There are thieves, snowstorms, crowds, and the ever present threat of terrorism.
And in all that confusion, it's easy for something terrible to happen - like this.
Authorities in California say when a woman who was traveling to Mexico went through security screenings at Los Angeles International Airport, she misunderstood what agents told her.
The passenger, who speaks very little English, was asked to put her possessions in a tray so they could be X-rayed. But along with her keys, change and other items, the grandmother also put something else in the plastic bin - her one-month-old grandson.
Before security personnel could reach him, the infant had been whisked through the machine and exposed to the radiation. Officials were able to grab the container and pull it out after it was halfway through and immediately called medical personnel.
The child was rushed to a local hospital but didn't appear to have suffered any permanent damage as a result of the exposure.
"The lady obviously mistakenly put the baby in the machine," explains U.S. Transportation Security Administration spokesman Nico Melendez. "It was an unfortunate incident."
It's only the second time in history that such "an unfortunate incident" has been recorded at LAX. In 1988, a baby in a car seat was accidentally passed through an X-ray scanner.
Security personnel, who are already hard pressed to keep up with watching the airport comings-and-goings, will be even more vigilant in future to ensure there's never a repeat of the accident.
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