New York JFK Airport

✅ Trip Verified | Shocking. Ridiculously long queues with slow and unhelpful staff. Half the booths were empty meaning wait times of well over 2 hours. Worst airport I’ve ever been in. Staff treated/talked to you like animals. Arrived back in Australia in Jan 2020 a what a completely wonderful experience. I will look at flying through another airport Newark or LaGuardia as I love visiting New York.

Not Verified | Will never ever use this airport again. Rude, ignorant staff treating people like animals, absolutely shocking. If you treat people like this you will get treated back like it. I have never witnessed so many angry pasengers. Security staff were worst of all, barking and shouting at people like they were vermin. It seems the security staff were on a power trip to see how many people they could ridicule and intimidate. If this is the way the US is going god help them.

Not Verified | Absolutely despicable. I have never in my life seen an airport be so disorganised, the staff so so rude, and the lines for security were so long!! All over the world they do it so much better, JFK security is manned by power tripping morons! It took us 2 hours to get through check in and security (travelling with 5 of us, 3 children), and we missed our flight by 5 min! When we were going through security the rude arrogant lady opened every single present my children received for Christmas, opening up the toys with a screwdriver. They do this for phones, iPads, Nintendo switch! Why would they do it for a Harry Potter wand and a Star Wars droid, that I wouldn’t be surprised if it even works now, never been used! Why can’t the X-ray scanner see if there is anything inside it like all other luggage! My son was upset seeing her pull apart his droid which seemed to spur her on in her arrogance and self importance! My daughter who wears an arm brace for her recently operated on elbow gets patted down at each airport, not at JFK, they seem to think 3 different people should pat her down, then they stood there and argued about who is more important and who should’ve done it first! The arrogant self important lady who took a screwdriver to my sons toy, was more upset that she didn’t get to do the pat down than anything, taking pleasure in not only treating us and anyone around her with disrespect and contempt, but the staff that she works with as well! It took us 48min alone to just get through security. I respect the process, but it doesn’t need to be this unpleasant! After all of this the morons at security let through my sons medication which was 250ml of liquid and a pair of scissors (but thank goodness his Harry Potter wand was scrutinised for hidden things). I only know they let these things through because after missing our flight boarding (the plane was still there and the ramp just shut) we went to LeGuardia airport to wait with 3 children for 5 hours on standby and their security picked them up! But guess what, they just scanned the Star Wars droid and Harry Potter wand like any other airport in the free world. Shame on you JFK, clearly you need to invest in visiting first world airports in other major cities around the world, clone what they do, and then maybe you may measure up on the world scale! At the moment you fail dismally and are at the very bottom of the pile.

✅ Trip Verified | I live in London, but I am from New York. I feel such embarrassment when I am in this airport as a New Yorker. I have been all around the world and I’ve never been treated so poorly in an airport or had to watch others treated so terribly. The staff seem untrained. They don’t treat anyone with dignity or even minimal respect. They are rude and abrupt and won’t assist those who are confused or in need even though customs and baggage claim is a mess and horrendously confusing. I have seen actual staff snap at people asking reasonable questions or for help, downright ignoring them while socialising with colleagues, elderly people asking for assistance to be ignored. The best you are treated is someone just doing their job and acting like you don’t exist. For example, taking your bag from you at recheck without a word, checking your passport but looking right through you like you’re not there without even a hello or smile or even a nod. I had a 5 hour layover and they didn’t manage to get my luggage to my next flight on Time. It’s such a sad, sad state. Positives are I had a wonderful waiter at a restaurant and they have water bottle refill stations. Also some decent shops. Just doesn’t make up for the other very upsetting bits and how uncomfortable I felt. Unfortunate as it’s such a great city, but avoid this airport at all costs.

Not Verified | Terrible. Ridiculously long queues with slow and unhelpful staff. Half the booths were empty meaning wait times of well over 2 hours. Worst airport I’ve ever been in.

Not Verified | Sky train not working - we were herded into lines and told the air would be hours - had to take a taxi or would have missed the flight. Staff prior to security, shouting and people and extremely rude to everyone, including cabin crew as they came through Security - indifferent towards checking the carry-on luggage at x-ray machine - failed to notice not only my daughters liquids which included a 250ml bottle of water and make-up/skincare she had forgotten she was carrying, but more worrying, did not notice I had a large metal tin of liquid pumpkin pie mix (500mls) (accidentally placed in my hand luggage and only noticed by me later on). Security staff in general at x-ray machines were rude, offensive, patronising and aggressive towards other passengers who did not understand English well. Waited 3 hours at 1am to get through customs - it was absolutely shambolic I will never ever fly through JFK again.

Not Verified | I have never experienced such mayhem and queues at an airport for immigration before! The signs to direct people are very confusing which caused my husband to have to queue twice. I am still waiting for my husband as I write this! It took approximately 2hrs 20mins for me to get through passport control and dread to think how long I will be waiting for my husband. There are hardly any desks open and the whole of passport control is full. Absolutely disgusting as there are also young children queuing at 1am in the morning! I wish I could give a zero on the rating.

Not Verified | I’ve never seen such unmotivated and untrained staff before. Unfriendly, don’t know their jobs, and most of them speak a language that is not even closely related to english.

Not Verified | We had the most horrible experience last night trying to get through security prior to our flight to LAX. I have traveled all over the world and never experienced the delays in trying to get through security. Not only were they understaffed and under trained the two officials attending the screening area prior to being screen were the rudest and lacking total customer experience acted in the worst manner? There were numerous customers pleading to get through as we all were on the same flight and had 10 minutes before the door was closed on the plane and this is after being in line for almost 50 minutes! Never in my life have I waited so long and after numerous requests to let the people go through she completely lost control and screaming at us at and then decided to stop the screening process and send us back to the end of the line! I demanded her supervisor and she blatantly lied and said we were line jumpers. Thankfully after explaining to the supervisor he turned it back on to allow people to continue to be screened a young woman with two young children in front of us was so upset and distraught stead a total mess we were able to make the flight by running and with a couple of minutes to spare I’m in my late 60s as is my wife and we both have disabilities and if this is acceptable behaviour by staff at JFK and accordingly no apology was offered by anyone it’s a disgrace and obviously the women in particular who were on duty last night have no idea what so ever what it’s like to be put in that situation!! On the positive side the staff of Jetblue were amazing and kept the plane trip as comfortably as possible knowing that half the plane experience the check in GP

Not Verified | Three hours from landing to exiting the airport on arrival. Long queues. Only 3 customs and border checkouts to handle hundreds of incoming passengers. Very rude staff. No communication possible, they literally barked at customers. At departure, very long queues at security. Old facilities, not enough room to sit at gate while waiting. No family room in toilets. Blank faced staff shouting orders at customers or just plain ignoring them.