Best, Worst Airports for 'Connecting' with Someone Special

AXE may be best known for marketing artificial pheromone products to teenage boys seeking to get some hot chicks under their arms, but it is injecting its opinion into the travel industry this month with a list of best airports to "make a connection" with a special someone. From never-ending security lines and Scrooge-like employees, to howling children and rude cellphone users, holiday travel may fall just behind a visit to the dentist on the list of life's most unpleasant experiences. But it doesn't have to be all bad. AXE worked with

Sperling's BestPlace

s to commission the second undertaking of the study, this year targeting the world's 33 largest metropolitan airports.

Criteria for ranking the airports included on-time flight statistics, historical weather conditions, and amenities per capita in each airport such as coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and retails stores, among others.

Best U.S. & Global Airports to "Make a Connection"

  1. Liberty Int'l (Newark, N.J.)
  2. John F. Kennedy Int'l (New York)
  3. Philadelphia Int'l
  4. Dallas/Ft. Worth Int'l
  5. Minneapolis - St. Paul Int'l
  6. San Francisco Int'l
  7. Charles de Gaulle (Paris, France)
  8. O'Hare Int'l (Chicago)
  9. London Heathrow Airport
  10. Rome Fiumicino Airport

Worst U.S. & Global Airports to "Make a Connection"

  1. Phoenix Sky Harbor Int'l
  2. Madrid Barajas Int'l Airport
  3. Los Angeles Int'l
  4. Charlotte Douglas Int'l
  5. Dubai Int'l (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
  6. McCarran Int'l (Las Vegas)
  7. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
  8. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Int'l
  9. Toronto Pearson Int'l
  10. Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok, Thailand)

Climbing the charts and overtaking 2007 winner Philadelphia International for the number one and two spots are Newark Liberty International and John F. Kennedy International, two of the busiest airports in the U.S., both located in the New York metropolitan area. And, thanks to some of the nation's longest and most frequent delays (average delay time is 65 minutes) and a plethora of amenities, they are also two of the best airports to make a connection. The next time you're stuck in either of these East Coast travel "hubs of love," don't despair. Find a fellow flyer and grab a gingerbread latte in one of JFK's 17 coffee shops, or share a bite to eat in one of Newark's 52 restaurants. If you've got an extra-long layover, treat someone special to a massage at one of Newark's two airport spas (available in Terminals B and C), or show off your cultured side at JFK's art gallery store.

Best Chance for Romance

Other top airports in the AXE "Best and Worst Airports to Make a Connection" study include Minneapolis (with an annual average of 85 days of snow plus 16 bars to kill time), Dallas (30 percent of all flights are delayed) and San Francisco, which has moved up since the 2007 study due to its increase in fog-related delayed flights and abundance of date-inducing amenities, including wine tastings and massage spas. Philadelphia, which received top-honors in 2007, dropped slightly to number three in this year's study thanks to an increase in on-time flights. But Philly flyers shouldn't fear - with an average of 247 days of obscured visibility per year, there should still be plenty of delays to give passengers time to play.

On the global front, Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport ranked eighth overall, but is the top spot for making connections overseas (ooh la la!). Other cities to begin a long-distance romance include Rome (which tops the list in delayed and cancelled flights), London's Heathrow Airport (boasts short-term hotel cabins in case you really hit it off) and Montreal-Pierre Int'l (an average of 92 days of snow to keep you grounded).

On-Time = No Time for Mingling

While you might be excited to get a jump on that winter tan, the worst airports on the list don't leave you much time for first-class flirting. Which airports will leave you out in the cold this season? Steer clear of dead-last Phoenix (80 percent of flights are on time), Charlotte (too few amenities), and Los Angeles (hot weather, cold-shouldered celebs). And while Las Vegas might be lucky for some, McCarran International is the 6th worst airport in the world to score a date.

Survey Says

In addition to the study, AXE commissioned research firm StrategyOne to survey 1,000 adults ages 18-34 about their habits when it comes to travel and romance - and the results show that travelers are getting more out of their flights than just an extra pack of peanuts. Two out of three respondents (66 percent) said they would consider going on a date with someone they met while traveling, and 59 percent have flirted with someone while at the airport or on a plane.

Complete List of International Airport "Connection" Rankings

  1. Liberty Int'l (Newark, N.J.)
  2. John F. Kennedy Int'l (New York)
  3. Philadelphia Int'l
  4. Dallas/Ft. Worth Int'l
  5. Minneapolis - St. Paul Int'l
  6. San Francisco Int'l
  7. Charles de Gaulle (Paris, France)
  8. O'Hare Int'l (Chicago)
  9. London Heathrow Airport
  10. Rome Fiumicino Airport
  11. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
  12. Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Int'l
  13. Miami Int'l
  14. Frankfurt am Main Airport
  15. Singapore Changi Int'l
  16. Capital Airport (Beijing, China)
  17. Hong Kong Int'l
  18. Sydney Airport
  19. Narita Airport (Tokyo, Japan)
  20. George Bush Intercontinental (Houston, TX)
  21. Vancouver Int'l
  22. Orlando Int'l
  23. Denver Int'l
  24. Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok, Thailand)
  25. Toronto Pearson Int'l
  26. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Int'l
  27. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
  28. McCarran Int'l (Las Vegas)
  29. Dubai Int'l (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
  30. Charlotte Douglas Int'l
  31. Los Angeles Int'l
  32. Madrid Barajas Int'l Airport
  33. Phoenix Sky Harbor Int'l

The AXE "Best and Worst Airports to Make a Connection" study, conducted by Sperling's BestPlaces, was based on the 33 largest international airports in terms of passenger volume and aimed to show which airports provide the best opportunities for "making a connection" with a fellow traveler. The study considered everything from the number of connecting, delayed and missed flights in each airport, to the airport's historical weather conditions, to the number of bars, restaurants and activities per passenger per airport.