North America’s 20 Biggest Airports, Ranked by Traveler Satisfaction

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2025-09-17T10:02:01Z

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J.D. Power released its annual North America Airport Satisfaction Study on Wednesday.
The report ranks airports on a 1,000 point scaled based on how happy passengers are with them.
Newark again finished last, while Minneapolis-Saint Paul retained top spot.

Passengers are only growing more satisfied with airports even as they get busier.

Several airports reported all-time high passenger numbers last year, and the Transportation Security Administration says it’s on track to break 2024’s record of 904 million passengers across US checkpoints.

But J.D. Power’s North America Airport Satisfaction Study found that overall passenger satisfaction scores are up 10 points on its 1,000-point scale this year.

The study, released on Wednesday, is based on 30,439 surveys from Americans and Canadians who traveled through at least one airport in either country within 30 days of taking the survey, between July 2024 and July 2025.

It splits the continent’s airports into three categories based on size. Mega airports, defined as those handling at least 33 million passengers a year, rank lower on average, with passengers reporting longer wait times and more crowding.

“A big part of this recent increase in passenger satisfaction is due to recently completed improvements in many airport facilities themselves,” said Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality, and retail at J.D. Power.

Passengers who rated their airport experience as “perfect” spent an average of $42.39 in the terminal, $16 more than those who rated it as “just OK.”

Here’s how North America’s 20 mega airports ranked according to the passengers surveyed.

20. Newark Liberty International Airport

Newark is a hub airport for United Airlines.

A United Airlines airplane proceeds to a runway at Newark Liberty International Airport in front of the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City on June 1, 2025, in Newark, New Jersey. — Newark is a hub airport for United Airlines.

Score: 565/1000

2024 Passengers: 48.9 million

It’s little surprise that Newark Airport has retained the bottom position for the fourth year in a row. Runway construction and air traffic control issues caused delays of up to five hours in the spring, prompting regulators to cut the number of flights.

It’s one of United Airlines’ seven hub airports, and the carrier operates 70% of Newark’s flights.

19. Toronto Pearson International Airport

Toronto Pearson is the only Canadian airport on the list.

Score: 567/1000

2024 Passengers: 46.8 million

Canada’s busiest airport, Toronto Pearson, has remained North America’s second-worst mega airport. Its score did improve somewhat, though, up eight points from last year.

2025 has been a difficult year for the airport. In February, a Delta flight flipped over upon landing, injuring 21 people. August also saw Air Canada cabin crew walk off the job in a tense strike, almost entirely shutting down the airline’s operations.

18. Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Charlotte’s airport fell three places from last year’s ranking.

Score: 581/1000

2024 Passengers: 58.8 million

The North Carolina airport had the biggest drop from last year’s survey, falling three places to 18th.

It’s also American Airlines’ second-largest hub, behind Dallas/Fort Worth.

17. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Score: 583/1000

2024 Passengers: 52.6 million

The largest airport in the city home to Boeing, Seattle-Tacoma ranked one spot lower than last year.

That’s not great news for Alaska Airlines, which handles nearly half of the airport’s passengers. It’s planning flights to Europe next year since acquiring wide-body planes as part of its merger with Hawaiian Airlines.

16. Chicago O’Hare International Airport

Score: 586/1000

2024 Passengers: 80 million

Chicago O’Hare is the first airport on this list with a little something to celebrate, rising two places from last year. Its satisfaction score improved by 17 points.

It serves as a hub for both United and American.

ORD’s eight runways are the most of any airport in the world.

15. Los Angeles International Airport

LAX is temporarily removing its iconic sign.

Score: 589/1000

2024 Passengers: 76.6 million

California’s busiest airport is also the country’s third most popular for international flights. It slipped two places this year from 13th.

Plus, this month, workers started removing the iconic “LAX” sign as part of a roadway project to reduce traffic congestion. That could help passengers enjoy the airport more, and, fear not, the sign is set to return.

14. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Delta Air Lines’ hub is the world’s busiest airport.

Score: 590/1000

2024 Passengers: 108.1 million

ATL is not just the busiest airport in North America, but also in the world. It has 192 gates, seven terminal concourses, and five runways.

Atlanta is Delta Air Lines’ primary hub, with the airline carrying almost three-quarters of passengers here.

It also has the biggest jump on this list, up three places from last year.

13. Denver International Airport

“Mustang,” the statue outside Denver’s airport.

Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Score: 596/1000

2024 Passengers: 82.4 million

Denver International Airport is home to a particularly strange statue — a blue horse with red eyes, called “Mustang,” that has attracted conspiracy theories.

It remained in the same 13th place as in 2024, but its satisfaction score is up eight points.

Denver is another United hub, while Southwest also carries nearly one-third of its passengers. It’s also the country’s largest airport by land area.

=11. George Bush Intercontinental Airport

More than half of the passengers here fly with United.

Score: 606/1000

2024 Passengers: 48.4 million

From here on, all the airports on this list are officially better than average. Each got a score of more than 603 points, the average score among mega airports for customer satisfaction.

Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental is up two places compared to last year. It’s another of United’s seven hubs, with the airline handling more than half of the airport’s passengers.

=11. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

Score: 606/1000

2024 Passengers: 35.2 million

The home base of struggling Spirit Airlines, around 30% of passengers here fly with the budget carrier.

JetBlue ranks second with 19%, followed by Delta and Southwest.

The airport fell two positions from last year’s ranking, but tied for 11th place.

10. Boston Logan International Airport

Logan International was built on top of Boston Harbor.

Score: 608/1000

2024 Passengers: 43.5 million

Like a sizable chunk of the city, its airport is built on reclaimed land in Boston Harbor.

Named after a state senator and Army general, Logan Airport retains 10th position, narrowly making the top half. Its satisfaction score improved by 17 points.

9. San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International is ranked as passengers’ favorite United hub.

Score: 613/1000

2024 Passengers: 52.3 million

SFO may not be as big as LAX, but passengers clearly prefer it to its Southern California counterpart.

However, San Francisco International still fell two places this year.

It’s yet another United Airlines hub — 45% of passengers here flying with the carrier. Plus, it’s the highest-ranking of the six such airports on this list. (United’s seventh hub, Washington Dulles, is classified as a large airport as it has fewer than 33 million passengers.)

8. Miami International Airport

60% of passengers at Miami fly with American Airlines.

Score: 615/1000

2024 Passengers: 55.9 million

Three in every five passengers here fly with American Airlines.

The country’s second-busiest airport for international passengers, Miami, is up three spots from last year.

However, it was again beaten by another Floridian city on this list.

=6. Orlando International Airport

A man sleeping in Orlando International Airport after a hurricane last October.

Score: 618/1000

2024 Passengers: 57.2 million

Orlando rose one spot from last year to tie with New York’s JFK Airport.

Around a quarter of flights here are operated by Southwest Airlines.

=6. John F. Kennedy International Airport

A rendering of New Terminal One, set to be completed by 2030.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Score: 618/1000

2024 Passengers: 63.3 million

JFK is the US’ busiest airport for international passengers, with the most popular destination for travelers being London Heathrow.

The first phase of JFK’s New Terminal One is set to open next year, and the entire 2.6 million square foot terminal is due to be finished by 2030. The project cost $9.5 billion and hopes to be one of the best terminals in the world.

However, the airport has fallen two spots from last year, as its satisfaction score dipped by 10 points.

5. Harry Reid International Airport

The Las Vegas Strip and Harry Reid International.

Score: 619/1000

2024 Passengers: 58.4 million

Las Vegas’ airport is named for the late Democratic senator and former Senate Majority Leader.

Two in every five passengers here fly with Southwest Airlines.

It’s up one spot from last year, but its satisfaction score slightly dipped.

Some travelers may like the convenience of many of the city’s casinos being just a stone’s throw away, and in-airport slot machines.

4. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

DFW is even bigger than Manhattan.

Wirestock/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Score: 620/1000

2024 Passengers: 87.8 million

American Airlines’ primary hub, two-thirds of DFW passengers fly with the carrier. It has risen one spot from last year.

Dallas/Fort Worth International is the second-largest airport in the US, covering over 17,000 acres — more than the island of Manhattan.

Thankfully for passengers, its elevated Skylink light rail system helps transit between its five terminals.

3. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Phoenix Sky Harbor retained third position.

Score: 634/1000

2024 Passengers: 52.3 million

The top three airports have all kept the same rankings from last year.

Like DFW, Phoenix Sky Harbor has an elevated light rail to help carry passengers.

Southwest is the largest carrier here, at 34%, closely followed by American.

2. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Score: 649/1000

2024 Passengers: 33 million

Detroit’s main airport barely qualifies as a “mega” airport per J.D. Power’s definition, handling the fewest passengers on this list.

It remained in second place, but with its score rising six points, it has narrowed the gap to first place. DTW last won top place in 2023.

It too has its own light rail for passengers, and is a significant hub for Delta Air Lines, which carries more than half of the flyers here.

1. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport

Score: 660/1000

2024 Passengers: 37.2 million

Retaining the number one spot is another Delta hub. Nearly 60% of passengers at MSP fly with the airline.

The airport often ranks high for the percentage of flights that arrive and depart on time.

However, passengers were less pleased with Minneapolis-Saint Paul this year. Although it may still be at the top, its satisfaction score fell by 11 points.