From where I live, the only airport that has direct flights is into LAX. We fly to DLR in December, so I prefer direct flights to avoid getting stranded in layover cities because of unexpected snowstorms. If we get a cancellation, at least we're at home.
Flights with connections are priced about the same into SNA as LAX. However, there's a great low-cost nonstop that arrives at 9:21 a.m. into LAX. The earliest flight with a connection arriving into SNA s 12:30 p.m., three hours later. It's about the same price as the direct.
So factoring in direct vs. connecting and an earlier arrival by three hours, we fly into LAX. Is it a nightmare? No. I feel no anxiety flying into LAX because the process is the same, just on a larger scale.