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Orlando International Airport among US, Florida's most complained-about for TSA issues, study reveals

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Published  August 15, 2024 10:49am EDT
Orlando International Airport (MCO)
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ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando International Airport (MCO) is ranking high on a nationwide list of airports that get a lot of TSA complaints, according to a recent study. It's ranked No. 2 in Florida and No. 3 in the entire country. 

Travel site UpgradedPoints combed through TSA complaint data from 2015 to 2023 to see what airports across the country received the most and least complaints. 

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Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) has the most by a large margin – it receives nearly twice as many complaints as the average airport, which only fields about 3.92 complaints per 100,000 passengers. At EWR, there were 6.83 complaints per 100,000 passengers. 

ORLANDO, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - DECEMBER 22: Passengers wait in the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening line at Orlando International Airport ahead of the Christmas holiday travel on December 22, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. Accordi

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Most of those complaints were about TSA PreCheck (44.8%), while others include customer service (14.6%) and mishandled baggage (14%), according to UpgradedPoints. 

Orlando International Airport was ranked No. 3 in the U.S. after fielding about 5.6 complaints per 100,000 passengers over the last several years, the report said. It's the airport with the most TSA complaints in Florida. 

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Here's a look at the airports in the U.S. with the most TSA complaints, according to UpgradedPoints:

  1. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
  2. Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
  3. Orlando International Airport (MCO)
  4. Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)
  5. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE)
  6. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
  7. Logan International Airport (BOS)
  8. Tampa International Airport (TPA)
  9. Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
  10. LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

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And here are the airports with the least number of complaints:

  1. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
  2. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
  3. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
  4. Harsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL)
  5. TIE: Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), Midway International Airport (MDW)
  6. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
  7. San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
  8. Dallas Love FIeld (DAL)
  9. Kansas City International Airport (MCI)

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What do passengers complain about the most? 

  1. Expedited passenger screening program/TSA PreCheck
  2. Mishandling of passenger property
  3. Customer service
  4. Screening
  5. Property - special handling
  6. Persons with disabilities
  7. Locks
  8. Patdown
  9. Civil rights
  10. Lost and found

Click here to read the full report.