13 Ways The Airport Experience Has Gotten Worse And Worse In Recent Times

When I think back on my first airplane trip — a shortish two flights from Tulsa to South Padre Island in 1994 — the whole experience seems almost quaint when compared to today. We practically waltzed up to the gate with nary a care in the world, our parents lingering to wish us farewell. With no smartphones to obsess over, we spent our short layover time laughing and running about the terminal like the wild gaggle of teens we were. 

A little more than three decades and three kids of my own later, I often find myself longing for those days of carefree air travel — especially as I'm trying to cram everything I need in my carry-on just in case my luggage gets lost or sweating my way through the TSA line among the thousands of other anxious travelers. If images of air travel dating back to the "Mad Men" era paint a picture of elegance and class, today's airport experience feels a lot more like a People of Walmart reboot of Stephen King's "The Langoliers." While airport food has seen a few improvements through the years (thankfully), it doesn't make up for the litany of nightmares that the airport experience comprises these days. 

Things have become so bad that complaints against airports have seen record highs in recent years. From stressed-out passengers' mid-airport meltdowns to an ever-growing list of banned luggage items and that pesky 3-1-1 liquid rule, flying the friendly skies is not quite what it used to be. 

For those unfamiliar with the term, gate lice isn't a new type of parasite travelers pick up at the airport. It's the term air industry workers use to describe those antsy folks who creep up around the boarding gate and try to sneak in ahead of their boarding group as if they're really excited to get into those ever-shrinking airplane seats. The problem — other than the general rudeness of attempting to cut the line — is that these folks end up crowding the boarding area so that the people who need to board sooner have no place to go. It's discourteous, it's frustrating, and it deeply enrages some passengers.

Taking to r/delta to exorcize their gate lice frustrations, one passenger reported dozens of gate lice creeping around the gate ahead of a flight running from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta. "At least 50 people were crowding around there and they haven't even started pre boarding," the Redditor complained.

Although American Airlines has developed a gate lice-flagging solution it believes may help address the problem, many frequent fliers believe the fight for limited resources could be the culprit. Noting the problem does seem to be worsening, some Reddit users pointed to the lack of seating in the overcrowded terminals as part of the problem. Others have suggested the fight for overhead space could be a factor as well.

We've all seen the viral reels of passengers losing their cool on airplanes and, in some cases, experiencing serious mental health moments. That doesn't start in the cabin. All of that stress and bad energy is hanging around the concourse. It's no secret to anyone with social media accounts that the pandemic seems to have short-circuited something in our collective social brain, leading to a marked uptick in absolutely bonkers airport and airplane meltdowns in the post-COVID era. While anyone who watched A&E's "Airline" (which aired from 2004 to 2005) will recall that wild airport behavior is hardly anything new, it certainly feels like it's coming in at a much higher concentration these days.

Referred to as "air rage" by new sources and researchers alike, the condition has become a pox on the skies in recent years. In 2023, Sky News reported more than 1,000 cases of UK air rage in one year alone, citing incidents like drunken brawls and folks just straight up stripping down to their skivvies as examples. And it's not just the Brits getting so out of pocket they practically need to be restrained by flight attendants. In 2025, the Art Institute of Chicago's director gave an in-flight strip tease after mixing prescriptions and booze while another U.S. plane had to be turned around after a passenger swallowed rosary beads while shouting about demons.

FAA staffing shortages are hardly a new issue. According to some, the problem dates back to 1981, when then-President Ronald Reagan dealt with the air traffic controller strike by firing them all. This led to a hiring wave with an unforeseen long-term consequence; a massive retirement wave in 2005, when all of those workers hired at the same time retired around the same time. The government has never really addressed the problem, causing the number of FAA staffers to dwindle through the years. Enter the pandemic, and you've got a recipe for seriously understaffed air traffic control towers even before the recent government shake-up.

But things got even worse when 400 FAA workers were laid off as part of the government cuts of 2025, with many critics pointing to understaffing as a potential cause behind the handful of air disasters that shortly followed. In fact, according to a CBS analysis of recent FAA data, upwards of 90% of towers are understaffed. To navigate these challenges, the FAA can and will space out flights as needed, which could result in more time hanging around the airport with gate lice and overstretched museum employees.

As if we didn't have enough to worry about with the knowledge that there might not be enough highly trained air traffic experts hanging out in the tower safely leading planes to and from runways, a new fear was unlocked in 2025 when it came to public attention that some FAA systems occasionally take a full-blown nap on the job. Posting on X on February 1, 2025, Secretary of State Sean Duffy announced, "The primary NOTAM system is experiencing a temporary outage, but there is currently no impact to the National Airspace System because a backup system is in place."

While this might sound somewhat reassuring, the impact on travelers hanging around America's airports was very real. CNN reported 80 cancellations and more than 1,300 delays by noon the next day. This came just a little over one month after a complete system shutdown of NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) briefly caused every domestic flight in the United States to be grounded. The good news is that this has led to a speed-up in the outdated system's replacement ahead of its 2030 timeline. So, unlike the air rage issues we all have to live with, it's likely this problem will resolve itself at some point in the near future.

Even if the entire U.S. air traffic computer system doesn't take an unplanned hiatus, there are plenty of other reasons your flight could end up delayed. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 10 reporting airlines saw a dip in the number of on-time flights and a rise in cancellation rates toward the end of 2024. And the consumer protection nonprofit Public Interest Research Group reported record complaints correlated with a gradual increase in both cancellations and delays.

It's a problem that has been gradually worsening for some time now, with Vox reporting on consumers' frustrations with the new norm in 2023. Citing labor shortages in both pilots and air traffic controllers and climate change-related weather pattern changes as two major contributing factors, Vox noted that a single delayed flight can cause a ripple effect, ultimately leading to billions of dollars in losses for an airline. More importantly for us passengers, that means even more time spent hanging around the airport indefinitely while (statistically) at least one person on your flight is getting entirely too drunk at the airport bar.

As if bad weather and staff shortages cause flight delays weren't bad enough, the grim reality is that there are actually more cancellations on the horizon. We've already seen airlines go to rather extreme lengths to protect their bottom lines against growing market pressures, from those shrinking seats to cuts on some of the freebies we used to take for granted. But when the belts have all been tightened and there's nowhere else to go, one way airlines save money is by cutting down on the number of flights. And that means even more precious terminal time on your inevitable layovers.

However, there is a bright side to all of this for those who don't mind hanging around the airport. According to Scripps, airline execs see ongoing economic uncertainty as a factor causing some travelers to postpone air travel. To make up for the reduced sales, carriers are opting to decrease their flight offerings in a way that could also lead to a reduction in ticket prices.

We've become increasingly dependent on our phones in this modern age, and they can be a lifeline when you're stuck in the terminal waiting on a delayed flight. But you can only watch so many TikToks before your battery starts to wane, and you're going to need that phone to call an Uber at the other end of your flight. A few years back, airports began responding to this pain point by installing seats with built-in phone plugs. Unfortunately, the need for constant maintenance has made them the mirage of the airport at many terminals. I personally know someone in airport maintenance who once told me those pesky USB outlets are constantly in need of replacement.

Venting their frustrations with this issue on Reddit, one passenger recalled finally settling into a comfy seat in the terminal only to get the old airport charger snub. "I plugged my charger in and ... nothing," they lamented. "I moved to another spot and tried the outlet, and nothing again. It's these little things that make a difference when I'm traveling." And heaven knows you can't count on the in-flight USB chargers.

The good news is that there's a workaround for this. Without stating the obvious, remember to pack a phone bank. Just don't forget to pack an extra cord.

Those poor TSA agents have one of the loneliest jobs in the airport. It's certainly not their fault, but airport security checks are genuinely one of the biggest downers for travelers these days — especially for those of us who flew back in the days when you were good as long as you weren't carrying any serious contraband. Although the TSA was created after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, regulations have gradually tightened in the years since. I can remember traveling internationally with a sixer of rum minis as late as March 2006 in an effort to save a few bucks on in-flight drinks — mere months before TSA banned liquids and started checking shoes after a (thankfully) foiled terrorist plot.

These days, pre-flight security checks have become something of a complicated ritual, one we have to prepare for by reading a lengthy list of dos and don'ts for getting through airport security that is all too easy to accidentally break. While I don't mind the tradeoff for a little more security, so much time has passed since a serious incident occurred that some folks are starting to find the whole thing outdated, particularly given the apparent inconsistency of TSA rule enforcement from one airport to the next.

Whether due to FAA staffing shortage, system outage, or miserable weather, should you have the misfortune to be stuck at an airport, you will likely need to use an airport bathroom at some point. Depending on where you're at, you might want to hold it in, given how small and crowded some of the nation's airports have become in comparison with the volume these airports are doing these days. Complaining on r/nostupidquestions, one Reddit user hilariously vented, "Why is every airport bathroom either a chaotic line nightmare or a creepy, flickering horror scene? It's like choosing between a mosh pit and a ghost hunt!"

In many cases, this is because the airport hasn't updated to accommodate its current travel volume. Fortunately, this is one problem we can likely expect to see less of in the future, given efforts to get them up to speed. Take Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport, which Cintas Corporation awarded its Best Restroom Contest prize in 2023. Several airports, such as Seattle-Tacoma International and Kansas City International, have been solving their bathroom congestion problems by switching to all-gender, multi-user, full-length stall restrooms.

Once upon a time, traveling by air meant having to choose which two or three checked bags you wanted to take with you for free because you didn't want to have to pay for that extra third or fourth bag. Airlines have slowly but surely ruined this good thing over the years in their efforts to keep plane tickets affordable, taking us from two checked bags to one. Over the past few years, even that last little free checked bag has become a memory for the time capsule.

By early 2025, Southwest was the last man standing when it came to free checked bags, with every other airline charging a per-bag fee. However, as of summer 2025, even Southwest is charging for checked bags at a disappointing $35 for the first bag and $45 for the second. It's no wonder the "one bag" travel trend — where passengers try to fit everything they can into a single carry-on — is taking off like wildfire these days. Bright side? At least you don't have to worry about the airport losing your luggage. If you can't live without wardrobe changes, try joining other savvy travelers who are skipping the baggage fees by opting for a luggage forwarding service. 

If you live in a city without a decent public transportation system, you may have no choice but to park at the airport while you're out of town. Unfortunately, airport parking has become more of a problem than ever these days, as the price of leaving your ride has ballooned. If you're just planning a short trip, paying for airport parking can be annoying but manageable, but the longer you're planning to travel, the more those fees can add up. As one r/Syracuse Reddit user groaned, "Airport prices are ridiculous." And that's assuming your car is going to be safe while it's parked there. Despite the fees, airport parking can still see its share of thefts.

While this won't help with the theft part, you might want to check with your local airport to see if they have a rewards program for frequent parkers. My home airport (Tulsa International Airport) offers a free Parking Perks program that connects to our toll pass system and gets members discounts on parking along with a handful of other perks.

Back in the glory days of air travel, you could show up at the airport with an hour to spare and have plenty of time to check your bags in for your flight. You might even have time for a Bailey's and coffee while you wait. Fast forward to 2025, and even if you're one of those single-baggers, showing up just an hour ahead of your flight isn't a guarantee that you'll make your flight.

Although you can (and should) check ahead to see how much time the locals recommend you give yourself at any given airport, the ugly truth is that the time it takes to get checked in can be wildly inconsistent, not just from one airport to the next but from one day to the next. It might be 10 minutes, it might be three hours. Either way, you'd better plan for the longer version.

As the mom of a 100% neurospicy family, I tend to favor overshooting my time and overplanning entirely. Less tightly wound travelers can check an airport's wait times ahead of their flight on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.

I'll never forget the first time I flew alone as a young twentysomething on my way to visit my favorite cousin in Texas. Nervous as I had been, it hadn't been quite as bad because I'd had my soon-to-be-fiancé waiting with me right up until the plane pulled up to whisk me away. And when I came back home a week later, he'd been right there waiting for me at the return gate to give me a big, sweet airport hug.

Even if you're a Gen Z-er who has never experienced it, you're probably aware from watching old movies that folks used to be able to see their loved ones all the way to the boarding gate. Movies like "Love Actually," "Family Man," and "Only You" made the most of the old "mad dash to the airport to stop a loved one from leaving" trope.

It might sound silly, but that freedom to share the terminal is one of the things I miss the most about modern air travel. These days, security measures have made those long romantic goodbyes a thing of the past. While being able to text each other takes some of the sting out of it, the fact that we can't embrace next to the gate serves as a sort of general reminder that we live in less innocent times than we used to.