An airport’s purpose is to help you get somewhere. So the best airports are the ones which do that most efficiently.
- They are easy to get to (close to where people are coming from and going, with convenient transportation options)
- They are easy to get through (parking and rental car return near the terminal, security near the airport entrance, and gates near security, an efficient baggage system so that airlines that try to deliver bags quickly like Delta and Alaska may do so)
- They are easy for planes to get in and out of quickly (no congested alleys, sufficient taxi and runway capacity)
High-end retail helps pay for an airport, since the airport is taking a cut of sales (and often the airlines are, too). But the shopping experience isn’t integral to what makes a great airport.
Airports should also be clean; offer sufficiently staffed food and sundries options for travelers staying a variety of lengths of time; have decent lounge and shower facilities if international connecting gateways; and offer enough space around gates with seating, power ports, and wifi.
And that’s why J.D. Power’s list of best airports is so weird.
- They show San Diego as average, Houston Hobby as below average and LaGuardia as worse than that, Washington’s National airport as even worse still, and probbaly only nails that Philadephia is absolute rock bottom among large airports.
- Among ‘mega airports’ Minneapolis and Detroit are listed at the top (they are good!) but followed by Phoenix which is trash.
New York JFK is listed as sixth best, which seems insane, but no more so than listing Miami as 8th best and ahead of San Francisco which is actually more than decent.
Denver, at least, is listed as being below average along with Atlanta, LAX and Chicago O’Hare with Charlotte and Newark being the two worst in the category in the U.S.
What’s The Best Airport In The United States For A Major City?
My favorite U.S. airport is Washington National. It is close to the city center, well-connected by public transit, and all connections at the airport can be made on foot (going to or from Southwest, Frontier, Air Canada and other airlines requires re-clearing security).
It’s a beautiful facility, with my favorite American Airlines lounge, plus United and Delta lounges, as well as options from American Express and Capital One.
American Airlines Admirals Club, E Concourse
Capital One Landing
Even the terminal 1 ‘banjo’ has its charms, even if it lacks for amenities.
And the historic lobby is a special place. Too bad it’s now just used for events.
Now that they’ve gotten rid of gate 35X, and connected all of the terminal 2 concourses behind security, it’s the airport is a much better experience overall. I don’t like backups into passenger chutes to exit into baggage claim, and I don’t like slot controls, but overall my complaints about this airport are few.
Notably, Washington’s Dulles airport does not offer nearly this same experience. It is far from the city. Once you reach the airport you’re still nowhere near your gates. And the major tenant of the airport, United, still operates out of ‘temporary’ gates built in the 1980s.
What’s The Worst Major City Airport In America?
Passengers in the American Airlines D terminal spent months walking up to a mile between gates because of safety issues with the terminal’s train. With DCA’s gate 35X gone, there may be no worse gate in America than Miami’s D60.
Yet surely the Denver airport is actually much worse. It’s nowhere near the actual city of Denver. It has the worst TSA setup in the country with consistently the longest waits to clear security.
The airport’s train system keeps breaking down. Denver’s airport has been a disaster for the past 30 years – since the time leading up to its opening. Case studies in failure have been written about its baggage handling system.
The airport is terrible to get to and from, and to get out to its gates and back, for local passengers. In fairness, if you’re only using it as a connecting airport the experience isn’t nearly so bad. And the lounges, though crowded, are good!
What’s The Most Overrated Airport In The Country?
This one is easy: New York LaGuardia. It went from a dump that was still easy to get through, with security by the entrances and gates right behind those checkpoints, to a suburban shopping mall with much longer walks.
To be sure, the old Central Terminal was ugly and leaking.
Yet for all the renovation, we didn’t get the airport any better connected to the city, and we didn’t get an additional runway. Instead, we traded the future stream of retail income for more attractive buildings. I will die on the hill that this was the wrong way to prioritize limited resources. Yet the airport is now hailed as a marvel.
Newark is Newark, everyone knows the problems of New York JFK, but the issue with LaGuardia is it somehow has garnered a positive reputation that doesn’t match the reality.
Which Airports Have Seen The Greatest Underinvestment?
Legacy US Airways hubs at Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Charlotte have known what it takes to please their major tenant. Their focus has had to be on costs, rather than their facilities. Not that Philadelphia is low cost, doing anything there is expensive, but that’s also precisely why they’ve been unable to do anything there to improve. Filthadelphia is terrible, while Charlotte is simply not built for the passenger volume, moving walkways are almost always broken, and walks from the E concourse to connect to mainline American Airlines are miserable.
What About Other Major Airports?
Atlanta has a miserable setup for TSA, and some terrible walks. It isn’t conveniently situated. The region could use another airport, but Delta has enough political clout that they’ve blocked this.
Chicago O’Hare is unpleasant to get to, but I still love the tunnel connecting the B and C concourses. The physical spaces United occupies there (except for E) are so much nicer than the American Airlines concourses. They’re sure spread out, though! But they do a great job connecting B and C with that tunnel. Here’s the original backstory.
Chicago O’Hare B-C Tunnel
Detroit is a good, convenient airport despite being mismanaged. San Francisco is a very good airport, while LAX is a disaster. At least the terminals at LAX have been connected now, and they’re building a train system that’ll simultaneously make the airport less convenient (more steps to getting there) while hopefully relieving congestion – at a cost of more than $1 billion per mile. Still, the project should improve on what’s currently the worst airport rideshare situation in the country.
I have no idea in what world SAN would lead over LGA. Might be easier to get but that’s about it. Maybe with the new terminal that’s opening.
MIA is the worst airport in the US. If you found a bunch of meth/crack/fentanyl addicts and asked them to design an airport, so they could support their horrible habit, you’d end up with MIA.
Just curious why you consider PHX trash?
As a PHX resident the airport is easy with parking etc. and the train between the terminals, parking, and rental cars makes it pretty straightforward. Security is generally very organized as well.
Compared to some of the airports that you mention it is far superior. As a former Exec Plat on AA for many years I avoid CLT and PHL if at all possible.
Sure better transit to LGA would be, you know, nice (take the Q70 bus from the subway, it’s free!). Sure you walk a bit more now (I hear 10,000 steps a day is healthy?). But it’s a very, very pleasant space to spend time, and the ride share pick up area has plenty of space and is efficient. I’ll take the new LGA over the old one 10 out of 10 days of the week. I’ll take the new LGA over EWR 15 out of 10 days of the week. If you want to talk overrated, the new EWR TA should not get a pass – it’s a costly monstrosity that is light years from the air train, it always “feels” overcrowded, it has jet bridges that block the outside views and it has lounges that are new and nice but open to the terminal below and loud and not as big as you’d want them to be. But yeah, Newark is Newark… but we haven’t even talked about terminal B yet! Oof.
Highly disagree on Philly being rock bottom (although I agree it is not at the top) – PreCheck security is extremely quick (I can’t recall the last time I waited more than 5 minutes, and usually I’m at the ID check in under 60 seconds), a lounge situation that has improved immensely between Chase and the new AA FL/AC, all gates connected airside with a short and frequent shuttle between F and A/C, and a large number of local restaurants that is still growing (Sabrina’s is a great place for breakfast).
There is a single-seat direct connection to downtown via train (unlike (EWR/LGA/JFK/BOS/BWI) and I can always grab a taxi within a couple minutes. Parking is relatively affordable both for off-site shuttles and parking with a quick walk into the terminal. Once at the front door of the terminal, you don’t need to hop on a train or walk a crazy long distance to get to your gate (unlike ATL/IAD/DEN).
The airport has been above average for top 30 US airports on-time records in 2021-2024, despite having AA and F9 as the two largest airlines.
What makes Philly so awful in your eyes?
I fully, fully, anticipate that the one thing upon which people in Washington will agree is that BWI is a better airport than DCA.
/s
Agree with all that, except that IAD has grown on me. If you are in NOVA outside the beltway, it is easy to get to, and that is where a lot of the region’s growth is. But there is still way too much walking and riding to get to the gates. C/D is old and crowded, though it has a Polaris lounge. But A/B is very nice, walkable from security, and has good lounges for the non-US airlines. DCA T2 has definitely upped its lounge game. BWI is the airport in the area I least prefer.
PHL suffers from never having replaced its cramped concourses and not making enough efforts on cleanliness. However, I will agree EWR Terminal B is somehow even worse.
I detest O’Hare. I will do everything in my power to avoid a plane change there. I especially hate the fact that most connecting flights, at least for me, involve the tunnel between B & C. I find nothing remotely charming about that tunnel. PHL, on the other hand, is my home airport so perhaps that explains my affinity for it. It is very easy to access and not that hard to get around once you are there. My only complaint, now that AA has upgraded their lounges there, is the TSA check point in Terminal A, the international terminal, is small and lacks a dedicated Pre Check line.
Hate on PHL is so tired these days. Yeah, the airport needs a rebuild. But it’s also extremely easy to connect, has great food, and precheck lines are always a breeze. Lounge options are great now.
the worst part about the new terminal B at LGA is the carpet. i realize that it’s there to dampen noise, but one would think they could’ve used different construction materials and made all of the floors tile so it wouldn’t be a massive pain to roll carry ons around the terminal
I’m with you on so many of these opinions, but to say Atlanta isn’t “conveniently situated” is bonkers. It is inside the 285 perimeter less than ten miles from downtown Atlanta with easy access to all of the interstates. Atlanta’s subway system doesn’t go deep into the burbs, but the airport station is steps from baggage claim. Any new airport in the region will have to be FAR up north – which you ding other airports for, like Dulles and Denver, in this very article.
@Arthur – Agreed. Silver line extension has been huge as well.
Also agreed on BWI. (Hahaha yep, @jfhscott) I don’t even consider BWI as part of the area and always get annoyed I have to manually type “IAD, DCA” instead of “WAS” on Google flights.
I don’t know why EWR is always at the bottom ranking. I think the airport is just fine. Yes, it is expensive parking but what is cheap in the tri-state area? Yes, there are always constructions around the airport and it is always traffic, but NJ is so small so it must be crowded. Yes, there are delays (sometimes), but what airport does not have any delays? And yes, it has few toilets although not many like other airports do. In general, it is a lovely airport with few bars, restaurants and shops. Maybe I am an easy going person, but I think EWR should be ranked higher, not at the bottom.
@jfhscott:
Please tell us what brand of crack you’re smoking. I’ve been to airports in Iran that are better-run than the dreckhole that is BWI. Lousy food options, threadbare gate areas (outside of the WN gates), lousy lounge options, interminable wait times for checked bags (regardless of who you fly), a rental car center far from the terminal and plenty of speedtraps and power-happy MTA cops swarming the place (while Baltimore burns) are just some of the features of this pit of Hades. Not to mention the corrupt MD government continues to subsidize international service, since no airline would do it on their own dime (it’s the same as tying a liver around your kid’s neck to get the cats to play with him). I used to live pretty near BWI, and I always went through either DCA or IAD. They should bulldoze the place and salt the earth, so nothing will ever grow there.
I live near SAN so being in the middle makes sense – even before the new T1 opened this week. I rarely fly out of the low budget terminal. T2 isn’t bad. Only thing I dislike is how long it takes our baggage handlers to offload. It’s a guaranteed 30 minutes. Never less.
The one airport I will fly around to avoid is Denver. If United puts a connecting gate 30 minutes away, with no train, making you walk past empty gates till you get to the end of the dungeon basement and miss your connection because you sat on the tarmac waiting for a plane to get out of the way? Nope. I hate that airport. I will fly LAX before DEN.
DCA is great unless you’re flying from the old terminal which is a small, cramped, shithouse.
I think the comments show that what people look for in airports, and therefore what are the best and worst airports, is highly highly highly subjective. Me personally, most airports I’ve gone through have done the job. Some airports like JFK and ORD are horribly congested leading to long waits on the taxiway, but other than that I really can’t say I’ve had a problem with a lot of airports I’ve been through.
‘This is a load of barnacles.’ I’d trust J.D. Power’s assessment here about as much as I’d trust J.D. (our VP), which is to say… not much (and please, leave that poor couch alone!)
NYC airports are doing far better than ‘just fine’ these days. (@Peter is right, yet again). The new LGA (both Terminal B and C) are incredible since the renovations completed (and Terminal B there will be even better soon with the new Cap One lounge there).
The new EWR Terminal A is also incredible (and in 2026, a new Centurion there); even EWR C has two refurbished UnitedClubs that get the job done (of course, Polaris, too). Even Terminal B, if flying BA or Le Compagnie have decent lounges there.
JFK T4 and T8 have excellent lounges (DeltaOne, Soho, and Chelsea stand out to me), and while the construction is often disruptive, when T1 and T5-6-7 are open, it’ll all be worthwhile, soon enough.
All of these are relatively well-connected with public transit, rideshares, etc. NYC can take on any all other cities, any day, any time. We have actual competition among domestic and international carriers. Boohoo to those that think John Wayne (psh), MSP, or TPA could ever compete.
Absolutely positively without a shadow of a doubt MIA’s D60 is at the bottom of the gate barrel.
Add in the connecting flight experience of walking from the single number gates to 60 ……
You constantly crap all over Denver but I don’t understand it. Yes it’s a big airport, but it’s fine. I’ve been flying out of DEN for the last 10 years roughly 2 times a month and I think only one time has the train not been operational and it was quickly resolved. I feel like you don’t actually fly out of there, just parrot other stupid nonsense you see online.
@MIAZiggy — At least MIA Terminal D has a train. If you arrived at D60 and had to go to D1, unless you appreciate the exercise, you could hop on SkyTrain station 4 and go to station 1.
Now, if we really wanted to gripe about MIA, I’d start with how ancient Terminal F is… that place is stuck in the 1970s. Mostly Frontier, and some random Dominican and Cuban airlines there.
Gary,
You haven’t been through Denver security in over a year and it shows. It is now one of the better/best.
Also, making fun of the DIA baggage handling system from problems it had upon opening 30 years ago? Move on dude.
[Atlanta has a miserable setup for TSA, and some terrible walks. It isn’t conveniently situated. The region could use another airport, but Delta has enough political clout that they’ve blocked this.]
I’m not sure why Atlanta should have a second airport nearby. The city is not even in the top 30 cities in the USA by population. Maybe make sure that all of the top 20 cities by population have at least two major airports first and then consider it. If it was to have a second airport, Delta should build it because they are the reason why there are so many flights at ATL.
Gary, your repetitive bashing of LGA got tedious a long time ago. LGA doesn’t try to be anything it’s not, it’s the 3rd largest airport in/near NYC with no space for footprint expansion. Building another runway was never an option. The fact that an entire new airport was built in the existing footprint, while never closing the old airport, is an amazing feat of design and construction engineering. The fact that gates are now further from the curb and security is mega-important to you only, everyone else loves the new airport.
Maybe instead of always bashing LGA you could offer some appreciation and compliments, it’s a universe nicer and better than the old LGA and many other airports. Not all airports can be like Jerkwater Isolated Austin Texas airport, the 30th busiest US airport, with its small handful of passengers. And based on all available evidence, you should appreciate LGA distances from curb to gates, it’s good exercise.
LGA’s Terminal A has the longest walk I ever experienced — especially when I had knee trouble. What happened to moving pathways? You’d think they don’t have them to facilitate retail access, but there was no retail along that stretch when I was there.
There you go again, knocking Denver. We live in a northern Denver suburb (35 minutes away) and have experienced none of the issues you raise. While we are Global Entry / TSA Plus holders, we are typically through security in about 10 minutes. I think the regular security lines are ok as well. We have never experienced a train delay, and the baggage system issues do not exist, as that was over 30 years ago. It is clean, efficient, and moves a hell of a lot of people through on a daily basis. I am sure there are issues, but I would rate DIA as near the top, not near the bottom.
@jns…you are looking at city populations only. In terms of metro area population (a better indicator of market size in this case), the Atlanta MSA is in the top ten.
@Steve S – Yes, I was through Denver security this summer and wrote about it. The signage is terrible for directing passengers to the right queues even!
@JB — LGA Terminal A? The tiny ‘marine air terminal’ with just Spirit today?? Surely, you meant one of the other terminals… (the new Terminal C has some longer walks, for instance.)
It seems to me like a lot of the LAX hate is centered around getting to/from the airport rather than the airport itself. The terminals, while rather siloed, aren’t that much better or worse than any other airport’s. But going between terminals can be a bit of an effort. Then again I don’t mind walking…as evidenced by the fact I will go out of my way to visit the Star Alliance lounge at Bradley when my flight is departing from Terminal 7/8.
@Longtimelistener — Thank you for correcting @jns on this often repeated misnomer about city vs. metro area and the total population. For instance, the city of Jacksonville, Florida, takes up nearly the entire surface area of Duval County, making it ‘on paper’ larger and more populous than the ‘city of Miami,’ but, no one reasonably would think Jacksonville is larger or more populous than the SoFla megalopolis. I think @jns knows better, and maybe just was playing dumb about Atlanta, or he has an irrational hate for that particular city for whatever reason… (like some of y’all do for Chicago, and it ain’t because of sports…)