in terminal 4 is really nice with a lot of amenities and services, if you have the luxury of time, however even with a 3.5 hour transit time I thought that was enough, I was wrong.

❎ Not Verified | It was a horrible experience! First we kept getting delayed because of the plane leaving JFK to get to us. 5 hour delay which cost us an extra $150 in lunch and drinks at the airport for four of us. We finally board, and land at JFK only to be told we don't have a gate! Sat there for almost 3 hours, pull up to a gate and no one to direct the pilot all the way in. 15 min wait for that! So glad that we didn't have bags checked in! I'm now sick because of being up for 24 hours. My youngest son had to drive back to college that same day. Should have been home by 9.30 Saturday night instead of 5.30 am Sunday. Felt bad for the flight crew, they were completely spent from being on the previous flight also. No excuse for an airport of this magnitude!

❎ Not Verified | Never in my life, as an adult or child, have I ever experienced being spoken to in the way I was at JFK airport. Every member of staff I came into contact with was disinterested in their tasks, rude, careless and irritated. At customs I was shouted at by members of staff and when making a mistake with which way to line up I was humiliated by staff who laughed at me and questioned me in the most patronising way about why I had gone one way and not another. Once through customs I burst into tears after such an unnecessary and upsetting ordeal. The staff at JFK are absolutely the rudest people I have ever met. I cannot understand why they are allowed to behave like that. I will avoid this airport at all costs in future and will be reluctant to visit NYC. Disgraceful. Manners are free, a smile is easier than a frown and belittling others is not an acceptable form of ‘crowd control’. Playground bullies.