America's Most Stressful Airport In 2026 Is A Major Midwest Hub
With its mesmerizing skyline, captivating museums, and die-hard sports culture, Chicago is a city most people love. It was even named the Best Big City in the U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler readers in 2025. What most travelers don't love is one of its airports. In fact, Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) earned the dubious distinction of America's most stressful airport, based on a study by transportation firm Mozio. The company analyzed 20 of the United States' busiest airports, focusing on key metrics like flight punctuality, daily parking costs, and proximity to the city center.
Chicago's underwhelming results on all criteria gave it a stress score of 8.4 out of 10. Flight reliability was lacking, with 25.4% of departing flights delayed longer than 15 minutes. Terminal parking costs were on the high end at $43 per day, and the hour-long commute to Chicago Union Station was among the list's longest. To be fair, Chicago is one of the Midwest's busiest airports, serving 197 U.S. cities with 1,161 domestic flights per day. Plus, the airport recently took the top spot for flight volume in the country in 2025, a 10.8% year-over-year jump, per Airports Council International.
Some of the country's other busy hubs fared poorly as well. The East Coast accounted for the next three offenders. New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA) placed second, with John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) tied for third place. LaGuardia's parking was the priciest at $80 a day. JFK also had high parking costs at $70, and Newark's punctuality was worse than O'Hare's — another reason that it's among the worst airports for layovers. With an on-time departure rate of 81.5%, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport was the study's least stressful airport.
O'Hare is among the country's well-connected airports
The study aside, no traveler who appreciates good food and good times would ever stop flying to Chicago. It doesn't hurt that O'Hare is one of the most well-connected airports in the Midwest and a major hub for United, the world's largest airline. Of all the airlines that fly out of Chicago, United goes the most places. It's boosted by its Star Alliance network, which includes Air Canada and Turkish Airlines. American Airlines is also a major player at O'Hare, even expanding its 2026 summer and spring schedules, as well as adding services to smaller destinations like Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Bloomington, Illinois.
The federal government is aware of the airport's in-demand facilities, and it ordered the airport to reduce its daily flights by about 12% in summer 2026 to minimize delays, per a Department of Transportation press release. According to the press release, less than 60% of O'Hare's flights were on time in summer 2025. The airport is also in the midst of a $1.3-billion renovation of Concourse D, and in 2023, it reconfigured Terminal 5 to add 10 new gates.
The hope is that such modernization will streamline connections and expand accessibility for its nearly 85 million annual passengers. In the meantime, passengers can strategize their O'Hare experience. Plan for weather delays, which are quite likely in Chicago. Be choosy when it comes to airlines. Last year, American was O'Hare's most on-time hub carrier, per an American press release. Sign up for TSA Pre Check and Global Entry programs to help expedite check-in times. Finally, factor in some cushion on those layovers. One Redditor says the "sweet spot" between connections is 1-1.5 hours. If all else fails and you have a tight window, then run like the wind.