America’s 10 worst airport websites
Hello!
My name is Theodore, I’m a member of the CanDoCanGo team and I personally believe that travelling should be accessible to everyone.
I have recently been through every website of all the major and many of the smaller airports in the United States in order to write general information articles about those airports and their accessibility features for CanDoCanGo.
I am dyslexic and have ADHD. During the course of my research I tried to approach every website firstly as a casual visitor, who might or might not have any disabilities or special needs, and secondly as a web researcher.
Among the US airport websites I have found some that were really well-designed, truly informative and easy to navigate. For example, Norfolk International Airport’s site was one of the best American airport websites I have seen – and I’ve seen a lot of them!
Sadly, I have also found some airport websites that were really not so good in one way or another. They may have been hard to navigate; they may have had little or no mention of any accessibility facilities or services for people with special needs found at the airport itself; or they may have missed something else which would’ve been important for the typical visitor, with disabilities or otherwise.
Finally, I have also found a few special airport websites that were very bad, so offensively, incredibly bad they actually made me really depressed at first, then amused, and finally deeply thoughtful.
I discussed this problem with CanDoCanGo’s management and we decided that we should bring this to the public’s attention; people should know which airport websites are so bad that it is really a waste of time to browse them until they are updated or otherwise fixed.
Therefore we bring you:
America’s 10 worst airport websites!
Make no mistake; each and every one of these websites has more than one serious problem that make it frustrating, hard to navigate and on some occasions almost unusable and a waste of time to browse unless you are there to laugh at the online absurdities and not actually using the website as a future passenger.
I have included links and screenshots in each airport website’s specific article to clearly demonstrate why and how each of them underdelivers in more than one area.
So here they are:
No.10: Greater Rochester International Airport
I had to pick the tenth worst airport website among eleven runner ups. While I was still undecided, I was browsing Greater Rochester International Airport’s website (which is not even a proper website of its own) and I stumbled upon “Order a Birth or Death Certificate”, a totally irrelevant link to anyone who wants to travel through the airport and browses for information airport info… Then I had a winner for tenth place!
“Greater Rochester International Airport’s Website (which is actually a sub-page) is hard to navigate and it will cause headaches if you click the wrong link and get stuck amidst information on Monroe County’s affairs…” Read more
No.9: Branson Airport
Branson Airport is new, since it opened in 2009. But this also means that they have had more than a year to make a decent web page and so far they haven’t, sorry. With more than ten advertisement and promotional banners in its homepage alone, Branson Airport’s website is neither a pretty sight nor easy to navigate.
“I expected a modern and considerate approach from the website of the only privately owned, privately operated commercial service airport in the United States. Sadly that does not seem to be the case with Branson Airport’s website…” Read more
(Updated: 21 August 2011)
No.8: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
I think whoever designed Cleveland Hopkins International Airport really tried to make it work, but somehow many mistakes added up to make the page hard to navigate, not to mention that their “Persons-with-Disabilities” web page was misplaced under a sub-page about parking and therefore very hard to find.
“I had to use specialised search engine tools to find what little information on accessibility and services for passengers with special needs there was on Cleveland Hopkins International Airport’s official website. And when I found it I was struck by sheer absurdity!…” Read more
No.7: Jackson-Evers International Airport
Searching for accessibility information in Jackson-Evers International Airport’s website was truly a nerve-wrecking experience for many reasons and the gross amount of self-promotion through the airport’s pages did not help much.
“While I was doing research to write the general US airport information articles for CanDoCanGo there weren’t many websites that frustrated me and depressed me more than Jackson-Evers International Airport’s official website…” Read more
No.6: McCarran International Airport
Bordering on being offensive, McCarran International Airport’s website has terrible website accessibility and depressingly little information on the accessibility features of the actual airport. My experience with browsing their website led me to think of the silly “The McCarran International Airport Website Accessibility Info Blitz!” game. You can find more info about that silly game in the article about the airport’s website.
“McCarran International Airport‘s mission statement is ‘To provide excellence in customer service and airport facilities.’
“To that end there are more than 1,200 slot machines throughout McCarran International Airport’s terminals and fewer than 155 words on accessibility, ADA, wheelchairs, special needs, disability services and all that, throughout their official website…” Read more
No.5: Billings Logan International Airport
If this had been “America’s 10 hardest to navigate airport websites” then Billings Logan International Airport’s website could’ve probably been No.1.
“I had to spend more than an hour and use specialised search engine tools, but eventually I found the only relevant reference to the airport’s accessibility facilities and services…. In a subsection of an airport FAQ at the general Billings website. Does it make sense to you? Me neither!…” Read more
No.4: San Francisco International Airport
“Wrong priorities”. That’s the phrase that, in my opinion, best describes SFO’s website design. Despite its professional design it manages to be frustrating.
“There are also dedicated pages on the airport’s Japanese ceramics exhibition, 1920s photographs of silent film stars, the 75th anniversary of the first flight of the China Clipper, kid’s sports and much more! WOW!
“Impressive, I say… but… oh wait… something’s not right… What about more essential passenger services like wheelchair assistance, text phones, accessible lifts?…” Read more
No.3: Houston Airport System
Three airports in one website: how bad can that be? Well, Houston Airport System’s website will show you!
“After so much digging through sub-sub-sub-sections visitors are faced with the depressingly, ridiculously and insultingly short ‘ADA amenities’ phrase and nothing else!
“Yep, that is only two words (mentioned twice) about disabled people, wheelchairs, ADA, special needs, elderly people and so much more. Houston Airport System’s website developers surely are laconic (to the point of absurdity!)…” Read more
No.2: Spokane International Airport
Spokane International Airport’s website offends people in more than one way, especially if they are wheelchair users.
“Oh yeah, you are reading it right, folks!
“Their ONLY mention of wheelchairs, accessibility etc is about the etiquette of tipping for wheelchair users in their airport?! Seriously?!
“This adds insult to injury, and definitely earns them a spot in America’s 10 worst airport websites…” Read more
America’s Absolutely Worst Airport Website: El Paso International Airport
This website is truly mindblowing, especially for an international airport! A true king among the worst US airport websites, I knew it deserved first place the moment I set my eyes on its “Terminal – Services” web page.
“Terrible (really) “Terminal – Services” (sic) web page with no useful info, outdated data and more. Must be seen to be believed!…” Read more
I truly believe that all the websites above must be dramatically improved soon. If our articles increase awareness and motivate the airports’ authorities to improve their websites even a tiny bit, then the team of CanDoCanGo will be happy.
Feel free to leave comments if you feel that you disagree with me, but please first visit the airport websites to see for yourself what I saw. Thanks!