The Best Airports in North America
If you travel often, you know that some airports can completely transform your journey. The best ones make connections a breeze, offer delicious dining options, and provide clean, comfortable spaces to relax before your flight. On the flip side, a bad airport can be stressful due to crowds, dirty facilities, and limited dining options.
J.D. Power just released its Annual North America Airport Satisfaction Study, which ranks best and worst airports to fly through. J.D. Power surveyed passengers on seven factors:
- Ease of travel through the airport
- Level of trust with the airport
- Terminal facilities
- Airport staff
- Departure airport experience
- Food, beverage, and retail
- Arrival/departure from the airport experience
For the survey, airports were categorized into three groups: mega airports (with 33 million or more passengers per year), large airports (with 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year), and medium airports (with 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year).
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The Best Mega Airports
- Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
- Harry Reid International Airport
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The Best Large Airports
- John Wayne Airport, Orange County
- Tampa International Airport
- Dallas Love Field
- Kansas City International Airport
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport
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The Best Medium Airports
- Indianapolis International Airport
- Ontario International Airport
- Buffalo Niagara
- Jacksonville International Airport
- Palm Beach International Airport
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The Worst Mega Airports
- Newark Liberty International Airport
- Toronto Pearson International Airport
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
- O’Hare International Airport
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The Worst Large Airports
- Philadelphia International Airport
- Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
- St. Louis Lambert International Airport
- Calgary International Airport
- Washington Dulles International Airport
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The Worst Medium Airports
- Edmonton International Airport
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
- Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport
- Eppley Airfield
- Kahului Airport
Related:How To Skip To The Front Of The Airport Security Line…Every Time
While some airports have improved in the last year, none of the mega airports saw a significant jump in the rankings; the most notable were Miami International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, both moving up three spots from eleventh to eighth and seventeenth to fourteenth, respectively.
For large airports, however, a few saw significant jumps: Raleigh-Durham jumped eight spots from thirteenth to fifth, and Vancouver International rose seven spots from fifteenth to eighth.
Medium airports had no significant jumps in the rankings either. Hollywood Burbank had the biggest rise, moving up four spots, from thirteenth to ninth.
Next time you fly, consider avoiding these airports, ranked the lowest for customer satisfaction. However, if your home airport is one of these lower-ranked ones, don’t panic. Just be sure to arrive at the airport in plenty of time and pack some food, so the lack of ease and convenience while there won’t add to your stress level.