best airports

What are the best, cleanest & most enjoyable airports?

Airports

Here at StuckatTheAirport.com, we often say that the best airport is the one that serves as the gateway to where you want to go.

But there are many ways – and many organizations – that evaluate airports using other measurements.

And that’s just fine.

Airports Council International (ACI) World is one of those organizations. And, in partnership with travel technology company Amadeus, ACI just announced the winners of the 2024 ASQ Airport Experience Awards, which are determined by passenger surveys.

Here are some of the North American airports that got some of the top honors. You’ll notice some patterns. An airport that gets it right in one category is likely to get it right in others.

You can see the full list of worldwide winners here.

Easiest Airport Journey

This award recognizes the top 5% of airports for their performance on the ease of going through the airport.

Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) – Grand Rapids, Michigan

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) Greer, South Carolina

Portland International Jetport (PWM) Portland, Maine

Most enjoyable airports

This award recognizes the top 5% of airports for their offering, such as restaurants, shop and entertainment, and for the their efforts towards making the waiting time enjoyable and comfortable.

Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GREE) Grand Rapids, Michigan

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) Greer, South Carolina

Indianapolis International Airport (IND) Indianapolis, Indiana

Cleanest Airport

Gerald R. Ford International Airport

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport

Indianapolis International Airport

Best Airports in the region

This honor is awarded to the top 20% of the airports with overall satisfaction.

Under 2 million passengers per year

St John’s International Airport (St John’s, Canada)

Victoria International Airport (Victoria, Canada)

2 to 5 million passengers per year

Gerald R. Ford International Airport

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport

Portland International Jetport (Portland, United States of America)

5 to 15 million passengers per year

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

Indianapolis International Airport

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

Dallas Love Field Airport

Tampa International Airport

25 to 40 million passengers per year

LaGuardia Airport

Over 40 million passengers per year

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Toronto Pearson International Airport

Which airports do travelers love the most?

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It turns out that Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) can win passengers’ hearts even without the promised aircraft viewing area with a pool announced on April Fools Day a few years back.

In the J.D. Power 2024 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, MSP ranks highest in passenger satisfaction in the ‘mega-airport’ category, followed by Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).

John Wayne Airport, Orange County (SNA) ranks highest among large airports, followed by Tampa International Airport (TPA) and Kansas City International Airport  (MCI).

Indianapolis International Airport (IND) ranks highest among medium airports (for the 3rd year in a row), Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) ranks second and Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) ranks third.

“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, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power. “Most travelers are still enjoying the experience. However, we are starting to see a breaking point in consumer spending, with the average spend per person in the terminal declining significantly from a year ago.”

The annual study calculates traveler satisfaction with North American airports in seven categories. In order of importance, those categories are ease of travel through the airport; level of trust with the airport; terminal facilities; airport staff; departure/to airport experience; food, beverage and retail; and the experience arriving at and leaving the airport.

The full lists are posted below so you can see where your favorite ranks this year.

These Airports Offer Winning Customer Service

Airports,

Great airports not only make it easy to get from here to there, but they also make sure passengers enjoy the time they spend inside the terminals.

Which airports do it best?

That can be hard to measure. But the Air Service Quality Awards, handed out by Airports Council International (ACI) since 2006, do a good job of recognizing excellence in airport customer experience and in a variety of other categories.

To pick the winners, ACI and Amadeus, a travel technology company, interview travelers while they are in airports. The surveys include questions about wayfinding, check-in, shopping and dining offerings, as well as cleanliness, staffing, and other performance indicators.

The Winners

For 2022, 144 awards are being awarded to 75 airports around the world. Categories include Best Airports by size and region, as well as Airport with the Most Dedicated Staff, Easiest Airport Journey, Most Enjoyable Airport, and Cleanest Airport.

You can see the full list of winning airports here, but we’ve picked out some highlights.

Cleanest Airports

In North America, the cleanest airport awards go to Fort McMurray International Airport (YMM) in Alberta, Canada; Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids, MN; and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) in South Carolina.

Most Enjoyable Airports

ACI says this award recognizes the top surveyed airports for their offerings (restaurants, shops, entertainment) and for their efforts to make the waiting time enjoyable and comfortable.

Fort MacMurray International Airport (YMM) and Gerald Ford International Airport (GRR) – winners in the cleanest airports category – picked up awards in this category as well, along with Willian Hobby Aiport (HOU) in Houston.

Best Airports

DFW ART in Terminal D

The Best Airport awards go to airports with the top 20% overall satisfaction score by size and region.

Here are the winners in North America:

Over 40 million passengers per year: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO);

25 to 40 million passengers: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) and Minneapolis/St Paul International Airport (MSP);

15 to 25 million passengers: San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC);

5 to 15 million passengers: Indianapolis International Airport (IND), Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), and Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE);

2 to 5 million passengers:

Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP):

Under 2 million passengers: Fort McMurray International Airport (YMM).

World’s Best Airports for Customer Service

Airports,

When it comes time to go back to airports, it will be good to know which ones are doing a good job service and hygiene-wise.

Helpful clues come from Airport Service Quality Awards, given out by Airports Council International (ACI), which measures airports based on customer surveys.

The ASQ Awards are determined based on passenger feedback collected by the ACI program on the day that passengers travel. Each airport’s rating is based on 34 key performance indicators, such as access, check-in, security, stores and restaurants, and cleanliness of restrooms and overall facilities.

“ACI’s Airport Service Quality awards represent the highest possible accolade for airport operators around the world,” said ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira in a statement, “This year more than any other, the awards recognize those airports that have listened to their customers and adapted the services and experiences they offer to meet changing needs and expectations under very trying circumstances.

Based on new hygiene-related questions added to the survey questionnaire, ACI has a new award this year: ‘Best Hygiene Measures by Region.”

Here are the North American airport winners in that category:

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport –
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

San Antonio International Airport –
Tampa International Airport

Toronto Pearson International Airport

Victoria International Airport, Canad

Here are the Airport Service Quality Awards won by airports in North America

Over 40 million passengers

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Toronto Pearson International Airport

25 – 40 million passengers

Baltimore-Washington International Airport

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

15- 25 million passengers

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport 
Dallas Love Field Airport 

5-15 million passengers

Indianapolis International Airport 

John Glenn Columbus International Airport 

San Antonio International Airport 

2-5 million passengers

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport 

Portland International Jetport (Maine)

Less than 2 million passengers

Victoria International Airport – Victoria, Canada

Winners: World’s Best Airports for 2020

Uncategorized, ,

Even if spending time in an airport was once your least favorite part of traveling, we bet standing in line to go through security is probably sounding pretty good.

And when the time comes to begin traveling again, we hope that adventure will begin or end in one of the winners from the 2020 Skytrax World Airport Awards.

To no one’s surprise, Singapore’s Changi Airport wins the award for the World’s Best Airport for the eighth consecutive year.

Already a four-terminal wonderland of shops, restaurants, gardens, wide-open spaces and fun activities, in 2019 Changi opened The Jewel.

The bonus addition connects three of the airport’s four terminals and is filled with more shops, restaurants, gardens and activities built around a circular 130-foot tall Rain Vortex that is the world’s tallest indoor waterfall.

Courtesy Changi Airport

Changi also won the award for the World’s Best Airport Leisure Amenities, ahead of South Korea’s Incheon Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

Here’s the full list of the winners for World’s Top 10 Airports 2020:

  1. Singapore Changi Airport
  2. Tokyo Haneda Airport
  3. Hamad International Airport Doha
  4. Incheon International Airport
  5. Munich Airport
  6. Hong Kong International Airport
  7. Narita International Airport
  8. Central Japan International Airport
  9. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
  10. Kansai International Airport
Richmond, British Columbia on December 16, 2015. (BEN NELMS for YVR)

In the Best Airports in North America category, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) took the top spot, followed by Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), Denver International Airport (DEN) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

No North American airport shows up on the 2020 list of winners for World’s Cleanest Airports (Tokyo’s Haneda Airport wins that category) or World’s Best Airport Dining (Narita International Airport in Tokyo wins there).

However, the Houston Airport System took first place in the World’s Best Website and Digital Services category.

See the full list of winners in all categories on the Skytrax World Airport Awards website.