The most stressful airport in America is in Colorado
Oct 1, 2025, 3:57 PM
When I saw this new list from Travel & Leisure on the most stressful airports in the U.S., that had a Colorado airport at the top, I nodded my head in agreement thinking it had to be Denver International Airport (DIA), which is notoriously stressful. Not only was DIA not named the most stressful, but it actually didn’t even make the top 10…
The new report ranks 384 U.S. airports on factors including cancellation rates, average departure delays, arrival delays, passenger volume and Google reviews to find the “most stressful” ones in the country.
Nine of the top 10 most stressful airports are small, regional ones that handle fewer passengers on a daily basis. It turns out, the stress comes from flights not being on time.
So, which one is the most stressful of all? Aspen/Pitkin County Airport in Colorado, which serves around 250-thousand passengers a year. It tops the list thanks to nearly 9% of flights being cancelled and departure delays averaging 45 minutes.
The Top 10 Most Stressful Airports in the U.S.
- Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) in Aspen, Colorado
- Watertown International Airport (ART) in Dexter, New York
- Hagerstown Regional Airport (HGR) in Hagerstown, Maryland
- Chippewa Valley Regional Airport (EAU) in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
- Houghton County Memorial Airport (CMX) in Hancock, Michigan
- Tie: Tyler Pounds Regional Airport (TYR) in Tyler, Texas, and North Central West Virginia Airport (CKB) in Clarksburg, West Virginia
- Plattsburgh International Airport (PBG) in Plattsburgh, New York
- MidAmerica St. Louis Airport/Scott Air Force Base (BLV) in Belleville, Illinois
- Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) in Atlanta, Georgia
- Chippewa County International Airport (CIU) in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan