With passenger numbers reaching record levels across the US, airports are struggling to cope with the pressure. For nearly two decades leading data firm JD Power has been surveying passengers about their experiences, and its North America Airport Satisfaction Study scores America's best and worst airports in mega, large and medium-sized categories (we've combined all three into one ranking).
The results of the 2024 study have just been released. Click through this gallery to discover the international American airports you should really try to avoid, and the ones that consistently keep their passengers happy...
Sitting a sturdy 21 points below the satisfaction average for medium-sized airports, Pittsburgh’s international gateway was let down partly by its chaotic security checkpoints, particularly during the increasingly busy early mornings. A $1.57 billion (£1.18bn) modernisation project is set to improve things, but the current construction work has impacted satisfaction levels too.
Don't let the name fool you. Washington Dulles is in Virginia and sits an inconvenient 27 miles (43km) from downtown Washington DC. It can be a fair old slog to get to the city from the airport – one of the reasons it scored 18 points below average in the satisfaction index for large airports, recording a lowly 611.
San Diego International is another hub dragged down by ongoing construction work. Roughly 50,000 passengers pass through the airport each day, and have found their experiences blighted by road closures, limited parking and delays brought on by congestion. Hopefully satisfaction levels will rise once construction wraps at the end of 2025 – though a second, smaller phase of construction will follow.
Chicago Midway may be the city’s secondary airport but it’s still very busy. More than 22 million passengers passed through its security gates in 2023, and each faced an average delay of 13.9 minutes, with two out of every 100 flights cancelled. Passengers also weren’t impressed by the bare-bones amenities, despite a $75 million (£56.5m) renovation back in 2017.
Languishing 36 points below the average satisfaction score for large airports, Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Honolulu is an airport in need of a little TLC. Even its defenders describe it as "funky but dysfunctional". Positives include the culturally themed areas and lush outdoor spaces, but they're let down by dilapidated facilities, outdated systems and general unreliability.
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Los Angeles International Airport scores just 588 – well below the average satisfaction rating for mega airports. Passengers were unhappy with long wait times and difficulties moving between its nine terminals. It was hoped that the airport’s new train system, the Automated People Mover, would help solve these issues, but the over-budget project has been massively delayed and is not set to open until 2026.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport experienced a fall from grace in this survey, plummeting from an above average rating for mega airports in 2023 to sitting nine points below average in 2024, with a total score of 586. Passengers criticised the Houston hub for rude staff, low restroom numbers and high prices for food and drink.
With passenger numbers hitting post-pandemic highs in 2024, JD Power noted a growing dissatisfaction with overcrowding in their study. A major gateway to the Caribbean, Charlotte Douglas International Airport saw its rating dip well below its category’s average this year, with passengers getting fed up with its cramped conditions and sluggish baggage delivery times.
As the largest and busiest airport in Missouri, St Louis Lambert International has problems with overcrowding and congestion. An estimated 15.9 million passengers squeeze through the cramped terminal each year, leaving the airport languishing near the bottom of the large airports category of the JD Power survey. A proposal to reconfigure the airport into a large terminal complex – replacing its current two separate terminals – cannot come soon enough.
The number of passengers flying through Cleveland Hopkins International Airport increased 13.5% in 2023, and was up 10% year-on-year through the first three months of 2024. Throw in up-to-90-minute waits to pass through security, and it's little wonder the airport scored so poorly in this year’s survey, anchoring the medium airports list with a paltry 580 points, a massive 66 points below the category average.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport sits between the cities of Seattle and Tacoma in Washington State. It clambered up a couple of places compared to last year’s rankings, but the strains of being one of America's fastest-growing airports continue to rankle customers. Reviews still mention limited food options and long walks to gates, and it sits 20 points below average in the mega airports category with 575.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport suffered the biggest fall of any airport in the JD Power survey this year. The world’s busiest airport plummeted from being among the best mega airports in the US in 2023 to being one of the worst in the new study. In the past the airport prided itself on its efficient systems, ably processing the vast passenger numbers passing through its terminals. This year, the sheer volume seems to have started to take a toll.
Chicago's O'Hare International Airport once ranked among the most groundbreaking airports in the world, but it's now in desperate need of modernisation. It’s still in the world's top 10 busiest airports, but ageing infrastructure means it's struggling to cope. Since 2023 it's dropped another three spots and now sits 26 points below the satisfaction average. A massive modernisation project called O'Hare 21 has been in the works for some time, but until concrete plans are made it will likely remain one of America's lowest-rated airports.
Newark’s Liberty International had the dubious honour of being the US airport passengers were least satisfied with last year, and it was hoped that an ambitious $2.7 billion (£2.04bn) improvement programme would fix its problems with ageing buildings and infrastructure. The airport's new state-of-the-art Terminal A opened in phases through 2023 – enough to bump Liberty down to second worst on JD Power’s new list.
Scoring a lowly 541, Philadelphia’s International Airport was the worst-performing US international airport across all three size categories. Passengers cited congestion and delays, ageing facilities, limited dining and shopping, and the confusing layout of its terminals as the main problems. "There is still much to be done to improve PHL",said the airport’s CEO, Atif Saeed, in 2023. That remains the case in 2024.
Now read on for America's 15 best airports according to the JD Power survey...
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport slipped one spot in the mega airports category in 2024, not because it did anything wrong but because JFK International Airport upped its game. The airport continues to serve Dallas and Fort Worth with 67 non-stop international destinations, with a satisfaction rating 28 points above the category average. And with a $9 billion (£6.77bn) improvement plan in the works, things will only get better.
After slowly dropping down the satisfaction rankings for the past three years, New York City’s busiest airport came roaring back in 2024 with a score of 628, a good 33 points above the category average. It seems that the $19 billion (£14.3bn) renovation project started in 2022 to improve security, layout and amenities has finally started to pay dividends.
2024 saw Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport leapfrog ten places in JD Power’s mega airports category, turning a poor satisfaction rating in 2023 to one 38 points above the average. Situated just three miles (5km) from downtown Phoenix, it’s certainly convenient. But it’s also dubbed America’s friendliest airport, with staff training programmes emphasising warmth and courteousness.
With its modern, well-planned terminals and excellent shopping and restaurants, you can generally count on Detroit’s Metropolitan Wayne County Airport being near the top of customer satisfaction charts. In 2023 it topped JD Power's mega airports category, and although it has slipped a place in 2024 it's still an impressive 48 points above average. Kids (and some adults) still can’t get enough of the musical light tunnel that connects the concourses.
Houston’s second biggest airport continues to outrank its intercontinental sibling, the George Bush, with an impressive satisfaction score of 667. Passengers appreciate the efficient service and cleanliness of the terminals, as well as the opportunity to drop by the fascinating aviation museum, housed in the airport's original Art Deco terminal (pictured), just across the way.
Passengers expect more than flights at Nashville International Airport – they expect a good time too. Fittingly for an airport serving Music City, Nashville International offers live music on its concourses, as well as great food and bars, many of which also feature live performers. The airport climbed six places in the large airports category this year, with a satisfaction score 39 points above the category average.
Located just eight miles (13km) south of downtown Milwaukee, Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is one of the biggest movers in JD Power's 2024 survey, debuting near the top of the medium airports category after not featuring in 2023. Passengers were impressed by its convenient parking, efficient security lines and comfortable amenities. They also liked its quirkiness. The Mitchell Gallery of Flight is a cool aviation museum located in the terminal, and there's a 'Welcome to Cleveland' sign painted on a nearby roof to confuse arriving passengers.
Just 10 minutes east of downtown Buffalo, this New York airport is conveniently located for city sights and for nearby Niagara Falls. More than 5.2 million passengers each year pass through the airport’s state-of-the-art terminal, a stunning crystalline structure symbolising flight. The airport moved up three places in the medium airports category and garnered an impressive score of 670 points.
2024 saw this busy twin-city hub leapfrog Detroit’s Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to become America's top-rated mega airport by customer satisfaction, beating its Michigan-based rival by an impressive 28 points. The airport has clean, well-organised terminals that allow passengers to move around seamlessly, an important consideration when more than 34.7 million people passed through in 2023 alone.
Southwest Florida International Airport serves beautiful Fort Myers and, as international airports go, is relatively small. It saw around 10 million passengers in 2023 and its airy, spacious terminal – complete with palm trees, of course – gives off a relaxed Florida vibe. It's been called 'as stress-free as airports come' – as good a reason as any for its excellent score of 675 in JD Power's survey.
Kansas City is still reaping the benefits of its new terminal, which opened in February 2023. It replaced three separate terminals dating back to 1972 and saw the airport leap up 10 places in the large airports category with a satisfaction score of 683, a remarkable 54 points above the average. Passengers seem to appreciate the speedy check-in and security in a bright modern building, as well as parking improvements and drop-off points for ride shares and buses.
Another Florida entry inside the top 10, Tampa International Airport serves the Gulf Coast with aplomb, with passengers moving quickly to its four airside terminals on an elevated rail system. It's dropped into silver medal position in the large airports category after topping the table in 2023, but its impressive score of 685 suggests that 2024's crop of passengers still like what they see.
Jacksonville International Airport serves the people of Florida’s biggest city, as well as the hordes of holidaymakers that descend on the state’s Atlantic coast each year. It hosted a record 7.4 million passengers in 2023, but still managed to move up four places in the medium airports category with a score of 686. Just 15 minutes from downtown, the airport offers free wifi, convenient parking, world-class art displays, terrific restaurants and bars and famously comfortable rocking chairs.
Our joint-highest rated airport across all categories is John Wayne Airport in Orange County, which overtook Tampa to top the large airports category with an impressive 687 points. The airport benefitted from a major improvement project in 2018, which saw its capacity increase to 20 commercial gates offering direct flights to 46 destinations, including airports in Mexico and Canada.
Flying through Indianapolis International Airport, it seems, is consistently satisfying. This vibrant, friendly airport took home the highest satisfaction rating in all three categories in 2023, and it's done it again in 2024. This year it has to share the podium with John Wayne Airport, but it's still clear that Indianapolis’ commitment to cleanliness, efficient security checks, good customer service and variety of food and retail options set a benchmark every American airport should aspire to.
Read on for the world's best airports that you've probably never heard of