With the government shutdown grinding on, there are more and more problems that American citizens are facing. Among those are the difficulties air travelers are experiencing, since there are increasingly more airports having delays, cancellations and downright closures due to not having enough air traffic controllers.
Of course, having flight delays or even cancellations is nothing new; it’s just happening more right now. So maybe you’re stuck in an airport because of weather, or mechanical issues, or you took an airline that consistently has late departures or arrivals. Or maybe it’s because a bunch of air traffic controllers have called out sick so they can drive for Uber so they can make their mortgage payment. But if you’re flying, there’s a decent chance your flight may be delayed or cancelled nowadays.
Meanwhile, if you’re stuck at an airport for hours on end, chances are you’re going to make a few purchases. Maybe a snack or a whole meal. Something to drink. If you discover that, unfortunately, your flight isn’t going to happen until the next day, you might have other expenses, like a hotel room, toiletries, etc.
And if you’re cost-conscious, it turns out that WHICH airport you get stuck at could make a big difference on your pocketbook.
A UK-based company that specializes in passenger rights recently researched which were the most expensive and cheapest airports in the world to get stuck at overnight.
Their methodology
They compared the cost of six of the most common and basic expenses:
- A fast‑food meal
- A cup of coffee
- A bottle of water
- Public transportation into the city
- A toothbrush
- A one‑night stay in a three‑star hotel near the airport
They then chose 2 airports per country from the Airports Council International’s Top 50, based on passenger traffic. They followed that up by checking OAG’s Megahubs connectivity data to ensure the mix was truly global.
The most expensive
It probably would surprise no one that the world’s most expensive airport to get stuck in is John F. Kennedy International Airport, in New York City, where you can expect to pay almost $325 for an overnight stay.
Second most expensive in the world is LAX, with a grand total of $257.90.
Rounding out the top three is Zurich, which will set you back $194.42 if you’re stuck there overnight.
Here are the top ten most expensive airports to be stuck in:
- JFK (John F. Kennedy) – $324.89
- LAX (Los Angeles) – $257.90
- ZRH (Zurich) – $194.42
- SYD (Sydney) – $192.69
- MAD (Madrid) – $192.63
- CDG (Paris) – $188.31
- OSL (Oslo) – $156.08
- LHR (London Heathrow) – $155.44
- DXB (Dubai) – $132.15
- HKG (Hong Kong) – $130.30
What drives up these costs? The hotel rates.
As AirAdvisor says, “At the priciest hubs, hotel accommodation contributes the most to higher expenses. At New York JFK, the nightly room rate alone makes up almost 90 per cent of the entire spend, leaving food and drink as minor extras by comparison.
“Even at airports like Zurich and Madrid, where meals and transport costs aren’t especially high, hotel accommodation still increases the total cost.”
Personally, I think those numbers are lowballing a little. Either that or they did their research quite a while ago, because I’ve personally looked for 3-star hotels in both the NYC area and around London and, well, I think your totals would be significantly higher for both. But this is what they said, so…
The cheapest
Of course, on the other side of the spectrum are places where your dollar (or euro, pound, yen, etc.) will go a whole lot further. These are the 10 cheapest airports in the world to be stuck in overnight:
- DEL (Delhi) – $24.97
- BKK (Bangkok) – $45.43
- PKX (Beijing Daxing) – $47.72
- BOG (Bogotá) – $59.10
- DOH (Doha) – $69.82
- CAI (Cairo) – $71.38
- PVG (Shanghai Pudong) – $76.68
- ICN (Seoul Incheon) – $88.96
- GRU (São Paulo ) – $89.19
- IST (Istanbul) – $89.77
The breakdown
AirAdvisor breaks down the costs for each city they mentioned – hotel, fast food, coffee, bottled water, transportation and a toothbrush in their post. Their prices are in euros but that’s easy enough to convert as needed.
It’s definitely an interesting read.
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