So long New Jersey! Travelers have their say on the best – and worst – airports in the US and Canada – UK Times

Overpriced food, flight delays and long lines at security – what’s not to love about going to the airport?

But all terminals are not made equal, according to a new survey of thousands of American and Canadian travelers, who have had their say on the most and least satisfying locations in North America.

Top of the “mega airport” list, for the second year running, is Midwestern hub, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, according to the annual poll from J.D. Power.

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport ranks second and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport comes in third.

Sitting at the bottom of the group is Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Mega airports are defined as those with 33 million or more passengers every year.

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The results came from more than 30,000 surveys completed by U.S. or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one North American airport in the past year.

For large airports – which funneled between 10 to 33 million passengers per year – John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California also came top for the second year in a row. Tampa International Airport came second and Dallas Love Field was third. Philadelphia International Airport ranked lowest in this category.

In the medium-sized group (4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year) Indianapolis International Airport was top, followed by Ontario International Airport and Buffalo Niagara International Airport. At the bottom of this list was Edmonton International Airport.

The study, now in its 20th year, revealed that overall satisfaction with North American airports is improving, despite “persistently crowded terminals, widespread flight delays and rising prices”.

Overall satisfaction scores jumped 10 points, on a 1,000-point scale, driven largely by improvements in food, beverage, retail and ease of travel through the airport, according to J.D. Power.

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The study found that airport efforts to incorporate authentic local food and beverage brands in terminals have helped fuel a boost in satisfaction, said Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power.

He also said that a number of airports had undertaken major refurbishments, boosting traveler experience.

The study polled passengers in a number of areas including ease of travel through the airport, facilities, staff, food, beverage and retail.

The most satisfying mega airports in North America

The most satisfying large airports in North America

The most satisfying medium airports in North America