Travelers continue to be fed up with expensive airfare, crowded lounges and full flights, but there’s a huge bright spot in the travel experience: the airport.
That’s according to research from J.D. Power, which released its annual North America airport satisfaction study on Wednesday. The results broadly followed the same trends as last year, with overall satisfaction scores continuing to increase.
The study is the latest evidence of a powerful trend that has seen U.S. airports — including those once derided as “third-world” by then-Vice President Joe Biden — undergo drastic transformations into terminals perfectly designed to serve modern passengers, including both frequent flyers and occasional travelers.
Related: Washington, DC’s Reagan National Airport plans $800 million expansion
For the study, J.D. Power divided airports into three categories: “Mega” airports see 33 million or more passengers per year. “Large” airports are transited by 10 million to 32.9 million passengers each year. And “medium” airports serve 4.5 million to 9.9 million passengers annually.
The study ranks airports in each category on a scale of 1,000 points. Notably, the average score in each segment was higher than in 2025, which in turn had climbed significantly from 2024.
Every category of airport improved even higher than 2025
Customer satisfaction with mega airports was an average of 14 points higher in 2026 compared to the previous year, while large airports gained 13 points and medium airports improved by 16 points.
In 2026, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) led the mega category, mirroring results from the past two years. The airport scored 684 points. Tampa International Airport (TPA) led large airports with 715 points, and Charleston International Airport (CHS) was the top-performing medium airport with 712 points.
In the “mega” category, MSP was followed by Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) with 663 points and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) with 642 points.
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Portland International Airport (PDX) ranked second among large airports with 708 points, while Dallas Love Field (DAL) followed in third place with a score of 698.
Ontario International Airport (ONT) in California was the runner-up among medium airports with 705 points, while Indianapolis International Airport (IND) — which has led the category for the last four years — ranked third with a score of 695.
You can see the full results at the bottom of this story.
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The results are based on surveys of 24,710 U.S. or Canadian residents who had traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport within the past 30 days. The survey was fielded between July 2025 and July 2026.
It focused on seven key factors:
- Ease of travel through the airport
- Level of trust in the airport
- Terminal facilities
- Airport staff
- Food and retail experience
- Experience departing from or arriving at the airport via plane
- Experience arriving at or departing from the airport via ground transport
What’s behind increasing satisfaction with North American airports?
The improving experience at North American airports is largely the result of various construction projects completed over the past few years, ranging from brand-new terminal buildings and expansions to runway repairs, which have led to fewer delays.
“For the better part of the last decade, nearly every airport, from the largest international hubs to midsized airfields, has undertaken a significant capital improvement project aimed at streamlining passenger flow, adding attractive food and beverage options and improving
overall passenger experience,” Michael Taylor, J.D. Power’s managing director of travel, hospitality and retail, said in a statement.
“On the whole, those efforts are finally starting to pay off in the form of higher overall passenger satisfaction scores,” Taylor added. “However, when it comes to the individual experiences of passengers, every detail counts and the specific design and structural decisions airports make can have a significant influence on how passengers spend their time — and their money — in the terminal.”
Related: Chicago O’Hare is a huge construction site — here’s what’s going up
Notably, all of the highest-ranked airports in the study have either recently completed or are nearing completion of extended capital improvement projects, J.D. Power noted. Many of those projects have included major transformations of the food, beverage and retail options in the terminals, giving passengers more options for where to eat or shop before a flight. While many of those improvements have included bringing local color to the airports, finding the right balance with major national chains led to the highest scores, the report found.
Or as Taylor put it during the release of last year’s report: “A decades-long trend of bringing unique, local flavor to the passenger experience has positively impacted the airport experience with these local touches having a major influence on passenger satisfaction.”
Below is the full list of airport ratings.
Mega airports
These are the best-rated mega airports in North America for 2026, according to J.D. Power.
Large airports
These are the best-rated large airports in North America for 2026, according to J.D. Power.
Medium airports
These are the best-rated medium airports in North America for 2026, according to J.D. Power.
