best airports

Best U.S. airport? Worst? Fodor’s has a list.

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There are lots of travel awards and “Best of” lists out there in travel.

And now Fodor’s Travel has come out with its own and airports, of course, are on the list.

“Airports are like living creatures – sprawling, complicated, chameleon-like things that are constantly expanding and renewing themselves,” said Jeremy Tarr, Fodor’s Travel editorial director, “What is today’s best airport can quickly become next year’s worst.”

This year’s list names California’s Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) – formerly the Bob Hope Airport – as the Best U.S. Airport, with nearby Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as the worst.

“Burbank is an airport free of most of the hassles that take the fun out of travel plans,” said Fodor’s managing editor Rachael Leavitt. “It’s an agreeable airport in a perfect location, which is why it’s at the top of our list of airports to love.”

LAX?

LAX Theme Building

Fodor’s gave LAX low points for how difficult it is to get in and out of, especially with several construction projects underway. “Ironically,” notes Fodor’s, “Most of the construction projects are for features that will ultimately improve getting around the infamous LAX ‘horseshoe’” roadway.

“One day the construction will end. And, one day, there will be a people-mover that will connect the yet-to-be-open Crenshaw Metro Line to the airport,” Tarr said. “But until then, LAX has earned a spot at the top of our Worst Airports list – and we’re loathing it.”

Here are the other airports that made Fodor’s list. Let me know if you agree:

Best International Airport: Singapore Changi Airport

Best Airport for Shopping: London Heathrow

Best Airport for Foodies: Newark-Liberty International Airport

Best Tiny Airport: Jackson Hole Airport – Wyoming   

Fodor’s also gave awards to airlines

Best US Airline: Delta

Best Int’l Airline: Emirates

Best airline for plus-sized passengers: Jet Blue

Best Budget ‘Bougie’ Experience: Norwegian

Best Airline for Blowing your Budget: Etihad

Best Airline for Flying with Pets: American

Tiny Airline You Should Try: Air Dolmoti (Runner up: Safari Link)

Best Airline for Foodies: JAL

Best Airline for Cocktail Connoisseurs: Japan Airlines

Best Airline for Getting Sleep: JetBlue’s Mint

Best Airline for Flying with Kids: Qatar

Airline with the Friendliest Staff: Southwest

World’s Best Airports for 2019. And the World’s Cleanest Airport.

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There are dozens of “Best Airports” lists that come out each year. Skytrax is one of the more notable lists that airports and, increasingly, passengers, pay attention to. That’s because the survey is based on extensive customer surveys and evaluates everything from check-in, arrivals and shopping to security and the experience at the gates.

Here are the Top 10 Airports for 2019.

  1. Singapore Changi Airport – winner for the 7th year in a row.
  2. Tokyo Haneda International Airport
  3. Incheon International Airport
  4. Hamad International Airport (Qatar)
  5. Hong Kong International Airport
  6. Chubu Centrair International Airport – (Nagoya, Japan; which recently opened a Seattle-themed 787 Dreamliner attraction)
  7. Munich Airport
  8. London Heathrow Airport
  9. Narita International Airport
  10. Zurich Airport

No U.S. airports made that top ten list, but on this list of the “bests” in other categories, Houston’s Bush International Airport won the inaugural award for World’s Best Website and Digital Services.

World’s Best Airport Dining : Hong Kong International Airport
World’s Best Airport Hotel : Crowne Plaza Changi Airport
World’s Best Airport Immigration Service : Hong Kong International Airport
World’s Best Airport Leisure Amenities : Changi Airport Singapore
World’s Best Airport Security Processing : Zurich Airport
World’s Best Airport Shopping : London Heathrow Airport
World’s Best Airport Staff : Narita International Airport
World’s Best Airport Terminal : T5, London Heathrow Airport
World’s Best Website & Digital Services : Houston Airports System
World’s Cleanest Airport : Tokyo Haneda Airport

Haneda Airport new International Terminal

A few other “Bests” of note:

Denver International Airport got the nod for Best Regional Airport in North America, while Vancouver International Airport took home the award for Best Airport in North America. And Seattle-Tacoma International Airport received the award for having the Best Airport Staff in North America.

See the full list of Skytrax 2019 awards here.

Best U.S. airports. Another celebratory list.

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When it comes to travel, there are plenty of lists that claim to rank the best (and worst) airports, airlines, hotels, loyalty programs, etc.

Some are created by experts in the field. Others are the results of surveys (some scientific, some not). And still other are created (somehow) by companies hoping to get their names mentioned in a story.

Conde Nast surveys it well-traveled readers to put together its long list of travel bests each year.

Here’s their Top Ten list of airports for 2018:

  1. Indianapolis International Airport
  2. Portland Oregon International Airport (PDX)
  3. Bradley International Airport (BDL)
  4. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
  5. Tampa International Airport (TPA)
  6. Detroit Metro Airport (DTW)
  7. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
  8. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
  9. George  Bush International Airport (IAH)
  10. Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI)

Any of your favorites on this list? Or any airports you think were robbed of a spot?

Portland tops T+L list of 10 Best Domestic Airports – again

Airport shops, Airport Terminals, Airports,

For the sixth year running, Portland International Airport, with it free movie theater, cool shops, celebrity carpet and long list of other amenties, has come out on top of the  Travel + Leisure’s list of Best Domestic Airports for 2018.

And, as you might imagine, the folks there are awfully pleased.

“The credit for this accomplishment goes to our Portland International Airport team—the more than 10,000 who always deliver the best travel experience you’ll find anywhere,” Curtis Robinhold, Port of Portland executive director said in a statement. “The caring spirit of our PDX team, served up with local restaurants and shops, gives PDX its much-loved heart and character, reflecting the very best our region offers.”

Here are all 10 airports airports that made this year’s list

1. Portland International Airport

2. Indianapolis International Airport

3. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

4. Tampa International Airport

5. Pittsburgh International Airport

6. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

7. Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport

8. John Wayne Airport, Orange County, CA

9. Palm Beach International Airport

10. Dallas Love Field

Travel + Leisure has been inviting readers to rate airports since 2013 on categories such as access, check-in and security, restaurants/bars, shopping and design.

Do you agree with the list? Which airports would you add?

Fliers love Orlando Int’l Airport – and other new rankings

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This year Orlando International Airport (MCO) gets top ranking for satisfaction among the “mega” airports in J.D. Power’s 2017 North America Airport Satisfaction Study.

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) came in second and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas ranked third, with scores of 778, 767 and 765,  respectively, out of a possible score of 1000.

Among large airports, John Wayne Airport in Orange County topped the list with a score of 796, followed by Tampa International Airport (795) and Dallas Love Field (790).

Sacramento International Airport got the highest marks among the medium airports (810), followed by Indianapolis International Airport (807), and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (806).

The study, one of several ‘biggies’ that come out each year, ranks traveler satisfaction with mega, large, and medium North American airports by weighin six factors (in order of importance): terminal facilities; airport accessibility; security check; baggage claim; check-in/baggage check; food, beverage and retail.

J.D. Power notes that ratings are up 18 points overall compared to last year’s all-time high, due to a 25-point increase in satisfaction with security checks (thanks to a drop in TSA staffing issues) and more satisfaction with check-in/baggage check (+19 points) and food, beverage, and retail (+15 points).  Self-service bag-check kiosks and other bag-tagging technologies got credit for raising satisfaction with the baggage check process.

Here are the Top 10 airports in each category:

“Mega” airports:

  1. Orlando International Airport
  2. Detroit Metroplitan International Airport
  3. McCarran International Airport
  4. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
  5. Denver International Airport
  6. Charlotte Douglas International Airport
  7. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
  8. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
  9. San Francisco Internaitonal Airport
  10. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Large Airports

  1. John Wayne Airport
  2. Tampa International Airport
  3. Dallas Love Field
  4. Nashville International Airport
  5. Portland International Airport
  6. Willliam P. Hobby Airport (Houston)
  7. San Diego International Airport
  8. Reagan National Airport
  9. Salt Lake City International Airport
  10. Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport

Medium Airports

  1. Sacramento International Airport
  2. Indianpolis International Airport
  3. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
  4. Jacksonville International Airport
  5. Palm Beach International Airport
  6. Southwest Florida International Airport
  7. Pittsburgh International Airport
  8. Raleigh-Durham International Airport
  9. Buffalo Niagara International Airport
  10. Ontario International Airport

You can see the full lists and the scoring here.