These are North America’s best airports, according to J.D. Power’s 2024 rankings – The Points Guy

It’s been a busy and expensive year for travel, with record-breaking crowds and rising prices across the board. But according to a new report from J.D. Power, that hasn’t stopped travelers from enjoying the journey — especially if they’re traveling through some of the country’s best airports.

This year, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, California, and Indianapolis International Airport (IND) ranked at the top of their respective categories in the market research firm’s 2024 North America Airport Satisfaction Study.

In the “mega” airport category — which J.D. Power defines as airports with 33 million or more passengers per year — MSP took the top spot with a score of 671 on a 1,000-point scale.

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) was the runner-up in the mega category with 643 points, while Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) came in third with 633 points.

At the other end of the spectrum in the mega list, Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) finished in last place for the third year in a row, with a score of 552.

The “large” airport category, which includes airports that see 10 million to 32.9 million passengers each year, was led by SNA, with Tampa International Airport (TPA) coming in second, followed by Kansas City International Airport (MCI) in third.

IND was the top-rated “medium” airport, which J.D. Power defines as those with 4.5 million to 9.9 million passengers annually.

Travel perks: 9 domestic lounges that are worth going out of your way for

J.D. Power’s methodoly determines a scoring system out of a possible total of 1,000 points. The scores are based on surveys from 26,290 U.S. and Canadian travelers completed between August 2023 and July 2024, with questions across seven key factors: ease of travel through the airport, level of trust with the airport, terminal facilities, airport staff, experience departing from the airport on the ground, food and retail experience, and the experience arriving at or traveling to the airport.

Even with various headaches this year, J.D. Power found that airports had generally fared well despite the record crowds; 60% of passengers surveyed said that they had positive experiences at the airport and enjoyed spending time there, while another 59% said that the airport had helped “alleviate the stress of travel.”

Notably, however, passengers are spending less money, on average, in the terminals, suggesting that rising prices are taking a toll even as more people spend on vacations.

“Huge air travel demand has not slowed down in North America, despite the steadily rising costs of flights, ground travel, hotel rooms and pretty much anything you can buy in an airport,” said Michael Taylor, J.D. Power’s managing director of travel, hospitality and retail. “Most travelers are still enjoying the experience. However, we are starting to see a breaking point in consumer spending, with average spend per person in the terminal declining significantly from a year ago.”

Here is the full list of airport ratings, divided into J.D. Power’s mega, large and medium categories: