Airlines are flying more jammed packed than ever before. The airport system is so stressed, and that is impacting consumers everyday.

Which airports should you avoid? Using data from the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, we feature some of the worst and best airports as it relates to on time performance. The lower the number, the better the airport.

Most Miserable Airports

Rank (out of 47)
Airport City Pct. flights delayed Average load
47 DTW Detroit 39.0 76.9
46 ORD Chicago (O’Hare) 42.3 75.8
45 CLT Charlotte, N.C. 38.8 76.0
44 JFK (Kennedy) 42.4 75.4
43 EWR Newark, N.J. 39.0 75.7

Least Miserable Airports

Rank Airport City Pct. flights delayed Average load
1 OAK Oakland, Calif. 19.5 67.4
2 HOU Houston (Hobby) 22.3 57.6
3 SJC San Jose, Calif. 17.6 69.4
4 DAL Dallas (Love Field) 22.6 62.7
5 STL St. Louis, Mo. 23.5 64.6

Smaller airports can be a better option. The trick, by the way, is that there are very few nonstop flights from regional airports, and traveling to a lot of destinations requires a connection. But some non-stops flights and dirt cheap airline tickets can be found, the smaller the airport, the easier the trip.

In Houston, on-time performance is basically identical at both local airports, Hobby and Intercontinental. But flights leaving Hobby are generally about 58 percent full, when you compared a 79 percent load factor on planes flying out of Intercontinental.

When connecting flights, which hub you fly through is key. Airlines do their best to match fares–but don’t expect similar experience at hub airports. If you can pick between flights that go through either Charlotte or Memphis, for example, choose Memphis: On-time rates in Memphis is 14 percentage points higher and jets are less crowded, too.

Baltimore is a cool connecting hub, with 77 percent of flights arriving as schedule, and load factors below 70 percent. Newark is not good at all, mostly thanks to busy airways around New York; only 61 percent of flights leave on time, and planes are 76 percent jammed.

And if you can: Stay away from O’Hare. Only 58 percent of their planes depart on time and flights are 76 percent jammed.

“My wife loves to pack a lot, but she doesn’t like to carry it,” says John Kent.

And the family has experienced some tough lessons about losing what they’ve packed. Like Dad’s trip last month to Texas.

“He was having an asthma attack and I asked him where his inhaler was,” Julie said. “And he said, ‘it’s in Chicago.’”

So for this trip, they’re bypassing the airline check-in process. They’re using a company called Baggage Quest to pick up and deliver their luggage ahead of time.

“I’d rather pay a little more money to guarantee a good trip and ease of trip,” John said.

Baggage Quest founder Dave Williams says two years ago when he started the business, he shipped over 1,000 bags. This year, he’ll ship 25,000.

“In my opinion, the airlines are understaffed and drowning with the work right now,” Williams said.

At least half a dozen companies are in business now that offer door-to-door luggage service, in addition to the option of using UPS or Federal Express.

Cost depends on company, luggage weight, destination and shipping time. To ship a 20-pound bag from Los Angeles to New York City, expect to pay between $75 and $110 dollars for a three-to-five day delivery.

And to ship that same bag overnight, the cost would be double.

“It was easy,” John said. “It was on time. It was worth it.”

The Kent family admits it’s money well-spent for hassle-free holiday travel.

Here are a few things you can try to help speed your way through airport security checkpoints.

1. Wear slip-on shoes: It makes the process of removing your footwear-and then re-shodding yourself post security — a breeze. You save a couple of minutes. Multiply that by the thousands of folks in line, and you’ve got a real time savings and your fellow travelers will appreciate it.

2. Ditch the laptop: It’s a hassle wrestling it out of its case and lobbing it into a separate tub for the ride through the security gizmo. And get real — there’s probably Internet and computer access where ever you’re going.

3. Clean out your pockets: Put keys, coins, etc., in your carry-on bag. You can retrieve them after you clear security. Remember to keep your ticket and photo ID available for security officers.

4. Don’t wrap gifts: This is, as they say, a no-brainer. The security folks might have to check what’s inside that carefully wrapped package. Ship wrapped gifts ahead of time or do the wrapping once you arrive at your destination.

5. Lose the belt: Metal belt buckles can set off the metal detectors, and it’s easy to forget you’re wearing one. Either pack your belt in your carry-on and retrieve it after security, or go beltless.

1. Check in for your flight and print your boarding pass on your home computer the night before.

2. Upon your arrival to the airport (especially for a morning flight), skip the departure level. It will be a traffic jam. Remember, you have no baggage to check and you already have your boarding pass. Instead, avoid the people and car traffic and go straight for the arrivals level. First thing in the morning, it’s almost empty (most of the time). Head upstairs and go through security to your gate.

3. Once you arrive at the airport, have your friends or family pick you up at the departure gate. Most other travelers will be downstairs screaming and pushing, hoping against hope that their bags were actually on the same flight they were, and waiting for at least 40 minutes or more for that carousel to start moving.

You, on the contrary, will already be in your car and headed out of the airport. And where will your bags be? At your final destination.

If You Travel Via Commercial Airlines and Carry a Laptop Computer Or Briefcase and/or Luggage… This is Vital Information to Know!

This scam involves two persons who look for a victim carrying a laptop computer or other valuable carry-on baggage and approaching a metal detector. They position themselves in front of the unsuspecting passenger and stall until their mark puts the laptop on the conveyor belt.

The first hustler moves through the metal detector easily. The second deliberately sets off the detector and begins a very slow process of emptying pockets, removing jewelry, etc. While this is happening, the first hustler picks up the laptop as soon as it appears on the conveyor belt, walks away quickly, heads into the gate area, and disappears among the crowd.

When the passenger finally gets through the metal detector, the laptop is gone and there’s no way of proving the person who set off the detector with the delaying tactic had anything to do with the theft. In fact, a third hustler may sometimes be involved, as he takes a hand-off from the first. This third crook takes the computer out of the restricted area before anything can be done to stop the theft (even if the passenger becomes aware of it while still waiting on the other side of the metal detector).

What can you do to prevent it from happening to you?

Of course the obvious is when traveling with a laptop computer (or any ‘hand carried’ valuables which must be placed on the airport’s security conveyor belt for examination by x-ray) is to try and avoid lines at the entrance of the metal detector.

Better yet… try to fly with a friend and make sure one of you has cleared the detector before either puts anything on the conveyor belt!

When you don’t have a traveling companion and there are unavoidable lines, you must delay putting your luggage and laptop on the conveyor belt until you’re sure you’ll be the next person through the metal detector. And, as you move through the detector, keep your eyes on the conveyor belt and watch for your luggage and laptop to come through at the other end, while keeping a ’sharp eye’ on what those in front of you are picking up).

source: www.kevincoffee.com

Visit the Transportation Security Administration’s Web site, which publishes security checkpoints at every U.S. airport and makes the average wait times available by the hour at waittime.tsa.dhs.gov.

There you will discover that, for example, the wait time at Newark Airport’s Terminal C, Checkpoint 2 is an average of 11 minutes at 10 a.m. on a Sunday. At Checkpoint 1? Two minutes.

You’ll benefit even more if you know your airport’s layout too. In general, airports shaped like a horseshoe (such as Dallas/Fort Worth International) have multiple screening points.

If the terminals are connected beyond security, you can enter through the least busy line and make your way back to your gate.

Leave a comment to let us know if this technique has worked for you.