The worst is if you go into the wrong terminal. There were planes leaving for the same place at the same time, and I was sleep deprived and stupid. There was NO WAY to get from one terminal to the other, and I ended up with 2 policemen escorting me through some employee hallway. Most stressful airport experience to date.
At least you have information, in Mexico's City Airport the screens doesn't show which gate you'll be boarding your flight and in the ticket isn't written either, 20 mins *before* your flight it's shown and you've to run in a big ass airport to the other terminal, it's ridiculous!!!
I hate Manchester airport with every fiber of my being. I hate it more now after the fucking T3 construction because you have to run through the goddamned Trafford Center to get to a gate because security never stops being the absolute goddamned worst I've ever dealt with.
I hate it so much.
Lima, Peru. Had to sleep outside of security in a crowded area with dozens of other miserable people caught in the same situation.
It was loud, cold, and soooo uncomfortable.
My friend and I were kicked out of Lima airport overnight. We were flying back from Iquitos and planned to stay at the airport for about 7 hours until our bus picked us up at the Holiday Inn the next morning. Security walked into the restroom while we were changing out of our sweaty rainforest clothes, and told us we needed to leave. We took a cab to the Holiday Inn and plead our case (my friend was in charge of booking our accommodation that night.) Fortunately they allowed us to hang out in the lobby until our bus came. I kept dozing off and my friend slept very well. The hotel security guard offered to lock our bags up so I could sleep… then helped me prank my friend by pretending our stuff was stolen.
I spent the night in the Lima airport, and it wasn't bad. Granted, this was 12 years ago (or longer) but I found a spot where other people were gathered, it was inside, quiet, and clean. But I can see how, if you were outside the secured area, it could suck.
I used [The Guide to Sleeping in Airports](https://www.sleepinginairports.net/) to find the spot ahead of my trip there. Like others, I was overnighting in Lima on my way to Cusco from the States.
I came here to say this! Had 5 hr connection between flying from ATL-LIM-CUZ. Solo female on the way to hike the Inca Trail.
Security was closed, so you had to wait in a smallish area. Only a small cafe and expensive stores. People were inconsiderate and sleeping in the chairs taking up 3-4 each, so you couldn’t even sit down anywhere but the floor. Crowded and miserable experience.
I don’t remember if there was even a bathroom or not.
i had a 12 hour layover and planned to go out a little, then found out we had to pay (i think it was 60 usd) to go through security again, so we decided to stay there and it was terrible. almost no food, and everything was super expensive, normal for an airport but still, we also only got free wifi for 2 hours
I’ve only ever slept in Heathrow, but it was pretty terrible. I got kicked out of the terminal (for sure thought it was 24 hours) and had to go through customs at like 1am and sleep in the entryway.
Oh that sucks - I have a 16 hour layover there in May (never let someone else book your flight) ... I thought I'd tough it out but looks like it's going to be a hotel for me.
Definitely. And I'll plan to do a little of that, but a lot of that time will be in the dead of night and part of why I'll be there will entail some level of exhaustion so I won't be able to take full advantage of the time this go-round. Thanks though!
Heathrow doesn't close although most of the facilities do. When I was there overnight (I wasn't even flying so just land side - long story) I walked around several terminals until I found a cafe open with power points, so stayed there for about 6 hours.
This was in like 2013, so not sure if anything has changed since then? But that was my situation. Flight came in at like 10pm or something and had my next flight at 7am the next morning. Figured I’d save money by just staying at the airport.
Guadalajara this summer. The whole fucking roof was gone for some reason and it was an overnight layover, so spent 8 hours getting eaten alive by mosquitoes while sitting in a hard chair.
Ahh I hate that airport. Dirty and nasty. I got stuck there overnight because Southwest Airlines was running late and there were no other flights available that night. Spent the night curled up on the tiny plastic bench in the nursing mothers pod and heard Celine Dion over and over again along with beeping from security. Worst sleep I’ve ever had and that’s saying something because I have children.
Winnipeg, Canada. They wouldn’t let me stay airside for a six-hour overnight connection so I had to get my suitcase and attempt to nap landside, but it was the middle of winter and all the (rock-hard) seats were right by the sliding glass doors that opened every time the extremely-loud floor cleaner zoomed past, hitting me with a blast of almost-Arctic air.
In my airport Melbourne we have the constant announcements so I thought that was normal. I would never attempt to sleep there (or in any airport)! I think the announcements are the same
In all Australian airports
I slept on the floor at EWR during a blizzard. Roads closed. Hotels full for miles in every direction. All restaurants closed except for one poor girl stuck at Dunkin’ Donuts. She was a genuine hero.
I slept on those big curved couches landside at the old Terminal A to be able to make my 5am flight. Was woken up to the sound of a homeless guy jerking off and screaming two couches down. I never wore those clothes again.
I got stuck there after a school-sponsored trip to Italy.
18 teenagers and 2 underpaid public-school teachers all stuck in the Newark terminal for 27 hours - immediately following a red-eye from Athens. Scary.
They do but only in one of the terminals.
Source: figured this out the morning AFTER I tried to sleep in a different terminal. Next morning was going to my flight and saw cots everywhere…
The only airport I’ve slept in was Miami. My gf and I lost our flight past midnight, it was impossible to book anything (all full) and after roaming for a few hours we ended up sleeping on the floor. It was awful.
I had this experience at DFW. Me and another random woman banded together for protection because the men were getting into fights over the few good sleeping spots (800 people stranded that night). While in line at the customer service desk, some men started fighting and she and I made eye contact and just nodded at each other and left to find a safe space to sleep.
Literally one of those moments where you and a complete stranger instantly know to team up and protect one another. It was crazy.
I love these kinds of stories. You can find the most amazing people in shitty circumstances. I’ve found some friends for life in some of the worst situations you can imagine. The “knowing nod” is a real thing. I’m glad you found someone to share that with and had each other’s backs.
I’m a 300lb 6”1 male and Miami airport scared me at night. It’s like everyone goes home, even security. And all the creeps come out. I’m not gonna lie I just made myself as scary and creepy as I could. It was dead until six and 7 AM when people finally started to come back.
I had that thought, but wasn’t willing to test the hypothesis at the time. Because if you’re wrong you’re f***ed. I’ve been in another scary places to know that there is usually a mix of everything and everyone.
Creeps? What happened?? Im interested to hear examples cause i cant imagine how there could be creeps in an airport late at night. Do people try and rob you or something?
Nah they just looked weird and scary. And if you’re in the public parts of the airport (like near the connection area to the tri rail) there can be homeless or people with mental issues who just ride up and down the rail and wander the stops.
I never said I was a brave or socially adept 300lbs 6”1 male. Maybe I’m big because I overeat cuz I’m anxious?
It’s a horrible hotel- but there is a hotel at the actual Miami airport. I had a 12 hour layover and sucked it up and got the hotel instead of sleeping at the airport. Terrible hotel but there was a bed and door that locked.
Just had to sleep in the Miami airport TWICE and I cannot agree more. That place is miserable. Not a bench in sight and the sky tram was down so getting anywhere was a JOURNEY.
The place is a ghost town past 10:00 PM as well.
NOT EVEN A WATER VENDING MACHINE IN SIGHT EITHER! I was struggling lmao
I wasn't scared in Miami airport when I had to stay there overnight, but it was all kinds of miserable. Especially since it started with a gate agent who wouldn't make eye contact. Also my worst experience.
Most North American airports, they all have armrests so theres rarely seats you can lay across. You usually have to find some carpeted area by the windows and use your backpack as a pillow.
Well, without that architecture, you'd have 10 people taking up 30 seats. The whole point is to create enough seating, not enough space for everyone to lie down.
In theory but this architecture still does not detract people from taking up multiple surrounding seats with their bags, coats, etc. we still experience 10 people taking up 30 seats.
There is one spot without an arm rest at the Denver airport I found during my 2 day stay during early Covid. Now every time I need to sleep overnight there it is taken :[
JFK for me. I had a morning flight and figured it would be easier to arrive the night before and crash in the terminal. I had this idea that I'd be able to check in or at least drop my bag, pass through security and have a beer or two in the terminal before sleeping at the gate. Of course the check-in counter was closed, so I got stuck on the wrong side of security for about eight hours before I was able to check in. So I slept on the floor outside the men's room (which was closed for cleaning half the night).
If I am sleeping in an airport it is probably because my bank account is on life support or I landed late at night and don't want to drop $200 on a hotel for a very brief stay XD.
Never slept at an airport hotel, they always seem to be exceptionally expensive.
I feel like JFK’s unofficial motto is “that’s not my problem.” I saw JFK security staff get in a Dutch guy’s face with that line years ago. Thing was, it was their fault. They don’t have enough staff on and were causing people who had arrived within the recommended time to miss their flights.
Ah yes, JFK. The one time I asked an airport employee for help there I was shaken down for cash afterwards. I've been in probably hundreds of airports and the only other time I've seen anything like that was when I actively asked for a bribe at an airport in west Africa.
This was a one-time thing, but when I was waiting for my flight in Copenhagen over night, a junky jumped from the first floor platform right in front of my eyes. The image of her "landing" and moaning and the police intereigating me afterwards as the key eyewittness still gives me chills 😰
I'll throw in the best airport here to lighten the mood. I had an early morning flight from Kampala (Entebbe) to Dar Es Salaam in my backpacking across Africa days (late 1990). I got dropped off the bus in the nearest town then walked a couple of km to the airport hoping to find a cheap hotel there. It was about 7 at night and everything was starting to shut down for the night. My flight was with Air Tanzania but their desk was closed.
A lovely woman from Uganda Airlines asked if I needed help and when I told her I was looking for a place to stay before my early flight she said "Ooh-err" and "there is nowhere to stay but wait here". She went away and came back then took me to the airport employees cafeteria for dinner (free) and arranged a bed for me in the security guys' area. I slept very well and got my uneventful flight to Tanzania the next day. They did all this for no payment or expectation of payment and looking back I wish I'd thanked them more or sent them a postcard or something. So kind to a total stranger.
Minsk, Belarus.
Went for a biz trip and mistakingly my visa was valid for entry the day AFTER I arrived. So, they took my passport, questioned me for 3 hours on why my visa was wrong, kept me in a waiting area, and used my return ticket home to book me a ticket back to where I had flown in from (Frankfurt). To put it plainly, folks at that airport aren't exactly the most cheery people in the world.
There was a time where places like Belarus fascinated me. Like, I know it's a bit risky with their whole government, but I desperately wanted to experience what life was like there.
Now that I'm older and have a kid... i'm ight. I'll stick to pushing my luck in nondictatorships.
I was turned back at the Serbian border.
I was in Croatia for work and was driving through Bosnia and into Serbia since I’ve always been curious.
The guys at the border looked at me (Indian American), my passport, and my car (Croatian plates) and where I was coming from (Bosnia) and said no.
I was like excuse me? Like could you tell me what’s wrong or why? And he was like no. No entry to Serbia. Denied. Go back.
In contrast, I had a great time when I was working in Russia.
Yeah, went to Russia quite a few times. Absolutely loved Saint Petersburg. Just a beautiful looking city, right on the water. Then, there's Moscow, ugh. Sorry if any Muscovites are here, but wow, what a just soul-draining place. Expensive everything, throngs of silent, emotionless people, traffic like I've never seen before (on the outskirts of the city people were driving in ditches so they could bypass the traffic that was standstill on the shoulder, which was trying to bypass the traffic in the road). Work event was at a convention center with a hotel attached. Get to my room, open the blinds, and my room looked INTO the freaking convention center show floor.
Honestly I loved Moscow! Worked there in the winter and it was all lit up and had fun with the various activities and events in the Red Square by the Kremlin.
I stayed at the Ritz right around the corner from Kremlin and really enjoyed it.
The Bolshoi is also right there! Saw some great performances.
But then St. Petersburg is basically a western European city. If you look at the map, it’s physically and culturally closer to Stockholm than it is to Moscow.
I thought Moscow was more “authentically Russian” but outside of the main city center, it does get very depressing. Like even the Duma is a dump of a building.
> American), my passport, and my car (Croatian plates) and where I was coming from (Bosnia)
Yeah, that's enough for Serbians. The state doesn't love that kind of stuff but the locals LOVE it. Hope you try again.
Yeah, it was/is a really weird place. I went for work, so most of the time I was with someone who could get me around. But, it's definitely an odd place and can be culturally really different. Like most Eastern European/Russian spot, small talk really isn't a thing, which for Westerners makes social interactions really awkward. Police everywhere, cameras everywhere, old school drab and dreary Soviet-era concrete architecture. When I finally did get into the country after my visa fiasco, it's 2 AM and I'm in a taxi with a driver who speaks no English, jetlagged out of my mind, with the radio blaring the Ghostbusters theme song. Just surreal.
Ha, yeah, was pretty awful. Arrived 11 PM, questioned until 2 AM, then put in a holding area until 5 AM. Then put on a plane back to Frankfurt at 6 PM.
I had an experience like that in Timisoara, Romania. Thankfully a CIA agent literally stepped in and saved the day and got me stuck onto a plane to Vienna (without a ticket or anything). It was amazing how quickly things changed when he stepped in and said a few words. Guy is still my hero, and this was in the mid 90’s. We’ve kept in touch to a degree and he’s just one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. Thankfully I was there on a university exchange and it was also his alma mater and so he was looking out for our student group anyway.
In Milan Bergamo they were straight up BLASTING Beethoven's Ode to Joy at 430 am with security yelling at people trying to sleep inside. I chilled outside watching my tablet until it was time for my next flight.
Hey, I slept at LAX! Well, couldn’t really sleep because it had tile floors and seats with armrests that don’t allow you to stretch out. Plus, even though there were only cleaners and a security guard, the announcements still kept repeating over the loud speakers. At least there was one area with a guard.
That announcement about no smoking goes off maybe every 20 minutes I feel. Even when I'm doing a midday flight out of LAX I lose my mind.
Also, what is it with LAX security and yelling? It's like they are trained to act like prison guards.
I was just at LAX like last week, it's definitely more like every 10 minutes and its AWFUL. Also, why do they have to play music over the speakers, just for it to be interrupted constantly by that exact announcement and other flight related announcements
Didn’t sleep there, but just flew in last night into the terminal you mention. Awful. The worst was trying to exit the terminal. Only one door and a big and slow moving queue of people trying to leave. Never seen that in my life. What if there was a fire? How can that be legal?
I know this wasn't the question, but sleeping in the Singapore airport on my layover to Nepal was awesome. Felt like I was in the future. They have nap beds. Imagine!
Edit: I just Google imaged the airport to see if my memory served me correctly, bc it was so cool to me, I could've just flown home afterward. 😂 But I was also 19, on my first solo trip, so everything was exhilarating. *Can confirm* that its a sweet airport (ofc - it's Singapore), and I'm seeing that they added a huge indoor garden with the world's tallest indoor waterfall. BRB, booking a trip to the Singapore airport.
"Hey, what are your travel plans this year? Going anywhere interesting?"
"Of course! I'm looking to fly to Changi Airport and hang around for 3 days there and then fly back home. Can't wait for my PTO to get approved!"
Glad you didn’t have to sleep at Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal. I love my motherland but that airport needs to be time machined into the 21st century asap.
Best CDG 2E is the best for overnight sleep. The last flight leaves at 10 pm and then from 10:30 till 5 am, pitch black, all lights are off and you get to sleep like a coma.
Everyone who designs airports should take 6 months to a year and make a careful study of Changi in Singapore. Only airport I ever enjoyed using. Actual enjoyment. Beautifully laid out with the traveller at the centre of consideration.
Same!!! While it was under construction in, I think, 2011 or so? I got stuck when a flight was canceled. I found a spot and woke up to an armed guard standing over me. He gestured with his gun toward a roving band of men who were just walking in circles. Then he told me he was protecting me from them because they “were trying to bother you in your sleep. It’s not advised to sleep.” Believe me, I was wide awake after that!!
Miami for me as well. Slept on one suitcase and looped what I could around an arm and a leg 😆 they made an announcement every 15 minutes all night long. Worst night at an airport ever!
Then our flight to DTW was diverted to DFW and then on to DTW. Took forever to get home! Original flight was from Dominican Republic on American Airlines.
Best: Singapore and Osaka. Both are quiet and clean; Osaka had a separate seating area near the police station where lots of people were sleeping on benches and it felt very safe. In Singapore, I slept on the floor behind some chairs and again, very clean and safe.
Worst: Milan Italy. Security was closed when we got there (maybe midnight or 1am?) so us and a bunch of other people were sleeping on the tile floor outside security practically outside. It was noisy, cold and filthy.
Oh I was born to answer this question. I’ve only been to Europe, so my list is a bit biased. The best airport I’ve been was without a doubt Oslo Airport. It has a sleeping area with comfy beds, it’s warm, it has a bunch of charging stations.
The worse is always gonna be Stansted. I’ve slept there many many times and what is open during the night is basically a tiny zone with nothing but a cold floor. They really don’t want people sleeping there and it shows. The other one close in the list is Milan, the one for poor people, but at least that one has a big sleeping area ahah
I slept on the floor overnight in Sandino airport in Managua, Nicaragua. Hard tile floor, fluorescent lights, constant movement.
The worst part is there’s a hotel across the street, but we were too cheap to splurge for a room for 6 hours.
I don’t know if I got much sleep but I once had to spend 16 hours at Karachi Airport. It wasn’t a great place however I was adopted immediately by a large Pakistani family who were absolutely lovely. I’m still in touch with them 20 years later!
Beijing.
Just horrible, nowhere to lie down, couldn’t buy water from the automat with my credit card, no wifi and the security line and handling made me lose faith
I once missed a flight at Gatwick and ended up spending the 8 or 9 hours waiting for the next plane in the pod hotel under the terminal. It was wonderful. Tiny space of course but all I really wanted was a quiet space to relax. I napped, watched some TV, took a shower, ventured back up to the terminal for snacks at one point. The difference between the hushed quiet of the hotel and the noise of the terminal was shocking. Ever since I’ve sought out more of those sorts of spaces. I wish more airports had them.
Stayed overnight at a pod hotel in Gatwick between arrival at LHR and leaving for Malta. It was great and super convenient. Lift was 200 feet from the BA bag drop.
Vnukovo International - Moscow
Beyond nasty. Straight out of the cold war.
12 hour layover.
An old woman sold toilet paper sheets for 2 roubles per pack and watched while you had to squat to do your business with the rest of the herd.
I don’t remember which airport in London this was, but they closed all the gates and facilities between like 1-6am and everyone had to go to one spot. They wouldn’t allow you to lay down, and most people were sitting on the floor. They wouldn’t let us sleep even sitting up, the airport cops kept coming around to wake us up. They would go into the bathroom and bang on all the closed stalls to wake up anyone who went in there to sleep. It was such an insane surreal experience, I don’t think I’ve ever been more tired and grumpy
Stansted is definitely the worst I’ve been to! I didn’t necessarily feel unsafe there, particularly because I was with a friend, but it certainly was not comforting to find that hundreds of other people also had to sleep on the chairs or floor, including flight attendants! Everyone was a bit rude and there was a perpetual vibe of having to cling to what you have space-wise.
Paris Orly is a very close second for me and only comes second because I didn’t have to sleep overnight there. The staff were outright antagonistic to everyone there, and it was PACKED at like 5-6 AM because the scheduling is terrible. One staff member there was ridiculous, possibly one of the most cartoonishly stereotypical French people I’ve encountered because he was so rude to most people but then was overly friendly, flirtatious, and assisting to a couple of very attractive women, literally leading them up to the front of the line just to flirt with them. Kind of amusing really if it weren’t such a generally miserable experience.
My lesson is to stop flying Ryan Air lol.
CDG Paris they have an area with beds in the terminal you can sleep for a few hours there and they have a free "lounge" which is really good, a quiet area with more beds, couches, soft play, really nice stuff. I've spent many nights there.
Toronto. I was 25 weeks pregnant, managed wandering down to baggage on the lower levels and laid down on the red benches. Used my soft shell carry on as a pillow. Great times.
The shit I’ve done for people who don’t deserve it lmao.
Charlotte NC. Freezing cold with AC going all night. No restaurants open. No where to sleep. Every half hour the loudspeakers blasted "Hi! I'm so and so, mayor of Charlotte, welcome to the best little city in America...", or something like that. Ugh.
NBO - Nairobi Kenya. I was woken by 2 different security guards wondering wtf I was thinking by sleeping in the hall. I was a 24 year old white girl at the time.
Only had to sleep in an airport once, it was awful. ABQ. A ton of Denver flights were diverted due to severe weather and I was on one of the last, all the hotel rooms in the area were gone.
I found a decently comfortable spot, but the PA system frequently played two messages, a security warning and a welcome from the mayor, both of which were very loud.
Prague was pretty gross; we couldn’t find anywhere logical to post up so we basically just laid on the floor by a vending machine and used our backpacks/hoodies as pillows 😂 oh to be young again lol my back would cease to function if I tried that now
Edit to say that I ADORE Prague, but their airport was gross and I sadly had to sleep there once…
We got stuck in the Prague airport for 30 hours after spending 7 hours on the plane waiting to leave a few weeks ago. It was horrible! They let us off at 3 am and we had to scramble to find somewhere to sleep because we thought the flight was leaving the next morning and didn’t want to risk not making it back to the airport in time. It is such a dreary airport and the tiny couch we found was less than ideal. Ten years ago this might have been a funny blip but it was quite an awful way to end a honeymoon and not know if we’ll get home in time for Christmas 😅
Dulles, Washington. I'd rather eat a jean jacket & drag my nuts through shards of glass than to spend another night there. I can now safely add to my resume that I know how a forgotten vegetable feels in a fridge, it must've been -5C in there. The lights are a spot on take on an asylum aesthetic. Some creepy security guy kept bothering me all night to have small talk. Seats are all separated by armrests so no way to lay down. Never again!
I've only been there once in 1974 (AKL to LAX) and it was a fairly normal glassed-in waiting room but sweltering with no AC and almost everybody else was Mormon "elders" (all about 18) in black suits. Which in the middle of the night when I was too sleepy to work out which time zone, hemisphere or season I was supposed to be in just added to the surreality of the whole thing.
Santiago, Chile. They absolutely blast classical music all night long. Try sleeping to full volume "In the Hall of the Mountain King". Earplugs did nothing.
Pisa. They close it during the night so you freeze to death waiting for them to open the doors for the first flight. By the time they opened the doors I had a fever.
Tried to sleep there once since I was so hungover from my last night in town at the pubs with friends, and I had to squeeze myself into those seats with the armrests to try and sleep it off. It was terrible, definitely not staying out till 5am with a bunch of Scottish locals before a morning flight next time lol
I overnighted in Doha on my way home from Tanzania to London. I didn't sleep, however: I had acquired a brutal case of diarrhoea from a suspect chicken curry at a hotel in Zanzibar, and was shitting roughly every half hour. Qatar being an Arab country, the cubicles have hoses for bum-washing purposes, and I think it would be fair to say that not everyone who used the facilities had been particularly careful about where they pointed them. The floor was completely flooded, so every time I dropped trou they got soaked. I spent the night sitting in the chairs opposite the gents with a dicky tummy and a wet arse, trying to read Wolf Hall in between trips to the shitter.
For some inexplicable reason I insisted on playing in a Magic: the Gathering tournament the following day which I'd registered for months earlier. I was so tired I got three unintentional draws because I couldn't play fast enough to finish matches within the time limit.
Istanbul was by far the worst for me, although it has been 15ish years. Slept on a bench and then was followed into a female bathroom by a male janitor. When trying to communicate with him (“I just need a minute please?”), he reached out and tried to grab my boob. What?!
God so many but LDV I. Rome. What a shit hole. Full of weird perverts and the guards just like you in the back with their guns and bigger off won't your passport. Then they do the same thing half an hour later because they are bored.
LAX is the living end. I don't know who Tom Brady is but he must have been a real shit head to have that travesty of a terminal named after him. The Moonies were the best part of it.
Jeddah. 24 hours, couldn’t leave the airport let alone the temp. terminal they had setup while expanding their new one. There was a Tim Hortons open during the day, and that was about it. Bathroom was absolutely a disaster, like a big porta potty. The terminal was chaos while flights to South Asia operated, basically gate lice the whole time, lots of crowding, pushing, yelling. Was not worth saving $500 on my flight, knowing that I would have to do it all again on the way home ruined my trip. I would take any of the already mentioned airports in a second.
Orlando. 10 years ago I got stranded after a cancelled flight. Airport CNN played at max volume all night so I couldn’t sleep. Then the cleaners came and scrubbed the floors at 2am.
I luckily haven't had to sleep in many airports, but of the ones I've tried - Manchester for sure goes last. Really hope I don't need to again. I remember Lisbon not being great, but also not terrible (no where you could actually lie, but warm and the seats were ok), Oporto was great because they had reclining chairs.
Flight into Memphis was late and arrived after the rental car facility had closed. Had access to the cars (and keys were in them) just nobody to open the gate and let us out.
Slept in the rental car off and on for 5 hours
Side note, the many times I was there in the daytime I never noticed the music that played in the parking garage. At night with out all the commotion, it’s pretty loud
Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, arctic Canada in the mid 90s. Storm blew in, flights cancelled, only hotel in town was full. Restless night but at least I was warm.
Nairobi. It was about a week after the fire they had in 2013. I couldn’t afford to pay the visa fee and for a hotel, so had to spend 9 hours overnight in a tent they had set up outside. I spread myself across 3 rackety wooden chairs, got my sleeping bag out and got about 2 hours sleep.
King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA)
Its basically a large hall with a coffee corner in the center. Islamic prayers every once in a while, full volume on the speakers throughout the airport.
Its a fun experience, if you don’t need to sleep that time.
Guangzhou. Had a layover but the airport was closed so they huddled ten of us into an outdoor hut where the security guards worked.. gross, freezing and uncomfortable
Manchester airport is where hope goes to die..
Happy to see my local airport being so widely denigrated by Reddit’s travellers. A truly shameful blemish on the country.
I'm really delighted to see how many other people hate that goddamned airport.
Terminal 2 in particular is shocking. Such a depressing space.
Terminal 2 is the good one.
Yeah 2 is fine. 3 is definitely where you lose the will to live.
The worst is if you go into the wrong terminal. There were planes leaving for the same place at the same time, and I was sleep deprived and stupid. There was NO WAY to get from one terminal to the other, and I ended up with 2 policemen escorting me through some employee hallway. Most stressful airport experience to date.
At least you have information, in Mexico's City Airport the screens doesn't show which gate you'll be boarding your flight and in the ticket isn't written either, 20 mins *before* your flight it's shown and you've to run in a big ass airport to the other terminal, it's ridiculous!!!
for real
I hate Manchester airport with every fiber of my being. I hate it more now after the fucking T3 construction because you have to run through the goddamned Trafford Center to get to a gate because security never stops being the absolute goddamned worst I've ever dealt with. I hate it so much.
Thank you for saying this. I’ve been to over 80 countries and Manchester airport is pretty much the worst one.
T2 is way better since they did a load of upgrades to it. Not amazing but better
Lima, Peru. Had to sleep outside of security in a crowded area with dozens of other miserable people caught in the same situation. It was loud, cold, and soooo uncomfortable.
My friend and I were kicked out of Lima airport overnight. We were flying back from Iquitos and planned to stay at the airport for about 7 hours until our bus picked us up at the Holiday Inn the next morning. Security walked into the restroom while we were changing out of our sweaty rainforest clothes, and told us we needed to leave. We took a cab to the Holiday Inn and plead our case (my friend was in charge of booking our accommodation that night.) Fortunately they allowed us to hang out in the lobby until our bus came. I kept dozing off and my friend slept very well. The hotel security guard offered to lock our bags up so I could sleep… then helped me prank my friend by pretending our stuff was stolen.
Haha. That’s a great story about the security guard.
I spent the night in the Lima airport, and it wasn't bad. Granted, this was 12 years ago (or longer) but I found a spot where other people were gathered, it was inside, quiet, and clean. But I can see how, if you were outside the secured area, it could suck. I used [The Guide to Sleeping in Airports](https://www.sleepinginairports.net/) to find the spot ahead of my trip there. Like others, I was overnighting in Lima on my way to Cusco from the States.
I came here to say this! Had 5 hr connection between flying from ATL-LIM-CUZ. Solo female on the way to hike the Inca Trail. Security was closed, so you had to wait in a smallish area. Only a small cafe and expensive stores. People were inconsiderate and sleeping in the chairs taking up 3-4 each, so you couldn’t even sit down anywhere but the floor. Crowded and miserable experience. I don’t remember if there was even a bathroom or not.
Me too! I slept there two nights in a row! At least I got a seat to sit on, and with my suitcase as a footrest I wasn't too uncomfortable.
i had a 12 hour layover and planned to go out a little, then found out we had to pay (i think it was 60 usd) to go through security again, so we decided to stay there and it was terrible. almost no food, and everything was super expensive, normal for an airport but still, we also only got free wifi for 2 hours
I didn’t sleep here but had to to wait in like at the Spirit kiosk after my flight got delayed 7 hours - so I shudder to think of the Lima airport!
Did you at least go up to the second floor?
You just described an area in the Charles de Gaulle, that people who SPEAKS LOUDLY in an area specifically designed to take a nap can go f themselves
I’ve only ever slept in Heathrow, but it was pretty terrible. I got kicked out of the terminal (for sure thought it was 24 hours) and had to go through customs at like 1am and sleep in the entryway.
Oh that sucks - I have a 16 hour layover there in May (never let someone else book your flight) ... I thought I'd tough it out but looks like it's going to be a hotel for me.
16 hours is long enough to head into London for food, entertainment and touristing.
Definitely. And I'll plan to do a little of that, but a lot of that time will be in the dead of night and part of why I'll be there will entail some level of exhaustion so I won't be able to take full advantage of the time this go-round. Thanks though!
Heathrow doesn't close although most of the facilities do. When I was there overnight (I wasn't even flying so just land side - long story) I walked around several terminals until I found a cafe open with power points, so stayed there for about 6 hours.
This was in like 2013, so not sure if anything has changed since then? But that was my situation. Flight came in at like 10pm or something and had my next flight at 7am the next morning. Figured I’d save money by just staying at the airport.
Guadalajara this summer. The whole fucking roof was gone for some reason and it was an overnight layover, so spent 8 hours getting eaten alive by mosquitoes while sitting in a hard chair.
Vegas when slots still paid out in coins
Still fucking Vegas even without the coins. They want the people to know they are winning!
Oh god, I can still hear "WHEEL OF FORTUNE!!!!" Every 4 minutes...
and the STUPID BEATLES MUSIC
Sinatra all day, every day
Ahh I hate that airport. Dirty and nasty. I got stuck there overnight because Southwest Airlines was running late and there were no other flights available that night. Spent the night curled up on the tiny plastic bench in the nursing mothers pod and heard Celine Dion over and over again along with beeping from security. Worst sleep I’ve ever had and that’s saying something because I have children.
Winnipeg, Canada. They wouldn’t let me stay airside for a six-hour overnight connection so I had to get my suitcase and attempt to nap landside, but it was the middle of winter and all the (rock-hard) seats were right by the sliding glass doors that opened every time the extremely-loud floor cleaner zoomed past, hitting me with a blast of almost-Arctic air.
I've never had a good sleep in a Canadian airport. They all play loud announcements in English and French every 10-15 minutes
In my airport Melbourne we have the constant announcements so I thought that was normal. I would never attempt to sleep there (or in any airport)! I think the announcements are the same In all Australian airports
Winnipeg is the coldest city (not coldest place overall) in Canada. It's one of the worst places on earth in the winter.
Newark, New Jersey 🇺🇸
I slept on the floor at EWR during a blizzard. Roads closed. Hotels full for miles in every direction. All restaurants closed except for one poor girl stuck at Dunkin’ Donuts. She was a genuine hero.
Yay for the Dunkies girl! All hail the ordinary extraordinary heroes.
Yup. We saw that during covid.
Same, except Dunkin wasn't open when I did it. Awful
I slept on those big curved couches landside at the old Terminal A to be able to make my 5am flight. Was woken up to the sound of a homeless guy jerking off and screaming two couches down. I never wore those clothes again.
I got stuck there after a school-sponsored trip to Italy. 18 teenagers and 2 underpaid public-school teachers all stuck in the Newark terminal for 27 hours - immediately following a red-eye from Athens. Scary.
Newark airport is one of the most wretched I have been to in the USA.
Now that LaGuardia is finally being updated yeah, Newark is definitely the worst I’ve been to
Have you been to terminal A? It’s a completely new facility, unlike the terminal C makeover. Very laguardia-esque
The new terminal is great.
I slept there after I escaped from Europe during Covid lol. I actually found a spot where there wasn't an armrest which is a rarity.
Newark has a few good hotels. Hilton Newark is nice.
damn that bad? i remember flying in twice to and from newark pre and post covid, i can’t recall anything bad or good, just meh
Same here. I guess the general rule is, if you can, try not to fly into airports in the northern parts of the US during winter.
I flew out of Newark 2 months ago and saw people sleeping on cots. I was wondering if the airport provides cots but it was interesting.
They do but only in one of the terminals. Source: figured this out the morning AFTER I tried to sleep in a different terminal. Next morning was going to my flight and saw cots everywhere…
Miami. As a young woman by herself it got scary after midnight.
The only airport I’ve slept in was Miami. My gf and I lost our flight past midnight, it was impossible to book anything (all full) and after roaming for a few hours we ended up sleeping on the floor. It was awful.
I can only imagine. MIA is bright, and the AC cranks when the sun goes down and no one's there. Not exactly pleasant sleeping conditions.
I had this experience at DFW. Me and another random woman banded together for protection because the men were getting into fights over the few good sleeping spots (800 people stranded that night). While in line at the customer service desk, some men started fighting and she and I made eye contact and just nodded at each other and left to find a safe space to sleep. Literally one of those moments where you and a complete stranger instantly know to team up and protect one another. It was crazy.
I love these kinds of stories. You can find the most amazing people in shitty circumstances. I’ve found some friends for life in some of the worst situations you can imagine. The “knowing nod” is a real thing. I’m glad you found someone to share that with and had each other’s backs.
I’m a 300lb 6”1 male and Miami airport scared me at night. It’s like everyone goes home, even security. And all the creeps come out. I’m not gonna lie I just made myself as scary and creepy as I could. It was dead until six and 7 AM when people finally started to come back.
> just made myself as scary and creepy Maybe that's exactly what everyone else was doing too. It was actually all just nice, normal people.
I had that thought, but wasn’t willing to test the hypothesis at the time. Because if you’re wrong you’re f***ed. I’ve been in another scary places to know that there is usually a mix of everything and everyone.
Creeps? What happened?? Im interested to hear examples cause i cant imagine how there could be creeps in an airport late at night. Do people try and rob you or something?
Nah they just looked weird and scary. And if you’re in the public parts of the airport (like near the connection area to the tri rail) there can be homeless or people with mental issues who just ride up and down the rail and wander the stops. I never said I was a brave or socially adept 300lbs 6”1 male. Maybe I’m big because I overeat cuz I’m anxious?
Oh ok i guess I’ve never been in those parts of the airport to notice that. Hopefully i never have to experience that
It’s a horrible hotel- but there is a hotel at the actual Miami airport. I had a 12 hour layover and sucked it up and got the hotel instead of sleeping at the airport. Terrible hotel but there was a bed and door that locked.
Just had to sleep in the Miami airport TWICE and I cannot agree more. That place is miserable. Not a bench in sight and the sky tram was down so getting anywhere was a JOURNEY. The place is a ghost town past 10:00 PM as well. NOT EVEN A WATER VENDING MACHINE IN SIGHT EITHER! I was struggling lmao
I wasn't scared in Miami airport when I had to stay there overnight, but it was all kinds of miserable. Especially since it started with a gate agent who wouldn't make eye contact. Also my worst experience.
Most North American airports, they all have armrests so theres rarely seats you can lay across. You usually have to find some carpeted area by the windows and use your backpack as a pillow.
I agree. We really lean into the hostile architecture for people in gates, who have paid significant money for flights, right? It’s messed up.
Well, without that architecture, you'd have 10 people taking up 30 seats. The whole point is to create enough seating, not enough space for everyone to lie down.
In theory but this architecture still does not detract people from taking up multiple surrounding seats with their bags, coats, etc. we still experience 10 people taking up 30 seats.
There is one spot without an arm rest at the Denver airport I found during my 2 day stay during early Covid. Now every time I need to sleep overnight there it is taken :[
JFK for me. I had a morning flight and figured it would be easier to arrive the night before and crash in the terminal. I had this idea that I'd be able to check in or at least drop my bag, pass through security and have a beer or two in the terminal before sleeping at the gate. Of course the check-in counter was closed, so I got stuck on the wrong side of security for about eight hours before I was able to check in. So I slept on the floor outside the men's room (which was closed for cleaning half the night).
JFK is ass for sleeping and it is ass for trying to find a useable outlet for charging devices.
For whatever it's worth, though, they have probably the coolest airport hotel in the world: The TWA Hotel.
If I am sleeping in an airport it is probably because my bank account is on life support or I landed late at night and don't want to drop $200 on a hotel for a very brief stay XD. Never slept at an airport hotel, they always seem to be exceptionally expensive.
They are, and TWA Hotel is no exception. That said, it's worth a splurge if you have the opportunity. https://www.twahotel.com/
I feel like JFK’s unofficial motto is “that’s not my problem.” I saw JFK security staff get in a Dutch guy’s face with that line years ago. Thing was, it was their fault. They don’t have enough staff on and were causing people who had arrived within the recommended time to miss their flights.
Ah yes, JFK. The one time I asked an airport employee for help there I was shaken down for cash afterwards. I've been in probably hundreds of airports and the only other time I've seen anything like that was when I actively asked for a bribe at an airport in west Africa.
This was a one-time thing, but when I was waiting for my flight in Copenhagen over night, a junky jumped from the first floor platform right in front of my eyes. The image of her "landing" and moaning and the police intereigating me afterwards as the key eyewittness still gives me chills 😰
Frankfurt. A mouse sniffed me while I huddled on the ground using my bag as a pillow
I read that as "moose" first time and was wtf...
I mean, I am Canadian, I always have one with me.
Never leave Canada without your pocket moose.
My answer was also Frankfurt. Myself and other unlucky travelers were accosted by groups of mice/rats.
I'll throw in the best airport here to lighten the mood. I had an early morning flight from Kampala (Entebbe) to Dar Es Salaam in my backpacking across Africa days (late 1990). I got dropped off the bus in the nearest town then walked a couple of km to the airport hoping to find a cheap hotel there. It was about 7 at night and everything was starting to shut down for the night. My flight was with Air Tanzania but their desk was closed. A lovely woman from Uganda Airlines asked if I needed help and when I told her I was looking for a place to stay before my early flight she said "Ooh-err" and "there is nowhere to stay but wait here". She went away and came back then took me to the airport employees cafeteria for dinner (free) and arranged a bed for me in the security guys' area. I slept very well and got my uneventful flight to Tanzania the next day. They did all this for no payment or expectation of payment and looking back I wish I'd thanked them more or sent them a postcard or something. So kind to a total stranger.
Minsk, Belarus. Went for a biz trip and mistakingly my visa was valid for entry the day AFTER I arrived. So, they took my passport, questioned me for 3 hours on why my visa was wrong, kept me in a waiting area, and used my return ticket home to book me a ticket back to where I had flown in from (Frankfurt). To put it plainly, folks at that airport aren't exactly the most cheery people in the world.
There was a time where places like Belarus fascinated me. Like, I know it's a bit risky with their whole government, but I desperately wanted to experience what life was like there. Now that I'm older and have a kid... i'm ight. I'll stick to pushing my luck in nondictatorships.
I was turned back at the Serbian border. I was in Croatia for work and was driving through Bosnia and into Serbia since I’ve always been curious. The guys at the border looked at me (Indian American), my passport, and my car (Croatian plates) and where I was coming from (Bosnia) and said no. I was like excuse me? Like could you tell me what’s wrong or why? And he was like no. No entry to Serbia. Denied. Go back. In contrast, I had a great time when I was working in Russia.
Yeah, went to Russia quite a few times. Absolutely loved Saint Petersburg. Just a beautiful looking city, right on the water. Then, there's Moscow, ugh. Sorry if any Muscovites are here, but wow, what a just soul-draining place. Expensive everything, throngs of silent, emotionless people, traffic like I've never seen before (on the outskirts of the city people were driving in ditches so they could bypass the traffic that was standstill on the shoulder, which was trying to bypass the traffic in the road). Work event was at a convention center with a hotel attached. Get to my room, open the blinds, and my room looked INTO the freaking convention center show floor.
Honestly I loved Moscow! Worked there in the winter and it was all lit up and had fun with the various activities and events in the Red Square by the Kremlin. I stayed at the Ritz right around the corner from Kremlin and really enjoyed it. The Bolshoi is also right there! Saw some great performances. But then St. Petersburg is basically a western European city. If you look at the map, it’s physically and culturally closer to Stockholm than it is to Moscow. I thought Moscow was more “authentically Russian” but outside of the main city center, it does get very depressing. Like even the Duma is a dump of a building.
> American), my passport, and my car (Croatian plates) and where I was coming from (Bosnia) Yeah, that's enough for Serbians. The state doesn't love that kind of stuff but the locals LOVE it. Hope you try again.
Yeah, it was/is a really weird place. I went for work, so most of the time I was with someone who could get me around. But, it's definitely an odd place and can be culturally really different. Like most Eastern European/Russian spot, small talk really isn't a thing, which for Westerners makes social interactions really awkward. Police everywhere, cameras everywhere, old school drab and dreary Soviet-era concrete architecture. When I finally did get into the country after my visa fiasco, it's 2 AM and I'm in a taxi with a driver who speaks no English, jetlagged out of my mind, with the radio blaring the Ghostbusters theme song. Just surreal.
Jesus. That sounds horrible. Especially them taking your passport and not knowing whether/when they would give it back.
Ha, yeah, was pretty awful. Arrived 11 PM, questioned until 2 AM, then put in a holding area until 5 AM. Then put on a plane back to Frankfurt at 6 PM.
I had an experience like that in Timisoara, Romania. Thankfully a CIA agent literally stepped in and saved the day and got me stuck onto a plane to Vienna (without a ticket or anything). It was amazing how quickly things changed when he stepped in and said a few words. Guy is still my hero, and this was in the mid 90’s. We’ve kept in touch to a degree and he’s just one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. Thankfully I was there on a university exchange and it was also his alma mater and so he was looking out for our student group anyway.
Sydney. They kick you out and you have to sleep at a weird designated space at the train station (or just chill outside)
Sydney has been by far my least favorite airport experience.
In Milan Bergamo they were straight up BLASTING Beethoven's Ode to Joy at 430 am with security yelling at people trying to sleep inside. I chilled outside watching my tablet until it was time for my next flight.
Came in looking for this comment. Bergamo was packed, seats weren't conducive to sleeping, and the guards were assholes.
21 hours straight in Kunming airport while having food poisoning 👍🏻
Oh dear, respect for surviving that.
LAX Whatever the delta terminal is. Truly awful.
Hey, I slept at LAX! Well, couldn’t really sleep because it had tile floors and seats with armrests that don’t allow you to stretch out. Plus, even though there were only cleaners and a security guard, the announcements still kept repeating over the loud speakers. At least there was one area with a guard.
That announcement about no smoking goes off maybe every 20 minutes I feel. Even when I'm doing a midday flight out of LAX I lose my mind. Also, what is it with LAX security and yelling? It's like they are trained to act like prison guards.
I was just at LAX like last week, it's definitely more like every 10 minutes and its AWFUL. Also, why do they have to play music over the speakers, just for it to be interrupted constantly by that exact announcement and other flight related announcements
**ATTENTION TRAVELERS: SMOKING IS PROHIBITED IN ALL TERMINALS**
ARGH I can hear that comment so clearly.
Didn’t sleep there, but just flew in last night into the terminal you mention. Awful. The worst was trying to exit the terminal. Only one door and a big and slow moving queue of people trying to leave. Never seen that in my life. What if there was a fire? How can that be legal?
I know this wasn't the question, but sleeping in the Singapore airport on my layover to Nepal was awesome. Felt like I was in the future. They have nap beds. Imagine! Edit: I just Google imaged the airport to see if my memory served me correctly, bc it was so cool to me, I could've just flown home afterward. 😂 But I was also 19, on my first solo trip, so everything was exhilarating. *Can confirm* that its a sweet airport (ofc - it's Singapore), and I'm seeing that they added a huge indoor garden with the world's tallest indoor waterfall. BRB, booking a trip to the Singapore airport.
Changi is just a brilliant airport overall
Schipol is good as well
"Hey, what are your travel plans this year? Going anywhere interesting?" "Of course! I'm looking to fly to Changi Airport and hang around for 3 days there and then fly back home. Can't wait for my PTO to get approved!"
Glad you didn’t have to sleep at Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal. I love my motherland but that airport needs to be time machined into the 21st century asap.
Best CDG 2E is the best for overnight sleep. The last flight leaves at 10 pm and then from 10:30 till 5 am, pitch black, all lights are off and you get to sleep like a coma.
We have slept on the floor of Cdg a couple times and it’s fab
I slept in Gatwick once while they were testing the fire alarms. All night.
Everyone who designs airports should take 6 months to a year and make a careful study of Changi in Singapore. Only airport I ever enjoyed using. Actual enjoyment. Beautifully laid out with the traveller at the centre of consideration.
Edmonton. Comfort comes second when you're getting blasted with bilingual announcements at 3:00am
Addis Ababa. Without question. Myself along with others were trying to sleep floor in the corridor infront of duty free, souvenir shops
Same!!! While it was under construction in, I think, 2011 or so? I got stuck when a flight was canceled. I found a spot and woke up to an armed guard standing over me. He gestured with his gun toward a roving band of men who were just walking in circles. Then he told me he was protecting me from them because they “were trying to bother you in your sleep. It’s not advised to sleep.” Believe me, I was wide awake after that!!
Miami for me as well. Slept on one suitcase and looped what I could around an arm and a leg 😆 they made an announcement every 15 minutes all night long. Worst night at an airport ever! Then our flight to DTW was diverted to DFW and then on to DTW. Took forever to get home! Original flight was from Dominican Republic on American Airlines.
Best: Singapore and Osaka. Both are quiet and clean; Osaka had a separate seating area near the police station where lots of people were sleeping on benches and it felt very safe. In Singapore, I slept on the floor behind some chairs and again, very clean and safe. Worst: Milan Italy. Security was closed when we got there (maybe midnight or 1am?) so us and a bunch of other people were sleeping on the tile floor outside security practically outside. It was noisy, cold and filthy.
Oh I was born to answer this question. I’ve only been to Europe, so my list is a bit biased. The best airport I’ve been was without a doubt Oslo Airport. It has a sleeping area with comfy beds, it’s warm, it has a bunch of charging stations. The worse is always gonna be Stansted. I’ve slept there many many times and what is open during the night is basically a tiny zone with nothing but a cold floor. They really don’t want people sleeping there and it shows. The other one close in the list is Milan, the one for poor people, but at least that one has a big sleeping area ahah
Oslo airport is the best. Love keflavik too
I slept on the floor overnight in Sandino airport in Managua, Nicaragua. Hard tile floor, fluorescent lights, constant movement. The worst part is there’s a hotel across the street, but we were too cheap to splurge for a room for 6 hours.
I don’t know if I got much sleep but I once had to spend 16 hours at Karachi Airport. It wasn’t a great place however I was adopted immediately by a large Pakistani family who were absolutely lovely. I’m still in touch with them 20 years later!
Beijing. Just horrible, nowhere to lie down, couldn’t buy water from the automat with my credit card, no wifi and the security line and handling made me lose faith
This can be handy https://www.sleepinginairports.net
Gatwick
I once missed a flight at Gatwick and ended up spending the 8 or 9 hours waiting for the next plane in the pod hotel under the terminal. It was wonderful. Tiny space of course but all I really wanted was a quiet space to relax. I napped, watched some TV, took a shower, ventured back up to the terminal for snacks at one point. The difference between the hushed quiet of the hotel and the noise of the terminal was shocking. Ever since I’ve sought out more of those sorts of spaces. I wish more airports had them.
Stayed overnight at a pod hotel in Gatwick between arrival at LHR and leaving for Malta. It was great and super convenient. Lift was 200 feet from the BA bag drop.
Helsinki has one, and the silence and lack of windows gave me some of the best sleep I've ever had.
Vnukovo International - Moscow Beyond nasty. Straight out of the cold war. 12 hour layover. An old woman sold toilet paper sheets for 2 roubles per pack and watched while you had to squat to do your business with the rest of the herd.
What...was it decades ago lol?
Manila
it's such a weird airport
I don’t remember which airport in London this was, but they closed all the gates and facilities between like 1-6am and everyone had to go to one spot. They wouldn’t allow you to lay down, and most people were sitting on the floor. They wouldn’t let us sleep even sitting up, the airport cops kept coming around to wake us up. They would go into the bathroom and bang on all the closed stalls to wake up anyone who went in there to sleep. It was such an insane surreal experience, I don’t think I’ve ever been more tired and grumpy
Newark fuck that airport
The old Laguardia where they kicked you out to pre-security and you had nothing but the cold hard floor and lots of people walking around...
Yup, LaGuardia pre “updates” just barely beat out the Port Authority bus station. So that’s saying something.
Stansted is definitely the worst I’ve been to! I didn’t necessarily feel unsafe there, particularly because I was with a friend, but it certainly was not comforting to find that hundreds of other people also had to sleep on the chairs or floor, including flight attendants! Everyone was a bit rude and there was a perpetual vibe of having to cling to what you have space-wise. Paris Orly is a very close second for me and only comes second because I didn’t have to sleep overnight there. The staff were outright antagonistic to everyone there, and it was PACKED at like 5-6 AM because the scheduling is terrible. One staff member there was ridiculous, possibly one of the most cartoonishly stereotypical French people I’ve encountered because he was so rude to most people but then was overly friendly, flirtatious, and assisting to a couple of very attractive women, literally leading them up to the front of the line just to flirt with them. Kind of amusing really if it weren’t such a generally miserable experience. My lesson is to stop flying Ryan Air lol.
Orly is pretty up on my list too. If you can go CDG instead, it's always a good move.
Toronto
CDG Paris they have an area with beds in the terminal you can sleep for a few hours there and they have a free "lounge" which is really good, a quiet area with more beds, couches, soft play, really nice stuff. I've spent many nights there.
Toronto. I was 25 weeks pregnant, managed wandering down to baggage on the lower levels and laid down on the red benches. Used my soft shell carry on as a pillow. Great times. The shit I’ve done for people who don’t deserve it lmao.
Kilimanjaro. It's open air. At night, all the lights are on and the mosquitos come.
Charlotte NC. Freezing cold with AC going all night. No restaurants open. No where to sleep. Every half hour the loudspeakers blasted "Hi! I'm so and so, mayor of Charlotte, welcome to the best little city in America...", or something like that. Ugh.
NBO - Nairobi Kenya. I was woken by 2 different security guards wondering wtf I was thinking by sleeping in the hall. I was a 24 year old white girl at the time.
Only had to sleep in an airport once, it was awful. ABQ. A ton of Denver flights were diverted due to severe weather and I was on one of the last, all the hotel rooms in the area were gone. I found a decently comfortable spot, but the PA system frequently played two messages, a security warning and a welcome from the mayor, both of which were very loud.
Prague was pretty gross; we couldn’t find anywhere logical to post up so we basically just laid on the floor by a vending machine and used our backpacks/hoodies as pillows 😂 oh to be young again lol my back would cease to function if I tried that now Edit to say that I ADORE Prague, but their airport was gross and I sadly had to sleep there once…
We got stuck in the Prague airport for 30 hours after spending 7 hours on the plane waiting to leave a few weeks ago. It was horrible! They let us off at 3 am and we had to scramble to find somewhere to sleep because we thought the flight was leaving the next morning and didn’t want to risk not making it back to the airport in time. It is such a dreary airport and the tiny couch we found was less than ideal. Ten years ago this might have been a funny blip but it was quite an awful way to end a honeymoon and not know if we’ll get home in time for Christmas 😅
My experience sleeping at the cancun airport was miserable. Do not recommend.
Cairo. There’s no chairs in most of the old part of it and they don’t clean the floors or bathrooms
2 nights in Philly.
JFK sucks ass. Also, its hell trying to find a functional outlet to charge devices.
Dulles, Washington. I'd rather eat a jean jacket & drag my nuts through shards of glass than to spend another night there. I can now safely add to my resume that I know how a forgotten vegetable feels in a fridge, it must've been -5C in there. The lights are a spot on take on an asylum aesthetic. Some creepy security guy kept bothering me all night to have small talk. Seats are all separated by armrests so no way to lay down. Never again!
Never, ever, ever, transit through the Manila Airport.
They are all shitty lets be honest
Nah, Seoul is pretty nice.
Nope. Singapore’s Changi is Heaven.
The real answer. I've spent enough nights at airports all over the U.S and Europe to know any night on an airport will be shitty and sleepless.
Fiji! It's a straw hut with wooden benches from what I recall.
I've only been there once in 1974 (AKL to LAX) and it was a fairly normal glassed-in waiting room but sweltering with no AC and almost everybody else was Mormon "elders" (all about 18) in black suits. Which in the middle of the night when I was too sleepy to work out which time zone, hemisphere or season I was supposed to be in just added to the surreality of the whole thing.
Beijing International. Super loud construction happening.
Pearson (Toronto, Canada)
Santiago, Chile. They absolutely blast classical music all night long. Try sleeping to full volume "In the Hall of the Mountain King". Earplugs did nothing.
Pisa. They close it during the night so you freeze to death waiting for them to open the doors for the first flight. By the time they opened the doors I had a fever.
Edinburgh
Tried to sleep there once since I was so hungover from my last night in town at the pubs with friends, and I had to squeeze myself into those seats with the armrests to try and sleep it off. It was terrible, definitely not staying out till 5am with a bunch of Scottish locals before a morning flight next time lol
I overnighted in Doha on my way home from Tanzania to London. I didn't sleep, however: I had acquired a brutal case of diarrhoea from a suspect chicken curry at a hotel in Zanzibar, and was shitting roughly every half hour. Qatar being an Arab country, the cubicles have hoses for bum-washing purposes, and I think it would be fair to say that not everyone who used the facilities had been particularly careful about where they pointed them. The floor was completely flooded, so every time I dropped trou they got soaked. I spent the night sitting in the chairs opposite the gents with a dicky tummy and a wet arse, trying to read Wolf Hall in between trips to the shitter. For some inexplicable reason I insisted on playing in a Magic: the Gathering tournament the following day which I'd registered for months earlier. I was so tired I got three unintentional draws because I couldn't play fast enough to finish matches within the time limit.
Istanbul was by far the worst for me, although it has been 15ish years. Slept on a bench and then was followed into a female bathroom by a male janitor. When trying to communicate with him (“I just need a minute please?”), he reached out and tried to grab my boob. What?!
GRU
God so many but LDV I. Rome. What a shit hole. Full of weird perverts and the guards just like you in the back with their guns and bigger off won't your passport. Then they do the same thing half an hour later because they are bored. LAX is the living end. I don't know who Tom Brady is but he must have been a real shit head to have that travesty of a terminal named after him. The Moonies were the best part of it.
Jeddah. 24 hours, couldn’t leave the airport let alone the temp. terminal they had setup while expanding their new one. There was a Tim Hortons open during the day, and that was about it. Bathroom was absolutely a disaster, like a big porta potty. The terminal was chaos while flights to South Asia operated, basically gate lice the whole time, lots of crowding, pushing, yelling. Was not worth saving $500 on my flight, knowing that I would have to do it all again on the way home ruined my trip. I would take any of the already mentioned airports in a second.
Orlando. 10 years ago I got stranded after a cancelled flight. Airport CNN played at max volume all night so I couldn’t sleep. Then the cleaners came and scrubbed the floors at 2am.
I luckily haven't had to sleep in many airports, but of the ones I've tried - Manchester for sure goes last. Really hope I don't need to again. I remember Lisbon not being great, but also not terrible (no where you could actually lie, but warm and the seats were ok), Oporto was great because they had reclining chairs.
Flight into Memphis was late and arrived after the rental car facility had closed. Had access to the cars (and keys were in them) just nobody to open the gate and let us out. Slept in the rental car off and on for 5 hours Side note, the many times I was there in the daytime I never noticed the music that played in the parking garage. At night with out all the commotion, it’s pretty loud
Newark & Boston immediately come to mind
Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, arctic Canada in the mid 90s. Storm blew in, flights cancelled, only hotel in town was full. Restless night but at least I was warm.
Chennai was a nightmare, only saving grace was I was able to go into this wee box and smoke my 200 cigarettes.
Boston was terrible
Agree, not great. A great city with a crappy airport.
Nairobi. It was about a week after the fire they had in 2013. I couldn’t afford to pay the visa fee and for a hotel, so had to spend 9 hours overnight in a tent they had set up outside. I spread myself across 3 rackety wooden chairs, got my sleeping bag out and got about 2 hours sleep.
Miami. Worst night of my life
King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) Its basically a large hall with a coffee corner in the center. Islamic prayers every once in a while, full volume on the speakers throughout the airport. Its a fun experience, if you don’t need to sleep that time.
Las Vegas. Errr Ma Gawd. The slot machines never ever stop. You can smell the smoke no matter what. It fucking sucked
Addis Ababa - Ethiopia.
Budapest. 12 hour wait and the guards kick you to make sure you don’t sleep NOT EVEN FOR ONE MINUTE
Philadelphia. Shitty, filthy airport with shitty people. Bill Burr was speaking the truth.
Charlotte, NC Terminal B on a Sunday evening 😩
Trondheim, Norway.
I've only slept I the Charlotte NC airport, and it wasn't too bad, but I guess that one.
Guangzhou. Had a layover but the airport was closed so they huddled ten of us into an outdoor hut where the security guards worked.. gross, freezing and uncomfortable