The Most Popular Airports in the US, Canada

JD Power ranks the favorites, and the not-so-favorites
Posted Sep 29, 2025 10:26 AM CDT
The Most Popular Airports in the US, Canada
A passenger views information boards at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport showing canceled flights ahead of an impending snow storm forecasted to hit the Twin Cities later in the day Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023 in St. Paul, Minn.   (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

Getting stuck in an airport on a delay, layover, or missed connection isn't exactly the apex of travel, but some airports are better than others at moving you swiftly to your destination. JD Power is out with its North America Airport Satisfaction Study, now in its 20th year, reports CNN. The study takes into account factors including: airport accessibility (getting to the airport and leaving); check-in/baggage check; security check; food, beverage, and retail; terminal facilities (concourses, lounges, restrooms, gate areas); and baggage claim. It sorts airports by size, with "mega" seeing 33 million or more passengers per year, "large" (10 million to 32.9 million) and "medium" (4.5 million to 9.9 million). A look at their findings:

The best mega airports

  1. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), score of 660 out of 1,000
  2. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), 649
  3. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), 634
  4. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), 620
  5. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), 619

The worst mega airports

  1. O'Hare International Airport (ORD), 586
  2. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), 583
  3. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), 581
  4. Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), 567
  5. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), 565

story continues below

The best large airports

  1. John Wayne Airport, Orange County (SNA), 730
  2. Tampa International Airport (TPA), 709
  3. Dallas Love Field (DAL), 705
The best medium airports
  1. Indianapolis International Airport (IND), 713
  2. Ontario International Airport (ONT), 709
  3. Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF), 698
More results here.

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